There were noticeably more spectators at this round of the swordsmanship assessment. Though the elimination stage didn't warrant the presence of captains or nobles, students from other classes and many instructors had gathered to watch. Even Kotetsu Ayane and Deputy Headmaster Tsunayashiro had come.
And because these were live blade duels, Deputy Headmaster Tsunayashiro had invited members of the Kaido Department to be on standby for any injuries.
The Kaido Department was an independent medical unit, separate from the Fourth Division, traditionally serving the nobility.
Compared to the wooden sword matches, these real-blade fights were far more brutal. Once the elimination rounds began, every match resulted in injuries. The Kaido Department members were swamped with work.
Katori Nanatsuki, acting as referee, had to stay constantly alert to make sure no student was cut down on the spot.
Hirako Shinji stepped onto the stage. His opponent was a delicate-looking girl.
Apparently popular in Class One, she waved charmingly to the audience. Her classmates erupted into cheers, supporting her loudly.
"I'm so lucky to be facing someone as strong as Shinji~" she said sweetly, her voice melting hearts all around. "But I'm really scared of getting hurt. Could you go easy on me~?"
"Eh?" Hirako Shinji scratched his face. "Well, sure, let's get started."
'Got him!' she thought, thrilled. She was about to say more—
Whoosh!Hirako Shinji suddenly vanished.
"Wa–wait..." she said, startled as he reappeared before her.
But before she could finish—
Thud! Pain exploded in her chin.
The hilt of Hirako Shinji's Zanpakutō had struck her squarely under the jaw.
Her eyes rolled back. She crumpled.
"Knocking you out right away means it won't hurt, right?" Hirako Shinji said, sheathing his blade.
"Chizuru-chan!" Ōmaeda Kishinosuke howled. "I'll avenge you!"
"Why can't I get an opponent like that?!" grumbled Muguruma Kensei, filled with envy and frustration.
After a few more matches, it was Muguruma Kensei's turn to face Kuchiki Sōjun.
Kuchiki Sōjun was the most well-known among this year's students. The moment he stepped into the arena, the crowd broke into cheers and applause.
Even girls from other classes were swept up by his charm and called his name.
Feeling completely overshadowed, Muguruma Kensei scowled. "I won't lose to you again."
Kuchiki Sōjun drew his Zanpakutō, smiling calmly. "Give it your all. Let me see how far you've come."
The composed tone irritated Kensei even more. He unsheathed his blade in a flash.
In a burst of Shunpo, he appeared at Kuchiki Sōjun's side, unleashing a sharp horizontal slash.
Clang! Kensei didn't force the blow but instead allowed the deflection to guide his blade's motion, letting it rebound naturally. He followed that arc, using the motion to reposition.
Twisting the hilt, he aimed a rising slash at Kuchiki Sōjun's back.
Whoosh!Kuchiki Sōjun avoided it with Shunpo, countering with a slash at Kensei's right shoulder.
"It's a trap, hah!" Kensei had predicted this. His upward slash had only been a feint.
The blade reversed course mid-motion and came slicing back toward Kuchiki Sōjun.
Slice! Both fighters used Shunpo to leap back, distancing themselves.
Blood dripped from Kuchiki Sōjun's arm down to his hilt.
Muguruma Kensei's shoulder also bled, splattering the floor.
Kensei had struck Sōjun's right arm, while Sōjun had landed a blow to Kensei's shoulder.
"You've improved a lot. I underestimated you," Kuchiki Sōjun said, now more serious.
Back during the last swordsmanship exam, Kensei had been full of holes—barely able to stand.
Now, he could wound him.
'His progress is insane.'
But Sōjun hadn't stayed idle either. His increased Reiatsu had greatly enhanced his body, placing him on an entirely new level.
'Could this guy be training for Shikai too? Maybe... he's already completed it, like me?' Kuchiki Sōjun wondered.
At his level, his speed surpassed the visual response of the nervous system. In battle, he relied mostly on spiritual perception to read fluctuations in Reiatsu.
He'd fought others in the class whose Inner World hadn't even stabilized—they couldn't keep up, much less land a hit.
Shikai Meditation Training was a major threshold. Anyone who crossed it underwent a qualitative transformation.
That's why Sōjun seriously suspected Kensei had already entered that stage.
Their fight continued. Unlike wooden sword matches where points decided the winner, real-blade duels were far crueler. Victory required forcing the opponent to surrender—or become unable to continue.
"I said it—I'm taking first place!" Kensei shouted, disappearing once more with Shunpo.
Kuchiki Sōjun sensed the shift behind him, turned, and raised his blade to parry.
Kensei had already sheathed his sword.
"Katori-ryu: Senmai-Oroshi!"
To the audience, it was a single burst of sword light.
But to Kuchiki Sōjun, it was dozens of overlapping slashes.
He swung rapidly to block. The arena rang with a storm of clashing steel.
Clang clang clang cling clang—
The unrelenting force of it all made Sōjun's chest tighten.
'Too fast!'
Slice! Blood burst from his shoulder and abdomen.
The cheering suddenly faltered—no one expected Kuchiki Sōjun to fall behind.
"That's your class's top dog? Go, Kensei!!" shouted AzashiroKana.
"Push through!" called Hirako Shinji.
"You got this, Kensei-bro!" yelled Kobane Jin'emon.
