Chapter 303: The Championship Must Be Mine!
"Combat doesn't merely test one's strength."
"More importantly, it tests the resolve of both sides."
"Those without determination will hesitate at critical moments, plagued by indecision, and ruin a winning hand."
"Those with resolve often seize that crucial sliver of opportunity to turn defeat into victory and achieve success!"
Kisei Ao stood on the arena platform, eyes slightly closed, hand resting lightly on his Zanpakutō.
As the most promising Shinigami of the Ao Family—though not a member of the Gotei 13—his strength was no less than any professional combatant.
Unlike those fighting merely for hollow fame, he battled for his family's revival. The weight on his shoulders was on a completely different level!
Gazing at the smirking young man across the arena, Kisei Ao's eyes turned icy.
"Young man, take my advice—this conflict is not one you should involve yourself in."
"This battle will determine the structure of Seireitei for the next century, even the previous millennium. A swordsman like you could never comprehend it."
The referee outside the arena raised his hand:
"Begin the fight!!"
Kanae Shiji continued, "Step down. If you retreat now, I can overlook..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly saw with astonishment that Ichimaru Gin's expression had changed.
One moment ago, it was a gentle, cunning smile like a fox's.
Now, his eyes widened abruptly, bloodshot veins emerged, and killing intent boiled over!
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!!"
Ichimaru Gin drew his Zanpakutō and aimed it at Kanae Shiji.
The latter didn't even have time to react before the blade struck his chest, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying backward with a spray of blood!
BOOM!!!
Under the stunned gazes of the audience, Kanae Shiji flew out of the arena and crashed headfirst into the ground, erupting in a cloud of dust!
The referee: "..."
Everything happened too fast. Even he, being the closest, couldn't process what had just occurred.
He instinctively looked at Ichimaru Gin.
This glance made him shudder.
The intensity of the killing intent and the weight of determination emanating from this young man were utterly unprecedented!
Ichimaru Gin let out a light laugh, his eyes seeming to glow with a red light.
"Determination?"
"I had that the moment I stepped out of the squad barracks."
"Not to mention you insects—even if I had to slay my own comrades, I wouldn't hesitate in the slightest!"
With that, he flicked his Zanpakutō and sheathed it, turning to leave.
The referee swallowed hard.
"The winner! Mikami Family's Ichimaru Gin!"
Not long after, another peculiar figure stepped onto the stage.
At the sight of him, many nobles burst into laughter.
"What is this? A dog?"
"Hey! You've got to be kidding! Since when can dogs run for captain?"
"You bastard! Are you looking down on the nobility?"
Komamura showed no reaction to the insults.
He simply raised his head and said calmly:
"I am a wolfman, not a dog."
"Wolfman? What's that?"
"Go back to the mountains!"
"Get lost!"
Listening to the nobles' jeers, Komamura's gaze grew somewhat nostalgic.
Back when he first left his homeland and wandered aimlessly through Rukongai, wasn't it just like this?
Everyone who saw his appearance either looked down on him or reacted with anger and rejection.
If he hadn't met Mr. Mikami, what would he be like now?
Probably either living alone in some mountain forest or dead from fighting others after enduring too much humiliation.
He took a deep breath.
Then, he suddenly declared:
"I am the Mikami Family's swordsman, Komamura Sajin!"
"You vermin, if you have any complaints, come up here and say them!"
—!!
The entire arena fell silent at once.
The nobles widened their eyes, expressions of disbelief on their faces.
This big dog belonged to the Mikami Family?
They instinctively looked toward the man sitting in the captain's witness seat outside the arena.
Seeing that Satoru Mikami had no objections, their hearts sank.
Those who had been mocking and ridiculing moments earlier fell silent as if they'd swallowed mutes' pills.
Komamura stood quietly on the stage, waiting for his opponent.
Seeing the man who stepped onto the stage with his face covered in black cloth, he nodded in greeting.
The face concealed by black cloth and the cold aura surrounding him made it clear—this was a swordsman raised by one of the great families.
During the previous Tsunayashiro Clan rebellion, these unaffiliated Shinigami were the primary source of trouble.
Since they had not joined the Gotei 13, their abilities were diverse yet unregistered.
Meanwhile, the abilities of Gotei 13 Shinigami were largely documented in the Great Spirit Book Corridor, leaving no secrets from the Tsunayashiro Clan's perspective.
