"Oh? That's a fine suggestion, Senpai. But I should warn you, I'm actually quite strong."
"Think of it as some light exercise after our meal. Just a simple sparring match so I can see the gap between a genius and myself."
Kaien scratched his head.
"I'm no genius... but I do know a good spot. It's a bit of a walk, though. Want to check it out?"
"Sure."
Kaien went back inside and brought out two wooden practice swords.
"Senpai, shall we warm up with some Shunpo?"
"Fine by me."
Hasumi Ren nodded.
Their eyes met, and as the last word left his lips, both figures vanished simultaneously.
A moment later, they reappeared nearly at the same time on opposite sides of the flat clearing at the summit.
This time, Ren held nothing back.
Against an opponent of Kaien's caliber, there was no need to hide his skills.
The more he forced Kaien to go all out, the more efficiently he could harvest experience fragments.
Pushing himself to the limit, his Shunpo was surprisingly fast, allowing him to stay hot on Kaien's heels.
Kaien glanced back. Even though he was holding back, he hadn't expected Ren to keep pace so effortlessly.
'I suppose it makes sense. He is a senior from the Academy; there's no way I'd leave him in the dust that easily.'
Kaien's expression turned serious. He was finally starting to take this duel seriously.
His speed surged, leaving behind a glowing fragment that only Ren could see.
Seeing this, Ren subtly adjusted his path, his fingers brushing through the air just as the afterimage faded.
[SYSTEM: Obtained Shunpo Insights, Shunpo EXP +25]
Shiba Kaien's training insights regarding Shunpo instantly melded into Ren's body.
The two figures chased one another across the terrain.
This time, Kaien finally gained the upper hand.
Kaien's brow twitched. Although Ren was slightly slower, he was sticking close; widening the gap wouldn't be easy.
Curiously, he felt a subtle shift in Ren's Shunpo style.
While it remained primarily the Academy style he was familiar with, certain nuances in the turns and accelerations bore a faint resemblance to his own techniques.
'Is it just my imagination...?'
After an indeterminate amount of time, they finally came to a halt, standing barely ten meters apart.
As Ren caught his breath, a flash of surprise crossed Kaien's eyes.
"Your Shunpo is impressive, Senpai."
"This is Mount Koifushi. There are no houses around here; it's where I usually train. It's the perfect place for a spar."
Mount Koifushi had a gentle slope and sparse trees, with a wide, open clearing at the top. Bathed in the brilliant moonlight, it was indeed an ideal spot for a duel.
Kaien drew the two wooden swords from his back and tossed one to Ren.
Ren caught the sword and tested its weight; it was well-balanced.
He slowly settled into a basic Chudan-no-kamae stance.
Kaien mirrored his seriousness, gripping his sword with both hands. A steady yet sharp aura naturally radiated from him.
"Careful now, Senpai."
Without a signal, both moved at the same time.
The crisp, loud crack of wooden swords colliding echoed across the silent summit.
In the following moments, the clashing of wood became a continuous rhythm as their figures blurred and intertwined under the moonlight.
The more they fought, the more startled Kaien became.
Under the tutelage of Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, his swordsmanship was enough to overwhelm most of his peers.
Yet no matter how waves of his offensive surged, Ren held his ground firmly, parrying every blow and looking for openings to counterattack.
'Hasumi-senpai... is he really this strong?'
[SYSTEM: Obtained Zanjutsu Insights, Zanjutsu EXP +40]
[SYSTEM: Obtained Zanjutsu Insights, Zanjutsu EXP +30]
Seeing the fragments constantly bursting forth, Ren felt an immense surge of satisfaction. Kaien was practically a walking treasure trove of experience.
He fended off Kaien's strikes while greedily absorbing those high-quality combat fragments.
Kaien's Zanjutsu experience was rapidly assimilated and absorbed by Ren.
His sword techniques began to undergo subtle changes.
As the fight deepened, Kaien's shock grew.
He noticed that some of his signature combos and power-application techniques were being mimicked—intentionally or not—and integrated into Ren's defensive counters.
This capacity for learning and adaptation was simply inconceivable.
"Good!"
Kaien shouted, no longer holding back. His Spiritual Pressure erupted, and a faint glow even appeared on his wooden sword as he delivered a massive, heavy diagonal slash!
Ren's eyes narrowed. Instead of meeting the blow head-on, he triggered a Shunpo, sliding to the side. At the same time, his wooden sword scraped against Kaien's blade, slicing upward toward his wrist!
Kaien hurriedly adjusted his move to block.
With a sharp crack, the two wooden swords—infused with Spiritual Pressure—could not withstand the force of the collision and snapped in half simultaneously!
Amidst the flying splinters, both men discarded their broken weapons nearly at the same time and engaged in hand-to-hand combat!
The battle shifted to Hakuda!
Kaien's Hakuda was equally exceptional—fierce and powerful. Combined with the power-striking techniques he'd honed over years of training, the force of every punch was nothing to scoff at.
Ren's strikes didn't seem as ferocious as Kaien's, but his moves were unpredictable, always finding a way to counter.
Under the moonlight, the two figures exchanged a flurry of blows, punctuated by constant dull thuds.
Dust kicked up, forming a hazy halo in the moon's glow.
Kaien's astonishment only deepened as the fight progressed.
Now, he was certain.
Ren was like a sponge, constantly absorbing his combat experience and converting it into his own at an alarming rate.
This ability to learn from an opponent mid-battle and apply it immediately was something he had never even heard of.
In the heat of the battle, during a close-quarters exchange, Ren keenly caught a fleeting opening between Kaien's transitions.
This was thanks to the fragments he had absorbed, which contained a wealth of predictions based on his opponent's combat habits.
'An opening.'
Kaien's battle instincts were incredibly sharp, and a sense of crisis surged within him, but by the time Ren's heavy punch arrived, it was too late to dodge.
"Thump!"
Following a thud heavier than any before, both men recoiled several steps, their feet carving shallow pits into the ground.
Kaien touched his side. In the final moment of the strike, Ren had pulled his punch.
"Impressive..."
The two took a moment to catch their breath. When they looked at each other again, the fighting spirit in their eyes burned even brighter.
This was the feeling of finding a worthy adversary.
Although Kaien's overall power outmatched Ren's, Ren's experience was clearly more extensive. While it seemed a bit eclectic, it was undeniably practical.
'I wonder where Hasumi-senpai picked up so much combat experience during his years at the Academy.'
"Again!"
Kaien bellowed, and the two clashed once more.
Watching the fragments fill the air, Ren's experience bar skyrocketed.
This continued until he felt his Spiritual Pressure nearing exhaustion and his body growing weary.
Suddenly, Ren froze.
Perhaps it was the intense pressure on his mind and spirit from the high-stakes combat, or maybe he was stimulated by the sheer intensity of the confrontation.
Deep within Ren's soul, that dormant wisp of dark red Spiritual Pressure—the part belonging to a Hollow—suddenly stirred restlessly.
A cold, violent sensation filled with a hunger to devour slithered into Ren's heart like a venomous snake.