Seated Officer Challenge

After restraining Nishimura, Urahara did not let his guard down. "Hadō #63: Raikōhō!" The high-level Kidō, cast with Incantation Abandonment, struck Nishimura squarely in the chest. A thunderous explosion brought the fight to an end. Kisuke Urahara's opponent lay unconscious on the ground, blasted by Raikōhō until he was charred on the outside and tender on the inside. That was with Urahara holding back; otherwise, he would have been blasted to pieces.

While the other Soul Reaper was fighting Yoruichi, he heard the explosion and instinctively looked over. He saw his companion blasted to the ground, unable to fight. He knew he no longer had a chance of survival. He had been using everything he had just to barely hold his own against the female Soul Reaper before him, and he had hoped his companion could defeat his opponent and come to his aid. Now that his companion had lost, his last shred of hope was gone.

Facing death, he could no longer concern himself with anything else. He broke away from Yoruichi and charged straight at Ye Yang, praying that the boy was not as strong as they had imagined and hoping to seize a chance of survival.

Yoruichi was about to give chase, but when she saw him charging at Ye Yang, she stopped and silently mourned him. As far as Yoruichi was concerned, attacking Ye Yang was asking for death.

Sure enough, Ye Yang smiled when he saw him coming. Did he think I was a pushover? "Break free of your bonds—Silver Rend!" His Zanpakuto instantly became a double-edged sword, and Ye Yang vanished from where he stood.

The Soul Reaper's heart sank when he saw Ye Yang release his Shikai. Then Ye Yang vanished, and he thought, This is bad. But it was already too late. Ye Yang had appeared behind him and pierced his chest with blinding speed. Whether deliberately or not, Ye Yang had struck his Saketsu and Hakusui. Even if he survived, he would lose his Soul Reaper powers.

With the fight over, Kisuke Urahara smiled and said, "My, my, Ye Yang, what was that just now? It was so fast that even I only caught a glimpse."

Yoruichi cut in. "That's Senka, one of the Shihoin Clan's Stealth Steps. It's a special form of Shunpo that incorporates rotation. You spin, then use special footwork to get behind your opponent and destroy their Hakusui with a thrust. But it's very hard to learn. Little brother, when did you master it too?"

Yoruichi's use of "too" meant that she also knew Senka. Ye Yang said dismissively, "Is it hard? It's just adding a little rotation to Shunpo. It's not some advanced technique."

Kisuke Urahara could not help but smile wryly. "Only a ** like you could say that."

Rather than dwell on the subject with Urahara, Ye Yang turned and walked over to Number One. "Are you all right? Let's get you to the Fourth Division first."

Number One was stunned by what he had just seen. Two students who had only recently graduated from Shin'ō had defeated Soul Reapers who had mastered Shikai years ago. Ye Yang was even more astonishing: he had defeated his opponent in an instant. Although that opponent was already covered in wounds, Number One knew he could not have done the same.

When Ye Yang offered to take him to the Fourth Division, he replied, "I'm fine. We in the Punishment Force get injured all the time. It's more important to take them into custody and bring them to the Second Division." Number One pointed at the two unconscious men on the ground.

Ye Yang said to Yoruichi and Urahara, "You two carry them. I'll support him, and we'll go back to the Second Division."

Each of the three carried a person back to the Second Division. When Shihoin Tōno saw that his subordinate was badly injured and that his grandson and granddaughter had clearly been in a fight, he immediately asked what had happened. Ye Yang gave him a general account and told him that more than ten injured members were still there, asking him to send people to take them to the Fourth Division.

Ye Yang was about to leave and rest when Shihoin Tōno called him back. "Wait a moment. The Seated Officer Challenge is next month. You can try challenging for a seat. With your strength, you should be able to become high-ranking Seated Officers."

"Yes, we'll do our best," Ye Yang replied...

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Yang and the other two gradually grew accustomed to their work as Soul Reapers in the division, and the strength they displayed won over the other members. The members even speculated about who the next lieutenant would be. After all, the Second Division's lieutenant position had been vacant for a long time. Most said it might be Ye Yang, and everyone knew he was the leader of the three.

At last, the long-awaited Seated Officer Challenge began. Every member of the Second Division gathered in front of the barracks, with Ye Yang and the other two standing in the ranks. Kisuke Urahara asked Ye Yang in a low voice, "Ye Yang, which seat are you planning to challenge for?"

Ye Yang was silent for a while before saying, "Probably one of the top five seats. What about you?"

Kisuke Urahara gave a vague answer. "I can't say for sure yet. We'll see."

Then Shihoin Tōno's commanding voice rang out. "The Seated Officer Challenge will now begin. Any member or Seated Officer may challenge another Seated Officer. As long as you defeat your opponent, you can take their position."

After the challenge began, quite a few young Soul Reapers stepped forward to challenge for seats, but few succeeded. They all challenged lower-ranking Seated Officers, with hardly anyone challenging for a seat in the top ten. After more than an hour, no other members came forward, and Ye Yang and the other two still had not moved.

