Ren looked at Yoruichi and sighed softly.
The woman standing before him was his former captain, the head of the Shihoin Clan, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido. Currently, she was renowned throughout the entire Seireitei by the moniker "Shunshin Yoruichi"—the Goddess of Flash. She excelled in Shunpo and Hakuda. Even among the ranks of the captains, her combat prowess was comfortably above average.
However, if it was just a casual spar, it shouldn't be much of an issue. In fact, Ren calculated that this was quite a fortunate coincidence, a perfect opportunity to grind some experience points for his Hakuda and Shunpo. With his Hakuda and Shunpo currently at Level 6, he had already crossed the threshold into captain-level mastery. He should easily be able to hold his own against a probing spar.
"Fine," Ren replied evenly. "Then let's stick strictly to Hakuda. I'll take this chance to learn from Captain Yoruichi."
He bent down, set his Zanpakuto aside, and stood back up to roll his wrists. His gaze remained calm and perfectly composed as he looked at Yoruichi, showing neither arrogance nor inferiority. He genuinely wanted to see if his current Hakuda and Shunpo were enough to trade a few blows with the legendary Goddess of Flash.
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, her grin widening. She could easily tell that Ren's composure wasn't an act, which only piqued her curiosity further. Back when he was in the Second Division, she hadn't paid much attention to this young man, though she had heard Soi Fon mention him a few times. Soi Fon had complained that his Hakuda was improving at an absurdly fast pace, and his Shunpo was equally impressive. At the time, Soi Fon's tone had carried a trace of frustration, which Yoruichi hadn't thought much of then, but now she wanted to see it with her own eyes.
The two took their positions in the center of the cavern, standing about three meters apart.
Yoruichi lightly clenched her fists and sank her weight slightly, falling into a Hakuda starting stance. Her center of gravity shifted to the balls of her feet, her arms hanging naturally. Her posture was relaxed yet laced with lethal intent, every single muscle primed to perfection. Her spiritual pressure slowly emanated from her body—not violently, but with a heavy, suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Ren assumed his own stance, locking his spiritual awareness firmly onto Yoruichi.
"Watch out."
Even as Yoruichi's voice echoed through the air, her body vanished from the spot. It was a speed pushed to the absolute limit.
Ren only caught a glimpse of an afterimage before a fist materialized right in front of his face. He jerked his head aside, the wind from the punch grazing his cheek with a sharp whistle. Yoruichi's second punch came from below, striking straight for his abdomen. Ren stepped back, parrying with his left hand as fist met palm with a dull thud. Ren was forced back a step, a slight numbness spreading through the web of his left hand.
Yoruichi's eyes lit up. "Not bad."
Giving him no room to breathe, she unleashed her Shunpo once more. Multiple afterimages blurred through the cavern as her strikes rained down like a torrent—each one fast, heavy, fierce, and precise.
Ren parried as he retreated, refraining from hasty counterattacks to focus on adapting to her rhythm. He could tell Yoruichi was still testing him; her true strength went far beyond this, and she hadn't even begun to take it seriously.
Sure enough, Yoruichi's speed and power steadily ramped up. Ren gradually found himself pushed to his limits, but he noticed system prompts flashing across his field of vision as countless fragments drifted off Yoruichi and flooded into his body.
[SYSTEM: Obtained Hakuda Fragment x15, Hakuda EXP +150] [SYSTEM: Obtained Shunpo Fragment x13, Shunpo EXP +130]
As Yoruichi's offensive intensified, the fragment drops increased. The tiny motes of light shedding from her body merged into Ren, causing his Hakuda and Shunpo experience points to climb steadily. Without even realizing it, his movements grew increasingly fluid, and subtle kinetic principles he hadn't fully grasped before were now naturally integrating into his muscle memory.
Yoruichi finally noticed something amiss. Some of Ren's movements were starting to mirror her own. It wasn't a deliberate imitation; rather, he was like a sponge soaking up water, naturally absorbing the techniques she displayed mid-combat. His parrying angles, evasion timings, and even his counter-attack windows were silently aligning with her personal style.
???
Astonished as she was, Yoruichi didn't slow her assault. If anything, her desire for battle burned even hotter. She ramped up her strength once more, pushing her speed another ten percent faster to re-establish total dominance over Ren. Yet even under her crushing suppression, every single time she accelerated, Ren managed to adapt to the new tempo within a mere few exchanges.
Their figures crossed at dizzying speeds inside the cavern. The muffled thuds of colliding fists and kicks echoed in a rapid, drum-like cadence, and the shockwaves generated by their clashing Reiatsu rippled outward, kicking up loose pebbles and dust from the ground. Yoruichi's offense was a violent tempest, while Ren's defense stood solid as a fortress. One attacking and one defending, they left countless afterimages scattered throughout the hollow.
