"No way!!!"
"His Kidō is this insane too?!"
"That Byakurai's power has to be at least ten times stronger than normal!"
The lightning was so blinding that Kyōraku Shunsui, peering down from above, had to pull his straw hat as low as it would go just to keep his eyes open.
But what he couldn't understand was this—
The two captains assigned by Old Man Yamamoto to train Bai Chen…
Shiba Isshin and Matsumoto Rangiku—
Neither of them were Kidō specialists.
So how, after only half a month of "special training,"
had Bai Chen's Kidō become this terrifying?
This wasn't "surpassing your teacher" anymore.
In Kyōraku's eyes—
Bai Chen's current Kidō level
had already surpassed that of ordinary captains…
Bordering on the realm of the Head Captain and the Captain-Commander of the Kidō Corps.
"Byakurai is one of the most common Hadō."
"Using it to break an opponent's Bakudō… is indeed the most effective way to mock them."
Aizen adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, praising Bai Chen without restraint.
"Honestly… Bai Chen isn't just powerful."
"His mind is far more calculating than most."
But—
No one noticed it.
Deep within Aizen's eyes, a subtle, unreadable glint passed by.
As if Bai Chen had just forced him to revise his assessment once again.
"Hehehe…"
"Rather than praising Bai Chen nonstop…"
"I'm more curious about how Hisagi Shūhei plans to respond."
Ichimaru Gin said with a smile.
"That lightning flood covers too wide an area. Hard to dodge."
In the Arena
Bai Chen's roaring torrent of lightning was simply too brutal—carpeting the battlefield in a continuous bombardment.
Hisagi's room to retreat grew smaller and smaller.
The binding rods he had thrown earlier were pulverized into dust.
And step by step, he was forced closer to the very edge of the ring.
One more retreat—
And he'd be out of bounds.
Which meant automatic surrender.
So there was only one thing left.
He had to stop the lightning head-on.
"…Unbelievable."
"I'm really about to be humiliated… by Byakurai of all things."
Hisagi let out a bitter chuckle.
At the start, he had been confident.
He truly believed that with his near-Shinigami-level Kidō, he might have a chance.
But this was madness.
Byakurai—
For any Shinigami—
was a basic, almost insignificant spell.
Yet in Bai Chen's hands…
A "basic spell" had become a catastrophic finisher.
None of it made sense.
Honestly—
If he weren't trying to keep his dignity, he would've already roared in frustration.
Still, frustration didn't change reality.
To avoid being seriously injured, Hisagi could only grit his teeth and cast the one high-level Bakudō he had barely mastered not long ago:
"O proud son of heaven, iron-walled city…"
"Dragon stride, lion roar, tiger howl, wolf rush…"
"Cut through heaven and earth before all things collapse—"
"Bakudō no. 81—Dankū!"
Under normal circumstances—
A Sixth Year successfully casting such a high-level Bakudō
would've drawn gasps and cheers.
But the arena had already been "shocked numb" by Bai Chen.
So even when the huge barrier of light materialized in front of Hisagi—
The entire arena remained dead silent.
No one believed a single wall of Kidō
could withstand that lightning flood.
And sure enough—
The outcome everyone feared arrived almost instantly.
BOOM—!!!
The lightning slammed into the barrier—
And in less than three seconds, Hisagi's expression changed violently.
Without hesitation, he rolled sideways to escape.
He hadn't even fully cleared the spot when—
BOOM—!!!
Lightning detonated, ripping the air apart with thunderous force—
And in less than a tenth of a second…
It shattered Dankū like brittle glass.
With a heavy crash—
The barrier vanished completely, swallowed by the explosive shockwave.
Hisagi, despite fleeing immediately, was still caught by the blast.
In front of everyone—
He was flung away and slammed onto the ground in humiliating fashion.
"…Damn it."
"I need to take back what I said earlier."
"The Ninth Division's 'guidance'…"
"Wasn't even as effective as Bai Chen's single Byakurai teaching me reality."
"The gap between us… is just too large."
Hair singed. Face blackened with soot.
Nearly a third of his uniform torn apart.
He wasn't completely unable to fight—
But the sheer humiliation of it, and the overwhelming disparity in power…
Crushed his confidence.
He didn't want to continue.
Because if Bai Chen raised the spell number—
If he started firing higher-level Hadō in succession—
Hisagi wasn't sure he'd survive.
But…
"I just stepped onto the field…"
"If I surrender in minutes… isn't that too humiliating?"
"How am I supposed to face the Gotei after this?"
Hisagi hesitated, torn between pride and survival.
And that hesitation—
Bai Chen misread as stubbornness.
"You still won't surrender?"
"So Hisagi Shūhei… is the type who cares about face."
Bai Chen's gaze remained calm as he surveyed the battered Hisagi—
And then glanced past him at the hundred-plus Sixth Years who still hadn't stepped onto the field.
In that moment—
Bai Chen changed his mind.
"If even the top student is only at this level…"
"Then there's no need for the third round at all."
"Hisagi Shūhei—along with every Sixth Year here…"
"All of you can drop at once."
Decision made—
Bai Chen didn't waste a second.
Under everyone's eyes, he flared his reiatsu again—
Then brought his hands together.
No incantation.
A cast without chants.
"Hadō—Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!!!"
His amplified voice, carried by reiatsu, echoed through every corner of the arena—
And at the highest instructor seats—
The warm, gentle expression on Aizen's face… froze.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique?"
"Which Hadō number is that?"
"I've never heard of it."
"…Don't tell me…"
"Bai Chen can even create his own Kidō?"
In that instant—
With the revelation of Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique—
For the first time since arriving…
Aizen Sōsuke was truly, unmistakably shaken.
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