Rimi Oi stepped forward, her voice calm but authoritative. "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Rimi Oi, currently holding the 18th seat of the Ninth Team. Today, I will be leading you through the soul burial ceremony. Please step forward in an orderly manner to receive your Asauchi."
On stage, a middle-aged woman with a freckled face and dressed in a standard Shinigami uniform spoke with a practiced ease. Beside her, two male Shinigami carried large bundles, which they unceremoniously dropped to the ground. As the cloth wrappings unfurled, they revealed stacks of Asauchi—blank zanpakutō given to recruits.
"Form a line to receive your Asauchi," a young male Shinigami instructed. "Once equipped, you will be dispatched to the human world to participate in the soul burial assessment."
A murmur rippled through the crowd as the students began collecting their weapons. A short female student hesitated, inspecting her blade with a frown. "Why does this have so many chips in it? Can I exchange it?"
Her complaint triggered a wave of discontent. Other students started voicing their dissatisfaction, some demanding better weapons.
"Quiet!"
Rimi Oi's voice rang out sharply as she released a controlled burst of spiritual pressure, immediately restoring order. Though her reiatsu was not particularly overwhelming, it was enough to assert her authority. Among the students, Makoto Ito smirked at the sight but quickly sobered as Ichimaru Gin's warning echoed in his mind—Be careful of the soul burial.
Knowing Aizen, something is bound to happen, Ito thought wryly. Why does trouble always find me?
Rimi Oi exhaled, addressing the recruits once more. "The Asauchi you receive today are temporary ones stored in the Shin'ō Academy, meant for student assessments. Once you officially join a squad, you will be granted a zanpakutō of your own."
The explanation seemed to reassure the students, and the grumbling died down. Eventually, Ito Makoto received his Asauchi—a slightly worn out blade but still intact.
Before passing through the Senkaimon, Rimi Oi conducted a final headcount. "The soul burial assessment should have thirty-three participants. Confirming now… thirty-three present, no absentees."
Satisfied, she proceeded to explain the exam rules. "The Technological Development Bureau has selected an appropriate area in the human world and erected a barrier around it. Each of you will be assigned a dummy infused with a spiritual aura. Your objective is to protect the dummy while eliminating any Hollows that appear."
Murmurs of anticipation spread through the group as she continued, "Your performance will be evaluated based on the condition of your dummy. If your dummy is destroyed or you are unable to defeat the Hollow, you will fail and must retake this year at the Academy."
She held up a small metallic device. "This is a Break Pill. In case of an emergency, using it will allow you to break the barrier and escape. However, be warned—activating it automatically results in failure."
A palpable tension settled over the group. The weight of the trial ahead loomed over them, but none stepped back. This was the path they had chosen.
"If there are no more questions… let's begin!" Rimi Oi commanded, raising her hand.
A massive portal shimmered open in the air, white light rippling like water along its edges.
So this is the Senkaimon… Ito Makoto thought as he observed the impressive gateway. It looks even more imposing in person.
Human World – Mika Town ,
The night was calm, the sky strewn with stars. Below, rolling mountains stretched beneath the protective barrier, their dark silhouettes bathed in faint moonlight.
A portal appeared high above the peaks, and as its doors slid open, figures began emerging one by one. Leading them were three Shinigami clad in black, followed by a group of recruits dressed in the blue-and-white or red-and-white uniforms of Shin'ō Academy.
Gazing at the vast landscape below, some recruits whispered in awe.
Rimi Oi leaped forward, landing gracefully before turning to address the group. "Your assessment will take place within these mountains. Your performance will impact your future squad placement and ranking. Do your best."
She raised her hand. "I now declare the soul burial assessment—officially begun!"
With her signal, one of the accompanying Shinigami tossed 33 glowing spirit spheres into the air. Each sphere sought out a student, guiding them to their designated location.
Ito Makoto caught his spirit sphere, feeling its pull. He allowed it to lead him, swiftly descending into the dense jungle below.
Upon landing, the sphere transformed into a dummy, pulsating faintly with a fabricated spiritual aura. Almost immediately, an invisible barrier materialized around it, sealing the battlefield.
And so it begins...
A deafening roar shattered the stillness.
Suddenly, a newly emerged Hollow lunged from behind, heading straight for the dummy emitting faint spiritual energy.
Makoto Ito, unfazed, didn't even bother to draw his blade. Instead, he raised a hand and pointed at the creature from a distance.
"Hadō 4: Byakurai!"
A streak of pure white lightning shot forth, instantly reducing the Hollow to ashes. As its form disintegrated, the invisible barrier surrounding Ito Makoto dissipated in an instant.
"So far, so good. No unexpected surprises."
Ito had remained on high alert, anticipating potential threats, but up until now, everything had gone smoothly.
"Is this the prodigy Makoto Ito—the one who completed six years of coursework in a single year? Truly impressive."
From above, Rimi Oi had been closely observing. Though it seemed like a long sequence of events—from Ito stepping into the barrier to completing his assessment—the entire process had taken less than three minutes.
Just as Ito Makoto prepared to regroup with the examiners, an eerie disturbance prickled at his senses. A strange, oppressive spiritual pressure filled the air.
"Get out of there!" he shouted toward the three examiners.
Almost simultaneously, the space behind them cracked open into a massive void, from which three enormous tentacles burst forth, striking at the unsuspecting Shinigami.
Rimi Oi reacted instantly, dodging to the side, but not without consequence—one of the tentacles pierced her left shoulder. The other two examiners, however, were not so fortunate. The monstrous appendages impaled them outright.
"Damn it!"
Clenching her teeth against the pain, Rimi Oi swiftly retreated. From the swirling darkness of the cavity emerged a grotesque mass—a pulsating, tentacle-covered ball of flesh.
"This is… Gillian! A Hollow that hasn't fully evolved into an Adjuchas!"
The creature's chaotic, violent spiritual pressure confirmed its identity at a glance. Ito Makoto tightened his grip on his Asauchi.
"Reap, Twin Scythes!"
Rimi Oi released her Zanpakutō's Shikai, her weapon transforming into two curved throwing blades. With precision, she sent them spinning toward the monstrous Hollow.
However, the attack barely scratched its Hierro-like hide, merely sparking against its dense flesh. In response, the creature lashed out with its writhing tentacles, forcing Rimi Oi onto the defensive.
At that critical moment—
"Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"
Ito Makoto unleashed a fireball without incantation. The crimson flames surged forward, scorching several of the Hollow's tentacles to cinders.
As a Shinigami, he couldn't stand by and let his examiners and fellow students be slaughtered before his eyes.
But just as he steadied himself for the next move, a chorus of panicked cries erupted from below.
Looking down, his breath caught in his throat—inside every testing barrier, the once-docile Hollows meant for assessment had begun breaking through their enclosures at various levels of emergence.
Something's gone terribly wrong.
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