Sajin Komamura and Lisa Yadōmaru on the stage became the focus of the entire audience.
Their performances in the top-eight matches had been quite impressive, and there was considerable debate among the spectators about who was stronger.
Even their professor, Katori Sora, wasn't entirely sure who would win this match.
Before the top-eight matches, there would have been no doubt that Sajin was stronger.
But Lisa had now also mastered Shikai, and her Zanpakutō's ability was a good match for the Kidō swordsmanship Sora had taught her.
Sajin's advantages were also obvious: immense strength and a masterful use of 'Jintō'. When used through 'Tenken', the scale of the attack was enormous and difficult to withstand.
"Let's both go all out!" Lisa released her Zanpakutō directly. "Crush him, Hagurotonbo!"
Her Zanpakutō instantly transformed into a naginata.
This was their first clash since they both had achieved Shikai, and Lisa had been looking forward to it for a long time.
"Roar, Tenken." Sajin didn't hold back either, once again summoning the right arm of the Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō.
Lisa attacked first, swinging Hagurotonbo and thrusting it rapidly toward Sajin.
Sajin quickly executed a horizontal slash. The floating arm of Tenken mirrored the movement, bringing its own blade down.
Clang—
The tip of the naginata collided with Tenken's longsword.
Lisa's expression changed. A massive shockwave traveled up the shaft, nearly causing her to lose her grip.
"His strength is immense, as expected. I can't meet him head-on."
Although her Shikai gave her a considerable boost in strength, it was still no match for the power of Tenken.
However, Lisa was not without her advantages. The enhancement from Hagurotonbo wasn't limited to just strength.
Swoosh—
Lisa appeared behind Sajin, the tip of her weapon thrusting swiftly toward him.
Sajin sensed her behind him and quickly swung his arm back.
The arm of Tenken moved with him, its giant blade stabbing into the ground behind Sajin.
Clang—
The tip of the naginata was blocked by the massive blade.
The next moment, figures of Lisa appeared simultaneously from his left, right, and above.
Three large naginatas came crashing down at the same time.
Sajin didn't have time to block. He chose to roll on the ground to dodge the attacks.
"Such fast Shunpo speed, almost on par with Sōsuke's."
Sajin's expression turned grim.
Lisa was already a fast type, and after her Shikai, her Shunpo had reached a new level.
Tenken's swing speed matched his own, which was more than enough for average opponents, but it had trouble keeping up with Shunpo masters like Lisa and Aizen.
As he pondered, Sajin retreated more than ten steps, creating distance between them.
At this rate, it would be difficult to keep up with Lisa's movements.
He had to switch from defense to offense!
Sajin plunged his Zanpakutō into the ground. The giant arm in the air did the same, stabbing its blade deep into the earth.
"Hah!"
A low grunt escaped his lips.
He once again used the ground as a scabbard to gather power, unleashing a rugged flash of light.
Spiritual pressure blades mixed with sand and gravel shot toward Lisa at high speed.
But that wasn't the main point.
The giant arm in the air also swung its blade at the same time.
The massive sword tore up a huge section of the ground.
The upturned earth transformed into an even larger shower of spiritual pressure blades.
Perhaps it could no longer be called that. It was more like a meteor shower carrying spiritual pressure!
Tenken: Ryūkō!
"Hey, hey... there's no spiritual particle barrier up there!"
The audience was terrified.
The sky-covering stones turned into a meteor shower, raining down on the ground.
The barrier protecting the audience was shaped like a hollow cylinder; there was no protection overhead.
The piece of land Sajin had torn up was too large. Some of the rocks flying through the air went beyond the barrier's protection and headed for the spectator seats.
This was also the first time Sajin had used 'Tenken' to unleash Ryūkō, and he hadn't expected this to happen.
However, the audience this time wasn't just made up of Academy students.
The falling boulders were mainly concentrated on the 9th Division's seating area.
The seated officers of the 9th Division all took action, shattering the falling 'meteors'.
"Sajin has gotten a lot stronger... 'Ryūkō' can be used like that?!" Kensei Muguruma drew his sword and used Shungeki, shattering a giant rock.
