"Ugh"
Ginjō Kūgo clutched his head, enduring the soreness coursing through his muscles as he struggled upright, only to find himself inexplicably back in his rented room.
He turned toward his bedside and saw the small centipede once more, its body again covered in dark golden patterns.
"Did you save me?"
...
Soul Society, West Rukongai.
Ito Makoto gripped Annihilation God and unleashed a powerful sword pressure, carving a massive gully several meters deep into the hill before him.
"Whoosh"
A blur flashed and struck straight toward Ito Makoto's face.
Just as Suì-Fēng closed to within a foot of him, Ito Makoto's left hand snapped forward, catching her boneless, slender wrist in a firm grip.
"Got you!"
Ito Makoto grinned. Ever since their chance encounter here ten years ago, they had frequently sparred on this very ground. Though their first meeting had been unpleasant, their relationship steadily improved through constant clashes.
Compared to the life-and-death duels with Zaraki Kenpachi, he preferred fighting Suì-Fēng. Both sharpened his combat ability, but at least this way he didn't end up half-crippled every time.
After ten years of continuous sparring, his Shunpo had reached a level nearly equal to hers; even among the Gotei 13 captains, few could now surpass him in pure speed.
Just as Ito Makoto was inwardly pleased at having perfectly read Suì-Fēng's movement and intercepted her at the instant Suzumebachi was about to strike—
"Bakudō Number Thirty Sōkatsui!"
Suì-Fēng flicked her left hand, releasing an inverted triangular blast lined with yellow fangs that shot straight toward Ito Makoto.
He had no choice but to retreat, narrowly evading the Kidō. But Suì-Fēng pressed the advantage immediately her figure vanished in a Shunpo, Suzumebachi on her right middle finger stabbing once more toward his face.
"Annihilation God Style Two: Rift Ban!"
Dense black aura surged from Annihilation God. Ito Makoto traced a circle with his blade, condensing the aura into two interlocking rings that shot toward Suì-Fēng.
Her movement halted for a split second as she prepared to flip away
"Too late. Shunkō!"
A dense Kidō aura erupted from within Suì-Fēng, transforming into a spiraling torrent of spiritual pressure that wrapped around her body. She struck forward with both fists.
"Twin Bones!"
Empowered by Shunkō, her Hakuda technique crashed head-on into Rift Ban.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion rang out, thick smoke billowing into the air.
From within the smoke, Suì-Fēng burst forth, white Shunkō energy swirling around her like a storm as she advanced with overwhelming force.
Her speed was so extreme that Ito Makoto could only raise his blade to block. Even so, he was blasted back dozens of meters, only stopping after slamming into a large rock.
"Soi-Fon, that's incredible! I didn't expect your Shunkō to reach this level!"
At his praise, a flicker of satisfaction crossed Suì-Fēng's face only to vanish instantly as she lifted her chin with cold arrogance.
"Who are you calling Soi-Fon? Are we that familiar? Address me properly Captain Suì-Fēng, Vice-Captain Ito."
Ito Makoto clicked his tongue at her tsundere attitude.
"Yes, yes, Captain Suì-Fēng."
A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her face.
"Vice-Captain Ito, your Reiatsu has already reached the peak of Fourth Class just one step from captain level. How about I give you a push?"
A bad feeling rose immediately in Ito Makoto's chest.
"Suì-Fēng… what are you planning?"
"What do you think? I'm going to help you break through your limits!"
Before her words fully fell, she surged forward, wrapped in violent spiritual pressure. Under Shunkō's amplification, her Shunpo rose to another level entirely.
In an instant, she was before him.
Suzumebachi brushed across Ito Makoto's cheek, leaving behind a black butterfly crest.
Seeing the mark, Suì-Fēng chuckled.
"Not bad. That suits you."
Provoked, Ito Makoto's expression hardened as he raised Annihilation God horizontally.
"Annihilation God Secret Technique Four Directions Realm!"
A square, gray-black barrier instantly spread out, enveloping nearly a hundred meters.
"Tremble!"
Within the domain, doubled shockwaves rippled outward, crashing toward Suì-Fēng from all directions.
"Hmph, this again!"
She snorted, releasing her Reiatsu to resist the waves.
Without drawing on his main body's Reiatsu, Ito Makoto's own power—even amplified—struggled to significantly harm a captain-class opponent. Worse, repeated sparring had given Suì-Fēng a degree of resistance to his shockwaves.
Enduring the pressure, she forced her way through with Shunkō and closed in for close combat.
"Annihilation God Third Style: Mustard Net!"
With a light tap of his blade, a tiny black point expanded instantly into a massive pitch-black net, casting toward Suì-Fēng.
But she vanished in a flash, slipping past the attack entirely.
In the next instant, she pointed directly at the butterfly crest on his cheek, her expression turning deadly serious.
"Bakudō Number Sixty-One Rikujōkōrō!"
Six pale yellow beams of light materialized, aiming to pin him in place
"Boom!"
Suì-Fēng answered with brute force. Her Shunkō erupted, deflecting the binding technique outright.
"Damn… that's way stronger than Iron Wind Severing Fist!"
Though both were wind-type, her Shunkō far surpassed that "measuring unit's" Bankai, outright blowing away Rikujōkōrō.
She closed in again, Suzumebachi striking the other side of Ito Makoto's face. A second butterfly crest bloomed.
With both marks, his face now resembled a grotesque clown mask.
In the same motion, her left fist infused with Shunkō drove straight into his abdomen.
"Pfft!"
Ito Makoto spat out blood as a violent surge of foreign Reiatsu exploded through his body, rampaging through his limbs and organs.
Instinctively, he mobilized all his Reiatsu to resist it.
"AAAH!"
He roared. Suì-Fēng's pure white Reiatsu and his own dark golden Reiatsu clashed violently, intertwining before erupting outward.
A terrifying dark golden surge burst from his body, shattering the white Reiatsu completely.
His aura surged.
In a single leap, it broke past the limits of Fourth Class Reiatsu and stepped into Third Class captain level.
Though still at the bottom tier, comparable to an un-Hollowfied Kensei Muguruma, it was undeniably captain-class Reiatsu and this was achieved without borrowing power from his main body.
Moments later, after stabilizing his breathing and energy flow, Ito Makoto slowly rose to his feet, now fully anchored at the Third Class level.
He looked at Suì-Fēng, who stood before him with her head lowered.
"Soi-Fon… how did you know this would help me break through?"
She lifted her chin, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Oh, I didn't."
A pause.
"I just wanted to beat you up."
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