Seeing that no one else was challenging, Kisuke Urahara spoke up first. "Then I'll start. I'm challenging the Fifth Seat."

The members below erupted in an uproar. They had assumed the three would start by challenging for seats around the 10th Seat, then slowly work their way up in the future. They had not expected Urahara to challenge the Fifth Seat outright! In that case, wouldn't Ye Yang and Yoruichi have to challenge the Fourth and Third Seats? Replacing three high-ranking Seated Officers at once was unprecedented. Moreover, the Second Division's lieutenant position had remained vacant ever since Shihoin Seigen stepped down, making the Third Seat effectively the highest-ranking Seated Officer. The Third Seat might even be promoted to lieutenant later.

The man Kisuke Urahara challenged was a middle-aged Soul Reaper named Ishii Jōgen, who looked about thirty-five or thirty-six by the standards of the World of the Living. He stepped forward and said to Kisuke Urahara, "Young man, you should start by challenging a lower-ranking Seated Officer. I'm no pushover."

Kisuke Urahara looked unperturbed. "If I'm going to issue a challenge, of course I'll choose one that's difficult. You call me a young man, so let me ask you this: who isn't reckless in their youth?"

Ishii Jōgen suddenly burst out laughing. "Well said! Then let me see what gives you the right to be reckless."

The two then bowed to each other.

"Please go easy on me."

"Please go easy on me."

Ishii drew his sword and charged in from the start, engaging Urahara in combat. Kisuke Urahara, who was not particularly skilled at Zanjutsu, soon fell into a disadvantage. As Ishii fought, he said, "What's wrong? Is that all you've got?"

Urahara instantly used Shunpo to open up some distance, chanting, "Hadō #4: Byakurai!" A bolt of white lightning shot from Kisuke Urahara's finger straight at Ishii. Ishii had no choice but to dodge, losing his chance to close in on Urahara. Once the distance had opened, Kisuke Urahara would not let Ishii get close again. He unleashed one small Hadō and Bakudō after another, leaving Ishii in a sorry state.

Ishii was clearly at a disadvantage and would be defeated if the fight continued much longer. But instead of trying to approach Urahara, he stood motionless, doing who knew what. After a long silence, he said, "I admit you're strong, but you're still too green. Perhaps you can succeed next time. Track him—Soul Lock." His Zanpakuto instantly transformed into a black iron chain. He continued, "My Zanpakuto, Soul Lock, can lock onto one opponent. No matter how you run, you can't escape my attacks."

Kisuke Urahara did not panic. Instead, he smiled. "You've finally released your Shikai. This is the moment I've been waiting for. The real match starts now. Sing—Benihime!"

Kisuke Urahara's Zanpakuto became a long, slender blade. He said, "My Zanpakuto, Benihime, is a Kidō-type Zanpakuto. It can release and control red light."

The two resumed fighting. Although close combat was not Urahara's strong point, he relied on Benihime to fire bursts of red light at his opponent from time to time, and the two fought evenly. Seeing that the prolonged fight was going nowhere, Kisuke Urahara suddenly shouted, "Cry out—Benihime, Blood Mist Shield!"

A red hexagonal shield appeared in front of Urahara, forcing Ishii back. He was not finished. He chanted again, "Bind—Benihime!" A different Shikai release phrase came from his mouth, and this time a red net of Spiritual Pressure emerged from Benihime's blade. Ishii was caught off guard and bound in place, but with his strength, he would soon break free. Urahara naturally would not let the opportunity pass. He chanted, "Carriage of thunder, gap of the spinning wheel, this thing gathers light and divides it into six! Bakudō #61: Six Rods Prison of Light!" Six blades of yellow light clamped around Ishii's waist, binding him firmly in place, though he was still struggling to break free.

Seeing that Ishii still would not concede, Kisuke Urahara chanted again, "Wall of iron sand, tower in the form of a monk, glowing iron, still and silent at last! Bakudō #75: Gochūtekkan!" Five pentagonal iron pillars descended from the sky and pinned Ishii down. This time, he stopped struggling altogether. A number 75 Kidō cast with its incantation was certainly not something he could break out of, so he had already given up resisting while Urahara was chanting.

He could never have imagined that a student who had just graduated from Shin'ō could use a number 75 Kidō! An absolute Kidō genius! That was what everyone present thought of Kisuke Urahara. Some had previously doubted that his strength could compare with Ye Yang and his sister, but now he had proven himself with absolute strength!

Afterward, Kisuke Urahara released the Kidō. Ishii climbed to his feet and told Kisuke Urahara that he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly, then congratulated him on becoming the Fifth Seat.

Ye Yang said to Yoruichi in private, "Big sister, are you going next, or am I?"

Yoruichi replied, "You first, of course. As my little brother, shouldn't you lead the way for me?"

Ye Yang had no choice but to say, "All right, I'll go first."

Ye Yang slowly stepped out of the ranks and said, "The one I'm challenging is the Third Seat"...