"Hahaha, see how powerful I am now?"
Seeing that Kyoya had stopped attacking him and was instead raising his hands and feet alternately, moving forward and backward erratically, Shinji grinned triumphantly.
"My Zanpakuto is called Sakanade!"
"Its ability is to completely reverse all of a person's sense of direction."
"If you try to move forward, you'll actually move backward."
"If you try to use your left hand, your right hand will respond instead."
"Your vision and sense of direction are completely inverted… you can no longer fight back."
"If I wanted to, I could even make everything you hear come out reversed!"
"Truly an impressive ability!"
Kyoya looked up at Shinji.
Though he had already known about Shinji's ability, knowing and experiencing it were two different things. The more deeply ingrained one's combat instincts were, the more severely they would be affected after inhaling the scent of Shinji's Zanpakuto.
"However, Captain Hirako, unfortunately for you, your ability doesn't seem to work as well on me!"
With that, Kyoya's movements, which had been stiff and awkward moments ago, suddenly became smooth and natural.
"How is that possible?"
Shinji's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight.
Even those familiar with his ability, even fellow Captains who had fallen victim to it multiple times, couldn't possibly regain full control of their bodies in just a few seconds.
To recover under the effects of Sakanade, one had to completely reverse their instincts and habitual movements.
But how could anyone achieve that in such a short time?
In battle, even the slightest opening could decide life or death in an instant.
"Of course, Captain Hirako, I should also thank you for giving me time to adjust."
Kyoya stepped closer to Shinji as he explained.
He remembered how, in the future, Shinji had used Sakanade in battle against Aizen… initially wounding him, only for Aizen to quickly adapt by reversing his instincts and movements, instantly countering and defeating Shinji.
"If you had attacked me right from the start, I might already be lying at your feet."
"But unfortunately, I have absolute control over my body. After a brief period of adjustment, I can forcibly override the reversed signals and regain my combat capabilities."
Kyoya was referring to the secret technique of Rokushiki he had mastered, [Life Return].
Having mastered Life Return, Kyoya could even control his hair with his mind, let alone a body with reversed nerve signals.
As long as he could fully control his body with his consciousness, it didn't matter if his movements were inverted.
He could simply treat it like a game, consciously commanding his body to perform opposite actions.
While this wouldn't allow him to fight at full strength, it was more than enough to face Shinji.
"Captain Hirako, your ability, in my opinion, is best suited for a 'first-strike kill'."
"That is, the moment you release your Zanpakuto, you should immediately launch a fierce assault and cut down your opponent."
"Otherwise, once your ability is countered, your advantage disappears completely."
With that, Kyoya pointed his Zanpakuto at Shinji. "As a return gift for Captain Hirako, why don't you take a look at my Zanpakuto's ability?"
Hearing Kyoya's words, the surrounding Shinigami, even the other Captains, perked up with interest.
A Captain who could suppress Shinji with pure Zanjutsu… what kind of astonishing ability did Kyoya's Zanpakuto possess?
"Shine, Borsalino!"
As Kyoya called out the name, his Zanpakuto transformed into a golden light, merging into his body. His Reiatsu surged fivefold, the dense energy condensing into a radiant golden aura around him.
"My Zanpakuto is named Borsalino."
"It is the strongest light-type Zanpakuto."
"Its ability allows me to become light itself!"
"So, Captain Hirako… have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
As Kyoya's voice faded, his figure dissolved into countless golden light particles. In the next instant, he reappeared right beside Shinji.
At that moment, most of the golden light particles coalesced back into Kyoya's form, though his right leg still shimmered with a golden glow.
Then-
Boom!
With a single kick, Kyoya sent Shinji hurtling through the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The tremendous force caused Shinji's body to tear through the air, generating violent shockwaves. These were the sonic booms produced as his body surpassed the speed of sound.
"Pfft-"
Mid-flight, Shinji coughed up a mouthful of blood. The spot where Kyoya's kick had landed, his stomach, felt as though his intestines had been twisted into knots.
In that instant, Shinji was forcibly reverted to his base state, his Zanpakuto's release canceled outright.
Crash!
"Guh-"
Slamming into the ground inflicted secondary damage, worsening Shinji's injuries.
