Chapter 1: Saitō Kisei
"Saitō Kisei, Hisagi Shūhei, Kanisawa Hotaru, Aoga."
"After internal deliberation at the academy, the Konsō Internship the day after tomorrow will be led by the four of you."
"Understood!"
In the dean's office, the four named individuals responded in unison.
Apart from Aoga, whose poor grades made him visibly nervous, the other three appeared relatively relaxed.
Especially the tall, robust young man standing in the center—his purple hair and bronze skin were particularly striking.
Anyone unfamiliar with him would likely mistake him for a scion of the Shihōin family.
The young man had kept his eyes closed in feigned slumber throughout, completely unfazed by the responsibility of leading the internship.
After meticulously outlining the mission details and precautions, Vice Dean Shibato Mitsunobu dismissed the group and returned to his desk work.
As the vice dean of Shin'ō Academy, his workload was immense, especially with the old dean set to retire in the latter half of the year.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the dean's position would almost certainly fall to him.
At this critical juncture, he couldn't afford any mistakes.
Yet, upon second thought, how could anything go wrong with a mere first-year internship? Moreover, this year's four sixth-year student leaders were elites among elites.
Particularly Saitō Kisei and Hisagi Shūhei—their overall grades had already met the threshold for Gotei 13 membership, marking them as exceptionally rare top students.
After leaving the office, Aoga suggested grabbing lunch together. Shūhei and Hotaru agreed, and all three turned their attention to Kisei.
"You go ahead. I have some matters to attend to," Kisei declined with a shake of his head.
He then quickly parted from the group, heading alone toward the dormitories.
Before Aoga could process this, Kisei had already vanished from sight.
"Huh? Didn't the sixth-years' comprehensive exams end last week? We shouldn't have anything urgent to do now..." Aoga muttered in confusion.
As graduating sixth-years, they had no remaining academic obligations—the academy had taught them all there was to know, leaving them free to pursue their own interests.
In essence, it was no different from an extended vacation, with only the graduation exams holding any significance.
But those were still over five months away—plenty of time.
Shūhei narrowed his eyes. "That guy... he's off to train again."
Taciturn, averagely gifted, yet striving harder than anyone else.
That was the impression Saitō Kisei left on others.
"I see... But is it really necessary to skip meals for training?" While Shūhei's explanation cleared things up for Aoga, he still couldn't fully accept it.
How could anyone waste their precious sixth-year days on monotonous drills? Shouldn't they be like him—frequently visiting Squad 4 to learn Kaidō from the lovely ladies there?
Hotaru rapped Aoga's head in exasperation. "And this is exactly why you're the only one among us who never cracked the top ten in our year!"
"What can I say? I only excel at Kaidō. Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō... they're just too difficult for me..." Aoga threw up his hands with a long sigh.
...
Shin'ō Academy, Male Dormitories.
Unaware of his peers' discussions, Kisei was wholly focused on the transparent panel before him.
It had appeared the moment Vice Dean Shibato announced the internship list.
[Worldline plot interference confirmed. Initial alterations made to the fates of Hisagi Shūhei, Kanisawa Hotaru, and Aoga.]
[Acquired 100 Fate Points. Novice Gift Pack activated.]
[Host is encouraged to continue altering others' fates to obtain more Fate Points.]
[B-Rank Item: Soul King Bloodline (Incomplete)]
[Effect: After fusion, potential and talent are greatly enhanced. The body becomes compatible with various types of power.]
[Note: Cannot be transferred. Can be upgraded.]
Kisei was initially stunned, only processing the information after reading it three times carefully.
Was this the cheatfinger he had desperately waited six years for?
As if sensing his thoughts, a dim silver-white orb materialized in his palm before instantly merging with his chest in a flash of light.
The orb vanished, and the transparent panel disappeared along with it.
It was as if nothing had happened—everything seemed like an illusion.
But Kisei knew better. As the person involved, he keenly sensed the changes within his body.
He picked up "Basic Kidō Theory" from the desk, flipping to the page with the densest notes—Hadō #33: Sōkatsui.
His mind felt as if it had been rewired. The Kidō knowledge that once troubled him—gathering and controlling Reiatsu, release requirements under different conditions—now seemed incredibly straightforward.
He could even discern through the text that the Shinigami who authored the textbook had significant gaps in their understanding of this Hadō.
"Distribute Reiatsu evenly between both hands to maintain stability?"
"Must fully chant to release Kidō?"
"Have you never seen someone unleash Kurohitsugi with one hand and no incantation?"
After a moment's reflection, Kisei understood why.
Most instructors at the Shin'ō Academy were former Gotei 13 members who retired due to injuries, never having been particularly strong to begin with.
Those reaching mid-level seated officer rank were already considered exceptional.
Moreover, having strength didn't necessarily translate to teaching ability.
Their textbooks might be beneficial for average students, but for geniuses, they were shackles.
No wonder noble heirs like Kuchiki Byakuya disdained attending the academy—private tutors from their clans far surpassed the instructors here.
After just a few glances, Kisei tossed the textbook into the trash. He no longer needed such things.
Truly the most powerful bloodline in the Shinigami universe—the effects were straightforward and brutal, with talent enhancement being immediately apparent.
The "Incomplete" notation caught his attention, indicating his current Soul King Bloodline wasn't whole and couldn't unleash its full power.
Kisei speculated that the described "greatly enhanced potential and talent" might be just a minor fraction of the Soul King's abilities.
Meanwhile, "compatible with various types of power" likely referred to special capabilities similar to Aizen and Ichigo's, allowing coexistence of Shinigami and Hollow powers.
Unfortunately, the Soul King had almost no direct presence in the Shinigami storyline, with knowledge about his abilities pieced together from scattered mentions by the Zero Squad and Yhwach.
All that was known was that the Soul King represented omniscience and omnipotence, being the origin of the three realms' power.
Other information and abilities remained entirely unknown.
One could only say Kubo-sensei preferred leaving things to the imagination.
Fortunately, the system had also provided direction—by continuously altering the fates of others, he could obtain Fate Points, which might allow him to exchange for items that could complete his bloodline.
For now, until he accumulated enough Fate Points, he could only temporarily explore the extent of his bloodline's capabilities through training and practical combat.
Kisei checked the time. The Konsō Internship was scheduled to gather at 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow, leaving him with little time left.
Although he had been in this world for six years, he still vividly remembered the tragedy that was about to occur.
With only the strength of an ordinary squad member, it was impossible for him to survive the experimental Hollow under Aizen's control. He had to quickly transform the potential granted by his bloodline into actual power!
So, was there a way for him to rapidly enhance his strength in a short period?
A flash of inspiration struck Kisei—it seemed there really was.