"I’m truly amazed. Your talent for Kidō surpasses even mine at your age."
Tessai Tsukabishi stared at Luke in astonishment. He had never imagined that Luke would actually succeed—and with such a high degree of completion.
As the Grand Kidō Chief, Tessai had been praised as a once-in-a-millennium Kidō prodigy. Yet even he had worked his way through lower-level spells before successfully casting Shakkahō on his first proper attempt.
If Luke’s background checked out, then this meant he had encountered Kidō for the first time today and cast Shakkahō on only his second attempt.
That level of Kidō talent was simply absurd.
"You flatter me, Instructor. I’ll have plenty to learn from you in the future..."
Luke answered modestly. Then he glanced at Aizen and smiled. "And I’ll need plenty of guidance from Sosuke too."
Aizen was genuinely stunned. Like Yoruichi, he had assumed someone like Luke would not be suited to such delicate work as Kidō. Yet Luke had really pulled it off in a single attempt.
He was, quite simply... no worse than Aizen himself.
Of course, Aizen had also cast Shakkahō successfully on his first try back then.
Behind his black-framed glasses, Aizen’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then the bright, genial smile his classmates knew so well appeared on his face.
"Luke, let’s learn from each other and improve together."
The students were still reeling when Tessai’s next words sent their jaws plummeting even further.
"Would you consider joining the Kidō Corps after graduation? It would be a shame to waste talent like yours."
Even Luke was taken aback. This was their first class and their first meeting, yet Tessai was already trying to recruit him.
The surrounding students looked at Luke with envy. The Kidō Corps was a special unit independent of the Gotei 13. Soul Reapers who joined it were generally top students, and the position came with excellent treatment.
Judging by Tessai’s attitude, Luke would likely enter the Kidō Corps in a high-ranking position the moment he graduated. It was an offer most people could only dream of.
Luke also noticed Tessai’s habitual formality. Apparently, calling people "sir" was not a quirk he developed later in life. Anyone who caught Tessai’s eye received the same unconscious respect.
The Kidō Corps’ offer was tempting, but even though Luke had plenty of time left in this world, he had no intention of joining them.
In his view, that was where mages belonged. He was a fighter. He loved the brutal thrill of fists meeting flesh and blades drawing blood. The Kidō Corps simply did not suit his style.
He only wanted to study Kidō to give himself more options in battle.
"Thank you for the offer, Instructor, but I’ve only just enrolled. I haven’t decided what path I want to take in the future. Could you give me some time to think it over?"
Luke’s answer was essentially a polite refusal, leaving the Grand Kidō Chief some room to save face.
Tessai was slightly disappointed. He had heard that Captain Unohana had personally brought this boy to the academy. Luke’s attainments in swordsmanship and Hakuda were both exceptional; he was a versatile genius with limitless potential. Naturally, he had the right to choose his own path.
Come to think of it, the Kidō Corps did have its limits. Tessai himself was the Grand Kidō Chief, and he could not simply hand the post over to Luke. With Luke’s talent, after a few years of hard work following graduation, he could very well become a captain in the Gotei 13.
"Very well. Continue your practice for now. If you have any questions about Kidō, come ask me directly."
Tessai made no effort to hide his admiration for Luke. Even after being turned down, he was still more than willing to nurture such a gifted Kidō user.
Over the remainder of the class, Luke tried every Kidō spell listed in the textbook.
Seeing so many students around him agonizing over something as basic as Hadō #4: Byakurai, Luke could not help wondering... was Kidō really that difficult to learn?
He had always possessed extraordinary control over his own body. After learning how to manipulate Reishi, he discovered that he could control the latent energy within himself with the same precision.
To Luke, Kidō was merely arranging and combining Reishi according to a fixed method, then turning it into a technique with offensive power.
But there was one problem. Although he did not find Kidō difficult, he had already lost interest in Hadō.
By Luke’s logic, the purpose of Hadō was to injure the enemy. So why not just draw his sword and cut them down directly?
Bakudō and Kaidō, on the other hand, had far more practical uses in battle. Bakudō could restrain enemies, while Kaidō could heal him.
The latter was especially appealing. If his Kaidō became powerful enough, then under certain circumstances, could he fight without defending at all?
Kaidō was more complicated, so the first-year textbook did not cover it. It did include a few Bakudō spells, but they were all low-level. Luke wanted to learn something more advanced.
So he turned to his all-purpose roommate for help.
"Sosuke, can you teach me some Bakudō that isn’t in the textbook?"
"Bakudō? I do know a few, but why are you interested in that?"
Aizen asked curiously. In his view, didn’t most people want to learn powerful Hadō? He himself had recently been researching how to cast Kurohitsugi.
"Hadō feels like too much trouble for killing enemies. Bakudō has more support applications in combat. You know, tying people up and stuff."
Luke explained casually. Then, after a moment’s thought, he spoke again under Aizen’s increasingly strange gaze.
"Sosuke, why don’t you bind me with a Bakudō first? Let me get a feel for it."
"Why are you looking at me like that? Go on, do it. The instructor only said we shouldn’t keep trying dangerous Hadō. Bakudō should be fine, right?"
Luke urged him. "Come on. The higher-level, the better."
Even Aizen had to raise a hand to his forehead for a moment. Then he began to chant.
"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudō #9: Geki!"
Luke did not evade. A red glow wrapped around him, and in an instant, he felt his movements become sluggish. At the same time, a burning sensation of suffocation clamped down around his neck.
Bakudō #9: Geki was a binding spell that both restrained and harmed its target. Luke could still move with difficulty, but the choking sensation would severely impair his combat ability.
By his judgment, if he were hit by this in battle and failed to break free quickly—or end the fight the instant he was bound—the battle would only head toward defeat.
Just as he thought. Bakudō was a powerful combat support technique.
After considering it, Luke circulated his spiritual power to resist the binding spell while using his sheer physical strength to tear against it. When the tension in his body reached its limit, the red light shattered.
"When there isn’t much difference in Spiritual Pressure, low-level Bakudō can usually only restrain and disrupt an enemy temporarily after it lands. It is difficult to lock an opponent down completely."
Aizen was not surprised that Luke had broken free. He continued, "Only high-level Bakudō can fully immobilize an enemy, but those spells place much greater demands on a Soul Reaper’s control over their own spiritual power."
Luke nodded. "Then give me something higher-level, Sosuke. You should... know some, right?"
Aizen’s expression remained perfectly natural. Smiling, he shook his head.
"You think too highly of me, Luke. I may have some talent for Kidō, but I’m still only a first-year student, just like you. How could I know such high-level Bakudō? If you’re interested in it, you should ask Instructor Tsukabishi. Bakudō isn’t dangerous, so he should be willing to teach you."
Luke looked at Aizen’s harmless, friendly face and thought, Yeah, right. As if I’d believe that.
He could not be sure whether Aizen could already cast a high-level Kidō like Kurohitsugi, but spells in the sixties or seventies—Hadō or Bakudō—should have been effortless for him.
Unfortunately, someone as patient and calculating as Aizen would never expose himself just because Luke pressed him. Luke could only go ask Tessai instead.
"Oh? Bakudō and Kaidō? I can teach you a few Bakudō that your current Spiritual Pressure can handle. But if you’re interested in Kaidō, then why not ask Captain Unohana when she comes to substitute for a class?"
After hearing Luke’s request, Tessai added, "I’m sure Captain Unohana would be more than happy to teach you."
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