The first-year students gathered in the Academy courtyard, buzzing with excitement and nervous energy. Today marked a crucial step in their journey to becoming full-fledged Shinigami: the ritual of performing the Konso.
Lei stood amidst the crowd, his expression calm but his mind racing for a different reason. The outing to the human world will be the only opportunity that Lei will have to extract hollow reiryoku for the foreseeable future.
What? The test will be dangerous?
My Hado 90 would like to greet you.
...Granted, that would defeat the entire purpose of going incognito so far, but the point stands…
Shaking his head at his arrogance, but inwardly still believing his prowess, Lei surveyed the room of bustling first years. He quickly saw Toshiro and Momo in the crowd with two other guys: both taller, one redheaded and one blonde. Among the sea of black hair, the group's composition certainly stood out like a sore thumb.
As he made his way over, Toshiro instantly noticed and became wary.
Eh. I can't really be bothered. Lei was sort of surprised that Toshiro had never really grown out of his rebellious phase, but teenagers will be teenagers. He preferred talking to Momo anyways.
"Hey! Ready for the test?"
"Oh hey Lei! And I guess so. More nervous than anything haha," Momo responded in her characteristic cheerful demeanor, even though the words spoke of underlying nerves.
"And by the way, here are two friends Shiro-Chan and I made in Class 1-A! They're super talented. The redhead is Renji, and the blonde is Izuru. Where have you been all this time by the way?"
Deflecting the question, Lei exchanged greetings with the other two amiably. He couldn't say that he was learning Kido beyond her wildest dreams could he? On the other hand, however, a spike of concern arose as soon as he heard their names. He couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something.
Hm. Must be nothing. Probably because I'm just excited to finally meet more characters.
"Listen up!"
A strong voice echoed through the chambers, attracting the attention of the students.
"I'm Shusei Hisagi. I'm currently a 6 year at the academy, and I'll be responsible for your class today." Whispers sprang around the room. The reputation of the head student preceded him, and his physical presence only reinforced the impressions.
Lei frowned, however, the vague unease growing in his chest.
First Renji and Izuru. Now Hisagi. I definitely feel like I'm forgetting something important
Shaking off the feeling, Lei paid attention to the instructions.
Each student was assigned a sector and a hollow to exterminate. If they couldn't manage, they could fire a signal flare, and one of the student instructors would come to help. Lei's assigned sector was an abandoned industrial district.
—-
The decaying structures cast long shadows under the setting sun. His target was a bipedal lizard hollow, a creature with sharp claws and a spiked tail. Perhaps for the normal student, the agile opponent would prove a difficult match up. For Lei?
"Hado #4 - Byakurai!" With his overpowered reiryoku assisting him, the beam of death as lightning incarnate rushed towards the hollow.
And missed.
The hollow sensing the danger had scurried out of the way.
"…"
Lei paused to make sure no one saw his mistake before casting another kido.
And missed again.
Turns out, hitting a moving target is WAY harder than hitting a practice dummy. Lei, for all his empowered stats, had never really been in a combat situation. The extent of his experience would probably be the few spars he had in Zanjutsu class - not to mention that he skipped class often to research Kido...
The hollow for its part, perhaps driven by its bestial instincts, recognized that it was no match for its hunter and quickly moved to scamper away.
"!!! Wait, don't go!"
And so began an embarrassing and frustrating chase as our protagonist spam-casted his kido.
After a "short" while…
"Too easy," he muttered, gasping for air and wiping sweat from his brow.
Before heading back, Lei knelt by the hollow's dissolving remains and carefully extracted a sample of its reiryoku. He had brought a small container specifically for this purpose. Hollow reiryoku was chaotic and unstable, but Lei was determined to study its properties further.
—
When Lei rejoined the other students, the trio of 6th-years had just begun gathering everyone for the return trip.
Something is seriously wrong. The ominous premonition only increased as time went by. What the heck is going –
*SKLUT* *SCHUNK*
Two large, bony appendages jutted out from the two students on Hisagi's left and right. Along with them, two massive hollows materialized, their spiritual pressure crashing down like a tidal wave.
Pandemonium erupted. One of the hollows - a towering monstrosity with jagged armor - flicked the person off his limb towards the stunned crowd. The body landed in a sickening crunch and lay deathly still. Clearly, they weren't getting back up. Forever.
Lei froze, his mind racing.
Why didn't I sense them?
And then it clicked. Cloaked reiatsu. Surprise attack. Hisagi. Renji. Izuru. Momo.
"This is it." Lei whispered, his stomach sinking.
The attack orchestrated by Aizen.
While in shock, Hitsugaya and Momo still managed to react.
"Hyorinmaru!" "Momo's Zanpakuto!"
A sudden feeling of disorientation fell upon the group. Everyone besides the three who were aware that Momo and Hitsugaya had achieved Shikai couldn't help but look back and forth between the hollows and the two prodigious first years. Even the hollows looked a little surprised.
Giant hollows? Shikai? Am I still at the first-year Konso?
A roar from the second hollow, a grotesque serpent-like creature, shook the group out of the stupor. The two giant hollows lunged toward the two biggest threats. Hitsugaya and Momo were already preparing to defend themselves, their spiritual energy flaring. Lei hesitated, torn between helping his friends and staying under the radar.
If the story holds, no one else will get severely hurt. He justified to himself with not a small amount of guilt.
Instead of directly engaging the hollow, Lei took a more passive approach. He used Bakudo spells to shield his peers, ensuring they stayed out of harm's way while avoiding drawing too much attention to himself.
Eventually though, more and more hollows showed up.
"Where are all these hollows coming from?!" Hitsugaya exclaimed in disbelief. It was becoming clear that they couldn't hold out forever. Even with the now-obvious Bakudo assistance, injuries were accumulating. With each new hollow, the stones in their hearts dropped further and further.
Where are they? At this rate, I might need to reveal capabilities beyond what I could plausibly have.
And just when Lei was about to reveal more strength, two figures appeared.
The first was tall and composed, his brown hair neatly combed and his glasses glinting in the dim light. The second was only slightly shorter, with an unsettling grin and slanted eyes that seemed to pierce through everyone.
Aizen and Gin.
Lei's breath caught in his throat. With his keen perception, he could clearly feel how much the two captains out-classed him. Aizen exuded an aura of control and power that was almost suffocating, while Gin's felt like a blade hidden in the shadows, poised to strike at any moment. Strength and presence forged from battle and not just behind a book.
The battle shifted in an instant. Aizen dispatched the hollows with single, precise strikes, while Gin's Zanpakuto extended with terrifying speed, slicing through the hollows effortlessly.
The students stared in stunned silence as the two captains made quick work of the monsters that had nearly decimated their ranks.
Once the hollows were defeated, Aizen turned to address the students, his tone calm and reassuring.
"You've done well to survive," he said, his smile warm and fatherly. "But remember, the path of a Shinigami is fraught with danger. Always be prepared."
Gin said nothing, his grin never faltering as his gaze swept over the group. When his eyes met Lei's, the grin widened slightly, sending a chill down Lei's spine.
A feeling of disbelief and uncertainty washed over him. He was the frog in the well. Lei thought that he was near the peak of Shinigami combat potential, but clearly, he had vastly underestimated the Bleach universe…