"Mm, please take care of me!"
Since the other party was being polite, Kyoya naturally wouldn't be rude in return.
After returning the courtesy with a slight bow of his own, Kyoya gripped his bamboo sword with one hand and waited for his opponent to make the first move.
"Haaah!"
The student let out a fierce shout and charged at Kyoya at full speed, raising his bamboo sword high before bringing it down in a slash as he closed in.
"Too slow!"
"Your entire body is full of openings!"
Even without using Observation Haki, the moment the student began moving, Kyoya saw through everything about him at a glance.
"Swish!"
With a single swing of his bamboo sword, the blade cut through the air at blinding speed, stirring up a fierce gale that sent the student flying backward.
"Winner… Kyoya!"
Only after the referee instructor's declaration did the gasps of the students below the stage erupt.
"Is this what the Zenjutsu Instructor meant by the strongest sword prodigy? He's insane!"
"No kidding! Did you see that? His sword didn't even touch Keishin…"
"How are we supposed to beat an opponent like that?"
"Pfft, seriously? We're all just trying to figure out how to avoid that one slash, and you're thinking about winning?"
"Are you drunk or something?"
For these first-grade students, Kyoya's Zanjutsu was something they had never seen or even heard of before.
Only the students from Class A, who saw Kyoya practicing daily, weren't surprised by his display… though they were also the ones who admired him the most.
Over the past three months, they had witnessed Kyoya's sword swings evolve from mere air-cutting slashes to strikes that could stir up breezes, then gales.
As the exam progressed, the weaker students were eliminated, leaving only the elites.
But even these elite students couldn't withstand a single strike from Kyoya.
Of course, aside from Kyoya, there were a few others who maintained an undefeated record in this exam.
Compared to previous years, their performances would have been considered outstanding.
However, with Kyoya's overwhelming presence, their achievements seemed diminished in comparison.
Especially when they faced Kyoya themselves… their performances were no different from the others, further highlighting the gap between them and Kyoya.
In the minds of the instructors, perhaps only that genius who graduated last year could compare to Kyoya.
…
"Ara, it's my turn so soon?"
"Kyoya, go easy on me, okay?"
Standing opposite Kyoya, Rangiku grinned playfully.
"Ah, don't worry, Rangiku-nee."
"I'll be careful."
Kyoya nodded.
Against other opponents, Kyoya felt no particular emotion… he simply treated them as tools to practice his [Breath of All Things].
As for whether they'd be injured by his half-completed flying slash, that wasn't his concern.
On one hand, the gales he unleashed weren't yet at the level of true flying slashes… they could knock people back but weren't strong enough to kill.
On the other hand, the academy was well-prepared for injuries during matches.
At the edge of each arena, there is a Shinigami from the 4th Division standing by, ready to treat any wounded students immediately.
4th Division is the healing squad within the Gotei 13.
The team members are all Shinigami who have mastered Kaido.
As long as the injuries weren't severed limbs or other permanent damage, most wounds could be healed quickly by them.
However, since his opponent was Rangiku, Kyoya had no intention of using his usual half-baked flying slashes in battle.
At this point, Kyoya was only just beginning to grasp the 'breath of the wind' through his Observation Haki, allowing him to unleash sword strikes with some degree of power.
He couldn't fully control the force behind these 'sword winds'.
If one of them were to actually injure Rangiku, that was something Kyoya absolutely wanted to avoid.
"Begin!"
The moment the referee announced the start of the match, Rangiku's playful smile vanished, her eyes sharpening as she began circling Kyoya in an arc before launching her attack.
'So fast!'
Seeing Rangiku's movement, Kyoya's heart skipped a beat.
A Shinigami's battle is a battle of Reiryoku.
These were the words spoken by Aizen himself.
It was eerily similar to what Kaido once said: Haki reigns supreme above all else.
The higher the Reiryoku level, the more pronounced the gap became.
Just like the difference between Kyoya and Rangiku.
At the time of his enrollment, Kyoya's Reiryoku was at the 10th-class.
Rangiku, on the other hand, was at the 8th-class.
Now, after three months of training, bolstered by the rewards from his early achievements, Kyoya had broken through to the 9th-class.
While Rangiku hadn't yet reached the 7th-class, her Reiryoku had grown significantly within the 8th-class.
Purely in terms of Reiryoku classes, Rangiku surpassed Kyoya in both speed and strength.
"Clack!"
"Clack!"
"Clack!"
Kyoya gripped his bamboo sword with both hands, blocking Rangiku's strikes one after another.
The sheer difference in power forced him back several steps with each exchange.
"How strange."
Watching the battle between Kyoya and Rangiku, not only did the instructors furrow their brows, but even the defeated students wore expressions of confusion.
Rangiku Matsumoto's strength was undeniable… after all, she had made it to the finals and stood as Kyoya's final opponent.
However, the gap between her and the other top students wasn't that large.
Especially for the two other students with 8th-class Reiryoku who had fought both Rangiku and Kyoya, the sense of incongruity was even stronger.
Against Kyoya, they hadn't performed like this.
No… to be precise, they had been the ones defeated by Kyoya's single slash, sent flying off the platform.
But now, Rangiku was actually suppressing Kyoya in battle?
What kind of joke was this?
Was Kyoya that weak?
Or was Rangiku just that strong?
Were they even trying to hide it anymore?