Standing before Isane was a black-haired young man with a firm gaze.
"As a first-year, reaching this stage is already impressive," said Ichinose Maki[¹]. "But I'm afraid this is where your journey ends."
Isane had emerged as the winner of her block, defeating several upperclassmen along the way.
And yet, she had only been enrolled for less than a year. Reaching this point already spoke volumes about her ability. Still, Ichinose Maki didn't believe she had any real chance—he had already achieved Shikai, and that alone marked a gulf between their strength that couldn't be crossed.
"You won't know unless you try!" Isane replied, undeterred.
"This struggle is pointless," Ichinose sighed softly, drawing his Zanpakutō. "But fine—I'll humor you. Watch closely..."
As he raised his sword, afterimages of the blade shimmered in the air, radiating a rainbow-hued aura.
"Shine—Kōga!"[²]
His Zanpakutō transformed into a blade of prismatic light.
"In the face of my Kōga, you have no chance of victory," Ichinose said flatly.
"Bakudō #9: Hōrin!" Isane didn't know what his ability was yet, so she chose to test him with Kidō.
A glowing yellow tendril of spiritual energy shot from her fingertip, spiraling toward Ichinose.
But the spiritual rope passed straight through his body.
"Bakudō didn't take effect—it went right through him!" Isane's heart sank.
Suddenly, Ichinose appeared to her left.
A flash of his blade.
Slice! A wound opened on Isane's left shoulder.
Startled, she leapt back, unwilling to remain in place.
"That image was a fake?!" she realized—Ichinose was still standing where he had been.
In the stands, Isshin quickly caught on.
"Yo, Sōsuke, doesn't this guy's ability look a lot like your Kyōka Suigetsu?" Isshin elbowed Aizen Sōsuke beside him.
"It does bear resemblance," Aizen replied coolly, raising a hand to deflect the elbow. "My Kyōka Suigetsu manipulates visual perception through mist and water reflections. His Kōga distorts vision through light."
"Man, light-type Zanpakutō are just as unfair as water-type ones," Isshin muttered. "To counter this illusion, she'd need to overwhelm it with stronger Reiatsu. But Isane's spiritual pressure probably isn't stronger than his..."
Shup shup shup— As Isane healed her wounded shoulder with Kaido, she dashed around the stage at high speed.
She had realized Ichinose's ability involved creating illusions, and staying in one place too long would only make her an easy target.
Her earlier Bakudō had only hit an illusion.
This kind of visual interference was quite a troublesome power to face.
"Trying to throw me off by constantly moving, huh?" Ichinose chuckled. "And what good will that do?"
In the blink of an eye, Ichinose appeared in front of her.
Clang! Isane quickly raised her Zanpakutō and blocked the strike aimed at her stomach.
Had she reacted even a second slower, she would've taken a critical hit.
"Not bad reflexes," Ichinose remarked as he backed off after the failed strike.
Isane moved to counterattack—but her thrust struck nothing but air.
Then Ichinose appeared to her left again.
"I was waiting for this!" Isane's eyes sharpened. She'd kept her senses taut, anticipating his next strike.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
A burst of blue fire shot forth—but it passed straight through Ichinose's body.
"Hahaha—that was a fake!" Ichinose appeared to her right, Zanpakutō raised high.
Shun! Isane quickly Shunpoed away.
"Fast little thing..." Ichinose clicked his tongue.
Isane raised her hand once more.
"Still trying Kidō? What's the point?" Ichinose said with exasperation. "Surely you realize the gap between us by now. Stop struggling—it's a waste of everyone's time!"
"Bakudō #21: Sekienton!"
A red glow burst from Isane's palm, exploding into a massive cloud of smoke.
The entire arena was suddenly engulfed in a thick red fog.
In the guest stands, the audience began analyzing the match.
"Isane's getting pushed back, but her command of Kidō is impressive—casting this many spells without incantation," Ukitake Jūshirō praised.
"Her Kaido is even more impressive," Unohana Retsu added. "That shoulder wound is nearly healed already. This is the first time I've seen a low-grade student use Kaido so well in the academy."
Kaido took a long time to master and required deep medical knowledge.
Among lower-year students, Isane's Kaido was unparalleled—even rivaling members of Squad Four.
"It's thanks to Katori-sensei's teachings. Isane learned Kaido from him," said Kotetsu Ayane, her face glowing with pride as the captains praised her daughter.
"Things aren't looking good for Isane..." said Kyōraku Shunsui. "If she can't resolve the visual interference, she'll likely lose."
"Don't worry," Nanatsuki said with a light smile. "Isane has a surprise waiting for all of you."
On the stage, Ichinose couldn't see Isane through the smoke.
"Cough cough—you think this smoke will block out my light? Naive!" Ichinose's Zanpakutō shone brightly, light piercing through the fog.
Blinding light flooded the arena, forcing the spectators to shield their eyes.
"What the heck is that?!"
As the light faded and the smoke dispersed, the crowd saw a crystalline polyhedron in the center of the stage.
"Look at Isane's Zanpakutō!" Isshin shouted, eyes wide.
Her sword had transformed.
The blade had split into three segments.
"She's achieved Shikai too," Aizen remarked in mild surprise.
"Did she also get guidance from sensei...?" Lisa wondered inwardly.
"Looks like an ice-type blade," Komamura Sajin observed, recognizing that the crystalline structure was formed from ice.
The guest section erupted into spirited discussion.
"So this is the surprise Nanatsuki-kun mentioned. Amazing—she's this young and already awakened her Shikai!" Ukitake exclaimed.
"Isane already learned Shikai?" Kotetsu Ayane was stunned. She hadn't known at all.
"She just learned it—and made me promise to keep it secret. She wanted to surprise you," Nanatsuki said with a small smile.
"You too?! Hiding it from me along with her!" Ayane scolded, though her face was filled with joy. Isane had far exceeded her expectations.
"I'm really growing fond of this girl," Unohana said warmly, her gaze lingering on the triumphant figure of Isane on the stage.