"Then let's begin!"
As soon as Rukia's words fell, she extended her left hand and held the wooden sword diagonally.
Her body remained completely still, yet an invisible pressure spread from her.
This was not an outburst of Reiatsu, but simply an ordinary aura.
"What kind of weird sword stance is that?"
Kira and Momo were both confused.
Hisagi looked at Rukia's sword stance, and his brows furrowed as well.
Feeling the oppressive aura coming from her, he immediately put away his contempt.
Originally, he had thought Rukia's Zanjutsu had merely improved a little.
But this was far more than just a little.
Even seated officers might not necessarily possess such high mastery of Zanjutsu.
Renji, who was standing in the field, felt even greater pressure.
He did not dare to be careless.
He immediately released his Reiryoku, gripped his wooden sword tightly, and charged toward Rukia.
"Hah!"
A loud shout came from Renji's mouth as he swung the wooden sword in his hand and slashed at Rukia.
Rukia still maintained that strange sword stance.
Facing Renji's attack, she calmly twisted her wrist and slightly adjusted the angle of her blade.
The wooden sword in her hand blocked Renji's strike.
Clang!
The two wooden sword collided, producing a crisp sound.
At the same time, a powerful force came from Rukia's wooden sword and forced Renji back several steps.
"Hmph!"
Renji snorted coldly and swung his blade at Rukia again.
This time, his speed was even greater, and his strength was even stronger. Clearly, he was already using his full power.
However, Rukia did not retreat.
There was still no expression on her face.
She merely continued rotating the wooden sword in her hand, engaging Renji in an intense battle.
Clang, clang, clang!
The two wooden sword kept colliding, producing a series of crisp metallic sounds.
Each collision produced a powerful gust of air, sending dust flying from the ground around them.
Kira, Momo, and Hisagi, who were watching from outside the field, widened their eyes.
They were shocked by the scene before them.
They had never imagined that Rukia's strength would be so great. She was suppressing Renji merely by blocking his strikes.
"So strong…"
Kira murmured to himself, his eyes full of admiration.
"I knew Rukia wouldn't disappoint us!"
Momo spoke excitedly, a proud smile spreading across her face.
"Is she really Rukia?"
Hisagi thought silently to himself, his gaze becoming even firmer.
He decided to properly observe this battle and learn as much as he could from it.
The two figures crossed paths, their blades clashing and producing crisp sounds.
Rukia continued holding the wooden sword diagonally and blocked another strike without even moving a single step.
After Renji quickly pulled back, he used Shunpo and came slashing in again.
Rukia merely twisted her wrist slightly and blocked that strike as well.
He repeatedly opened up distance and attacked again, but the more he fought, the more alarmed he became.
Rukia had not moved at all.
She had blocked all of his slashes purely through the rotation of her wrist.
"She's this refined? She's nothing like how she used to be."
"How is this possible…" Renji muttered in a low voice.
Fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
Hisagi and the others also looked serious.
Had Rukia's Zanjutsu already become this powerful?
At that moment, Rukia moved.
She placed the wooden sword at her waist, stepped forward with her left foot in a bow stance, and leaned her body slightly forward. In a flash of Shunpo, she rushed straight in front of Renji's face.
The wooden sword slashed diagonally upward from below.
Before Renji could even react, he was sent flying.
After rolling several times, Renji climbed back up. Rukia did not let this chance slip by.
She continued forward with Shunpo and slashed again.
This strike landed on Renji's wooden sword.
Feeling the force transmitted through his blade, Renji was unable to maintain his grip for a moment.
The sword flew out of his hand.
"I lost…" Renji said with a bitter smile.
"Rukia, when did your Zanjutsu become this strong?"
Rukia smiled and put away the wooden sword.
"I've been working hard at training these past few years, so of course I've improved. Besides, I'm a Shinigami now."
"Even if you joined the Thirteenth Division, your Zanjutsu shouldn't have improved this much, right?"
Renji still could not understand it.
While the two were still talking, Hisagi walked over from the side of the field.
"Rukia, I also want to witness your Zanjutsu."
"What?! Hisagi-senpai wants to try too?"
Abarai showed an expression of disbelief.
"Sure, Hisagi-senpai. Please guide me."
Rukia stretched her limbs, then once again assumed that strange sword stance.
Hisagi drew his sword and charged toward Rukia, unleashing various slashes one after another.
However, all of them were easily neutralized by Rukia.
Rukia found the right moment and used Shunpo to arrive behind Hisagi.
She raised her wooden sword and slashed downward.
Hisagi hurriedly turned around and raised his sword horizontally to defend.
However, Rukia's strike was extremely fast and powerful. It directly sent both Hisagi and his sword flying.
"So strong…"
After landing, Hisagi looked at the blade trembling faintly in his hand and sighed inwardly.
"Thank you for the match, Hisagi-senpai," Rukia said with a smile.
Renji, Kira, and Momo Hinamori stared wide-eyed at everything that had just happened, their mouths hanging open, completely unable to close.
They had originally thought Rukia's Zanjutsu might have improved, but they had never imagined it had already reached such an astonishing level.
Renji Abarai, in particular, was shocked.
His own Zanjutsu was not especially outstanding.
When he had sparred with Rukia earlier and lost, he had only felt that her Zanjutsu level was high, but he had been unable to accurately judge exactly how high it was.
However, now that Hisagi had also lost, Renji finally realized that Rukia's Zanjutsu had reached a terrifying level.
If Renji formally joined the Gotei 13 and broadened his experience, he would discover that in terms of Zanjutsu alone, Rukia had not only surpassed ordinary seated officers, but even many lieutenant-level figures could not match her.
There were even some captains who were not skilled in Zanjutsu who might not necessarily gain the upper hand against Rukia.
"Rukia, who exactly did you learn your Zanjutsu from? As far as I know, there shouldn't be anyone in the Thirteenth Division with such terrifying Zanjutsu mastery, right?"
Hisagi asked with a frown. He really could not imagine where Rukia had learned such superb Zanjutsu techniques.
Rukia smiled faintly, a mysterious light flashing in her eyes.
"My Zanjutsu was indeed not learned in the Thirteenth Division."
There was a faint smile in her words, making the others even more curious.
Hisagi widened his eyes, countless guesses rising in his heart.
He tried hard to recall the people in Soul Society who were famous for their Zanjutsu, but he could not find anyone whose style resembled Rukia's.
Finally, he asked tentatively,
"Could you have learned it from Captain Zaraki of the Eleventh Division?"
After all, Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of the Eleventh Division, was famous for his overwhelming swordsmanship and unique fighting style.
However, Rukia shook her head, her smile still mysterious.
"No. Although Captain Zaraki is indeed a great swordsman, my Zanjutsu does not come from him."
She gently stroked the blade in her hand, as if feeling its power.
Hisagi became even more confused. He scratched his head, trying to sort out his thoughts.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he asked in surprise,
"Could this be a secret Zanjutsu style passed down by the Kuchiki family?"
As one of the Five Great Noble Houses of Soul Society, the Kuchiki clan had a long history and deep foundations.
Perhaps they possessed a unique Zanjutsu inheritance.
Rukia smiled.
"Actually, there's no problem in telling you. My Zanjutsu was taught to me by Captain Kazuma of the Seventh Division."
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