"I can't believe it! That move was so powerful… Damn it! How did Aizen Sōsuke dodge something like that?!"
Obana Jirō couldn't accept it. He had lost again.
And this time, he'd bet several years' worth of salary.
"There's still one last challenge match... one final chance to turn it all around!"
Obana was seeing red at this point.
"You should stop now... If you keep going, you'll ruin yourself."
Ōmaeda Kishinosuke tried to talk him down.
He had placed a small bet as well, but the Ōmaeda family had deep pockets — wins and losses like these meant little.
Obana, however, was different.
His clan had once flourished centuries ago — the first captain of Squad 5 had been Obana Tanjirō.
But when Tanjirō died during the Quincy War, the Obana clan quickly declined.
Jirō had no family backing — every coin he spent came from his paycheck.
"I have to win it back! If I don't, I'll be working for free for years!"
Pushing Ōmaeda aside, Obana checked the odds.
The odds for Squad 11's Lieutenant Gojō were surprisingly high.
That earlier Black Coffin had been too shocking — it drastically swayed the betting odds for the championship challenge.
But Obana didn't hesitate. He dumped his borrowed chips all on Gojō.
"Fortune favors the bold... Only by betting on Gojō can I win back everything I lost!"
He had strong faith in Gojō's strength.
As a lieutenant from the combat division, Gojō was powerful — even more so than some other lieutenants.
As strong as Aizen might be, he was still a rookie.
It was hard to believe such a seasoned lieutenant would lose to a newcomer.
"This time... I'm going to win!"
But Gojō himself didn't see it that way.
In fact, he was desperately looking for a way to get out of the match.
He had no desire to take that risk.
Losing to a rookie as Squad 11's lieutenant would be utterly humiliating.
"Aizen Sōsuke just won the tournament. Gojō, go have a match with him."
Kuyashiki Kenpachi glanced at his lieutenant.
"I still have to fight Aizen?!" Gojō felt a chill in his heart and quickly tried to back out.
"Come on, he clearly has lieutenant-level strength already!"
Aizen had even mastered Black Coffin without chanting!
That's one of the most powerful Hadō techniques!
If he went up there, he might get one-shotted.
Gojō's Zanpakutō was somewhat similar to Ukitake Jūshirō's Sōgyo no Kotowari.
While Ukitake's twin blades absorbed and redirected energy attacks like Kidō and spiritual pressure,
Gojō's sword absorbed Kidō to enhance his own slashes — highly effective against spell-users.
But with his current skill level, he had no confidence in absorbing high-level Kidō.
Against Aizen's Black Coffin, his Zanpakutō might be completely useless.
"Aizen's strength has already surpassed our expectations. There's no need to prove anything else. Maybe we should call off the challenge," Ukitake Jūshirō offered kindly, giving Gojō a way out.
"With his strength, Aizen Sōsuke is more than qualified to serve as Squad 5's third seat," said Yamamoto.
"But this challenge was established beforehand. Gojō, don't back out."
He had already stated that if Aizen could defeat Gojō, he would be promoted to Squad 5's third seat.
And that seat was practically equivalent to a lieutenant.
Squad 5's current lieutenant, Genhara, would be retiring later this year.
Aizen would have time to learn the ropes before fully assuming the position.
With Yamamoto's's command, Gojō had no choice. He could only bite the bullet and step onto the stage.
"Up next, we have a highly anticipated match!"
Danmu announced,
"As many of you know, the outcome of this challenge will impact Squad 5's internal appointments!"
"Due to the unprecedented level of this year's Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy's Live Blade Tournament,
Captain-Commander Yamamoto has granted a special exception:
The champion will receive the right to challenge Squad 11's lieutenant — Gojō!"
"If Aizen Sōsuke wins, he will be appointed as Squad 5's third seat!"
Though the Shinigami and students had heard about this beforehand, they still gasped aloud.
To rise from academy student straight into an officer seat?
There was no precedent for this in the Academy's history.
"Damn it... Aizen stole the spotlight again!"
Shiba Isshin looked grief-stricken.
He had imagined himself winning with his hybrid of Kidō and swordsmanship —
cutting a path to the championship with his Getsuga Tenshō.
In the ring, both Gojō and Aizen were ready.
"Please go easy on me, Gojō-senpai."
Aizen bowed politely.
"With your power, you're more than fit for Squad 5's third seat — maybe even lieutenant. I've got nothing to teach you!"
Gojō unsheathed his blade.
"Drain it all — Mitsugokui!"
Afraid of being insta-killed by Black Coffin, Gojō released his Zanpakutō immediately.
Its blade sprouted a suction-cup-like maw lined with sharp teeth — grotesque and ominous.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō."
Just after Gojō activated his Shikai, Aizen cast a spell — and Gojō lit up.
"Perfect!"
Gojō laughed aloud.
If Aizen kept casting Kidō, Mitsugokui could absorb it and power up —
maybe even enough to slash through Black Coffin!
He slashed toward the attack, the suction maw chomping at the lightning blast.
But Mitsugokui struck nothing. There was no Reiryoku to absorb.
"A fake?"
Gojō instantly realized and rolled to the ground.
A bolt of lightning grazed the top of his head — cold sweat poured down his back.
"Apologies. I studied your Zanpakutō beforehand. I couldn't give Mitsugokui a chance to absorb anything."
Several Aizens now surrounded Gojō from all sides.
He couldn't tell which one was real.