Many Shinigami suffered defeat in battles they could have won, all due to this informational disadvantage.
The masked Shinigami silently watched Komamura without returning his bow.
"Mikami Family, Komamura Sajin!"
"Hashimoto Family, Hashimoto Ichiro!"
"Both sides ready!"
"Begin... combat!"
Unlike Ichimaru Gin, Komamura didn't rush to attack.
He wasn't a high-agility, high-offense assassin type like Gin.
Being both durable and powerful, he had no need to take risks.
He stared intently at the masked Shinigami, waiting to see how his opponent would initiate.
Just then, the masked Shinigami suddenly spoke:
"Komamura Sajin... Heh, I already know all about your abilities."
"Unlike you who came to this stage completely unprepared, our Hashimoto Family is renowned for intelligence gathering."
"Your Zanpakutō is called Divine Punishment, capable of summoning a giant arm from nowhere to deliver flame-attribute slashes."
"Your Bankai, called Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō... summons a massive armored warrior that mirrors your movements with tremendous strength."
"Kekeke, truly remarkable abilities. On the battlefield, they would undoubtedly prove most effective."
"Unfortunately, this is an arena, not a battlefield."
"And you're facing me, Hashimoto Yuichiro, known as the 'Ninja'!"
"Admit defeat gracefully. For Satoru's sake, I won't lay hands on you. How about it?"
Komamura Sajin showed no reaction to the other's words.
Drawing his Zanpakutō, he calmly stated, "Sir, make your move."
Hashimoto Yuichiro snorted coldly.
This foolish dog truly refuses a toast only to drink a forfeit.
He drew his short sword and charged toward Komamura.
While running, he released his Zanpakutō:
"Permeate! Shinobimaru!"
In a flash of light, the one-meter-long katana transformed into a dagger-like form.
Komamura's gaze sharpened.
An agile close-combat fighter?
Not underestimating his opponent, he immediately swung his blade:
"Roar, Tenken!!"
A massive black arm materialized from nowhere, gripping a giant blade that stabbed downward fiercely toward Hashimoto.
"Hmph, I told you, it's useless!"
As he spoke, Hashimoto's figure flickered, splitting from one into three.
All three Hashimotos leaped into the air—two assuming crouching positions while the third stepped on their soles.
The two base Hashimotos kicked violently, propelling the third one flying toward Komamura.
BOOM!!!
Tenken's massive blade obliterated the two Hashimoto clones.
But judging from the condition of the remaining Hashimoto, this seemingly spectacular attack had caused him no substantial harm.
Komamura swung his blade to counter.
Despite his large build, his speed was far from slow.
Having been trained by Kenpachi Zaraki, Ichimaru Gin, and others, he had long grown accustomed to fighting by instinct.
This strike, seemingly ordinary, actually sealed off all possible offensive approaches an advancing opponent might employ.
Faced with such a move, even someone of superior strength would have to temporarily retreat and seek another opportunity.
Yet Hashimoto did no such thing.
His body suddenly contorted.
Every joint in his body seemed to dislocate instantaneously.
As flexible as water, he twisted into an unimaginable posture to evade Komamura's blade, closing in abruptly.
Gripping his short sword, he grinned beneath his black mask.
"It's over."
"This is... the advantage of intelligence supremacy."
Under Komamura's placid—likely stunned—gaze, he thrust his blade toward Komamura's chest, near the heart.
——
BOOM!!!!
Explosive flames erupted from Komamura's chest.
To the astonishment of the watching Shinigami, Hashimoto—who should have secured victory with a single strike—was sent flying backward from Komamura, trailing streams of black smoke.
THUD!!
Hashimoto, battered and smoking, landed outside the arena, unconscious and unknown whether alive or dead.
Komamura sighed.
He dismissed the temporarily summoned Myōō armor that had shielded his chest.
That armor was layered with reactive plates developed by Mayuri Kurotsuchi under Satoru's direction.
Hashimoto's blade hadn't even pierced his body before triggering the explosive reactive armor.
Incidentally, the explosives Mayuri used were the same type deployed during the rebel uprising—planted inside suicide attackers to assault Satoru.
Even Satoru, who had already begun honing his physique with some success back then, was nearly caught off guard by these bombs, let alone a Shinigami bred by some noble family.
Gazing at Hashimoto lying outside the arena, Komamura shook his head slightly.
"One thing you said was quite correct."
"Information is indeed a crucial thing."
