There was no drawing of lots for the finals. Sōsuke Aizen and Sajin Komamura directly stepped onto the stage.
"I've been looking forward to this match for a long time," Sōsuke Aizen said with a smile.
"Same here. Let me show you the results of my training!" Sajin Komamura placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The Shinken Taiketsu finals were postponed due to the Tsunayashiro clan's extermination.
During the postponement, Sajin Komamura had not been idle, diligently practicing new techniques.
Sajin Komamura took his opponent, Sōsuke Aizen, very seriously and did not believe he could defeat him with only the techniques he had already shown.
Perhaps it was the instinct of a were-wolf, but he had a faint feeling that Sōsuke Aizen had still not used his full strength in the battle with Isshin Shiba.
Clang—
The longsword was unsheathed, and its flash arrived in an instant.
Sajin Komamura was not limited to using Ryūkō in a crude manner. He was also capable of concentrating its power into a blade of Reiatsu.
The blade of light instantly passed through Sōsuke Aizen's heart, but no blood splattered out.
Sajin Komamura's pupils trembled slightly, and he quickly turned around.
Sōsuke Aizen had appeared behind him at some point.
Sajin Komamura immediately raised his hand, quickly condensing Reiatsu in his palm and striking out.
Tsuikazeryū: Shōatsu!
A strong gust of wind rushed towards Sōsuke Aizen.
The strong wind passed through Sōsuke Aizen's figure, still having no effect on him.
Sajin Komamura scanned his surroundings and noticed a faint mist in the air.
Looking up, there was another Sōsuke Aizen in the sky.
"Mirror reflections created by mist... You've already released your Shikai..." Sajin Komamura said gravely.
He hadn't even noticed when Sōsuke Aizen had released his Shikai.
This was very bad news.
After a Shinigami's mastery of their Zanpakutō reaches a certain level, they don't necessarily have to shout the release command for Shikai.
Sōsuke Aizen had clearly reached this level.
"In that case..." Sajin Komamura gave up the idea of gaining an advantage before they both released their Zanpakutō and raised his own. "Roar, Tenken!"
The right arm of Tenken Myō'ō appeared in the air.
Sajin Komamura quickly swung a slash, and the giant right arm above him swung in sync.
A sword-wind storm far exceeding the scale of the previous gust swept towards the multiple Sōsuke Aizens.
Tsuikazeryū: Ken'atsu!
Within the range of the sword-wind storm, another Sōsuke Aizen appeared.
"Bakudō #39. Enkōsen."
The newly appeared Sōsuke Aizen cast a Kidō to protect against the sword-wind storm's attack.
"The range is wide, but the power seems to be a bit lacking."
Sōsuke Aizen commented on Sajin Komamura's technique.
The circular shield that appeared in front of Sōsuke Aizen easily blocked the incoming sword-wind storm.
The sword-wind storm looked fierce, covering an area nearly the size of half a football field.
But its power was dispersed, and it could be blocked with a chantless, mid-to-low-level Bakudō.
"Found you!"
Sajin Komamura shouted in a low voice.
This move was just to force out the real Sōsuke Aizen!
Sōsuke Aizen's Zanpakutō ability was highly disruptive.
The mirror images created by the mist were not just visual disturbances; they also had Reiatsu and would interfere with spiritual sense perception.
Being unable to determine Sōsuke Aizen's true position through sight or spiritual sense would be very disadvantageous for the rest of the fight.
"Oh?" Sōsuke Aizen chuckled. "So you wanted to find my position with this move..."
Sajin Komamura lunged and raised his sword, pressing his left hand on the back of the blade, imbuing it with Reiatsu.
The giant arm in the air also raised its sword and aimed at Sōsuke Aizen.
At the same time, the turbulent winds that had scattered in all directions suddenly reversed and flowed back, converging towards the giant blade in the air.
The storm wrapped around the blade, continuously condensing and compressing.
Then, Sajin Komamura stomped forward and thrust his sword at an extremely fast speed!
Tsuikazeryū: Shungeki!
The right arm of Tenken Myō'ō also thrust out fiercely.
The giant blade, enveloped in a terrifying storm, was like a huge dragon's fang, biting fiercely towards Sōsuke Aizen.
"The power of this move is on par with Isshin's!" Sōsuke Aizen raised his hand. "Bakudō #81. Dankū."
