"You're really just a student?!"
Beneath the old-style workwear, the burly figure stood rigid—like a statue, unmoving.
The raging reiatsu gale rolling in from the front nearly blew away the last few strands of hair on his balding head.
At this moment, Tessai's expression was extremely grim.
Especially after he truly felt the pressure Bai Chen carried—
The anger in his eyes receded further.
Replacing it was something he hadn't experienced once since defecting to the Human World all those years ago—
Caution. And fear.
Yes.
When genuine danger came crashing down—
Even if Hachigen's attitude toward anything related to Shinigami had always been deeply hostile—
He still managed to keep a shred of rationality.
Suppressing his fury, he tried to communicate instead.
"Then what are you supposed to be?" Bai Chen asked calmly. "Have you ever seen a soul walk around the Human World in an Academy uniform whenever they want—without permission?"
"But…"
Hachigen's brows tightened.
"How do I not remember…"
"That Shin'ō Academy students could possess captain-class strength before graduation?"
He couldn't find a real way to refute Bai Chen's logic.
Yet in Hachigen's memory—
Even before the day he was forced to flee Soul Society—
Across all the Academy's generations, the only ones he considered true "geniuses" were Ichimaru Gin and Shiba Kaien.
And even those two—
After graduating and joining the Gotei 13—
At best reached Third Seat level for a while.
Not even vice-officer.
That comparison made Hachigen's shock even worse.
Because what he was seeing in Bai Chen—
Had completely stepped beyond his understanding.
It was, frankly, unreasonable.
At that point, seeing Hachigen finally cool down and stop charging in blindly—
Bai Chen considered it for a moment and decided to give his name.
"My name is Bai Chen…"
"But even if I tell you…"
"You've been away from Soul Society for years. You probably haven't heard of me anyway."
He finished with a casual, unconcerned look.
He didn't particularly care about revealing his identity.
Sure—
After a month of overwhelming performance, his name had already spread across Soul Society, famous even before graduation.
But Bai Chen didn't believe his reputation had somehow leaked into the Human World.
However…
Reality proved him wrong.
The instant Bai Chen said his name—
Hachigen's expression violently changed.
His eyes widened in sheer astonishment.
"Bai Chen?!"
"So it's you!"
"No wonder you possess Third-Class Spiritual Authority…"
"And in Kidō combat, you can stand on equal footing with me—a former Grand Kidō Master!"
This was beyond Bai Chen's expectations.
Hachigen not only knew him—
He even seemed to know his background and current situation.
"…Because of Yoruichi?" Bai Chen's gaze sharpened slightly.
He was surprised—but his mind immediately jumped to Shihōin Yoruichi, the one who could take the form of a black cat.
Karakura Town was a nest of hidden monsters.
Besides Urahara's group—
The Visored occupied their own territory as well.
And among all those former defectors—
Only Yoruichi, with her free transformation and the title of the Flash Goddess, could travel between the Human World and Soul Society so freely.
In the original story, that was one of the things she did most often—
Keeping tabs, in real time, on everything happening in Soul Society.
"So, Bai Chen…"
Hachigen's tone eased further, his earlier hostility nearly gone.
"Even if you haven't graduated yet… you're really saying you just happened to pass by?"
To be fair—
Hachigen was stubborn, yes.
But he wasn't the type who refused reason.
If there was no blood feud—
And Bai Chen wasn't acting under orders to probe this place—
Then there was no reason to keep fighting.
"Does the answer even matter anymore?"
Bai Chen's voice stayed light, but his meaning wasn't.
"I'm not as good-tempered as you think."
He had already seen the retreat in Hachigen's eyes.
But Bai Chen ignored it completely.
He had no intention of handing the man a graceful way out.
From the beginning—
Hachigen was the one who attacked first.
He was the one who activated the barrier and sealed off Bai Chen's retreat.
If Bai Chen hadn't been strong enough—
Anyone else would've already been ground into dust under Hachigen's Kidō assault.
So—
To give Hachigen the lesson he deserved—
And to enjoy this rare Kidō duel to the fullest—
Bai Chen raised a hand.
"Hadō No. 88—"
"Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!!!"
His reiatsu erupted again.
In an instant, it transformed into a roaring torrent of lightning—
A colossal beam of thunder and light that blazed with dazzling blue radiance, like a leaping lightning dragon, howling as it smashed toward Hachigen!
Returning the favor in kind.
Now that it was his offensive turn—
There was no reason for Bai Chen to hold back.
"Tessai…"
"If you can't even withstand this…"
"Then you're not qualified to make me use Four Red Yang Formation."
After releasing the spell, Bai Chen spread his hands.
Blue reishi swirled violently around him. His white academy uniform snapped and thundered in the wind.
His gaze was steady as he watched forward—
A victor observing every twitch of his opponent.
Hachigen, staring at the lightning beam swelling larger and larger in his vision, wore an expression of absolute gravity.
He swallowed hard, murmuring in shock:
"Instant-cast Kidō… without incantation."
"And yet its scale and destructive power are comparable to Kidō above the nineties…"
"This Bai Chen…"
"In Kidō talent and strength—he's a complete monster."
Only when the offense and defense reversed—
Only when he became the one forced to defend—
Did Hachigen finally understand, viscerally, how terrifying Bai Chen truly was.
He wiped away unnecessary thoughts immediately.
Because as the lightning beam surged toward him—
There was almost no time left to respond.
"Never thought…"
"That in a fair Kidō duel…"
"I'd be pushed into this state by a newly enrolled student…"
He spoke with bitter resignation, forcing out a self-mocking laugh.
Then he gritted his teeth.
Reiatsu as deep as an abyss erupted once more from his body.
When his momentum reached its peak—
The incantation thundered from his throat.
