A few days later, just as Hiroki had expected—or rather, the astronomical "greeting gift" he donated, which was enough to make Captain Commander Yamamoto's eyelids twitch, had taken effect—the Captain Commander sent someone to officially notify him that the time for his captain's proficiency test had been set.
Hiroki arrived composedly at the depths of the First Division headquarters. Through a heavily guarded secret passage, he reached a vast training ground located deep underground.
Rather than a public facility, this place was more like the private cultivation hall of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the strongest Shinigami in a millennium; an atmosphere of antiquity, weight, and sharp intensity permeated everywhere.
The wide arena was paved with flooring made of special materials. The surrounding walls and even the ceiling were tightly embedded with dark-colored killing aura stones.
The core value of this rare mineral lay in its property of suppressing and restricting the outflow of spiritual pressure. The unique spiritual power fluctuations it released could form an invisible barrier—a Shakonmaku—which could effectively block the penetration of reishi.
The massive wall surrounding the entire Seireitei, soaring into the clouds, was fundamentally made of this killing aura stone. The Shakonmaku it formed almost completely isolated the flow of reishi between the inside and outside. Only ultra-high-density reishi beams condensed to the extreme (such as the Shiba Clan's Flower Crane Cannon) could barely penetrate it partially.
killing aura stone was therefore the cornerstone of many core defensive facilities in Seireitei. Not only that, it could also imprison and condense the internal spiritual energy, forming a so-called "Heavy Spirit Ground" to nourish the strong.
Looking at the ridiculously thick killing aura stone structures on the walls of the training ground, which far surpassed conventional defensive works, Hiroki secretly grumbled: This old guy probably diverted the budget for repairing the Seireitei walls to reinforce his own training ground, right? How extravagant!
Stepping into the center of the empty field, Hiroki's gaze keenly caught four figures standing side by side in the distance. They were all draped in pure white captains haori, which were particularly conspicuous in the slightly dim underground space.
"Hmm? Why are there four people?" Hiroki's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, a less-than-pleasant premonition quietly crossing his mind.
Looking closely, besides the awe-inspiring Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryusai, who stood in the center leaning on his cane, next to him were his acquaintance, Captain of the Second Division Suì-Fēng, and Captain of the 8th Division Kyoraku Shunsui, whom he had specifically nominated as one of the witnesses.
However, the last figure standing quietly was far beyond his expectations—the Captain of the 5th Division Aizen Sōsuke, wearing glasses and a gentle smile.
Old Man Yama actually called him here too? This arrangement... Hiroki suppressed the doubt in his heart and stepped forward steadily, greeting the captains present with his usual, slightly cynical but polite demeanor: "Greetings, Captain Commander."
Then his gaze swept over the others, "And Suì-Fēng, Captain Kyoraku, Captain Aizen, it's been a long time."
"Lord Hiroki, it has been a long time." Suì-Fēng responded quickly, almost instinctively, her tone respectful and meticulous. Even in a formal setting, her honorific for the Acting Head of the Shihōin Clan seemed engraved in her very bones.
"Indeed, I didn't expect such a scene. Little Hiroki, you chose to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and picked such a subtle timing." Kyoraku Shunsui pressed down the brim of his straw hat, his tone carrying his usual playfulness and a hint of inquiry.
Aizen nodded slightly, his gaze behind the lenses calm and profound: "Yes, Hiroki-kun, it has indeed been a long time."
Captain Commander Yamamoto merely let out a low, powerful response from his nose: "Hmph."
Hiroki turned to Suì-Fēng and said with a bit of reassurance and casualness: "Suì-Fēng, we might be colleagues from now on. In squad settings, you don't need to call me 'Lord' anymore. Just call me Hiroki." He tried to ease her slightly tense state.
"Ah, this... is that really okay?" Suì-Fēng was momentarily at a loss.
Since Lord Yoruichi was "exiled," she had poured all her time and energy into frantic cultivation and the heavy tasks of the Second Division, practically becoming a work machine.
Hiroki had tried to talk her out of it a few times, but seeing her mind was set and hard to change, he let her be.
After all, Suì-Fēng had always executed orders for him and the Shihōin Clan with meticulous efficiency.
More importantly, Suì-Fēng's existence was not just Yoruichi's entrustment; she represented the stance of the lower-ranking nobles loyal to the Shihōin Clan. Her position was a core link that could not be easily moved.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with it. It would be too distant otherwise," Hiroki emphasized again.