"Your Hakuda is even stronger than Soi Fon described," Yoruichi's voice drifted from above as she drove a kick toward Ren's shoulder.
Ren raised his arms to block, the impact forcing him back several steps. "You flatter me, Captain Yoruichi."
"Heh, you still have the breath to talk? You're a pretty interesting kid."
Yoruichi's figure vanished again, striking from his flank. Ren spun to evade, throwing a backhand punch toward her waist. Yoruichi brought up her arm to parry, and as fist collided with palm, their respective spiritual pressures clashed, unleashing a resounding boom through the cavern. Both recoiled simultaneously, widening the distance between them.
"Not bad at all." Yoruichi grinned. She accelerated yet again, this time exerting nearly her full base speed.
The pressure on Ren spiked dramatically. Even though his proficiency in Hakuda and Shunpo was skyrocketing mid-fight, Yoruichi's baseline strength was simply monstrous—so overwhelming that even with the system's help, he couldn't bridge the gap in such a short window.
"Is this your limit, Hasumi?" Yoruichi asked with a smirk, driving a fist directly toward his chest.
Ren was thrown back several paces. Managing to stabilize his stance, he slowly exhaled a plume of turbid air.
"Captain Yoruichi, am I allowed to use Kido?" Ren asked suddenly as he readjusted his stance.
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "What, do you think using Kido will help you beat me?" She smirked. "If you think it can, then by all means, go ahead."
A faint smile touched Ren's lips. "Alright. Watch out then, Captain Yoruichi."
Ren raised his hand. No incantation, no hand signs.
Three pillars of golden light shot out from his palm, locking onto Yoruichi from three distinct angles. It was a chantless Bakudo #30: Shitotsu Sansen.
Yoruichi's eyes widened slightly. With a quick flash, she effortlessly bypassed the trajectories of the three golden beams. Yet the very instant her feet touched the ground, her body suddenly seized up. Six beams of golden light flared from all directions, pinning her securely mid-air.
Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro.
Yoruichi looked down at the golden beams locking her in place, then raised her head to look at Ren. For the first time, her golden pupils rippled with genuine shock and disbelief.
Setting aside the fact that he had executed two high-level Bakudo completely chantless... Ren had actually predicted her most likely landing zone based purely on their brief exchange the moment she dodged the Shitotsu Sansen, prepping the Rikujokoro well in advance. Moreover, it seemed like he had cast them simultaneously!
What in the world was this?
Yoruichi was completely stunned. If her eyes hadn't deceived her, Ren had managed to cast both Shitotsu Sansen and Rikujokoro chantlessly at the exact same time. One served as bait to force her movement, while the subsequent Rikujokoro was his true objective. And Ren had actually succeeded in trapping her.
"Dual Chant... combined with Eishohaki?" Yoruichi's voice sounded a bit dry.
Ren had no time to answer her because he was already reciting an incantation. This time, it wasn't a chantless cast, but a full, pristine recitation, each syllable carrying immense weight. His voice resonated within the cavern as his spiritual pressure surged exponentially with the rhythm of the words.
"Bakudo #62: Hyakuri Rankan!"
As the incantation concluded, countless rods formed of spiritual energy rained down from the air, hurtling toward Yoruichi with a roaring boom. If she was struck by a high-ranking Bakudo of this caliber, this spar would be definitively over.
Facing the formidable high-level Bakudo, Yoruichi remained perfectly composed. She didn't struggle, nor did she even try to break free from the Rikujokoro. Yet, the split second before the rods were about to skewer her, her figure abruptly vanished.
The energy rods slammed into the vacant ground, blasting out several craters and sending stone shrapnel flying. Locked firmly at the epicenter of the impact zone was nothing but a black captain's haori.
Ren blinked, staring at the cloak pinned to the ground.
From behind him, Yoruichi's voice slowly drifted over. "That's Utsusemi—an advanced application of Shunpo. By sacrificing a piece of clothing as a decoy, you can teleport your body to safety."
Ren turned around to look at her. Yoruichi stood a short distance away with her arms crossed, a faint smile on her face. Her outer clothing was gone, leaving only her form-fitting stealth gear.
"Your Kido is impressive," she paused. "But your predictive ability and tactical mindset are what truly blow me away."
Ren said nothing. Inside his mind, system prompts were flashing.
[SYSTEM: Advanced Shunpo application detected: Utsusemi. Analyzing... Success.] [SYSTEM: Unlocked Shunpo branch skill - Utsusemi: Basic (1%)]
Ren pulled his gaze back. This fight was already completely worth it.
"Captain Yoruichi, do you want to keep going?"
