"Jin'emon, could you please make a trip to the Kuchiki estate and ask Kōga to come to the Seventh Division?" Kazuma asked his Vice-Captain, who was standing at attention beside his desk.
"I'll go right away, Captain!" Jin'emon replied eagerly, turning on his heel to leave.
Over at the Kuchiki estate, Kōga was ecstatic to receive the news of Kazuma's return.
When they arrived at the Seventh Division, Kazuma was waiting for them in his office, offering a warm, welcoming smile the moment Kōga walked in.
"Master, didn't you go to Hueco Mundo? How did you get back so quickly?" Kōga asked, brimming with curiosity.
After all, it had only been a day.
Had Kazuma just taken a quick sightseeing tour of the Hollow realm and come right back?
Kazuma replied with a relaxed smile, "Yes, I originally planned to stay in Hueco Mundo for a few more days, but things went incredibly smoothly, so I came back early."
Kōga grumbled internally.
'Tch, he probably just wanted an excuse to slack off for a day, so he took a vacation to Hueco Mundo.'
Out loud, however, he bowed respectfully. "I see, Master. Did you encounter any danger during your trip?"
Kazuma shook his head. "No, everything went perfectly. What about you? How is your Zanjutsu practice coming along? You didn't slack off yesterday while I was away, did you?"
Kōga patted his chest with utmost confidence. "Of course I practiced my drawing forms, Master! I want to comprehend the absolute unity of man and sword you spoke of as soon as possible, but I haven't had any major breakthroughs yet."
Kazuma nodded in satisfaction. "It's good that you haven't slacked off. But trying to master the absolute unity of man and blade in a single day? You must be dreaming, even if you are a genius."
Kazuma then turned his attention to his lieutenant. "Jin'emon, I'll leave today's squad duties entirely in your capable hands. Batsu'unsai will be training with me."
Jin'emon quickly agreed, saluting sharply. "Of course, Captain, please leave it to me! This is exactly what I should be doing as Vice-Captain anyway, especially since Captain Batsu'unsai has been working so hard lately."
With that, he turned and marched out of the office.
Seeing Jin'emon leave, Kōga immediately sidled up to Kazuma and asked curiously, "Master, is Mistress going to instruct me today as well?"
Kazuma glanced over at Saitō, who had been lounging quietly like a non-entity in the corner of the office.
"Keep up, all of you. We're heading to the training grounds."
"Huh? Captain Saitō is coming too?" Kōga asked, looking even more confused.
Kazuma just smiled cryptically. "Don't ask questions for now, you'll find out in a bit."
With that, he stood up and led Batsu'unsai, Saitō, and Kōga out to the Seventh Division's sprawling training grounds.
Out on the training grounds, the bright sun and a gentle breeze made the afternoon feel exceptionally comfortable.
Kazuma walked to the center of the field, stopped, and turned to face his three companions with a heavy, serious gaze.
"What I am about to teach you today must not be passed on to anyone else under any circumstances. If it leaks, I will personally hunt the traitor down and kill them," Kazuma warned, his tone dead serious.
'Whoa, Master is definitely going to teach us something amazing!' Kōga thought, his heart pounding with raw excitement.
He nodded vigorously. "I will absolutely not pass it on to anyone, Master!"
Kazuma smiled in satisfaction before dropping the bombshell. "Today, I will teach you my custom movement technique: Flash Blink."
Upon hearing this, Kōga's eyes widened in utter astonishment.
He took a deep breath, murmuring in disbelief, "Master is actually going to teach us this?"
He turned to look at his Mistress and Captain Saitō, only to see that their faces were completely calm, as if they had known about this all along.
He couldn't help but feel a little dejected, realizing he was the only one kept in the dark. It felt like he was the only clown in the room.
Kōga blinked, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes as he smiled at Kazuma. "Master, didn't you say that Flash Blink couldn't be taught to others? Did you decide to make an exception because you finally recognized just how outstanding I am?"
Kazuma's smile strained as he violently resisted the urge to smack the back of Kōga's head.
"Kōga, you really are hopelessly narcissistic! You are outstanding, yes, but that's absolutely not the reason I'm making an exception. I actually had a very specific purpose for going to Hueco Mundo: I needed to track down the old friend who helped me develop the technique to get her explicit permission to teach it to you all."
Kazuma lowered his voice, looking intently at the three of them. "Flash Blink is a hybrid technique I developed by fusing the Hollow's Sonído with our Shinigami Shunpo. Sonído has the unique property of completely bypassing the opponent's sensory nerves, which is why it feels so impossibly fast and impossible to track. That fusion was the initial version of Flash Blink."
"The initial version?" the three of them echoed in unison, looking deeply puzzled.
"My current Flash Blink is essentially version 2.0, because I've recently incorporated the mechanics of the Quincy's Hirenkyaku. Hirenkyaku is fundamentally different from a Shinigami's Shunpo. In Shunpo, we mobilize the internal spiritual power within our bodies to forcefully enhance our movement. Hirenkyaku, on the other hand, involves gathering and riding the ambient Reishi—the spiritual particles—outside the body for high-speed, frictionless movement."
"Before we even attempt the footwork, I have to teach you how to properly mobilize the spiritual particles in the atmosphere. Otherwise, you will never be able to learn Flash Blink 2.0."
Saitō and Batsu'unsai exchanged a heavy, grave look.
It seemed Kazuma had somehow managed to master and adapt Quincy abilities as well. If he knew how to manipulate external Reishi so flawlessly, he could probably use their defensive Blut techniques too.
Processing this revelation, Saitō asked bluntly, "Have you also mastered Blut?"
Kazuma glanced at Saitō in genuine surprise. "Your mind works fast. I have indeed adapted the principles of Blut."
Among the three of them, only Kōga looked completely lost.
"What is Blut?"
Ignoring the question to stay on topic, Kazuma continued explaining the core principles of Flash Blink in detail.
"First, you must focus all your attention on sensing the subtle fluctuations of ambient Reishi around you. This allows you to perceive the enemy's attack intentions before they even move."
"Second, when the enemy strikes, you must use your own internal spiritual power to react, while cleverly mobilizing the external spiritual particles beneath your feet to instantly glide out of the way."
"Finally, while evading, you must seamlessly seize the momentum to launch a counterattack, delivering a fatal blow from their blind spot."
Kōga listened, utterly entranced, his heart hammering with anticipation and excitement.
He couldn't wait to try this miraculous technique. Taking a bold step forward, he eagerly accepted the challenge.
"Master, I think I understand the theory. May I try?"
Kazuma nodded, signaling him to prepare.
He then mimicked a lethal attack, his arm swinging out fiercely with a razor-sharp aura.
In that split second, Kōga focused his entire being, keeping Kazuma's key principles firmly locked in his mind.
The exact instant Kazuma struck, Kōga gathered the ambient Reishi beneath his feet and his figure flashed, moving as swiftly and silently as lightning to successfully evade the blow.
"This feels incredible! It's so much smoother and faster than standard Shunpo," Kōga said, his face glowing with sheer satisfaction.
"Very good!" A genuine hint of admiration flashed in Kazuma's eyes as he nodded approvingly.
"However, you've only grasped the absolute basics of Flash Blink. To truly master it and use it in real combat, you'll need grueling practice, especially when it comes to instinctively mobilizing the external spirit particles. Today is just your first successful attempt. Once you can manipulate the ambient Reishi as naturally as breathing, your speed will multiply."
For the rest of the afternoon, the three of them practiced the Flash Blink technique over and over under Kazuma's patient, watchful guidance.
They gradually mastered the subtle knack for it, their movements becoming increasingly fluid, silent, and terrifyingly fast.