On Ring Number 1, Hitsugaya Tōshirō and Kujō Shunrō stood facing each other, and it seemed as if the air was filled with invisible tension.
After a brief exchange of several moves, both of them clearly realized that their opponent's strength should not be underestimated.
Tōshirō felt confused. This Kujō Shunrō gave him the impression of being much stronger than Uzumaki Sasuke, whom Renji had defeated in an instant yesterday. At least in terms of speed, he was far ahead.
The first is apparently second in the generation, and the second is first. So how can the difference in strength be so strange?
On the other hand, Kujō Shunrō was shocked by Tōshirō's exaggerated strength.
This first-year student could actually keep up with the speed he was so proud of?!
Kujō Shunrō, the super-elite fifth-year student, ranked second in his generation.
After Saito Arata graduated, his overall strength was immediately behind the sixth-year genius – Tsunayashiro Kugyō.
As for why he was second in the generation, it was solely because he had fallen asleep and was late for the Kidō exam that day.
Otherwise, with his noble status, how could he have allowed himself to be trampled by Uzumaki Sasuke, a student from a common family?
He was born into the Kujō family, a mid-level noble family in the Soul Society, and since childhood, had received rigorous kendō training from private tutors.
Up to now, Shunrō's spiritual pressure had stabilized at level eight, which was the level of an excellent division member, and his cutting technique had reached a level of mastery.
More importantly, he was extremely well-versed in the family technique "Ryūjin-ryū," a secret family sword style based on fast combinations and overpowering force.
In yesterday's qualifications, he had practically swept his opponents away with overwhelming assaults, not allowing any fight to last more than a minute.
In contrast, Hitsugaya Tōshirō was only a first-year student. Although he had gained fame since enrollment and was praised as the "unmatched genius after Saito-sensei," in the eyes of many, he was still just a kid without enough experience.
Before the match began, even Kujō Shunrō had thought the same, but not anymore.
Tōshirō's white hair gently fluttered in the breeze, without a trace of panic in his emerald pupils.
The hand holding his sword was steady as a rock, and the blade reflected the sunlight, radiating a faint chill.
In the stands, thousands of eyes were fixed on the two of them, including many elites from the Gotei 13 and representatives of the nobility.
In the VIP box, Kyōraku Shunsui was lazily slouched in his chair, occasionally shaking his sake gourd, a playful smile on his lips.
Arata and Rangiku stood by the railing, their sharp gazes following the events in the ring.
Shhh—!
Kujō Shunrō moved.
His figure flickered like a ghost, crossing the distance in an instant, and the swing of his Asauchi turned into a silver flash aimed straight at Tōshirō's chest.
The attack was as fast as lightning, carrying powerful waves of spiritual pressure, as if slicing through the air.
However, Tōshirō was not someone to be underestimated either. He reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side and raising his Asauchi to block.
Clang–!
Two sharp blades collided, creating a piercing sound of metal scraping.
Kujō seized the moment and didn't give him even a second to breathe. The light of the sword burst forth continuously, like flowing water, and each strike precisely cut off Tōshirō's paths of retreat.
"Brat, taste the power of the Kujō family's sword!"
"This is the gap between you commoners and nobles!"
Kujō Shunrō laughed wildly and hurled insults as his sword strikes rained down with full force.
His sword technique was relentless, just like the essence of the "Ryūjin-ryū" style – don't give the opponent even a moment to breathe.
"He's too fast!" A third-year student in the stands couldn't hold back and shouted, "Kujō-sempai's sword speed is at least twice that of an average fifth-year student!"
Tōshirō was under pressure and retreated step by step.
He tried to counter, but Kujō's attacks were like a storm. Every time he raised his hand to block, the next attack was already in motion.
Although he initially managed to fend off several blows, the opponent's speed and strength kept increasing, making it harder and harder to block them.
In just ten seconds, Tōshirō had retreated ten meters, and the base of his palm holding the sword had begun to redden and swell.
It was a sign that the muscles had reached their limit.
In the VIP box, Kyōraku Shunsui narrowed his eyes and took a sip of sake. "Oh ho? That little Hitsugaya is under pressure."
"And another thing… this Ryūjin-ryū of the Kujō family is quite interesting. It perfectly combines spiritual pressure and speed. If a regular soldier from the 8th Division were in his place, he would've been swept away by now."
Sasakibe Chōjirō on the referee's chair frowned slightly and gripped the whistle in his hand even tighter.
As the lieutenant of the 1st Division, he had seen countless battles of various geniuses, but from the current perspective, Tōshirō's situation was truly worrying.
"Hitsugaya's defensive stance is very stable, but if he fails to break the opponent's rhythm, he'll just slowly burn out his strength and eventually suffer an inglorious defeat."
Arata leaned against the railing with a calm expression.
He knew Tōshirō's potential, and this battle was far from over.
"Tōshirō, remember what I told you – battle is not a contest of brute force, but requires constant observation and adaptation." He muttered to himself, his gaze sharp.
