Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Unohana Retsu vanished.
Fujimiya Makoto dared not slack, focusing intently on the surrounding Reishi. His asauchi slashed sideways with a whoosh.
"Clang!"
Metal clashed, sparks flying as blades met.
The force from her strike was still heavy, but no longer as despairingly overwhelming as their first clash.
Makoto twisted his wrist, redirecting her force as he sidestepped. His asauchi circled her momentum, slicing through the air in a half-circle. Gripping it reversed, he thrust forward, the blade tracing a silver arc toward her neck.
But before the strike could land, a small dagger shot from Unohana's sleeve, blocking his path.
Short blade parried; long blade sliced.
The sudden reversal forced Makoto to retract his blade, stepping back in a flash-step, only to lunge forward again.
[Still trying to dodge?]
[Let Teacher see what's in those tight pants of yours!]
[Flash-Step +5]
The broken Zanpakuto remained reliably obnoxious.
Yet, before Makoto's blade could strike, Unohana was already upon him, her long and short blades raining down like a torrential storm.
Her movements weren't blisteringly fast but carried a rhythmic, almost musical cadence. Unconsciously, they drew opponents into her tempo, tiring them until they fell effortlessly.
But Makoto's battlefield experience wasn't without value.
[Sighing Wall ①]
[No-Damage Zone ②]
[Inch-Stop ③]
As Unohana's blade descended, Makoto's willpower and focus peaked ①.
His muscles and nerves tightened to their limit. His black pupils contracted, his sclera laced with crimson threads. Reishi surged, his brain overloading.
In this state, every second stretched endlessly.
Unohana's every strike decomposed into countless micro-movements, analyzed at a thousand frames per second ②.
Makoto's every action achieved 'perfect output' ③.
His Reishi burned like wildfire, climbing higher.
Even at the low Captain-level baseline of Third-Class Lower, his instantaneous combat power rivaled Saito's tier.
To any Shinigami below Third-Class, their blades moved too fast to see, only sparks and deafening clashes filling the air.
Unohana's delicate face lit with a crimson smile as she sensed Makoto's boiling spirit.
She, too, unleashed her long-restrained power, probing cautiously.
"Clang!"
The first strike.
Deafening.
Makoto's eyes widened. Gripping his blade, he was sent flying, sliding meters across the ground, hands trembling.
Before he could react, Unohana closed in faster, her blade raised.
"Clang!!"
The second strike.
Makoto braced his blade overhead, barely blocking.
The ground beneath him exploded, his feet sinking into the crater.
Unohana's smile grew feverish.
It had been far too long since she'd fought with such abandon.
Her loose bathrobe fluttered, black hair cascading. Her bloodthirsty grin contrasted her soft features.
"Battle is everything."
Her voice deepened, husky with excitement:
"Still no Shikai?"
"At this rate, I'll be unsatisfied, Makoto."
Dust-covered, Makoto rose, brushing himself off.
He gazed at Unohana, slightly winded.
"Honestly..."
"Teacher always talks like this. It's... exciting."
"But..."
He smiled faintly.
"...If it's you, Teacher..."
"It should be fine, right?"
He whispered, standing tall.
Unohana's eyes narrowed, sensing a subtle Reishi shift.
"Hmm?"
Reishi swirled like willow fluff around Makoto, his pressure surging.
It rose fiercely, expanding in all directions.
Unohana felt a unique Reishi domain form, encompassing the vast plain.
"Hummm..."
The boiling pressure distorted the air. The world blurred, as if trembling with Makoto's Reishi.
Behind him, a colossal gate emerged—half joyous, half tragic—looming between heaven and earth.
A gateway to hell.
From its black seams, a faint lullaby echoed, growing clearer.
[When, oh when, shall we meet again?]
[At Bon Festival's dusk!]
[Pinkie promise, no lies!]
[Break it, and you'll shatter!]
[Pass on, pass on, to the heavens' path.]
[Offer up fate's reckoning!]
The haunting melody seemed to pull souls into the gate.
Unohana, unfazed, was stunned by the Shikai's grandeur, reevaluating Makoto.
She sensed profound danger.
Makoto's Reishi peaked, stabilizing.
Holding his asauchi horizontally, he chanted calmly:
"Playful life, dreaming death, bind truth, fix falsehood, trace cause, reverse effect—"
As his voice echoed, the gate swung wide open.
For an instant, Unohana's vision flashed black and white, like a train passing through a tunnel.
When it cleared, Makoto's asauchi had transformed into a sleek, four-foot nodachi.
Its black-red hilt extended into a ribbon with three dangling blades, chiming softly.
Its allure was both seductive and blinding.
"—Exorcism Play."
As the name fell, everyone present saw a fleeting pink heart in their vision.
Makoto's Reishi stabilized at its peak.
"A vile game... toying with calamitous karma."
Unohana's eyes gleamed brighter, her blood-laced blade already slicing toward Makoto's neck.
Makoto didn't dodge.
[I can block this strike.]
[Fix Falsehood.]
The broken Zanpakuto's voice synced with his thought.
He raised his blade.
"Thud!"
Unohana felt her blade plunge into water, resistance mounting.
Yet, her fervor grew, Reishi pouring forth.
"Boom—"
They collided, retreating in a cloud of dust, only to flash-step back into battle.
[I can match Teacher's speed in five seconds.]
[Fix Falsehood.]
Makoto's strikes accelerated. His muscles, already taut, stretched further. Reishi consumption skyrocketed.
Their battle grew apocalyptic. Blades moved too fast to see, their sword pressure tearing the earth. The plain fractured, shockwaves rippling for miles.
Unohana's restraints loosened, her power escalating.
But it wasn't enough!
Makoto felt his body, pushed by Fix Falsehood, accelerate like a wound-up toy, his Reishi nearly depleted.
"Why do you swing your blade, Teacher?"
At his words, Unohana's brow furrowed.
[Trace Cause.]
Makoto's blade phased through hers, striking true.
Unohana's eyes blanked for an instant, as if losing something vital.
Makoto spun, his blade arcing toward her.
A ripping sound echoed.
"Whoosh—"
Unohana's eyes widened. Her dagger blocked, but her bathrobe tore from shoulder to chest, blood seeping.
Was this an 'ambush kill'?
She'd barely reacted in time.
Without their Reishi gap...
Unohana savored the near-death moment, her cheeks flushing.
This was it!
How long since she'd felt such mortal danger in battle?
Her gaze at Makoto burned with desire.
"Makoto... I wasn't wrong about you."
Makoto grimaced: "I'm nearly at my limit, Teacher."
Both Fix Falsehood and Trace Cause consumed vast Reishi to alter reality.
Targeting someone like Unohana, his Reishi flowed like a fountain, nearly draining him.
But progress was made.
Makoto checked his status.
[Unohana-sensei! I'll tear your clothes off and—prprpr!!!]
[Sword Skills +10]
[Sword Skills Plateau: Stage Four]
[Training Battle Active, Plateau Breakthrough ↑]
[Sword Skills: 13th Stage ↑]