Chapter 4

A golden column of spiritual pressure shot into the sky, instantly tearing through the dojo's ceiling and soaring into the clouds.

Many students in the dojo, caught off guard, were blown away by the residual wave of spiritual pressure, tumbling like a pile of overturned dumplings, crashing against the walls and rolling on the floor.

Kinoshita, facing the impact directly, was smashed through the wall behind him and fell outside the dojo.

Kuchiki Sōjun extended his hand. "Bakudō #39… Enkōkan!"

A circular wall of spiritual energy rapidly condensed into shape. Although it wasn't as comprehensive in defense as Bakudō #81, Danku, it blocked most of the impact, protecting Seinosuke Yamada and Aizen behind him.

Looking at the center of the light column, Kuchiki Sōjun's eyes filled with astonishment.

As a noble scion, he had been exposed to powerful Shinigami since childhood and received elite education within his family even before attending the Shinigami Academy.

Thus, he was one hundred percent certain that the spiritual pressure radiating from Kaelith Yurei had already reached the level of a Vice Captain of the Gotei 13!

His first thought was to feel happy for his friend.

But then, Kuchiki Sōjun became confused.

Kaelith Yurei had enrolled as a commoner and had been an ordinary soul just six months ago.

On ordinary days, the strength he exhibited was roughly at the level of a trainee Shinigami. To be fair, that speed was already quite astonishing.

Even among noble descendants with bloodline advantages, only a small number could achieve that.

And now, Kaelith Yurei had suddenly proven through his actions that his usual strength had all been a facade; his true power had reached the level of a Vice Captain.

Kuchiki Sōjun couldn't help but question whether he was dreaming.

All the students who hadn't been blown away were dumbfounded, looking as if they couldn't believe what was happening.

Behind Kuchiki Sōjun, Seinosuke Yamada instinctively pinched his arm, wincing in pain.

Aizen sat on the ground, hands resting on his knees, looking as if he had been struck by a binding spell, eyes wide as he stared at Kaelith Yurei.

As a Shinigami from a commoner background, he hadn't known how to cultivate spiritual pressure before attending the academy.

Although he had extraordinary talent, his spiritual pressure had been at the level of a regular seated officer when he first enrolled.

In just half a year, he had transformed from a complete novice learning to cultivate spiritual pressure into a powerhouse at the Vice Captain level.

Although no one knew it, he felt a deep pride in this achievement.

In the library of the Shin'ō Academy, he had browsed through records of outstanding students from past generations and could confirm that no one had ever reached his level of training speed before.

Sometimes, Aizen even felt that he might be a being of a different level from Shinigami, merely appearing as a Shinigami for some reason.

However, just as he was feeling so proud, a seemingly "ordinary" friend gave him a huge "surprise."

Right before his eyes, the spiritual pressure emanating from Kaelith Yurei was absolutely on par with his own!

In an instant, Aizen's feelings became incredibly complex.

He couldn't even determine what he was feeling at that moment.

Should he feel ashamed of his long-held self-satisfaction?

Should he feel happy that his friend possessed such powerful strength?

Should he feel astonished that Kaelith Yurei had hidden this capability, clearly possessing such strength yet never showcasing it?

After a few seconds of thought, Aizen took a deep breath.

All of these thoughts indeed existed in his mind. 

But… more than that, there was an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

So, it turned out, he was not a strange existence.

Apart from himself, there were others in the world who could grow at such an astonishing rate.

Aizen took a deep breath, calming the rising joy in his heart.

For the first time in a long while, he felt an emotion called expectation.

He anticipated how he would grow, how Kaelith Yurei would grow. He wondered who among them would turn out to be the more special one. (T/n The worst timeline has been unlocked) 

Suddenly, a scene resurfaced in his mind.

That morning, outside the school, Kaelith Yurei had looked at him earnestly.

"Sosuke, you must work hard to cultivate your powers and become a man who stands above others, invincible in the world!"

At the time, he dismissed Kaelith Yurei's behavior as nothing more than another of his usual eccentricities.

Now, he suddenly understood.

So that's it…

Kaelith, perhaps, had vaguely sensed that Aizen was hiding his true strength.

Just as he was looking forward to Kaelith's growth, Kaelith was also looking forward to his.

If things went as expected, Kaelith Yurei was probably feeling as lost as Aizen was about this unnatural power, uncertain of what kind of existence he was.

With this thought, Aizen couldn't help but smirk.

If that was the case, he had to hide his strength even better.

Using Kaelith Yurei's words—seeing others anxious and uncomfortable was also a kind of unique pleasure, wasn't it?

In contrast to Aizen, Kinoshita's mood was not so good.

Outside the dojo, he was covered in dirt, lying on the ground like a big mole.

Who am I? Where is this? What am I doing?

The bamboo sword in his hand had somehow broken into two pieces.

His clothes were tattered and torn from the impact of the spiritual pressure, making him look as if he were dressed in rags.

His entire body was wracked with pain.

He figured he had probably broken a few bones from that last blow.

Looking at the golden pillar of spiritual pressure shooting into the sky, Kinoshita couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Kaelith Yurei had actually hidden such a terrifying trump card.

That guy's spiritual pressure… was at the vice-captain level!

How on earth had he cultivated that?

Even the so-called genius who was said to be a once-in-a-century talent in the Soul Society, Kuchiki Hisaka, who had entered the Kuchiki family as a commoner, had never been this exaggerated when he started.

Using his hands to push himself up from the ground, Kinoshita struggled to stand, peering through the large hole he had just crashed through to look inside the dojo.

Seeing Kaelith Yurei standing within the pillar of spiritual pressure, excitement gradually filled his eyes.

A genius… this was a true genius!

Though he didn't understand why this kid had been hiding his strength all this time, it didn't matter anymore.

After so many years of teaching at Shin'ō Academy, he had finally encountered a genius!

One day in the future, when this kid became a pillar of the Soul Society, everyone would know that he was this kid's teacher!

Thinking of this, Kinoshita couldn't help but grin foolishly.

Under everyone's gaze, Kaelith Yurei desperately suppressed his spiritual pressure and finally managed to retract it completely.

After taking a few deep breaths, he turned to look at Aizen Sōsuke.

This guy was incredibly good at hiding his strength.

Clearly, the power he usually displayed was only at the level of a trainee Shinigami, yet his true strength was already at the level of a Vice Captain!

If it weren't for the synchronization of their powers, he might not have realized it even by graduation.

So this is Aizen Sosuke… terrifying indeed.

Just thinking about how he had dared to underestimate the legendary Aizen made Kaelith Yurei's face flush with embarrassment.

Seeing Kaelith Yurei look at him, Aizen smiled slightly.

This guy must be silently asking himself whether his strength could rival his own.

He wouldn't respond, wanting to see how anxious Kaelith would get.

When Aizen smiled at him, Kaelith Yurei felt a bit moved.

Fortunately, the younger Aizen wasn't so devious and didn't laugh at him for only realizing his strength now.

He really was a good guy after all! (t/n Aizen is truly a good guy)