A wind-thread grazed Kobane Jin'emon's left shoulder, leaving a cut, but no blood came out.
The patterns on Kobane Jin'emon's Zanpakutō were turning increasingly red.
"Your Reiatsu has gotten stronger. Is this your Zanpakutō's ability?" Muguruma Kensei frowned.
He had sensed a clear spike in Kobane Jin'emon's Reiatsu. Though Kobane's Reiatsu had originally been weaker than his, now it was just about on par.
"Yeah. My Onikirimaru boosts my Reiatsu by burning my blood. But it's still not enough, I'm still not fast enough to catch the wind!" said Kobane Jin'emon as his Reiatsu surged again.
"That's a 'hurt your enemy a thousand, lose eight hundred yourself' kind of ability..." Muguruma Kensei looked surprised. He could feel Kobane's Reiatsu had now surpassed his own.
Still, Kobane Jin'emon's face had turned pale, clearly, he'd already burned through a lot of blood.
"Let's see how strong you are now!" Muguruma Kensei swung his dagger, unleashing two wind-threads from its edge.
Whoosh, Kobane Jin'emon evaded the twin attacks. The threads struck the ground, carving a deep cross-shaped gouge into it.
The spike in Reiatsu had significantly boosted Kobane's Shunpo speed, enough to barely dodge the threads.
Kensei's dagger released another thread, three wind-threads came slashing at once.
Kobane Jin'emon leapt back, but couldn't dodge completely. One of the threads pierced through his right shoulder.
Splurt, but again, not a drop of blood flowed from the wound.
On the contrary, Kobane's Reiatsu surged again.
Ignoring his injury, he pressed forward to attack.
His face was now drained of all color.
Kobane Shunpo-stepped to a spot several meters behind Muguruma Kensei, sheathed his sword, and assumed a ready stance.
Onikirimaru wasn't suited for prolonged battles, this would be his final strike!
Katori-ryu: Shunpo Iaido!
"A dagger doesn't mean I can't use sword techniques, Kobane!" Kensei grinned. His left hand, unnoticed until now, lifted slightly, his sleeve sliding down to reveal his forearm.
Strapped to it was a tiny sheath, just the size of a dagger.
It was made specifically for Kensei's Shikai form!
Once Tachikaze entered Shikai, it took the shape of a dagger. So he had equipped a dagger-sized sheath just for it.
He quickly returned the dagger to its sheath. The moment he turned, he began pouring Reiatsu into it, using the sheath as a container to compress Reiatsu. Once the dagger was sheathed, the compression was nearly instantaneous.
Short blades had their advantages!
They compressed Reiatsu over ten times faster than standard-length swords.
And they were far easier to control.
Kensei drew the dagger in a flash, slashing forward with a burst of light.
Katori-ryu: Flowlight!
Kobane Jin'emon's eyes widened as the flash neared, it was already too late to halt his Shunpo and block. His abdomen was pierced instantly.
To those fast enough to track Kobane's movements, it looked like he'd walked straight into the slash.
When the blade light faded, Kobane collapsed.
"Muguruma Kensei wins!" Nanatsuki announced, stepping forward to check Kobane's condition.
"Kobane's okay, right? I didn't hit any vital spots…" Kensei said uncertainly.
"The blood loss is a bigger problem than the abdominal wound… He passed out from excessive bleeding," Nanatsuki frowned. Kobane hadn't collapsed from the slash itself, but from pushing himself too far.
It had been sheer willpower that kept him going, and after unleashing the Shunpo Iaido, his body gave out.
Nanatsuki made a mental note to test the exact effects of Onikirimaru in the future, he couldn't allow Kobane to recklessly use it again. The consequences might be worse next time.
Thinking back to Kensei's earlier move, Nanatsuki couldn't help but praise him:
"Kensei, that was a clever idea, making a tiny sheath and strapping it to your arm."
"Hehe, I only thought of it yesterday. Went straight to the smith to get it custom-made." Kensei scratched the back of his head. "Picked it up this morning after eating Sensei's golden fried rice. First time trying it out… Good thing it worked, otherwise, I might've lost just now."
"A shorter blade makes execution easier. Less time to compress Reiatsu, but also shorter reach and reduced power. You'll need to thoroughly test it to avoid mistakes in actual combat," Nanatsuki advised.
"Got it! I'll analyze it properly when I get back!"
Among Nanatsuki's disciples, only Azashiro Kana had previously mastered Flowlight, but now Muguruma Kensei had developed his own dagger-style version of it. A path of his own.
Meanwhile, in the VIP stands, after witnessing Kuchiki Sōjun's earlier shocking defeat, the captains thought they couldn't be surprised again.
But today, they saw yet another Academy student reveal their Shikai.
"This makes six now, right? This class has six students who've unlocked Shikai already…" Kuyashiki Kenpachi stroked his chin. "That Kobane Jin'emon would fit in great with Squad 11."
He'd heard how Kobane had asked Kensei to go all-out, earning his respect.
"Kobane Jin'emon hasn't even graduated yet. Captain Kuyashiki, are you planning to poach him from the Academy already?" Kotetsu Ayane chuckled.
"With that skill level, he should graduate early. Not just him, the other five Shikai users too. They're ready," Kuyashiki Kenpachi replied.
"Kuchiki Ginrei said: "My son will graduate next year.""
Vice-captain Ōmaeda of Squad 2 added, "Ōmaeda Kishinosuke will also graduate next year."
Ōmaeda himself would retire in two years, just in time for his son to take over.
"Let's consult Katori-sensei later. If his disciples are graduating next year, we can assign them a mission as a practical graduation exam," Kotetsu Ayane suggested.
On Nanatsuki's Status Interface, two rewards were waiting:
[Guided Kobane Jin'emon through Shikai Training – Reward Settled]
[Received: 10,000 General Ability EXP]
[Received: Reishi Shell Formula]
[Disciple Muguruma Kensei mastered the sword technique "Flowlight"]
[Guided Muguruma Kensei through sword technique training – Reward Settled]
[Received: 5,000 General Ability EXP]
[Received: Sword Technique – Windchase (Beginner)]
He had already received Windchase three times at the beginner level, and its proficiency had now advanced to Skilled.
"Reishi Shell Formula?" Nanatsuki blinked at the reward.
His current Reishi body was the product of a Reishi Shell fused with the Shadow of the Soul King, so Reishi Shells were something he'd long been curious about. Unfortunately, his access level hadn't allowed him to view the sealed files.
But now, the system had handed it to him directly, saving him a lot of trouble.