A circular halo of light spread out, gently pushing the paralyzed squad members away from the center of the arena. Immediately after, four brilliant screens of light materialized, forming a barrier that contained the explosion.
"BOOM——!"
Outside the barrier, Long Tao reappeared, his eyes filled with a mixture of terror and bitter unwillingness. The terrifying explosion had completely obliterated his Spider Hunt's web domain.
"Bankai? That was a Bankai?" he muttered in disbelief. "How is that possible…?"
Before he could finish, Suì-Fēng appeared silently behind him.
Pfft—
With the soft sound of flesh being pierced, a beautiful, butterfly-shaped crest bloomed on Long Tao's back.
"When…?" Long Tao twisted his head, his face a mask of shock.
He saw Suì-Fēng retracting her hand, which had just struck him, then clenching it into a fist. She drew her arm back, gathering power, and then punched forward. The fist, glowing with the energy of Kidō, slammed into the exact center of the butterfly crest.
"Boom—!"
With a sickening crack, Long Tao was sent flying, crashing unconscious to the ground.
In a distant pavilion, three figures sat around a tea table, having observed the entire battle.
"She instantly cast two high-level Bakudō spells, saving the squad members just in time, and still had enough power to isolate the explosion," the beautiful woman noted, her lips parting slightly. "This concubine is impressed. Truly worthy of being the Captain-Commander's favorite disciple."
Though her words were full of admiration, her eyes were downcast, focused only on the tea before her. She knelt perfectly, a long braid of hair resting over her chest.
"Oh my, you flatter me too much, Captain Unohana," the man opposite her replied in a playful tone, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. "I'm already getting flustered over here."
With that, he picked up the straw hat from the table and began fanning himself. Unlike the woman, he didn't just wear the standard white captain's haori over his Soul Reaper uniform. Instead, he wore an extravagant, pink-embroidered yukata over his haori, turning the symbol of his rank into an inner layer.
"Captain Kyōraku, there's no need for such modesty," said the third figure, a stern-faced, white-haired old man. "Even if this old man had acted, I could not have ensured the squad members were left completely unharmed." He sat ramrod straight, wearing not only his white haori but also a precious silver-white scarf called Ginshirobikun no Hakesasazetsu.
"Oh dear, thank you for the kind words, Lord Kuchiki," Kyōraku Shunsui chuckled, showing no signs of formal restraint.
The three captains exchanged a few more words as they watched the distant explosion finally die down. As the smoke and dust cleared, they saw one figure lying motionless on the ground while a smaller, female Soul Reaper stood in the center of the field. Members of the medical corps were already rushing toward them.
"It seems the victor has been decided," Kyōraku said, picking up his teacup with a look of satisfaction.
Just then, a burly figure appeared and bowed slightly. "Vice-Captain Ōmaeda Marechiyo of the Second Division greets the three Captains!" he announced.
He then sat to the side, rubbing his hands together with a hopeful, fawning smile. "May I ask, Captains… what is your decision?"
Captain Retsu Unohana of the Fourth Division gracefully set out a new teacup and poured him some tea. "This concubine's primary purpose for attending was to ensure the safety of the squad members," she said softly, gently pushing the cup toward Ōmaeda.
Ōmaeda quickly expressed his thanks and accepted it respectfully.
"Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, so this concubine has nothing more to say," Unohana concluded. She closed her eyes slightly, took a sip of her tea, and remained silent.
On the other side, Captain Kuchiki Ginrei of the Sixth Division stroked his long white beard. "In this old man's opinion, the Third Seat of the Second Division has indeed reached the required level of captain-class spiritual pressure," he stated. "However, why did her Bankai feel so… unstable?"
Captain Kyōraku Shunsui of the Eighth Division heard this and smiled apologetically. "Ah, Lord Kuchiki, that would be my fault," he interjected. "I was in a rush when I arrived and forgot to explain. When Vice-Captain Ōmaeda submitted the application, he attached a report. It seems the Second Division's Third Seat, Suì-Fēng, was severely injured in that incident some time ago and still hasn't fully recovered. It was during her recovery that she managed to achieve Bankai, barely half a month ago."
