Chereads / Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami / Chapter 43 - Chapter 43 ⥤ The Soul of a Mage Burns

Chapter 43 - Chapter 43 ⥤ The Soul of a Mage Burns

'Elegant. So elegant! This is a born master of Kidō!' Tessai's eyes sparkled as if admiring an incomparably beautiful work of art.

In his years teaching at the Shin'ō Academy, he had seen countless geniuses — those with exceptional talent for Kidō, those born with immense Reiatsu, those who progressed at incredible speeds. But there were few beings like Aizen.

His observation of the battlefield was meticulous, each Kidō attack and defense perfectly executed. His Reiatsu output was precisely controlled — any less would lack power, any more would be wasteful. Combined with his nearly perfect Shunpo positioning, Aizen walked casually through the thundering explosions, showing no sign of pressure.

Looking at his overall performance in this Kidō combat, he had achieved perfection. Even if Tessai personally entered the battle at the same Reiatsu level, he couldn't perform better than Aizen.

If he had to find any fault, it would be that his Reiatsu was too weak, merely average among the elite first class.

What a pity — such a pity. If only such a genius could be a bit stronger in Reiatsu, he would truly have no flaws. Behind his narrow lenses, Tessai's eyes revealed a look of regret.

However, when he turned his attention to the other person, his mouth twitched involuntarily, and his eye corner spasmed.

In stark contrast to Aizen, Akira completely threw away all his previous teachings, showing no concept of Reiatsu conservation as he went all out with pure firepower.

Amid maniacal laughter mixed with Kidō incantations, the barrier erupted in an unprecedented brilliant spectacle.

Silver lightning surged violently, darting about like ghosts. Crimson flames mixed with yellow ones, continuously exploding with deafening roars. Howling gusts of wind erupted in crossfire, forming wave after wave under the continuous thunder, spreading like rippling waves.

Watching the endless barrage of Hadō and Bakudō, a hint of helplessness flashed in Aizen's eyes.

Having often spent time with Akira, he thought he understood the limits of this guy's Reiatsu and strength. But only after entering actual combat did he realize how terribly wrong his previous assumptions were.

This priest couldn't be judged by appearances at all. Though his Reiatsu seemed only at Seated Officer level, his actual output was no weaker than a typical Shinigami Lieutenant.

Moreover, his combat performance was extraordinary — no, bizarre. It defied all common sense!

Not only was his Kidō incredibly powerful, but the sheer volume was staggering. Even though he used only low-level arts, they sent chills down one's spine.

He had planned to use this opportunity to humble Akira, to show him there were greater powers in the world, hoping to teach him to be modest like himself. But at this rate, after just a few more rounds of this Kidō barrage, he would be forced to withdraw.

"Haha, Sōsuke, have you grasped my mage's soul?" Akira laughed wildly, "A weakling like you could never understand the true essence of a mage. Try my newly developed Hadō!"

He clasped his hands together, and crimson smoke erupted at his feet, instantly filling the Kidō barrier and engulfing everything in sight.

The area of coverage was so vast that Aizen couldn't dodge — he could only watch helplessly as the red smoke swallowed him whole.

After the spectators' view was completely obscured, an unexpected scene unfolded.

Like countless birds releasing piercing cries, dazzling white light erupted within the smoke. Brilliant lightning crisscrossed into a web, submerging the barrier!

This was the fruit of Aizen's research — the ultimate fusion brought by Kidō pattern inscriptions. Using just the Reiatsu of a single Sekienton (Red Smoke Escape), it could unleash devastating Hadō damage over a vast area.

{T/N: For those who were confused, he also inscribed the pattern of 'Bakudō #21: Sekienton' on his Spiritual Body, making his Reiatsu gain this property at his command. }

Tessai stared at the rapidly spreading smoke, confusion flashing in his eyes. But before he could stop the combat practice, crackling electric arcs had already reached him.

"Wait..." When he realized what it was, his heart skipped a beat, his already narrow pupils contracting to pinpoints.

The next moment, brilliant light ascended to its peak within the Kidō barrier. The students in the training ground witnessed how a sun was formed.

⤫ Hadō #?: Akashirai ⥤ Red Cloud of White Lightning ⤬

BOOM!!

In an instant, turbulent thunder resounded like a lightning storm cloud compressed to its limit, releasing endless white lightning. Like a plow turning soil, white lightning materialized within the crimson brew, bursting forth from the haze, covering and swallowing the entire barrier, leaving countless scorched marks on the solid floor.

The students gaped at the unfamiliar scene before them. They couldn't understand the composition of this Kidō, why this guy's Sekienton contained such intense lightning streams.

Slash—

A ripping sound rang out as the electric arcs tore open a gap in the outermost Kidō barrier. Perhaps the power of a single lightning was ordinary, but when countless bolts accumulated together and were connected by a medium—

Its destructive power underwent a qualitative change.

Aizen stared in shock as the defensive barrier left by Tessai dissolved at maximum speed. This development was something he hadn't anticipated.

He had expected Akira to either release higher-level Kidō or break the combat rules by engaging in close combat to demonstrate his so-called mage's soul (Break his skull!). He never imagined this man had already mastered the fusion of inscribed Kidō patterns and could demonstrate such reality-defying performance.

'Akira, truly worthy of you.' Aizen's lips curved slightly upward as he released a fraction of his hidden Reiatsu, deflecting the white lightning arcs that swarmed like birds when the defensive barrier shattered.

The red smoke and white lightning then erupted violently, burning away all Reiatsu in their path and shattering the outer Kidō barrier.

An overwhelming pressure instantly blanketed the entire training ground.

As the red smoke cleared, three figures became visible on the broken, scorched floor.

Akira stood unscathed, appearing exactly as he had at the start. While Aizen had avoided serious injury, his defensive barrier lay in ruins — clearly marking the outcome of their Kidō combat.

Tessai, overconfident in his abilities, had foregone any protection and bore the full brunt of the lightning. From head to toe, he looked as though he'd been struck by a thunderbolt.

There he stood: a towering pillar of charcoal, wisps of black smoke still puffing from his mouth.

The Kidō combat practice had claimed its sole victim...

⤫⤬⤫

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