Yato's Graduation Season

A year later.

This book was first published on Tiantian Kan Xiaoshuo. Great reading experience, excellent, with error-free and properly ordered chapters.

Shin'ō Academy's training grounds were packed to capacity.

Students and teachers from all six years had gathered here in near-total numbers.

They stared fixedly at the center of the training grounds, their skin feeling the tearing pain caused by colliding Reiatsu.

Tonight was Uchiha Yato and Byakuya Kuchiki's final academy duel. In a few days, this year's sixth-year students would officially graduate and go their separate ways.

After this, it would probably be difficult to witness such a clash between geniuses again.

The battle in the arena had already reached its fiercest point.

Cherry blossoms filled the sky, countless tiny blades surrounding Uchiha Yato and grinding away at him without pause.

Even the tough skin of an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande would be reduced to a pile of minced flesh within seconds under such an assault.

Yet such a ferocious attack couldn't harm a single hair on Yato's head.

That was because a skeleton wreathed in violet flames blocked the tens of thousands of cherry blossom blades outside!

Byakuya Kuchiki was already very familiar with the sight before him. His Reiatsu erupted, and the cherry blossoms surged forth, completely engulfing both Susanoo's skeleton and the boy within.

From afar, it looked as though Uchiha Yato had been sealed inside a pink coffin.

"Carriage of thunder, gap of a spinning wheel, this thing has light gathered and divided into six! Bakudō Sixty-One..." Byakuya chanted rapidly, pointing toward the cherry blossom coffin from afar.

"Rikujōkōrō!"

Six shafts of light passed through the gaps between the cherry blossom blades and nailed themselves into Susanoo, binding Yato in place.

Even Byakuya Kuchiki's lips had turned pale from such intense Reiatsu expenditure.

But he didn't dare rest. Instead, he took a deep breath, fell silent for several moments, then began a slow chant.

"End of the thousand hands, unreachable dark hands, unreflecting azure sky archer, the path where light scatters..."

With every word Byakuya Kuchiki spoke, his face grew a shade paler, and his lips began to tremble, as though he were burning away his own life.

As he chanted, the surrounding students and teachers couldn't help crying out in alarm.

There was no other reason. The Kidō Byakuya Kuchiki was chanting was the super Hadō ranked number ninety-one—Senju Kōten Taihō!

Its power was immense, and it was extraordinarily difficult to cast. Even though Byakuya Kuchiki now possessed Fifth-Class Reiatsu on the level of an ordinary vice-captain, and had the foundations of a great noble family, he still had to proceed with utmost caution.

Suppressing Yato's Susanoo with Senbonzakura and high-level Bakudō, then bombarding him with high-powered Hadō—this was the battle strategy Byakuya Kuchiki had devised.

First, although Susanoo was powerful, it was comparatively cumbersome and couldn't move at high speed, making restraint-focused tactics effective against it.

Second, using the Shikai's cherry blossom blades to obscure the area could block Yato's vision and prevent him from looking directly at Byakuya, guarding against illusion attacks.

Though the strategy was simple, let alone students of Shin'ō Academy, even ordinary Seated Officers of the Gotei 13 couldn't accomplish those two steps!

Yato, it's time for you to act too, isn't it? If it's you, you shouldn't let me finish the chant...

Even as he thought that, Byakuya Kuchiki's tongue didn't pause in the slightest. The chant for Senju Kōten Taihō had already reached its final stage.

Yet at that moment, the tightly restrained Susanoo suddenly let out a dull rumble.

Bones sprang forth from the void one after another. This time, it wasn't merely curved ribs, but teeth, a skull, sternum, clavicles, humeri...

The giant's upper-body skeleton descended with a thunderous crash!

Its power was as overwhelming as a colossal mountain, shattering Rikujōkōrō and sending thousands of cherry blossom blades flying in the gale.

"Remarkable power, Yato, but you're too late!"

