The sun had just risen above the horizon, the morning mist had yet to dissipate, but the Third Division's dōjō was already packed with people.
Aside from the two participants in the duel, all designated captains, witnesses, were present.
In addition, as if the Captain-Commander had granted permission for spectators below captain rank, some vice-captains and seated officers had also arrived, drawn in by the news.
This was a captaincy promotion evaluation!
Under normal circumstances, low-ranking Shinigami like them would probably never witness a captain-level battle more than a few times in their lives.
Now that they had the rare opportunity to see it up close, of course they had to take advantage of it!
When Arata stepped into the dōjō, he spotted a few familiar silhouettes in the stands.
Shūhei and two others were mingled in the crowd. The well-built Matsumoto Rangiku stood behind them, arms draped over the shoulders of Kanisawa and Aoga, looking like a parent taking her kids on a fall field trip.
Arata noticed their Shinigami uniforms, and on the inner lining of their garments was an embroidered motif of a daffodil.
The daffodil was the flower symbol of the Tenth Division.
He slightly raised an eyebrow, realizing that the fate of these three had changed far more than he had expected.
Let alone Kanisawa; after graduation, Aoga, who was skilled in Kaidō, wasn't originally supposed to join the Fourth Division.
The same applied to Hisagi Shūhei. When he was young, he was attacked by a Hollow and rescued by Muguruma Kensei. Later, when he was confused about his path in life, he was guided by Tōsen Kaname, and was supposed to firmly join the Ninth Division.
However, now the three of them had become members of the Tenth Division, and the excited expressions on their faces clearly showed no regret for their choice.
"It's quite lively here~" Ichimaru Gin's voice came from the other side, pulling Arata back to reality.
"I didn't expect my captain promotion exam to turn out like this. The number of spectators might even break a Soul Society record."
He even commented jokingly, clearly without any psychological pressure.
Captain Yamamoto sat in the main seat, with his students Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō at his sides, while Unohana Retsu sat calmly next to Shunsui.
In addition to them, Kenpachi Zaraki, who had privately registered to be a witness, sat carelessly in the front row, with Yachiru lying on his head eating konpeitō.
"The evaluation rules are very simple." Sasakibe Chōjirō stood in the middle of the field and explained to Ichimaru Gin and Nozomi, who were participating in the exam.
"Both sides may use all their abilities and techniques to force the opponent to surrender or lose the ability to fight. Understood?"
"No problem on my end." Arata smiled lightly.
"Just a moment." Ichimaru Gin suddenly raised his hand and looked toward Sasakibe. "Vice-captain Sasakibe, when you say we can use all abilities..."
"Does that include Bankai?"
The entire audience fell silent in an instant.
Yamamoto Genryūsai in the stands also slightly opened his seemingly sleepy eyes.
"If Vice-Captain Gin Ichimaru has already mastered Bankai, then naturally there is no longer any need for a captaincy evaluation here." The old man sharply looked at Ichimaru Gin on the field and spoke those words in a deep voice.
Matsumoto Rangiku was also shaken by his words; a complicated expression appeared on her face.
Gin... has he really mastered Bankai?
"Ah, Captain-Commander, you flatter me." Ichimaru Gin smiled faintly, but his tone was full of helpless complaint. "I'm just a regular vice-captain; how could I have possibly mastered Bankai so quickly?"
Arata's lips twitched slightly. Who would dare believe anything you say?
In his heart, there wasn't a shred of doubt that Gin could already fully use his Bankai, Kamishini no Yari, and seriously injure him in a single strike.
But he also knew just as well that this man's Bankai would only be revealed in this life to one person.
To the one who hurt his childhood friend, Aizen Sōsuke.
"Ahem." Sasakibe lightly cleared his throat and took a few steps back.
He looked up at the captain at the table, and after receiving permission, loudly declared:
"In that case, the captaincy evaluation for the Third Division now begins!"
Almost the instant the words fell, Ichimaru Gin's figure suddenly vanished from the field.
Arata's pupils contracted sharply. Like most people in the hall, he could hardly track his opponent's movements at all.
This guy's Shunpo is far above mine, faster even than Soi-Fong!
A faint breeze passed, and Arata, relying on powerful bodily instinct, dodged to the side at the last moment.
Shhh—!
As if a blade was cutting through the air, the sound of fabric tearing echoed through the dōjō.
At an angle no one could see, a clean cut appeared on the sleeve of his Shinigami uniform.
"Oh ho, Captain Saito's reaction is very sharp~" The silver-haired youth's voice rang out from behind him, sending a chill down Arata's spine.
Without hesitation, he turned and raised his sword to block, and the two Zanpakutōs clashed, scattering sparks everywhere.
KLANG——!
The sword follows the heart.
In contrast to Arata's rather open, direct swordsmanship, Ichimaru Gin's moves were insidious and unpredictable. Each attack was as sharp as a venomous snake's tongue, silent but deadly.
Just a few breaths later, sweat had already appeared on Arata's forehead.
It wasn't good to keep taking hits passively, he had to find a chance to counterattack.
Arata decided to deliberately leave a gap in his defense.
As Ichimaru Gin thrust toward his left shoulder, he made a move as if retreating to block, but at the last second, changed tactics. His Zanpakutō traced a perfect arc through the air and headed straight for his opponent's throat.
CLANG!
A crisp sound echoed through the dōjō.
At the critical moment, Ichimaru Gin blocked with the hilt of his sword, and simultaneously lifted his right leg to kick toward Arata's stomach; unfortunately for him, Arata slipped away just as quickly.
Seeing that the attack failed, Arata immediately leapt backward and created distance.
He sighed inwardly; dealing with this guy was nearly as difficult as dealing with Kenpachi.
The only difference was that Kenpachi was pure "raw numbers," while Gin had refined skill to back up his numbers.
Both had their advantages, but neither could be overpowered head-on at least not by Arata for now.
"Looks like Saito-kun not only has fast reactions but also quite a good combat strategy. Without Shikai, it'd really be hard to beat you." Ichimaru Gin smiled, and the spiritual pressure radiating from his body suddenly turned threatening.
"Shoot, Shinsō."
The Zanpakutō in the silver-haired youth's hand suddenly extended; the blade, originally shorter than most Zanpakutōs, instantly transformed into a silver flash and pierced into Arata's chest.
The speed of that attack was astonishing, far beyond the limits of human vision, and cries erupted from the audience.
"Meigetsu!"
Arata almost instinctively shouted the name of his Zanpakutō, and an immense spiritual pressure instantly exploded from his body.
At the same moment that purple flames flared along the blade, the tip of the divine spear had already pierced three inches into his left shoulder!
SHHH—!
As blood spurted, the fierce purple flame began spreading in the opposite direction along the divine spear's blade, forcing Ichimaru Gin to withdraw his Shikai.
However, the flame on the divine spear didn't disappear; instead, it continued to surge back toward his chest, catching his sleeve with lightning speed and quickly setting it ablaze.
A freezing sensation shot from the sleeve straight to the brain, and Ichimaru Gin suddenly snapped back to his senses!
"What?!"
Gin's narrow eyes slightly opened, and in his light blue pupils flashed extreme surprise.
He quickly retreated a few steps, then flicked the burning Shinigami uniform off himself with his fingers.
The purple flame didn't extinguish even after completely consuming the clothing, instead, it smoldered on the floor for a few more seconds.
Only when it burned into a black pit did it slowly fade.
"That was close! What a terrifying flame."
Ichimaru Gin tilted his head; the foxlike smile was still on his face, but his tone was now noticeably more serious.
———
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