"The Zanpakutō of Vice-Captain Ichimaru isn't bad either. There aren't many who can match that speed."
Arata covered his bleeding left shoulder, and as spiritual pressure slowly flowed, the wound began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ever since his spiritual pressure level increased, the effect of his Kaidō had also significantly advanced.
Although it wasn't as monstrous as the super-fast regeneration of an Arrancar, it was still more than enough to handle this kind of physical injury.
Arata adjusted his breathing and pointed the blade of Meigetsu in his hand toward his opponent.
"Let's continue."
In the center of the field, the two figures clashed again.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
Once they had unleashed their powers, their speed increased again, and the sound of clashing metal was dense like a storm.
Arata compressed Meigetsu's flame onto the surface of the blade, and each sword swing carried an extremely cold, piercing airwave.
Ichimaru Gin, on the other hand, fully utilized the characteristics of his divine spear; the blade unpredictably shifted between extremely short and extremely long.
One moment it would turn into a dagger for close combat, the next it would extend into a several-meter-long spear for long-range thrusts.
At times it was hard to distinguish the difference, and everyone in the audience was amazed.
"The strength of Vice-Captain Ichimaru is truly unfathomable. Even judging solely by his current performance, he's already exceeded the standards for a captain's evaluation."
Kyōraku Shunsui observed their battle and honestly expressed admiration.
As a veteran captain, he had witnessed many captaincy evaluations, but few had left a lasting impression.
In his opinion, most captains merely passed the exam, and only a few geniuses shined and Ichimaru Gin was one of those rare ones.
Ukitake Jūshirō beside him also smiled and gave his opinion: "Shunsui, it's a bit unfair to say that. It's obvious that Arata-kun's performance is also outstanding."
From the start of the evaluation until now, the surprise in his eyes hadn't subsided.
Especially after Arata released his Zanpakutō, Ukitake felt as if a wave from the new generation was pushing against his back.
"Although Arata-kun's Zanpakutō doesn't change form like others, the power it releases must not be underestimated."
Ukitake compared Meigetsu with all the Zanpakutō he had ever seen, even including his own Sōgyo no Kotowari, and found Meigetsu to be an extremely special Zanpakutō.
Excluding the purple flames that burst from its blade, in appearance it was almost identical to a Sealed Asauchi.
"You're right. Also, that kid's Zanpakutō gives me a cold and dark feeling. I can't treat those purple flames as ordinary fire."
Recalling the purple flame that had left a charred hole in the floor, Kyōraku unconsciously tensed his gaze, his eyes briefly shifting toward Yamamoto Genryūsai, who sat in the main seat.
Though its nature might be slightly different, the threat those flames carried was nearly the same as that of the old man's Ryūjin Jakka.
At that moment, Yamamoto Genryūsai also showed a rare serious expression.
Unlike his two "useless" students, from his higher position, he had already seen far more and far deeper details from this battle.
There was no need to speak much about Ichimaru Gin's performance. His rich combat experience, along with skilled Shunpo and kendo abilities, already far exceeded most vice-captains.
And that was certainly not all of his strength, probably just the tip of the iceberg.
As for Arata, Yamamoto Genryūsai's focus was somewhat different.
While Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō still lingered on the surface-level strength of the Zanpakutō, he had already noticed a very subtle detail.
And that was, when Arata released his Zanpakutō, he didn't speak the release command like Ichimaru Gin did.
As one of the living "encyclopedias" of Soul Society, Yamamoto Genryūsai had over the years thoroughly studied all possible abilities of Shinigami.
A Zanpakutō is an extension and embodiment of a Shinigami's soul; releasing a Zanpakutō is, in essence, the release of one's own power.
The more proficient a Shinigami is in using their Zanpakutō, the more skilled they are at controlling their own power. One symbolic manifestation of this is omitting the release command.
This is usually something only Shinigami who have already mastered Bankai can achieve.
Just like Yamamoto himself and his two students, who only managed it after years and years of training.
However, now the same thing appeared in Arata.
A Shinigami who had only graduated from the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy a few days ago had achieved something that only these veteran captains had been capable of.
It must be known that most Shinigami at that stage were still solidifying basic abilities like Zanken, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, and wouldn't even dare to think about things like Shikai.
The moment one masters Shikai, it means they've already reached the level of a Seated Officer.
Even Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō, who were regarded as top-tier geniuses, had only mastered Shikai after graduation, and were nowhere near as proficient as Arata.
Such an astonishing feat immediately drew Yamamoto's attention.
At first, he thought he had already given a high enough assessment of Arata's talent, but it seemed he had still underestimated him.
On the field, Arata suddenly opened up a gap between himself and Ichimaru Gin, extending his left hand forward.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
With a quiet shout, the spiritual pressure in his body was activated, and a blue fireball the size of a basketball quickly condensed.
However, before Arata could fire the attack, Ichimaru Gin caught even the slightest opening in that moment; the divine spear in his hand suddenly extended and pierced Arata's wrist, forcing him to cancel the Kidō.
"Damn it."
Arata couldn't help but curse inwardly. This guy's ability to spot an opportunity was too strong, and combined with the speed of his divine spear, he could do whatever he wanted.
He quickly dodged to the side, thinking of how to counter him.
"Bakudō #21: Sekienton!"
With a "boom" sound, thick smoke suddenly surged through the dōjō, completely obscuring the figures of the two fighters on the field.
Not only could spectators outside the field no longer see what was happening inside, but even Ichimaru Gin's own field of vision was completely blocked.
"Oh ho, planning to use the smoke and dust to obscure my sight, and then wait for a chance for a surprise attack?" Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes, a smile slowly lifting the corners of his lips.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Suddenly, within the smoke, a surge of spiritual pressure burst forth, and six golden beams of light shot from different angles toward Ichimaru Gin, intending to pin him in place.
However, the silver-haired youth's figure distorted like a ghost, and he easily passed through the gaps between the beams of light.
At the same time, the divine spear in his hand instantly returned to its normal length, and then, in the same breath, was thrust straight into the back without any warning, like the tongue of a venomous snake.
"Your spiritual pressure gives you away, I'll catch you." Ichimaru Gin smiled, as if proclaiming his victory in advance.
The spear pierced the mist, drawing a silver-white, straight line through the air.
A sudden surge of spiritual pressure instantly blew away all the smoke!
Shhh—!
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh echoed through the room, and the strong smell of blood, carried by the wind, reached the stands.
"Arata!"
"Saito-kun!"
Cries of concern and shouting continued to echo from the table area, the loudest coming from Matsumoto Rangiku, representative of the Tenth Division.
Drip.
Drip.
Blood continued to drip from his hand, staining the floor red.
It could be seen that Arata was standing beside Ichimaru Gin, his right hand tightly gripping the hilt of the divine spear.
"No."
"I caught you."
He leaned in and smiled, his grin like that of a hunter who had finally captured his prey.
———
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