He hadn't watched the previous matches, so this was his first time seeing Sajin use Ryūkō in such a rugged way.
"What an impressive move. An ordinary squad member probably couldn't even block one of those rocks. These students nowadays are pitiful. When I was at the Academy, there weren't so many monsters."
Another seated officer said.
He felt the power of the rock; the impact of shattering it made his hand go numb.
If one of those had hit a squad member, it probably would have killed them instantly.
Meanwhile, on the stage.
Lisa Yadōmaru was in the midst of a huge crisis.
Only a small portion of the boulders had flown out; the meteor shower was primarily concentrated on her.
Arcs of lightning instantly flickered across her body as she entered her Raikiri state.
This time she didn't go all out and pour all of Raikiri's power into Hagurotonbo. Instead, she used the lightning to enhance her own body.
Lisa's speed increased another level!
The audience saw a flash of white light on the stage.
Lisa weaved through the 'meteor shower' at extreme speed.
In an instant, she passed through the dense barrage and appeared on the other side.
"Where did Lisa Yadōmaru go?"
"She's up there!"
"How did she get through the meteor shower?"
"Is she even faster than those meteors?!"
The audience exclaimed in shock.
Lisa's speed was simply too fast; the vast majority of the audience couldn't see her movements clearly.
"That speed is almost catching up to mine..."
Yoruichi Shihōin was a little surprised.
If she didn't use 'Shunkō', Lisa's speed could now match hers.
"Lisa seems like a good fit for the 2nd Division!"
Yoruichi felt tempted.
Lisa's abilities were quite suitable for the Onmitsukidō.
The meteor shower crashed to the ground, creating a continuous roar and kicking up countless clouds of dust.
"Using 'Ryūkō' like that has great scale and power, but it has its drawbacks..."
Yoruichi lamented.
"It has wide coverage, but it sacrifices a lot of speed. The greatest advantages of the Katori-style 'Ryūkō' are its speed and concentrated power."
Sora nodded in agreement.
In his opinion, Sajin's 'Ryūkō' was a god-tier move for crushing weaklings. On a battlefield, it could kill a large number of grunts.
But against a speed-type opponent like Lisa, it was lacking. Having lost its speed advantage, it simply couldn't hit her.
"Then it seems Sajin Komamura's strength is still inferior to Lisa Yadōmaru's..."
The 11th Division's Lieutenant Gosuke said.
He was very interested in this battle.
It had already been decided that he would have to face the champion of the Shinken Taiketsu.
Gosuke had no advantage in speed or strength and was not keen on fighting an opponent like Sajin.
From what he had seen of Sajin's performance, he already felt it would be a very tough fight.
If his opponent was Sajin, there was a real possibility he might lose!
Gosuke was less worried about Aizen Sōsuke because his own Zanpakutō ability was a strong counter to Kidō.
"Not necessarily. The things Sajin learned from me aren't limited to just two sword techniques."
Sora shook his head.
'Ryūkō' and 'Jintō' were far from all Sajin had.
The dust had not yet settled. The audience could only hear the sound of clanging from within.
Sajin and Lisa were fighting inside the cloud.
Several wounds had already appeared on Sajin's body. Lisa's speed was too great, and it was difficult for him to block all of her attacks.
If it weren't for his tough hide, he would probably be seriously injured by now.
"She can even dodge the Ryūkō released by 'Tenken'... I have to use that move..."
Sajin had originally wanted to save this move for Aizen, but Lisa's speed had exceeded his expectations, forcing him to use it now to get out of this situation.
Clang—
After blocking a blow, Sajin threw a punch to force Lisa back.
Immediately after, he began to spin 'Tenken' rapidly.
The massive blade spun in the air.
In the audience, Kensei Muguruma's jaw dropped.
He was very familiar with the wind pressure flowing from that giant blade.
"'Tsuikazé' can be used like that?"
Kensei felt his eyes had been opened. This was a path he had never considered.
Among the Kidō sword techniques taught by their professor, 'Tsuikazé' was the one he was best at.
But he used it in the same way as his Zanpakutō's ability, by making the wind sharp.
Combining 'Tsuikazé' with the wind threads released by his Zanpakutō not only allowed him to release more threads but also made them even sharper.
