Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stood silently in place.
His deep gaze watched Suō Tsukasa as the younger man completed his Shikai and preparations.
Scree— With a slight lift of his wrist, the blade in his hand unsheathed.
In that single instant, the air in the training ground suddenly shuddered. A surging momentum instantly enveloped Suō Tsukasa.
It was not yet the Shikai state of Ryūjin Jakka; merely a sliver of fiery intensity leaking from the sealed Asauchi blade caused the temperature in the field to begin climbing.
A crimson light flared up.
The next moment, a wave of sword pressure swept forward, hurtling toward Suō Tsukasa.
Even though it was sword pressure released in its sealed state, given the Captain-Commander's staggering spiritual power level, no matter how much he restrained his strength, the power was several times greater than the sword pressure Suō Tsukasa could release himself.
Locked onto by the old man's aura, Suō Tsukasa knew he had nowhere to hide.
The Captain-Commander's Reiatsu had already blanketed the entire arena. If he used Shunpo to escape, he would simply be struck by another sword pressure of equal power the moment he reappeared.
"Pierce through, Hikari'!"
Without hesitation, he raised his blade. The tip of the sword erupted with a searing, dazzling yellow beam of light, colliding head-on with the incoming sword pressure.
The moment the two forces clashed, a segment of the sword pressure's center was forcibly penetrated and dissolved by the yellow light cannon.
The remaining two segments of the sword pressure whistled past Suō Tsukasa's sides, leaving two scorched furrows on the rocky ground behind him.
With just a casual strike, the old man had forced out Suō Tsukasa's Shikai trump card.
The light beam continued unabated, following Suō Tsukasa's aim toward the Captain-Commander's forehead. However, under the influence of the sword pressure, its preset trajectory had suffered a slight deviation.
Facing the rapidly approaching light cannon, the Captain-Commander merely tilted his head slightly, letting it graze past his ear.
He was completely unharmed.
However, the searing heat contained within the light cannon still singed a wisp of the white haori on his shoulder.
The Captain-Commander cast his eyes down at the scorched mark on his shoulder, a flicker of movement passing through his eyes.
At the very same moment the light cannon collided with the sword pressure, Suō Tsukasa had already whispered his incantation.
"Reflect, Hikari'!"
Suddenly, dozens of Suō Tsukasa's figures, all holding swords, appeared out of thin air, surrounding the Captain-Commander in layers.
"Illusory clones combined with silent Shunpo? A respectable idea."
The Captain-Commander's gaze swept over the surrounding clones, a hint of seriousness appearing on his otherwise impassive face. He easily saw through the logic behind Suō Tsukasa's move.
He lowered his blade slightly, assuming a low-guard stance.
He could have easily used a stronger Reiatsu to instantly shatter the clones in the field, but that would defeat the purpose of the assessment.
The Captain-Commander simply hadn't expected a junior from the 13th Division to possess such mastery of Shunpo; the style was somewhat reminiscent of the 2nd Division.
As for Suō Tsukasa, who was delaying revealing his true self, the old man was not in the least bit hurried. Any combat style was acceptable to him, and he naturally had ways to counter them.
He waited quietly for the moment Suō Tsukasa would reveal his true body during an attack.
Faced with the Captain-Commander's stance—as steady as a mountain—and his lack of emotional fluctuation, Suō Tsukasa, who was rapidly shifting positions in the field, began to feel a bit numb.
The slight openings the Captain-Commander revealed when his gaze shifted were like meticulously woven traps, radiating a temptation like a demon's whisper, constantly provoking Suō Tsukasa's urge to strike.
Suō Tsukasa gripped the hilt tightly, slightly lifting Hikari''s blade.
His heart sank. He knew that if he didn't move soon, it would be too late.
In the instant the Captain-Commander's gaze shifted toward the front left, Suō Tsukasa's true body suddenly manifested from the air behind him.
The edge of Hikari' drew a sharp arc, aimed directly at the back of the neck.
When he struck, there was no hesitation in his heart; he went straight for the vitals.
"Truly splendid Shunpo."
The Captain-Commander did not turn around. His blade tip passed his neck at an incredible angle, precisely blocking Hikari''s blade.