Kyōraku put on his straw hat and winked at Ōmaeda. "Vice-Captain Ōmaeda, the Second Division is full of talented individuals. Congratulations are in order!"
Ōmaeda bowed his head in gratitude.
Kuchiki Ginrei nodded upon hearing the explanation. "So that's it. That explains everything." He looked at the other two captains, then cleared his throat. "Then, it is the opinion of the three of us that the Third Seat of the Second Division, Suì-Fēng, possesses captain-class spiritual pressure and has mastered Bankai. She is qualified to undergo the Captain Proficiency Test."
He continued, "This old man will put our opinions in writing and submit them for discussion at tomorrow's Captains' meeting."
Ōmaeda's face lit up with a broad smile. "Excellent! Thank you, Captains! Thank you very much!"
Ōmaeda was a man who acted swiftly. After discussing the strategy with Suì-Fēng two days ago, he had immediately rushed to the First Division and submitted her application for the captaincy test overnight. He had also cleverly suggested that the examining captains could simply observe Suì-Fēng during her scheduled challenge match. Furthermore, he requested that one of the three examiners be Captain Retsu Unohana of the Fourth Division, giving a very sound reason: "Suì-Fēng's Bankai is immensely powerful and difficult to control in its early stages. It could potentially harm the observing squad members."
The First Division had been very supportive, appointing not only Unohana but also Captains Kuchiki Ginrei and Kyōraku Shunsui to oversee the assessment.
In the Seireitei, there are typically two ways to become a captain:
Pass the Captain Proficiency Test, witnessed by three or more captains, including the Captain-Commander.
Receive a joint recommendation from six or more captains and gain the approval of at least three others.
Of course, there is a third, more brutal method: defeat a current captain in single combat, witnessed by two hundred or more members of their division. In recent centuries, however, this method had become an exclusive tradition of the Eleventh Division.
So, for all practical purposes, only the first two methods were used. But because of the "Captain Hollowfication" incident not long ago, more than half of the captain positions in the Gotei 13 were now vacant. Including the Captain-Commander, only six captains remained. This made the joint recommendation method impossible.
"Well, in any case, Old Man Yama is taking Captain Kenpachi and Captain Ukitake to examine another applicant today," Kyōraku said as he stood up to leave. He suddenly remembered something and paused to explain further to Ōmaeda.
"The Captain-Commander was supposed to be here, but these are special circumstances, and we're short on manpower. So, he instructed me to examine her on his behalf. According to the rules, the final decision on whether she passes still needs to be made by the Captain-Commander after he receives our report today. Suì-Fēng might need to visit the First Division later."
Ōmaeda nodded to show he understood, then asked curiously, "May I ask who the Captain-Commander is going to examine? Among the active Soul Reapers in the Gotei 13, I can't think of anyone else who can use Bankai."
Kyōraku scratched his head. "Actually, I was very surprised myself. The one who submitted the application is Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division. He said he has a way to use Bankai but just needs the Captain-Commander's approval. He's being very mysterious about it."
He spread his hands helplessly. "But you know Mayuri. He's a weirdo, and he's been the Vice-Director of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute for years. Who knows what he's managed to cook up in that lab of his."
Ōmaeda nodded, in complete agreement. Younger Soul Reapers might not know, but veterans like Kyōraku and Ōmaeda knew Mayuri's history well. Before being recruited by Kisuke Urahara, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was a "talent" who had spent nearly a century locked away in the Maggot's Nest.
The Maggot's Nest is a special prison managed by the Onmitsukidō, used to house individuals deemed potentially dangerous by the Seireitei, whether they have committed a crime or not. Rumor had it that Mayuri was personally thrown in there by Kirio Hikifune before her promotion to the Royal Guard. This history only added to the mysterious and unsettling aura surrounding the current Third Seat of the Twelfth Division.
Kyōraku continued, "Besides, the Twelfth Division isn't like the Second Division, where you're still around to manage things, Ōmaeda. That's a squad where both the Captain and Vice-Captain 'defected.' Mayuri Kurotsuchi's days have probably been quite difficult lately."