The place where Chōjirō Sasakibe and Araki clashed was very close to the dojo where the 11th Division members trained, separated by only a single wall. Thus, the moment Chōjirō Sasakibe and Araki stepped onto the field, they were spotted by a group of 11th Division members! As Chōjirō Sasakibe faced Araki, the gathered 11th Division members had already crowded against the wall, forming a human ladder to peer outside through the light-filtering windows in the wooden wall...
"So strong! Captain Araki defeated the 1st Division's Vice-Captain Sasakibe with just one blow! Even now, Captain Araki hasn't even drawn the Zanpakuto at his waist..."
The division members who had witnessed Sasakibe and Araki's clash through the windows exclaimed again and again. They had never expected Captain Araki, who had barely shown his face since joining the 11th Division, to possess such strength!
"As expected of the man who defeated Captain Unohana. He's insanely strong!"
Upon hearing that, one division member sighed in admiration.
"Division Member Iruma, that wasn't what you said last time..."
"I vaguely remember that when Captain Araki first joined, you complained that he had defeated Captain Unohana through underhanded means, then used his relationship with Captain-Commander Yamamoto to become the new captain of the 11th Division! You even said you would never acknowledge Captain Araki's position as captain..."
But before that division member could say more, someone else exposed him.
"Cough, cough. Wasn't that because I didn't know our Captain Araki very well?"
"And you can't blame me for that! Our captain is always so mysterious!"
"If the 1st Division's Vice-Captain Sasakibe hadn't come visiting, I might have forgotten what Captain Araki even looked like."
Upon hearing this, Iruma felt slightly embarrassed, but he still stubbornly argued back.
"Is that so? I don't believe you..."
Unfortunately, the person arguing with Iruma did not believe a word he said.
"You..."
Iruma suddenly found himself at a loss for words, as if something were stuck in his throat.
"Stop talking! Vice-Captain Sasakibe got back up!"
Just as Iruma and several other 11th Division members were bickering, several Seated Officers standing atop the human ladder formed by Iruma and dozens of other division members voiced their displeasure.
"Uh..."
At that, Iruma and the others immediately shut their mouths.
Meanwhile, outside the 11th Division's kendo dojo, in the clearing Unohana Retsu had made...
"Is that so? Araki, have you become so strong that you don't even need to draw the Zanpakuto at your waist when facing an opponent like me?"
Chōjirō Sasakibe lay on the ground, panting for a while before staggering to his feet. He stared at the Zanpakuto Araki had planted in the dirt beside him and clenched his teeth.
"..."
Araki watched Chōjirō Sasakibe climb up from the ground with an indifferent expression, his arms folded before his chest. He said nothing, because he knew Sasakibe's strength was definitely not limited to this.
"It seemed that ever since long, long ago, Araki, you had shone as brilliantly as the sun!"
"No matter how gifted the powerful figures of your generation were, once they encountered you, they became mere stars decorating the pitch-black backdrop, existing only to highlight the sun..."
"I still remember how, back then, every instructor at the Genji School said that seeing you was like seeing Head Instructor Yamamoto in his youth! Back then, I didn't understand..."
"Only after watching for a long time did I realize how alike the two of you were! You were both beings who had suppressed every genius of your era with nothing more than the Zanpakuto in your hands..."
Chōjirō Sasakibe looked at Araki, a trace of reminiscence appearing on his face, as though time had returned to the distant past...
Back then, Captain-Commander Yamamoto was still serving as the head instructor of the Genji School. Back then, Araki had just received proof of Genryū: Menkyo Kaiden from Captain-Commander Yamamoto. That had also been the first time Sasakibe met Araki.
Sasakibe still remembered that the moment he first laid eyes on Araki, he knew he was no match for him. But he refused to accept it. Sasakibe had always risen to meet adversity! Araki was merely someone with Genryū: Menkyo Kaiden—what could he possibly do to him? Sasakibe was a man who would stand at Head Instructor Yamamoto's side! Then Araki had slapped him to the ground. Sasakibe remembered that Araki had not used his Zanpakuto that time either, so he had accepted it! With that thought, Sasakibe continued speaking:
"I understood it then! If I entered Lord Genryūsai's service and became one of the Genji School's instructors, then for the rest of my life, I would only ever stop at your feet! I refused to accept that! I would never accept stopping there..."
"So I refused Lord Genryūsai's invitation and declined to enter his service! I would not follow Lord Genryūsai as an instructor of the Genji School. Instead, I would follow closely in Lord Genryūsai's footsteps as his shadow!"
"Even if, from this day onward, I could never shine with a light of my own, it would still be worth it! Because I believed it was worth it! I believed Lord Genryūsai was worthy of such loyalty!"
"But today, for the Lord Genryūsai whom I respect! So that I may continue to catch up to Lord Genryūsai's footsteps, I will once again let this thunderous light bloom! Araki, look up and watch carefully. This is the foundation that allows me to remain at Lord Genryūsai's side!"
Sasakibe's voice grew ever more impassioned, rumbling like thunder in the heavens.
