"Under normal circumstances, my win rate against Sōgo is absolutely zero, there's not a single chance of victory whatsoever, that's beyond doubt!"
"However... if we don't use our Zanpakuto or the Kido of Kidō Sōgo, then even an insignificant character like me, as long as I make good use of my advantages, isn't entirely without a chance of winning."
"Although the chances of victory are slim, I can win as long as I seize that one in ten thousand opportunity."
"Because this isn't a duel! It's a game! My victory condition is to obtain or destroy the manga in Sōgo- sensei's hands, while Sōgo- sensei's victory condition is zero, which means... this is a game I absolutely cannot lose!"
"Perhaps Sōgo wanted to use a victory to build my confidence..."
" Sōgo, I will absolutely not let you down. Let me repay you with 100% effort and a fight I give my all!"
Rukia thought this, her gaze grew even sharper.
"Oh ho~"
"What excellent eyesight!"
"Looks like the next game is going to be really interesting!"
Sōgo could sense the change in Rukia's gaze. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, he knew that Rukia's mindset had shifted, and she was gradually developing a hint of strength.
"Call!"
"My opponent is the invincible Sōgo, so from the very beginning I must use all my strength—no, I must use one hundred and twenty percent of my strength."
Rukia took a deep breath and drew her Zanpakuto from her waist.
"Can we begin, Little Rukia? If we can, then come and attack me! The comic book in my hand told me that it's so excited... it can't wait... to give you a head-on attack!"
Sōgo held the comic book to his ear, a slightly twisted smile on his handsome face.
"Forehead..."
Rukia was stunned by Sōgo's smile and shivered at first, then released her Zanpakuto.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
In an instant, the Zanpakuto in Rukia's hand, from hilt to blade, transformed into a pure white, as white as snow. A white ribbon extended from the end of the hilt, gently nestling beside Rukia like a fairy's flowing silk. Upon seeing this scene, no one in the world could utter a word of praise, for the scene was simply too beautiful to be found in the mortal realm.
"Oh."
Sōgo felt a slight stirring in his heart as he Zanpakuto. He even couldn't help but lift Ikkaku of the black eyepatch covering his eyes and examine it closely with his sky-blue eyes.
"What a nice view."
From Sōgo's perspective, a beautiful woman dressed in a white kimono, her entire being white from head to toe, resembling a snow woman from mythology, stood beside Rukia, gazing intently at the incredibly strong Rukia, who held a sharp blade in her hand, with gentle, watery eyes.
In terms of appearance, that snow girl was indeed extremely beautiful, so beautiful that Sōgo couldn't think of anyone in Soul Society who could compare to her for a moment.
"The most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society?"
After thinking for a while, Sōgo made a final decision on Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki, bestowing upon Sode no Shirayuki the most beautiful name.
Just as Old Man Yama Ryūjin Jakka is considered the best fire-type Zanpakuto in Soul Society, Little White Tōshirō Hitsugaya is considered the best ice-type Hyōrinmaru in Soul Society, Sode no Shirayuki, the most beautiful Zanpakuto, is also universally Zanpakuto in Soul Society. To be precise, it's not a matter of whether it's universally acknowledged or not, because the title of "most beautiful" for Sode no Shirayuki was decided by a certain Big-Eyed Monk when he named Rukia's Zanpakuto. So, the moment other Soul Reaper see Sode no Shirayuki, the feeling naturally comes to mind. "Oh! This is the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Soul Society..."
Therefore, although the Squad Zero seems to have no management over Soul Society, it has actually been secretly influencing the entire Soul Society.
Be careful.
Rukia smiled slightly and gently drew a circle on the ground with her Zanpakuto.
The next moment, intense freezing air enveloped Rukia and Sōgo, and terrifying snowflakes shot into the sky, heading straight for the roof of the Second Division Captain's Chamber. If it weren't for the roof of the hall blocking their way, they would probably have been sent flying into the sky.
"How?"
Rukia hidden amidst the snowflakes, refraining from rash actions. She would not continue attacking until she had pinpointed Sōgo's location, ensuring that her Spiritual Pressure was not wasted on unnecessary things.
It worked!