After a long moment, several figures finally arrived at Shinji's side. One of them waved a hand in front of his eyes.
"Captain Hirako, are you alright?"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"Of course I'm fine."
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Shinji struggled to his feet.
"It's just a kick… how bad could it be?"
"That's a relief."
Kyoya let out a sigh, "If I'd kicked Captain Hirako to death, I'd have become a murderer-"
Shinji shot Kyoya a furious glare.
'This guy… was seriously infuriating.'
'How could I, the Captain of the 5th Division, be kicked to death?'
But as Shinji clutched his stomach, he reconsidered-
'Given the sheer force behind that strike, a few more hits like that might actually have killed me!'
What truly horrified Shinji, however, was Kyoya's speed.
He hadn't even realized he'd been hit until Kyoya's foot had already connected.
'What kind of monstrous speed was that?'
'And not only was it fast… the power behind it was absurd.'
'How old was this kid again?'
'Was he even human?'
The group returned to the venue, and Yamamoto declared the end of the exchange event before the crowd gradually dispersed.
Though Yamamoto never officially announced the winner between Kyoya and Shinji, nobody was foolish enough to misunderstand.
In their base forms, there was already a noticeable gap between Shinji and Kyoya… enough that Shinji had been forced to release his Zanpakuto first.
And even in Shikai, Shinji had been completely outmatched, unable to put up any resistance against Kyoya.
The stronger Captains had even witnessed Shinji being sent flying with a single kick.
The ordinary Shinigami only saw a flash of golden light before Shinji vanished from the ring.
Then, Kyoya dispersed into golden particles.
By the time both Captains returned, Kyoya appeared completely unharmed, while traces of red blood still stained Shinji's uniform.
What really fueled the gossip, however, was the rumor spread by members of the 4th Division after the event… apparently, Shinji had secretly sought out Unohana. Clearly, he had been injured, and not lightly.
Otherwise, why would he go to the 4th Division for Unohana's personal treatment when the 5th Division had its own Kaido practitioners?
The most likely explanation was that his injuries were beyond what ordinary healers could handle, forcing him to request Unohana's direct intervention.
Without a doubt, the recent Gotei 13 exchange matches would remain the center of discussion for quite some time.
Those who performed well would undoubtedly be praised and admired.
As for those who performed poorly… it depended on their division's culture.
In divisions with a healthy environment, they might receive guidance to improve.
But in divisions with a toxic atmosphere, they could face even worse bullying than before.
Kyoya was well aware of this.
However, the only division he could truly oversee was his own… the 11th Division.
The other divisions were the responsibility of their respective Captains, Lieutenants, and seated officers.
Even as a Captain, he had no authority to interfere in another division's affairs.
Sure, speaking up might temporarily shield some from harassment.
But once he was gone, those individuals would likely face even harsher retaliation.
If he wanted to truly reform the Gotei 13's culture, he'd probably have to become the Captain-Commander first.
"Suzuki, lead everyone back to the division and sort out the paperwork. Assign tomorrow's duties accordingly, but make sure to exempt the injured members… let them rest for a few more days."
"Yes, Captain Kyoya!"
"Third seat Ichinose, take a few people to the 4th Division and look after our injured. The 4th Division is probably overwhelmed with patients today, so their care might be lacking. Keep an eye on our division's members' recovery."
"Understood, Captain!"
Once duties were assigned, Kyoya turned his attention to Gin.
"Gin, since everyone else has their tasks, I'll personally show you around the 11th Division."
"Yes, Captain Kyoya."
Seeing that Gin agreed, Kyoya glanced at Rangiku, "Rangiku, you come too."
"Even though you've been with the 11th Division for three months, you've mostly been training. Consider this a proper introduction to the division."
"Yes, Captain Kyoya!"
Rangiku's eyes sparkled with excitement before she eagerly fell into step behind Kyoya.
She knew that this was Kyoya's way of forcing Gin to confront the truth.
"This…"
Gin frowned slightly.
Though he was inwardly pleased to be near Rangiku again, this would undoubtedly draw Aizen's attention back to her.
'If Aizen realized the connection between us, would Rangiku be in danger?'