Suì-Fēng took a deep breath and solemnly changed her address: "Yes! Hiroki Da... Captain!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized the subtle change in the title.
Captain Hiroki? Then I'm a "Little Captain."
"Hey, hey, Suì-Fēng, you have too much confidence. I haven't even passed this proficiency test yet..." Hiroki reminded her with feigned helplessness.
Beside them, Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't help but laugh: "Hahaha, it seems Captain Suì-Fēng has full confidence in Brother Hiroki passing the test."
At the same time, Hiroki was also a bit puzzled; he shouldn't have exposed his strength in front of Suì-Fēng, right?
"Enough!"
At this moment, Captain Commander Yamamoto's low and majestic voice, like a heavy drum, rang out, instantly suppressing all the pleasantries and banter.
"The small talk ends here. Prepare to begin!"
The atmosphere immediately became solemn, and the captains' expressions tightened.
Captain Commander Yamamoto's eyes were like torches as he scanned the scene and announced in a deep voice: "Then, witnessed by myself (Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto), as well as Captain of the Second Division Suì-Fēng and Captain of the 8th Division Kyoraku Shunsui, the proficiency test for the position of Captain of the 6th Division officially begins now!"
He paused, his sharp gaze pointing at the two people facing each other in the field: "Captain Aizen, Shihōin Hiroki! Please take your positions and get ready!"
Just as I thought! Hiroki cursed inwardly.
Damn, Old Man Yama! You really want me to go up against Aizen?! The moment he saw Aizen present, he already had a suspicion.
Truly up to no good!
Following the Captain Commander's instructions, Hiroki and Aizen walked to opposite ends of the field and stood a distance apart.
Hiroki quickly calculated in his mind:
Sigh... For his grand plan, Aizen definitely won't reveal his true strength at this time. On the surface, he'll probably just be at an ordinary Captain-level, likely just going through the motions.
However... to deal with Old Man Yama's possible sabotage and to ensure I get that position fair and square, the Kido ability I spent 2 million points to exchange for is exactly what I need right now! Time to show off!
"Then..." Captain Commander Yamamoto's voice was like ice hitting the ground, "Begin!"
The moment the Captain Commander shouted "Begin," Hiroki's actions exceeded everyone's expectations!
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!"
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Hiroki didn't test the waters or build up at all. He even omitted most of the long Incantation, only shouting the name and sequence number of the Kido. His movements were fluid, and the surging spiritual pressure within him—which had been sublimated to a near-terrifying level through a huge amount of points—surged violently like a mountain flood!
"Wh... What?!" In the spectator area, Suì-Fēng, Kyoraku Shunsui, and even Captain Commander Yamamoto, who usually kept his emotions hidden, instantly showed expressions of shock!
A level 90 Hadō! That was a destructive existence standing at the peak of Kido! Even many Captain-level Shinigami might not necessarily learn it for practical combat! Let alone an instantaneous cast with Incantation Abandonment!
In an instant, the suffocatingly massive spiritual pressure in the field converged crazily. In front of Hiroki, a deep, ink-like darkness emerged out of thin air. Countless jet-black plates composed of ultra-high-density reishi suddenly took shape, intersected, and stacked like living things! Carrying the power to crush everything and swallow the light, with Aizen as the absolute core, they instantly constructed a huge, hideous cube radiating an aura of despair in less than a blink of an eye—the massive Kurohitsugi!
And Aizen, under everyone's uncertain gazes, seemed truly intimidated by this abrupt and terrifying offensive, or perhaps he simply didn't have time to make any effective evasion or defense. He actually stood there somewhat "dazedly," allowing that black coffin, which radiated an aura of death and sinking, to completely envelop and close around him! The deep darkness instantly swallowed his gentle figure and smile!
The entire training ground was deathly silent, leaving only the massive black cube standing in the center of the field, silently proclaiming its terrifying power as it continuously emitted fearsome spiritual pressure fluctuations.
"A... level 90 Kido with Incantation Abandonment? Is this real?"
Suì-Fēng's voice trembled, and beneath her cold face was an undisguisable shock.
To cast a high-numbered Kido instantaneously by abandoning the Incantation—what kind of terrifying realm of spiritual pressure control and Kido talent did this prove? With just this incredible move, Hiroki had firmly secured his position as Captain of the 6th Division amidst the intersecting gazes.
No one could question the authority of this strength—he was fully qualified.
