"Big brother, you're actually that strong?"
Momo clung to Sombravida's arm, eyes glittering.
"You ate a Hollow? When did that happen? Were you hurt? Why didn't you tell me? What if something happened in the forest—"
Sombravida smiled helplessly.
Mayuri had exposed the fact publicly.
Even if the Twelfth Division suppressed it, the risk had increased.
Fortunately, after Mayuri left, Sombravida sensed several Twelfth Division technicians discreetly escorting nearby examinees away under the pretense of recalibration procedures.
Memory modification.
Very likely.
Mayuri would never allow such research material to circulate freely.
Still… Aizen.
Sombravida did not relax.
If information leaked even slightly, it would attract far worse attention than Mayuri's curiosity.
For now, survival meant restraint.
No more Hollow absorption inside Seireitei.
The reishi density here was already high enough to cultivate normally.
He would not risk further resonance.
Combat Assessment
The next test area was an open sparring ground.
Momo chose the mechanical evaluation line — projectile response and mobility testing.
Sombravida was directed toward the live combat examiner.
A tall Shinigami with rolled sleeves and obvious muscle definition stood waiting, Zanpakutō resting casually on his shoulder.
Eleventh Division.
Of course.
"Number 918," the examiner said, grinning.
"Fight me. No Shikai. Pure blade skill and reiatsu."
Sombravida nodded.
He drew his katana smoothly.
He sensed observers gathering.
Matsushita (9th Division).
Mizumo (4th Division).
The Twelfth Division tester.
They were watching.
Of course they were.
Sombravida exhaled once.
Then—
He stepped.
Not Shunpo.
Just controlled explosive movement.
In one instant he closed the gap.
Clang!
Steel collided.
The ground cracked beneath the examiner's feet.
The Shinigami's eyes widened.
The power wasn't wild.
It was compressed.
Dense.
Sombravida pivoted.
A second strike—low horizontal cut.
The examiner barely raised his blade in time.
Impact.
The force sent him skidding backward across the arena and out of bounds.
Two exchanges.
Silence.
The observing Shinigami exchanged looks.
That was not raw strength.
That was refined output control.
Sombravida lowered his blade.
"Is the assessment concluded?"
Before the fallen examiner could answer—
A loud laugh burst from the side.
"HAHA! That was good!"
A bald man stepped forward, grinning wildly.
Third Seat of the Eleventh Division.
Madarame Ikkaku.
"Kid! Fight me! That was too clean! I want to see more!"
Behind him, elegantly poised—
Ayasegawa Yumichika sighed.
"Ikkaku, this is an examination."
"Shut up! This guy's interesting!"
Sombravida turned his head slightly.
"I decline."
Ikkaku froze.
"What?"
"This is an entrance examination. Unnecessary reiatsu expenditure would affect subsequent assessments."
It was a perfectly rational refusal.
Ikkaku's fighting spirit deflated halfway.
Yumichika chuckled.
"You heard him."
Ikkaku grumbled loudly.
"Damn it… fine! But you'd better join a combat division!"
Sombravida had already sheathed his blade and walked away.
Behind him, the Eleventh Division examiner quietly stamped the sawgrass insignia onto his form.
Passing was unquestionable.
Momo's Test
Twenty minutes later, Momo finished her mechanical reflex exam.
"I almost failed…" she muttered.
Projectile capture system.
Thirty launches.
Maximum four drops allowed.
She dropped four.
Sombravida wiped her sweat gently.
"You passed. That's what matters."
She noticed another division stamp on his form.
"Fourth one already?! Big brother, you're unbelievable!"
"Focus on finishing," he replied calmly.
Kidō Aptitude & Reiryoku Control
The next hall tested Kidō compatibility.
Two female Shinigami examiners waited inside.
One wore glasses, long straight black hair.
The other had loose wavy hair and an analytical expression.
"Number 918," the glasses-wearing examiner said.
"First test: reiryoku control."
She explained:
Generate a sphere of reiryoku over 10 cm diameter.
Guide it through a transparent curved reishi tube without contact.
Sombravida tilted his head slightly.
"I am blind."
The examiner adjusted her glasses.
"…Understood. Alternative assessment."
She raised her hand.
"Bakudō #4 — Hainawa."
Golden rope erupted and wrapped around Sombravida's torso and limbs.
"Break it through reiryoku control efficiency."
Sombravida did not struggle wildly.
He focused.
Instead of brute forcing outward—
He compressed his reiatsu inward.
Then released a sharp pulse at a single fracture point.
Crack.
The rope dissolved instantly.
The examiner's eyes narrowed slightly.
Efficient.
Not excessive.
"Control level acceptable. Proceed to Kidō aptitude."
Hado Sensitivity Test
The wavy-haired examiner stepped forward.
"I will cast a low-level Hadō. Observe the spiritual flow."
She chanted clearly:
"Disintegrate, Black Dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Hadō #9 — Geki."
Red energy burst forward, striking a distant target.
She repeated it several times, explaining flow patterns, spiritual circulation timing, trigger focus at the sternum and palm.
"Your turn."
Sombravida listened carefully.
He replicated the chant precisely.
His reiryoku followed the same internal pathway.
The cadence was identical.
The output…
Nothing.
No red energy.
No manifestation.
Only surface-level reiryoku fluctuation.
The examiner frowned slightly.
"Again."
Sombravida repeated it.
Perfect cadence.
Perfect flow.
Still nothing.
She folded her arms slowly.
"His reiryoku control is extremely refined… but there is no Kidō resonance."
The glasses examiner nodded.
"He cannot form the structural reishi formula required for manifestation."
In Bleach canon, Kidō requires:
Spiritual pressure
Correct incantation
Structural spiritual formula compatibility
Sombravida possessed (1).
He mimicked (2).
He lacked (3).
Kidō sensitivity was not something learned instantly.
It was innate compatibility.
The wavy-haired examiner concluded quietly:
"His control over spiritual pressure is outstanding, but the tactile sensation of Kido… is it zero?"
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