Hu vs. Gin

During the four days that Amber spent in the medical room, most of the bandages on his body were removed, leaving only the deepest wounds covered with thin gauze. He stretched his shoulders and put on his coat (one can only imagine the psychological trauma experienced by the Second Division's logistics team members who had to piece together a garment from a few strips of cloth).

Today is the day he had arranged with Gin. Four days ago, he asked Gin to teach him Bankai, and Gin agreed, saying he needed to prepare in advance. The two agreed to officially begin today.

At that moment, the Denreishinki trembled. Silver sent a message: "Below the high platform where the Sōkyoku Hill is placed at Shuangji Hill, there is an open space. Let's meet there."

Hu stuffed the Denreishinki into his pocket and set off from the infirmary.

When Koko arrived, he saw Gintoki wearing the captain's robe of the Third Division, with a persimmon-colored bracelet on his wrist. The pendant of the Gin Hanabi gleamed slightly in the morning light as he gazed at the execution platform on the high platform.

He saw Hu walk in, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

How is the recovery going?

"It's alright, I guess." Hu stretched his shoulder. "The wounds are mostly healed."

Yin nodded and placed his hand on the hilt of the knife.

"Let's begin then..."

Four days ago

After leaving the Second Division's medical room, Gin didn't go straight back to the Third Division. He crossed the streets of Seireitei, arrived at the Sixth Division, and then pushed open the door and went inside.

Byakuya was still in his office at the time, with some documents spread out in front of him. His work efficiency had been much lower lately because of Rukia's situation.

"Captain Kuchiki," Gin leaned against the doorframe, his tone casual as if discussing the weather, "I have something I'd like to ask you."

Byakuya raised his head and looked at the Third Division Captain, who never took the initiative to visit others.

"You fought that intern from the Second Division a few days ago using your Bankai, right?" Gin squinted. "I just wanted to ask, what did you think of him?"

Byakuya stopped writing. He recalled the battle from that day. He looked up at the smiling Third Division Captain standing at the door:

He fought an intern using Bankai? Was this guy here to mock me?

"If you're so curious, go find him and experience it for yourself." He put down his pen, his voice as cold as a winter stone wall.

Gin was asked to leave the Sixth Division. Standing at the entrance, he scratched the back of his head, and sighed, having gotten no answers.

There's nothing I can do. I figured Bankai on my own during battle. When Koko first asked me for help, I agreed in a moment of impulsiveness. Now I can't even find a reference. What am I going to do...?

Walking through the streets of Seireitei, the setting sun cast a long shadow of him.

Maybe we should play a match with him first and see how it goes.

Now, Silver stands in the center of the open space, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Xiao Hu, let's get this straight." His voice was still that light, airy tone, "I'm not one to hold back, so you'd better be careful."

"I know. My injury is due to my own inadequacy. Brother Yin, bring it on!" Hu gripped Jiku'a tightly, blue light flashing in his silver eyes, and attacked Yin.

Silver's sword was drawn. A simple slash, no different from any other Zanpakuto. The blades clashed, sparks exploded, and both were simultaneously knocked back a step.

Hu Shunpo to circle around to Yin's side, Jiku'a slashed horizontally. Yin turned slightly to the side, the blade grazing his sleeve. He didn't retreat, but instead swung his blade backhand, the tip aimed straight for Hu's throat.

Hu tilted his head, and the tip of the knife grazed his neck, leaving a very thin line of blood.

Without pause or hesitation, Silver's second strike followed—a diagonal slash at the left shoulder from the completely opposite angle. Amber raised her sword to block; Silver's power was not great, but the strikes were precise, each blow hitting the angle where Amber could least exert force.

Amber stepped back, creating distance. Silver didn't chase, remaining standing with the tip of his blade pointing towards the ground.

"Xiao Hu, you were too hasty. Those last few strikes were all relentless. I only changed the angle a few times, and your rhythm got off."

Hu was panting as he looked at him. The silver knife moved again. This time it wasn't at close range; the blade instantly extended and thrust straight at him from a distance of more than ten meters.

"Shoot him, Shinsō!"

Hu turned to the side, the blade grazing his ribs and embedding itself in the wall behind him.

Before he could react, the blade had already retracted—and then slashed down from above his head. Extending, shortening, extending again, shortening again. The attack range of the Shinsō constantly shifted, from a distance like a spear piercing the sun to close range reverting to an ordinary Zanpakuto for close-quarters combat. The rhythm was completely irregular.

Hu was struggling to breathe under the pressure. He had just adjusted to the long-range thrusts when Yin was already right in front of him; he had just raised Shinsō to parry the close-range slashes when Jiku'a had already retracted and thrust at him from another direction. Several wounds appeared on his arms, and blood seeped from his sleeves, dripping onto the ground along his fingers.

