Beside the swordsmanship aptitude test, in the attic.
Sosuke Aizen suddenly raised a hand and nudged his glasses up. A flicker of surprise passed through the eyes hidden behind them, but he gave nothing away.
Aizen wasn't the only one who noticed something strange. The other captains had sensed it, too.
Isshin Shiba couldn't help asking, "Did I see that wrong? Was Gilgamesh already prepared to defend himself before Instructor Kano attacked?"
No one answered Isshin's question.
Miho Kano launched another attack.
This time, her assault intensified. In a split second, she swung twice, slashing at Gilgamesh from two different directions.
She was trying to confirm her suspicion.
The skill Miho displayed in those two strikes was already beyond the scope of a swordsmanship aptitude test. The candidates present couldn't even see the path of her blade.
Gilgamesh, however, remained unruffled.
He had already seen through Miho's intentions.
This strike is aimed at his right foot.
This one is aimed at his left hand.
With effortless grace, Gilgamesh raised his Asauchi and blocked both of Miho's strikes.
Clang!
Clang!
The two impacts rang out almost simultaneously, sounding like a single strike to the candidates.
Their expressions changed at once.
They couldn't see the path of Miho's blade, but they knew she had swung twice.
Gilgamesh had blocked both strikes, and the impacts had sounded almost simultaneously. That showed just how little time had passed between the two swings.
For the first time, they had glimpsed a fraction of Miho's strength, and they couldn't help feeling flustered.
They were all thinking the same thing: Surely their own swordsmanship aptitude test wouldn't be this intense?
Renji Abarai's face had gone slightly pale.
He finally understood why Gilgamesh hadn't let him go first.
Forget Miho's two-hit combo—he wouldn't even have been able to block her first strike.
As for Gilgamesh being able to block Miho's attacks, that didn't surprise him.
After all, Renji believed Gilgamesh had Captain-level strength.
Surely Miho couldn't be stronger than a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?
Rukia felt the same way.
Though her heart was uneasy, anticipation shone in her eyes.
She saw hope and a future in Miho.
She wanted to become as strong as Miho, too.
Rukia was already imagining herself cutting down her foes left and right with swordsmanship as powerful as Miho's.
Miho's attacks kept coming, growing stronger with every strike.
But no matter how powerful they became, Gilgamesh blocked them all.
Miho's swordsmanship was unfathomably deep.
But Gilgamesh was superior to her in overall physical strength, reflexes, speed, composure, and willpower.
Most importantly, Miho had confirmed that Gilgamesh could foresee her strikes.
After another failed attack, Miho stopped swinging and stepped back.
The gentleness that usually graced her face had vanished. She fixed her gaze on Gilgamesh.
An invisible pressure descended without warning, enveloping the candidates and filling them with dread and unease.
The captains, who had been watching the fight closely, couldn't help reacting to the sight.
Even Byakuya Kuchiki, whose cool expression was as cold as ice, showed a flicker of emotion.
Shunsui Kyoraku spoke up. His usual playfulness was gone, replaced by a note of seriousness. "I didn't expect Gilgamesh to surprise us this much."
"His swordsmanship may not measure up to Miho's, but without using spiritual pressure or spiritual power, even she can't defeat someone who can foresee her strikes. This fight will probably end in a draw."
Kaname Tosen couldn't help asking, "How is he doing it? How can he predict Instructor Kano's strikes?"
Aizen replied, "We don't know yet, but it should have something to do with his innate talent. My guess is that he has extraordinarily strong combat instincts, like Captain Zaraki."
Gilgamesh, I'm becoming more and more interested in you... Aizen thought to himself.
At some point, Gin Ichimaru had opened his eyes fully. He watched Gilgamesh like a fox and sighed, "My, my. It looks like Soul Society is about to welcome an unimaginable genius."
Isshin couldn't help speaking up. "I'm calling dibs on Gilgamesh for the 10th Division. I'll groom him as a candidate for captain!"
Captain Sajin Komamura, who had remained silent with an iron mask covering his head, spoke up. "A talent like this is hard to resist. I'd like to compete for him, too."
Then, with the exception of Yamamoto and Kaien Shiba, the captains of the other divisions joined the battle to recruit him.
Even Byakuya was no exception.
At first, he had paid attention to Gilgamesh because of Rukia.
But now, Gilgamesh's talent had truly shaken him.
If he could bring Gilgamesh into the Kuchiki Clan, the clan would surely gain a Captain-level powerhouse in the future—one who would rank among the strongest of the captains.
In the midst of the recruitment battle, Isshin happened to notice Kaien.
He froze for a moment. Kaien was staring at Gilgamesh with trembling pupils, his expression full of shock and disbelief.
That was highly unusual.
Isshin knew Kaien had to know something.
No one else saw the captains' recruitment battle. If they had, it would have caused an uproar.
In the end, Yamamoto intervened and put a stop to it.
On the field, Miho took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to attack again. She composed herself, then spoke. "All right, your test is over."
Gilgamesh was taken aback.
He had been certain he would win this fight. After all, the power of Star of Omniscience had yet to fully unfold.
Under the light of Star of Omniscience, he had seen through Miho's thoughts and realized just how badly she wanted to fight him at full strength using only their physical abilities.
In all the years she had spent at Shin'o Academy, Miho had gone so long without meeting an evenly matched opponent—let alone being pushed into a hard fight.
And Miho still had a trump card she hadn't used.
Yamamoto's swordsmanship wasn't suited to Miho.
With Yamamoto's help, Miho had met someone who changed her swordsmanship. That person was the one she had pursued and sought to imitate all her life.
Miho would never forget that day...
As Miho's thoughts stirred, an image suddenly surfaced in Gilgamesh's mind: a figure with braided hair, radiating overwhelming bloodlust, like a man-eating demon.
Her name was... Retsu Unohana!
Before you continue