Chapter 13

The clamor around them continued as everyone marveled at Sentarō Kotsubaki's Shikai.

"Since you've already given it your all, Senior Kotsubaki, wouldn't it be rude of me not to follow suit?" Miyako Amamiya chuckled and gripped one Zanpakuto in a reverse grip.

"Senior Kotsubaki, don't be too surprised by what comes next." Miyako Amamiya sensed Sentarō Kotsubaki's Reiatsu. It really was immense, even greater than Zennosuke Kurumadani's in Shikai, but that alone wasn't enough to make Miyako Amamiya give up.

Miyako Amamiya brought his hands together, joining the hilts of his two Zanpakuto.

Here it comes? Ukitake watched Miyako Amamiya expectantly, eager to see the Shikai of Soul Society's third dual-blade Zanpakuto.

"Separate him, Divine Arrow: Severed Thought..." For the first time, Miyako Amamiya calmly and clearly spoke his release command.

The twin blades shone with a dazzling light as a powerful surge of Reiatsu erupted from Miyako Amamiya. Dust billowed across the training ground, hiding him from view.

The watching squad members suddenly found their breath catching. Some seemed to be under such tremendous pressure that they dropped to one knee.

On the platform, Ukitake looked surprised. Miyako Amamiya's Reiatsu had surpassed Sentarō Kotsubaki's, officially reaching the level expected of a lieutenant.

Sensing that Reiatsu on the field, Sentarō Kotsubaki broke into a cold sweat.

Then the dust began to settle, and everyone finally saw where Miyako Amamiya stood.

"It's... a bow and arrow?!" Sentarō Kotsubaki stared at the weapon in Miyako Amamiya's hand.

Ukitake was the most surprised of all. Although it was a dual-blade Zanpakuto, its Shikai had turned it into a bow and arrow. No wonder Miyako Amamiya had said its release was a little unusual.

Holding the black-and-white bow, Miyako Amamiya laughed. "Senior Kotsubaki, what's so surprising? In Soul Society, released Zanpakuto can take the form of staffs, greatswords, hammers, and even some really strange shapes. Mine is pretty normal by comparison."

Though Miyako Amamiya said that, he knew his was anything but normal. The Soul Reapers' old mortal enemies had used bows as weapons, and he didn't know whether anyone else in Soul Society had a Zanpakuto that took the form of a bow and arrow when released.

I suppose he has a point? Sentarō Kotsubaki hadn't taken part in the Quincy extermination in the World of the Living two hundred years ago, so he didn't know what the bow and arrow represented.

But Ukitake knew perfectly well: it was the Quincy's signature weapon.

Miyako Amamiya's Shikai wasn't just for defeating Sentarō Kotsubaki. He also intended to form arrows from his own Reishi, letting Ukitake see clearly that his Zanpakuto merely resembled a Quincy weapon and was used in an entirely different way.

Miyako Amamiya slowly raised his bow and began drawing on his own Reiryoku with his other hand to form an arrow.

"Then let's begin, Senior Kotsubaki. This is round two." Miyako Amamiya aimed at him with a smile.

Gathering Reishi? Ukitake looked at the arrow in Miyako's hand. "No, the Reishi around him isn't gathering in his hand. The arrow was formed from the spiritual power inside him."

Sentarō Kotsubaki held his sword and watched Miyako Amamiya, with no intention of attacking first. He had never fought an opponent who used a bow and arrow. He had only heard that the Quincy fought with bows and arrows two hundred years ago. For now, his best choice was to observe how Miyako Amamiya attacked.

Miyako Amamiya saw through his intentions and had no plans to give him a chance to learn.

"First arrow." The Reiryoku inside him instantly formed a massive arrow, and Miyako Amamiya aimed it at him.

The arrow was so fast that by the time Sentarō Kotsubaki reacted, it was too late to dodge. He had no choice but to defend with his sword.

But Sentarō Kotsubaki had underestimated the power of Miyako Amamiya's arrow. After the arrow formed from Reiryoku struck Sentarō Kotsubaki's sword, it didn't dissipate. Instead, it drove Sentarō Kotsubaki rapidly backward.

