"Can you demonstrate your Shikai?"
When the Headmaster said this, Luca was momentarily stunned.
One must understand, the Zanpakutō is a Soul Reaper's most crucial combat asset. Although many Soul Reapers had "Direct Attack Type" Zanpakutō with unremarkable Shikai...
And those with special Shikai abilities often had a bad habit of explaining their techniques to their enemies before fighting...
The reality was, concealing a Zanpakutō's ability could turn it into a vital trump card, securing an early advantage.
Given this premise...
Even if the question came from the Headmaster of the Shin'ō Academy, it seemed a bit overstepping and inappropriate.
However, the Headmaster clearly realized his words could be misinterpreted.
Seeing Luca hesitate, he quickly explained.
"It is like this: according to Shin'ō Academy regulations, students who master Shikai during their enrollment can choose to graduate early and join the Gotei 13."
"Therefore, I need to confirm that you have indeed successfully achieved Shikai."
If it were an ordinary student, the Headmaster, as the administrator of the academy, obviously wouldn't bother explaining.
Although his status wasn't comparable to a full-fledged Captain of the Gotei 13, having cultivated the backbone of the Soul Reaper forces meant his actual standing wasn't inferior to the Lieutenants.
But facing a high-potential student like Luca, his attitude was remarkably gentle.
"Rest assured. If your Zanpakutō has a unique ability, simply showing the transformation is enough. You do not need to reveal its specific powers to me."
Understanding the Headmaster's intent, Luca's eyes darted around. He immediately put on a smiling, respectful face.
"It's fine, Headmaster. A Zanpakutō is meant to be used eventually. There's really nothing to hide about its ability."
With that, Luca drew the short, exquisite Zanpakutō from his waist.
Stroking the blade lightly, he whispered:
"Plug-in, Shinken!"
As his voice fell, a red light flashed across the short blade in Luca's hand.
Immediately, the ordinary blade began to change.
When the red light dissipated, the black longsword from his inner world appeared in Luca's hand.
However, unlike the one in his inner world, the patterns on this black blade glowed with a dark red light instead of blue.
Of course, the Headmaster and the Zanjutsu instructor didn't know the difference. They simply scrutinized the sci-fi-looking sword in Luca's hand with great interest.
Having released his Shikai, Luca chose not to hide everything. He explained directly:
"My Zanpakutō's Shikai is named Shinken. It should be considered a Kidō-type Zanpakutō. As for its ability..."
As he spoke, Luca thrust the longsword directly into the desk in front of him. The tip of the blade, resembling a chip connector, phased into the desk like a virtual projection.
Simultaneously, Luca began a Kidō incantation.
"Bakudō #4—Hainawa!"
The next instant, the red patterns on the blade flowed rapidly, as if some energy was injected directly into the desk.
When Luca pulled Shinken out, there wasn't even a scratch on the desk, as if nothing had changed.
Then, Luca looked at the two men, who wore expressions of anticipation and confusion. He hesitated for a moment, then said to his Zanjutsu instructor:
"Teacher Sugii, how about you give it a touch?"
"??"
The instructor, Shota Sugii, looked at Luca with question marks all over his face.
However, after receiving an approving and affirming look from Headmaster Yamada, he could only obediently reach out to touch the seemingly ordinary desk.
The moment his finger made contact with the surface.
A rope-like beam of golden light instantly erupted from the desk, rapidly winding around Shota Sugii.
Even though he had vaguely guessed what might happen based on Luca's actions and had prepared to dodge, he was still tightly bound by the fast-moving light rope.
Stumbling forward, his upper body slammed right onto the Headmaster's desk.
Of course, Sugii was an elite instructor of the Academy, and the Bakudō Luca released didn't use much spiritual power.
With a slight burst of Reiatsu, he shattered the golden rope and stood up again.
Seeing this, Luca tilted his head slightly, avoiding Sugii's annoyed gaze, and continued his explanation.
"Through insertion, my Shinken can inject my Reiryoku or Kidō into a target. This ability can set the target as a trigger-based Kidō trap, or target the object itself, causing the Kidō or Reiryoku to erupt internally."
"However, using Hadō (Way of Destruction) would inevitably damage the room, so it's not convenient to demonstrate here."
After finishing, Luca retracted his Zanpakutō and looked quietly at Headmaster Yamada.
"Good! Very good! Comprehensive in both offense and defense! An excellent Kidō-type Zanpakutō!"
"I heard from other instructors that your talent in Kidō is exceptional. It seems this Zanpakutō's ability fits you perfectly, like giving a tiger wings."
Headmaster Yamada nodded repeatedly with a gratified smile, seemingly envisioning Luca shining brightly in the Gotei 13 in the future.
In truth, Headmaster Yamada wasn't exaggerating.
Despite the flashy and varied Zanpakutō seen in the main story, the reality was that most Soul Reapers in the Seireitei who achieved Shikai possessed "Direct Attack Type" Zanpakutō.
These often had no special abilities upon release. Sometimes, they even changed shape so drastically that the user had to learn an entirely new weapon style from scratch.
Luckily, Soul Reapers had long lifespans to refine their skills. Otherwise, having decades of standard swordsmanship training become useless after Shikai would be enough to make anyone vomit blood.
Usually, the biggest boost Shikai gave a Soul Reaper was simply a massive multiplier to their base Reiatsu.
This made Luca's Zanpakutō—which could set traps at will or cause internal destruction to enhance attack power—seem exceptionally good.
Even ignoring the Kidō chanting step, the damage from direct Reiryoku injection alone was significant.
However, after the praise and gratification, Headmaster Yamada changed the subject, asking with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
"As I mentioned earlier, students who master Shikai during enrollment can apply for early graduation and join the Gotei 13."
"I wonder, Luca, what are your plans regarding this?"