Despite everyone anticipating the outcome of the assessment before the battle began, they still underestimated the weight behind the name Sōsuke Aizen.
...
Bang!
Shattered stones scattered across the floor.
Iba shouted more fiercely than anyone, but when she struck, it was with unrelenting force.
Her straw sandals surged forward, reiatsu propelling her slender frame with such speed that she left an afterimage in her wake.
Her reiatsu, rivaling that of a vice-captain, rippled through the air. The Zanpakuto in her hand transformed in an instant into a massive blade, longer than her entire body.
"Cut him down, Yokogetsu!"
The extended blade, fueled by the tall woman's twisting momentum, carved a cold, crescent arc through the air.
The wind roared with the strike's weight and power.
As Iba's blade descended, Sōsuke barely drew his Zanpakuto from its sheath. Facing the slashing strike, his expression faltered, pupils constricting.
Clang!
The blades clashed, sending a shower of sparks into the air with a clear, resonant ring.
Yet, against this full-force blow, Sōsuke's childlike frame seemed overwhelmed, his body sliding left under the horizontal slash.
His straw sandals scraped the wooden floor, emitting a piercing screech and leaving long, scorched black marks.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a kid!" Iba taunted.
Relentless even with the upper hand, her earlier scowl gave way to a fiery exhilaration, her tied hair loosening slightly as her spirit soared.
Whoosh!
Her nearly two-meter blade danced with Sōsuke's Zanpakuto, sparking a trail of fiery stars in their clash.
As the blade's back circled over her shoulder, Iba spun with the heavy weapon, unleashing a flurry of fierce strikes like a whirling dance.
Turbulent air swept through the spacious captain's meeting room, stirring faint dust.
The more she swung her giant blade, the more Iba's excitement surged.
Before her, the boy bearing the title of Captain Makoto's disciple seemed panicked, gripping his Zanpakuto with both hands. Under her relentless assault, he could only roll and leap back, his blade fleetingly meeting hers before retreating, unable to withstand her force.
As expected! Iba thought. Your skills may shine, but your youth and limited training are your greatest weaknesses!
In mere moments, the battle-hardened Iba pinpointed her opponent's flaw.
Yokogetsu's momentum shifted abruptly.
No longer a ceaseless barrage, her attacks became wide, sweeping slashes, constricting Sōsuke's fighting space with their vast reach.
Sōsuke's movements grew frantic.
As a horizontal slash bore down, he narrowly rolled back, his small frame curling and stretching, leaping low to the ground.
But as he prepared to thrust his blade forward, Iba read his intent instantly.
Before Sōsuke could rise, her sweeping blade halted mid-air, redirecting into a downward chop.
Stepping forward, Sōsuke, locked in his thrusting stance, felt his pupils shrink.
His committed strike was impossible to retract.
Trouble! he thought.
Iba seemed to hear his panic through his expression.
"You're nowhere close, kid!" She sneered, her arrogant words spilling forth.
Clang!
The back of his thrusting blade met her chopping edge.
Yokogetsu's razor-sharp edge cleaved through Sōsuke's Zanpakuto with a single strike.
The cut was mirror-smooth.
A thirty-centimeter blade fragment spun through the air, embedding into the wooden floor with a thud.
The tall woman laughed smugly, her mocking gaze fixed on the boy hailed as a genius.
"Just graduated and already aiming for Third Seat? This is your reward." She jeered. "Kid, with that broken sword, can you even release your Shikai now?"
Iba's tone dripped with contempt.
Yet her steps maintained a cautious distance from Sōsuke.
Strategically dismissive but tactically vigilant, Iba excelled in this balance.
Her initial ambush, full-force Shikai, and adaptive tactics showcased the caution beneath her brash demeanor.
Only now did she ease slightly.
This kid couldn't touch her with an intact blade; with half a sword, what could he do?
It was time to end it.
But as she glanced at the surrounding captains, none signaled to stop. They watched in silence.
This oddity made Iba frown.
Really? she thought. Do I need to teach this arrogant brat a harsher lesson?
Her gaze on Sōsuke deepened.
Then, Sōsuke, clutching his broken sword, spoke.
"May I ask… is this the full extent of your strength?"
Iba's brow furrowed.
But as her eyes met the boy's face, she saw Sōsuke standing tall, his gentle smile restored, as if the battle's strain had never touched him.
His simple question grated inexplicably.
"Tch." She scoffed. "Want to see my full strength? Fine, I'll show you."
As she spoke, her hand traced the curved blade. "Yokogetsu's sole ability is to cut through any matter in its path." She said coldly. "Rare even among cutting-type Zanpakuto. So, watch yourself."
Sōsuke's expression grew faintly serious.
In the next moment, Iba hoisted her giant blade onto her left shoulder, gripping the hilt vertically, her stance angled.
Her icy gaze locked onto Sōsuke's left arm.
A clean cut can be reattached quickly, she thought. A lesson for this kid.
With that thought, Iba lunged forward.
"Getsu U!"
Her volatile reiatsu surged skyward.
Sōsuke, rooted in place, saw a blinding white flash consume his vision in an instant.
Absolute cutting power erupted from the blade's tip.
