With the students watching intently, Kaelith Yurei walked up and stopped in front of Kinoshita.
Facing his teacher, Kaelith suddenly bowed. "Sensei, I was wrong!"
Kinoshita: "…?"
Before he could respond, Kaelith straightened up, grinning. "I've admitted my mistake, Sensei. Can we just forget this and let me return to class?"
Kinoshita's eye twitched as he shook his head.
"No."
"Oh, alright then. Maybe I wasn't wrong after all."
"…?"
Kinoshita's face tightened, feeling his blood pressure surge with irritation.
"Bold, aren't you? Trying to mess with me right before a sparring session—you're the first to pull that stunt!"
With a huff, Kinoshita crouched into a stance, raising his shinai (bamboo sword) and signaling readiness.
Kaelith mirrored the stance, gripping his own shinai.
After a tense moment, Kinoshita suddenly advanced. With a swift step forward, he closed the gap, aiming an upward slash.
Thwack!
Kaelith raised his shinai to block, and the two bamboo swords met with a loud smack. Feeling the weight behind Kinoshita's swing, Kaelith winced.
"Nope, I give up!"
"Giving up is not an option!" Kinoshita snapped.
As Kaelith's homeroom teacher, Kinoshita knew him well and didn't hesitate to refuse his surrender. Tightening his grip, Kinoshita twisted his shinai along the length of Kaelith's sword, cutting sharply toward his ribs.
Kaelith retreated, blocking with quick, angled deflections. For a moment, the dojo filled with the relentless clash of bamboo, echoing like heavy raindrops drumming on the roof.
Unlike conventional Kendo, Zanjutsu—the swordsmanship of the Shinigami—is entirely combat-oriented, with each strike aimed to disable or defeat an opponent. During sparring sessions, minor injuries were common; the academy infirmary was always prepared for an influx after every practical class.
With Kinoshita's skill, serious accidents were rare. But today, he was determined to leave an impression on Kaelith, one that would make him think twice before skipping future lessons.
Kinoshita's expression softened for a moment as Kaelith successfully blocked another series of attacks. Despite his antics, Kaelith had trained seriously; his discipline was, in fact, one of his redeeming qualities.
Kinoshita smirked to himself. In that case, perhaps he could add a touch of Reiatsu, just to reinforce the lesson.
Kaelith, observing Kinoshita's posture, was waiting for an opening when he suddenly sensed an intense surge of spiritual energy emanating from his teacher.
"What the—? Isn't this a bit much?" Kaelith muttered. "This is Reiatsu at a Shinigami's level! How is this fair?"
Kinoshita chuckled. "Brace yourself. If you think this is unfair, consider it… punishment."
Without waiting for a reply, Kinoshita swung down again. Kaelith held his shinai horizontally to block, feeling his arms strain against the overwhelming weight pressing down. The crushing force felt like a mountain collapsing onto him.
In that instant, he fully understood why it was called spiritual pressure. This weight felt all-consuming.
With a fierce effort, Kaelith deflected the blow, his arms tingling with numbness.
Kinoshita observed Kaelith's stunned face and grinned in satisfaction. "So now you understand your teacher's strength, do you? Remember this next time you think about skipping class!"
Kinoshita swung his shinai again, advancing relentlessly. Kaelith had no choice but to keep blocking, feeling luck abandon him with each step. If he relaxed for even a moment, he'd be in for a bruising.
The students watching had grown quiet, their initial amusement fading as they noticed the intensity of the sparring. Sōjun Kuchiki furrowed his brows, recognizing the serious nature of Kinoshita's strikes. As a member of the Kuchiki clan, he knew of their teacher's background—a former Fourth Seat of the Thirteenth Division who had faced Hollows in countless battles before an injury brought him to teach at Shin'ō Academy.
If Kinoshita's old injury flared and he lost control, this session could get dangerous. Kuchiki slowly stood, prepared to intervene if necessary.
Meanwhile, Kaelith continued to backpedal. "Hey, Sensei! I was just holding back for your sake. If you keep this up, I'll have to start fighting for real!"
Kinoshita laughed. "Oh? Then go ahead and counter. Show me what you've got."
Kaelith's eyes narrowed. "Alright, watch closely!"
Secretly, Kaelith planned to escape the moment Kinoshita paused. But Kinoshita, seeming to anticipate this, pressed forward without stopping, preparing to deliver a strike Kaelith wouldn't soon forget.
Seeing no other option, Kaelith braced himself, lifting his shinai defensively.
Meanwhile, Aizen Sōsuke, who had been watching quietly from nearby, exhaled softly. While the other students focused on this low-level skirmish, Aizen had already powered up significantly through his own disciplined training.
Kaelith Yurei might boast about his self-discipline, but Aizen—who was steadily growing in strength without the need for showy declarations—knew he embodied that quality far better.
Just as Aizen turned his attention back to Kaelith's struggle, a cascade of notifications filled Kaelith's mind.
[Detected binding target "Aizen Sōsuke" has increased in strength. Synchronizing training progress… Synchronization complete!]
[Your Reiatsu has increased. Current level: 13!]
[Your Reiatsu has increased. Current level: 12!]
[Your Reiatsu…]
[Your understanding of Bakudō has improved. You have mastered Bakudō #39: Enkosen!]
[Your understanding of Bakudō has improved. You have mastered Bakudō #39: Enkosen (No Incantation)!]
[Your understanding of Bakudō…]
[You have mastered Bakudō #81: Dankū!]
[Your understanding of Hadō has improved. You have mastered Hadō #32: Ōkasen!]
[Your understanding of Hadō has improved. You have mastered Hadō #32: Ōkasen (No Incantation)!]
[Your understanding…]
[You have mastered Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!]
[Your understanding of Zanjutsu has improved…] (T/N (swordsmanship))
[Your understanding of Shunpo has improved…] ("Flash Step")
[Your understanding of Hakuda has improved…] (hand-to-hand combat)
Notifications flashed by at a dizzying pace. Though the flood of prompts felt overwhelming, his mind processed the new information instantly, as if no time had passed for those around him.
Kaelith had never suspected that Aizen Sōsuke, whom he considered an ordinary peer, had mastered so many advanced Kidō spells.
And his Reiatsu… it was immense…
Wait—what was his own Reiatsu level now?
Before he could even check, an overwhelming surge of spiritual pressure erupted from his body.
It was so sudden and uncontrollable that it burst forth all at once, filling the dojo.
Kinoshita, mid-swing, froze, his expression locked in shock as he witnessed the torrent of spiritual energy that erupted from Kaelith.
BOOM!!!!!