"It couldn't have been Shō. That wouldn't even be able to break through a captain's subconsciously released Reiatsu."
A somewhat cold voice came from behind. Kōe slowly turned his head. The speaker was indeed Suì-Fēng, who had approached at some unknown point. Her arms were crossed, her fingertips tapping rhythmically against her arm as if pondering a question.
"You're here too, Captain Suì-Fēng." Kōe grinned, forcing an expression that barely counted as a smile. "I didn't even notice when you came over."
"Right after you gave me that bizarre nickname."
"Ha, haha." Kōe let out a dry laugh, trying to ease the awkwardness. Thank goodness Suì-Fēng didn't know who Abbess Miejue was; otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising if she gave him a couple of vicious strikes.
Actually, Suì-Fēng thought the title 'Abbess Miejue' was quite nice. It seemed to match her Zanpakutō's ability of Nigeki Kessatsu rather well, and it sounded quite imposing.
The orders given to her by Central 46 and Yamamoto were to strictly monitor every detail of the duel between Kōe and Zaraki, or rather, to watch Kōe's every word and action. Compared to the simple-minded Zaraki, the unpredictable Kōe was far more dangerous.
The appearance of Kaien's trio was naturally under her surveillance as well. Initially, Suì-Fēng had only planned to observe silently. Even when Kōe suddenly mentioned her name and Lady Yoruichi, Suì-Fēng had managed to control her emotions perfectly.
However, when he started discussing the recent duel, Suì-Fēng's interest was piqued. This unknown and delicate combat technique aligned perfectly with the philosophy of Squad 2.
But for some reason, he had asked an ordinary Squad 13 member to guess the underlying principles. What profound insight could someone who was destined to wash out of the Onmitsukidō possibly have?
Things played out exactly as Suì-Fēng expected. That member named Rukia gave a foolish answer—a naive thought that, at best, belonged to a fourth- or fifth-year student at the Shin'ō Academy.
"This is not the Shin'ō Academy, and you are not facing 'cute' students. Such an answer is far too irresponsible, Mr. Chōzuka." Kōe's affirmative response to Rukia had completely caught Suì-Fēng off guard. It was unclear whether her words were meant to mock Rukia, Kōe, or perhaps both.
"Captain Suì-Fēng!" Before Kōe could speak, Kaien couldn't hold back any longer. "Your words are going too far!"
"Oh?" Suì-Fēng's brow twitched slightly. She cast a sidelong glance at Kaien and said coldly, "Is it not the truth? Or is this the limit of a Squad 13 lieutenant's level?! Ukitake is truly merciful."
"You!" Kaien shouted angrily. He clenched his fists and was just about to charge forward to argue with Suì-Fēng when Kōe blocked him. Giving Kaien a reassuring look, Kōe smiled and said with a relaxed expression, "Hey, hey, I haven't even explained why you all think what I just said was a lie."
"It's true that [Hadō #1・Shō] alone cannot break through a captain's defenses, but Captain Zaraki and I had our Reiatsu restricted just now."
"But even with restricted Reiatsu, you were still at the level of an average Gotei 13 member at the time. The effect of Shō would be extremely limited," Suì-Fēng interjected, mercilessly rejecting Kōe's explanation once again.
Kōe wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and nodded, validating Suì-Fēng's point. "If we were at the level of an average Gotei 13 member, the result would indeed be exactly as Captain Suì-Fēng said. However..." Kōe shifted the conversation, continuing, "The basic principle of the Department of Research and Development's tool isn't to directly restrict Reiatsu, but to weaken it by absorbing it. The result is similar, but there is a distinction."
As soon as these words were spoken, whether it was Suì-Fēng, Kaien, or even Shiba Miyako, all of them fell into deep thought. They seemed to have faintly grasped something.
"A distinction? What is it?" Rukia asked subconsciously. Realizing she might have disturbed the others, she lowered her head and silently stepped back. *'How embarrassing!'*
"The distinction lies in the fact that if it were a restriction, Captain Zaraki and my Reiatsu would still technically be at the captain level. But that tool from the Department of Research and Development genuinely turned us into two ordinary members." Kōe raised his index finger as he spoke. "Furthermore, because of that disgusting outfit, we had absolutely no Reiatsu on the surface of our bodies. In other words, the position of our instinctive defense was shifted inward."
Shinigami with Reiryoku will instinctively release it to defend their bodies when attacked. This is known as instinctive defense.
For a captain-class Shinigami, even if they just stood there and let someone slash them, Shinigami with low Reiatsu wouldn't be able to harm them in the slightest.
But if what Kōe said was true, and there was no Reiatsu on the surface of his and Zaraki's bodies, that meant in terms of their spiritual bodies alone, they were fundamentally no different from the commoners of the Rukongai at that moment.
Moreover, Suì-Fēng knew that the outfit's function was exactly as Kōe described. This meant that a weak Kidō like Shō could actually be effective. After all, theoretically, Kōe and Zaraki were in a completely defenseless state at the time.
"But could the power of Shō really accomplish such a thing?" Suì-Fēng looked up at Kōe, her tone much softer than when she first arrived. "Even without Reiatsu on the surface of his body, could it still send Captain Zaraki flying?"
"Of course it's not a problem. To be honest, you all severely underestimate the power of low-level Hadō." As Kōe spoke, he pointed his index finger to the right. A transparent ripple spilled from his fingertip, knocking a massive boulder in the simulated arena a hundred meters away back by over a dozen meters.
"Take [Hadō #1・Shō] for example. Its principle is actually to compress the Reiatsu from within the body outside of it, and then instantly detonate it, creating a shockwave in the air. In terms of sheer impact force, it has no problem affecting the movements of an ordinary Hollow." After Kōe finished speaking, a layer of white halo suddenly appeared on his index finger, but this time it only stirred up a gust of wind.
"But there is a limit to this method. When the released Reiatsu reaches a certain level, it will simply dissipate, making the effect worse than just using Shō." The white halo on his index finger gathered at the tip, finally transforming into a streak of white lightning that shot toward the simulated arena, piercing straight through the boulder from earlier. "At that point, you have to use a higher-level Kidō, which means using a stronger method to compress Reiatsu outside the body."
"In truth, there are only two differences between different levels of Kidō. The first is the strength or weakness of the Reiatsu compression. The second is bringing about changes in the shape and attributes of one's own Reiatsu. For example, with [Hadō #4・Byakurai] just now, the Reiatsu forms a beam for stronger penetration, while the lightning also carries a certain paralyzing effect."
"To put it bluntly, Kidō is simply the more efficient utilization of Reiatsu. In other words, maximizing the utility of Reiatsu is Kidō. Just like right now."
As Kōe spoke, he suddenly threw a punch at Suì-Fēng. Although Suì-Fēng had been listening intently, she still possessed the necessary reflexes. She opened her right hand and firmly caught the incoming fist.
Unexpectedly, Kōe shifted his fist into an open palm, pushing Suì-Fēng's hand away. With his palm facing downward, a pale white ring expanded outward at a visible speed.
Suì-Fēng suddenly felt her footing slip, her body involuntarily pitching forward. Her waist subconsciously exerted force backward, stabilizing her posture just in time, only to find that two distinct trails had already been carved into the ground.
"The compression and instantaneous release of Reiatsu—even Shō can achieve unexpected things." Kōe pointed at his palm and said with a smile, "Of course, this amount of Reiatsu is already equivalent to a seated officer's level, so this counts as an enhanced version of Shō."
"But it's not easy for it to have an effect on you. Wouldn't you agree, Captain Suì-Fēng?"