Sōsuke Aizen once again used a post-incantation Kidō technique to cast one of the strongest defensive Kidō, 'Dankū'.
An indestructible wall of Reishi stood between the dragon's fang and Sōsuke Aizen.
Screeeech—
The friction between the giant blade and the Reishi wall produced a piercing sound.
But even with all its might, the dragon's fang could not shatter it.
Sōsuke Aizen swung his sword, and a stream of water gushed out.
The water turned into several water cannons in the air, smashing into the side of the giant blade and sending it flying.
Sōsuke Aizen glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. With this 'Tenzen Heisō', it was much more convenient for him to imitate a water-type Zanpakutō's abilities.
"As expected, this move can't break through your 'Dankū'..." Sajin Komamura's brow furrowed tightly.
Sōsuke Aizen could cast 'Dankū' with a post-incantation, its power undiminished and its casting speed fast. It was very difficult to break through his defenses head-on.
"Do you have any new moves? If this is all you have, it's not enough to defeat me."
Sōsuke Aizen looked relaxed, and with just a few words, he provoked Sajin Komamura's emotions.
"Then let me show you the new move I learned in these two weeks..." The fighting spirit in Sajin Komamura's eyes was palpable, his eyes growing brighter as if burning with a fierce flame. "'Dankū' can only help you defend against an attack from one direction. This move can't be blocked by 'Dankū'!"
Sajin Komamura quickly spun 'Tenken'.
The massive giant blade rotated in the air.
Gasps came from the audience.
"Sajin Komamura's ultimate move is coming!" Marenoshin Ōmaeda stared at the stage with anticipation, unwilling to miss a single detail.
In the previous match, Sajin Komamura had defeated Lisa Yadōmaru by unleashing a giant tornado.
Many people were looking forward to this move.
"It's over. Sōsuke Aizen's expression doesn't seem to have changed? Does he have a way to counter this move?"
Jirō Obana had a bad feeling. Was he going to lose again!
"It seems a little different?"
Marenoshin Ōmaeda looked puzzled.
On the other side of the student section, Isshin Shiba and the others were also quite shocked by the changes on the stage.
"Sajin combined 'Sekichō' and 'Tsuikazeryū'?!"
Isshin Shiba's mouth hung open.
The reason he could combine the powers of fire and lightning was because 'Engetsu' itself was a fire-type Zanpakutō, which lowered the difficulty of combining the two powers.
The move Sajin Komamura was now unleashing was far more difficult to control than his Getsuga Tenshō that fused fire and lightning.
"The Kidō sword techniques taught by the Professor are very powerful. If they can be used in combination, their power will increase several times over... But combining these Kidō sword techniques is very difficult and dangerous. The slightest mistake could lead to a backlash from one's own technique."
A hint of envy flashed in Lisa Yadōmaru's eyes. Her spiritual body was not yet strong enough to support such a move.
"That's right... The physique of the were-wolf clan is very strong. Maybe Sajin can really pull it off!"
Isshin Shiba muttered to himself.
The wind howled on the stage. Sōsuke Aizen stood in the storm like a candle in the wind.
"Hah!"
Fierce flames ignited on both Sajin Komamura's sword and the sword of Tenken Myō'ō.
The Kidō Corps Shinigami maintaining the Reishi barrier to protect the audience felt a scorching heatwave rush towards them.
"This Reishi barrier needs a function to insulate against temperature..."
Hachigen Ushōda wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had found another area for improvement in the Reishi barrier.
After the lesson from the previous round, the Reishi barrier had been improved, and the cylindrical Reishi barrier was now sealed at the top.
The contestants' techniques could no longer pass through the sky and land in the audience.
The flames and fierce winds on the giant blade intertwined, forming a flame storm that swept across the entire stage.
The rotating flame storm filled every inch of space except for the area where Sajin Komamura stood.
His fur was soaked with sweat, then quickly dried by the scorching air.
At this moment, even he felt as if he were in a furnace.
The extreme heat made his vision somewhat distorted.
But it didn't matter. His Sekichō storm could cover the entire stage.
Sōsuke Aizen had nowhere to run!
A moment later, Sajin Komamura estimated that Sōsuke Aizen should have lost his ability to fight.
He rotated the giant blade counterclockwise, using the Reiatsu on it to cancel out the flame storm.
"Hoo—"
To cancel out such a large-scale move, even Sajin Komamura, with his abundant Reiatsu, felt strained.
