The area covered in icy mist was small, only a few meters in radius.
Kotetsu Isane could control the mist with considerable precision, focusing most of her energy on maintaining it.
"If my Reiatsu were stronger than his, I could freeze his organs directly with this mist... But my opponent is Sōsuke... I'm at a disadvantage in terms of Reiatsu... At best, I can try to slow him down."
Isane considered quietly.
The mist released from her Zanpakutō wasn't ordinary.
Its real danger wasn't the surface-level frostbite—but the way it could enter the opponent's spiritual body through the respiratory tract, freezing internal organs from within.
If the opponent's Reiatsu wasn't strong enough to resist it, they could quickly be rendered helpless—or worse.
With a wave of her Zanpakutō, Kotetsu Isane sent the icy mist toward Aizen Sōsuke.
Aizen also swung his blade. Water surged from the sword's edge, forming a massive wave that surged toward the mist.
The next moment, the wave and the mist collided.
The wave froze instantly, transformed into an ice sculpture.
"See? I told you Aizen Sōsuke's Zanpakutō isn't that impressive! A water-type Zanpakutō is completely countered by an ice-type. He's not even making it to the finals!"
One student scoffed.
He had just been annoyed by someone bragging about Aizen's strength.
Aizen Sōsuke? Sure, his Shunpo and Kidō were decent, but he was nowhere near Yadōmaru Lisa or Komamura Sajin.
Lisa's Thunder Spear and Komamura's sandstorm slash were way more impressive than anything Aizen had shown.
"You don't know anything. Aizen hasn't even used his trump card yet—'Danku.' That's a high-level Bakudō!"
A bespectacled student pushed back.
Most of Aizen Sōsuke's supporters came from the Calligraphy Club.
Thanks to his charisma, Aizen had earned quite the following at the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy after just a few months as club president.
—
On the platform, Aizen assessed the mist's freezing effect on his water.
With one swift Shunpo, he retreated rapidly, opening distance between himself and Isane's icy mist.
Seeing this, Isane pushed the mist forward.
But the mist's movement was much slower than Aizen's Shunpo.
No matter how hard she tried to control it, the mist couldn't catch him—not even a touch on his clothes.
"If you had used Kidō alongside the mist to force my movement, it would've been a bit more effective."
Aizen sounded completely relaxed, even offering her pointers mid-battle.
"Though it does look like you're struggling to control the mist. You'll need more training with your Zanpakutō, Isane."
And he wasn't wrong—controlling the mist demanded her full focus, leaving her no room to cast Kidō.
After just a short while, she was already panting, clearly exhausted.
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa!"
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"
Dual-casting—releasing two spells simultaneously—was a high-level Kidō technique.
Aizen combined Hainawa and Byakurai with perfect synchronization.
The light-rope formed from Reishi bound Isane tightly.
Before she could break free, a bolt of lightning struck.
With her focus split on the mist and her body bound, Isane had no way to dodge.
Boom!—The lightning exploded on impact, blasting her backward over ten meters.
Zzzt!—As she hit the ground, Aizen's footfalls followed immediately—Shunpo bringing him right to her side.
He swung his blade down.
Clang!—Isane barely managed to raise her sword in defense, abandoning the mist entirely.
But the lingering numbness from the lightning made it hard to muster strength.
Her Zanpakutō was gradually being forced down toward her.
Gritting her teeth, Isane made a decision. Since she couldn't stop it—she wouldn't try.
Her left hand, pressing against the blade's spine, subtly adjusted position and aligned with Aizen's sword.
"Hadō #21: Bakuen-shō!"
She released the Kidō instantly.
Reishi converged in her palm, and a burst of flame detonated from her hand.
Boom!—The explosion struck her first.
Since Aizen's blade was pushing down on her, she was closer to the blast zone.
Pain surged through her entire body.
Her left hand, which cast the spell, was now a mess of blood and burnt flesh.
But the explosion succeeded—it knocked Aizen's blade away.
He leapt back ten meters, completely unharmed, and looked calmly at Isane's ruined left hand.
His Shunpo was faster than the shockwave itself.
He had retreated before the blast even reached him.
"Even at that range... I still couldn't hit him..."
Isane whispered bitterly.
She wiped the blood from her lips with her good hand.
Then, using Kaidō, she quickly stopped the bleeding—otherwise, she'd collapse before long.
At that moment, she felt the gap between her and Aizen more clearly than ever.
He had mastered Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, and Shunpo—all with almost no weaknesses.
Even going all out, she couldn't touch him.
Before unlocking Shikai, she had comforted herself by saying she hadn't yet reached her true potential.
But now, even with Shikai awakened, the gap felt unchanged.
A chasm that could not be crossed.
"If you want to land a hit on me, you'll need to move even faster."
Aizen said with a soft smile.
Isane wasn't the type to give up so easily.
After finishing her emergency treatment, she crouched down and cast another spell:
"Hadō #22: Hōchishō!"
The ground beneath Aizen suddenly split, forming a sinkhole.
