Byakuya's athletic ability was no joke.
To avoid the ground-hugging Geki, he had leapt at least two or three meters into the air. It was not that he insisted on dodging by jumping—rather, Ling Qing's Kidō techniques were far more unpredictable than expected.
And Geki was a single-digit Bakudō. For all he knew, Ling Qing had already modified it beyond recognition. Better to dodge as far as possible—who knew if those two cords might suddenly bend and wrap around him?
Byakuya's judgment was correct.
And that caution was exactly what Ling Qing wanted.
The Yellow Fire Flash fired from the blade's edge had a narrow effective radius, only a few finger-widths wide—but its power was not something one could simply take head-on.
Byakuya had no choice but to interrupt his Shikai.
Shing!
The pale purple scabbard snapped up in front of his chest, just in time to intercept the incoming Yellow Fire Flash.
Boom!
A Zanpakutō's core was exceptionally sturdy.
All the force of the Yellow Fire Flash was canceled out as Byakuya was knocked backward through the air.
"Hadō—"
"Stop!!"
Ling Qing's next incantation was cut off halfway by Byakuya's hoarse shout.
Thud.
After Byakuya landed and steadied himself—
"You surrender?" Ling Qing asked, sliding the partially drawn blade back into its sheath.
"How could I!" Byakuya snapped.
"It's just that… I think we need to change the rules first."
His gaze drifted slightly.
"This spar is mainly for me to get familiar with fighting using Shikai. You're not even giving me time to release it—don't you think that's a bit excessive?"
"Real combat," Ling Qing replied calmly.
"I know it's real combat, but Soul Reapers don't fight alone. With so many comrades around, surely someone could create an opening for a Shikai release, right?"
"…It's rare to see your brain working this fast."
Ling Qing straightened up and temporarily relaxed his stance.
"Fine. How do you want to change the rules?"
"You can't stop me from releasing my Zanpakutō," Byakuya said quickly, seizing the opportunity.
"So, we start fighting after you finish releasing it?"
"Exactly!"
"Alright."
The moment Ling Qing spoke, chanting had already begun.
"Bakudō Number Thirty-Nine—"
"!?"
Before shock could even register on his face, Byakuya understood Ling Qing's intent from his eyes.
Not interfering with Shikai did not mean refraining from setting up defenses in advance.
"Enkōsen!"
A hemispherical barrier unfolded in front of Ling Qing. Only then did Byakuya hurriedly raise his Zanpakutō.
"Scatter—"
"Bakudō—"
Byakuya's reaction was not slow. Ling Qing's follow-up binding incantation was completely drowned out by the release of Shikai.
"Senbonzakura!"
Whsh—
The blade scattered like dancing petals, refracting soft pink-white light that filled nearly half the chamber.
Overflowing with aesthetic flair.
"Well?" Byakuya gave a light swing of his arm. The storm of cherry-blossom blades traced an elegant arc through the air.
"My Zanpakutō qualifies as the most beautiful in Soul Society, doesn't it?"
"…Yes!" Ling Qing answered without hesitation.
The fact that he refrained from calling it flamboyant was already an act of mercy. Naturally, he was not about to tell Byakuya that this title would one day be taken by his future sister-in-law. For now, he might as well enjoy it.
"You've got taste," Byakuya said smugly.
He still hadn't noticed anything odd about Ling Qing.
"Since your eyes are working today, I'll generously show you what Senbonzakura can really do!"
"It's not just pretty!"
With a sharp motion of his wrist, the blades of Senbonzakura drifted around him like leaves caught in an autumn breeze.
"I know."
"…Huh? What do you know?"
Ling Qing's concise reply instantly punctured Byakuya's rising sense of grandeur.
"I know Senbonzakura's ability. The blade disperses into countless microscopic edges, appearing like petals as they reflect light—"
"Is there anything wrong with that description?"
"…."
Byakuya fell silent.
That description was word-for-word what he had said when demonstrating Shikai to Kuchiki Ginrei.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked.
Fortunately, at his age, Byakuya was not overly sensitive about intelligence leaks. He was simply surprised—again—by Ling Qing's information network.
"Come on," Ling Qing shrugged.
He had only meant to tease Byakuya, but realizing he had let something slip, he hastily smoothed things over.
"My sources are wide-ranging. You know that."
