Her Name Is... Retsu Unohana! (Seeking Follow-ups!)

On the balcony overlooking the kendo aptitude test.

Sosuke Aizen suddenly reached up to adjust his glasses, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes behind the lenses, though he kept his expression otherwise unreadable.

It was not just Sosuke Aizen; the other captains had also sensed something amiss.

Isshin Shiba, in particular, could not help but remark, "Am I seeing things, or did Gilgamesh prepare his defense before Instructor Miho even launched her attack?"

No one responded to Isshin Shiba's question.

Because Miho Kano had launched another offensive.

This time, Miho Kano's assault intensified; in a mere split second, she unleashed two strikes, slashing at Gilgamesh from different directions.

She did this to verify her own hypothesis.

The strength Miho Kano displayed in these two strikes had already transcended the scope of a kendo aptitude test, and the examinees present could not even track the trajectory of her blades.

Yet, Gilgamesh remained unruffled.

Because Miho Kano's intentions had already been laid bare to him.

This strike, aimed at his right foot.

This strike, aimed at his left hand.

Gilgamesh appeared light and airy, handling the heavy task with ease as he simply raised his Asauchi to parry both of Miho Kano's strikes.

Clang!

Clang!

The two collision sounds rang out almost simultaneously, merging into a single note in the ears of the examinees.

This caused their expressions to shift drastically.

Although they could not see the trajectory of Miho Kano's strikes, they knew she had swung twice.

Yet Gilgamesh had blocked both, and the sounds had occurred almost at the same time—the brevity of the interval between the two strikes was staggering.

Seeing a glimpse of Miho Kano's true power for the first time, their expressions turned frantic.

They were now wondering: would their own kendo aptitude tests be of this same intensity?

Renji Abarai's face turned slightly pale.

He finally understood why Gilgamesh had told him not to go first.

Never mind the double-strike Miho Kano had just unleashed; he wouldn't even have been able to catch her first blow.

As for Gilgamesh being able to parry Miho Kano's strikes, he was not surprised.

After all, in his heart, Gilgamesh possessed the strength of a captain.

Surely Miho Kano couldn't be stronger than a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, could she?

Rukia, standing to the side, shared this sentiment.

Even as her heart fluttered with anxiety, a look of anticipation shone in her eyes.

She saw hope and a future in Miho Kano.

She, too, wanted to be as powerful as Miho Kano.

In her mind, Rukia had already begun to fantasize about the scene of her own dominance once she possessed Miho Kano's level of kendo skill.

Miho Kano's offensive continued, growing ever more intense.

Yet no matter how much she escalated her attacks, they were all ultimately blocked by Gilgamesh.

Although Miho Kano's kendo prowess was unfathomable.

Gilgamesh's physical strength, reaction speed, agility, temperament, and willpower were clearly superior to hers in every comprehensive aspect.

Most importantly, Miho Kano had confirmed that Gilgamesh could predict her strikes.

After another failed assault, Miho Kano did not launch another; instead, she took the initiative to retreat.

This time, the usual gentleness was gone from Miho Kano's face as she stared fixedly at Gilgamesh.

An invisible pressure descended, enveloping the examinees present and leaving them feeling a sense of dread and heaviness.

The captains who had been observing the battle could not help but change their expressions as they watched this scene.

Even Byakuya Kuchiki, whose nature was always cold and whose expression was like eternal ice, showed a change in his demeanor at this moment.

Shunsui Kyoraku spoke up then, his tone devoid of its usual playfulness, revealing a rare seriousness: "I truly didn't expect Gilgamesh to bring us such a massive surprise."

"Although his kendo skill is inferior to Miho's, without using Reiatsu or spiritual power, even Miho cannot defeat someone who can predict her strikes. I fear this battle will end in a draw."

Kaname Tosen could not help but interject: "How exactly is he doing it? Why is he able to predict Instructor Miho's strikes?"

Sosuke Aizen replied upon hearing this, "It is not yet clear, but it should be related to his personal talent. I suspect it might be an ultra-high-level combat intuition, much like Captain Kenpachi."

In his heart, Sosuke Aizen mused: Gilgamesh, you are becoming more and more interesting to me...

Gin Ichimaru, standing to the side, had opened his eyes fully at some point, staring at Gilgamesh like a fox as he sighed, "Yare yare, it seems the Soul Society is truly about to see an unimaginable genius this time."

Isshin Shiba could not help but chime in: "I'm calling it now—we're taking Gilgamesh for the 10th Division. I'm going to train him as a captain candidate directly!"

Sajin Komamura, the 7th Division captain who had kept his face hidden behind an iron mask and remained silent until now, could not help but speak up: "Such talent—this old man is moved as well. I, too, wish to contend for him."

Following this, every captain present—save for Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Kaien Shiba—joined the scramble to recruit him.

Even Byakuya Kuchiki was no exception.

At first, he had only paid attention to Gilgamesh because of Rukia.

But now, Gilgamesh's talent had truly shaken him to his core.

If he could bring Gilgamesh into the Kuchiki Clan, then the future of the Kuchiki Clan would surely gain a captain-level powerhouse, and one who would stand among the elite even within the ranks of the captains.

In the midst of the recruitment frenzy, Isshin Shiba inadvertently caught sight of Kaien Shiba.

He froze, for he saw Kaien Shiba's pupils trembling as he stared at Gilgamesh, his expression filled with shock and disbelief.

This behavior was far too abnormal.

Isshin Shiba knew that Kaien Shiba must know something.

No one else witnessed this tug-of-war between the captains, or it would have surely caused a massive uproar.

Ultimately, the recruitment battle came to a halt with the intervention of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

On the field, Miho Kano took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to continue the fight and struggling to return her expression to normal before saying, "Very well, your test is over."

Gilgamesh was taken aback.

He had been certain of victory in this battle, especially since the power of the Star of Omniscience had not yet been fully unleashed.

Through the illumination of the Star of Omniscience, he had peered into Miho Kano's thoughts, knowing how deeply she yearned to fight him with her full physical strength alone.

In all her years at the Shin'o Academy, Miho Kano could not remember the last time she had encountered an evenly matched opponent, let alone one that would push her into a bitter struggle.

Furthermore, Miho Kano still had trump cards she had yet to reveal.

The swordsmanship of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was not suited for Miho Kano.

With the help of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Miho Kano had met a certain person; this individual had influenced her swordsmanship and remained the object she had spent her entire life chasing and emulating.

Miho Kano would never be able to forget that day...

As Miho Kano's thoughts flickered, a figure suddenly appeared in Gilgamesh's mind: a woman with a braided ponytail, radiating monstrous killing intent, looking every bit like a demon of slaughter.

Her name was... Retsu Unohana!