The setting sun slowly thinned along the horizon, as though time itself were aging with it.
Its fading light spilled across the grounds of the Shinō Academy, dyeing the thousand-year-old buildings in a dim amber glow.
Evening had arrived.
A cool breeze drifted in from the west, shaking the cherry blossom trees in the courtyard. Before long, soft pink petals began to scatter everywhere, filling the academy grounds like drifting snow.
Standing with his wooden sword planted before him, Tachibana Ukyō watched the students desperately swinging their Asauchi.
His voice rang across the training hall.
"A true Zanpakutō—every single one has its own name. It is born alongside its Shinigami… and will perish alongside them as well!"
The students continued their drills with their Asauchi, sweat flying as they practiced.
"In battle," he continued loudly, "a Shinigami can call out the name of their blade to release greater power!"
"That is what we call Shikai… and Bankai!"
A student immediately raised a hand. "Instructor Tachibana! How do we obtain the name of our Zanpakutō?"
"By living with your Asauchi day and night—eating and sleeping alongside it. Through the method of Jinzen, you communicate with the spirit within the blade, and learn its name and release command."
"What is Jinzen?" another student chimed in.
Tachibana Ukyō paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
"Jinzen… is a state in which you converse with your Zanpakutō."
"However, each person's experience is different."
"You must find your own path to it."
At the end of his explanation, he added a reminder.
"But right now, your most urgent concern is the exam three months from now."
"You won't need to worry about Zanpakutō matters until after you formally graduate and join the ranks of the Shinigami."
"So—"
"We'll now begin sparring practice."
He glanced down at the roster and began assigning matches.
"Fujiwara Tatsuma vs. Kibune Makoto.
Oda Mako vs. Shimura Shin."
He continued reading down the list.
"Matsumoto Kogorō vs. Harano Sakura.
Ōki vs. Gekkō Senpū—"
"Instructor Tachibana, please wait!"
"What is it?"
Tachibana looked toward the source of the voice. He saw the exceptionally tall and burly Ōki raising his hand.
"Gekkō Senpū seems to be absent," he said loudly. "He hasn't shown up for class all day."
"Hmm? Is that so?"
Tachibana quickly found the name Gekkō Senpū on the roster and marked it as absent.
Then he reassigned the match.
"In that case, Ōki will fight Fūjin Taichi."
"The rest remain unchanged. Go collect your wooden swords and begin sparring according to your groups."
"Alright!"
When Ōki heard that his opponent was Fūjin Taichi, he froze for a moment.
But soon after, his expression turned strangely excited.
He dashed over to the rack and grabbed two wooden swords, then hurried back toward Taichi.
Grinning widely, he tossed one sword toward him.
"Come on, Fūjin! Let's start already!"
"…What's gotten into you?"
Taichi stared at the unusually enthusiastic giant in confusion.
Why was this guy so pumped up?
Did he take some kind of stimulant or something?
"I'm coming!"
Ōki suddenly flashed a fierce grin.
Then he charged forward like a human tank, wooden sword raised high.
The sheer momentum alone created an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"So you're treating me like an easy target, huh?"
Taichi frowned slightly.
His wooden sword came up across his chest as he assumed a defensive stance.
"Yaaah!!"
Ōki rushed forward recklessly.
Within a few strides he was already in front of Taichi.
The wooden sword in his hands came crashing down with full force.
BAM!
But the scene he had imagined—Fūjin Taichi being knocked flat with a single strike—never happened.
A flash of confusion crossed Ōki's eyes.
Because the space in front of him…
…was empty.
Taichi was gone.
Whoosh—!
The sound of air tearing behind him made Ōki react instantly.
Without hesitation, he threw himself into a clumsy forward roll, tumbling across the ground three full turns with sword in hand.
Only then did he narrowly avoid the strike aimed at his back.
"What?! That just now—"
Watching from nearby, Tachibana Ukyō had witnessed the entire exchange.
A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.
Shunpo? That guy Fūjin Taichi... has he mastered the Shunpo technique? How is that possible... He's just a first-year who's only been here a few days!
Meanwhile, Ōki scrambled back to his feet in a rather embarrassing fashion.
His small eyes locked tightly onto Taichi.
His right hand clenched the wooden sword unconsciously.
"That's impossible! There's no way he could've dodged that!"
"How did he suddenly appear behind me?!"
"How the hell did he do that?!"
Not far away, Kibune Makoto watched the fight unfold.
He couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Idiot. Fūjin Taichi's swordsmanship might be sloppy…but that doesn't mean his talent with Shunpo is bad.
Kibune glanced at the furious Ōki and scoffed silently. If you want to beat that guy… you'd better start by catching up to his speed.
Just as I thought. Fūjin Taichi kept his eyes locked on Ōki while quietly analyzing the situation.
My sword swing can't keep up with the speed of Shunpo. That's why my strike just now missed completely.
Still, he couldn't help feeling grateful.
I really have to thank Mr. Fujino, the author of The Instant I Mastered Shunpo. The technique he described are… ridiculously useful.
Across from him, Ōki swallowed.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead as he stared at Taichi's unmoving figure.
At this moment, Taichi felt less like a harmless rookie and more like a tiger wearing pigskin, patiently waiting for the right moment to devour its prey.