Just as Rukia wondering, Sōgo among the snowflakes as if the endless freezing air and snowflakes didn't exist at all, and walked freely to Rukia's side, smiling.
Stop lying.
Rukia raised an eyebrow at Sōgo free of snowflakes, and swung her Rukia Zanpakuto more.
Rukia lightly touched the ground four times with the tip of her Zanpakuto. In the next moment, several streams of cold air were released from where Rukia touched the ground. Instantly, a violent chill swept through the entire hall, making it difficult to breathe and even causing the small droplets in the air to condense into ice crystals.
"Second Dance - White Ripples!"
Just as Sōgo was admiring the beautiful scenery before him, Rukia unleashed her second move!
With a low growl from Rukia, countless snowflakes appeared out of Sōgo air in front of Rukia and surged toward Sougo, just like an avalanche suddenly occurring on a high mountain. Rukia was the spirit of the snow, manipulating this terrifying avalanche, determined to destroy everything beautiful before her eyes.
"Interesting."
As Sōgo was pushed backward by Rukia's power, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"But that's not enough."
Sōgo was indeed happy after witnessing Rukia's various novel abilities, but this happiness stemmed more from seeing interesting and previously unseen abilities. As for Rukia's actual strength, it still didn't meet Sōgo's standards.
Sōgo Super Hand Chop!
As Sōgo spoke, he suddenly raised his arm high and swung it down forcefully towards the avalanche in front of him. The next moment, under the Spiritual Pressure that made the entire Second Division Captain's Room tremble, the avalanche created by Rukia Kuchiki was instantly split in two.
"In an instant..."
Rukia stared in Sōgo Shihoin, who had annihilated the snowflakes she had created in a mere instant. No matter what, how could someone unfamiliar with Kidō and the power of Zanpakuto, relying solely on their own spiritual power, possibly break the Shikai of Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto? This was simply too outrageous...
"What's wrong, Rukia? Is your Zanpakuto's power used for snowball fights?"
Sōgo smacked Rukia on the head with his comic book and laughed.
"Waaah~"
Rukia looked unhappy as Sōgo treated her like a child.
" The Bakudō #1: Sai! The Bakudō #4: Hainawa!"
Double Incantation! An ability that only those with extremely high talent in the Kidō Path can use; clearly, it involves simultaneously employing two binding techniques.
Rukia of the Path is a genius with extremely high talent in Kidō the way of the demonic arts).
"Ha ha ha ha..."
" Rukia, your Bakudō is as fragile as paper."
Faced with Rukia's Bakudō, Sōgo stood still without moving an inch.
"The difference in Spiritual Pressure is too great, to the point that my Kidō is almost completely ineffective."
It was only then that Rukia realized that winning this game was not as simple as she had imagined. This game, which seemed like a sure win for her, was actually full of dangers and could cause her to lose at any moment.
" Rukia, how about this?"
"I'll stand here without moving. You win if you can destroy this comic book from my hands. What do you say?"
Sōgo held the comic book in front of Rukia and looked at Rukia with a smile.
Although Sōgo didn't actually do much damage, it was extremely insulting. His smug expression made it seem as if even if Sōgo stood still, Rukia still couldn't destroy the comic book from his hands.
"Good!"
Rukia no sign of yielding. From the battle just now, she had come to deeply understand the vast gap between herself and Sōgo, a gap far greater than the distance between heaven and earth. This gap was so great that Sōgo without using Kidō and Zanpakuto, Sougo still couldn't win. And now, Sōgo had voluntarily given up walking, meaning Sōgo had abandoned the Zankensōki from the Kido-Zanken-Souki. If she still couldn't snatch the manga from Sōgo under these circumstances, it would be far too shameful.
After all, she was an elite member of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Clans... even if she was adopted.
Half an hour later...
"Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~"
Heavy breathing could be heard coming from inside the tightly closed hall.
In this room where only Rukia and Sōgo are, what could be causing Rukia to be breathing so heavily?
This caused Shaoling Fon, who was holding documents and preparing to have Sōgo sign them, to blush and feel slightly annoyed. She had clearly told that idiot Sōgo not to have a harem...
"Again! A little harder!"
