Clang!
The clash of steel echoed sharply.
With an almost contorted movement, Unohana Retsu parried Higashi Shuuichi's vicious surprise attack from behind.
A weak spot? No—a weak spot is only a weakness if it's taken advantage of.
Though puzzled by how Shuuichi had suddenly appeared behind her, and not from the same direction as the previous Kidō blade, Unohana didn't ask questions mid-fight.
Shuuichi's combat acumen had clearly surpassed that of most Shinigami—there was no doubt about it now.
Unohana spun mid-air, gracefully knocking aside his Zanpakutō with a wide arcing slash.
"Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!"
But Shuuichi hadn't arrogantly assumed his feint would be enough. As his blade was deflected, his left hand shot forward from behind the blade's spine, conjuring three spearhead-like energy beams spiraling outward toward Unohana's hands and waist.
"Hmph."
Unohana gave a soft scoff.
To so precisely identify the gaps in her sword movements—this man was sharp.
With a flick of her wrist, three swift slashes split the incoming beams into scattered petals of light.
But in the instant she severed the last one—Unohana caught the faintest flicker of a smirk tugging at the corner of Shuuichi's lips.
Another trap?
Her instincts flared—and just then, something icy coiled around her legs.
Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku?
No. That wasn't possible. He couldn't have had the time or angle to cast another binding spell.
Besides, the chains' origin wasn't even from Shuuichi's direction—it was from deep within the mist…
"It's your Shikai ability… Those Reishi constructs can use Kidō?!"
Once could be called sleight of hand. Twice—Unohana could only acknowledge it as ability.
And in her memory, Shuuichi's Zanpakutō had the theoretical framework to pull this off.
Not to mention, his posture now clearly showed signs of weakening. That initial strike he landed was far too light compared to the reiatsu he radiated.
It was clear now—he had used the obscuring effect of Raimeizan to release his Shikai in secret, then cut himself to activate its ability, creating Reishi constructs mid-battle.
"This is a new function I discovered after reaching captain-level reiatsu!"
Shuuichi admired her keen instincts. Only two exchanges—despite all the reiatsu he had spent to conceal the constructs—and she had already guessed the core of his strategy.
But guesswork wasn't enough to deal with what came next.
Bakudō #79: Kuyō Shibari!
He landed softly, pointed a finger, and nine glowing spheres of pressure—tinged with crimson light—appeared around Unohana's body, eight forming a ring and one above her head, rapidly closing in.
Bang! Bang! Tchhh—!
By now, Unohana had lost count of how many times she'd severed the binding chains around her legs.
Yet no matter how quickly she cut them, the chains recoiled and reformed instantly, locking her down again.
So he reduced the range… and focused all his power into persistence—to hold even a powerful opponent for just a few precious seconds.
Unohana saw through it—this technique was tailored specifically to suppress high-combat, low-mobility opponents with limited area-damage options.
And since she was still trying to resolve this battle using her sword alone—she had walked right into his trap.
"But all this can do is stall me…"
She raised her gaze to the nine incoming spiritual projectiles—hungry wolves closing in.
Normally, even with her feet bound, she'd slash them all away with ease before they could restrain her.
But now—
Tchhhh—!
Unohana jammed her blade into the ground, propping herself up with its hilt.
She missed one.
Was Kuyō Shibari faster than normal?
No—her eyes sharpened.
She was moving slower.
Something was interfering with her speed.
But Shuuichi didn't give her time to ponder.
The next strike came—a blade wrapped in blue flame, riding the momentum of Hadō #33: Sōkatsui.
Blazing through the mist, he advanced like a monarch of fire, protected by Bakudō #39: Enkōsen.
"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
Blocked from moving freely, Unohana finally abandoned her self-imposed restriction.
She had tried to resolve this with swordsmanship alone—but now?
Her instincts screamed it. Shuuichi had predicted her style—maybe even designed this battle around it.
On the other side, Shuuichi could feel it—his long years of preparation had borne fruit.
He'd forced Unohana to abandon her blade and resort to Kidō. He couldn't suppress the rush of satisfaction.
Even if she was stacked with debuffs right now.
Of course, such satisfaction came with a price.
BOOM—!
He failed to dodge fully.
Unohana's Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō struck him squarely, sending him flying across the field. His Zanpakutō slipped from his fingers, landing meters away with a clang.
The beam's trajectory carved a deep furrow into the training ground, its scorched edge stretching far beyond the impact zone.
Even without incantation, even suppressing her own power—Unohana's Kidō was devastating.
Shuuichi had to admit: even at full power and with a full chant, he could probably only match her output at best.
Meanwhile, back at Seireitei's western gate…
Yamada Kiyonosuke, preparing to lead a team into Rukongai per Unohana's orders, suddenly froze.
He felt something.
A spike of reiatsu—coming from the 4th Division's barracks.
"What's wrong, Vice-Captain Yamada?"
The 6th seat beside him asked, puzzled.
"Did Shuuichi… also get assigned this mission?"
Yamada's voice dropped to a cold murmur.
"I… I think so? I mean, he probably did. But now that you mention it, I didn't see him when we left…"
"Wait, Vice-Captain—where are you going?!"
The 6th seat called after him in alarm.
But Yamada Kiyonosuke was already walking away, eyes narrow and grim—headed straight back toward the 4th Division barracks.