The next battle was the one the guests in the stands were most focused on.
"Captain Kuchiki, you have truly taught your son well. I imagine Sōjun will be able to serve as your lieutenant very soon."
Kyōraku Shunsui was somewhat emotional. Even the five great noble families, renowned for ages, had their ups and downs. In the last hundred years, only the Kuchiki family had consistently maintained a captain-level combatant.
From Sōjun Kuchiki's performance, he was clearly a junior with captain-level potential.
If this situation continued for a few hundred years, the Kuchiki family might become the head of the five great noble families.
"My son still needs a period of training. I plan to have him graduate next year and start from the ground up in the 6th Division to gain some experience," Ginrei Kuchiki said with a smile.
The purpose of enrolling Sōjun in the Spiritual Arts Academy had more or less been achieved.
This year's class had gathered a large number of noble descendants. Most of them would join the 6th Division after graduation. Having Sōjun build camaraderie with them as classmates was a way of paving the road for his future.
Sōjun's social skills were good, and he had already established a decent rapport with his classmates. There was no need for him to continue wasting time in the academy.
"My son's opponent... she made it to the finals in the last assessment?" Ginrei Kuchiki was somewhat surprised after checking Kana Azashiro's record. "And she's a child of the Azashiro family... has the Azashiro family begun to focus on train strength again?"
"The Azashiro family is the same as always... no, that's not right... perhaps things have changed a bit after that incident..." Kyōraku recalled what he'd seen while dining at the Katori Dojo. "As for the child, Kana Azashiro, I do know a little about her."
"She is Lord Katori's chief disciple, taught by his own hand, you could say."
"Before that, her swordsmanship was about the same level as an ordinary new student."
"So, Kana Azashiro only truly began her swordsmanship training after meeting Katori Sora?" Ginrei's eyebrow twitched. "The last assessment was only two or three months into the school year, right? Could she have grown to that level in such a short time?"
Kyōraku Shunsui chuckled lightly. "That's why I say Lord Katori has a real knack for teaching. Of the four we saw today, only Kana had some basic training beforehand. The other three came from the Rukongai. For them to achieve these results now is truly astonishing."
"Having an excellent Professor is quite a stroke of luck for talented students like them," Kyōraku said, then glanced at Tokinada Tsunayashiro with a half-smile.
Tokinada seemed to sense his gaze and shot him a cold look, not saying a word, but the iciness in his eyes grew more intense.
Ginrei Kuchiki became thoughtful. In the future, these disciples of Katori Sora would likely become lieutenants at the very least. It seemed necessary for Sōjun to befriend them before graduation.
This Katori Sora was also a capable man. Ginrei even considered inviting him to the Kuchiki estate to be a coach, allowing Sōjun to form a kind of master-student bond with him.
It was time for the match. Kana Azashiro and Sōjun Kuchiki both ascended the stage.
Sōjun's appearance was met with waves of cheers. The prestige of the Kuchiki family and his handsome features made the spectators in the noble section cheer for him.
Sōjun smiled and waved in response, like a big star making an entrance.
"Quite popular, aren't you? I just wonder if you'll be able to maintain your composure after I beat you black and blue," Kana said, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"I hope your skills can match your words," Sōjun said. Seeing Kana's hand on her hilt, he immediately drew his own Zanpakutō, not daring to be careless.
The sword-drawing technique Kensei Muguruma had used made him extremely wary of that motion.
Kana Azashiro and Kensei Muguruma were from the same school; he had to be on guard.
Sōjun's eyes were fixed on Kana's feet. At this distance, she couldn't hit him with that torrential sword-drawing technique. She would have to close the distance first.
After some thought, he had already figured out how to counter that technique without using his Shikai.
He needed to maintain distance and not let her get close, or move quickly to get out of the attack's range.
"Oh? Looks like Kensei taught you a thing or two. But..."
As Kana spoke, she swiftly drew her sword.
"My sword is even faster than his!"
"Taste it, Shishoku!"
Katori Style: Ryūkō!
CLANG—
A flash of pale blue light erupted from the sheath.
Too fast!
Sōjun's pupils dilated rapidly. By the time the azure blade light entered his vision, it was already too late to dodge.
