"Move!"
"Move!"
"My body… move!!"
Byakuya Kuchiki screamed in his heart.
But his arms and legs remained still, unresponsive to his desperate shouts and frantic commands. His body was frozen, like a puppet with its strings cut.
He could only stand there helplessly, eyes wide open, as Aiyan slowly raised his index finger and tapped lightly in the air.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai (White Thunder)."
As soon as the words fell—
A roar like thunder erupted across the entire field, shaking the air like the growl of ten thousand beasts.
At the same time, a dazzling flash of blue and white exploded in front of everyone, and a thin bolt of white lightning shot out from Aiyan's fingertip, racing straight toward Byakuya.
"Damn it... I'm the heir of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the four great noble families!"
"Am I really about to lose to a Hadō that's only ranked number four?!"
"Damn it all!!"
Byakuya's pupils dilated in disbelief as he stared at the oncoming lightning. His chest burned with rage and humiliation.
He couldn't accept it.
Crushed by just Reiatsu, unable to move a single muscle.
He couldn't believe such a humiliating defeat.
Bang!
Aiyan calmly lowered his hand, not sparing Byakuya another glance.
To him, anyone who lost wasn't worth his attention—especially not someone he had never even considered a real opponent.
[Your Kidō was very satisfied with your act of showmanship this time. It's in a good mood, went to practice again, and has now become a "double chantless" type—it can now cast two Hadō or Bakudō simultaneously without chanting.]
[Your Reiatsu, not wanting to be outdone, decided to show off a bit too. It had a sudden breakthrough during the performance and reached a level equal to Hachigen Ushōda.]
Hearing that both his Kidō and Reiatsu had improved just from showing off, Aiyan couldn't help but laugh.
He didn't expect a simple show of strength to bring such unexpected rewards.
His Kidō and Reiatsu were truly hard workers. No matter what, they never forgot their goals and kept training nonstop.
But this match had made one thing clear—his Reiatsu, swordsmanship, Kidō, and even Zanpakutō all had one thing in common:
They loved making a scene.
Even if he wanted to stay low-key, these guys just wouldn't let him.
Meanwhile…
Thud!
A heavy sound rang out.
Under countless stunned gazes, Byakuya Kuchiki collapsed to the ground, legs giving out as he slumped with cold sweat pouring down his pale face.
After confirming that the crushing Reiatsu had vanished, he weakly turned his head and stared at the ground in front of him.
A shallow groove extended from his feet all the way down the training field, crackling faintly with leftover sparks.
It was made by Byakurai.
A Kidō ranked number four.
And yet the power it unleashed was far beyond what should've been possible—it had outright destroyed the level 33 Sōkatsui he had used earlier.
"Talent?"
Staring at the 100-meter-long scar in the earth, Byakuya clenched his fists, grabbing fistfuls of dirt as complicated emotions surged in his chest.
For the first time, he truly felt it.
In front of Aiyan, even the name "Kuchiki" meant nothing.
Though he quickly pushed the feeling away, the doubt had already planted itself like a seed in his heart—quiet and persistent.
"Was that really Hadō #4... Byakurai?"
Tessai Tsukabishi murmured in disbelief.
Even seasoned Kidō users couldn't unleash that kind of power with a chantless low-rank spell. He himself certainly couldn't.
Aiyan had just cast Byakurai with force that rivaled—or even exceeded—Kidō in the 60s or higher.
"Whether in range or destructive power, that White Thunder was on par with a captain-level Shinigami's spell."
"It might even be stronger than some captains with weaker Reiatsu," said Jūshirō Ukitake, unable to hide the astonishment on his face.
As an experienced captain, he knew better than anyone how absurd that spell was.
It was a proper captain-level attack.
Even he wouldn't risk taking it head-on.
"His Reiatsu is even stronger than it was during the entrance exam."
"He's already unlocked Shikai, mastered all Hadō and Bakudō up to number 60…"
"Brother, your pace is terrifying."
Aizen stood quietly in the crowd, adjusting his glasses. A gleam of light flashed behind the lens.
He knew this meant only one thing—he needed to speed up too.
This duel had given him both insight and pressure. But he didn't let it weigh him down—instead, he turned it into fuel to grow stronger.
"With Reiatsu alone, little Byakuya couldn't even move."
"Then a single Byakurai nearly killed him."
"This monster… does he have no ceiling to his talent?" said Shihōin Yoruichi in disbelief.
Sure, she could beat the young Byakuya too. With her high-speed Shunpo, she could end a fight in an instant.
But compared to Aiyan?
There was no comparison.
"Aiyan," Jūshirō Ukitake finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Have you already learned every Hadō and Bakudō up to No. 60? And you can perform all of them without chanting?"
Everyone turned to look at Aiyan.
Even Aizen's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"Yes," Aiyan replied without hesitation.
He didn't see the point in hiding his strength.
After all, he was growing stronger every minute.
In the time it would take someone to analyze his current abilities and prepare countermeasures, he would already be far stronger than before.
Which meant hiding his strength was meaningless.
If someone wanted to come for him based on old data?
They were already too late.
"What?!"
"It's only been what… half an hour?"
"He's already mastered everything?!"
The crowd could barely believe what they were hearing. Their scalps tingled as shock filled the room.
No one doubted him. Not after seeing that Byakurai.
"So that's why…" Ukitake muttered. "That's why you didn't practice Kidō earlier like the others. Instead, you had me focus on teaching the rest."
"Because you'd already completed it all."
Ukitake had expected Aiyan to be ahead—but not this far ahead.
With this kind of talent, it wasn't just about becoming a captain in the future.
He could even be considered a candidate for the Royal Guard.
"That's right," Aiyan replied, leaning back against the tree casually.
Though Ukitake's guess wasn't exactly right, it wasn't too far off either.
But what he really didn't expect was how easily the young Byakuya lost his temper. So arrogant, so easily provoked, so quick to rage.
"I was careless," Ukitake said. "Didn't think you'd learn so fast."
"But this is still class time. Even if you've finished the first book, it's not good to just sit there like that."
"Hmm… I'll have someone bring you the second part of the Kidō Encyclopedia."
That volume contained all the Hadō and Bakudō from number 60 to 99.
High-level Kidō.
Originally, Ukitake thought it would take Aiyan at least half a year to reach that point.
But now, on the first day of school, during the first Kidō class…
He was already ready for it.