The next match was Hirako Shinji vs. Ōmaeda Kishinosuke.
Kyōraku Shunsui flipped through the performance records of both contestants.
"Both of them made it to the semifinals in the last assessment. This should be a pretty even fight."
Department Head Nakano shook his head.
"Ōmaeda Kishinosuke often trains with the Onmitsukidō. His strength might be beyond your expectations, Captain Kyōraku."
"Though Katori-sensei's disciples are impressive," he continued, "if anyone can beat Ōmaeda Kishinosuke, it's probably only Kensei."
"You don't mean…" Kyōraku stroked his chin. "Kishinosuke has also learned Shikai?"
Nakano smiled mysteriously, keeping his lips sealed.
"You'll see soon enough."
Everyone knew that Nakano was a coach for the Onmitsukidō, and their expectations for Kishinosuke's performance grew.
Vice Principal Tsunayashiro felt a bit of relief.
If Kishinosuke had truly mastered his Shikai, he could easily overpower Hirako Shinji.
Even if they had lost the chance to win the position of Swordsmanship Department Head, it would still be worth it if they could suppress Nanatsuki's growing momentum.
Below the stage, Hirako Shinji was discussing strategies with his companions.
"I've fought Kishinosuke before. He's the power-type. Try to avoid direct clashes with him," said Azashiro Kana.
"Our teacher said Kishinosuke has been hiding his Reiatsu, and it's already close to Sōjun's level. So he suspects Kishinosuke might have also mastered Shikai," said Kensei.
"I'll keep that in mind. If he really can use Shikai, I'll need to switch strategies," Shinji replied, recalling the sword techniques he'd learned during vacation.
The match began, and both Shinji and Kishinosuke stepped onto the stage.
Kishinosuke was as flashy as ever—rocking a brown pompadour, a thick gold chain around his neck, and standing over two meters tall. His mere presence was overwhelming.
Kishinosuke grinned.
"I saw a few of your matches. Not bad. Too bad you drew me."
Hirako Shinji sneered.
"The bigger the guy, the louder the mouth?"
"Sharp tongue, huh... Too bad it won't help you win." Kishinosuke drew his Zanpakutō. "No more holding back..."
"Crush him, Okami Kiba!"
Shinji's expression tensed. He saw a faint glow on Kishinosuke's Zanpakutō, which transformed into a thick, spiked mace!
'This is bad!'
The teacher was right—Ōmaeda Kishinosuke had mastered Shikai!
With the giant spiked club in hand, Ōmaeda Kishinosuke charged toward Hirako Shinji like a moving mountain.
But without intel on his opponent's Zanpakutō, Shinji didn't dare take the hit head-on and quickly retreated.
The mace smashed into the ground, unleashing a flash and an explosive boom, roaring like a beast.
Boom—
The arena floor erupted in a massive crater.
Hirako Shinji instantly realized: Kishinosuke's Zanpakutō had an explosive ability!
It seemed to trigger when it came into contact with something.
He was glad he didn't try to block it. That one strike alone could've seriously injured him.
At the same time, Shinji used the explosion's dust cloud to his advantage.
Dust Blade!
The dust swirled into a dragon-shaped column, snapping toward Ōmaeda Kishinosuke.
"Useless!" Kishinosuke sneered, swinging his mace like a baseball bat and smashing the dirt-dragon's head.
Boom—
The dust dragon shattered instantly.
But Shinji had already achieved his goal.
Kishinosuke's eyes widened. A layer of fine gray powder coated them, clouding his vision.
"What did you do?!" he cried in shock—he couldn't see a thing!
He rubbed his eyes furiously, but the dust didn't come off.
Until the effect wore off, the blinding dust couldn't be removed.
The Dust Blade Hirako had unleashed didn't just stir up soil—it carried a fine, blinding powder with it.
Without a word, Shinji seized the opportunity and launched a Shun Strike straight at Kishinosuke.
Sensing Shinji's Reiatsu drawing near, Kishinosuke abruptly stopped rubbing his eyes.
But at his level, he couldn't rely on spiritual sense alone to fight. He couldn't precisely gauge Shinji's distance.
Still, he had his own way to deal with it. He swung his mace and slammed it into the ground in front of him.
No matter where Shinji attacked from, he would have to get close.
So Ōmaeda Kishinosuke triggered an explosion right where he stood.
Shinji's expression changed. Kishinosuke's combat instincts were terrifyingly sharp. His counter was nearly simultaneous with Shinji's Shun Strike thrust!
There was no time to dodge the blast created by the spiked mace.
Ōmaeda Kishinosuke had pumped even more Reiatsu into it for a wider blast radius. This explosion was even more violent than the last.
Both fighters were engulfed in the blast.
BOOM!!!
Two figures were sent flying by the explosion, crashing into the Kidō barrier wall.
Because this was a live-blade match—and because at least one contestant had activated Shikai—several Kidō instructors were stationed at the edges of the arena to maintain protective barriers.
The audience hadn't expected the match to be this intense. The arena was completely devastated by the explosion.
"Ōmaeda Kishinosuke's ability is pretty insane…" Kensei kept his eyes locked on the smoke, worried about Shinji.
"He'll be fine. Even though the Reiatsu in the arena is chaotic, I can still sense Shinji's spiritual pressure," said Kana, watching with full focus.
Kobane Jin'emon was still recovering and wasn't present to watch.
"This is bad. Shinji hasn't moved—he must be seriously injured. But Kishinosuke is already up!" Kensei's face darkened.
On stage, Kishinosuke slowly stood up.
That explosion had injured him too. His weapon didn't spare its wielder from the blast—it was indiscriminate.
Still, thanks to his massive endurance, the blast wasn't enough to stop him from moving.
"That guy's probably done for now," he muttered.
Kishinosuke stepped quickly toward Hirako Shinji.
His vision had returned. As the smoke cleared, he finally saw Shinji slumped against the Kidō wall.
One of Shinji's legs was badly injured—he couldn't even stand straight.
"You had some neat tricks, but I still win." Kishinosuke snorted and raised his spiked mace, ready to strike.
At that moment, Shinji lifted his head and grinned.
"Collapse... Sakanade!"