In the ring, Tōshirō's breathing gradually stabilized.
Although he was under pressure, his emerald pupils remained locked onto Kujō Shunrō's movements.
After forcing himself to calm down, Saito-sensei's lessons surged back into his mind like a tide.
Observe the opponent's attack habits, maintain patience and restraint, and then find an opening.
Of course, with his sharp vision, he did find the opponent's weakness.
The Ryūjin-ryū style that Kujō Shunrō was so proud of seemed perfect, but after every combination of moves, there was always a short, tiny pause – the moment when the spiritual pressure flowed from his body to his wrist.
All it takes is to seize that pause, and you can turn the situation around!
However, before Tōshirō could think further, the opponent had already launched a new wave of attacks. Kujō's Asauchi came down from above, accompanied by the sound of air being torn.
Tōshirō didn't try to block directly; instead, he used his height advantage, dropped low and slid forward, skillfully dodging the strike.
His movements became increasingly fluid, as if consciously imitating Kujō's rhythm.
After several perfect evasions, Tōshirō finally saw the moment of spiritual pressure flow and struck hard at the side of Kujō's sword.
"Now!"
Clang–!
This time, it was Kujō's blade that trembled, producing a faint vibrating sound.
"What?!"
He didn't expect Tōshirō's counterattack to come so suddenly, and he instinctively stepped back.
Moreover, because the strike came at the exact moment when the spiritual pressure was returning through his arm, his body briefly lost balance, and he almost dropped the Asauchi. Fortunately, this wasn't his first battle, so he had enough experience to recover from such situations.
Cries of surprise erupted from the stands.
"Awesome! Tōshirō started countering!" Kusaka Sōjirō clenched his fists excitedly in the candidate zone and growled with delight.
He felt an almost liberating joy seeing his friend finally take the initiative after being pressured the whole fight.
Kujō furrowed his brows and snorted coldly. "Brat, don't think you can turn the battle around just because you landed one hit!"
"Up until now, I've just been warming up. Now the real fight begins!"
As soon as he said that, his spiritual pressure suddenly surged, and the sword in his hand swung with even greater speed. The sharp traces of his blade wove a massive net, covering the entire center of the ring.
Tōshirō was forced to dodge and move constantly, but his gaze grew brighter.
Through observation, he had already caught on to Kujō Shunrō's attack pattern: after every three straight slashes, there would always be a leaping slash meant to block the opponent from the side, but that also exposed a gap in the lower part of his body.
Tōshirō took a deep breath, gripped his Asauchi tighter, and gathered spiritual pressure in his feet.
As expected, Kujō's leaping slash came right on time. Instead of retreating, Tōshirō charged forward, instantly closed the distance, and swung his Asauchi from an unusual angle, aiming directly at the lower part of Kujō's defense.
"What?!" Kujō flinched and hastily raised his sword to block.
However, Tōshirō's attack already incorporated the progressive cut, Arata had taught him.
The first strike was a feint, the second was the killing blow.
The blade rotated in the air, shifted from a thrust to a slash, and struck with full force at Kujō's side.
Kujō managed to block, but his balance was already disrupted.
Tōshirō seized the opportunity and launched three consecutive attacks, his blade like a snake's icy tongue, forcing Kujō to retreat constantly.
And what he used… was precisely the Ryūjin-ryū style of the Kujō family!
Now he was the one controlling the rhythm!
The crowd erupted instantly!
In the VIP box, Kyōraku Shunsui burst out laughing and slapped Ukitake Jūshirō on the shoulder. "Interesting! Looks like little Tōshirō not only has spiritual power reaching the heavens, but is also a kid with incredible learning ability."
"At first, he was completely suppressed, and now he's starting to imitate Kujō's sword technique. What do you think, Ukitake?"
His good friend Ukitake Jūshirō smiled gently, admiration clearly visible in his eyes. "Indeed, his powers of observation and adaptation exceed my expectations. Looks like Arata really taught him well."
On the other side, Sasakibe Chōjirō narrowed his eyes so much that his pupils were barely visible, and exclaimed inwardly.
"Hitsugaya's cutting technique progressed at an incredible pace. That fake swing leading into a lethal strike is definitely something Saito-kun taught during class. I didn't expect him to apply it so quickly in actual combat."
A barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of Arata's lips, and pride spread through his chest. Tōshirō hadn't disappointed his expectations.
This child's talent deserves to blossom on a stage like this.
Defeating a fifth-year student as a first-year isn't anything special. In a few years, he'll be strong enough to defeat even Tsunayashiro Sōryō as a sixth-year student.
…
In the ring, the battle between the two had entered a fever pitch.
After having his attack pattern exposed, Kujō Shunrō realized he could no longer stall. That kid was simply too terrifying.
"Bakudō number 4: Hainawa!"
He suddenly shouted, and golden ropes shot out from his palm straight toward Tōshirō's sides, trying to disrupt his rhythm.