"…Fair enough."
They had only known each other for a year, yet during their time at Shin'ō Academy, Ling Qing often obtained secrets even Byakuya had never heard—some involving the Shihōin family's feline intelligence network, information most mid-level nobles would never touch in their lives.
Byakuya had long grown used to it.
And although he was impulsive, at this age he was also fiercely loyal. Anything Ling Qing told him stayed sealed tight.
"Alright!" Byakuya ended the break.
"Knowing Senbonzakura's ability and facing it yourself are two completely different things."
"Let's continue!"
He raised his right arm straight, pointing the empty hilt toward Ling Qing.
"Senbonzakura!"
Whoosh!
The petals surged forward.
Thousands of razor-thin blades swept in simultaneously from the front, left, and right.
Crack!
The blades struck Enkōsen head-on.
Bakudō Thirty-Nine lasted just over two seconds before fine cracks spread across its surface.
This was not just a difference in spiritual pressure—it was the qualitative leap brought by Shikai.
"Useless!"
As the blades struck from both sides, Enkōsen shattered into scattered particles of light.
"It's over!"
The moment the barrier collapsed, Senbonzakura converged from every direction toward Ling Qing, who appeared defenseless.
Clang-clang-clang!
The blades shredded everything within the encirclement.
Because of the distance, Byakuya could not perfectly control their trajectories. Many petals collided midair and fell to the ground, temporarily unusable.
But that didn't matter.
The losses would recover quickly.
And with such dense coverage, Byakuya was confident Ling Qing could not escape unscathed.
However—
Something felt wrong.
Byakuya had deliberately limited the lethality. Given his understanding of Ling Qing, this attack should have subdued him without causing serious harm.
Yet the blades passed straight through Ling Qing's body.
"Damn it!"
It took Byakuya a fraction of a second to realize the truth.
What Enkōsen had protected was not Ling Qing's real body, but a new Kidō whose chant had been completely masked by Senbonzakura's release:
"Bakudō Number Twenty-One — Sekkōton."
Sekkōton itself was merely a smoke-producing binding spell. It could not form a human silhouette.
But when combined with another Bakudō—
"Bakudō Number Twenty-Six — Kyokkō."
Kyokkō concealed one's presence. When fused with Sekkōton through specialized techniques, it could create a realistic decoy.
That technique was something Byakuya had suffered against repeatedly under Yoruichi Shihōin:
Utsusemi.
Byakuya could not yet use such advanced Shunpo techniques himself. But in trying to analyze their weaknesses, he had studied them extensively with Ling Qing.
The result was this modified Kidō.
Executing it required dual chanting, something well beyond ordinary students. Adding chant omission on top of that placed it beyond even Byakuya's current capabilities.
And yet—
The technique meant for dealing with a feline mentor had been used on him instead.
As Byakuya searched for Ling Qing amid the chaotic spiritual pressure stirred by Senbonzakura's wide-area attack, a voice sounded quietly behind him:
"Where are you looking?"
"!!"
Byakuya spun around sharply.
Seeing Ling Qing standing there with yet another new Kidō, his eyes burned with unspoken protest.
"You said you wouldn't use Shunpo!"
Ling Qing did not even bother to respond with a look.
He had only said Byakuya couldn't use Shunpo. He never said anything about himself.
Besides—
At most, this was fast movement. It didn't even qualify as Shunpo.
"Bakudō Number Thirty."
Ling Qing raised his hand and traced a precise inverted triangle in the air.
"Shitotsu Sansen!"
Golden fang-shaped beams formed at the triangle's vertices.
Whoosh!
Like a predator's bite, the beams locked onto Byakuya's arms and waist at point-blank range.
At this distance, there was no time to chant new Kidō.
And as for Senbonzakura—
The gap between Shikai and Bankai was absolute. The blades were limited in number and speed, and all of them were still concentrated on the far side of the field.
They could not return in time.
"No way!"
Byakuya whipped his left arm backward. From between his fingers, more than a dozen streaks of light shot forward to meet Shitotsu Sansen head-on!
Boom—!
The beams were not pierced through, but they detonated upon impact with the blades.
Boom!
"Well done," Ling Qing murmured, genuinely impressed.
He had thought Byakuya had committed all his blades to offense. He hadn't expected him to keep some in reserve—whether for defense or a surprise counter.
