Chapter 128: Blind Combat
After brief tea break, training time arrived.
Three people once again came to their usual training area.
Empty, level ground.
Suoh and Hitsugaya stood opposite each other, separated by over ten meters distance.
While Matsumoto Rangiku sat on rock pillar edge at field side, overlooking both from above, entire scene within view.
"Prepare to begin."
Suoh's two fingers swept across before his eyes.
With this motion, originally bright eyes suddenly dimmed, pupils losing focus.
Not genuine blindness, but rather using his ability to condense a blinding light film before eyes, completely isolating visible light entry.
At this moment, only purely uniform darkness remained in his field of vision.
Any shapes, outlines, colors had all vanished from his perceptual world.
"Alright."
"Tsukasa, be careful."
Hitsugaya gripped the hilt behind his back.
At this distance he could see Suoh's eyes seemingly covered with thin mist and calm expression, speaking in low voice.
Suoh's left hand gripped the scabbard at his waist, gesturing.
"Hitsugaya, no need holding back. Attack normally as usual."
"Okay."
Both had already discussed training plans yesterday. Currently no need continuing words.
Hitsugaya's feet moved. Form suddenly blurred, blade behind back unsheathing, blade revealing cold light, approaching Suoh's right ribcage.
Subtle wind sounds.
Skin's perception of airflow.
Spiritual perception's fluctuations.
With vision deprived, information received by remaining senses amplified, clearly flooding into Suoh's consciousness.
Combined with understanding formed through long-term fixed training with Hitsugaya, jointly becoming foundation for his current judgment and action.
Suoh didn't retreat. Left hand raised.
CLANG—
The blade guard perfectly blocked the blade before him, position not differing by a fraction.
Suoh's right hand drew blade from sheath, deflecting the attack while delivering a swift, sharp downward slash, mouth corners slightly rising, speaking easily.
"Getting hurt a bit means nothing. Or has your sword technique level declined after not practicing for a month?"
Hitsugaya's eyes focused sharply, rapidly retreating half-step, dodging this downward slash, yet heart remained vigilant.
That instant just now—Suoh's reaction speed and distance control gave him feeling of seeming even more precise than before.
Even with vision obscured, he could still so composedly respond to his own attacks.
Seems... he'd worried unnecessarily.
"Far from it."
Hitsugaya briefly responded, offensive rising again.
Speed faster, yet movement sounds actually decreased considerably.
He began utilizing shunpo rapidly moving around Suoh. Each pause accompanied by a cunningly angled slash, attempting breaking through his defense from different angles.
For a time, field figures interweaved, blade light flashing.
Hitsugaya's offensive resembled sudden fierce wind and rain. Every blade swing attempting to tear open wounds on Suoh's body.
However, Suoh's figure remained steady as a rock throughout.
Side-stepping, blocking, deflecting force, counterattacking—movements showed no delay whatsoever, precisely intercepting Hitsugaya's blade edge.
Yet this passive response could no longer satisfy Suoh's expectations for this training.
Merely remaining stationary resolving attacks couldn't achieve desired training effects.
Next moment, Suoh's figure suddenly vanished.
Blade tip stabbing toward his body consequently stabbed empty air.
Instantly, Suoh's figure appeared behind Hitsugaya, blade slashing horizontally.
Shifting from defense to offense.
Several silver hair strands severed, slowly drifting down.
Hitsugaya's shunpo flashed. Blade-wielding figure appeared at Suoh's rear side.
Yet the attack still missed.
Both figures' front-back sequence alternated repeatedly.
When he himself actively shifted from stillness to motion, for Suoh, difficulty proved fundamentally different.
When he remained stationary or defended within small ranges, other senses could more concentratedly capture various information brought by Hitsugaya's active attacks.
But once he himself also entered high-speed movement, information reception and processing became extremely complex.
Hitsugaya also obviously captured this change.
After once again dodging Suoh's counterattack, he suddenly changed shunpo rhythm.
This sudden rhythm change also caused Suoh's judgment to experience an instant's obvious delay.
One instant's difference.
SLASH—
Blade light grazed across Suoh's left shoulder, instantly slicing open a long, narrow wound on the shoulder. Blood immediately seeped out, dyeing left shoulder red.
The wound not only brought pain but also represented a powerful interference signal.