If sword technique alone can't defeat him, then try Kidō, in which he's also skilled!
Tōshirō's eyes grew serious, but not fearful.
He instantly activated the spiritual pressure in his body and countered with Kidō.
"Hadō number 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!" Blue electricity burst from his fingertips, clashing with the golden rope and exploding in a flash of blinding sparks.
Boom–!
The shockwave from the Kidō collision caused the ring to tremble slightly.
"What? You're even this skilled in Kidō?!"
When did I even learn Hadō number eleven?!
Kujō Shunrō gritted his teeth; after sensing how much spiritual pressure he had left, he decided to abandon long-range Kidō and shift completely to close-quarters combat.
A fist enveloped in spiritual pressure lunged straight toward Tōshirō's chest.
Tōshirō dodged to the side and countered with an elbow to the ribs.
The two immediately switched to close combat mode, exchanging punches and kicks, and the blunt sounds of body-to-body impacts echoed nonstop.
Bang bang bang—!
Kujō's fist techniques were very powerful; every strike carried the force of wind and thunder.
But Tōshirō's hand-to-hand combat skills were also not bad. Following Arata's teachings, he focused on combining soft and hard, using the opponent's force to strike back.
In one clash, Tōshirō grabbed Kujō's arm, twisted it, and threw him a good two meters away.
"Damn brat!" Kujō retaliated immediately after landing and once again swung his Asauchi. It was a family technique combining Kidō and swordsmanship.
"Ryūjin-ryū: Whirlwind Slash!"
The blade spun like a windmill, raising a storm of spiritual pressure that surged straight toward Tōshirō.
Tōshirō did not panic. He held his sword horizontally in front of him and softly chanted:
"Bakudō number 8: Seki!"
An invisible barrier stopped the storm, and he used the opportunity to instantly Shunpo behind Kujō and use the most powerful Hadō he currently knew.
"Hadō number 33: Sōkatsui!"
Blue flame descended from the sky and struck directly toward Kujō's head.
Kujō Shunrō's old strength was already exhausted, and new strength had not yet gathered, so he could only awkwardly dodge. Even so, the remaining flames scorched his shoulder.
A scream rang out as he turned around and exploded with spiritual pressure, his blade striking straight toward Tōshirō's vital points.
Tōshirō also stepped forward with sword in hand.
The lights of the two blades intertwined, scattering sparks across the entire ring.
Tōshirō's sword grew faster and faster. He had completely adapted to Kujō's rhythm, and each strike precisely targeted weak points.
On the other hand, Kujō's sword grew slower.
In the stands, shouts and murmurs surged like waves.
"Not good, not good, is Kujō-sempai going to lose?!"
"Impossible, he's a fifth-year student!"
In the crowd, a luxuriously dressed young noble shook his head and sighed: "Kujō Shunrō is the pride of the fifth year. I didn't think he'd be brought to this situation by a first-year brat today."
Rangiku tugged Arata's sleeve and said excitedly: "Arata, Tōshirō is really fighting brilliantly! He's using everything you taught him!"
Arata smiled faintly. "This kid doesn't just memorize knowledge like the other students. He's already brought it to the level of true application."
"Defeating a fifth-year with the strength of a first-year – that's the best proof that talent can be turned into real power."
Hitsugaya Tōshirō is truly worthy of being the successor to the Captain-Commander personally chosen by the old man. Even in childhood, he displays strength far above his peers.
In the ring, the long battle finally reached its climax.
Kujō Shunrō was breathing heavily, with numerous scratches all over his body.
He knew he could no longer delay and decided to use his trump card.
"Ryūjin-ryū: Ultimate Combo!"
His Asauchi turned into countless afterimages, and spiritual pressure surged like a tide, covering the entire area in front of him.
This was his hidden trump card, prepared for Tsunayashiro Kugyō in the official group.
But if he didn't use it now, he'd probably lose in the very first match of the Top 64!
Tōshirō's eyes were serious, but he didn't take a single step back.
Arata's words echoed in his ears: when facing a strong opponent, you must not panic – you must patiently seek an opening and then cut through it with a single strike.
Once he completely calmed his breathing, he released all his spiritual power, and a thin layer of frost appeared along the path of his blade.
"Let it come!"
The afterimages of Kujō Shunrō surged forward, and Tōshirō slipped through the network of blades.
Even though the opponent's continuous slashes were terrifyingly fast, at the very center of the spiritual pressure concentration, there was always one weak point.
Tōshirō closed his eyes without hesitation, relied on sensing spiritual pressure, and shortened the distance in a single step.
Then he thrust his blade, aiming at the vital point.
Clang–!
The web of swords in the sky instantly collapsed. Kujō staggered back a few steps, then was blown backward by the impact.
The tip of Tōshirō's sword stopped right at the base of his throat, and the icy chill made Kujō's body freeze.
"The winner has been decided!" Sasakibe Chōjirō blew the whistle.
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō wins! Time: 2 minutes and 45 seconds!"