The flame storm gradually dissipated, allowing the audience to see the scene inside.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the stage.
When Sajin Komamura saw the shocked expressions of the audience, a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.
As a were-wolf, he rarely had such a dazzling moment.
Sajin Komamura's position happened to give him a view of the student section, and he noticed the gazes of Isshin Shiba and the others.
Isshin Shiba and the others were equally shocked.
The shock of his peers made Sajin Komamura even more joyful.
But in the next moment, he noticed that their gazes didn't seem to be directed at him.
"They're looking behind me!"
Sajin Komamura was horrified.
After turning around, he saw an unscathed Sōsuke Aizen.
"An impressive move. I had no choice but to dodge it,"
Sōsuke Aizen said with a light laugh.
"You dodged into the safe zone! How did you do it?!" Sajin Komamura was terrified, and an answer rose in his mind. "Mirror reflection?!"
"When did you start to think"—Sōsuke Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile—"that I wasn't using Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Sajin Komamura's face fell. He felt he was out of options.
A flash of light from a sword, and Sajin Komamura's slash missed again.
Sōsuke Aizen had once again used "mirror reflection" to interfere with Sajin Komamura's attack.
"Your slashes still have a lot of power. It seems I'll have to use a more powerful move to defeat you." Sōsuke Aizen raised his hand.
"Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi!"
A black object rose from the ground, quickly enveloping Sajin Komamura.
When the black coffin stood upright on the stage, the minds of the audience went blank.
A chantless Number 90 Hadō!
Even the captains showed some surprise on their faces.
"This is... a Kidō genius!!!"
Kyōraku Shunsui's tone was extremely shocked.
"Casting Black Coffin without an incantation!"
Jūshirō Ukitake even stood up unconsciously, the surprise on his face not fading.
"That guy Sōsuke is too amazing!"
Yoruichi Shihōin suddenly felt like she was being washed ashore by a new wave.
"..." Sōjun Kuchiki was silent.
He had always been hailed as a genius of the Kuchiki family, and Kidō was something he was very good at. In comparison, he felt he had tarnished the title of genius.
"I'm getting old... It's time to retire..." the lieutenant of the 5th Division lamented.
He had already made up his mind to hand over the 5th Division to this young man on the stage.
"What a pity..."
Kenpachi sighed. This genius had already been reserved by the 5th Division.
Moreover, a Kidō genius was not suitable for the 11th Division. If this Sōsuke Aizen's swordsmanship talent was as impressive as his Kidō talent, he would have snatched him up no matter what.
"The young people these days are really getting more and more impressive," Retsu Unohana said with a smile.
"Oh my... I really envy Sora. So many promising disciples under him! If only I could find an outstanding disciple!"
Kirio Hikifune looked envious. She had also thought about finding a disciple before going to the Soul King Palace but had never found a suitable one.
"It's because your standards are too high, Captain!" Kisuke Urahara retorted. "Besides talent in research, you also have high requirements for culinary skills. In the entire Soul Society, only Professor Katori can meet your standards!"
Kisuke Urahara even had a feeling that Kirio Hikifune's criteria for accepting a disciple were tailor-made for Katori Sora.
However, Katori Sora was already a captain-level powerhouse and no longer needed a master.
"To be able to cast high-level Kidō without an incantation while still training at the Academy... he might be the most impressive student since the Academy was founded," Headmaster Kotetsu lamented.
"Sōsuke and 'Black Coffin' are a good match. He learned it very easily," Sora said.
He was there when Sōsuke Aizen learned 'Black Coffin'.
He was also a little surprised at the time.
Sōsuke Aizen had a special affinity for the 'Black Coffin' Kidō. He mastered it quickly and soon learned the chantless casting technique.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto couldn't help but show a slight smile. Judging from Sōsuke Aizen's performance, it probably wouldn't be long before the 5th Division had a new captain.
On the stage, the Black Coffin dissipated.
Sajin Komamura lay on the ground.
"It's... over..." the referee, Muneyoshi Kinomoto, said in disbelief.
"We have witnessed a spectacular battle!"
"Whether it was Sajin Komamura's flame storm or Sōsuke Aizen's Black Coffin, both were eye-opening!"
"However, Sajin Komamura was still one step behind and failed to defeat Sōsuke Aizen."
"Let us congratulate Sōsuke Aizen—for winning the championship of this year's Shin'ō Academy Shinken Taiketsu!"
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