Black Rebirth – Asta’s Journey in Soul Society

The Seireitei was buzzing with energy. The academy grounds, usually filled with diligent training and quiet study, were now alive with excitement. For many students, today marked the last step before becoming full-fledged Soul Reapers.

And for Asta, it was just another step toward his ultimate goal.

Standing in the courtyard, he stretched his arms, feeling the weight of his Zanpakutō against his hip. It still hadn't spoken to him, but that didn't bother him too much. He had gotten stronger—faster, sharper, and more skilled than when he first arrived.

"Man… time really flew by," Asta muttered to himself, looking around at his fellow students. Some were practicing last-minute drills, others were saying their goodbyes to instructors, and a few were simply soaking in the moment.

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"So, you actually made it to graduation, huh?"

Asta turned to see Renji Abarai, standing with his arms crossed and his usual smirk in place.

Asta grinned. "Of course! What, you thought I'd quit?"

Renji scoffed. "Nah. If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you don't know how to give up."

Asta chuckled. "Damn right! I've been training like crazy, and now I'm finally gonna be a Soul Reaper!"

Renji studied him for a moment before nodding. "You've definitely changed. When I first met you, you were just some wild idiot throwing himself into fights without thinking."

Asta blinked. "Uh… I still kinda do that."

Renji sighed. "Yeah, but at least now you can actually back it up."

Asta laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment!"

Just as the two were about to part ways, one of the instructors approached the courtyard, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up! Before you all officially graduate, we have one final test for you!"

The students immediately quieted down, waiting for instructions.

"This will be a real combat test. You'll be paired up and sent to a designated area outside the Seireitei, where you'll face off against actual Hollows. Consider this your first real mission as Soul Reapers."

Asta's grin widened. "Now this is what I'm talking about!"

Renji smirked. "Try not to get yourself killed before the ceremony."

Asta cracked his knuckles. "Pffft. If anything, this'll be fun!"

The instructor began calling out names, pairing up students for the mission.

Asta waited, listening as names were called—

Until finally, his name came up.

"Asta! You'll be working alone!"

The students murmured among themselves. Usually, no one went on missions alone unless they were already a seated officer.

Asta just grinned. "Oh, now you're making this interesting."

The instructor raised an eyebrow. "Confident, are we?"

Asta laughed. "Always!"

The instructor smirked. "Good. Then prove it."

The mission area was a rocky terrain just outside the Seireitei's walls. Asta stood in the middle of the open field, scanning his surroundings.

Then, he heard it—

A deep, guttural roar.

A Hollow emerged from the shadows, its white mask reflecting the moonlight. It was large—bigger than most he had faced before.

Asta's grin widened as he drew his sword. "Alright, buddy. Let's dance!"

The Hollow lunged, its claws slicing through the air. Asta ducked, barely dodging the attack before countering with a powerful upward slash.

The Hollow staggered but didn't fall. Instead, it roared again, its red eyes glowing with fury.

Asta grinned. "Oh? You're tougher than you look."

The Hollow attacked again, but this time, Asta was ready. He sidestepped, then slashed downward, severing one of its arms.

The Hollow howled in pain, but Asta didn't give it a chance to recover. With a powerful leap, he brought his sword down, slicing clean through its mask.

The Hollow let out one final shriek before dissolving into nothingness.

Asta exhaled, shaking his arms out. "Whew! That was a good warm-up!"

Then, he felt it—

A second presence.

His eyes narrowed as another Hollow appeared from the darkness. But this one was different.

It was stronger.

Asta smirked, gripping his sword tighter. "Oh, now this is getting fun."

And with that, he charged forward—ready to prove, once and for all, that he belonged among the Soul Reapers.