The blinding effect of Jintō gradually faded, and Tetsuzaemon Iba's vision returned.
But in his attempt to dodge the rain of spiritual pressure blades from Sajin Komamura, he had already left the arena's boundaries.
"Damn it! I forgot where the boundary was for a moment, and you got me!" Tetsuzaemon found it hard to accept that he had lost without even showing much of his strength.
But he was not a sore loser. "I'll make it to the top eight. Next time we meet, I won't lose to a move like that!"
Tetsuzaemon didn't linger and turned to leave.
"That way of using 'Ryūkō' is so crude, yet it can achieve a wide-area attack effect... that's really surprising!" It was also the first time Isshin Shiba had seen Sajin use 'Ryūkō' like that.
Isshin wanted to try if he could produce a similar 'Ryūkō'.
He plunged his Zanpakutō into the ground, used the ground as a scabbard to gather power, and quickly unleashed a flash of light.
Spiritual pressure blades attached to the gravel kicked up by his sword and flew out.
"It's possible... but the coverage area isn't as wide," Isshin scratched his face.
The 'Ryūkō' that Sajin unleashed in that manner had a much larger scale. It was almost impossible to dodge in the arena. You either had to block it or move behind him faster than the 'spiritual pressure blades' could reach you.
"Sajin has greater strength, so he kicks up more gravel," Aizen Sōsuke said. "And the gravel from his 'Ryūkō' also includes the dust created by his 'Jintō' earlier. Those 'spiritual pressure blades' still carry the blinding effect of 'Jintō'. This move would have a great suppressive effect against multiple enemies."
There was one match left in Group One.
Lisa Yadōmaru and Sōya Azashiro had both lost twice, to Sajin and Tetsuzaemon.
Now, the top of the Group One scoreboard was Sajin Komamura, who had achieved a perfect record in the group stage and become the group's winner.
Second place was Tetsuzaemon Iba.
Third place was tied between Lisa and Sōya.
They hadn't yet faced each other.
Only the top three on the scoreboard would be eligible to challenge the winners of other groups.
Therefore, the match between Lisa and Sōya was crucial. The winner would get one more point and earn the right to challenge.
The students watching below were also discussing it.
"The competition in Group One is so intense. Lisa Yadōmaru and Sōya Azashiro are both Professor Katori's disciples, right? Only one of them will have a chance to advance..."
"I wonder which of them is stronger."
"I think it's Sōya Azashiro. I was there for his registration test. He can use 'Rikujōkōrō'! He's very strong!"
"Isn't he a first-year?! He's even learned a level-61 Bakudō! That's too impressive... I'm in my fourth year and can only do Kidō below level 30."
"Knowing powerful Kidō doesn't necessarily mean you're strong. I think his combat sense is much worse than Lisa's!"
Sōya Azashiro heard the discussion. He was already nervous, and now he became even more so.
But the referee was already urging them to get on stage, so he could only brace himself and step up.
In contrast, Lisa was very confident in herself.
She came from the Rukongai and cherished the opportunity to train at the Katori dojo. She worked much harder than Sōya on a daily basis.
"Give me your all. I won't hold back!" Lisa quickly thrust a finger, and a spiritual pressure blade shot toward Sōya.
"Bakudō #8. Seki!" Sōya raised his hand, and a shield of spiritual energy blocked the attack.
But when he looked up, Lisa had already disappeared.
"Behind!" Sōya swung his sword behind him but only hit an afterimage.
At the same time, figures of Lisa appeared on his left and right sides, both swinging their swords at him.
"Lisa has already learned the professor's 'Shihō Shungeki'?" Sōya was shocked.
'Shihō Shungeki' required extremely high sword-swinging speed and Shunpo speed. It was one of the most difficult techniques to learn in the Katori style.
Sōya hadn't even started learning it, yet Lisa could already use it in a real fight.
However, Lisa hadn't actually fully mastered it yet. The standard for 'Shihō Shungeki' was to attack from four directions simultaneously, and she could only manage three.
