Whoosh!
Byakuya Kuchiki vanished from where he stood. His sleeveless haori fell from the air, only to be reduced to ashes by the violent golden lightning.
Shiho Secret Steps, Third Form: Utsusemi.
When he appeared again, he was already several meters away.
Byakuya Kuchiki's expression was stiff. Four battles, four defeats—and every loss had been utterly one-sided.
Compared to the way Su Feng had fought dirty as a child, he was more like a monster now.
It would have been one thing if he had no weaknesses, but his spiritual pressure was this powerful too.
Thinking back on the past, Byakuya felt an urge to question his entire life.
"One final match."
Byakuya Kuchiki took a deep breath. "Before coming here, I submitted an application for Bankai to the First Division, and it was approved."
"I will definitely win this final spar!"
Su Feng smiled pleasantly. "Confidence is a good thing, but blind confidence often invites disaster."
"Have you prepared yourself to accept your future fate?"
Byakuya Kuchiki said nothing. He merely drew the Zanpakuto at his waist, turned his wrist, and let the blade fall point-first.
The ground rippled like the surface of a lake, and the Zanpakuto sank completely into the floor.
The next moment, spiritual pressure surged forth, vast and mighty as though the heavens were collapsing.
Blinding spiritual light spread outward from Byakuya Kuchiki in all directions. Airwaves roiled, and fierce winds howled through the dojo.
"Bankai—"
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
The instant his voice fell, the dojo was plunged into darkness.
The ripples on the ground grew increasingly violent until they covered the entire space.
One blade after another rose from them, arranged in neat rows overhead. The cold gleam on their edges became the only source of light.
Faint pink spiritual pressure curled around the suspended