The spacious yet ancient tatami room, the two figures seated cross-legged across a tea table, the scene of tiger and demon locked in mortal combat amid the forest, and the wisps of rising tea steam together formed a picture of utter stillness.
And yet, battle intent, killing intent, the sparks thrown up by clashing blades, and the exhilaration of savage combat—all of it lay hidden within the minds of these two.
If this truly were an old silent film, the audience would already sense that blood was about to be spilled in the very next moment. And yet, the deathly calm—deep as an abyss—was stubbornly difficult to break.
In the end, what shattered that stillness was nothing more than a leaf drifting down on the wind, falling upon the surface of a pond.
Just then, the water came to a boil.
Steam surged forth, and a sharp whistle burst from the spout of the kettle.
Ripples spread. Extreme stillness transformed into extreme motion. The entire picture gained sound.
The mist was cut apart. The ethereal aroma of tea was tinged with the scent of blood. Killing intent and battle intent collided, throwing off dazzling sparks.
Amid the screech of metal and the shrill whistle of steam, Kurosaki Rei and Unohana slid backward, long drag marks carved into the tatami beneath their feet.
Unohana glanced at Kurosaki Rei, then at the Zanpakutō in her hand—unstained by blood. The corners of her lips curved into an eerie smile.
Her pale hand brushed across her chest, and her waterfall-like black hair spilled loose, most of it falling forward, creating an unnaturally striking impression.
The setting sun filtered through the paper windows, flooding the room with crimson light and painting rouge upon the woman's pale face.
Hair disheveled, smile twisted and uncanny, bathed in bloodlike red—she looked like an oni that had crawled out of hell itself.
On the other side, the man held his Asauchi across his body, blade tip lowered. His taut posture was like a tiger descending the mountain.
"Captain Hikifune's newly developed little gadget really is quite something," Unohana said with a smile.
"It lets me conduct your final examination, Rei-kun, without having to hold back."
Kurosaki Rei's focus was razor-sharp. This outcome was exactly what he and Aizen had anticipated—the final test would be a challenge against a captain at equalized spiritual pressure. But since the opponent was Unohana, the difficulty had skyrocketed.
For Kurosaki Rei, this was a nightmare within nightmares—and a rapture within raptures.
His lips split into a feral grin, flashing white teeth.
"As long as I defeat you, Unohana-sensei, I can graduate, right?"
"Defeat… me?"
Unohana raised a hand to her face, partially covering an expression that had begun to border on madness. Her voice trembled slightly.
"Rei-kun… why are you so determined to graduate early?"
As if answering herself, her voice slipped out from beneath her hand.
"If you do that, I won't be able to resist serving as your examiner…
I won't be able to resist… harvesting this fruit of yours ahead of time."
Slowly, her hand lowered, revealing a face contorted with exhilaration. No one could have imagined that the gentle, beautiful Unohana would possess such an aspect.
Her eyes locked onto Kurosaki Rei as she spread her arms wide.
"Come—entertain me!"
In the next instant, the wind whipped Unohana's long hair backward. Blood blossomed from her ash-pink haori, droplets streaking past her fever-bright eyes.
Kurosaki Rei and Unohana crossed paths in a blur. Behind him, a series of footprints were stamped deep into the tatami. He turned slowly, his hair slightly disheveled from the charge, his eyes blazing with soaring battle intent.
"Sensei, after cutting me so many times—are you satisfied with this one strike of mine?"
Kurosaki Rei himself was somewhat surprised that he had managed to wound Unohana. He had assumed that even with her reiatsu suppressed, her physical toughness would remain. But it now seemed that this suppression device was extraordinary—truly reducing Unohana to the level of sixteenth-grade reiatsu, stripping away the high-reiatsu protection that normally shielded her body.
Captain Hikifune Kirio had surely never intended this device to be used for academy students to spar. It was likely designed as a tactical tool for capturing or killing enemies.
Unohana stood with her back to Kurosaki Rei, a mad smile still on her once-gentle face. As she turned, her hand brushed her shoulder—and the wound healed instantly.
"That's exactly how it should be."
Her excitement surged. The pain she hadn't tasted in so very long only further stoked her ferocity.
By now, she had completely cast the Captain-Commander's instructions to the back of her mind. Two beasts meeting on a desolate plain—neither could possibly leave unscathed.
As their killing intent and battle intent reached their peak, the two figures vanished almost simultaneously.
Clang—
The Asauchi collided with Minazuki, erupting in blinding light within the dim room. By that light, four eyes met—murderous intent overflowing.
It was as if a storm had erupted inside the tatami room. In an instant, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.
The tatami caved in and shattered, exposing the pinewood floor beneath. Blood spray and shredded fabric danced together in the air.
After one violent exchange, both were forced back by the recoil. When they came to a halt, their forms solidified—Unohana's haori was still largely intact, while Kurosaki Rei's uniform was torn to rags.
Kurosaki Rei grabbed a corner of the remaining cloth, tore it off, and tossed it aside, revealing his muscular upper body.