Silver's attacks came one after another, sometimes as fast as a torrential downpour, sometimes as slow as a videotape. There was no transition between the fast and slow speeds.

Amber's clothes were already mostly soaked in blood. Left shoulder, right rib, thigh, forearm. Silver frequently changed the rhythm of the battle, but this caused Amber's wounds to continue to accumulate.

Hu gritted his teeth, but the light in his silver eyes grew brighter and brighter. The moment the Shinsō thrust at him again, Hu no longer tried to block. The blade grazed his chest, and he lunged forward. Jiku'a slashed vertically, aiming straight for Yin's face.

Silver's blade had already retracted. He blocked horizontally. The two blades collided, sparks flying. Amber's strength was clearly much greater than before—the wounds and blood loss hadn't slowed him down; on the contrary, they made his attacks even more ferocious.

Yin frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

Amber's attack rhythm also began to change; she no longer used the previous method of trying to catch up with Silver's fighting rhythm.

Amber and Silver started a "you do your thing, I'll do my thing" approach.

Jiku'a's slashes became increasingly decisive, and his Judgment Cut were released more and more freely. Beowulf's gauntlets condensed on his left fist, and he punched out, shattering Silver's block. The Phantom Blade lit up in his palm, loaded with Kidō, and he thrust out with the sword, the tip of which exploded.

Silver was the first to be unable to hold on and was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Ikkaku of his sleeve was torn off, and a bloody gash appeared on his cheek. He looked into Amber's eyes, at the blue light in those silver pupils—a light that burned, difficult to suppress, carrying something unsettling.

Amber gave him no time to think. Shunpo, dash forward, and Jiku'a unleashed its power.

Silver raised his sword to parry, Judgment Cut instantly unleashed, allowing Silver to quickly escape.

Amber followed Beowulf's gauntlet's pulsating light patterns and punched Silver's blade, sending Silver flying. The impact made Silver's internal organs tremble.

This move is dangerous; we absolutely cannot take it head-on!

As Silver marveled at Beowulf's power, a blue short sword appeared before him, followed by the figure of Amber.

"Oh no!"

The Phantom Blade loaded the Shakkahō and slashed down, crimson sword energy wrapped in blue sword light, striking Silver's shoulder. Blood splattered out.

Yin clutched her shoulder and stepped back, looking at Hu:

He was laughing. There was the excitement of battle, the exhilaration of meeting a worthy opponent, and something deeper, more primal.

The Reiatsu surrounding him was no longer the pure blue of Reishi; it was gradually becoming more profound and mysterious.

Silver's pupils contracted slightly. He had a feeling that he had seen this before.

Many years ago, when he first stood before Kenpachi Zaraki, he felt an aura of pure fighting spirit that made him instinctively want to back away.

Kenpachi Zaraki's Reiatsu is golden, flamboyant, and thirsty for battle like a hungry ghost. Amber, on the other hand, has a blue Reiatsu with dark edges, like a hunter from the sea, revealing a demonic nature unlike that of ordinary people.

"I see," Yin said softly.

Bankai is the ultimate technique of Zanpakuto, and each person's Bankai is a manifestation of their own soul essence— Byakuya's Bankai is an elegant yet cold cherry blossom, while Gin's Bankai is an ultimate, fatal blow.

Meanwhile, Koko's Bankai —his true soul essence—is gradually awakening during the battle, as the fight awakens a part of his deepest self.

"Xiao Hu," Yin said, "Can you still hear me?"

Amber didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on Silver, like he was watching prey. The blue light on Jiku'a's blade was dimming.

Gin took a deep breath, pointed the blade downwards, and gripped the hilt with both hands. "Bankai: Kamishini no Yari!"

It lacked the earth-shattering aura of Byakuya. Silver's Bankai extremely quiet. The blade remained unchanged, only trembling slightly in his hand. His Reiatsu did not erupt; instead, it subsided—subsided to the point of being almost imperceptible, leaving only a very faint layer enveloping the blade.

Hu rushed forward. Yin's Kamishini no Yari followed suit, leaving a bloody hole in Hu's chest. Yin held back, withdrawing his blade after it had penetrated half an inch.

Hu didn't even see the blade.

The second stab, to the left shoulder.

The third stab, to the right leg.

The Kamishini no Yari's thrusts were so fast that there was no pause; one strike after another left countless shallow bloody holes in Amber's body.

Hu's offensive was completely interrupted. He tried to block, but the blade was too fast; he tried to dodge, but the blade was too accurate.

