Multiverse: Library

Gin Ichimaru's thoughts, naturally, were not known by anyone.

Oh no, Kaiser still knew, and perhaps Sōsuke Aizen also knew a little, but definitely not as clearly as he did.

Seeing Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya both draw their Zanpakutō, Kaiser glanced at Sōsuke Aizen next to him, but only saw him smiling at the front, as if very confident in his subordinate, presenting the appearance of a good superior who trusts his subordinate.

Kaiser did not pay attention to him and looked forward again.

Around them, the Captains all stopped speaking and began watching.

In such circumstances, Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, as if by prior agreement, simultaneously released their Reiatsu.

In an instant, the Reiatsu seemed to turn into visible air currents, rising from Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, causing the atmosphere to stir.

The waves of wind formed by Reiatsu surged while lifting dust around them, bringing immense pressure to the space.

Feeling that Reiatsu, the gathered Captains raised their eyebrows.

"This Reiatsu... undoubtedly Captain-class."

"Truly surprising. I thought they would need to use Bankai to reach Captain-level Reiatsu, but they haven't even used Shikai yet and already have Captain-class pressure?"

"Those two are worthy of being geniuses who graduated from Shin'ō Academy in just one year. Though still not on par with Captain Kaiser, they already have the qualifications to be Captains."

"It's not surprising that Lieutenant Ichimaru is this strong, but for Third Seat Hitsugaya to also possess Captain-level Reiatsu — that's truly unexpected."

"Indeed, he's too young."

"...Is anyone here younger than him?"

The Captains each commented, and in the end, all looked at Kaiser together, though they did not attract his attention.

"Captain-class Reiatsu, huh?"

Kaiser simply watched the two who were releasing astonishing Reiatsu, the corner of his mouth slightly rising.

"As expected, it's worth looking forward to."

Under Kaiser's anticipation, Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya each raised their Reiatsu to the peak.

At such a level, their Reiatsu could affect Lieutenant-class individuals.

Fortunately, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had anticipated this and did not allow the Captains to bring their Lieutenants to watch.

In this atmosphere, the two figures simultaneously kicked forward and charged at each other.

"Clang!!!"

The next moment, the sound of Zanpakutō blades colliding echoed like iron striking iron.

Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya clashed violently, swinging their Zanpakutō at each other, their blades grinding and clashing, sparks bursting fiercely.

"Clang—clang—clang—clang—clang—"

The two instantly engaged in fierce battle, making the sound of clashing blades resound continuously.

It was an extremely brilliant exchange of offense and defense, with both sides demonstrating superb swordsmanship, their Zanpakutō carrying tremendous Reiatsu, weaving a dazzling display of flashing blades.

"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"...

As the battle continued, they began to use Shunpo, their figures sometimes disappearing, sometimes reappearing, sometimes pulling distance, sometimes suddenly colliding, making the clashes of sword light even more frequent and brilliant.

Both of them were genuine prodigies, extremely proficient in both Zanjutsu and Shunpo, and even evaluated at Captain-level, there was little to criticize.

"Truly exquisite Zanjutsu and Shunpo."

Jūshirō Ukitake couldn't help but praise.

"Those two seem to be all-rounders, right?"

Shunsui Kyōraku stroked his chin and said this.

The so-called all-rounder referred to a Shinigami proficient in Zanpakutō, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō — able to skillfully use the power of Zanpakutō and possessing no real weaknesses.

In the Gotei 13, such Shinigami were not many, but neither were they rare.

For example, Byakuya Kuchiki was an all-rounder, proficient in all aspects of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō, without shortcomings.

Kaiser could also be considered an all-rounder; whether it was Zanjutsu, Shunpo, or Kidō, he would not lose to anyone. Even in Hakuda, though not particularly specialized, he still had some knowledge — not enough to call mastery, but not ignorant either.

Among the present Captains, there were several all-rounders, though many others were specialists.

For instance, Kenpachi Zaraki didn't know Kidō, didn't use Hakuda, rarely even used Shunpo, and treated his Zanpakutō merely as a battle tool — to the point where he hadn't even achieved Shikai — completely a monster who relied solely on swordsmanship, hacking his way up to Captain rank.

In Division 11, such monsters were everywhere. They hardly used Kidō, few employed Hakuda, and every Division Member was a battle maniac specializing in Zanjutsu and Zanpakutō, sometimes touching upon Shunpo, but all-rounders could hardly be seen in that squad.

Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya — one from Division 5, the other from Division 10 — were both geniuses. Shunsui Kyōraku was very curious whether these two were true all-rounders.

"Gin is indeed proficient in all combat techniques. Whether it's Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, or Kidō, he has achieved a certain level of mastery," Sōsuke Aizen said with a slight smile, seeming to show off, "Having him merely as my Lieutenant is truly a waste of talent, which is why I recommended him for Captain."

"And what about Third Seat Hitsugaya?" Sajin Komamura turned and asked, "Is he also an all-rounder?"

"He should be," Retsu Unohana placed her hands folded before her and said, "I've heard Lieutenant Matsumoto from Division 10 mention this. She once said that Third Seat Hitsugaya is a true genius. If not counting Captain Kaiser, then in pure talent, he would be the strongest currently in the Soul Society."

"But it seems neither of them intends to use Hakuda or Kidō in this battle," Kaname Tōsen suddenly added, "The sound of their swords clashing is getting fiercer. In such an intense exchange, there's no chance to chant Kidō, nor any reason to abandon their swords."

Just as Kaname Tōsen said, Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya had fully entered the heat of battle, their fierce clash of sword light growing even more magnificent.

"Haha! That's how it should be!" Kenpachi Zaraki watched excitedly, laughing wildly, "A real fight means cutting into the enemy's body with a sword! Or being cut into! That's what fighting is!"

This idiot had completely forgotten that Gin Ichimaru and Tōshirō Hitsugaya weren't fighting to the death.

This was a duel watched over by Captains, supervised carefully to prevent anyone from dying — meant to select the Captain of Division 10, not for them to kill each other.

In view of this, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto kept his gaze firmly fixed on the field, without relaxing for a moment. Suì-Fēng maintained a stance ready to strike at any time, Byakuya Kuchiki stood facing the wind, poised to step out with Shunpo, while Mayuri Kurotsuchi maintained an indifferent attitude, annoying to everyone.

As for Kaiser, he looked very relaxed.

Because he knew — this battle had only just begun.

"It should be about time."

At the moment this whisper fell, in the arena, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was the first to act.

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens..."

The astonishing Reiatsu radiating from Tōshirō Hitsugaya suddenly changed.

It became cold.

It became icy.

"Rumble..."

The sky above the site seemed disturbed by an invisible force, suddenly filling with heavy dark clouds, as if a blizzard was about to descend, exuding a terrifying chill.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya leaped into the air, raising his Zanpakutō high.

Behind the hilt of the Zanpakutō, a crescent-shaped chain suddenly grew, resembling a dragon's tail, releasing immense Reiatsu that froze the air. A dragon of ice and water roared into existence around Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

"Hyōrinmaru!"

Tōshirō Hitsugaya called out the name of his Zanpakutō, releasing it.

Yes...

"That's the strongest Ice/Snow-type Zanpakutō... Hyōrinmaru?"

Suì-Fēng slightly widened her eyes, and even Kaiser's eyes flashed with a strange light.

Within Kaiser's body, a Zanpakutō identical to the one in Tōshirō Hitsugaya's hand — still in an unreleased state — suddenly vibrated violently.

The appearance of a power from the same root and origin triggered an intense reaction.

Hyōrinmaru, the strongest Ice/Snow-type Zanpakutō, whose original owner was Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

"Haahhh!"

Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Reiatsu surged upward, exuding terrifying cold. The dragon of ice and water circling him roared and rushed downward toward Gin Ichimaru.

Facing this terrifying spectacle, Gin Ichimaru, like a tiny human facing an ice dragon, showed no fear on his face.

"Shoot to Kill..."

Gin Ichimaru pointed the tip of his Zanpakutō at the diving dragon and whispered softly.

"Shinsō!"

At once, Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakutō was released.

"Clang!"

A flash of cold light shot forth from Gin Ichimaru's hand, and his Zanpakutō extended at incredible speed, its blade tearing through the air, shooting toward the diving ice-and-water dragon.

Shinsō, Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakutō — its ability was free extension and contraction, capable of extending the blade's length dramatically, and upon release, it enhanced both attack speed and power, with a maximum length extending up to 100 times its original size.

The suddenly elongated blade turned into a flash of cold light, easily piercing through the diving ice-and-water dragon, shattering countless chunks of ice into fragments falling from the dragon's body.

"Boom!"

The ice-and-water dragon exploded in midair, turning into countless shards of ice, scattering across the ground.

(End of this chapter)