His torso was covered in countless small wounds—not from direct cuts, but from invisible blades.
Unohana's slashes were far from ordinary. Even when her blade didn't touch flesh, the invisible edge of her sword energy extended outward, shredding his clothes and slicing his skin.
"Oh? You've already trained your Kaidō to this level?"
Unohana looked with surprise at the wounds on Kurosaki Rei's body as they slowly closed. He wasn't channeling healing light through his hands, nor was there any obvious Kaidō glow visible on the healing flesh.
Though the injuries were superficial, continued blood loss would be detrimental. He had to heal them—at least partially.
"Unohana-sensei never said I had to use my hands to apply Kaidō, did you?" Kurosaki Rei replied calmly.
"Once you understand the principle, isn't repairing the body directly a more combat-efficient method?"
This was a new application of Kaidō he had developed through careful thought.
At its core, Kaidō was simply the manipulation of reishi to repair the body. Using the hands was common because they were flexible and precise, allowing finer control. But with sufficient control—and the ability to multitask—he could directly manipulate reishi 'threads' to mend wounds.
Of course, this technique was still crude. For now, he could only heal superficial injuries. Severe wounds still required hands-on treatment.
"Hahahaha…"
Unohana laughed, her voice melodious and eerie.
"Rei-kun, you really are a genius. But Kaidō at this level won't save you."
Kurosaki Rei neither agreed nor disagreed. He knew Unohana was fully intoxicated by the fight. In this state, she would show no mercy—and if he lost, she would kill him without hesitation.
He didn't know exactly what constituted "passing" this exam, but he knew one thing for certain:
He could not lose.
Defeat meant death.
The scent of death pressed down upon him. Kurosaki Rei trembled uncontrollably—but not from fear.
From excitement.
Even with her reiatsu shackled, Unohana was the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
This was nothing like the Captain-Commander's instruction or guidance. This was a true battle to the death—the kind of fight he had always yearned for.
Standing before him was an opponent he had once prayed to the heavens for his entire life… only to never encounter.
How could he not be exhilarated?
Examination? Mission?
None of that mattered anymore.
All he wanted now—was to savor this slaughter.
Boom—
In the next instant, Kurosaki Rei moved. The tatami behind him was ripped up entirely as he charged forward, a godlike burst of speed paired with a lethal slash.
Faster. Heavier. Deadlier.
He struck downward from above. Unohana blocked and diverted the blow to the side, knocking his blade off course.
Immediately after, she stepped in, slipping into Kurosaki Rei's inner range, and thrust her palm toward his chest.
Just as she thought she had him—
She saw something strange.
Kurosaki Rei drew one hand back beneath his chest, while his other elbow slammed downward, clamping tightly around her wrist and preventing the strike from landing with full force.
Two hands!?
Unohana was startled. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the Asauchi falling to the side.
He discarded his weapon—at a moment like this!?
And yet, she had to admit—his judgment was correct.
If that palm strike had landed cleanly, Kurosaki Rei's heart would have been crushed. She would have followed up instantly with a blade strike, and the battle would have ended.
Forced back by the momentum of her palm, Kurosaki Rei retreated. As he did, he stomped hard on the edge of the tatami. The lifted mat struck the falling Asauchi's hilt midair, altering its trajectory—sending it perfectly back into his hand.
After this exchange, Unohana did not pursue.
Instead, her eyes shone brilliantly, as though she had discovered a priceless treasure.
Watching the man charge toward her once more, she felt momentarily dazed.
Ah… he was free.
That boundless, unorthodox combat style—like a master artist wielding his brush without restraint, every stroke a perfect finishing touch.
Boom—
After another fierce clash, Unohana retreated lightly, while Kurosaki Rei was sent crashing into the wall by the recoil.
She looked at him as though admiring a flawless piece of jade—awed, exhilarated, yet tinged with regret.
Regret that such a delicious fruit would be devoured by her so prematurely.
Even a device created by Hikifune Kirio could not completely suppress her reiatsu. Kurosaki Rei's previous strike should have shattered her wrist by all rights, but her original spiritual density was simply too high. Even with surface suppression, the toughness of her bones and muscles remained.
At best, this suppression device allowed Kurosaki Rei to cut her skin. Penetrating into muscle was still extremely difficult.
Now her blood, too, was boiling.
Immersed in the pleasure of battle, she could no longer turn back—unless Kurosaki Rei truly defeated her in this fight.
But that was impossible.
She could see through all of his techniques. She possessed over a thousand years of combat experience. And in terms of reiatsu, she was still slightly superior.
Hikifune's device wasn't that precise. In terms of tiers, she was currently suppressed at the peak of sixteenth-grade spiritual pressure, while Kurosaki Rei's sixteenth-grade level was only mid-to-upper tier.
She held nearly every advantage in this battle.
Kurosaki Rei seemed to have no chance of victory.
She gazed at the young man stepping out of the dented wall, eyes tracing the blade wounds that crisscrossed his body, and sighed at what felt like an inevitable ending.
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