Puchi—
Sōya failed to block the pincer attack from the two Lisas, and both his arms were cut.
"Sōya's combat sense is a bit lacking. His swing speed isn't fast enough. It would have been better to dodge an attack like that," Aizen said.
"Lisa's swordsmanship and Shunpo are very good. The only difference between her and us is her Spiritual Pressure and Shikai," Isshin lamented.
"Lisa trains very hard," Sajin nodded.
In terms of effort, Lisa was on par with Sajin.
At that moment, the three of them looked in the same direction.
"Kana-nee is here too!" Isshin greeted the newcomer.
"Sōya has a match today, so I came to see. I just happened to be switching shifts, otherwise I would have been here earlier!" As his older sister, Kana Azashiro had to care about her brother's match.
"So it's Lisa and Sōya fighting now... oh dear, Sōya is no match at all!" Kana saw her brother at a disadvantage as soon as she arrived and began to wonder if she had been too lenient with him.
The Azashiro family didn't have a culture of pushing their children hard. Kana had previously felt that her brother was still young and it was normal for him to want to play, so she hadn't put any demands on his training.
Yet now, he was being completely suppressed by Lisa, who was the same age.
His combat sense, swordsmanship, and Shunpo were all a league below hers.
On the stage, after his arms were injured, Sōya realized he should have dodged, but it was too late.
He could only retreat quickly to create some distance.
"I'm injured... I can't drag this out. I need to find a chance to use my strongest Kidō... hiss..." Sōya felt a sharp pain from his arms, which greatly affected his ability to swing his sword.
"Go, Sōya!"
Sōya suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned his head to see his sister had arrived!
"This is bad... I'm going to be embarrassed in front of my sister..." Sōya couldn't help but regret not putting more effort into his training in the past.
Lisa didn't give him time for regrets, closing the distance much faster than he could retreat.
"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel..." Sōya raised his hand and began to chant, wanting to use 'Rikujōkōrō' to lock Lisa's movements.
"Don't even think about it!" Lisa was much faster. She swung her sword to knock away Sōya's blade, then brought her left fingers together, a sharp 'spiritual pressure blade' forming at their tip.
With two fingers as a sword, she instantly thrust at Sōya's face.
Sōya was terrified. He stopped his chant and grabbed Lisa's wrist to stop her.
But the next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
Lisa's 'Shiken' was a feint. After thrusting, she immediately kneed him in the stomach.
The spiritual pressure blade at her fingertips dispersed. She reversed her grip on Sōya's wrist and flipped him over.
Sōya was thrown through the air and slammed to the ground.
Thud—
His body hit the ground hard. Before he could recover, a cold blade was pressed against his neck.
Sōya Azashiro had lost.
Having a blade at a vital point was an automatic loss.
"Lisa Yadōmaru wins, gaining another point!" the referee, Sōsuke Tanuki, announced the result.
"The professor is our guide on the path of training, but to become strong, you must rely on your own accumulated effort. You have been too lax!" Lisa said calmly.
Winning this match was something she had expected.
Lisa was indeed qualified to say so. Sōya walked off the stage dejectedly.
When he first started, he had been slightly stronger than Lisa.
But somewhere along the way, a considerable gap had formed between them, and he was the one who had been left behind.
Sōya saw his sister walking over and was too ashamed to lift his head.
"Sister... I lost... It's all my fault for not training hard..."
"A loss is a loss..." Kana didn't blame her brother. She walked over and ruffled his hair. "You can't just play around from now on. You can't neglect your training! Train hard and try to show even greater strength next time!"
Sōya nodded repeatedly. Not even making it out of the group stage was too embarrassing. He decided he would train twice as hard when he got back.
After the Group One matches ended, Isane Kotetsu also came over.
"Isane, did you get a winner's spot?" Kana asked, her heart aching at the sight of Isane's injuries. "Why are you so hurt!"
Isane had bandages in many places.