Yoruichi looked at him, a trace of complexity flickering through her eyes. Then, her smile grew even wider. "Of course. I haven't had nearly enough fun yet." She rolled her wrists. "Though it looks like standard moves won't be enough to put you down anymore."
She paused, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes. "Let me show you this secret technique. I recall you and Soi Fon once tried developing this ability, so it shouldn't be completely unfamiliar to you. That said, I don't use this power very often, so I might have trouble controlling my output. Watch yourself."
As she spoke, she glanced down at her outfit. Since her outer haori had just been expended for the Utsusemi, she didn't need to strip anything else off.
Yoruichi dropped her shoulders slightly, and a torrent of Kido-infused spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from her back and shoulders. Her Reiatsu surged violently, causing the surrounding airflow to turn wild and turbulent, sending loose rocks rolling across the ground.
"Shunko," Yoruichi murmured softly.
This was the pinnacle technique that fused Hakuda with Kido, granting the user speed and power far beyond their natural limits. Ren's pupils dilated slightly. At this moment, Yoruichi's spiritual pressure surged like a raging thunderstorm, the savage weight of the oppression making his hair stand on end.
Yoruichi's figure vanished from the spot once more.
Before Ren could even process the movement, a flurry of strikes materialized right before him. He instinctively raised his arms to block, but a colossal force surged through them, blasting him clear across the cavern. He flipped mid-air, barely managing to land on his feet, skidding backward several dozen feet before grinding to a halt. His arms were entirely numb, the skin between his thumbs and index fingers split open, with blood trickling down his fingers. He looked down at his arms, feeling a sharp, throbbing pain radiating from the bones.
'She's terrifyingly strong.'
Yet Yoruichi gave him no time to catch his breath. Her figure materialized instantly, sweeping a kick toward his shoulder. Ren barely managed to twist his body away; the wind from the kick blew past his shoulder, gouging out a deep crater in the solid rock wall behind him.
He flipped back up, executing a Shunpo to retreat and create some space. But Yoruichi was simply too fast, leaving nothing but a blur of afterimages. Ren fought with everything he had, but Yoruichi's onslaught was too dense and overwhelming. With her holding absolutely nothing back, he was left completely without an opening to counter.
Before long, Yoruichi seized Ren's wrist, twisting him into a lock and pinning him firmly to the ground. Looking at the heavily panting Ren, Yoruichi felt a deep sense of satisfaction. She leaned down close to his ear, her warm breath brushing against his neck and making it tickle.
"Well? Do you want to keep going?" Yoruichi's voice sounded right beside his ear, carrying a thoroughly satisfied laugh. "This time, I'll even let you use your Zanpakuto."
Ren remained half-kneeling on the ground, drawing ragged breaths. He raised his head to look at her. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with the trail of blood at the corner of his mouth before dripping onto the floor. Yet, his eyes were incredibly bright.
Seeing the grin tugging at the corners of Ren's mouth, Yoruichi suddenly felt a sudden surge of foreboding.
The next instant, the grip in her hands went entirely slack. Staring at the empty black Shihakusho left in her grasp, her expression froze in utter bewilderment. She snapped her head around, only to see Ren standing a short distance away, completely shirtless with only his trousers remaining, exposing his lean, muscular upper body. A faint green light radiated across his skin—the glow of Kaido. He was actively healing his own injuries.
'Is that... Kaido?'
A brief wave of confusion washed over Yoruichi before reality clicked. 'Oh, right... Hasumi is in the Fourth Division...'
But in the very next instant, Yoruichi watched as Ren squared his stance, an equally violent surge of spiritual pressure erupting from both of his shoulders. A dark red aura of Kido fire blazed from his back and shoulders, manifesting as an eerie, heart-palpitating power.
That was...
Shunko?!
Yoruichi's eyes snapped wide. She stared blankly at Ren, watching the dark red flames dancing across his upper back and shoulders as his spiritual pressure climbed at an unbelievable velocity. Her golden eyes swirled with shock and raw excitement, along with an unmistakable thrill of finding a worthy opponent.
"Hasumi..." Yoruichi's voice trembled slightly. "The surprises you bring keep exceeding my wildest expectations."
Ren rolled his shoulders, feeling the raw power churning within his body. "Captain Yoruichi, please guide me."
Yoruichi's grin was now filled with the pure, unadulterated ecstasy of a warrior. "Bring it!"
Both figures vanished simultaneously from the spot. Inside the cavern, the two blurred silhouettes collided at extreme speeds, the massive booms of their clashing limbs sending showers of loose pebbles cascading down the stone walls. Ren's proficiency with Shunko skyrocketed with every violent collision against Yoruichi.
[SYSTEM: Shunko proficiency +5%] [SYSTEM: Shunko proficiency +8%] [SYSTEM: Shunko proficiency +12%] ...
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