"Bones of beasts scattered afar, towers, crimson crystals, steel wheels—"
"What moves is the wind, what remains still is the sky. The sound of spears clashing echoes through the empty city—"
Rika of Tsunayashiro Kugyo resounded throughout the entire training ground. He had given up on using his Zanpakutō and instead clasped his hands in front of his chest, condensing a dense sphere of blue lightning-like light between his palms.
As the incantation was fully recited, wild thunder, like a beast unleashed from its cage, charged forward and struck directly at Arata.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Rangiku, who had just arrived at the scene, witnessed that breathtaking moment.
Unconsciously, she clenched the armrest of the chair that Shiba Isshin had reserved for her in advance, a trace of worry flickering in her gray eyes.
"Don't worry," Shiba Isshin said lazily, holding a blade of grass in his mouth. "Arata is much stronger than you think. There's no way some ordinary student could bring him down…"
The lightning was already upon him, but Arata still wore a calm expression.
He gently raised his right hand, and at his fingertips appeared a faint blue spiritual energy, vibrating at an unusual frequency.
At the moment the Raikōhō touched that layer of spiritual pressure, the previously raging lightning suddenly changed direction in a bizarre manner and rebounded directly toward Tsunayashiro Kugyo's position!
"What?!" Kugyo's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
My own kidō spell…
Was actually deflected back?!
Boom!
The lightning blasted a scorched hole into the ground just in front of him. The immense impact force hurled him dozens of meters backward, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
Arata had deliberately controlled the rebound angle of Raikōhō so that the attack would merely knock Kugyo into the air without causing any real harm.
The training ground fell silent.
Everyone was so stunned by the sight that for a while, no one could utter a single word.
Even the usually composed Aizen slightly narrowed his eyes, a strange gleam flashing behind his lenses.
"If I'm not mistaken, that should be a counter-technique against kidō," Ukitake Jūshirō murmured softly, "a technique even many captains are not proficient in…"
Kyoraku Shunsui nodded. "Even I'm not skilled enough to guarantee I could successfully use it every time…"
If Arata heard Kyoraku's words, he would probably just smile bitterly.
Unohana Retsu, who had remained silent the entire time, couldn't help but smile slightly at that moment.
Her student was exceeding expectations in every regard.
On the training ground, Tsunayashiro Kugyo struggled to get up from the ground.
His academy uniform was in tatters, and his exposed skin was covered in small cuts.
However, what hurt the most wasn't the physical wounds, but the indescribable sense of defeat deep within his heart.
"Why…" Kugyo stared directly at Arata, his voice hoarse, "why is the difference so enormous? My spiritual pressure is clearly already…"
According to the effects of the forbidden pill, it was evident he had already been boosted to the level of a vice-captain!
Why still no effect?!
Arata slowly approached and looked down at the disheveled young man.
"An absolute gap in power can't be bridged with external means." Arata's voice was calm and firm.
"That pill may grant you immense strength for a short period, but the mindset required to control that strength can't be built overnight."
Kugyo's body trembled slightly, and the unwillingness in his eyes almost took on a tangible form.
"I don't accept that!" he suddenly shouted. "You've only trained a few years longer than me! If I were given just as much time, I definitely could. "
"Time?" Arata laughed and cut him off. "You think I've only trained a few years more than you?"
"Tsunayashiro-san, don't forget, I'm just a senpai from the same generation as you." Arata's tone grew colder.
Since the other party didn't respect him as a teacher, there was no need for him to treat him as a wounded student in need of comfort.
The usual moralizing simply wouldn't reach a noble corrupted from birth by extreme arrogance.
Only by showing true power could he force acknowledgment.
He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
Spiritual pressure, so dense it was almost tangible, began to condense in his palm, eventually forming into a crystal-clear blue sphere of light.
"Look closely. This is true power."
As soon as he said that, the sphere of spiritual energy in Arata's palm suddenly radiated a blinding brilliance.
An invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire training ground, and the students in the stands suddenly felt it hard to breathe, as if an invisible mountain were pressing against their chests.
Even some instructors of weaker ability changed their expressions and had to bolster their own spiritual pressure to withstand the suffocating sensation.
"This…" Shiba Isshin suddenly stood up, the blade of grass falling from his mouth. "It's only been a short time, how has he grown this much stronger? He wasn't this overpowered before."
"You're truly amazing, Arata-kun…" Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't help but be astonished.
Such terrifying growth speed was enough to make even a veteran captain like him feel ashamed.
The dazzling blue light reflected in Rangiku's eyes. Watching Arata on the field, she felt a pride that couldn't be expressed in words.
This was her man.
So powerful, so radiant.
After a while, Arata slowly withdrew the spiritual pressure.
The oppressive pressure dissipated like a receding tide, and a collective sigh of relief spread across the training ground.
"Raw power isn't the most important thing." Arata looked at Tsunayashiro Kugyo, who had collapsed on the ground, and said in a rarely gentle tone: "How to build the mindset to control that power, that's the most important training for a Shinigami."
Kugyo stared blankly at him, and the unwillingness in his eyes gradually transformed into a more complex expression.
"I…" He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, and his expression unconsciously softened.
Arata extended a hand and pulled him to his feet.
"Your performance today was excellent." Arata patted him on the shoulder. "As the first student to dare challenge a teacher in a public class, both your strength and courage deserve praise."
Although a bit rebellious, he was nothing like Tokinada. He was just a "genius" boy who didn't yet understand the vastness of the world and clung to some stubborn ideas.
Those words seemed to touch something in him, and Kugyo's eyes suddenly welled up.
He looked down and whispered in a mosquito-like voice: "Thank you… Professor Saito."
Applause erupted from the stands.
At first just a few scattered claps, but it quickly spread like wildfire and turned into thunderous cheering.
"Amazing!"
"Professor Saito is so cool!"
"Tsunayashiro-san fought really well too!!"
"Is this the power of the head professor of the Spiritual Arts Academy's faculty?"
Arata bowed to the captains in the stands, then turned and began walking toward the edge of the training ground.
As he passed the section where Rangiku was seated, as if sensing something, he looked up and happened to meet those moist gray eyes.
Rangiku winked at him, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
Arata smiled meaningfully back at her, and the tension in his heart eased considerably in that instant.
"Hey, hey, you two, mind paying attention to where you are?" Shiba Isshin joked. "This is a serious class, you know."
Rangiku blushed and lightly punched him. "Captain!"
Yamamoto Genryuusai slowly stood up and tapped his staff lightly on the floor.
The entire hall fell silent in an instant, and all eyes turned to the head captain.
"The first phase is over." The old man's deep voice echoed to every corner. "Next is the second phase. "
"Simulated group exercise under real combat conditions!"
———
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