And at the instant Sasakibe's words fell, the sky above the 11th Division suddenly darkened. Endless storm clouds covered the radiant sun overhead.
"A shining star cannot contend with the blazing sun!"
"Only clouds that cover the sky can block out the scorching sun!"
"Bankai! Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!!"
Chōjirō Sasakibe raised his rapier high toward the sky. Golden Spiritual Pressure, like a bolt of lightning, shot from the sword's tip and pierced into the vast clouds blanketing the heavens.
The next second, endless golden Lightning Bolt filled the clouds and shot down like the canopy of a nobleman's carriage, surrounding Chōjirō Sasakibe! There were eleven pillars of descending lightning in total. From afar, they looked like a wall, as though Chōjirō Sasakibe had summoned a palace built entirely of Lightning Bolt.
This was Chōjirō Sasakibe's Bankai, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!
"An excellent Bankai."
Facing the Lightning Bolt rushing toward him, Araki coated his body in Spiritual Pressure, blocking the surging static electricity.
After all, Araki was not like Old Man Yama, who was already bald. He had a beautiful head of hair. If he did not resist it with Spiritual Pressure, every strand would stand on end beneath this Lightning Bolt, turning into an utterly unruly and hideous afro...
"Bankai? Vice-Captain Sasakibe can use Bankai?!"
On the other side, the 11th Division members spying from within the dojo were utterly stunned by the Lightning Bolt that covered the sky outside. They had never expected Chōjirō Sasakibe, the 1st Division vice-captain who appeared so easygoing and courteous, to possess a Bankai—one capable of controlling the weather.
"What? Bankai?!"
"Let me see too..."
"Don't push! I can't keep my footing..."
"Ow!!"
As the division members guarding the wall and forming the human ladder kept squirming and crowding together, the human ladder finally toppled toward the wall, crushing the windowed wooden wall of the dojo to the ground...
Now, no one needed to squeeze anymore. Everyone could see the scene outside perfectly clearly!
"The sky! The sky changed color!"
When the division members lay sprawled across the dirt outside, staring up at the sky, they were rendered speechless by the storm clouds that covered the heavens.
"Araki! Please instruct me!"
It was at the very moment the division members were dazzled by Chōjirō Sasakibe's Bankai...
Chōjirō Sasakibe finally moved! Gripping his rapier, he slashed toward the golden thunder pillars surrounding him, the pillars of the palace formed from Lightning Bolt!
In the next instant, every lightning pillar touched by Sasakibe's rapier gathered onto the blade in his hand! At that moment, endless Lightning Bolt burst from Sasakibe's body. With every movement, the power of lightning released by heaven and earth attached itself to him...
"Watch out!"
With that, Sasakibe turned into a streak of golden lightning and thrust toward Araki.
In the blink of an eye, before the 11th Division members could react, Sasakibe's sword had already pierced through Araki's body...
"I... I killed Araki?!"
Sasakibe's eyelids twitched as he stared at the Araki he had run through. He had never intended to kill Araki! How was he supposed to explain this to Captain-Commander Yamamoto now?!
"It's over, it's all over! I... I killed the future of the Gotei 13!"
Sasakibe's voice trembled slightly, his face deathly pale.
Ever since his days at the Genji School, he had followed Genryūsai's side, performed countless meritorious deeds, and never made a single mistake. Yet now, he stood rooted to the spot in utter confusion. Sasakibe's face was blank as he found himself completely unable to deal with the fact that he had slain Araki with one stroke.
Smack~
Before Sasakibe could think any further, accompanied by a familiar gust from a palm strike, Araki—the man he had already slain—sent him flying with a slap.
"Ar-Araki, you're all right?!"
Chōjirō Sasakibe collapsed onto the ground. Ignoring his swollen, reddened cheek, he looked nervously at Araki, whose chest still had a sword stuck through it, and shouted.
"Kill me? Don't be shameless..."
Araki looked at the fallen Chōjirō Sasakibe and pulled the sword from his chest in one sharp motion.
It had to be said that Sasakibe's thrust was truly fierce. Even Old Man Yama would probably suffer a small loss if he faced that move...
So Araki had directly used Reishi Manipulation to partially turn the section of his chest Sasakibe would pierce into mist, much like the localized elemental transformations used by Katakuri, Aokiji Kuzan, and the others in One Piece.
Honestly, even Aura Michibane, whose soul contained the Soul King's Binding Chain, could not achieve such precise localized mistification based on exactly where an enemy's attack would strike her body!
But Araki, with his advanced Observation Haki, happened to fulfill every condition required to accomplish it! It could be said that Araki's advanced Observation Haki and the soul and Reishi Manipulation abilities granted by Fullbring, comparable to elemental transformation, were a perfect match.
"That's great!"
On the other side, after discovering that Araki was indeed unharmed, Sasakibe slowly let out a breath of relief. To be honest, he had truly been at a loss just now.
"Heh heh..."
As for Araki, he held the Zanpakuto he had taken from Sasakibe and gave a cold laugh.
The last person Araki remembered being as shameless as Sasakibe was someone named Lu Jin...
One more chapter! Brothers, seeing how hardworking I am, please send some votes my way~
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