Ichimaru Gin and Shiba Kaien each leapt onto the ring from opposite ends, all eyes following them.
The two shared remarkably similar histories—frequently mentioned together and compared for decades. And now, at last, the question of which of them was stronger would get its answer.
Sasakibe Chōjirō had already stepped down, leaving the spacious arena to the two vice-captains.
Their acquaintance wasn't deep—at most, the kind of nodding greeting exchanged in passing. Neither knew much about the other. At the last exchange meet, Kaien had seen Gin's strength for the first time.
Kaien had thought to say something before the battle, but the weight of what they were fighting for—a captaincy, not some trivial stake—made him hold his tongue, not wanting to sound arrogant.
"Vice-Captain Ichimaru, please guide me."
Gin inclined his head politely in acknowledgment.
Shinnng—
Both drew their Zanpakutō at the same time.
Around the arena, the spectators held their breath; the silence was sharp enough to hear a pin drop.
Gin's arm lifted within his wide sleeves, the short blade in his hand pointing toward Kaien.
"Shoot to kill, [Shinso]!"
The shikai command was murmured, and the small, slender blade shot out in an instant, stretching over ten meters toward Kaien's chest.
Kaien's expression didn't change. With a metallic ding, he brought his sword across his body, catching the thrust on the blade.
"Bakudō #21 — Sekienton!"
Boom!
Scarlet smoke exploded from beneath Kaien's feet, billowing outward until it swallowed him completely.
Seeing his opponent vanish into the haze, Gin snapped Shinso back, focusing sharply.
Boom!
From within the smoke, a massive red fireball erupted, roaring toward Gin.
But Gin simply flipped his Zanpakutō in hand, aiming behind himself.
Swish!
The blade shot out again, forcing back Kaien, who had flash-stepped to his rear.
Gin raised his other hand, spiritual pressure flaring.
"Bakudō #8 — Seki!"
A reishi barrier flashed into being, blocking the oncoming fireball.
Swish!
Kaien's blade came sweeping in from Gin's flank, but Shinso—contracted again to short blade—met it cleanly.
After a brief clash, Kaien pushed off and retreated, landing ten meters away.
That short exchange was enough for them to roughly gauge each other's reactions.
At least in speed, they were evenly matched.
Kaien rolled his Zanpakutō lightly in one hand, his breathing growing steadier.
"Mizuten Gyakumaki, Nejibana!"
Shhh!
Water rose from nowhere beneath Kaien's feet. As his sword spun, it transformed into a three-pronged long spear, the spiraled shaft trailing a spray of reishi droplets.
With his release, the air around him shifted—water coursed around his body as he spun the spear one-handed. Driving it into the ground, he sent a blade-edged wave tearing across the arena floor toward Gin.
Gin flash-stepped aside. The wave split stone where he'd just been, and the silver-haired shinigami slipped like a ghost through the spray, Shinso's sudden glint lancing for his distant foe.
Kaien stepped back twice, swinging Nejibana to conjure three whirling walls of water before him. Shinso's thrust was caught in the last of them, the surging current coiling tight around the blade until Gin was forced to withdraw it.
Swish!
Kaien's footwork left wet arcs on the ground as he spun his spear, slashing out transparent water blades.
Gin sidestepped the first—only for the second to shear in diagonally. His sleeves flared like white butterflies, Kidō chant whispered beneath the air-splitting steps.
"O beast-bone scattered and numbered…"
Kaien's spear swept again, a sudden wall of water rising from flat ground.
By the time Gin spoke the words "thunder roar", a Shakkahō slammed into the water wall, erupting into steam that clouded the arena.
Sssss—
"O carriage of thunder, gap of spinning wheel—!"
The chant now came from within the mist—Kaien's voice.
But Gin moved first, abandoning incantation entirely.
"Hadō #58 — Tenran!"
A cyclone ripped through the mist, clearing the air and tearing at Kaien's clothes.
Kaien spun his spear in one hand, raising water walls on all four sides to shield himself from the wind.
Six golden rods flared into existence, aiming to pin Gin in place.
He flickered away in a ghostlike step, leaping high to evade, eyes locking on Kaien below.
He'd meant to use Shinso again—but remembered how the water walls had stopped it earlier.
In shikai, Shinso's speed wasn't enough. Nor was its power.
Landing, Gin dashed straight for Kaien, weaving through the surging waves. Cold spray hit his face—the spear's tip already lunging at him.
Shhh!
As Nejibana pierced the mist, Shinso's hilt slammed against its shaft, knocking it aside. The deflected strike cratered the arena floor in a spiderweb of cracks.
Splash!
Water flew upward. Before the afterimages of their flash steps had faded, they'd traded several more attacks—Shinso's viper-quick lunges against Nejibana's water-forged bastion.
When Kaien finally caught Shinso in mid-withdraw for a thrust, Gin twisted his wrist—half-retracted blade carving a new-moon arc.