By the time Sentarō Kotsubaki realized how powerful the arrow was, he was helpless against it.

His hands shook so violently that he could barely hold on to his Zanpakuto. In desperation, he poured a large amount of Reiryoku into it and changed the arrow's direction.

Sentarō Kotsubaki's emergency measure finally had an effect. The arrow began to veer, but it was still headed for his body.

That's my limit. Sentarō Kotsubaki knew he couldn't keep blocking it. He forcefully angled his sword, sending the arrow toward his shoulder.

The arrow pierced Sentarō Kotsubaki's shoulder without slowing down. It only began to dissipate after flying some distance farther.

Sentarō Kotsubaki looked at his shoulder. Though he had redirected the arrow in a hurry, it had still injured him, and the wound was now bleeding profusely.

But Miyako Amamiya didn't wait for him. He quickly formed three arrows and fired them at Sentarō Kotsubaki.

Sentarō Kotsubaki was already retreating rapidly. Rather than wait for the arrows to be fired before dodging, he had anticipated Miyako Amamiya's move.

The three arrows landed in front of Sentarō Kotsubaki, but they remained embedded in the ground instead of dissipating.

Miyako Amamiya formed three more arrows, raised his bow, and fired again.

There's something wrong with these three arrows. Sentarō Kotsubaki saw it at once. This time, the arrows didn't seem to be aimed at him, but were cutting off his escape.

As soon as he reached that conclusion, he drew his sword and charged at Miyako Amamiya. If he couldn't retreat, he would go straight at his opponent.

That was exactly what Miyako Amamiya wanted to see. He leaped high, keeping Sentarō Kotsubaki from advancing farther by firing arrows from the air to hinder his movements.

Sentarō Kotsubaki had no choice but to look up at Miyako Amamiya, blocking the relatively weak arrows with his sword while dodging.

But Miyako Amamiya's plan had already succeeded.

"Carriage of thunder, gap of a spinning wheel, this thing has light, divide into six." Miyako Amamiya used Bakudō, but his hands continued forming arrows.

What is he trying to do? Can he use Kidō while he's shooting? How is that possible? Sentarō Kotsubaki was puzzled. Chanting Kidō required complete concentration, or its power would drop considerably. If Miyako Amamiya divided his attention, not only would he be unable to arrange Reishi with the incantation, he might not even be able to cast it at all.

"Senior Kotsubaki, look behind you," Miyako Amamiya warned.

Sentarō Kotsubaki instinctively looked back and discovered that the three arrows blocking his escape hadn't dissipated. They had changed.

"The same goes for the ones in front." Miyako Amamiya was already confident of victory.

"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō." The three arrows in front and the three behind began to transform into six rods of light, which flew swiftly toward Sentarō Kotsubaki.

"How is that possible?!" Sentarō Kotsubaki couldn't understand what had happened. The Kidō hadn't come from Miyako Amamiya's hands; it had formed directly from the arrows. How was that possible?

The rods of light formed by Six Rods Prison locked Sentarō Kotsubaki firmly in place, leaving him unable to move.

"It's over, Senior Kotsubaki." Miyako Amamiya raised his bow and began gathering the Reiryoku inside him. To keep Sentarō Kotsubaki from escaping after breaking Six Rods Prison, he intended to use that move.

Miyako Amamiya leaped again, even higher this time.

The area will be half the training ground, centered on Senior Kotsubaki. Miyako Amamiya calculated that this should keep him from accidentally hurting the other squad members.

Then he whispered, "Licht Regen."

The arrow gathered in Miyako Amamiya's hand began to split, falling in an endless stream like a sudden downpour.

Half the field was engulfed by Licht Regen, raising an enormous cloud of dust. Everyone watching was stunned by the move and began talking among themselves.

After a while, Miyako Amamiya stood at the edge of the field, watching and ready to attack again at any moment. Licht Regen probably wasn't powerful enough to seriously injure Sentarō Kotsubaki, but so many arrows would still give him plenty of trouble.

When the dust cleared, Miyako Amamiya discovered another person on the field.

