(T/N: This is chapter 6 out of 6!
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The group matches began simultaneously, and Aizen Sōsuke and the others headed to their respective arenas.
Shiba Isshin was assigned to Group Three.
Beneath the arena, a crowd of students and instructors had gathered to spectate.
Group Three's arena was one of the most closely watched—many were eager to witness Shiba Isshin's strength. Most at Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy knew he was Vice Principal Katori's personal disciple and a key heir of the Shiba Clan, so expectations were high.
However, Group Three didn't seem to have any real powerhouses. Shiba Isshin had been slicing through the competition with ease and was now approaching the final match.
He now faced his last opponent. With his current points, he was already first in the group.
If he won this match, he would become Group Three's victor with a perfect record.
"Hope you can last a little longer..." Shiba Isshin said sincerely. "Don't go down too fast!"
His words instantly irritated the upperclassman across from him.
"I know you're strong… Vice Principal Katori's disciple… heir of the Shiba Clan… top contender in this year's 'Academy Live Blade Trials'..." the upperclassman's face darkened. "But don't get too full of yourself!"
"Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!"
The upperclassman suddenly attacked. Three large, beak-shaped beams of light shot toward Shiba Isshin's hands and waist.
"He can cast a level 30 Bakudō without incantation? This upperclassman's strong!"
"I hope he can beat Shiba Isshin—get back some pride for us upperclassmen!"
From below, many senior students were hoping to see Shiba Isshin lose.
Partly because his mouth was infuriating—he always opened with mockery.
And partly because he had already defeated many upperclassmen, making them feel humiliated by a mere first-year stealing the spotlight.
"Too slow. If you want to beat me, this isn't nearly enough!" Shiba Isshin grinned and vanished with a Shunpo.
The three beams struck the ground, missing their target.
A moment later, Isshin reappeared behind the upperclassman.
"Isshin Flying Kick!" he twisted his waist and launched a powerful sidekick.
The upperclassman was struck in the back of the head and sent flying.
He slammed into the ground and lost consciousness.
Isshin defeated his final opponent with ease, drawing waves of cheers from the audience.
Although his constant mocking rubbed some the wrong way, strong contenders always had fans in the Academy. Many students still cheered for his victory.
"Shiba is way too strong! They're not even on the same level!"
"I heard he's already mastered Shikai… The gap between students is too wide..."
"Sigh… I'm about to graduate and I still haven't awakened my Shikai..."
"Shiba Isshin wins. One point awarded," the judge confirmed after checking the upperclassman's condition.
"Last one down, huh… I hope I get stronger opponents next time!" Isshin complained about the weak group.
But in truth, it was because he was simply too strong. Having already mastered Shikai, he stood in a realm completely out of reach for the others.
"Group Three's matches are complete. Shiba Isshin is the victor with a perfect record!" the judge announced.
"Let's go see the others' matches." Shiba Isshin left the arena.
After all groups finished, there would be a Challenge Mode—where the top three scorers from each group could compete for advancement by challenging victors from other groups.
Since Group Three finished early and he had nothing else to do, he decided to watch his peers.
Isshin originally wanted to see how Sōsuke was doing, but found that he had already finished his matches as well.
"Sōsuke, you're already done too?!"
"There weren't any strong opponents in Group Five."
"Same here. Guess the group matches weren't that intense after all..." Isshin scratched his cheek. "Upperclassmen aren't that scary."
"Some of them who've awakened Shikai are still formidable. We just didn't run into them." Aizen said. "Group One should have tougher competition."
"Let's go take a look at Group One, then. I want to see how that arrogant guy holds up!" Isshin remembered the cocky youth he noticed when reading the match list.
Group One's matches were still ongoing.
Currently, Komamura Sajin and Yadōmaru Lisa were battling on the stage.
Since it was a round-robin point system, everyone would eventually fight each other in the group.
Isshin and Aizen checked the scoreboard for Group One. At the top were Komamura and Tetsuzaemon.
Lisa had already lost once—to Iba Tetsuzaemon.
Azashiro Sōya had lost twice, to Komamura and Tetsuzaemon.
Thus, the second and third rankings were held by Lisa and Sōya, respectively.
"That arrogant guy really has some skill! Even Lisa and Sōya lost to him!" Isshin glanced at the close-cropped youth in the crowd, surprised.
That Tetsuzaemon could tie with Komamura in points meant he was certainly skilled.
"Komamura and Iba haven't fought yet. If Komamura wins, he'll be the Group One champion with a perfect score." Aizen analyzed.
"Tetsuzaemon's really something—he's good at Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Kidō. Lisa and I couldn't get the upper hand against him at all. I even suspect he's awakened his Shikai!" Sōya added, sharing the intel.
"Then he's likely to make it to the quarterfinals..." Isshin stroked his chin, curious about facing Tetsuzaemon.
"I'll have to challenge a group winner if I want to make it to the quarterfinals..." Sōya said gloomily. His opponents had been simply too strong; he gave it his all but still couldn't win.
"Top three in points still have a chance. Not all groups are like Group One. Neither Isshin nor I ran into anyone who had awakened Shikai." Aizen reassured him.
On the arena, Lisa struggled against Komamura Sajin's onslaught.
Komamura wasn't using sword techniques—just raw, overwhelming slashes that left Lisa scrambling.