SCREEE—
A piercing screech of metal on metal rang out.
Sōjun had managed to get his Zanpakutō up in front of him, and the azure light slid along his blade.
The blade light grazed the edge of his neck, leaving a thin cut from which a little blood slowly trickled out.
Sōjun's heart felt as if it had been hit by a cold wave, freezing until it nearly shriveled.
If he hadn't been constantly on guard against Kana's movements and raised his sword at the last second to block his vitals, pushing that blade light a fraction of an inch to the left, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
This was a competition, so Kana would likely have held back at the last moment, but he still would have been instantly defeated and eliminated.
Ryūkō could not be maintained for long. The azure blade light quickly dissipated.
"A terrifying sword technique..." Sōjun asked, still shaken. "What is that move called?"
"This is 'Ryūkō,' which the professor taught me," Kana said with regret. "It's a shame you blocked it."
"The sword-drawing arts of the Katori style are truly extraordinary," Sōjun nodded. Batsu'unsai Katori hadn't fought in a long time. Although he had heard rumors about the Katori style, he had never seen it in person before.
"You just released your Shikai, didn't you? Although the appearance of your Zanpakutō hasn't changed, the shift in your spiritual pressure was significant." Sōjun raised his own Zanpakutō and said softly, "Bloom, Senchidō."
The blade dissolved into a sky full of colorful butterflies, dancing in the air.
"I never expected so many powerful opponents to appear in this live blade competition." Sōjun raised his hand, and the myriad of butterflies formed a blade storm, swirling towards Kana.
He had no information on Kana's Zanpakutō, but the unknown was the most frightening thing. He didn't dare to be arrogant and chose to release his Zanpakutō immediately.
"Not going to chat a little longer?" Kana looked regretful. She had been thinking of stalling for more time.
This was the method her professor had taught her—use talk-no-jutsu to stall for time and secretly deepen the effect of "Shishoku."
Through her recent development of "Shishoku," she had gained a greater understanding of its effects.
She discovered that the blade light from the Ryūkō technique could also trigger the effects of "Shishoku."
More accurately, after releasing her Zanpakutō, any technique she used that was imbued with her spiritual pressure would carry the effect of "Shishoku"—including Kidō.
Unfortunately, her talent for Kidō was very average.
Otherwise, she could have used large-scale Kidō attacks to trigger Shishoku's effect.
Kana's figure flashed, dodging the pursuing butterfly blade storm.
Her Shunpo was very agile, and for a time, the storm couldn't catch up to her.
But it was also difficult for her to launch an effective counterattack. The butterfly storm constantly stood between her and Sōjun, making it hard to break through and harm him.
Just then, Sōjun raised his now-bladeless hilt. Half of the butterflies immediately broke off from the storm and gathered on his hilt, coalescing into a colorful blade.
At the same time, the remaining storm formed an arc-shaped encirclement, sealing off Kana's movements.
Sōjun raised his colorful blade and, together with the butterfly storm, launched a pincer attack on Kana.
However, in doing so, the butterfly storm was no longer blocking the area in front of Sōjun.
Kana sheathed her sword, gathering her power.
Seeing this, Sōjun abandoned the encirclement. The colorful blade in his hand immediately dissolved back into butterflies, forming a defensive storm in front of him.
CLANG—
Kana once again unleashed an azure blade of light.
As the azure light cut into the butterfly storm, the butterflies quickly clumped together, ensnaring it.
ZZZZZZZZZZ—
A dense, piercing screech of metal scraping rang out.
The butterfly storm successfully blocked the azure light.
At that moment, the butterflies that had formed the encirclement also rapidly converged on Kana.
Pfft—
Kana reacted quickly, choosing a direction where the storm was thinner and bursting out. However, her arm was still cut by a butterfly blade.
She looked at the wound and was slightly alarmed. A red rash was appearing around it.
It's poisonous!
She quickly used her spiritual pressure to block her blood vessels, preventing the toxin from spreading through her body.
What was worse, the wound on her arm was incredibly itchy.
"The pollen of Senchidō has allergenic properties. Once hit, the itch is unbearable," Sōjun said coolly.
Kana gritted her teeth and swung her sword, slicing off the skin where the rash had appeared.