After estimating the distance between them, Byakuya Kuchiki didn't flee. Instead, he chose to continue casting Kidō.

Threadlike rays of light gathered in the noble youth's palm. He straightened his arm and pointed at Uchiha Yato from afar.

"Hadō Ninety-One, Senju..."

Yato didn't flee either.

He gave Byakuya Kuchiki an appreciative glance, and the giant skeleton surrounding him immediately moved.

Its rough, massive arm stretched backward, its five fingers loosely curled, while its other hand reached forward, forming the perfect posture to exert force—like an ancient god hurling a thunderbolt spear.

Yato had no thunderbolts, but he had flames.

"Amaterasu! Kagutsuchi!"

The six-pointed Mangekyo spun rapidly as a black-flame spear roughly five meters long was tightly gripped by Susanoo's skeletal hand.

Boom!

The next instant, before Byakuya Kuchiki could successfully unleash Senju Kōten Taihō, the Spear of Amaterasu hurled by Susanoo streaked past his ear.

It tore through the air, shattered stone pillars, and pierced buildings!

Only after passing through the entire training grounds and blasting half of the teaching building opposite into collapse did the Spear of Amaterasu strike the ground, leaving behind a deep crater.

"...I lost." Feeling the scorching heat by his ear, Byakuya Kuchiki took a deep breath and released his Shikai.

"You shouldn't have surrounded me with Senbonzakura." Uchiha Yato shrugged, using his right eye's ability to reclaim the black flames burning in the distance. "You meant to seal off my illusions, but that also blocked your own vision. You couldn't see what I was doing inside."

—About a year had passed since the practical training exercise in Hueco Mundo ended.

Over the past year, Yato and Byakuya Kuchiki's duels had seen more victories than losses for Yato.

Susanoo after its Second-Stage Shikai was extremely effective against Soul-Cutter Swords like Senbonzakura, whose offensive power was somewhat weaker. Although Byakuya Kuchiki had deliberately intensified his training in high-level Kidō and won several matches, most of the time he had no answer for Susanoo.

The two discussed and reflected as they left the training grounds beneath the students' watchful gazes. Only Shin'ō Academy's staff stared at the collapsed, scorched buildings with tears in their eyes.

At last, they're graduating. We've been repairing buildings every day lately—soon the budget won't even get approved...

With graduation approaching, all of Shin'ō Academy's courses had ended, the assessments had been completed and grades distributed. There was nothing else to do over the next few days except wait for Seireitei's assignment.

Completing all of Shin'ō Academy's courses in two years and graduating with exceptional marks in all four disciplines of Zankensoki was nothing short of genius.

More importantly, Yato had long since achieved his original goals—and even exceeded them by quite a bit.

In terms of Reiatsu, he had reached Sixth-Class Reiatsu, the level of a "vice-officer assistant."

He had mastered the use of his Soul-Cutter Sword's Second-Stage Shikai. Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi moved as naturally as his limbs, he controlled black flames with ease, and Susanoo could now grow the complete skeleton of its upper body.

Unexpectedly, his Kidō had improved tremendously. His understanding of incantations had advanced enormously compared to a year ago, and he could even make minor adjustments to Kidō releases according to the state of his own soul, exploring deeper techniques!

For that, he had Aizen Sosuke to thank. Aizen would occasionally teach Uchiha Yato related knowledge. As Soul Society's foremost Kidō master, even a few brief words from him struck directly at the core and essence, benefiting the young man immensely.

After packing up his dorm room, Uchiha Yato lay down on his bed.

I wonder which division Seireitei wants to send me to?

By convention, I'll probably go to the Tenth Division, which handles patrols and public order. But the Third Division, which specializes in support, wouldn't be bad either. Now that I think about it, the Kidō Corps might suit me best. There's usually not much work, and I could slack off...

However, Yato didn't know that while his thoughts wandered, a discussion determining his assignment was taking place in the First Division barracks.

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