These two.
One, proud and arrogant, speaking in a near-mocking tone.
The other, calm and collected, retorting with sharp wit.
But the moment the sound signaling the start of the practice rang out, they both vanished from their original spots!
At least in this initial clash, neither side lost to the other. Or perhaps it should be said the other way around: if one side had been even slightly inferior at the very beginning of the contest, it couldn't be called a contest or practice, only a one-sided beatdown.
Tenjirō Kirinji suddenly disappeared from the cliff face, and Ling Qing also vanished in an instant. An explosion suddenly erupted at the midpoint between them, and from that point, the air was stirred into a tidal wave of wind by the collision of intense Reiatsu.
However, even a second before the tidal wave spread, the two fleeting afterimages, which had existed for perhaps not even a tenth of a second, vanished once more.
Kazuo and Kazuhiro stood at the edge of the field, not knowing where to look. As Tenjirō Kirinji's personal guards, they naturally knew of his supreme mastery of Shunpo. In the history of the Soul Society, Tenjirō had taught Shunpo to a few exceptionally talented Shinigami, but in the past, none of them had ever pushed him to this extent.
In other words, in the past, Kazuo and Kazuhiro could actually see the movements within the field, which meant Tenjirō had consciously slowed down to let the person being taught keep up with him.
But now, all they could see was the explosion that sounded on the other side of the field the next second, after they were on this side the previous second, and the subsequent tidal wave of wind. They could see nothing else.
It wasn't Tenjirō accommodating Ling Qing; it was Ling Qing who had caught up to Tenjirō.
To be able to achieve this in such a short period of training was astonishing even to Kazuo and Kazuhiro. Finally, they understood why Tenjirō was putting so much effort into training Ling Qing.
However, what they couldn't see was that Ling Qing hadn't just caught up to Tenjirō in speed. If it were only that, it wouldn't have been enough to move Tenjirō and make him actively cooperate in the practice.
Based on the experience Kazuo and Kazuhiro had gained over the past two days, they knew that a battle like this would probably last for a while, and would end abruptly, as if someone had suddenly pressed a pause button, with Tenjirō capturing Ling Qing.
Only they themselves knew how far they had moved, how many times they had clashed, and what kind of battle they had engaged in before the practice ended.
But even this speculation was shattered today.
Kazuo and Kazuhiro were shocked to find that, slowly, both Ling Qing's and Tenjirō's figures began to slow down.
That's right, they were actually slowing down!
From not being able to see anything at the beginning, to slowly being able to see their blurry figures, to being able to distinguish which of the blurry shadows was which, and finally, although they still couldn't see their movements clearly, they could clearly see where they were landing.
But from their now clearly visible expressions, judging from Tenjirō's grave face, it seemed this wasn't due to some accident, nor was he intentionally going easy. Something had really happened…
Kazuo and Kazuhiro exchanged a look.
From each other's eyes… they saw nothing!
Because neither of them understood what was happening, but that didn't stop them from being greatly shaken, unable to move, as if they had lost their innocence.
After a glance, they immediately looked back at the field. Based on their long years of serving Tenjirō and their exceptional eyesight, they judged that something was about to happen.
That would be the truly exciting part.
In the field, Tenjirō's and Ling Qing's movements slowed even more. Now, they could even see them swinging their fists and feet.
In the world of Shunpo, there is no concept of "fast is slow, slow is fast." Shunpo is all about speed, speed, speed!
Most Shinigami in the Seireitei lack experience fighting against great Hollows, even Captain-class Shinigami. The few who can fight against Vasto Lorde-class Hollows rarely notice one thing in battle. That is, the movement technique used by Vasto Lorde-class Hollows, and even those a step above, is not just a simple movement technique. If you are not fast to the extreme, you cannot suppress the highest-level great Hollows in terms of movement.
But now, Tenjirō's speed had indeed slowed down. This wasn't because he wanted to slow down, but because he was forced to!
That's right, the one who had forced him to this extent was Ling Qing.
It was as if he was following the philosophy of 'if I can't catch up to you, I'll drag you down to my level and then beat you with my rich experience.'
From completely dominating Ling Qing at the beginning, to Ling Qing being able to land a few blows back, and now to a seeming stalemate. At this moment, their Shunpo contest seemed to have entered a new era.
Tenjirō could clearly see Ling Qing attacking from the front, but he couldn't just vanish in a flash as he had at the beginning.
Fortunately, Tenjirō's combat instincts were not just for show. Without thinking, he struck back with a counter-attack!
And then, finally—
Something happened before his eyes.
His powerful counter-attack missed!
Right before his eyes, as if he had been dispersed by the blow, Ling Qing suddenly split into dozens of afterimages, spreading to every corner of the space. Each afterimage of Ling Qing took a stance as if to attack Tenjirō!
No, it should be said, it was as if several Ling Qings were attacking Tenjirō at the same time!
Kazuo and Kazuhiro witnessed this entire scene unfold. Their eyes widened in surprise, but they weren't particularly worried. Because Tenjirō could do the same thing. When Shunpo reached a certain speed, one could leave afterimages that were like solid entities. The faster the speed, the more afterimages were left.
The number of figures that appeared now was just a bit excessive, which was what surprised them. If Tenjirō got serious, he could easily surpass that number. If this was Ling Qing's ultimate move, then he couldn't shake Tenjirō's dominant position in the world of Shunpo.
However, the relaxed Kazuo and Kazuhiro didn't notice that the expression of the Tenjirō they trusted had not eased, but had become even more grave.
Because…
Tenjirō could see it. Even though the phenomenon appeared similar on the surface, there was a fundamental difference between these clone-like attacking figures and solid afterimages!
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