Even the instructors in the stands couldn't believe it. Kuchiki Sōjun, the one expected to crush everyone, was being overwhelmed.
"Teacher Danmu, Muguruma Kensei is one of Katori-sensei's students, right? What was his rank last time?" asked Kotetsu Ayane.
"Hmm, let me check..." said Danmu Zōsuke, flipping through last year's results.
No mention in the top eight. Not in the top sixteen.
Finally, he found Kensei among the losers from the elimination round.
"Last time, he was knocked out in round one!"
Yamada stroked his beard. "Now that you mention it... wasn't his opponent back then also Kuchiki Sōjun?"
Other teachers who had watched that match nodded in recognition.
Ushada Hakugen added, "He was decent then too—stronger than average. Just unlucky. He fell early."
Nakano muttered in disbelief, "They're matched again? First round again?"
"And this time... what a surprise."
Kotetsu Ayane sighed. "He's grown so much. Katori-sensei truly raises monsters."
She glanced at Tsunayashiro Tokinada, and the vice dean, whose expressions were dark.
If you looked closer, you'd see the deputy's fingers had sunk deep into the chair arm.
'Trash.'
He was furious.
'The Kuchiki Clan is crumbling... getting pressed by a filthy Rukongai stray!'
He turned to the deputy headmaster, hoping he had a contingency.
But the deputy simply shook his head. "He won't lose that easily. Kuchiki Sōjun has already learned Shikai."
That was the real reason he had pushed for real-blade matches.
If this had been a wooden sword match, Kuchiki Sōjun would've already lost on points.
But this format only ends when one collapses—or yields.
Kuchiki Sōjun raised his Zanpakutō and spoke softly:
"Bloom, Chiecho."
His blade dissolved into a flurry of brilliant butterflies.
'He really did master Shikai!' Kensei's heart sank.
But even so, he wouldn't surrender!
He closed in with Shunpo, but Sōjun raised a hand. The butterflies surged at him like a storm.
They were clearly dangerous. Kensei stepped mid-air again and again, dodging above them.
Just as he was about to strike, the butterflies he had passed suddenly reversed and enveloped him.
'Dammit!'
He sensed the dense Reiatsu in their wings and curled protectively.
The butterflies exploded—each wing turning into a blade. A storm of colorful knives erupted.
Slash! Slash! By the time Kensei burst out, he was covered in fresh wounds.
"Shit... I'm not falling here!" he shouted, pressing forward despite the pain.
He just wanted to win—once.
At that moment, his Zanpakutō answered.
*"I acknowledge you. Call my name— Tachikaze."
A surge of spirit burst from within.
Ignoring the butterflies closing in, he braced his stance, pressed his left hand to his sword's back, and infused Reiatsu into it.
"Blow it Away, Tachikaze!"
Kuchiki Sōjun flinched. Kensei's blade glowed with vibrant green light.
He had entered Shikai!
Sōjun gestured—more butterflies closed in.
But Kensei's sword unleashed a raging storm. The wind became blades, blowing the butterflies back.
He burst forward once more—this time untouched.
He lunged, thrusting his sword.
"Katori-ryu: Shun Strike!"
He had him!
But—
His sword suddenly shrank. It turned into a dagger.
He froze, stunned.
"It... it got shorter?!"
It couldn't reach Kuchiki Sōjun at that length.
He was still dazed when the butterfly storm caught him again.
When the dust cleared, Muguruma Kensei lay curled on the ground, unable to fight.
"He completed Shikai mid-battle..." Kuchiki Sōjun murmured. Kensei clearly awakened it during their duel—otherwise, he'd have used it sooner.
"Kuchiki Sōjun wins," announced Katori Nanatsuki, stepping in to check on Kensei's condition. Thankfully, Sōjun hadn't gone for the kill—Kensei might still make the revival round.
Nanatsuki was satisfied. Though he lost, Kensei had pressured Kuchiki Sōjun before Shikai came into play.
Just as expected, Senmai-Oroshi had proven a deadly technique—Sōjun couldn't fully block it either.
Kensei had lost due to his unfamiliarity with his Zanpakutō. Once he mastered it, defeating Kuchiki Sōjun wouldn't be out of reach.
The Kaido Department came to carry him off for treatment.
"Next students, prepare for your match."
No one noticed Tsunayashiro Tokinada quietly tell the Kaido chief: "Have Amamimon treat Muguruma Kensei."
Amamimon nodded. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada looked down at the unconscious Kensei.
'Tough guy, huh? Then sleep through the rest of the tournament.'
He didn't want Kensei recovering in time for the revival bracket.
Now that Kensei had Shikai, even if he couldn't beat Kuchiki Sōjun, he was a threat to the others.
That's why he asked Amamimon to keep Kensei unconscious—long enough to miss the revival round.
Outwardly, it looked like he had called the Kaido Department to heal injured students out of concern.
In truth, it was to manipulate situations like this.
The Tsunayashiro Clan always got what it wanted.
Still, he couldn't help but worry. He knew Muguruma Kensei was one of Katori Nanatsuki's students. And there were several others in Class Two.
If one student was already this strong—what about the rest?
He glanced at Kotetsu Ayane and sighed inwardly.
'If that meddling woman weren't here, I could've rigged the draw.'
He would've arranged it so that Kuchiki Sōjun could eliminate every one of Katori Nanatsuki's disciples.
That way, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's class could dominate the top four—maybe even take all eight spots.