The dueling ground was located in the southwest of the Academy, an open-air, circular plaza paved with blue stones.
The surface was laid with tough stone slabs, scarred by time and countless battles, leaving the ground covered with tiny pits and some scorched marks.
Around the edge of the field stood a circle of stone pillars inscribed with Kidō runes, collectively forming an invisible barrier that contained the residual effects of the fights within the arena.
A supervisory instructor, dressed in black teaching robes and wearing a stern expression, stood before Suō Tsukasa and his group.
He was long accustomed to the duels between students.
His gaze swept over Suō Tsukasa and Abarai Renji, who stood at the front of the crowd, and he spoke in a deep voice.
"The rules of the Dueling Ground are threefold:
One, no intentional fatal blows to the head, throat, or heart with the wooden sword.
Two, no use of Mid-to-High-level Hadō above number thirty.
Three, you must stop immediately when I announce the end."
"Are the rules clear?"
His tone carried unquestionable authority, and his gaze rested on both of their faces.
"Understood."
Suō Tsukasa nodded calmly.
"Got it!"
Abarai Renji clenched his fists, his voice ringing with unrestrained fighting spirit.
"Good, step inside."
The supervisory instructor said no more and stepped back a few paces.
The two entered the arena one after the other, standing opposite each other, separated by no more than ten steps.
Abarai Renji tightly gripped the handle of his sword, his body leaning slightly forward in his stance.
The red tips of his hair swayed with his breathing, like a ball of burning flame shaking in the air.
His eyes, full of wild arrogance, were locked onto Suō Tsukasa with a restless intensity.
His entire being resembled a beast ready to pounce at any moment, and the spiritual pressure around him overflowed uncontrollably, carrying a distinctly aggressive nature.
At this moment, he had only one thought: to prove himself with strength and use facts to fiercely slap that damned bald head!
In contrast, Suō Tsukasa's posture was exceptionally tranquil.
He simply stood casually, the tip of the Oboroyo he held in his right hand naturally pointed downward, and his dark eyes calmly met the other's gaze.
There was no anger, no fighting spirit in his eyes, and even the slight annoyance from having his good mood disturbed when he left had long since dissipated.
Based on his personal memory and impression, he didn't exactly like Abarai Renji, but he wasn't particularly annoyed by him either.
"No adult would seriously go all out against a teenager."
This sentence was the most honest reflection of Suō Tsukasa's current state of mind.
This was not a comparison purely based on age and appearance; the recognition, strength, and mentality of the two parties on the field were not on the same dimension at all.
"Abarai, he won't be too heavy-handed, will he...?"
From the sidelines, Hinamori Momo looked at the aggressive Abarai Renji in the ring and whispered.
"With the instructor here, it should be fine..."
Kira Izuru looked towards the black figure in the arena with worry, feeling nervous.
Compared to Abarai Renji's rough appearance, Suō Tsukasa's gentle demeanor presented a completely different picture.
Coupled with the fact that he was only a first-year student, it was hard not to worry about him.
"Renji..."
Rukia felt the same way. The childhood friend in the arena felt both familiar and strange to her.
She murmured with a complicated feeling.
Due to the Shin'ō Academy's style and small class system, even though they were in the same year, their classes were different, and they rarely saw each other.
The feelings they shared from growing up together in the Rukongai had not faded.
However, the changes that had occurred in Abarai Renji's psyche over the past three years were something she couldn't fully understand or grasp.
Not far away, Hitsugaya Tōshirō watched the fight with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression relaxed, showing no worry for Suō Tsukasa.
Having trained with Suō Tsukasa, he knew his strength better than anyone else in the field.
The rumors that sounded exaggerated to others were, in his eyes, a perfectly accurate assessment of Suō Tsukasa.
The outcome of this conflict, born out of reckless spirit, was already determined the moment they stepped into the dueling ground.
"Suō Tsukasa, please go easy on me."
Before the fight began, Suō Tsukasa performed the etiquette of a sparring match, nodding lightly and announcing his name.
"..."
His voice, clear and steady, reached Abarai Renji's ears.
The sudden and courteous greeting, which adhered to proper etiquette, made him freeze abruptly.
His pent-up anger and fighting spirit felt like they had been lightly pricked by a needle, resulting in a moment of stagnation.
He glared at Suō Tsukasa, his lips moving, but he ultimately just gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.
"Abarai Renji..."
The supervisory instructor seemed quite pleased with Suō Tsukasa's adherence to etiquette and nodded slightly in his direction.
"Begin!"
He then wasted no more time and gave a cold shout.
"Hraaaagh!"
The instructor's command unlocked the shackles on the red beast in the arena.
Abarai Renji's long-suppressed anger and fighting spirit exploded. He roared and charged forward, his wooden sword wrapped in surging spiritual pressure.
He intended to use the most direct method to teach that eyesore of a first-year a harsh lesson!
"Bakudō Number Four: Hainawa."
Facing the preemptive strike, Suō Tsukasa raised his left hand. The moment his words fell, a rope of light shot out rapidly from his fingertips.
The next moment, Abarai Renji's fierce attack was snagged by the light rope released from Suō Tsukasa's fingertips, and his momentum diminished.
"Hmph! Such a cheap trick!"
He immediately exploded with his own spiritual pressure, breaking free from the Bakudō's restraint.
However, this was only the beginning.
"Hadō Number Four: Byakurai."
Two slender, swift, white bolts of lightning struck almost simultaneously, piercing the jianyu acupoint of Abarai Renji's sword-wielding arm and the liangqiu acupoint of his supporting leg.
Instantly, Abarai Renji's arm and leg went numb, causing him to lose strength. The wooden sword slipped from his grasp, and unable to keep his balance, he fell to the ground, his momentum still carrying him forward.
Since his realization during the Hakuda class, Suō Tsukasa had read many books related to Hakuda and integrated some of his own insights into the fight today.
"No! Impossible!"
The inner humiliation and unwillingness caused by the sudden fall transformed into a more frantic roar.
Abarai Renji struggled to prop himself up with his intact hand to get back up and fight.
He could not accept, and absolutely refused to be defeated like this!
"Bakudō Number Thirty: Shitotsu Sansen."
The next second, Suō Tsukasa's voice from in front of him brought him the final despair.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Three massive, sharp, beak-shaped yellow slices of light materialized in the air, precisely locking onto Abarai Renji's waist and shoulders with powerful restraining force, pinning him motionless to the blue stone floor.
Right after the Shitotsu Sansen was completed, the supervisory instructor's voice echoed in the arena.
"End."
"The winner, Suō Tsukasa."
Usually, he would only use the word "End" to conclude a match.
Today, he had witnessed an excellent display of Kidō and thus specifically expressed his admiration for the victor.
The next moment.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Abarai Renji pounded the ground with his left hand, roaring in agony.
All his struggles and all his unwillingness were meaningless once the word "End" was uttered.
All that remained was heavy panting, a tightly clenched left fist, and a pair of lost eyes filled with a sense of crushing defeat.
Inside the dueling ground, there was dead silence.
On the sidelines, Kira Izuru and Hinamori Momo were so stunned by the scene that they were completely speechless; it had ended too quickly.
Rukia covered her mouth, her eyes also filled with shock and concern for Abarai Renji.
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