On the stage, Maki Ichinose saw the suddenly appearing polygonal crystal and thought it was some kind of Kidō he had never seen before.
But upon closer inspection, he realized that Isane Kotetsu's Zanpakutō had changed form.
Maki was stunned for a moment.
Isane knows Shikai too?!
Maki couldn't believe it.
When registering, students were required to fill in their basic information, including whether they had mastered Shikai.
Contestants could view this information to get a basic understanding of their opponents.
Maki had looked at Isane's information before the match.
Her registration form clearly did not state that she had mastered Shikai!
"Did she master it in the last few days...?"
Maki became serious.
"But... even so, you still can't hit me!"
Maki raised his Zanpakutō high, and iridescent light scattered as he vanished from his spot.
He used his Zanpakutō's ability to control light to hide his form.
Isane, standing at a distance, wasn't idle either. She swung her Zanpakutō, and the polygonal crystal that had formed in the air began to change.
Although she couldn't see Maki, he was definitely still within the arena.
The arena was large, but its area was finite.
She just needed her attack to cover the entire stage to hit him!
Boom—
The polygonal crystal suddenly exploded.
It shattered into countless icicles, shooting out in all directions with no blind spots.
Maki's reaction speed was not slow. The moment the crystal exploded, he was already looking for a place to hide.
He subconsciously wanted to move towards Isane's position. In his mind, anyone using such a wide-area attack would surely avoid hitting themselves.
But then he discovered that Isane wasn't even sparing herself!
The icicles were too dense; there was nowhere to hide.
Maki had no choice but to swing his sword to block the incoming projectiles.
A blade pierced through his abdomen.
Puchi—
The next moment, he felt a terrifying chill surge into his body from the wound.
Maki's eyes widened in disbelief.
He turned his head and saw Isane, with many icicles sticking out of her own body.
She had charged through the damage from her own attack.
When Maki was busy blocking the icicles, Isane had discovered his true location and launched an attack, pushing through the storm of ice to reach him.
"I... underestimated... you..."
The continuous chill pouring from the blade made it impossible for Maki to keep standing. He collapsed to the ground.
"Isane Kotetsu wins!" Sōsuke Tanuki announced the result of the match.
Isane's tense posture relaxed, and she immediately collapsed onto the ground, tears welling in her eyes from the pain.
"Hiss!!!"
Several icicles were embedded in her body.
She quickly pulled them out one by one and used Kaidō to heal her wounds.
Her actions had surprised the audience. No one had expected this seemingly timid girl to have such a decisive side.
"Isane has a very good disposition. Courage and decisiveness are necessary to become strong," Retsu Unohana said, nodding lightly as she watched Isane on the stage.
She was already planning to groom Isane to become her vice-captain.
"Well said!" Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni also agreed. "A tenacious will is essential for the strong!"
"Isane's character has grown a lot. When she was at home, she used to be a crybaby," Director Kotetsu said, her heart aching for her daughter, but she was also very pleased with her growth.
"Training the sword is also training the heart. Long-term, diligent training is a great help in strengthening one's will," Sora was also very satisfied with Isane's performance.
"The competition is so tough..." Kyōraku Shunsui sighed. "Katori-kun, tell me honestly, has Lisa Yadōmaru learned Shikai?"
"The next contestant, Munehiro Kyōraku, is your relative, isn't he, Shunsui? No wonder you're so concerned," Jūshirō Ukitake said with a smile.
"Munehiro is my paternal uncle's son. By generation, he's my cousin," Kyōraku was looking through the files for the next match.
The next fight was Lisa Yadōmaru vs. Munehiro Kyōraku. The file stated that Lisa had not yet mastered Shikai.
But after the last match, he didn't quite believe the files anymore.
Isane's file had said the same thing, yet she had turned the tide with her Shikai.
"Captain Kyōraku's cousin?" Sora looked at Munehiro's file. He seemed to be a well-rounded type. "Lisa has run into a difficult opponent..."
On the other side, Lisa Yadōmaru and Munehiro Kyōraku had already stepped onto the stage.
"I hear you're Professor Katori's disciple," Munehiro said, drawing his Zanpakutō. "I hope to have a taste of the Katori-style swordsmanship."
Lisa nodded with a blank expression and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
Swoosh—
The next moment, four versions of Lisa appeared around Munehiro.
Her 'Shihō Shungeki' had improved; she could previously only create three afterimages, but now she could make four!
The four Lisas swung their swords at him simultaneously.
Clang—
Munehiro picked one point and forcibly broke through the encirclement.
This made Lisa's heart sink. The fact that he could break out this way meant his Shunpo was faster than hers!
Otherwise, he would have been hit by the other three attacks while breaking out.
"It seems your Shunpo isn't as fast as mine," Munehiro had also noticed this. "In that case, you probably won't be able to catch me!"
"Revolve, Futsurai!"
Munehiro's Zanpakutō transformed into a ring-shaped weapon that flickered with lightning.
"Proficient in Shunpo, a lightning-type Zanpakutō... an opponent similar to Yoruichi-shishō...?" Lisa tried hard to recall the details of her training sessions with Yoruichi Shihōin.
Against such an opponent, she should always be wary of them getting close.
However, Munehiro's attack style was different from what she expected.
He threw the ring-shaped Zanpakutō.
It immediately began to spin rapidly in the air, looking like a flying disc flashing with lightning.
"No, Yoruichi-shishō specializes in closing in... This Munehiro's Shunpo must be used to create distance from his opponents!"
Lisa quickly understood. Munehiro's Zanpakutō was a long-range type.
In the guest seats.
"Yare yare—looks like Lisa Yadōmaru can't catch up to Munehiro," Kyōraku Shunsui said relaxedly. "If she doesn't show her true strength soon, she's going to lose!"
Munehiro was his cousin; he knew very well what he was capable of.
Munehiro's Shunpo was well-practiced, and combined with his Zanpakutō that could be quickly recalled and thrown, he was extremely agile.
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