"Sajin's Shikai looks cool no matter how many times I see it—what a massive release!" Isshin exclaimed.
Aside from Aizen, he and Komamura were the earliest among the participants to learn Shikai.
They had both witnessed each other's Shikai in action.
Even though this wasn't Isshin's first time seeing Komamura release his Zanpakutō, he was still amazed by it.
A blade with that much raw power was exactly his kind of aesthetic.
On the arena stage, Iba Tetsuzaemon was also startled by the massive arm.
"That's insane!" he said, quickly closing the distance to Komamura.
"But the size of your Shikai doesn't determine its strength!"
Komamura's Zanpakutō was enormous, but such weapons usually had one fatal flaw—they lacked agility!
As long as he got close, it would be hard for Komamura to wield it properly.
Whoosh!
The sound of something tearing through the air made Iba stop in his tracks.
A massive Tenken blade came crashing down from above!
"So fast!" Iba's heart jumped in alarm as he leapt sideways in a hurry.
Boom!
The Tenken blade smashed into the ground, carving out a deep trench.
"Tenken syncs with my movements," Komamura said calmly.
"Which means—the faster I move, the faster Tenken moves."
"My teacher once said something I deeply agree with:
'Build a solid foundation, and you'll go farther.'"
"I practice Suburi over ten thousand times a day, rain or shine…"
"So that my blade can become faster—and stronger!"
Iba had just climbed back to his feet when he saw the massive Tenken blade sweep toward him.
The terrifying wind pressure it kicked up tore the ground apart.
"This is nuts!"
There was no way he could take it head-on.
Iba used Shunpo and launched himself into the air.
"Raaahhh!!"
Komamura swiftly flipped his blade and raised it high.
The giant arm in the air mirrored his motion and swung toward the airborne Iba.
The wind pressure from Tenken's swing lifted the arena floor into the air, forming a sandstorm midair.
Tenken: Dust Blade!
Through Tenken, Komamura had unleashed the Dust Blade technique.
At this moment, it felt as if a hurricane had descended upon the stage—a divine punishment.
The wide-reaching sandstorm left Iba nowhere to run.
In an instant, the Dust Blade's blinding effect kicked in.
Iba's vision went completely dark.
The oppressive Reiatsu in the sandstorm also dulled his spiritual sense.
He could only rely on instinct to dodge the sweeping blade and flying debris.
Shu-shu-shu!
Relying on pure intuition, Iba kept flashing around midair.
His Zanpakutō, Yūgyo no Nishikigoi, strengthened his instinct, giving him the ability to dodge fatal attacks.
But even that had its limits.
With both his vision and spiritual perception disrupted, it was almost impossible to evade such wide-area attacks using instinct alone.
Soon, he was being pummeled by flying debris.
Then—the sky darkened.
No one knew when, but the Tenken blade had already risen above the arena's dome and was now crashing down toward Iba.
Although he couldn't see, Yūgyo no Nishikigoi kept warning him of imminent danger.
Flick!
Iba used Shunpo to dodge the devastating slash, just barely making it out of harm's way.
But before he could catch his breath, the Tenken blade twisted midair.
It curved and struck him sideways with the flat of the blade.
Boom!
Iba slammed into the giant blade and was launched like a baseball, soaring off into the distance.
"Iba Tetsuzaemon is out of bounds! Komamura Sajin wins!"
Danmu clicked his tongue.
He hadn't expected Iba to lose to Komamura again by being thrown out of the ring.
"Medical squad! Go find if he's injured!"
Iba had been sent flying far.
Danmu guessed he'd likely been knocked unconscious and flung beyond the academy grounds.
The Shinigami of the medical team immediately flew in the direction Iba had vanished.
Meanwhile, the guests in the VIP seats were awestruck by Komamura's performance.
"If you don't train hard regularly, you'll just end up embarrassing yourself!" Iba Chitetsu barked harshly,
Though in truth, she was worried about Iba.
She left the guest stands to go search for him herself.
"With power like that… Komamura Sajin could skip graduation and join me as a seated officer right now!"
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi thought Komamura's fighting style was a perfect fit for the Eleventh Division.
"Komamura's progress is insane!" Kyōraku Shunsui exclaimed.
He had been present the day Nanatsuki accepted Komamura as a disciple.
He had personally seen Nanatsuki evaluate Komamura's abilities.
Back then, Komamura had some combat experience, but he was just slightly stronger than the average Shinigami foot soldier.
Now, however, Komamura clearly possessed the power of a high-ranking seated officer.
He might even be stronger than some lieutenants!
The difference was night and day.
"Katori-san truly has a gift for teaching. To nurture such a drastic improvement in under a year…"
Ukitake Jūshirō praised.
Kuchiki Ginrei, sitting nearby, was stirred by the thought.
He began considering whether he should send his grandson, Kuchiki Byakuya, to the Katori-ryu Dojo.
But Byakuya was still too young.
He probably wouldn't learn much even if sent now.
Plus, this was the age when a noble child should be learning etiquette—not undergoing intense training.
'I'll ask Katori Nanatsuki to take Byakuya as a disciple in a few years,' Ginrei thought to himself.
"Sajin trains hard every day. He deserves this level of growth," Nanatsuki said with a touch of emotion.
Komamura's growth rate was indeed exceptional.
Less than a year—and he had come this far.
Komamura was the stubborn type.
But that very stubbornness turned into a frightening level of dedication when it came to training.
In Yamamoto's eyes, a trace of satisfaction flickered.
He had once transformed the Genryū Dojo into the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy specifically to uncover and nurture talent for the Gotei 13.
And now, the Academy's real-combat tournaments were giving these talents the stage to shine.
The Academy's roster of promising students was growing steadily.
In another hundred years or so, the vacant captain seats of the Gotei 13 might finally be filled.
The Quincy War from the past had left the Gotei 13 devastated, with many captain positions still unfilled—temporarily handled by lieutenants instead.
In that state, the Gotei 13 was fragile—unable to withstand any major storms.
But now, Yamamoto finally saw hope.
Hope for a new generation strong enough to rebuild the Gotei 13.
Meanwhile, Iba Chitetsu and the medical team's Shinigami found the unconscious Iba Tetsuzaemon in a grove outside the Academy.
They brought him back for treatment.