But before it could collapse fully—Aizen vanished with Shunpo once again.
"Still too slow. It's time to end this."
He reappeared at her flank.
But Isane, anticipating this, had already leapt back right after casting.
Aizen's sword passed right beside her.
"You predicted my movement...?"
Aizen raised an eyebrow.
Isane took several steps back and suddenly lifted her Zanpakutō.
The spot where she had been standing also contained a sinkhole.
And now, Aizen was standing right in front of it.
In that instant, icy mist burst from the hidden pit!
This had been her real plan all along.
She'd used Hōchishō to create the hole—not as a trap—but as cover for the mist to get close.
The next second, the mist enveloped Aizen, freezing him into a pillar of ice.
"Did I get him...?"
Isane panted heavily.
That was her last gambit. Her grip on her sword was weakening from the earlier explosion.
"Learning mid-battle, huh... So now you can control the mist while casting Kidō."
But before she could celebrate, Aizen's voice echoed from behind her.
"My Kyōka Suigetsu is a water-type Zanpakutō. It can manipulate mist and reflections to create mirror illusions. What you froze... was just a decoy."
"I missed?!" Isane's eyes widened.
She felt a chill on her neck.
Aizen's blade was already resting against her throat.
Looking ahead, she saw that the 'Aizen' trapped in ice... was hollow.
"I lost... Your Shunpo's just too fast. I couldn't keep up."
She gave a bitter smile.
She had lost.
With a blade at her throat, the match was over.
"Aizen Sōsuke wins!"
The crowd was massive today, and Danmu was brimming with enthusiasm.
"Thanks to both students for an amazing match! Aizen Sōsuke's Shunpo is truly awe-inspiring! Honestly, it's faster than mine!"
"Of course, Kotetsu Isane's performance was also brilliant. Her point-blank Bakuen-shō, and that clever mist trap using Hōchishō—both were decisive moves!"
"Unfortunately, Aizen was just too fast. His godlike Shunpo let him dodge every fatal strike!"
"Let's congratulate Aizen Sōsuke for advancing to the finals!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd. Their power was impressive—even by Gotei 13 standards.
"The students these days are getting stronger! These two could probably become seated officers after graduation!"
"Actually, it's not the Academy—it's Katori Nanatsuki's disciples who are amazing. Didn't you notice?"
"All four semi-finalists are Nanatsuki's students!"
"Hisss—do you think if I re-enrolled, I'd have a chance to become Nanatsuki-sensei's disciple too? I want to be a seated officer!"
"You? Maybe if you were reincarnated... Katori's standards are brutal!"
Shinigami all around were buzzing after the match.
Many even felt they wouldn't stand a chance on that stage.
One Shinigami sitting near the student section groaned:
"My paycheck!"
He had been duped into betting on Isane by some students.
"You guys said Aizen's strength was overhyped! That was clearly a massive gap!"
"You can't beat Aizen if you can't catch him. Isane couldn't."
"Speed isn't everything! Lisa's thunder attacks are way stronger!"
"Yeah! Can speed blow away the whole arena like Komamura's sandstorm?"
The students who had doubted Aizen were now split—arguing Lisa vs. Komamura.
Obana Jirō rubbed his temples, regretting ever asking.
"Wait... Isn't Hirako Shinji also one of Nanatsuki's disciples? Should ask him!"
Obana left his seat again.
—
In the VIP section, things were heating up.
It had become a recruitment war.
"Director Kotetsu, your daughter's both wise and brave! I think she'd be a great fit for Squad 6. How about letting her join us after graduation?"
Kuchiki Ginrei asked earnestly. The Kotetsu family was a minor noble house, and Isane was clearly seated-officer material.
"That depends on Isane's own wishes. I won't interfere with her career path. Though she does seem more interested in Kaidō and wants to join Squad 4."
Director Kotetsu shook his head.
"Captain Kuchiki, stop trying to steal my recruit!"
Unohana Retsu said with a smile. Squad 4 didn't even have a proper vice-captain right now. She wasn't about to let a Kaidō prodigy like Isane go elsewhere.
"Sigh... Such a shame. With talents like her, it's hard to watch them go."
Ginrei sighed.
He was aging. He wouldn't be captain for much longer. Once Kuchiki Sōjun was ready to lead, he planned to retire.
And Isane would've made the perfect vice-captain for him—with just a bit more training.
As for Aizen Sōsuke, he was simply too outstanding.
Ginrei had a feeling Sōjun might not be able to keep someone like Aizen under control.
He wasn't the right fit for vice-captain.
Besides, a genius like Aizen was likely aiming much higher.
He probably wouldn't be interested in a Squad 6 vice-captain role at all.
He'd aim for one of the captain vacancies.
Right now, Squads 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10 had no captains. The vice-captains were acting as leaders.
In terms of power and influence, those vice-captain roles were almost equivalent to captains now.
Naturally, those positions were coveted by the most ambitious talents.
—
After a brief rest by the Kidō instructors, Komamura Sajin and Yadōmaru Lisa stepped onto the platform.