"O heavenly child—
Walls of iron and stone—
Dragon's march, lion's roar, tiger's howl, wolf's sprint—
Cut the heavens and earth before collapse!"
"Bakudō No. 81 — Dankū!"
It was as if time rewound.
The scene from earlier replayed—
With one crucial difference:
Before, Bai Chen cast Dankū with ease—almost leisurely, without even releasing his full reiatsu.
Now—
Hachigen poured everything into it.
A fully chanted, fully powered casting.
Same Kidō.
Different execution.
The gap was obvious.
And the one who still stood above…
Was Bai Chen.
The blue-glimmering barrier slammed into place before Hachigen—
Just as the azure lightning beam arrived.
With world-ending force, it crashed into the barrier.
"BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!"
Thunder exploded.
Lightning arcs flared.
Countless strands of blue electricity tore through the air, ionizing everything in sight under overwhelming reiatsu reinforcement—
Flattening all resistance.
Even with Dankū shielding him—
Hachigen's scalp went numb.
He swallowed hard, dread rising like poison in his chest.
"At this rate…"
"Is my Dankū… about to shatter?!"
As a former Grand Kidō Master—
He should've had absolute confidence in his Kidō.
But faced with Bai Chen's sheer abnormality—
Even Hachigen didn't dare relax.
And sure enough—
A few seconds later, he saw something that made his eyes split wide.
KRAK—!
A crisp tearing sound rang out—
And cracks began to appear on the surface of Dankū under the relentless bombardment of lightning arcs!
They were still fine.
They hadn't spread fully yet.
But it was enough to scare the life out of him.
"No way!"
"My Dankū is fully chanted—fully powered!"
"And it's still about to be crushed?!"
Hachigen stared, dumbstruck.
Those tiny cracks made his head go numb.
If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes—
He would never have believed it.
What hit him even harder was this—
Up until now…
Bai Chen still hadn't used any incantation at all.
Meaning—
That terrifying lightning beam's full destructive power—
Wasn't even at maximum.
It might have been only a third of its true potential.
Just how horrifying was Bai Chen's Kidō strength?
So strong that even Hachigen—an old Kidō master—felt compelled to call him…
"The strongest."
But…
Acknowledging strength didn't mean surrender.
Even if the title "Grand Kidō Master" was now only a relic of the past—
Hachigen's personality had always been stubborn to the bone.
So—
"Kidō barrier… reinforce!"
His massive hand slapped forward with a furious roar—
"BANG!!!"
With an enormous surge of power injected into the barrier—
The Dankū that had been on the verge of collapse stabilized.
After a brief trembling, it became steady as a mountain.
Hachigen was drenched in sweat.
Only after he saw the remaining lightning arcs dissipate in large portions—no longer threatening the barrier—did he finally exhale.
"Bai Chen…"
"Even after offense and defense switched…"
"You still couldn't shake my Kidō."
The words were shameless.
Because after casting, he'd reinforced the barrier midstream with extra reiatsu.
He didn't care anymore.
To avoid looking too pathetic in front of Bai Chen—
He threw his pride away.
That statement was the last sliver of dignity he could cling to.
"So you're saying we tied?"
Bai Chen's lips curved upward.
Only now did he realize just how thick-skinned this man really was.
"That's the reality!"
"The barrier's still here, I wasn't suppressed—"
"So theoretically, this exchange means I win as the defender!"
Hachigen's logic grew more absurd by the second—
Until he was boldly claiming superiority.
"You won? You've got the nerve to say that…"
Bai Chen paused.
Then he understood why Hachigen could partner with Urahara Kisuke so well.
One loved pranks and mischief—
The other had skin thicker than steel and the attitude of a seasoned rogue.
A perfect match.
"So…"
"Bai Chen-kun."
"Hadō No. 88—Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō…"
"That's probably the highest-numbered Hadō you can use so far, right?"
Hachigen took off his reflective glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead, speaking with deliberate meaning.
The implication was obvious—
Kid, even Hadō 88 can't break my Dankū.
So what else have you got?
You're not telling me you can use legendary Kidō at your age.
Even captains struggle to control that kind of power.
Of course—
Even if he didn't say it outright—
His thoughts were transparent to Bai Chen.
Bai Chen lifted his eyes, meeting Hachigen's smug look.
Then he clicked his tongue and smiled faintly.
"You're right."
"As of now, I haven't touched the threshold of legendary Kidō."
He admitted it cleanly.
Then his tone shifted.
His gaze sharpened like a drawn blade.
"But…"
"Who said only 'legendary Kidō' can represent the strongest?"
At the same time—
Power surged violently inside Bai Chen.
A clear sign that he was about to cast again.
"What do you mean?" Hachigen frowned, confused. "Legendary Kidō are the highest-numbered spells—"
"The highest-tier techniques ordinary Shinigami can even approach!"
Then, as if struck by a thought—
Hachigen's eyes snapped wide.
His pupils expanded sharply.
He stared at Bai Chen, disbelief flooding his face.
"Bai Chen…"
"You're not telling me…"
"You can create your own Kidō?!"
The moment he asked—
He already had the answer.
Because Bai Chen's slight nod…
Was a declaration.
Before Hachigen could react further—
Bai Chen's momentum surged to its peak.
With aura like a rising tide, he cast without a seal—
"Forbidden Sealing Kidō!"
"Four Red Yang Formation!!!"
The instant that shout echoed out—
Hachigen saw it.
All around them—
The air that had been empty a moment ago—
Suddenly birthed countless dark crimson flames out of nothing.
The temperature exploded past its previous boiling point—
Soaring in a heartbeat by over a thousand degrees.
And in that moment—
Even the former Grand Kidō Master felt his breathing tighten.
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