After sparring with Arisawa Soma in real kidō combat—and after several days spent digging deeper into the nature of his own spirit body—Kisaragi Akira had finally mastered the properties of White Thunder. He could now imbue lightning into his most basic forms of attack: blade work, spirit-powered martial strikes, even his entry-level kidō techniques.
In other words…all his attacks now came with built-in lightning effects.
Which meant—
When he cast Crimson Smoke Step, it was no longer just a restraining art.It had evolved into something closer to an actual high-grade destructive spell.
The combination of powdered dust, explosive ignition, and lightning arcs produced a result far more powerful than anything he had expected.
The force surpassed other kidō of the same number—honestly, it was already approaching the destructive output of a fully-charged Crimson Fire Cannon.
And because the crimson smoke covered such a massive area, in certain environments its destructive potential rose far beyond one hundred percent.
Like now.
The blast of firestorm heat surged through the mountain interior, racing along every crevice and tunnel until it reached the deepest recesses of the cave.
A wave of red-hot light erupted from the mouth of the hollow, sweeping through the nearby trees and incinerating half the forest.
A moment later, bestial howls echoed from within.
Two towering hollows—massive creatures several meters tall—burst forth from the inferno, their bodies wrapped in roaring flame that spread wherever they stumbled.
Akira's eyes lit up in excitement as he watched the giant beasts roll across the scorched ground, trying to smother the fire licking at their carapaces.
Their forms were a grotesque fusion of spider and centipede—eight colossal spidery limbs paired with dozens of segmented legs twitching along their sides.
A perfect combination of the creepiest parts of two nightmares.
Anyone with even mild insect phobia would have fainted on the spot.
"Left one or right one?" Akira asked casually, glancing sideways.
To his surprise, Arisawa Soma shook his head, brows tightening.
"If you want them both, take them. Finish quickly. Don't waste time."
"Huh?" Akira blinked, surprised. He opened his mouth to ask more—
—but Soma continued, voice calm as ever:
"If you miss the dinner window, you'll need to break into the Shin'o Cafeteria again tonight. With finals coming up, you should avoid unnecessary trouble."
Akira's heart swelled.
Truly worthy of being Arisawa Soma, the Gentle Tyrant.Always looking out for his friends.
Meeting Soma had been one of the best decisions of his life.
"Well, since you put it that way…"
Akira rolled his sleeves, drew his zanpakutō, and a thin silver gleam rose between the fire and smoke.
"Let's make this fast!"
Lightning exploded beneath his feet, leaving a smoldering scorch mark as Akira vanished.
Soma's eyes widened faintly.
So he really had fully developed the properties of White Thunder already…?
As expected—
Outside the classroom, this guy's talent was on par with anyone.Even with me.
The moment Akira reappeared in front of the massive hollows, their many-eyed pupils shrank in horror.
What is that thing?!
Since when do reapers shoot lightning?!
They didn't have time to question further.A crushing aura swept over them as Akira's spirit pressure descended.
Driven by desperation, both spider-hollows ignored the flames still devouring their bodies and launched their limbs forward in a frenzied killing strike!
The air shrieked.
Akira bent his knees, stance tightening.The tension in his frame was like a drawn bowstring.
A thunderous boom erupted at the exact moment his blade came down.
Deathblade Style — Reverse Surge!
Spirit pressure surged and twisted into a torrent of crashing waves, the swordlight bursting forth like lightning splitting through storm clouds.
The metal-like limbs shattered on impact.
Viscous red fluid sprayed across the charred ground.
The attacks kept coming—dozens and dozens of limbs thrust at him from all angles. But to creatures with hundreds of legs, losing dozens meant nothing. Those limbs were expendable weapons.
They only had to land one strike.One.
Because in their understanding, reapers were powerful, yes—but fragile.
Without spirit pressure reinforcing the body, even a lower-class Gillian-tier hollow could injure a Captain.
Except…after only a few exchanges…
Both spider-hollows suddenly realized something horrifying.
Their limbs weren't doing anything.More than that—
Every time their limbs clashed with Akira's lightning-charged blade, the numbness spread deeper into their bodies.
"…Not bad at all."
Akira sliced off another limb in passing and gave an approving nod.
White Thunder wasn't the strongest spell, so even these two ordinary hollows took a bit of effort to paralyze fully.
Still, this was only the beginning.
He couldn't wait to see how strong he'd become once he started engraving the higher-tier kidō into his body.
Soma… don't let me down.Whether we stand at the apex of the world or not depends entirely on you!
Once he finished testing White Thunder, Akira decided it was time to end the one-sided slaughter.
In the instant several limbs shot toward him again, he burst into flash-step, slipping between the gaps and closing straight in on the hollow's trembling head.
Squelch—
His blade sank deep into the creature's skull.
A surge of spirit pressure detonated from within, turning its head into pulp.
Its compound eyes dimmed and the massive body collapsed with a thud.
The second hollow panicked instantly.
Ignoring its paralysis and burns, it flailed its remaining limbs and tried to escape.
"Oh no you don't."
Akira leapt, lightning erupting around him, and brought his blade down with brutal force.
Soma gave the briefest glance toward the battlefield—Akira dismantling hollows like they were insects hardly worth noting—and looked away.
At Akira's level, these creatures posed no threat.He might struggle against a Gillian-class hollow, but anything below that was easy prey.
Soma spread his senses outward, trying to locate the source of the unease gnawing at him.
Far beyond the reach of his spiritual perception, under the shadow of a massive tree, faint lines of kidō flickered—forming a barrier over several black-clad figures.
"According to the intel from Shin'o Academy…"
"That boy—Kisaragi Akira—is the strongest among the students."
"Our war failed entirely because of the talismans he created."
"This mission is simple: eliminate him by any means necessary. Even if everyone here dies, his death is imperative."
Akira shattered the second hollow's skull, bits of red and white splattering everywhere.
He was just reaching down to collect the creature's compound eye for mission credit when a stab of instinctive terror shot through him.
Danger screamed loudly in every nerve.
From the dead angle behind him—several black-clad assassins burst from concealment, their blades aimed straight at the boy standing atop the corpse!