After communicating with his Zanpakutō and unlocking Shikai, his Reiatsu had skyrocketed.
As a member of the Wolfman Tribe, he was already immensely strong. The surge in Reiatsu made his attacks even more terrifying.
Lisa tapped her toes and flipped into the air, narrowly dodging a sweeping horizontal slash.
Komamura's strength was too great. She didn't dare take his blows head-on, relying instead on nimble footwork and her familiarity with his fighting style to barely dodge.
They had often sparred at the dojo, so Lisa was well acquainted with his moves.
She flipped in the air, created a foothold with Reishi, and suddenly lunged toward Komamura in a thrust.
"If Lisa's going all in like that, she might lose..." Isshin remarked from the sidelines.
Because they sparred often, Komamura was just as familiar with Lisa's techniques.
The attack was too open—unless it caught him off guard, it would be easily countered.
And just as Isshin predicted—
Komamura's last slash had been a feint. His Zanpakutō halted mid-swing and slashed upward in a sudden arc.
"Damn it!"
Lisa was forced to abandon her thrust and redirect toward the blade.
CLANG!
She felt a huge force travel through her sword and was sent flying.
"Yadōmaru Lisa is out of bounds—Komamura Sajin wins!" announced the judge, Danmu.
Lisa had been struck by Komamura's massive strength and flung outside the ring.
The ring was quite large—bigger than a basketball court—allowing students plenty of space to fight.
But being knocked out of bounds still counted as a loss.
"That strength is insane..." Isshin muttered.
In pure physical power, even he couldn't match Komamura.
"I still lost..." Lisa shook her numbed arm from the impact. "Without Shikai, I really can't beat them."
She wasn't too disheartened—she had expected this result. Komamura's power had skyrocketed since awakening his Shikai, leaving her with no realistic chance of victory.
"I need to master Shikai as soon as possible. Tonight, I'll ask a teacher to guide me in Zanpakutō Meditation Training."
There were still a few days before the next round, giving her time to improve.
She felt she was close—she could already hear the voice of her Zanpakutō. If she could gain its recognition, she would awaken Shikai.
She was just one step away.
The next match was Komamura Sajin vs. Iba Tetsuzaemon.
The two were already standing on the stage.
"Impressive! For an underclassman to defeat my classmates like that—must've taken a lot of effort!" Tetsuzaemon rubbed his cropped hair. "Komamura, you've awakened Shikai, haven't you?"
"Yes." Komamura nodded.
"I've heard good things about the Katori-ryu Dojo. My Iba Clan also specializes in swordsmanship. I'd love to test your Katori-ryu skills!" Iba gave a slightly roguish grin. "But those two before were too weak—no fun at all."
"How about we fight without Shikai—just pure swordplay!"
He proposed the idea—he, too, had awakened Shikai, but didn't want to rely on Kidō or Zanpakutō abilities.
The Katori-ryu had an almost mythical reputation in the academy, and he wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.
He hadn't had fun fighting Lisa or Sōya due to the large Reiatsu gap.
But Komamura? He was looking forward to this one.
"Sounds good!" Komamura was confident—in himself and in Katori-ryu swordsmanship.
Even without Shikai, he believed he could win!
"Alright!" Iba quickly drew his blade. "Show me your Katori-ryu!"
Komamura stepped forward half a pace, and a ring of dust gathered around him.
Dust Blade!
The swirling dust surged forward alongside Komamura's slash.
"What power!"
Iba raised his Zanpakutō with both hands and brought it down hard. The powerful strike generated a gust of wind that scattered the dust.
But Komamura didn't stop.
Dust Blade wasn't just dust—it included slashes!
His blade tore through the gust and continued toward Iba.
"That kind of power… it ripped through my 'Sword Wind'!" Iba tensed. He shifted his stance and braced to absorb the hit.
CLANG!
Sparks flew from the collision.
Iba felt like his sword was about to fly from his hands. He gritted his teeth and held tight.
The force pushed him backward, his feet gouging two furrows in the floor.
"What strength!" he gasped.
And in that moment of distraction, the dust he had scattered was upon him again.
Everything went black.
Dust Blade also had a blinding effect—it was swordplay fused with Kidō!
"What the hell?!" Tetsuzaemon panicked briefly.
Luckily, though blinded, he could still sense Komamura's position through his Reiatsu.
Then Komamura drove his Zanpakutō into the ground.
Charge… and strike.
Flowlight!
Komamura used the ground as a sheath, charged the technique, and unleashed a sweeping Flowlight slash.
His version differed from others like Katori Nanatsuki.
Nanatsuki focused all power into one explosive point.
Komamura's was different.
His Reiatsu Blade didn't concentrate—it dispersed.
Countless Reiatsu Blades clung to the rising debris and shot toward Tetsuzaemon.
It looked like a meteor shower!
While this Flowlight lacked focused destructive power, it made up for it in sheer volume!
Komamura had unleashed a massive barrage.
Blinded, Iba could only perceive a wall of Reiatsu signatures closing in.
"This is swordmanship?!" he couldn't comprehend what was coming and quickly retreated.
His Shunpo was fast—he dodged every projectile.
But the next thing he heard was Judge Danmu Zōsuke's voice:
"Iba Tetsuzaemon is out of bounds—Komamura Sajin wins!"
Iba froze.
He had dodged backward… and stepped out of bounds to escape.