Yet—
Ōki's gaze drifted toward Matsumoto Kogorō standing nearby, and he couldn't help cursing in his heart.
You bastard!
You and your little brother sneaked off this morning to watch Fūjin Taichi train with Kibune Makoto. Then you came back swearing up and down that the guy's swordsmanship was garbage!
You said he was so skinny a strong breeze could knock him over!
Were you screwing with me?!
"Hey! What are you staring at me for?" Matsumoto Kogorō shouted cheerfully from the sidelines. "Just go beat him already!"
"Beat your ass…" Ōki muttered under his breath.
His hands tightened around the wooden sword.
Originally, he had planned to use this match to defeat Taichi in a single strike and make a name for himself.
But after the brief exchange just now…
He realized things weren't nearly that simple.
Taichi, meanwhile, remained equally tense.
The palm gripping his wooden sword was already slick with sweat, yet he didn't dare relax for even a second.
If I get knocked down by some background character like Ōki…
Even if I become the Soul King someday, I'll never live down the humiliation of today!
"Hey, you two."
A voice suddenly cut in.
It was Tachibana Ukyō, who had noticed the stalemate and walked over.
"How long are you planning to stand there staring at each other?"
"If you're going to fight, then fight. If not, I'll call it a draw. Don't just stand there doing—"
"Waaah! That was amazing!!"
"So cool!!"
A sudden chorus of excited female voices interrupted him.
Tachibana blinked and turned his head in confusion.
Not far away, a young man from Class Two had just casually returned his wooden sword to the rack.
Around him, a cluster of girls had gathered, staring at him with starry eyes.
The young man at the center of it all was Fujiwara Tatsuma.
"Hey! Why are you putting the sword back already?" Tachibana called out while walking toward him. "Your opponent—"
But after only a few steps, he stopped.
His brows furrowed deeply at the sight before him.
"Too weak."
Fujiwara Tatsuma tilted his chin toward the ground behind him, then casually crossed his arms and walked away.
A swarm of girls immediately followed after him like ducklings.
"What…?! That's—"
The commotion caught Taichi's attention as well.
He turned to look.
And then his eyes widened.
On the wooden floor not far away lay Kibune Makoto.
His face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
He was sprawled face-down, completely motionless.
Clearly… he had been knocked unconscious.
"Kibune… lost that badly?!"
Taichi was stunned.
Just that morning he had personally experienced how terrifying Kibune's swordsmanship was.
And yet—
Fujiwara Tatsuma had defeated him in only two or three exchanges.
That guy…was even stronger than Kibune.
The shock of the scene made Taichi forget something extremely important.
His own fight wasn't over yet.
By the time he heard the sharp whistle of air behind him—
it was already too late.
"Haha! Got you!"
Ōki lunged forward like an arrow.
Taking advantage of Taichi's momentary distraction, he swung his wooden sword down with full force.
WHAM!
Taichi was sent flying.
"Ōki, you bastard! Sneaking up on me when I wasn't ready—!"
Before Taichi could finish his furious rant—
his vision suddenly went black.
And he lost consciousness.
...
BOOM—!
Lightning streaked across the dark, cloud-filled sky. Thunder followed, shaking the very air of the island.
The purple-haired woman in red stood alone by the crooked tree on the cliffside, gazing at the rolling waves in the distance. Taichi looked at the familiar surroundings and knew he had returned to his Jinzen space. He trudged up the cliff and sighed.
"Listen, I know I'm not worthy of knowing your name or even talking to you here... but I'm here anyway. And in such an embarrassing way, too..."
The red-clad woman finally spoke.
"…Are you always this slow?"
"Huh?"
"The clouds here are getting lower."
"The sea is rising closer."
"And even the thunder sounds more furious with every passing moment."
She turned her head and looked straight at him.
"Do you really not understand why?"
"Why…?"
"This place," she said calmly, "is the reflection of a Shinigami's inner heart."
"When it becomes filled with darkness, fear, and other negative emotions…"
"…that is when a Shinigami begins to fall into Hollowfication."
"Turn into a Hollow?!" Taichi nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Shinigami can turn into Hollows too?!"
"…Perhaps."
She hesitated slightly.
"Only if you wish to grow stronger can I help you."
"But if you choose to remain stagnant…"
"…then I can only watch as you fade into nothingness."
She lifted one hand.
In an instant—the entire island was filled with countless blades.
Long swords.
Short swords.
Curved sabers.
Straight katana.
They covered the ground like a forest of steel.
Thousands upon thousands of them.
"…Here we go again."
Taichi pursed his lips.
He glanced at the heavy, oppressive clouds overhead.
Then at the seawater already flooding half a foot over the island's ground.
Finally—
he made up his mind.
"Alright!"
"I've decided!"
"I'm going to get stronger!"
"I'll become stronger no matter what!"
"Even if I lose all my hair someday, I'm still going to become the strongest Shinigami alive!!!"
"I see."
The red-robed woman slowly turned around.
Drawing a long blade from her waist, she spoke coldly.
"Then swing your sword, Taichi! Fight me with the conviction of a man prepared to die!!"
Seeing this, Taichi reached down and pulled a curved blade from the ground beside him.
Without hesitation—
he charged forward.
Soon, the two figures clashed in fierce combat atop the storm-lashed island.
...
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