Brutally rushing into Suoh's mind, affecting other sensory information judgment.
Hitsugaya also didn't miss this opportunity.
Without slightest hesitation.
Blade light repeatedly intersected.
Sharp sounds connected into a continuous piece.
Under his tight offensive suppression, Suoh for the first time fell into disadvantage, exhausted responding.
According to normal reasoning, sparring should conclude within very brief time.
However, Suoh's body's extremely formidable healing instinct allowed wounds to rapidly smooth over within mere several breaths.
Rallying again, he swung blade forcing Hitsugaya back.
Blazing battle intent ignited in Suoh's heart, speaking exhilaratedly.
"Very good, continue!"
"Alright!"
Hitsugaya's response hadn't fallen before form already transformed into a phantom.
Following exchanges remained intense. Suoh's body gained many new wounds, yet wound appearance frequency obviously declined.
Several dozen minutes later.
Once again forcing Hitsugaya back, Suoh called out while raising hand gesturing.
"Stop!"
Body had already clearly transmitted warnings.
Continuing practice wouldn't represent training but recklessness.
"Tsukasa, you alright?"
Hitsugaya's movements ceased upon hearing, figure stopping before Suoh, asking with concern.
Suoh raised hand using Kaidō accelerating final several wounds' healing, subsequently releasing visual restraints.
"I'm fine. Just bled quite a bit, feeling somewhat weak. After taking medicine and soaking in hot spring awhile, I'll be good."
After vision restored.
Suddenly restored brightness made him briefly squint. Sight refocusing, looking toward Hitsugaya, he smiled responding.
Harder than imagined...
This training session—Suoh clearly knew under blind combat circumstances his winning probability basically equaled zero, yet difficulty still somewhat exceeded expectations.
Though having made sufficient mental preparation beforehand, genuinely placing himself within pure darkness, comprehensive delay sensation and judgment pressure consumed energy at spiritual levels far more intensely than usual training.
However, brought feedback also proved genuinely substantial, also proving his route's general direction held no errors.
These injuries proved worthwhile!
Sparring with opponents of similar or greater strength could effectively improve actual combat adaptation ability, psychological quality, and tactical response ability.
Practicing with weaker opponents proved more suitable for focusing on polishing fundamentals. Suoh's gains actually proved quite limited.
While Hitsugaya originally weaker than him, in today's battle brought him extraordinary pressure, impressively becoming an extremely threatening formidable enemy.
This pressure transforming into progress motivation proved very direct.
Matsumoto Rangiku leaped down from rock pillar, lightly landing, quickly approaching both.
Just now those bloody scenes below remained inerasable from her mind.
If not for Suoh's spiritual pressure fluctuations remaining consistently stable throughout, she'd have already gone down stopping them.
Yet observing Suoh's smiling yet undeniably pale complexion beside her, plus clothing in multiple places blood-stained and damaged, she still couldn't resist raising voice, reproaching.
"You two usually train like this!? This isn't sparring... too reckless!"
"Usually not often like this. Today represents special circumstances. Tsukasa's attempting new training methods."
Hitsugaya sheathed blade, tone calmly explaining.
"Yes. Actually our practice always maintains proper limits. If you don't believe, look."
"Just some superficial wounds. Using Kaidō treatment, truly nothing major."
Suoh casually pulled open garment front, exposing smooth, solid left shoulder.
Skin still retained clear bloodstains, yet indeed showed not a trace of scars.
"Eh?"
Matsumoto Rangiku's gaze fell upon that perfectly intact skin, somewhat unable believing her eyes.
Yet facts clearly presented before her. Still she couldn't resist muttering toward Suoh.
"Alright... but just now that appearance truly scared me somewhat."
"Scary proved somewhat scary. Practice effectiveness also very good. Don't be fooled by my current somewhat disheveled state—after taking medicine and soaking in hot spring, I'll be fine."
Suoh smiled while re-fastening garment front, stretching shoulders.
Skillfully retrieving medicine bottle from clothes, pouring two pills into mouth, speaking easily.
Beside him, Hitsugaya also retrieved medicine bottle, taking one pill. His consumption also proved considerable.
Matsumoto Rangiku watched both's synchronized movements, actions natural as breathing or drinking water.
She'd finally understood—this training method appearing nearly cruel to outsiders represented merely ordinary daily activities for them.