Sui-Feng stood frozen on the field. Around her, silence swept through the audience like a wave.
The captain of the Second Division. Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō.
Now utterly immobilized by a boy still in his youth.
Not by swordsmanship.
Not by Kidō.
Not even by Hakuda.
Just Shunpo.
Footwork—merely a supportive technique for Shinigami.
Yet he used it to completely shut her down.
When had anyone ever heard of a combatant crushed purely by Shunpo?
Never.
But here it was, right before their eyes.
Su Li's timing bordered on the surreal.
He appeared precisely during the sliver of a moment when Sui-Feng hadn't fully charged her strike—
A moment where neither attack nor retreat was possible.
She couldn't be more suffocated.
Even if she wanted to break free from this invisible cage—she couldn't.
He was always faster. Always first.
It drove her to the brink of madness.
This despair—this frustration—she had never felt it, not even against Yoruichi.
Now she was certain: Su Li's Shunpo surpassed Yoruichi's.
Shunpo greater than the Goddess of Flash?
Could this be real?
Could one's talent be this terrifying?
Her certainty began to crumble.
"If this continues," Jūshirō muttered, concern clouding his face, "Captain Sui-Feng might lose her will to fight before she's actually defeated."
"Drawing the ground as a prison... this technique mimics Bakudō," said Komamura, eyes sharp behind the mask. "Who is this young man who invented such an approach?"
Gin had long dropped his smirk. His eyes were solemn. "His tactical instinct and spatial control might even rival mine."
"Yahahah... to break this deadlock, Sui-Feng will have to use that move," Shunsui mused, eyes narrowing.
Hearing this, Qixu's expression turned pale. She shook her head hard.
"No! If Captain Sui-Feng uses that, the barrier won't hold! This entire area will be obliterated! Absolutely not!"
Shunsui gave a helpless chuckle, then muttered under his breath, "It's no longer something we can control..."
On the field, Sui-Feng's face flushed with rage.
Being unable to fight or retreat—this was unbearable.
Su Li's image danced in every direction.
Even using Shikai and unleashing her full Reiatsu, she remained suppressed.
The helplessness was overwhelming.
Infuriating.
Agonizing.
Her control started to fray.
She wanted to break free.
Break this cage?
Break her limits?
Reveal her true edge to the world?
Even if that sharpness was once Yoruichi's gift—
No more thinking.
She would break through.
She must.
She had to.
Boom!!
A monstrous Reiatsu erupted from Sui-Feng, swirling into a cyclone.
The air itself exploded around her.
"Here it comes!" Shunsui shouted, eyes wide.
All around, captains stood frozen in shock.
The raging air slammed into the barriers, which began to groan under the strain.
Shunsui and Jūshirō rushed to stabilize it.
Unohana and Komamura joined to reinforce.
Even so, the walls trembled violently, revealing how terrifying Sui-Feng's Reiatsu had become.
Su Li slowly emerged from the whirlwind, eyes bright as he watched her.
Finally, she had decided to use it.
Sui-Feng bent forward, spiritual energy roaring through her body.
At last, she would reveal her ultimate strength.
"Instant..." she whispered, lifting her head. The sharpness in her gaze could cut steel.
"Open."
Boom!!
The air detonated, blasting toward the barrier.
Though the shield could resist Reiatsu, it couldn't stop raw wind pressure.
Shunsui's hat flew off.
Unohana gripped her collar.
Komamura ducked his head.
Jūshirō, already frail, looked ready to be blown off his feet.
Even the captains looked disheveled.
Many students in the audience were swept up like dry leaves, tossed into a human windmill.
Chaos engulfed the arena.
As the wind finally died, all eyes turned back to the stage.
They stared, horrified.
If just the overflow was this intense, what was happening inside the barrier?
And that boy—he was at ground zero.
What kind of pressure was he facing?
He stood there, smiling, robes spotless.
"I admit," he said calmly, "you have the strength worthy of a Second Division captain."
In the eye of the storm, Sui-Feng slowly spoke.
Her eyes were no longer confused or despairing.
Now, they radiated calm and confidence.
"I underestimated you before," she said. "But that ends now."
She raised her arm and pointed.
"You will lose."
She finally saw the truth—Su Li wasn't some arrogant child.
He was a true powerhouse.
Her earlier restraint had been foolish.
You don't fight lions with rabbit paws.
And against true strength, there could be no holding back.
All eyes now turned to Su Li.
He smiled again.
His legs shifted.
He raised his arms across his chest, then extended one hand.
Everyone watched, breath held.
Then he exhaled, pointed, and shouted:
"Come here!!"
His voice echoed through the academy.
Everyone froze.
"You... to hell with you!!"
Sui-Feng's face turned red. That single shout shattered her composure.
With a roar of fury and shame, she launched forward.
Now in Instant Open, her speed exploded.
Su Li moved too—but this time, he didn't evade.
He met her head-on.
Their first true clash had begun.
With Instant Open active, Sui-Feng's speed and strength surged.
Fist after fist blurred into phantom strikes—so fast even captains couldn't follow.
Each blow carried terrifying force, enough to shatter bone on contact.
But Su Li danced through it.
He didn't attack. He didn't block.
He simply moved.
Gliding through her strikes with effortless precision.
Like walking through thorns—untouched, unharmed.
Not one blow reached him.
Not even a graze.
He flowed like water, responding purely by instinct.
Sui-Feng's horror grew.
He was right there—in front of her.
Yet she couldn't touch him.
Not even his sleeve.
Her helplessness returned.
But this time she had gone all out.
She had bared her fangs.
So why—why couldn't she reach him?
She changed her strikes. She altered her rhythm.
Nothing worked.
Her heart dropped.
"Is this guy a monster?"
"Every dodge is perfect—like he isn't even thinking."
"Even with Instant Open, Captain Sui-Feng can't touch him..."
"This is just insane..."
The captains stared in disbelief.