Ukitake stood in front of Sentarō Kotsubaki, one hand raised overhead. A yellow circular shield had formed above his hand, just large enough to cover them both. Miyako Amamiya recognized it as a Kidō spell Ukitake had cast, Bakudō #39: Enkōsen.

He blocked it with Enkōsen alone? Miyako Amamiya was a little surprised.

"Captain Ukitake, I can still fight!" Sentarō Kotsubaki broke free of Six Rods Prison and shouted at Ukitake.

"That's enough, Sentarō," Ukitake said soothingly. "Even if I hadn't blocked those attacks, you would have been injured by Amamiya-kun's attack after breaking free of Six Rods Prison, and he was already prepared to attack again from outside."

"Besides, the injury to your shoulder is still affecting you."

Sentarō Kotsubaki understood that Ukitake had a point, but he still found it a little hard to accept that he had lost.

Seeing this, Kiyone Kotetsu ran over to Sentarō Kotsubaki and began treating his injury with Kaido.

Ukitake stepped forward and said to Miyako Amamiya, "Amamiya-kun, you've given me quite a surprise." He was smiling brightly.

"You flatter me, Captain. It was all thanks to my Zanpakuto's abilities," Miyako Amamiya said without a change in expression. Naturally, he wouldn't say that it was a technique he had learned from another Quincy. That was right: he had learned to use arrows as a medium for casting Kidō by watching Ryūken Ishida fight.

His control over Reishi still wasn't good enough to manipulate external Reishi directly like Ryūken Ishida. But Kidō came from within, so with the help of his Zanpakuto's Shikai, he could first form arrows from his own Reiryoku and then use those arrows to form Kidō.

"Then, Captain, may I take it that..." Miyako Amamiya asked Ukitake, hoping he would give him an answer.

"Truly remarkable. Your Zanpakuto and your level of Reiatsu are both impressive, but most importantly, your tactical intelligence was a real eye-opener," Ukitake said. "So, I hereby officially announce..."

"Fifth Seat Amamiya is now the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division," Ukitake said solemnly.

At that, the people around them erupted in celebration, their cheers and applause going on and on. But Miyako Amamiya noticed that Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki seemed a little dejected off to the side.

"Then, Captain Ukitake, could you agree to one small request?" Miyako Amamiya asked.

"As a request from my lieutenant, I'll give it careful consideration," Ukitake said with a hearty laugh.

"Then..." Miyako Amamiya looked at Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu.

"Could Senior Kotsubaki and Senior Kotetsu continue handling their original duties?"

Ukitake was a little surprised and didn't understand why Miyako Amamiya would ask. Now that a lieutenant had been appointed, the duties formerly handled by the two acting lieutenants should have been handed over to Miyako Amamiya.

"Captain Ukitake, I'm not trying to shirk my duties," Miyako Amamiya explained. "Senior Kotsubaki and Senior Kotetsu have assisted you in the Thirteenth Division for a long time. I haven't been in the division long, and I only managed to defeat Senior Kotsubaki by luck. I'm afraid I'm not yet up to the job of lieutenant."

"If the two of them help me, then there shouldn't be any problems," Miyako Amamiya said with a smile.

Ukitake laughed and looked at the two behind him. "That's what Amamiya-kun has to say. What do you two think?"

The two had been disappointed at the thought that they would no longer be able to assist Ukitake, and they hadn't expected Miyako Amamiya to bring this up himself. His actions had earned a measure of respect from both of them.

"It would be our honor, Lieutenant Amamiya!" The two bowed to Miyako Amamiya in unison.

"Just call me Miyako from now on. That goes for you too, Captain." Miyako Amamiya waved a hand at the three of them.

"All right, I understand, Amamiya-kun—no." Ukitake spoke without thinking, but immediately realized how he had addressed him. "Then sorry for the trouble from now on, Miyako-kun."

The squad members swarmed around Miyako Amamiya, surrounding him so completely that he couldn't get out. He had no choice but to answer their questions one by one.

Ukitake, meanwhile, left with Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki, showing no intention of helping Miyako Amamiya out of the crowd.

Watching Miyako Amamiya, Kiyone Kotetsu quietly asked Ukitake, "Captain Ukitake, is it really all right to leave Lieutenant Amamiya over there alone?"

