"Little brat!?"
"Whack-a-mole!?"
Ichigo and Ishida stared dumbfounded at Jinta.
"I'm not interested in playing children's games," they both said, waving him off as they tried to leave.
Jinta sneered, hefting his massive bat as he charged. "Leave? Not until you play with me—alive or dead!"
The sudden rush of speed shocked them both. How is he this fast?
They instinctively leapt back, narrowly dodging as the bat smashed down.
"BOOM!"
The floor caved in, dust exploding upward.
The ground shook violently.
Ichigo and Ishida broke into cold sweat, staring at the childlike figure.
"How the hell does he have that much strength?"
"Are you sure you're not a shinigami?"
"Shut up and die!" Jinta roared, hammering his bat again and again, each strike cratering the floor.
"You bastards have any idea what my life's been like these last five years? Day and night, saving your sorry hides—while you wreck everything in sight, leaving me to clean it up!"
"Don't run! Just accept death! Hahaha! Shinigami, Quincy—makes no difference. You're both going down!"
Ishida's jaw clenched, rage bubbling up. This is ridiculous. Why am I getting dragged into this?
Ichigo, however, froze mid-run as the truth sank in. So… this brat has been protecting us all these years…
Even so, being chased around was humiliating. Ichigo finally stopped, gritting his teeth as he raised his massive blade.
"If you hated saving us, then why protect us for five years!?"
"CLANG!"
Blade and bat collided.
A sharp crack split the air—Ichigo's zanpakuto now marred by a jagged fracture.
Jinta's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You dare clash with me without even having achieved shikai?"
He swung again, his relentless strikes driving Ichigo and Ishida into the dirt, barely dodging as despair gnawed at their edges.
"How is a kid this terrifying!?"
——
Meanwhile, Tessai's eyes gleamed as he turned to Cole.
"Cole-san, ignore them. Let us continue with kido training."
He raised a finger toward a distant peak. "This is hado. The spell ranked #4—Byakurai (White Lightning)."
Reiryoku gathered at his fingertip, condensing into a blazing lance of blue light.
"ZING!"
"BOOM!"
A hole punched clean through the distant rock face.
Cole's eyes sharpened. He funneled 500 points into the new option on his system panel, lifted his finger, and mirrored the stance.
"Hado #4: Byakurai!"
"ZING!"
"BOOM!"
His bolt tore into another peak, leaving a slightly smaller hole.
"Im… impossible." Tessai gasped, excitement shaking his voice. "Just one demonstration and you can already do this?"
Urahara's eyes glinted, fan tapping against his shoulder. "Tessai. Try showing him something stronger. Byakurai is too low level."
Nodding, Tessai lifted his hand again, this time with far more gravity.
"Cole. Watch carefully. This is Hado #31. Its destructive power is tremendous, and its difficulty equally high."
His voice dropped into steady incantation.
"Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, who bears the name of Man!"
Rukia paled, snapping to Cole. "Careful! This is Hado #31: Shakkaho (Red Fire Cannon). It's extremely advanced. It took me two months to master!"
Cole gave a small nod, eyes locked on Tessai.
"Truth and temperance, upon the sea barrier, strike south, step forth!"
"Hado #31: Shakkaho!"
A blazing sphere of fire erupted from his palm, rocketing forward—
"BOOM!"
The mountain exploded into rubble.
Cole's eyes widened. "Rukia… your kido can reach this level?"
"Of course not!" she snapped, shaking her head. "Before you stands the former Grand Kido Chief. My spells don't compare at all."
Cole narrowed his gaze. This one's difficult. I don't even see the option yet…
But when Tessai cast it again, his system finally displayed it.
He funneled 100 points in—no progress.
Another 300—this time, the knowledge clicked into place.
So the higher the power, the greater the cost to learn…
Cole extended his hand, chanting word for word.
"Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon the sea barrier, strike south, step forth!"
"Hado #31: Shakkaho!"
Flames roared across the barren space, slamming into a peak.
"BOOM!"
The mountain was scarred with a massive crater—but not obliterated.
Still, Tessai could only stare, awe-struck.
"Shopkeeper!" he called urgently to Urahara.
A prodigy unlike any he'd ever seen. Low-level spells mastered at a glance. High-level kidō replicated in two tries.
If this boy's reiatsu grew in proportion, Tessai was certain: in ten years, Cole could surpass even him.
Urahara's eyes narrowed, though his smile never wavered. "No need to rush, Tessai."
He stepped forward, voice deceptively light as he gestured toward the battlefield.
"Cole-san. Kurosaki-kun and the Quincy seem to be having so much fun. Wouldn't you like to join in?"
He pointed at Ichigo and Ishida, still running for their lives from Jinta's crushing swings.
Cole's lips curved slightly.
Ever since gaining shinigami powers, he'd yet to test himself against equals. The idea was tempting.
But before moving, he asked Urahara a question.
"Shopkeeper. If I fight Jinta… am I free to absorb as much of this space's reiryoku as I like?"
...…
...
(End of Chapter)
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