"Oi, did you hear? Captain Ukitake actually gave the green light…"
"No way… How long has that guy even been in the division?"
"I still say there's no way he can beat Sentarō Kotsubaki."
The steady buzz of gossip filled the Thirteenth Division barracks. Whispers flitted through the air like sakura petals, and Rukia Kuchiki blinked, confused, not quite catching the thread of the conversation.
Up ahead, Kiyone Kotetsu rushed past in a hurry.
"Kiyone-san!" Rukia reached out and caught her sleeve. "What's going on? Everyone's talking about something weird."
"Eh? You haven't heard?" Kiyone said, slightly breathless. "It's Miyako-kun! The Fifth Seat, he went and asked Captain Ukitake to let him challenge for the Vice-Captain seat yesterday!"
"Nani?" Rukia's eyes widened. "And… and Captain Ukitake… agreed?"
Kiyone nodded, still looking baffled. "Yup. I mean, he's unlocked his Shikai, but still… it seems way too soon, right?"
"Shikai… already?" Rukia murmured. Even with her noble background, she hadn't achieved that yet.
Kiyone gave a small shrug. "Well, seat officers who reach Shikai are rare, but not unheard of. Still, there's a big difference in how strong someone's Shikai actually is." She glanced at the sky, muttering, "Anyway, I gotta deliver some papers to the Captain. If you wanna see the match, head to the training grounds. It's starting!"
"Ah, matte—!" Rukia began, but Kiyone was already gone, sprinting down the path.
"…Miyako-kun, what are you thinking?" Rukia whispered, her brows knitting in concern. "How did it happen so fast?"
At the Thirteenth Division's outdoor training field, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. Shinigami crowded the area, murmuring and speculating. From a small rise nearby, Ukitake Jūshirō watched the field silently, his face unreadable.
Standing at the center of the field were two figures: Amamiya Miyako—young, composed, and still new to the division—and Sentarō Kotsubaki, the long-standing Third Seat known for his brute strength.
Miyako's twin blades rested calmly in his hands.
Yare yare… Even though I asked for this, I didn't think so many people would show up, he thought, breathing out quietly.
Sentarō grinned and slammed his Zanpakutō onto his shoulder. "You've got guts, Miyako! Let's see if you've got the strength to back it up!"
Miyako raised his dual Zanpakutō and nodded politely. "Hai, Senpai. I'll be coming at you seriously."
"Hah! That's what I like to hear!"
Shunpo! In the blink of an eye, both combatants vanished, their spiritual pressures colliding mid-air. A loud clang! echoed through the field as their blades met.
Sentarō pushed down with both hands, trying to force Miyako into submission with raw strength.
But Miyako didn't try to contest him directly. Instead, he pivoted his blades into a crossing X, guiding Sentarō's blade downward and off to the side. In the same breath, he flipped one blade into a reverse grip and lifted a finger.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!" A bolt of lightning shot forward.
But Sentarō was ready. He Shunpo'd away just in time, the lightning scorching the air where he'd stood.
He's not just muscles, Miyako thought. Guess I'll need to mix it up.
Sentarō reappeared behind him with a thrust—not a slash—aiming to pierce through Miyako's guard.
Amamiya Miyako saw the blade stabbing toward him but didn't flinch. With a light hop, he gracefully landed on the back of Sentarō Kotsubaki's sword.
"N-Nani?!" Sentarō blinked in disbelief, thrown off by the unexpected move. His grip on the weapon faltered slightly as Ukitake-san, watching from above, narrowed his eyes in mild surprise.
"Heh... so nimble," Ukitake murmured, clearly impressed by the young man's footwork.
From atop the sword, Miyako lightly kicked off again, flipping through the air with the fluid motion of a dancer. As he soared, he calmly began a spell without the full incantation—Kido Incantation Bypass.
"Bakudō No. 9: Geki!" A red light glowed from his palm, and in the next second, crimson energy ropes shot out, wrapping around Sentarō-san.
"Tch—!" Sentarō's sword had just steadied, but the binding spell had already locked onto him.
He tried to retreat, attempting to dodge, but Miyako had already closed the distance.
'Too fast… I can't dodge this in time…' Sentarō gritted his teeth.
