That evening, Luke sat in the dormitory deep in thought.
He had heard Aizen’s analysis, and considering the upper limit of this mission’s difficulty, Luke felt Aizen had a point.
Unless something unexpected happened, the old man Yamamoto would probably find a captain to teach him a lesson.
If Luke were required to defeat a captain whose Spiritual Pressure had been restricted to his level during the exam, it would be extraordinarily difficult. That would also give them the perfect excuse to keep him at Shin'o Academy.
They could call it an opportunity and say the problem was not that they had refused to give him a chance—it was simply that he had failed to measure up.
The Captain-Commander’s intentions were good... provided Luke actually belonged to this world.
But in truth, he was an Explorer sent into this world by Endspace. If he failed this speedrun mission, he would be erased outright. There would be no future in which he remained at Shin'o Academy to continue his studies.
"Sosuke, which captain do you think will serve as my special examiner?"
Luke had hit a wall in his thinking, so he decided to ask his classmate Aizen, whose brain worked considerably better than his own.
This time, Aizen did not brush him off with vague answers. After a moment of thought, he said, "Based on the schedule, I believe three captains are possible candidates."
"Which three?"
Luke asked curiously.
"First, the captain of the Fifth Division. I know one of the seated officers there fairly well. He mentioned recently that the Fifth Division has been relatively idle, so their captain may come serve as the examiner."
Aizen continued his analysis. "He also said their captain is very powerful and favors direct combat. If you face him, Luke, it could be troublesome."
The current captain of the Fifth Division was someone Luke had never heard of in the original story: Yoshitaka Akimoto. As for the seated officer Aizen had mentioned, Luke knew exactly who that was. He had met him when the man visited the academy some time ago—Shinji Hirako.
Shinji was still only a seated officer. He likely would not become a captain until a century later, and before that, Aizen would set him up once.
"Who else?"
Luke pressed.
"Then there is Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, captain of the Eleventh Division. According to my information, he is not particularly busy lately either. But everyone in the Eleventh Division is a battle-crazed maniac who lives for slaughter. They do not know how to hold back. If he is the one examining you, that would be the worst possible draw."
Aizen’s expression grew grave. Kenpachi Kuruyashiki’s strength was known throughout Soul Society. No one who bore the name Kenpachi could be weak. Rumor had it that he had once slain a Vast Lorde-class Menos by himself and had even received an invitation from Squad Zero.
"That sounds pretty good. Is there a best possible draw, then?"
Luke nodded.
Aizen gave Luke an odd look. He had nearly forgotten that his roommate was also a battle-crazed maniac who loved fighting. Perhaps Luke would get along quite well with those brutes from the Eleventh Division.
After considering it, Aizen continued. "There is. Recently, the casualty rate among the Gotei 13 has been low, so the Fourth Division is not very busy either. You can tell from how often Captain Unohana has been coming to teach lately. Captain Unohana has a gentle temperament, and as a support captain, her combat ability should not be particularly strong. If she is your examiner, Luke, it should be much easier for you."
Luke’s expression turned strange. And that is supposed to be the best possible draw?
In one sense, she was indeed the kind of opponent he liked—but if they were talking about how hard someone might go in a fight, Instructor Unohana was the most terrifying one of all!
What do you mean, her combat ability should not be particularly strong? Aside from the Captain-Commander, Instructor Unohana—the first Kenpachi—is probably the strongest person in the Gotei 13 right now!
Shunsui Kyoraku was not yet seasoned enough in this era. It was hard to say whether he could even defeat Unohana.
Luke watched Aizen analyze the situation with complete seriousness and knew Aizen was not trying to mess with him. All it meant was that even Aizen was not omniscient.
At the very least, Aizen—still only a student—did not know about Captain Unohana’s dark past.
After a moment, Luke asked, "Sosuke, what form do you think the exam will take?"
"Other than restricting Spiritual Pressure, it will most likely be an unrestricted fight. That is why I have been trying to persuade you to abandon the idea of graduating early."
Aizen said, "If they intend to assess you thoroughly, they will have the captain use as much of their strength as possible. And your combat ability being too strong is not necessarily a good thing."
Luke understood what Aizen meant. Because Luke was so dangerous in battle, even a captain would be unable to hold back.
Blades had no eyes. He could very well die during the exam.
Although the Captain-Commander seemed to appreciate him, this was Luke’s chosen path. If he proved too weak and was killed by the examiner, he would become nothing more than a minor footnote in Shin'o Academy’s history.
A dead genius had no value.
If he chose to participate in the special graduation examination, he would effectively be signing a waiver of life and death.
"If their Spiritual Pressure is limited to Rank Sixteen, a captain can still use Shikai, right?"
Luke asked thoughtfully.
Aizen nodded. "Of course. As for Bankai, you need not worry. Without using Spiritual Might above Rank Three, it is impossible to release Bankai."
Luke now truly understood the meaning of Nightmare difficulty. As Aizen had previously explained, even if a captain restricted their Spiritual Pressure, the hidden advantages granted by their attributes would not disappear.
In terms of visible speed and power, they might be close to Luke. But they could still see through every one of his movements and react in time to counter them.
Under such conditions, defeating a battle-hardened captain would be like climbing to the heavens. And if he drew Captain Unohana, it would be a nightmare within Nightmare difficulty.
Luke had always trusted his martial skill and combat instincts, but to complete this mission, he needed another source of help.
Time was running out. If he wanted a major improvement, he could only focus on his Zanpakuto.
Besides, although Aizen had not mentioned it, every genius in history who had graduated early had done so only after mastering Shikai. That was probably an unspoken requirement as well.
"Sosuke..."
Having made up his mind, Luke looked up at Aizen. "Can you demonstrate your Shikai for me?"
He had figured it out. Whatever Aizen might become in the future, they were on fairly good terms right now. Aizen had no reason to harm him.
Even if Aizen placed him under Complete Hypnosis, Endspace should be able to resolve that problem once Luke returned.
But if he failed the mission, he would be erased immediately. He had no time to worry about minor issues involving Kyoka Suigetsu.
Right now, he had to master his Zanpakuto’s Shikai!
"So you finally remembered that you have a hidden trump card, Luke."
Aizen smiled. "Do not worry. I will find a way to teach you Shikai within these next two days."
As he spoke, the Zanpakuto resting before Aizen’s knees slid from its sheath. Beneath the moonlight spilling through the window, its water-like blade possessed a soft, fluid beauty.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
With Aizen’s low, magnetic murmur, an ethereal mist emerged from the Zanpakuto in his hand. Light refracted through it like flowing water, irresistibly drawing in the eye and lulling the viewer into intoxication.
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