"When you fought Kensei, it seemed you didn't use the pollen. You're in such a hurry to defeat me... have you started to feel unwell?"
"Are your senses starting to feel a bit sluggish?"
"My 'Shishoku' is a Zanpakutō that affects the senses."
"'Stage of Appetite' can affect the senses related to appetite."
"'Stage of Touch' can affect the senses that bring pleasure."
Sōjun said calmly, "So my feeling wasn't an illusion. My mood has been getting progressively calmer."
"However, why have my sight, hearing, and touch also seemed to worsen? Although it's only a little, it cannot escape my perception."
Kana smiled faintly. "Because all of these are related to pleasure... Sight, hearing, touch—they are all senses that can bring pleasure."
"A frightening ability... fortunately, there seems to be a significant limitation on its activation time. The effect on my senses is very slow. You're stalling for time, aren't you?" Sōjun raised his hand, and the butterfly storm quickly moved to crush Kana.
The storm had already quietly surrounded her. Countless butterfly blades spun in the air, looking like a small tornado made of colorful butterflies—beautiful and deadly.
Kana was now at the center of the butterfly tornado. She used Shunpo to leap above it, but this was a gap Sōjun had intentionally left.
When Sōjun saw Kana fly up, he was momentarily stunned. He saw that she was sheathing her sword again.
"You're too late to draw your sword," Sōjun raised his hand and said coolly. "It's over."
The butterfly tornado transformed into a massive dragon's head and lunged up to bite Kana.
Kana smiled faintly and allowed the butterfly blade storm to swallow her.
Pfft pfft—
Countless blossoms of blood bloomed within the butterfly storm.
But for some reason, when Sōjun thought of the smile Kana had before being engulfed, he had a bad feeling.
Just then.
Clang clang clang clang—
A sustained and fierce sound of impact instantly drove the butterfly storm away from within, tearing a large hole through the dragon head made of butterfly blades.
Following that, a torrential downpour of azure blade light burst forth from the hole.
Senmai Oroshi: Ryūkō!
Sōjun was utterly shocked. He tried to command the butterfly blades to return for defense, but it was too late. The dense storm of light arrived in an instant.
Pfft pfft pfft—
The light pierced through Sōjun's body, and over a dozen wounds instantly erupted on him.
The wounds were all concentrated on his lower body, not aimed at his vitals.
But Sōjun still fell to the ground, the focus in his eyes lost.
Sōjun felt as if his consciousness was being pulled away, his thinking speed slowed countless times over. Everything around him seemed to distort, as if an insurmountable barrier was separating him from the outside world.
"'Stage of Thought'..." Kana's hand holding the sword was trembling. In a moment of crisis, she had combined Senmai Oroshi and Ryūkō, but the strain of the move on her hand was immense. She couldn't lift her hand at all, and couldn't even let go of the hilt.
Her skin was covered in countless cuts from the butterfly blades. Blood gushed from the wounds, dyeing her almost completely red.
Not only that, but red rashes had appeared all over her body, and she was tormented by an unbearable itch.
"Kana Azashiro is the winner!" After announcing the result, Sora quickly used Shunpo to appear in front of Kana, catching her.
"Professor... I won this time... The Katori style is the strongest!" Kana gasped. She was already somewhat delirious. She was exhausted, in pain, and itchy all over—a feeling worse than death.
"You did very well. You even combined 'Senmai Oroshi' and 'Ryūkō'," Sora said gently.
He checked Kana's arm. The bones and tendons were all shattered.
"You won't be able to participate in the next match," Sora sighed softly. Kana had paid a heavy price for this victory. Her injuries would require several months of recuperation to fully heal.
"It's okay... as long as the Katori style beat Sōjun Kuchiki..." Kana had lost in the finals last time, and the thought had lingered.
Moreover, in the last assessment, Sōjun Kuchiki had essentially swept Kana, Kensei, Shinji, and Jin'emon.
All four of them had faced him, and all four had been defeated.
They had trained so hard for so long precisely to defeat Sōjun Kuchiki in this assessment.
"Your progress has made me very proud. Now, focus on healing," Sora said. A faint light of Healing Kidō glowed in his hand as he began emergency treatment on Kana's injuries.
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