"That Katori... So underhanded! How could he let you learn about my abilities ahead of time!"
Gojō growled.
"Since Gojō-senpai already knew my abilities, I thought it was only fair to ask sensei about yours."
The Aizen clones all smiled.
Gojō wasn't fooled.
He focused all his senses on Aizen's movements, waiting for the moment he cast Black Coffin.
As soon as he sensed it, he would evade.
Several Aizens raised their hands in unison:
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi."
'Here it comes!'
Gojō Shunpoed away instantly —
moving so fast, he left afterimages.
He wouldn't let Aizen lock onto him.
But... no Black Coffin appeared.
"Tricked!"
He realized it too late.
From behind, a surge of Reiatsu surged toward him —
Aizen's blade now an incoming tidal wave.
Katori-ryu: Wave Break!
'Can Mitsugokui absorb Katori-ryu's hybrid sword technique?'
He wasn't sure — he'd never tested it.
But the attack was already here. He had no choice.
He blocked with Mitsugokui.
"It worked!"
The blade absorbed part of the wave — but it was too dispersed.
Mitsugokui couldn't absorb it all.
Slash!
Several bloody holes opened across Gojō's body.
"What terrifying swordsmanship... Even Mitsugokui couldn't absorb it all…"
He gasped,
but the absorbed energy empowered his blade —
red light flared from Mitsugokui.
Now it could unleash Kidō-infused strikes.
"Take this!"
He slashed at Aizen — but hit nothing.
"Mitsugokui really can absorb Kidō-style sword techniques..."
Aizen's voice came from behind.
"That Shunpo... too fast."
Gojō's eyes narrowed.
Aizen's Shunpo outpaced his blade. How was he supposed to win like this?
'I can finally report back to sensei…'
Aizen had deliberately used a Kidō sword move just to test whether Mitsugokui could absorb it.
Then — four Aizens appeared around Gojō.
Clang! Clang!
Gojō blocked two strikes but felt a sharp pain in his side —
he was kicked clear across the stage.
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi."
A black coffin rose from where he landed.
Silence fell across the crowd.
Everyone was stunned.
"Is it… over?!"
Obana Jirō couldn't believe it.
"Get up, Gojō-dono!"
But no matter how he yelled,
Gojō couldn't get up.
The mighty lieutenant had lost!
"Hahaha! I finally won!"
Their sorrows did not align.
This time, Ōmaeda had bet on Aizen —
he wasn't about to follow Obana the cursed gambler again.
He turned to find Obana collapsed in his seat.
"Hey—pull yourself together!" Ōmaeda shook him.
"It's just money!"
"Aizen Sōsuke wins!" Danmu announced after a long pause.
"By the Soul King..."
"Aizen's strength just keeps rising?"
"He even beat the powerful Lieutenant Gojō!?"
Aizen had won so decisively,
it felt unreal.
Previously, his battles had seemed evenly matched.
But this one ended too fast.
Gojō barely had time to show anything before it was over.
"His mirage abilities combined with that insane Shunpo… What a headache..."
Kyōraku Shunsui frowned.
If their Reiatsu were equal, even he wouldn't be confident against Aizen.
"His misty clones emit actual Reiatsu. Most Shinigami can't distinguish them with perception alone…"
Ukitake Jūshirō sighed.
"If you can't see through the illusions, he's nearly invincible."
"There are tells..."
Unohana Retsu had noticed.
"The clones all emit identical Reiatsu — and it differs slightly from the real one.
But few have the perceptiveness to catch it."
'Too bad… Aizen exposed those flaws on purpose.'
Katori Nanatsuki thought silently.
The inconsistencies in the mirages were deliberate — bait to prevent captains from probing deeper.
But those tells only mattered to strong captains or ultra-sensitive Shinigami.
Gojō couldn't see through them at all.
After the match, Nanatsuki received a string of reward messages:
[Live Blade Tournament Complete – Reward Summary]
Kotetsu Isane: Top 4 – 5000 General Ability EXP, +1 Random Skill Mastery
Yadōmaru Lisa: Top 4 – 5000 General Ability EXP, +1 Random Skill Mastery
Komamura Sajin: Runner-up – 10000 General Ability EXP, +1 Random Skill Mastery
Aizen Sōsuke: Champion – 20000 General Ability EXP, +3 Random Skill Mastery, +1 Disciple Slot (1x per class year only), Captain Training Quest Unlocked
Altogether, Nanatsuki earned 40,000 EXP from the tournament. Plus, 6 skill mastery upgrades.
Checking his Status Interface, he saw the three Skill upgrades were all for high-level Kidō:
Black Coffin, Danku, and Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raikōhō.
Each rose from Mastery to Grandmaster level.
At Grandmaster, high-level Kidō could now be cast using Post-Chanting.
Aizen's innate Kidō talent was terrifying.
Casting Black Coffin without chant proved he had already mastered it.
He even mastered Danku'sPost-Chanting method — that meant it was Grandmastered too.
The other three upgrades were for mid-to-low level Kidō:
Kyokkō, Sekienton, and Rikujōkōrō — all now at Grandmaster as well.
For years, Nanatsuki had trained in Kidō alongside swordsmanship.
Most low-level Kidō had reached at least Mastery.
Several mid-level spells — those he used often — were also well-refined.
He checked his base stats:
With this EXP, he could upgrade his Reiatsu.
Reiatsu Lv.93 → 94 (EXP: 60100 → 0)
All 40,000 EXP went into it.
Level up complete.