"Heh, he's hidden himself truly deep." Kyoraku Shunsui pressed down his straw hat, his tone carrying its usual laziness, but his eyes hidden in the shadows were as sharp as a hawk's, quickly scanning the entire training ground. His assessment of Hiroki was completely overturned in an instant.
Suì-Fēng pursed her lips tightly, her eyes focusing on Hiroki with complexity. She knew better than anyone what this meant—he had never shown such strength in front of her before. How many more things was he hiding?
No expression could be seen on Yamamoto Genryusai's wrinkled face, but the stagnant air around him showed that his inner shock far exceeded his outward appearance.
Everyone immediately rushed to the side of the seemingly wretched Aizen Sōsuke—after taking a full-power Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi head-on, theoretically, even a Captain-level would definitely not feel good.
Charred marks were left on the floor paved with special materials. The training ground was filled with the thick aura of reishi torn apart by the powerful spiritual pressure, making it almost suffocating.
Although it was an instantaneous Kurohitsugi, which was usually considered to have only one-third the power of a full incantation, Hiroki's Kido was at full power. The actual power of this Kurohitsugi was definitely a solid full-power output!
The destructive force released by those black plates condensed from extreme darkness at the moment of closure was enough to grind steel into powder.
When everyone approached, they saw that Captain Aizen's pure white captains haori was nearly shattered, and the white lining inside was also in tatters. The exposed skin was covered with wounds of varying depths, and blood was slowly seeping out of these wounds, dripping onto the killing aura stone floor and spreading into dark red marks.
He lowered his head slightly, seemingly enduring great pain, his breathing slightly heavy. This miserable appearance formed a sharp contrast with his usual composed and elegant image.
"This... Captain Aizen, why didn't you dodge?!" Hiroki's face was instantly filled with anxiety and an "unbelievable" expression as he stepped forward quickly, his tone even carrying a hint of "blame"—his acting was consummate.
"This..." Aizen raised his head, his mask-like gentle smile barely maintained, but in the depths of his eyes were churning gloom and frustration.
He wanted to say that if he dodged, wouldn't his strength be exposed?! To be able to so nonchalantly dodge a level 90 Hadō fired instantaneously, could that be an ordinary Captain-level? This strength simply exceeded the limits of what an ordinary captain could handle!
At this moment, he not only had to endure the pain but also had to actively lower his own status to lie. All of this was to hide his deeper plan... "Captain Hiroki's Kido is too strong," Aizen's voice carried a perfect touch of weakness and admiration, as if he still had lingering fears. "I... I didn't even have time to react before that suffocating power descended, and I was instantly enveloped by the Kurohitsugi. It was truly... unavoidable."
"Well, it's nothing much," Hiroki waved his hand casually, his face even showing a hint of "it's just so-so" humility.
"Incantation Abandonment is, after all, an incomplete form. Its power is only about one-third of what it would be with a full incantation. It can only be considered some insignificant little tricks."
Heh, only one-third the power? Aizen sneered in his heart, his jaw unconsciously tightening. If it were truly only one-third the power, could it have hurt me?! The penetration and overbearing nature of the spiritual pressure in this attack far exceeded his estimates.
This level of "little trick" was simply a huge joke!
At the same time, in his heart, Aizen calmly raised his threat assessment level for Hiroki by another notch.
This was already the second time he had been injured at the hands of this unfathomable man—though the damage this time was far less heavy than the first.
"Young people nowadays are truly terrifying..." Kyoraku Shunsui chimed in at the right time, breaking the brief silence. He readjusted his straw hat, returning to his lazy posture, but the deep meaning in his words and his vigilance toward the "monster" before him were clearly audible.
He glanced at the seemingly wretched Aizen, then at the feignedly humble Hiroki.
"Alright, Shunsui," Captain Commander Yamamoto's majestic voice rang out. He had obviously made a judgment on the "accident" before him. "Take Captain Aizen to the Fourth Division for treatment."
"Ah, yes, Old Man Yama." Kyoraku Shunsui bowed slightly and helped up the seemingly weak Aizen.
"Then," Yamamoto Genryusai turned to Hiroki, his old but piercing eyes seemingly wanting to see through him. "I announce that Shihōin Hiroki's captain proficiency test is passed as of today! Shihōin Hiroki, from this day forward, you officially hold the position of Captain of the 6th Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!"
"Congratulations, Captain Hiroki." Before Kyoraku Shunsui supported Aizen and left, he looked back and offered a meaningful congratulation.
"Haha, likewise! Likewise!"
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