"My swordsmanship, Shunpo, and Hakuda are all average, so I had to use a more aggressive method..." Isane said, a bit embarrassed. "The wounds are actually mostly healed. These bandages were put on by the teachers from the Kaidō department..."
"Trading injury for injury... that's a dangerous way to fight..." Isshin lamented. "Were there any strong fighters in your group?"
"There was one who was a bit stronger than me," Isane recalled her final opponent. "If I hadn't traded blows, I wouldn't have been able to beat him at all."
"A winning strategy is an effective one," Aizen said with a smile.
"Does that mean I'm the only one who got knocked out in the group stage?!" Sōya felt his scalp tingle. He didn't know how he was going to face his professor.
"I still have to challenge the winner of another group to advance," Lisa said. She planned to go check out the other contestants to pick a suitable opponent.
The matches in the other groups were also mostly over, and the group winners had been decided.
Lisa went to ask a classmate who had been watching the other groups about the situation.
"Munehiro Kyōraku in Group Eight is an upperclassman who has already mastered Shikai. It's best not to challenge him."
"Same for Maki Ichinose in Group Seven. He's also an upperclassman who has mastered Shikai."
"Those two and Tetsuzaemon Iba are the three aces of the sixth-year class. They are very strong."
Lisa gathered some intel from her classmate.
"There are two more seniors who have mastered Shikai..." Lisa felt that even if she could make it to the top eight, the following matches would be very difficult.
She definitely had to go find her professor for guidance tonight!
It would be best if she could learn Shikai before the top-eight matches began!
"I'll choose the winner of Group Four as my opponent," Lisa picked an opponent who hadn't shown a Shikai.
Lisa went to the Group Four arena.
The group's winner, Tatsufusa Enjōji, had just finished resting and was ready to accept a challenge.
"Are you the challenger? Come on up."
On the stage, Tatsufusa Enjōji was bare-chested, showing off a muscular body and a rugged face.
He looked like a tough guy.
However, his hairstyle didn't quite match his tough-guy image; his hair was tied into two thin, long braids.
"Lisa Yadōmaru from Group One, here to challenge!" Lisa jumped onto the stage.
The referee looked at the Group One scoreboard, confirmed that Lisa was in the top three, and announced the start of the match.
"Taste my sword style!" Tatsufusa Enjōji drew his sword and swung it wildly.
"What kind of sword style is this?" Lisa sneered.
But Tatsufusa was tall with long arms, giving him a much larger swing radius than Lisa. His swing speed was also fast, preventing her from getting close for a moment.
However, in Lisa's eyes, his style was full of openings. She instantly disappeared with Shunpo.
Swoosh—
Tatsufusa ignored her and continued to swing his sword wildly. This was his self-created style. As long as he swung at high speed, he could form a tight, semi-circular shield of blade light, making it impossible for anyone to get near.
His attack method was also simple: just keep swinging wildly and close in.
The next moment, Lisa appeared right in front of him.
"An opportunity!" Tatsufusa was overjoyed.
He quickly pressed his blade shield forward, trying to envelop Lisa within its range.
Lisa's figure was instantly torn apart by the continuous blade light, but not a single drop of blood splattered out.
"A fake?!" Tatsufusa was momentarily stunned.
Lisa had, at some point, slid under him.
Puchi—
Lisa slid past his feet, simultaneously poking a bloody hole in his thigh.
Tatsufusa's face changed. He hadn't expected this opponent to be so fast and to see through the weakness in his sword style so quickly.
Because he was tall, his blade shield couldn't protect his whole body. He would have to squat down to protect his legs.
Before he could think, a sharp pain shot through his other leg.
He turned his head and saw another Lisa.
With both legs injured, Tatsufusa could no longer stand and had to kneel, supporting himself with his Asauchi.
"I surrender!" he shouted.
His blade shield was his only good move. It worked very well against opponents of average speed, but it was useless against Lisa, so he had no choice but to surrender.
Surrendering early would preserve his stamina. After his legs were healed, he could try challenging the winner of another group.
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