That night in the dorm, Lu Li sat in deep thought.
He had factored Aizen's analysis into the difficulty ceiling of his Main Mission. It made perfect sense.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the old man was absolutely going to deploy a Captain to "educate" him. Defeating a Captain—even in a matched-Reiatsu duel—was going to be monumentally difficult. When he inevitably failed, the Academy would have the perfect justification to force him to stay.
They'd probably frame it beautifully, too, Lu Li thought bitterly. We gave you the opportunity you begged for, but you simply weren't ready.
The Captain-Commander's intentions were noble... assuming Lu Li was an actual native of this world.
But he wasn't. He was an Explorer tossed into this world by the Terminus Space. If he failed the speedrun mission, he wouldn't be held back for a year of remedial training; he would be instantaneously eradicated from existence.
"Sosuke, if they do assign a Captain as my examiner, who do you think it will be?" Lu Li asked. Having hit a tactical bottleneck, he decided to consult his brilliant roommate.
Aizen didn't try to brush him off. He pondered the question seriously before answering.
"Looking at the current schedules and workloads of the Gotei 13, I believe there are three likely candidates for your examiner."
"Who are they?" Lu Li asked, intrigued.
"The first is the Captain of the Fifth Division. I am quite well-acquainted with one of their Seated Officers. He recently mentioned that the Fifth Division has been rather idle lately. It is highly possible their Captain could step in," Aizen analyzed.
"However, according to my acquaintance, their Captain is exceptionally powerful and belongs to the strict martial-combat faction. If you draw him, Lu Li, you will face significant trouble."
The current Captain of the Fifth Division was a man named Yoshitaka Akimoto, a character Lu Li had never heard of in the canon manga. But he definitely knew the Seated Officer Aizen was talking about. Lu Li had seen him visiting the Academy a few weeks ago: Shinji Hirako.
Shinji was currently just a Seated Officer. He wouldn't become a Captain for another century or so—only to eventually get brutally backstabbed by Aizen.
"Who else?" Lu Li pressed.
"The second possibility is Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, Captain of the Eleventh Division. According to my intelligence network, he is also currently unburdened by heavy duties. However, the Eleventh Division is composed entirely of bloodthirsty battle maniacs. They lack the concept of holding back. If he is your examiner, you will have drawn the absolute worst-case scenario," Aizen warned, his expression grim.
The terrifying might of Kenpachi Kuruyashiki was legendary across the Soul Society. Anyone who bore the title of 'Kenpachi' was an absolute monster. Rumor had it that he had single-handedly slaughtered a Vasto Lorde-class Menos, and had even received a formal recruitment invitation from the Royal Guard—Squad Zero.
"That sounds fantastic," Lu Li nodded in genuine approval. "And the best-case scenario?"
Aizen cast a deeply strange look at Lu Li. He had almost forgotten his roommate was an unhinged battle maniac who would probably get along famously with the brutes in the Eleventh Division.
"There is a best-case scenario," Aizen continued. "Recently, the casualty rate among the Gotei 13 has been incredibly low, leaving the Fourth Division with very little to do. The fact that Captain Unohana has been guest-lecturing so frequently is proof of this. Captain Unohana is famous for her incredibly gentle and kind nature. As the Captain of the rearguard medical and supply division, her actual combat strength shouldn't be very high. If she is your examiner, passing should be relatively easy."
Lu Li's expression warped into something deeply complicated.
You call that the best-case scenario?!
While it was technically true that fighting her would satisfy his battle-lust, she was undeniably the most terrifying examiner on the roster!
'Her combat strength shouldn't be very high'? Aside from the Captain-Commander himself, the woman casually moonlighting as a medic was likely the absolute strongest living entity in the Gotei 13! Even Shunsui Kyoraku, who was still young and unpolished at this point in the timeline, probably couldn't beat her in a deathmatch.
Looking at Aizen's completely serious, analytical expression, Lu Li realized the guy wasn't trying to set him up. It just proved that even Aizen wasn't omniscient. As a mere first-year student, Aizen had absolutely no idea about Captain Unohana's horrific, blood-soaked history as the First Kenpachi.
"Sosuke, what format do you think the exam will take?" Lu Li asked, moving on.
"Setting aside a Reiatsu evaluation, it will almost certainly be an unrestricted deathmatch. That is precisely why I urge you to abandon this pursuit of early graduation," Aizen stated gravely.
"If they intend to comprehensively evaluate you, the assigned Captain will be forced to fight seriously. And Lu Li, the fact that your combat proficiency is this high is not necessarily a good thing right now."
Lu Li understood exactly what Aizen meant. Because his combat skills were so monstrous, a Captain wouldn't be able to hold back and guarantee his safety. In a high-speed clash of blades, accidents happened. It was highly likely he could be accidentally killed during the exam.
Even if the Captain-Commander secretly admired him, Lu Li was the one demanding this trial. If he died because he simply wasn't strong enough, he would just be remembered as a tragic footnote in the Academy's history. A dead genius possessed zero value. By accepting this special graduation exam, he was essentially signing his own death warrant.
"Even if they suppress their Reiatsu to Class 16, a Captain can still use Shikai, right?" Lu Li asked thoughtfully.
Aizen nodded. "Yes. However, you do not need to worry about Bankai. The sheer volume of Reishi required to manifest a Bankai cannot be sustained without a Class 3 Spiritual Pressure or higher."
Lu Li finally grasped the true "Nightmare" difficulty of his mission. As Aizen had pointed out earlier, even with a suppressed Reiatsu, the invisible, biological buffs a Captain possessed would not vanish. Their strength and speed might objectively match his, but their dynamic vision and neural reflexes would process his movements in slow motion.
Under those conditions, defeating a battle-hardened Captain felt practically impossible. And if his examiner ended up being Captain Unohana, it would transcend a Nightmare difficulty entirely.
He had absolute faith in his martial arts and combat instinct. But to clear this mission, he needed more firepower. He was out of time. If he wanted a massive, explosive spike in combat strength within the next four days, his only option was his Zanpakuto.
Furthermore, although Aizen hadn't explicitly mentioned it, historical records showed that every single prodigy who had ever graduated early had achieved Shikai beforehand. It was likely a hidden, mandatory prerequisite.
"Sosuke..."
Lu Li looked up at Aizen, his decision finalized.
"Can you show me your Shikai?"
He had thought it through. Regardless of what Aizen would become in the future, right now, they were on good terms. Aizen had no logical reason to assassinate him.
And honestly, even if Aizen successfully placed him under Complete Hypnosis, Lu Li was banking on the Terminus Space to purge the spiritual corruption the moment he extracted from the world. Conversely, if he failed the mission, the system would immediately eradicate him from existence—meaning he didn't have the luxury of worrying about the long-term consequences of Kyoka Suigetsu.
Right now, he absolutely needed to unlock his Shikai!
"It seems you have finally remembered your hidden trump card, Lu Li," Aizen smiled warmly. "Do not worry. I will do everything in my power to help you achieve Shikai within the next two days."
He picked up the Zanpakuto resting across his lap. With a slow, deliberate motion, he drew the blade. Bathed in the pale moonlight filtering through the window, the rippling steel possessed a serene, mesmerizing beauty.
"Shatter... Kyoka Suigetsu."
Accompanied by Aizen's low, magnetic chant, a delicate, ethereal mist began to manifest around the blade. The water droplets in the air refracted the moonlight, creating a stunning, kaleidoscopic cascade of colors that instantly drew the eye, drowning the observer in an intoxicating illusion.
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