Yamamoto stood tall and imposing. He didn't assume any particular stance, but just by standing there, he exuded an undeniable presence.
The wrinkles on his face gave no sense of old age, but rather seemed like battle patterns carved from crossing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The will to fight in the depths of his eyes was palpable, as if magma were churning within them.
The pressure did not come from his spiritual energy, but was the embodiment of a lifetime of slaughter.
Sora did not hold back with Yamamoto. He directly took off his top, and a terrifying torrent of spiritual pressure immediately erupted from his back.
Kyōraku, who was standing behind him, felt it clearly. The straw hat on his head was lifted by the violent airflow. He quickly held it down. "A Hakuda fighting style combined with Kidō? Lord Katori's Hakuda has improved a lot!"
Chōjirō also nodded, but his focus was elsewhere. "Katori Sora's spiritual pressure has indeed reached the captain-level."
Then, arcs of lightning exploded from Sora's body, and the airflow of spiritual pressure became even more violent.
CLANG—
When the sound of clashing wooden swords rang out, Kyōraku's pupils constricted sharply.
His eyes had actually failed to track Sora's speed. He had only seen an afterimage!
It wasn't until the swords met that he realized the fight had already begun.
Kyōraku couldn't help but sigh. "Oh my, oh my, how terrifying. My eyes can no longer keep up with Lord Katori's speed. It seems I'll have to use my spiritual sense to follow him."
Chōjirō deeply agreed. "Even among the captain-level Shinigami, Katori Sora's speed would rank near the top."
Except for an all-around master like Yamamoto, who excelled in Zan-Ken-Sō-Ki, most other captains had their own areas of expertise rather than being all-rounders.
Generally, supported by their immense spiritual pressure, a captain's abilities were like a well-made bucket with no particularly weak points. Even their shortest plank was far stronger than that of a non-captain-level Shinigami.
Shinigami combat was a battle of spiritual pressure. Upon reaching the captain-level, there was a qualitative leap, and all abilities received a powerful boost.
But when comparing two captain-level fighters, the difference in their skill in Zan-Ken-Sō-Ki became especially important.
With the boost from 'Shunkō: Raikiri Form,' Sora's Shunpo speed had reached a top-tier level, far faster than that of captains with average Shunpo skill.
Clang, clang, clang—
Sora's figure flashed, striking and immediately moving away, soon leaving more than a dozen afterimages in the sword hall.
But Yamamoto's swing speed was equally fast. It was as if he could see Sora's movements in advance. Before Sora's figure arrived, his sword was already in motion, making it seem as if Sora was actively running into his blade.
After blocking a strike, Yamamoto quickly lifted his leg and aimed a fierce kick at Sora's waist.
Sora also lifted his leg, using his shin to block the kick.
BOOM—
Sora felt a sharp pain in his leg and lost his balance.
He quickly fell backward, then pushed off the ground with his left hand, flipping over and landing again, steadying himself.
"Good! It seems you haven't neglected your Hakuda training!" Yamamoto said with approval. He had once given Sora pointers on Hakuda, so he was particularly interested in his progress.
The previous Sora would have been sent flying by that kick. The fact that he could now steady himself was proof of his significant improvement.
Sora did not speak. As soon as he regained his footing, he immediately pinched his blade between two fingers and then swiftly twisted his waist.
Using his fingers as a sheath, his waist, arm, wrist, and sword seemed to become a single unit, the force transmitting through each layer.
Senmai Oroshi: Ryūkō!
A sharp glint flashed in Yamamoto's eyes. He had seen this move from Sora's disciple, but when used by Sora himself, its power was on a completely different level.
Their sword speeds were not in the same league!
Over a hundred azure slashes of light arrived in an instant, continuous and unbroken, as if they had merged into a single line.
—CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!!!
In the instant of contact, Yamamoto felt his sword being struck hundreds of times, all concentrated on a single point!
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed. The magma in their depths began to boil, as if a dark red glow was seeping through his eyelids.
A terrifying spiritual pressure erupted in the sword hall, making both Kyōraku and Chōjirō, who were watching, tense up.
Crack, crackle—
The pillars in the sword hall began to show dense cracks under the impact of the spiritual pressure.
Years of accumulated dust and roof tiles were shaken loose.
Kyōraku dodged the falling tiles from above and complained, "Do you have to be so serious!"
A few breaths later, the load-bearing beams could no longer withstand the pressure and completely shattered.
The entire sword hall began to collapse.
Sora's eye twitched. He knew this old man wouldn't take any kind of loss. Seeing that his previous level of spiritual pressure couldn't protect his wooden sword, he had used even more.
Sora glanced at Kyōraku, who was enjoying the show, and felt inexplicably annoyed.
This guy had eagerly come to the academy to wait for him just because he wanted to see him get beaten up.
Sora turned and shouted, "Head-Captain Yamamoto!"
A hint of confusion appeared in Yamamoto's eyes.
Before he could ask, Sora continued, "On the way here just now, Captain Kyōraku said that the Head-Captain is getting older and warned me that if I were to fight you, I should hold back a little!"
"But this spiritual pressure is so strong, it's truly awe-inspiring! It's clear the Head-Captain's power has not diminished in the slightest! Even at my full strength, I cannot shake you one bit!"
Yamamoto's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Whoa, whoa— I didn't..."
Before Kyōraku could defend himself, Yamamoto's iron fist had already connected with his face.
"Insolent brat!!!"
Ikkotsu!
BOOM!!!
Kyōraku crashed through the roof and flew off into the distance.
CRASH—
The last straw broke the back of the dilapidated sword hall. The entire structure collapsed with a deafening roar.
A moment later, Yamamoto, Sora, and Chōjirō stood before the ruins.
Yamamoto's imposing aura had already been withdrawn. He stood with his hands behind his back and asked slowly, "Let's end it here for today. Your strength has indeed reached the captain-level. However, I just heard from Shunsui that you don't wish to become a captain yet?"
Sora nodded. "I am deeply grateful for the Head-Captain's high regard. It would be a great honor to serve as a captain of the Gotei 13."
"It's just that I am still teaching students and disciples, and my dojo does not yet have a resident assistant instructor. I like to see things through to the end and cannot abandon these students and disciples for the sake of a captaincy."
"Is that so..." Yamamoto showed a look of approval. "Very good. Once you have taken on disciples, you must teach them well. And those disciples of yours are indeed talented individuals. The future of the Soul Society will need to rely on them."
"Since you do not wish to be a captain for the time being, this old man will not force the issue."
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