With both hands gripping his twin Zanpakutō, Miyako slashed down. But... there was no satisfying impact.
"Too shallow…" Miyako muttered.
The Kido ropes had already dissolved, and Sentarō had managed to escape with swift footwork. Two thin cuts crisscrossed his uniform in the shape of an "X", with a slow trickle of blood marking their presence.
"I underestimated you, Amamiya…" Sentarō wiped the blood with the back of his hand, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "Didn't expect you to be this fast."
"In the first round," Ukitake said softly, "Miyako-kun clearly had the upper hand."
"I guess I can't hold back anymore!" Sentarō grinned, taking a stance. "Let's turn it up!"
With a sharp cry, he released his Zanpakutō. "Roar, Tetsuzan!"
A surge of reiryoku exploded outward like a gust of wind, rattling the entire training grounds. The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet.
"Uwaaah... Senpai's going all out!"
"I can barely breathe! This is a Vice-Captain's power?"
The onlookers gasped in awe as the force of Sentarō's Shikai overwhelmed them.
"Heh... since Sentarō-senpai is going all out, it would be rude for me not to do the same." Miyako spoke gently, but his words carried a quiet confidence. He twirled one of his Zanpakutō into a reversed grip and slowly brought the hilts of both blades together.
"Don't get too shocked now, senpai," he said with a playful smirk.
Miyako could feel Sentarō's reiatsu. It was vast—stronger than some seated officers' Shikai—but... not enough to make him waver.
Up in the stands, Ukitake's gaze sharpened. 'It's coming… the Shikai of the third known dual-wielding Zanpakutō in all of Soul Society.'
Miyako closed his eyes and inhaled calmly.
"Hanate, Shinya Zetsunen…" ("Separate him, Shinya Zetsunen…")
A brilliant light erupted from the blades as the name echoed across the field.
At once, spiritual pressure gushed outward like a tidal wave. Dust and dirt rose from the arena floor, masking his form from sight. The audience instinctively braced themselves.
"W-What is this pressure?!"
Some trainees dropped to their knees, unable to bear the spiritual force pressing down on their bodies.
Even Ukitake-san's eyes widened. "This is… Vice-Captain class, no doubt about it. Maybe even beyond."
Sentarō, caught within the arena, felt a chill crawl down his spine. Sweat beaded on his brow as he took a cautious step back.
When the swirling dust finally cleared, everyone could see Miyako standing tall—and what he held in his hands stunned them.
"A... bow?!" Sentarō blurted out, stunned.
What should have been two swords... had transformed into a single, stylized black-and-white bow, shimmering with faint spiritual light.
Even Ukitake's expression darkened slightly. A bow. That shape... unmistakable.
"Well, well, Miyako wasn't lying when he said his dual Zanpakutō were unusual," someone whispered.
Holding the monochrome bow casually, Miyako chuckled. "No need to be so surprised, Senpai. In Soul Society, there are Zanpakutō shaped like spears, chains, hammers, even shields. Compared to that, a bow is pretty tame, right?"
But even as he said this, Miyako knew the truth.
This wasn't "normal." A bow was the weapon of the Quincy—the ancient enemies of the Shinigami. A shape not seen among any Zanpakutō... at least not that the Gotei 13 publicly acknowledged.
Sentarō scratched his head. "Eh? Well, if you say so…"
He hadn't fought in the Quincy Purge two centuries ago. To him, a bow was just... another weapon.
But Ukitake knew better. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered the distinctive weapons of the Quincy. A Shinigami wielding a bow-shaped Zanpakutō—now that was dangerous, politically and spiritually.
Still, Miyako wasn't using Reishi absorption. No Heiliges Zeichen, no spirit particles gathered unnaturally. He was forming arrows from his own reiatsu—clear proof that this wasn't Quincy power.
Miyako raised the bow slowly. With his other hand, he extended two fingers, gathering his own spiritual power to form a glowing arrow of reiryoku.
"It's time for Round Two, Sentarō-senpai," Miyako said with a smile as he drew the shimmering arrow back against the string.
The tension in the arena spiked once more.
**********
Heiliges Zeichen is the Quincy cross.