"Yes~ that's the posture, a little harder~"
"Sigh... no, no, my comic books simply can't satisfy me~"
"Push harder~ Oh~ I'm starting to feel it now, but it's still not enough."
Just as Shaoling Fon's face was pressed against the door of the room, eavesdropping on what was happening inside, she suddenly heard Sōgo's voice.
"What kind of training would require such sounds? Unless there's no training taking place inside, but rather some unspeakable act, could it be... SM?"
Hearing the voice beside her, Shaoling Fon took several steps back, her expression suddenly changing. Had the couple in the room gone so far as to engage in BDSM?
"That's... that's too much!"
"How could they commit such a shameless act while I was working hard?!"
Shaoling Fon's body trembled slightly as she stared at the 'wall' in front of her, her teeth clenched.
What happened behind that wall-like iron gate had already created a grand drama in Shaoling Fon's mind—a terrifying drama between a male masochist and a hidden sadist woman!
"Again! Again!"
"Is this all you've got?"
"Then I really misjudged you!"
"Back when you were in the Thirteenth Division, you were much more resilient than you are now."
Just as Shaoling Fon, her face flushed, bit her fingertip and lost in thought, came intermittent sounds from inside the door.
"You... you bastard! I will never forgive you!"
Hearing the utterly absurd and confusing sounds around her, Shaoling Fon, in a fit of anger, punched the iron gate in front of her.
"Boom!"
With a loud explosion, the iron door of the Second Division's captain's room was smashed to pieces by Shaoling Fon's punch.
"This is the barracks of the Second Division, not a place for you to play around!"
Shaoling Fon burst open the iron gate and began to speak in a serious and loud voice.
"Huh?!"
When Shaoling Fon Sōgo showing off his manga to Rukia Kuchiki, urging Rukia to attack in a cheeky tone.
Rukia was drenched in sweat, and her Shihakusho clung tightly to her not-so-plump body because of the perspiration.
" Lieutenant Shaoling Fon... Why? Why can't I meet Sōgo- sensei?"
Rukia Kuchiki heard the sound at the door, turned around, pouted, and looked aggrieved.
Rukia had truly given it her all, she had given it her all, but her sword just couldn't touch Sōgo; they were so close yet felt like they were worlds apart.
It was as if there was a dimensional gap between them, Rukia helpless. Just as the two-dimensional world cannot interfere with the three-dimensional world, Rukia tried her best but still could not touch Sōgo, who seemed to be standing in a higher dimension, no matter what method she used, whether it was Zanpakuto, Kidō, or anything else.
"Keep pushing! Almost there! Just a little bit more, really just a little bit more!"
Sōgo held up two fingers in front of Rukia Kuchiki's eyes; the distance between those two fingers was the distance between him and Rukia —very, very close...
"..."
Looking at Sōgo's arrogant demeanor, Rukia felt somewhat wronged. She had originally thought that Sōgo intended to give her a victory so that she could gradually regain her confidence. However, in reality, Sōgo not only had no intention of helping her regain her confidence, but he also took away her last bit of confidence from her heart, threw it to the ground, stomped on it until it was crushed, and rubbed it repeatedly.
"Eh? Are you going to cry? Don't cry, Little Rukia ~"
"You're not cute when you cry~"
"How about this, Little Rukia ~"
"Why don't you go home and tell your older brother, Big Cabbage, and your former captain Kaien Shiba, what do you say?"
"That way I can bully both of them at the same time!"
Sōgo gently patted Rukia's head, his face bearing the most tender smile, while uttering chilling words.
"Those two traitors who betrayed me and went to get married should have died a thousand times over."
Sōgo stared at Rukia with eyes full of resentment, eyes so dark they sent chills down your spine.
"Forehead..."
Rukia stared at Sōgo's eyes, now devoid of their former sapphire-like brilliance and filled only with endless darkness, after he removed his eyepatch. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She finally understood the true meaning of evil in this world! And she knew just how deep the resentment of a man who had been single for hundreds of years could go! Some say that being single for thirty years can make you a great magician; then, what level has Sōgo, who has been single for over three hundred years, reached?
(End of this chapter)