The slash cut Kaien's offense short—any further, and it would have been more than his uniform that was torn.
"Hadō #33 — Sōkatsui!"
Boom!
Blue flames burst between them. Gin flash-stepped back in one sweep, opening a wide gap.
Water rolled down both their faces—whether from the fight or their own sweat, neither could say.
Perhaps from Nejibana's stirring of the arena's water, the air here felt cooler now.
From the stands, Nobu suddenly looked up.
The once-clear blue sky had dimmed slightly; the wind had grown stronger.
In another section, Hitsugaya Tōshirō was also staring upward, faint astonishment in his eyes.
Why does this feel… familiar?
On the ring, the two faced each other again. After the breathless flurry, neither moved to attack immediately.
Kaien's gaze fixed on Gin—then he smiled faintly.
"Looks like… there's no choice but to show the real thing."
Gin's mind stirred at the meaning of those words.
Sure enough, Kaien suddenly drove his spearpoint into the ground.
Boom!
His spiritual pressure roared skyward. The shallow pools left from their fight rushed toward him as if summoned.
"[Bankai]!"
The surging water wrapped around Kaien, forming a massive blue sphere.
Moments later, it burst apart.
Liquid armor of deep-blue reishi plated his body, skirted at the waist with inverted-scale water patterns. Nejibana was gone—replaced by a far larger spear of flowing water. Behind him floated seven black spheres of liquid.
"Wakamiya Nejibana — Suigyoku Hakkei!"
His eyes were cold as the water bore him upward—like a sea god descending into the world.
Gasps rippled through the crowd; the sheer scale of his spiritual pressure was undeniably captain-class.
So this is… his bankai…
Even Nobu was briefly struck silent. The easygoing Kaien he knew was nowhere in sight.
The captains, too, were visibly surprised. Even those closest to him—Isshin, Ukitake—were seeing this for the first time.
On the field, Gin's own surprise was real. He'd always known Kaien had a bankai—but this form stirred a chill in him.
This was no bluff.
Kaien's eyes locked on Gin. The giant spear in his hand hurled forward.
Gin's heart jolted—he flash-stepped aside as the weapon struck, exploding into a geysering wave.
"First — Kyōten Kyōmei!" (Whale-Heaven Resonance)
The spiral wave rose like a dragon, tracking Gin's movements to crash down on him.
Boom!
It fell—and rose again. And again. Each impact left behind a ring of water on the ground.
Gin noticed the circles—and kept his flash steps well clear of them.
He'd tried striking Kaien directly, but the liquid armor's defense was astounding.
Before long, the rings dotted the arena.
And then—
All at once, every ring exploded upward into towering columns of water.
Dozens of them, each nearly ten meters high, filled the arena.
Even the captains' eyes widened.
But Kaien was not without cost—he could feel his reiryoku draining fast, far faster than he'd expected.
He had to end this quickly.
One of the seven black spheres behind him had already vanished.
"Second — Muken Chōrō!" (Corridor of Endless Tides)
His brows furrowed; the armor melted away, the giant spear reforming in his hands as he leapt into one of the water columns.
Gin's breath caught—Kaien's form appeared in every column.
An illusion?
No—
Every hair on Gin's neck stood on end. Instinct spun him around, blade up—
Boom!
The giant spear slammed into his short blade, the force sending it flying.
Mid-flight, Gin coughed blood, tumbling across the floor before skidding to a stop. No flash step—Kaien had simply appeared behind him.
Could he truly move freely between the columns?!
Staggering up, Gin wiped the blood from his lips.
He thought he'd heard something—glanced briefly toward the crowd—
And looked back to find himself surrounded by water columns.
Kaien held the field completely.
Gin let out a quiet sigh.
Maybe he should just surrender—
Or… try once more.
He tightened his grip on Shinso. Even Kaien's armor couldn't be invulnerable—not like Tachikawa Nobu.
The nearest column burst open—Kaien lunged out.
Swish!
This time, Gin was ready—sidestepping. Kaien vanished back into the water.
Gin's senses screamed. Surrounded like this, Kaien could strike from anywhere—
His gaze flicked, then hardened. He reversed his grip, the short blade hidden in his wide sleeves pointing behind him.
"[Bankai]—"
"Kamishini no Yari!" (God-Killing Spear)
The killing edge flashed, piercing across the entire arena, through multiple water columns, up toward the far sky.
Blood beaded down Kaien's shihakushō, running along his arm to drip onto the damp floor.
His spear fell, splashing apart into water—the impossibly fast thrust had torn into his shoulder.
Expression hard, Kaien dove into another column.
His right arm was useless now; the pain shook his breath.
And his reiryoku was nearly gone—another black sphere vanished from behind him.
Gin, having landed a hit, felt no triumph. His eyes narrowed at the faint trace of blood on the ground—then they widened.
From every column, a three-meter trident now emerged—all pointed at him.
"Third — Dankai Sanzengiki!" (Three-Thousand Tridents to Break the Sea)