"Fujita-kun, Otomo-kun."
"If you say so, then I won't hold back."
"For the next month, I'll leave the patrols and soul burials to the two of you."
"If any Hollows appear, I'll rush over immediately!"
Kyoya didn't reject Fujita and Otomo's goodwill. After all, for him, spending time on something as trivial as patrols was a complete waste.
Within a radius of just 500 meters, Kyoya could easily monitor the entire area by spreading his Observation Haki. Handing over the patrol and soul burial duties to the two of them was the most efficient choice.
"Don't worry, Kyoya-kun."
"Leave these small tasks to us!"
After Fujita and Otomo left, Kyoya found an open space, drew the Zanpakuto at his waist, and began swinging his sword toward the sky.
Each swing released a white slash. However, the slashes Kyoya produced now were nowhere near as large as the ones he'd unleashed during his fight with Gin, nor did they travel as far.
Although Kyoya's Reiryoku had now reached the 7th-class, just one step away from achieving a complete Shikai, the enemies he would face in the near future would still outclass him in Reiatsu for some time.
Under such circumstances, Kyoya had prioritized mastering the technique of imbuing his flying slash directly into his sword strikes.
Once perfected, this technique would allow him to augment every swing with the additional power of his flying slash, significantly boosting his combat strength in close-quarters battles.
Moreover, the power of these flying slash would grow as Kyoya deepened his understanding of [Breath of All Things].
This was a technique that would serve him for a lifetime.
The key to this move lay in synchronizing the slash with the sword swing, ensuring that their combined force achieved an effect greater than the sum of its parts.
With the assistance of Observation Haki and Breath of All Things, Kyoya could constantly adjust his swings and slashes, refining them with each repetition.
Based on his own estimates, he would likely perfect this technique after a few thousand more minor adjustments.
Kyoya's actions were observed by many students and examiners, but no one commented.
The students were already accustomed to his behavior. During their time at the Shin'o Academy, they had often seen him training in the training grounds.
As for the examiners, they had all heard of Kyoya's reputation. They were also aware that Aizen, the Lieutenant of the 5th Division, had once extended an invitation to Kyoya, only to be turned down.
Rumor had it that Kyoya intended to join the 11th Division.
Judging by his current demeanor, he certainly fit the style of those battle maniacs.
The difference was that the members of the 11th Division were more inclined toward fighting Hollows or sparring with other Shinigami.
Kyoya, from what they could see, still focused most of his energy on training.
Of course, it was also possible that the students of Shin'o Academy were simply too weak to ignite Kyoya's passion for battle.
Well, to be fair, even excluding Kyoya, none of the other examiners, aside from the lead examiner, stood much of a chance against him either.
This wasn't an exaggeration.
Even without his Kenatsu, Kyoya's combat prowess was such that most of them would struggle to defeat him.
After all, among their team of examiners, only three had Reiatsu at the 7th-class or higher.
The rest were all eighth-class. While they're already elite Shinigami within the Gotei 13, they're still far inferior to Kyoya.
…
"Buzz-"
On this day, Kyoya was practicing the fusion of swordsmanship and slashes as usual when he suddenly sensed an intense surge of 'malice'.
"A Hollow?"
Without hesitation, Kyoya leaped from the ground, using Shunpo to create footholds of Reishi beneath his feet, standing mid-air as he turned his gaze toward the direction his Observation Haki had detected the hostility.
His abrupt movement quickly drew the attention of the examiner Shinigami.
After all, for the past few days, Kyoya had done nothing but train when he wasn't sleeping.
Though they couldn't quite understand why the range of his slashes seemed to be shrinking the more he practiced, they knew that Kyoya's current achievements couldn't simply be attributed to 'genius' alone.
They admitted that even if they possessed the same Zanjutsu talent as Kyoya, without his level of perseverance, they would never reach his current level.
It was clear that even if Kyoya lacked his natural Zanjutsu talent, his sheer determination would still have carried him far.
Now that Kyoya had suddenly stopped training and taken to the air, it could only mean he had sensed something.
Following his line of sight, the Shinigami soon noticed a thin black line forming in the space ahead.
Then, as if torn open from within, the line split apart, ripping open a spatial fissure over three meters wide and two meters tall.
A Garganta!
The dimensional passage Hollows used to travel between the Human World and Soul Society.
Boom!
A three-meter-tall, spider-like Hollow emerged from the Garganta, crashing onto the ground and leaving a massive crater in its wake.
"Hiss… Kyoya's strength is one thing, but even his ability to sense Reiatsu is this sharp?"
Witnessing this, the Shinigami couldn't help but feel even more astonished.
Shinigami naturally possessed Reiatsu, and thus, the ability to sense it.
However, for most ordinary Shinigami, their detection range was limited to just a few meters.
Of course, this also depended on the Reiatsu of both parties.
For example, if a Captain-level fighter fully unleashed their Reiatsu, nearly every Shinigami in Seireitei would sense it.
Additionally, there were Kido spells like Bakudo #58: Kakushitsuijaku and Bakudo #77: Tenteikura, which could vastly expand a Shinigami's Reiatsu perception range and even lock onto specific signatures within it.
Yet, Kyoya's current display of Reiatsu perception was no less impressive than a Shinigami actively using Kakushitsuijaku.
"Is this what a true genius is like?"
Once again, the examiner Shinigami were forced to confront the chasm between themselves and geniuses.
What required spells and techniques for them was nothing more than basic perception for someone like Kyoya.
Kyoya had no idea what the Shinigami were thinking.
At this moment, he merely smirked, his expression perfectly mirroring his excitement.