Yet, as Iba swung, she glimpsed the boy inverting his blade, murmuring softly.
Shikai? she thought, dismissing it. Too slow, fool.
But her ears caught a clearer voice.
Gradually, she recognized Sōsuke's words.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
A faint sound, like a mirror breaking, reached her.
Ding!
A crisp metallic clash rang out.
Iba snapped awake.
But as she looked up, she saw the captains around her.
Whether captains, vice-captains, or the seated officers further back, all eyes were fixed on the scene with utmost gravity.
"What… what happened?"
"It shouldn't have gone wrong." Iba muttered to herself, her heart racing.
Could her full-force strike have killed Captain Makoto's disciple?
"No."
A voice replied from behind her.
"You almost made a mistake."
Makoto's voice rang out.
Startled, Iba instinctively moved to step aside.
But as she glanced down, she saw a hand gripping her blade tightly, rendering it immobile.
Iba's gaze froze.
Only then did she realize her blade was aimed at her own left arm.
And Sōsuke, who should have been defeated, stood opposite her, smiling serenely.
"?"
Even with her brash nature, Iba now understood she'd been ensnared.
But… when?
The onlookers narrowed their eyes.
In their view, the moment Iba charged with her Shikai and clashed blades with the boy, she froze, as if her consciousness had vanished.
Not only that, she swung wildly at empty air, as though fighting an invisible foe.
In the end, she nearly severed her own arm.
Yamamoto observed, a hint of surprise in his deep voice. "An illusion-type Zanpakuto? Truly a fearsome ability."
"Yes." Sōsuke replied, sheathing his blade and turning toward the Captain-Commander with a polite smile. "This blade is called Kyoka Suigetsu. When an enemy sees it clash with another weapon, they fall into an illusion I create. However, the control lasts only briefly, so I must end the fight quickly."
Sōsuke explained his Zanpakuto's ability to the room with a gentle tone.
The realization dawned on everyone.
So that was it.
Iba's reckless charge had made her an easy target for his trap.
"Damn it!" Iba grumbled, fuming. "Tricked by a kid!"
Yet, she was gracious in defeat.
Strategy and information were key to victory, and she had no excuses.
Even if Sōsuke had revealed his ability beforehand, she doubted her direct-attack style could avoid his blade.
It was an unsolvable dilemma.
The room collectively understood, some visibly relieved.
For such a Zanpakuto, Kido specialists would be its greatest counter.
Sōsuke accepted the varied gazes around him, his eyes briefly flicking toward Makoto.
But he caught only a disinterested expression.
"As expected." Makoto murmured, chuckling softly. "Deception is second nature to Sōsuke."
"What?" Katori, standing nearby, leaned closer.
"Nothing." Makoto said, his expression neutral.
Kyoka Suigetsu's true power was complete hypnosis over anyone witnessing its Shikai release.
Its weakness: touching the blade could dispel the illusion.
By fabricating a false ability, Sōsuke had cleverly disguised his true power, unless someone like Makoto, an anomaly, saw through it.
Yamamoto seemed to hold high hopes for the boy, offering words of encouragement far kinder than those directed at Makoto.
Clearly, he didn't want such potential corrupted by a certain troublemaker.
Soon after, with the assessment declared a success, Sōsuke stepped down.
With the day's interlude resolved, the meeting turned to its main agenda.
"Chōjirō." Yamamoto commanded, "Announce the meeting's purpose."
"Yes." Sasakibe stepped forward. "Based on multiple witnesses and evidence, the Eighth Division has confirmed the 'Field Training Incident' was a treasonous act led by former Tenth Division member Ansono Jiro, aimed at communicating with a unique Hollow in Hueco Mundo. Moreover, several unidentified Hollow spies remain within the division."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the room.
"Wait, what?"
"Where did this come from?"
"Who'd be that foolish?"
"Is this true?"
Questions swirled in a chaotic buzz.
The Shinigami weren't naive.
On the contrary, as the Soul Society's experts on Hollows, they found it hard to believe any Shinigami would serve them.
Hollows were born from primal negativity, driven to consume all reiatsu from the moment of their creation.
Asking Shinigami to believe one would ally with Hollows was like convincing humans their kin would feed each other to beasts.
But as doubts arose, Saito, perplexed, glanced around. "What's so strange? Doesn't the Hueco Mundo Expedition Force have a Special Hollow Division?"
The clamor halted instantly.
Eyes turned toward Makoto.
Makoto stood with hands tucked in his sleeves, seemingly oblivious to the stares.
Indeed.
If anyone pioneered working with Hollows, it was Makoto's group.
Though, initially, everyone assumed it was due to his personal inclinations.
Once the room processed this, Sasakibe continued, "As we cannot determine how many Hollow spies are embedded in the Thirteenth Division, the First Division has decided to conduct a thorough screening of the entire division. Following this, a purge operation will be launched against Hueco Mundo."
Standing beside the stern-eyed Yamamoto, Sasakibe's hawk-like gaze swept the room.
"Now, please vote on this matter."
Silence fell over the assembly.
Makoto raised his eyes to the old man.
After three hundred years of recovery in the Soul Society, was the Captain-Commander planning something grand?
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (removespace)