"But—"
Before the explosion's light faded, sharp whistling cut through the haze.
"!!"
The Asauchi, sheath and all, was hurled like a spear straight at Byakuya's head!
Whoosh!
Byakuya barely dodged. Had he not evaded Ling Qing's Thrust the same way earlier in the dorm, he might not have reacted in time.
"Too naïve!"
"Huh?"
As he twisted aside, Byakuya saw spiritual cords coiled around the sheath.
"Bakudō Number Four — Hainawa!"
Snap!
The Asauchi yanked tight like a gravity snare, binding Byakuya instantly.
Despite his caution, it was not enough. Knowing Ling Qing could use dual chanting should have made him even more wary of hidden traps beneath visible spells.
"Hadō Number Eleven."
Orange lightning raced along the cords.
"Tsuzuri Raiden!"
Crackle.
Smoke rose from Byakuya's body as intense paralysis seized him.
White Lightning was Ling Qing's most-used Hadō, but lightning-based Kidō in general suited him well.
If Tsuzuri Raiden could be cast freely without conduction limits, he would have used it even more.
At the same time—
"Hadō Number Thirty-Three."
Ling Qing turned slightly, three fingers aligned toward Byakuya.
"Sōkatsui!"
A blue-white pillar of flame roared forward—
Boom!!
"Do you admit defeat?"
"Like hell I do!"
The two sat cross-legged at the center of the field.
Byakuya folded his arms, glaring stubbornly.
The damage from Tsuzuri Raiden and Sōkatsui had mostly healed. As a fifth-rank, vice-captain-level Soul Reaper, Ling Qing's Kidō could not seriously injure him.
Their sparring rule had never changed:
If one was struck in a vital spot by Kidō or an Asauchi while unguarded, the match was over.
"Chant omission, dual chanting, modified Kidō, composite Kidō," Byakuya muttered, counting on his fingers as he listed Ling Qing's crimes.
"This is a mock battle! Do you understand what that means?"
"Even the Kidō Corps don't fight with this many tricks!"
"…."
Ling Qing clicked his tongue.
"Your spiritual pressure is already vice-captain level. If we're simulating combat, your opponents should at least be vice-captains too."
He began counting on his fingers instead.
"Calling the Vice-Kidō Commander would be unfair, but any vice-captain skilled in Kidō would be far more vicious than I am."
"Can you deny that?"
Unexpectedly, Byakuya completely missed the point.
"Vice-captain?"
"…Hmm?" Ling Qing raised an eyebrow.
"You're saying I already need to measure myself against vice-captains?"
"…Sigh."
Ling Qing covered his face.
"Young Master Byakuya, could you have some self-awareness?"
"Even if Seireitei doesn't emphasize authority ranks anymore, you should at least know where you stand."
Without the Shunpo restriction, Ling Qing wouldn't have been able to lock onto him at all. Byakuya would have ended the fight in two exchanges.
"Your words are harsh, but it kind of sounds like praise?"
"…Yes!" Ling Qing growled.
And he meant it. Mainly because he could already foresee being dragged into endless sparring sessions in the future. Captains varied, but vice-captains were always overworked.
Even the Kuchiki heir wouldn't be exempt.
"Ah…" Byakuya scratched the back of his head shyly.
"It's not that impressive, really."
With his status, flattery was common—but it usually came from people he didn't respect. Those who truly cared about him rarely praised him outright.
Ling Qing was the same.
Since they'd grown close, Ling Qing insulting him less was already rare. Praise was almost unheard of.
"But I think you're right," Byakuya said, clapping Ling Qing's shoulder twice.
Though shorter, the sitting-and-standing positions somehow gave Byakuya an oddly imposing air.
"The people I need to surpass now are the vice-captains of each division!"
"…What's with that look?"
Ling Qing shook his hand off.
"Encouraging you to work harder."
Byakuya struck a mock-solemn pose.
"Seventh-rank authority…"
"Until you reach vice-captain level, I can't even go all out against you. I might forget how to use Shunpo in real combat~"
"#!"
If this brat weren't so fast, Ling Qing would have beaten him on the spot.
"So!" Byakuya leaned in again.
"To help you catch up sooner—"
He pulled out a delicate, cord-tied square box.
"A gift for you. No need to thank me."