Clang—
The sound of clashing metal was crisp and short. Hikari''s blade was pinned down, unable to move forward an inch.
"Next, let's see if you still have room to maneuver."
As soon as the Captain-Commander's voice fell, Suō Tsukasa felt the pressure coming from Hikari' suddenly double.
In the next instant, the Captain-Commander's wrist turned slightly, and his blade tip nimbly slid away along Hikari''s blade. With a masterful redirection, he diverted all the slashing power Suō Tsukasa had accumulated into empty air.
Without giving Suō Tsukasa time to adjust, the soles of the old man's shoes let out a dull scrape against the rock as he completed a swift, fluid half-turn.
Using the momentum of the turn, a swift and fierce shadow of light came toward Suō Tsukasa's face.
The trajectory of the blade was clearly reflected in Suō Tsukasa's pupils. Before the blade even arrived, the suffocating feeling of being about to be cut was vividly fed back through his various senses.
He steadied his breathing and swung Hikari' downward, firmly blocking the strike.
Klang—
An explosive sound of clashing metal rang out between the two.
Following that, Suō Tsukasa once again experienced the long-lost feeling of being suppressed by pure swordsmanship.
In an instant, the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, the Shunpo, and the Shikai techniques all vanished from Suō Tsukasa's mind. All he could feel was the continuous onslaught before him and the unfathomable pressure coming from the Captain-Commander.
The only thing supporting him was pure skill and concentration.
In this purest exchange of swordsmanship, Suō Tsukasa's eyes were calm, devoid of any superfluous emotion. Through the clashing blades, he could always clearly see the Captain-Commander's face, which remained as calm as a deep pool.
After dozens of exchanges between the two blades...
"Your swordsmanship is acceptable."
The Captain-Commander's voice carried a note of affirmation, but his wrist suddenly exerted force.
A surge of hidden strength was transmitted through the crossed blades. Suō Tsukasa felt his power, which he had put into an upward parry, instantly deflected. He could no longer hold the hilt, and the sword flew from his hand.
"Bakudō #4, Hainawa!"
Instinctive reaction outpaced thought. A golden rope of light instantly flew from Suō Tsukasa's fingertips, tightly wrapping around Hikari''s hilt.
But before he could pull it back, the Asauchi in the Captain-Commander's hand had already flown out. It precisely severed the light rope while carrying Hikari' along with it, pinning both into the nearby stone wall.
The two blades sank into the rock wall, vibrating and humming.
Immediately following that was an incoming fist.
Suō Tsukasa's eyes narrowed, and he immediately assumed a stance to respond.
Boom—
In the blink of an eye, he did not choose to lift his arm to block. Instead, he threw a punch to meet it.
After being assessed in swordsmanship for so long, he had gained a bit of understanding of the Captain-Commander's style. This was his only chance to fight for a moment of breathing room.
The moment the two fists collided, a shockwave rippled outward like a wave.
This punch sent Suō Tsukasa flying backward.
Suō Tsukasa retreated several steps, adjusting his posture and lowering his center of gravity to stand firm. The moment he stopped, his left foot slammed into the ground. His body was like a compressed spring suddenly released; he surged back with a concise straight punch, aimed directly at the Captain-Commander's center.
"To have achieved such proficiency after only a few years of studying the Gen-ryū... is indeed—not bad."
Facing the attack, a look of approval surfaced in the Captain-Commander's eyes. He easily blocked Suō Tsukasa's counterattack and then closed in, landing a merciless punch on Suō Tsukasa's abdomen.
The force of this punch was controlled perfectly—enough to dismantle Suō Tsukasa's ability to resist, but not enough to injure his bones or tendons.
"Ugh!"
Suō Tsukasa's body flew backward, slamming heavily into the rocky ground and kicking up a cloud of stone chips.
Fortunately, he had long been mentally prepared to take a heavy hit. He had quickly diverted his Reiatsu to the impact site for defense, which was the only reason he wasn't completely winded by the blow.
-----------------------------------------------
A new Demon Slayer fanfic has been uploaded! Don't forget to check it out—it's really good and I think you'll love it.