Silver didn't kill; each stab only penetrated half an inch into the flesh, but there were too many. Blood gushed from countless wounds, staining his entire body a red shadow.

But Amber's eyes remained fixed on Gin. His Reiatsu was also shifting.

Then he moved, charging forward like a wild beast. The Kamishini no Yari pierced his chest, but he neither dodged nor evaded; the blade sank half an inch into his flesh, yet he continued to charge forward.

Silver sheathed his sword, retreated, and created distance. Amber had already caught up, Jiku'a slashed down, the profound Reiatsu on the blade tearing through the air with a low whistling sound.

Yin raised his sword to parry, but was forced to kneel on one knee by the impact. The power was completely different now.

"Xiao Hu," Yin looked up at him, "How exactly are you feeling right now?"

Hu looked down at him, the darkness in his silver eyes churning like the sea before a storm. His lips moved.

"... It's very quiet." There was a slight emphasis in the voice. "The pain is subsiding, and the world is becoming clearer."

He raised his Jiku'a, and Silver looked at him, then suddenly laughed.

"Then let's continue."

Yin stood up and thrust out the Kamishini no Yari.

Amber charged forward. Blade against blade, the deep Reiatsu with the silver's.

Silver's attack rhythm began to become even more unpredictable—the thrusts of the Kamishini no Yari were almost invisible when they were extremely fast, and when they slowed down, they were like insects frozen in amber, completely still.

Amber's dark Reiatsu was repeatedly stretched in this extreme rhythm of change. The momentum he had just gathered was shattered by the fast sword, and just as it dispersed, it collided with the charged attack of the slow sword. But his fighting style was also changing.

He no longer tried to keep up with Gin's rhythm. Jiku'a's slashes no longer pursued precision, but rather relied on quantity— Judgment Cut, the profound Reiatsu possessing a strange penetrating power that forcefully tore cracks in Gin's rhythm.

Beowulf's gauntlets pulsed with light to their fullest extent, each punch aimed at Silver's vitals. Silver's body was fragile, and he dared not engage in close combat with Amber. He quickly retreated, relying on near-visual-range strikes to maneuver around Amber.

The Phantom Blade was no longer being charged with the Kidō; he was in such a state that he couldn't afford to be distracted by chanting. He simply gripped the sword, unleashing the most primal sword energy in the most primitive way. The Summoned Swords were no longer being fired randomly; the five swords hovered around him like five extra eyes, helping him pinpoint the location of the Silver Sword and shooting it in that direction the moment he saw the Kamishini no Yari.

The two fought from afternoon until dusk, and from dusk until the moon rose. There wasn't a single intact spot left on the training ground. Everywhere were knife marks, holes left by stabs, cracks from punches, and scorch marks from dark Reiatsu.

Yin knelt on the ground, the Kamishini no Yari planted beside him, supporting his body. His captain, Yu Yi, and the Shihakusho in rags, their bodies riddled with wounds—stab wounds, slash wounds, bruises from punches—almost no patch of undamaged skin remained.

Only the persimmon-colored bracelet on his left wrist remained intact, its Gin Hanabi pendant dangling at his side, gleaming faintly in the moonlight. He glanced down at the bracelet, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Thank goodness, I'll have to take it down and keep it safe next time we practice.

Opposite him, Amber lay on the ground. The dark Reiatsu had completely dissipated, and the light in her silver eyes had gone out.

Every inch of his body was bleeding, and the blood slowly seeped out beneath him. His Reiatsu was depleted, and his stamina was exhausted, but a slight smile still lingered on his lips—no longer the demonic smile he wore during battle, but the satisfied smile that came after the fight was over and he was completely exhausted.

Yin, supporting himself with the Kamishini no Yari, stood up, walked to Hu's side, and looked down at him. "Still alive?"

"... Hmm." The voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

Yin bent down, put Hu's arm on her shoulder, and lifted him up.

Their blood mingled, soaking through Gin's tattered Shihakusho. He carried Amber and walked out of the training ground. Moonlight shone on them, casting long shadows. Gin limped along, Amber's weight pressing on his shoulder, aggravating his own wounds and causing him to gasp in pain. But he didn't stop.

"... Brother Yin." Hu's voice came from his shoulder, muffled.

"Um."

Please do it again next time...

Yin paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.

"I see."

"Bankai... must be able to..."

"If it's like this every time, I might not be able to handle it. I need to think about it again. You also need to get your injury treated quickly." Yin's voice was still light and airy, but the arm carrying Hu tightened its grip.

Moonlight bathed the path leading to the Fourth Division. Two people covered in blood left a trail of blood, which was rather frightening...