The matter of Sōjun Kuchiki falling in the quarterfinals had become the talk of the town among Shinigami over the past two days, a story known throughout the Seireitei.
The Shinigami also remembered the name Kana Azashiro, a new rising star.
Their impression of Katori Sora had also been refreshed. Originally, as an academy Professor, he had little fame outside its walls. Later, he briefly served as the lieutenant of the 4th Division, but his renown was limited to that division and the Shinigami he had healed.
Sōjun's defeat at Kana's hands caused a great stir in the Seireitei, drawing more attention to the live blade competition. The fact that all the semifinalists were Katori Sora's disciples brought the Katori style back into the spotlight.
Batsu'unsai Katori had never taken any other disciples, and the Katori Dojo hadn't accepted students since her father's generation. Among the younger Shinigami, only those who were relatively familiar with Sora and Batsu'unsai even knew of the Katori Dojo.
Now, Katori Sora and his disciples had made a preliminary name for their dojo.
Over the past two days, many people had visited, wanting to train at the dojo or introduce their children to Sora in hopes that he would take them as disciples.
But the dojo now had a foundation, and Sora's schedule was very full. He was not in a hurry to recruit more disciples, so he turned them all away.
In the future, when his current disciples had graduated, he could have them serve as assistant instructors at the dojo.
None of this affected the progress of the swordsmanship competition. The semifinals were held as scheduled.
"You guys fight hard! I'll be cheering for you!" Kana Azashiro, wrapped in bandages, was still full of energy. Her injuries weren't healed, but just watching the matches was fine.
"It's a shame I couldn't have a match with you," Kensei Muguruma said, scratching his head.
"Once I'm better, I can beat you up anytime!" Kana waved her small fist.
"The match-up list has been announced."
Shinji Hirako pointed to a banner being unfurled by two staff members on the stage. On it was written the pairings for the matches:
Jin'emon Tsubaki vs. Kensei Muguruma,
Shinji Hirako vs. Kana Azashiro.
Since Kana Azashiro had withdrawn, Shinji Hirako automatically advanced. This meant Shinji just had to wait for the final match.
"Damn it! Why isn't it me who gets the bye again? And I even got up extra early this morning to ask the professor to make me Golden Fried Rice. Didn't you say eating Golden Fried Rice brings good luck?!" Kensei wailed.
"Tsk, tsk—no wonder you were up so early today. So you wanted to enjoy the Golden Fried Rice all by yourself. You're so scheming!" Shinji Hirako curled his lip. "But sorry, the professor left a portion for us too."
"Professor was just joking last time. I also ate Golden Fried Rice today, and I didn't get a bye either," Jin'emon Tsubaki said with a smile.
"It's because all three of you ate it, so it canceled out. If everyone eats it, it's the same as no one eating it," Kana explained with a serious air.
The spectator stands were bustling with noise today, with noticeably more people than the previous days.
There weren't many large-scale entertainment events in the Seireitei. After news of the live blade competition spread, many Shinigami expressed their desire to watch it to their respective captains.
Ayane Kotetsu acted decisively, expanding the seating and opening the competition to all Shinigami of the Gotei 13.
"A lot more people came today," Kyōraku Shunsui remarked, looking around. Many in his own division had requested leave today specifically to come watch the matches.
"This live blade competition has given me some new ideas. I'm considering making this a regular event in the future," Ayane Kotetsu said.
"We could hold a comprehensive competition with no restrictions on Zan, Ken, Sō, Ki. This would also make it easier for the division captains to pick out talented individuals," Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni mused, his thoughts expanding. "Furthermore, the Gotei 13 itself should also hold such competitions."
"The recent Quincy extermination war exposed many problems."
"We had more captain-level combatants than the enemy, yet we still suffered such great sacrifices, and that was with the 11th Division participating!"
"The 7th Division, in particular, suffered the most losses."
"The 7th Division is usually responsible for guarding the Seireitei and rarely carries out missions in the World of the Living. They've been comfortable for too long. I'm afraid their skills in Zan, Ken, Sō, Ki have all grown rusty!"
"Therefore, the Gotei 13 should also hold such competitions to prevent such a thing from happening again."
Kenpachi Kuruyashiki nodded in agreement. "I agree with the Head-Captain's proposal. The reason our 11th Division maintains its combat strength is because of the atmosphere within the division. We even have rooms in our barracks specifically for members to fight in."
"That sounds like a lot of trouble..." Kyōraku Shunsui scratched his face. He could foresee that it would likely be the captains who would have to take turns organizing it.
The other captains also thought it was a good idea and expressed their approval.
After the match-ups were announced, the competition began quickly.
Kensei Muguruma and Jin'emon Tsubaki ascended the stage.
Kensei smiled. "Tsubaki, I won't use my Shikai. Let's just compete in swordsmanship."
Jin'emon's eyebrow twitched, and he rejected Kensei's proposal. "Big brother Kensei, if you respect me, then use your full strength!"
Kensei scratched the back of his head. "I just wanted to make it fairer."
"A live blade match doesn't restrict the use of Zanpakutō abilities. Not letting you use your ability would be unfair to you," Jin'emon shook his head and said seriously. "Big brother Kensei, please fight me with all you have!"
He didn't need Kensei's handicap. It was a fact that he hadn't learned Shikai yet, but he wouldn't ask Kensei not to use his because of it.
What he needed to do was—face the pressure head-on and break through his limits within it!
However, just as Jin'emon spoke these words, his Zanpakutō responded to him.
Jin'emon's spirit surged, and he placed his left hand on his Zanpakutō. "Battle on, Onikirimaru!"
Red patterns appeared on the blade of his sword.
"Excellent! You've learned Shikai too!" Kensei laughed loudly and placed his own left hand on his Zanpakutō. "Be reduced to ash, Tachikaze!"
The Zanpakutō in Kensei's hand transformed into a dagger.
The wind-light on the dagger condensed into thin threads, which immediately lashed out towards Jin'emon.
In terms of attack speed, Kensei's Tachikaze was not as fast as Yoruichi Shihōin's Raikō.
But for Jin'emon, the wind threads released by Kensei were difficult to block. His Shunpo was not as fast as the wind, so he could only rely on prediction to dodge Kensei's attacks.
Whoosh—
Kensei's opening attack was relatively easy to predict. Jin'emon moved from his spot before the attack arrived.
But the trajectory of the wind was hard to grasp, and Jin'emon failed to dodge the subsequent attack.
Pfft—
A wind thread grazed Jin'emon's left shoulder. Though it was only a slight touch, it left a bloody gash one or two centimeters deep.
Kensei's Tachikaze was impressive in both power and attack speed.
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