"However, information that is incompletely understood yet believed to be fully grasped brings greater danger than complete ignorance."
"If you ever get another chance to fight, please remember these words."
After speaking, he sheathed his Zanpakutō and turned to leave the arena.
For a moment, the observing nobles fell into complete silence.
Were these two sent by the Mikami Family... both monsters?
Come to think of it, even they had heard about the Eleventh Division's reputation for producing monsters.
That Satoru Mikami was truly despicable.
To expand his sphere of influence, he'd probably brought out his two strongest subordinates.
He would stop at nothing to achieve victory!
Such a person was simply a disgrace to the nobility!
The next to take the stage was Shiba Isshin.
This representative of the younger generation from the Shiba Clan branch family had once drawn considerable attention.
At that time, before Shiba Kaien had risen to prominence, some believed they could place their bets on Shiba Isshin, gambling that the main Shiba family wouldn't produce any talented individuals.
However, not long after, as Shiba Kaien repeatedly proved his capabilities, external attention toward Shiba Isshin gradually faded.
Especially after Shiba Isshin began studying under Aizen, those who knew about his recent circumstances became increasingly few.
Originally somewhat showy, under Aizen's influence he had grown more and more low-key.
Had Aizen not instructed him to participate in this tournament, he probably wouldn't have chosen to step into the spotlight even now.
A muscular brute stepped onto the platform and bowed to him.
"Though you're from a branch family, you're still a member of the Shiba Clan. According to protocol, I should pay my respects."
"But... when it comes to actual combat power, my hundreds of years of martial training as a Shinigami far surpass what a youngster like you could possibly imagine."
The brute spoke in a deep voice.
Shiba Isshin responded casually: "Okay, okay, got it."
"Sigh, Senior Aizen was right—those with the least capability are always the most fond of flaunting their seniority..."
Shiba Isshin revealed a sunny smile as he offered his assessment.
Upon hearing this, the brute immediately showed an expression of fury.
"Bastard!!"
He roared, releasing his Zanpakutō which transformed into a long-handled greataxe, bringing it down directly toward Shiba Isshin's head!
The smile vanished from Isshin's face.
To lose composure over such minor provocation—what a boring opponent.
He drew his Zanpakutō and began striking at the axe's weak points with minimal effort, preventing the brute from comfortably executing combos.
This frustrating style of combat made the brute howl with rage.
He continuously hurled insults, trying to provoke Shiba Isshin into competing directly in raw power and destructive capability.
Isshin paid this no mind.
Senior Aizen had said that an enemy's angry insults were the best reward one could receive.
He would continue wearing his opponent down without rushing.
After all, he had no intention of becoming the Sixth Division captain—he'd just surrender after dealing with a few noble thugs...
While he fought, Ichimaru Gin stood outside the arena, stroking his chin as he studied the tournament bracket.
After a few seconds, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, as if he'd thought of something.
As Shiba Isshin battled the greataxe-wielding brute, a frivolous voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Isshin, let me tell you a secret~"
"Lord Satoru told Sajin and me at the division entrance this morning that whoever wins this tournament... he'll grant that person one request~"
"?"
Shiba Isshin froze for a moment.
He couldn't help glancing sideways at Ichimaru Gin outside the arena.
The latter smiled at him and gave a thumbs up.
Though he couldn't be certain, his intuition told him Ichimaru Gin was probably telling the truth!
For a moment, Shiba Isshin's mind raced.
What did he need help with that would require asking Third Brother for assistance?
After thinking for a few seconds, his eyes suddenly lit up and he took a deep breath.
Instantly, his aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
The previously casual, leisurely fighter suddenly ignited with blazing fighting spirit—
"Burn, Engetsu."
"—Getsuga, Tenshō!!"
Shiba Isshin swung his Zanpakutō upward.
Under the burly man's shocked gaze, a crescent-shaped sword pressure wreathed in raging flames instantly materialized and engulfed him.
BOOM!!!!
A massive explosion spread across the fighting platform.
When the explosion gradually subsided, the burly man was already lying face down on the ground, unmoving.
Following Aizen's habit, Shiba Isshin twirled his sword before sheathing his Zanpakutō.
He turned and stepped down from the platform.
Heh heh heh... If he won this championship, he'd have Third Brother arrange for Senior Aizen to officially take him as a disciple!
Just imagining that scene made Isshin so excited he could barely contain himself!
This tournament's championship must be mine!!