Sajin's way of using 'Tsuikazé' was completely different.
"Sajin's moves really are crude!"
Kensei exclaimed.
The commotion on the stage grew larger and larger. The gale forced Lisa almost to the edge of the arena.
Tenken: Tsuikazé!
Sajin had unleashed the 'Tsuikazé' sword technique. Relying on the rotational force of the giant blade and the wind from the technique, he kicked up a hurricane.
Soon, a giant tornado formed in the air with him at its center.
This was a move that combined both offense and defense.
The giant tornado separated him from Lisa; she couldn't attack him through it.
But he could expand the tornado's range to pull her into it.
The sandstorm tornado grew larger and larger, sucking up the gravel from the ground and turning into a giant sandstorm.
It was like divine punishment.
The spectators in the front row suddenly felt a pang of regret.
The semi-finals were different from the previous matches; the spiritual particle barrier was being maintained by Shinigami from the Kidō Corps.
Its strength was guaranteed.
But the audience in the front still felt uneasy.
Because the sandstorm tornado was quickly growing taller than the barrier!
They could all feel a suction force from the air.
"I think for the next match, we need to switch to a fully enclosed barrier..."
Hachigen Ushōda wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling that things were not looking good.
This barrier was ten meters high, which should have been enough, but now there had been two accidents.
It was impossible to adjust a barrier larger than a soccer field on the fly. They could only let the tornado continue to expand.
Lisa was struggling against the pull of the storm.
The tornado had now exceeded the boundaries of the stage, its radius extending to the spiritual particle barrier.
It had formed too quickly; she had nowhere to hide.
"The only chance is up!"
A thought flashed through her mind.
Although the tornado looked terrifying, and from the ground it seemed to touch the sky...
It was actually a visual illusion. The tornado had a limited height.
If she could get above it, she could pass over it and attack Sajin at its center.
But the spiritual particles inside the tornado formed a turbulent current. The footholds Lisa created were almost instantly destroyed by it.
She had to jump before her footholds dissipated.
Fortunately, she was still in her 'Raikiri' state and could seize this fleeting opportunity to jump.
A flash of lightning leaped rapidly within the sandstorm.
But the pulling force inside made her movements consume a massive amount of energy.
After a few jumps, the lightning around her body dimmed.
"Crap!"
Lisa failed to jump before her foothold disintegrated and lost her balance.
A terrifying force instantly swept her away.
She felt the world spin.
She began to rotate with the sandstorm.
Just as she lost control, a giant blade broke through the storm and rushed toward her at high speed.
Caught in the pull of the tornado, Lisa couldn't dodge. She could only barely raise Hagurotonbo to block.
THUD—
Lisa was slammed into the ground.
Then, the giant blade began to rotate in the opposite direction, canceling out the force of the tornado.
After a long while, the storm gradually subsided.
"The storm has finally stopped... Sajin is still standing... but where's Lisa?"
The audience could see the scene inside.
After the storm's rampage, there was no intact ground left within the barrier.
Sajin stood in the center, panting slightly.
Lisa seemed to have disappeared.
In a deep trench, Lisa pushed aside the dirt covering her.
"Haaa—"
She tried to push herself up but found she had no strength left. She gave up and just lay on the ground.
"Wait... Lisa landed outside the arena!"
A sharp-eyed spectator spotted her.
"I don't know what just happened, but Lisa is out of bounds!"
"Sajin Komamura wins!"
Sōsuke Tanuki exclaimed:
"Sajin and Lisa have shown us a heart-pounding match, at least that's how I felt. I honestly thought for a second I was going to be sucked into that tornado!"
"Thanks to the Kidō Corps for keeping me standing here safely. Being a referee is a dangerous job!"
"Let's congratulate Sajin Komamura on advancing to the finals! In two days, he will face Sōsuke Aizen to decide the champion!"
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Alright guys, here come the regular chapters! A big thank you to everyone for your support and to Monester for the kind words. Don't forget, we're just 2 people away on Patreon for the story to take a big leap in chapters. There are already 100 and counting, and more will be uploaded once those 2 spots are filled.
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