But if one's strength is insufficient-
No matter where you go, bullying of the weak exists.
In the Gotei 13's divisions, the bullying faced by the weak is far more severe than in the Shin'o Academy.
In the academy, while bullying does occur, this is ultimately a place for training Shinigami, and the instructors won't allow the students to go too far.
But in the divisions, because battles can break out at any moment, and battles can lead to deaths, the lower-ranked Shinigami inevitably need some way to vent their pent-up stress.
Under such circumstances, even if seated officers, Lieutenant, or even Captains are aware of bullying within their divisions, as long as it doesn't happen right in front of them, they'll almost always turn a blind eye.
In fact, some seated officers might even be the ones leading the bullying.
Kyoya remembered that, in the future, there was a Shinigami from the 9th Division who was bullied and forced to transfer divisions, eventually becoming a villainous boss who caused significant damage to the Seireitei.
Most students would try to prolong their time at the Shin'o Academy as much as possible.
Take, for example, the future 9th Division's Lieutenant, Hisagi Shuhei. After skipping ahead to the sixth year, he participated in multiple graduation exams. Even after passing, he felt his strength was still lacking and chose not to graduate.
Shaking his head, the head instructor watched Kyoya's retreating figure and suppressed his thoughts.
'Forget staying a few more years-'
'With Kyoya's current Zanjutsu, even if he graduated right now, his strength within a Division would likely only be second to that of a seated officer.'
'If Kyoya is given one or two years, becoming a seated officer in the division will not be a problem.'
'Within a decade, Kyoya would surely possess the strength of a high-ranking seated officer.'
…
"You're Kyoya?"
The sixth-grade instructor took Kyoya's application and scrutinized him.
"If I remember correctly, you were still a fourth-grade student yesterday."
"Even if you're skipping a grade, it should be to the fifth grade."
As he spoke, the instructor's gaze lingered on the Zanpakuto at Kyoya's waist.
Fifth-year students were required to perform Zanzen to establish a connection with the Spirit within their Asauchi, using their own soul to nurture the Spirit of the Asauchi and forge it into their Zanpakuto.
Now that Kyoya was here, already carrying an Asauchi, there were only two possible explanations.
First, Kyoya wasn't just a genius in swordsmanship—he was also a prodigy in Zanzen. In less than half a day, he had mastered the meditation technique and successfully connected with his Asauchi. Thus, staying in the fifth grade would be pointless for him.
Second, Kyoya hadn't practiced Zanzen at all, abandoning the path of the Zanpakuto to focus solely on swordsmanship, aiming to reach the pinnacle of the Zanjutsu.
After all, before Zanpakuto existed, the mainstream in the Seireitei was the practice of Zanjutsu and Kido. Even after Zanpakuto emerged and Shinigami gained greater power, Zanjutsu remained an indispensable part of a Shinigami's four fundamental skills.
"Never mind..."
Shaking his head, the instructor didn't press Kyoya for answers.
After all, he was just an instructor at the Shin'o Academy.
His duty here was to oversee students during combat training, ensuring they didn't suffer fatal injuries.
As for the rest...
A single grade's class could have as few as 170 to 180 students or as many as over 200.
Of these, fewer than 30 would join the Gotei 13 each year.
The rest would all be assigned to the Expeditionary Force in Hueco Mundo.
Over the decades, he had sent off countless students.
At first, he would grieve for these students embarking on a path of death.
But as time passed, his heart grew numb.
Even if someone was killed by an experimental Hollow during training, his eyebrows wouldn't so much as twitch.
After all, if a sixth-grade student couldn't even defeat an experimental Hollow, then whether they joined the Gotei 13 or were assigned to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, death was inevitable.
"Follow me."
"I'll conduct an assessment for you, then assign you to a class based on your results."
"Let me make this clear… the training for sixth-grade isn't as gentle as in the other grades."
"In the lower years, failing an assessment rarely leads to serious injury, let alone life-threatening danger."
"But for sixth-grades, failing an assessment could mean death."
"If you're not afraid to die, I'll arrange your assessment right now."
"But if you're scared, I can place you in Class 6-D and let you take the assessment with them next time."
"What do you say?"
Class 6-D was the weakest among the sixth-grade classes.
Weak in terms of strength.
Over the centuries, students from Class 6-C occasionally got lucky, passed the graduation exam, and successfully joined the Gotei 13.
But not a single student from Class 6-D had ever made it.
"I'm willing to take the assessment, sensei."
Kyoya placed his hand on the Zanpakuto at his waist and spoke solemnly.
"A Shinigami is someone who entrusts their life to their blade. If I feared battle, I wouldn't have come to the Shin'o Academy to train as a Shinigami in the first place."
"Good. Regardless of anything else, I like your courage, kid."
"Let's see if you can keep that attitude going."
"We're here."
Kyoya looked up and saw a massive white hemispherical building nearly a hundred meters in diameter ahead.
Rumble…
As the sixth-grade instructor operated the controls, the heavy gate slid open, revealing a square passageway.
"Go on in."
"Understood."
Kyoya stepped past the instructor and entered the passage.
As he walked through, his vision was filled with white.
The interior of the structure resembled a colosseum.
At the very center, the lowest point, was a circular grassy field.
Surrounding it were tiered seating arranged like steps.
At the moment, a sparse handful of people stood among the seats.
Beside them, the instructor who had brought Kyoya was speaking to the others.
'Are they researchers from the 12th Division?'
Kyoya only needed one glance at the white lab coats they wore to guess their identities.
The experimental Hollows used for sixth-grade training weren't real Hollows. They were artificial constructs developed by the 12th Division's Research and Development Institute, based on [Artificial Soul].
Compared to real Hollows, although these experimental Hollows had the same form, their strength is much weaker than real Hollows.
Even a newly fallen Hollow could unleash terrifying power through the sheer force of its lingering regrets.
But these Hollows were just artificial souls', incomplete ones at that. Without any 'regrets', how could they possess true strength?