"I'm sure Miyako-kun can handle it," Ukitake said with a smile. By now, Ukitake felt he had a basic understanding of Miyako Amamiya's character. He had noticed before that Miyako Amamiya might share certain traits with Kaien Shiba, and now it seemed he had been right.

Miyako Amamiya and Kaien Shiba had one thing in common: they treated every member of the division equally. Both what Miyako Amamiya had just said to the two acting lieutenants and what Ukitake had heard from Zennosuke Kurumadani confirmed it.

"Our Thirteenth Division has been talked about quite a bit by the other divisions in the Seireitei because we didn't have an official lieutenant," Ukitake said softly. "Come to think of it, that was my fault. As captain, I'm often bedridden, so the Thirteenth Division isn't as well known as the other divisions. And with the lieutenant's position always vacant, fewer and fewer people have joined us. It all happened because I stubbornly refused to choose a lieutenant..."

"Captain Ukitake, please don't say that. It was because I wasn't strong enough that..." Sentarō Kotsubaki hurried to take the blame.

Ukitake waved a hand and continued, "That wasn't your fault, Sentarō."

"But now that Miyako-kun has officially become lieutenant, the other squad members must be very happy too," Ukitake said with a smile. An outstanding lieutenant would raise morale within the division and attract more people to join.

"It's so much like before," Kiyone Kotetsu said. "Just like when Lieutenant Kaien first took office."

"Yes," Ukitake said. He too was beginning to look forward to Miyako Amamiya's future.

Meanwhile, Miyako Amamiya was even considering using Shunpo to run away, but they were his squad members now, so he couldn't very well do that.

I need to find an excuse to leave, Miyako Amamiya thought, his head aching.

Just then, however, Miyako Amamiya spotted Rukia in the distance, though she was about to turn and leave.

Miyako Amamiya hurriedly called out to her.

"Hey, Rukia! Wait, didn't we agree to train together later?" Miyako Amamiya shouted.

"Wh—" Rukia was about to ask what was going on, but Miyako Amamiya rushed over and covered her mouth.

"Hahaha, Rukia, that wasn't very nice of you, leaving without waiting for me. Good thing I spotted you." With his back to the squad members, Miyako Amamiya kept a hand over her mouth as he loudly explained.

"Rukia Kuchiki? That noble?"

"She's the 6th Seat now. I didn't expect her to have plans to train with Lieutenant Amamiya."

"Don't you know? Lieutenant Amamiya trained with 6th Seat Kuchiki every day when he first joined the Thirteenth Division."

"Mmph..." Rukia Kuchiki tried to pull the hand away from her mouth and deny what Miyako Amamiya had said, but he held it firmly in place, giving her no chance.

"Ahem, that's why I'll be going now. If anyone needs anything, come find me next time." With that, Miyako Amamiya ran off with Rukia.

Rukia Kuchiki now understood that Miyako Amamiya had used her as an excuse.

After Miyako Amamiya officially became lieutenant, Rukia had wanted to congratulate him, but the squad members around him had been so enthusiastic that she couldn't get anywhere near him.

She had been about to turn and leave when Miyako Amamiya grabbed her and wouldn't even let her speak.

This idiot. The more Rukia thought about it, the angrier she became. She no longer felt like congratulating him.

As Miyako Amamiya continued running with her, Rukia Kuchiki could no longer hold back. She broke free of Miyako Amamiya's arm around her waist and kicked him in the side.

"You jerk, there's no one around anymore! How much farther were you planning to carry me?!" Rukia shouted.

Rukia's kick was no light blow. Miyako Amamiya clutched his side, and since he was in the wrong, he couldn't argue.

"Ahahaha, Rukia, what a coincidence. I didn't expect you to be watching my match with Senior Kotsubaki too." Miyako Amamiya made a clumsy attempt to change the subject.

"You idiot! I already knew you were using me as an excuse. Don't change the subject!" Rukia still hadn't vented her anger.

Seeing that, Miyako Amamiya could only apologize honestly. "Sorry, Rukia. The squad members were just too enthusiastic, but when I saw how excited they were, I couldn't bring myself to turn them down. So I had to come to you."