As the feverish cadence of the duel reached its soaring peak, there was no longer anything capable of masking that razor-sharp, piercing rhythm beneath it.
The moment Akira's swordsmanship rose to an entirely new realm, the nature of his strikes changed as well—far more refined than just moments before. Even the elite students watching from the side could no longer follow his movements at all.
Light, fluid, and almost unreal.
Each clash of bamboo felt like invisible hands weaving shattered musical notes back together, forcing the chaotic melody into a breathtaking crescendo.
Kisaragi Akira released his two-handed stance altogether. Gripping the bamboo sword in a single right hand, he dipped his body forward, slipping past Captain Unohana's descending strike by a hair's breadth.
His head tilted slightly back, eyes becoming eerily calm.
A heartbeat later—
A thunderous boom erupted.
His seemingly frail right arm twisted, and something utterly insane unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Akira abandoned defense entirely—choosing to fight fire with fire!
While others would've been desperately trying to survive a few more exchanges under Captain Unohana's brutal pressure, he had already stepped far beyond that mindset.
A razor-edged tempo burst from beneath his bamboo sword. In the blink of an eye, his offense crashed down like a storm-driven downpour, transforming into an unending curtain of strikes that swallowed Unohana's pure-white figure in its entirety.
A frenzied melody erupted skyward.
Splintered bamboo fibers scattered like chaff across the training hall.
Unohana shifted from attack to defense, parrying the onslaught with nimble steps. Yet, in her eyes—focused intently on the young man before her—there flickered a raw, instinctive heat.
How long had it been?Three hundred years? Five hundred?Soul Society had not seen a genius like Kisaragi Akira in an unimaginably long time.
Another explosion of sound—
Akira's all-out strike collided with the bamboo blade in Unohana's hands, the impact unleashing a deafening roar.
A violent pressure wave ripped through the floorboards, scattering invisible shockwaves throughout the dojo. The ground trembled fiercely as the wooden planks splintered and peeled back as if swept aside by an unseen storm, crushed and torn apart without resistance.
When the dust finally settled, every student's expression was frozen in a mixture of shock—and outright incomprehension.
The ground before them was a field of devastation.Wood chips mixed with dust, broken planks lay scattered everywhere, and shredded bamboo fibers were strewn across the floor as though decorating the ruins.
Kisaragi Akira stared absently at the remains of his shattered bamboo sword—now reduced to nothing but a lonely handle.
…So that was it?
Was it already… over?
When he finally lifted his gaze, his expression flickered with lingering disbelief.
At the very beginning, Unohana's overwhelming pressure had nearly convinced him he might actually die here today. But as the divine heart within him triggered its astonishing talent to the fullest, Akira absorbed sword techniques and entire schools of style that he would normally never even have the chance to encounter.
And once he tried converting what he learned into his own swordsmanship—
His comprehension skyrocketed, exploding upward like a rocket peeling through the sky.
Seeing this, Unohana finally lowered her bamboo sword.
Compared to Akira, who still couldn't fully control the intensity of his newfound power, she looked completely at ease. Her bamboo blade bore several deep fractures, but held together—still capable of battle.
By contrast, Akira's weapon had been blown apart so thoroughly only the hilt remained.
After a brief silence, Captain Unohana sighed in faint regret.
"...I should've used my zanpakutō instead."
The moment those words left her lips, Akira instinctively looked up at her.
This woman… definitely wanted to kill him, right?
Her bamboo sword alone had almost murdered him outright. If she'd used her zanpakutō, he'd probably be greeting the previous shrine priest of the Reverse-Bone Sanctuary within seconds.
Staring at Unohana's slightly flushed cheeks, Akira exhaled deeply—his face nearly spelling out the word exhausted.
This woman was far too dangerous.
Originally, he had been planning to study swordsmanship under her guidance.After all, even Kaede-senpai didn't have anything left to teach him. And now, if they sparred again, Akira might accidentally kill Kaede in two or three swings.
Thinking it over…
Unohana really was the only suitable person capable of teaching him.
And yet—
Every time Akira recalled the duel just now, a primal fear crawled up from the depths of his subconscious.
If Unohana ever got too excited… one good swing might send his soul flying straight out of his body.
"Kisaragi-kun, you've confirmed what you claimed earlier."
Unohana's face was tinged with a faint blush—born from pure exhilaration—and her familiar gentle smile returned.
"In kaidō you are unquestionably a genius, but your swordsmanship exceeds even that.""It may be presumptuous, but after graduation, I sincerely hope you consider joining the Fourth Division first.""With your talent, inheriting my seat one day would not be impossible."
Gasps echoed throughout the dojo like sharp intakes of breath threatening to vacuum the entire room dry.
Never in history had an academy student been praised like this before graduation—let alone by the most beloved captain in all of Soul Society, Captain Unohana herself.
Yet the academy's most notorious problem child—Kisaragi Akira—was the one who achieved it.
But when Akira heard her words, instead of reacting with joy as the others expected, his entire body bristled like a startled hedgehog.
Tch. Fickle woman!
Wasn't she just saying earlier that she didn't want to cause problems for him, which was why she approached him privately?!
Now, the moment her mood changed, she switched to openly endorsing him.
Great.Just great.The name "Kisaragi Akira" was going to sweep through the entire academy again.
"…I'll think about it," he muttered with a sigh.
Truthfully, the Fourth Division wasn't his first choice.But facing Unohana's expectant gaze, refusing outright was… unwise.
Unohana didn't seem disappointed at all. Instead, she nodded with a warm smile.
Turning gracefully, hands folded before her, she bowed lightly to the stunned students and spoke softly:
"Everyone, today's swordsmanship class ends here.""Regarding my earlier advice—please do not slack off in your personal training.""And one more thing… if any of you are interested in kaidō, the Fourth Division would be more than happy to welcome you."
Her gaze drifted intentionally across the room…
…pausing subtly on Akira.
Only after offering him a gentle smile did she turn and leave the dojo.
And just as her foot crossed the doorway—
A familiar voice echoed in Akira's mind.
[Unohana Retsu: Trust Level Achieved — Sign-In Condition Met][Character Sign-In: Unohana Retsu…]