"Captain Isshin, are Shunpo, Hakuda, and Zanjutsu also included in the assessment?"
Akira's voice was calm as ever. He lowered his palm, and the eight ethereal swords made of pure Reiatsu—once pinning the defeated Killian—dissolved into the air like spirit dust. The residual pressure made even seasoned Shinigami tremble.
Shiba Isshin stood still for a moment, blinking as if waking from a long dream. He had witnessed raw power before—Kenpachi Zaraki's monstrous strength, Kyoraku's masterful technique, and even Urahara Kisuke's esoteric science—but this was different. Akira wasn't just powerful. He was complete.
"I…" Isshin faltered, scratching the back of his head. "At this point, I'd say those assessments are basically pointless."
He laughed bitterly, knowing full well that what Akira had just demonstrated was far beyond the level of any academy graduate. Even seated officers would hesitate to face a single Kidō of such destructive force, much less one modified and unchanted. And now, there was this: perfect control over Zanjutsu, and still the Shikai remained.
If the Sōkyoku Hill execution ground hadn't been reinforced a thousandfold after Aizen's betrayal, it might've already crumbled beneath Akira's spiritual weight.
"He doesn't need to be tested. Not on those fronts," Isshin finally said, then looked up toward the aged figure watching from afar.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the Commander-General of the Gotei 13, nodded without speaking. His cane tapped once against the ground—an almost imperceptible motion, but one that held the weight of absolute authority.
"Shunpo, Hakuda, and Zanjutsu are hereby considered passed. Only Zanpakutō remains," the old man said, his voice crisp with command but tinged with interest.
"Thank you, Commander-General," Akira replied with a slight bow.
The air shifted again as several Shinigami from the Kidō Corps returned, accompanied by Hachigen Ushōda—formerly of the Kidō Corps before his exile. His presence here was irregular but authorized due to the nature of the test subject: an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande that had been captured alive during a recent incursion near District 64 of the Rukongai.
"This Hollow," Hachigen explained, "calls itself 'Copper.' Intelligence and spiritual density consistent with mid-to-high Adjuchas. Bakudō 99: Kin, combined with advanced Kidō barriers, barely contained it."
"He's the subject of your final assessment," Isshin added, eyeing Akira closely. "Prove you've awakened your Zanpakutō. Shikai is the minimum. You want the Fifth Division Captain's haori? This is where it begins."
Akira nodded again but made no move to request the crowd be cleared. Isshin blinked. "You're not going to hide your Shikai?"
"It doesn't matter," Akira said, his voice even. "For those who understand, knowing my Zanpakutō's ability won't change their fate. And for those who don't… it'll be too late by the time they learn."
The silence that followed carried more weight than any roar. Even Unohana's expression darkened—not with concern, but fascination.
Copper snarled as the restraints fell away. "You think I'll be a stepping stone for some academy pup?" he hissed. His voice echoed unnaturally, like the sound of two mismatched bells clashing. "I will show you what despair—"
A wave of Reiatsu flooded the area.
Not just pressure. A tsunami of spirit force so dense it distorted light. Copper's roar died in his throat. His knees buckled, bones cracking audibly. Even those standing on the sidelines—vice-captains like Renji Abarai and Iba Tetsuzaemon—grimaced and turned their faces away.
Only the captains remained unmoved, though several narrowed their eyes.
"He didn't just suppress Copper," Kyoraku whispered beneath his hat, his voice unusually grave. "He crushed him with Reiatsu alone."
"Monstrous," Ukitake murmured. "No—elegant, like a black hole swallowing everything."
With a whimper, Copper dropped to his knees.
Pata.
Silence.
Even the ever-chatty lieutenant Kira Izuru stood frozen. There was no mocking quip. No exclamations. Just awe.
"You should feel honored," Akira said gently as he approached the trembling Hollow. "To perish beneath my blade… not everyone is worthy."
He touched a finger to Copper's forehead.
"Kurayami o tadori… shimesu."
"Close your eyes… Candle Yin."
The air shivered.
A spiral of black mist the size of a palm emerged from Akira's fingertip, spinning like a miniature galaxy. The spiritual pressure turned heavy and cold. Where Shikai releases were often marked by explosions of power or wild elemental phenomena, this one was silent—ominous.
The light bent.
Not metaphorically. Literally. Like a black hole, the spiral at Akira's fingertip absorbed the very concept of illumination. A dozen Kidō barriers frantically erected by the observing corps cracked and splintered just from the resonance.
"Impossible," muttered Hachigen. "Even Hachi, you, haven't seen a Zanpakutō that warps space before its actual manifestation."
"That's not just gravity," Unohana said softly. "That's conceptual gravity. Like Kyōka Suigetsu operates on illusion, but this… it's real. Light, time, space—they all bend toward it."
Copper let out a single, strangled scream—cut short as his body imploded into the spiral. No gore. No explosion. Just a compression so intense it seemed the universe itself swallowed him. In a moment, he was gone. Not even dust remained.
Akira stepped back and extended his arm.
The black spiral dissolved into nothing.
The silence that followed was more terrifying than any roar. The captains—Yamamoto, Kyōraku, Ukitake, Unohana—were all silent.
"Shikai," Yamamoto finally said, his voice level. "Confirmed. Ability: gravitational and spatial compression with advanced light absorption properties. No name declared, but recognized. You are eligible for promotion."
Akira bowed again.
"…So young," murmured Unohana to herself. "And yet more complete than most captains."
"I still can't believe it," Shunsui added. "He crushed an Adjuchas into nothing with one finger."
"He didn't just destroy him," Jūshirō replied. "He erased him."
Isshin exhaled and clapped his hands together. "Well, that's that. Test passed, obviously."
Cheers and murmurs rose from the surrounding ranks of Shinigami. Not out of celebration—but because it was the only thing they could do to release the tension.
And amid them all, Akira stood, quiet and unmoving, as if what he'd done was just another part of his day.
Yet every captain present knew: a new star had entered the Gotei 13—and it burned with a gravity no one could ignore.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 100+ CHAPTERS
Patreon.com/Kora_1