Omniverse: The Martial Artist

Hao stared at the old man before him—the one with a white beard tied with a purple band—with a mix of excitement and surprise.

He was excited because he was finally seeing one of the few true top-tier powerhouses in this world.

The surprise came from the fact that the Captain-Commander… seemed kind of short.

Maybe back when he was reading the manga, he hadn't paid attention.

Add to that the artist's tendency to draw characters tall and lean, Hao had always imagined the Captain-Commander as this towering figure.

But now that he was seeing him in person—he didn't even seem to be one-seventy.

So it's true… people shrink when they get old.

Inside the dojo, every single student was buzzing with energy.

After all, standing before them was a living legend—someone who was practically a part of Soul Society's history itself.

He wasn't just the strongest Shinigami, he was the head of the Gotei 13, and the principal of the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy.

No one could've imagined that such a small first-year hand-to-hand combat class… would be taught by the Captain-Commander himself.

The dojo was packed to the brim—but even outside the doors, a crowd had gathered.

Every window had at least ten pairs of eyes peeking in, all just to catch a glimpse of the strongest Shinigami in the Soul Society.

Just as everyone was getting ready to hang onto the Captain-Commander's every word and show off during the class—

The old man raised his hand and pointed directly in one direction.

"You there. Heard your hakuda scores are pretty good. Even Sandagawa says he can't teach you anymore.

How about this old man sparring with you instead?"

The gazes.

From every direction, gazes locked onto Hao.

And within those stares were all kinds of thoughts.

Some were shocked.

Some were jealous.

Some were pitying.

But most were… gleefully waiting for a disaster.

As the number one rising star of the Shin'ō Academy over the past two months, Hao's name had become a household one.

He had punched a Shihōin, slashed down a Fujimoto elite, and basically done everything short of becoming a squad captain himself.

His talent seemed bottomless—there was nothing he couldn't do.

So much so that the instructors had all thrown up their hands, saying he was beyond their ability to teach.

And now?

Now they finally got to see Hao get his ass kicked.

The Captain-Commander himself was stepping in—wasn't that practically a guaranteed beating?

Everyone who had been standing near Hao slowly stepped back.

That included Aizen, hiding his amusement, and Yoruichi, who was clearly relishing the schadenfreude.

But under the intense stares of the crowd, Hao didn't back down.

Instead, he grinned and said,

"Getting a personal lesson from the Captain-Commander himself?

I couldn't ask for anything better."

He stepped forward, tightened the sash around his waist, and shrugged off the upper half of his uniform, letting it fall beside him.

The standard Shin'ō Academy uniform was too loose for real combat.

He'd always felt restricted in it.

And now, facing the pinnacle of Shinigami power, he needed to go all in.

For the first time in a while, Hao felt his blood boil.

It urged him forward—to challenge the mountain that now stood before him.

"Wah… Hao's body is amazing…"

"If you look closely, Hao's got that real manly vibe. He's both rugged and handsome."

"Those abs… that back… I wanna touch…"

All around, students were staring at Hao's bare torso—

He was the classic "looks slim in clothes, shredded underneath" kind of guy.

From the front, his muscles were like something out of a classical Greek sculpture—lines and contours so flawless they seemed to be the work of a god.

But the classmates standing behind Hao were even more stunned.

That was because the musculature of Hao's back was unbelievably developed.

Amidst its perfect symmetry, it seemed to form a sort of pattern—one that radiated a violent beauty.

The chatter around him faded from Hao's ears.

At this moment, his eyes were locked on the old man in front of him—and nothing else.

"Hmm. Not bad at all,"

the Captain-Commander said, nodding in approval at Hao's physique.

Then, with a flick of his arm, the oversized haori he wore flew off, drifting down to reveal a body as solid as steel beneath it.

Only now did the younger students realize—this wasn't some kindly old man.

Every inch of the Captain-Commander's torso was packed with dense, iron-hard muscle.

The countless scars crisscrossing his body spoke of brutal, life-or-death battles.

They radiated a wild, violent aura.

The moment that haori landed on the ground, he took a step forward—

and in that instant, Hao felt his entire body stiffen.

In Hao's eyes, the old man's figure seemed to tower skyward, endlessly expanding.

He hadn't released even a hint of spiritual pressure, and yet…

that invisible force pressing down on Hao felt like it would crush him where he stood.

This wasn't a mountain he was preparing to climb—

this was a world-ending tsunami, crashing toward him.

"Boy, keep your focus…"

the old man's eyes, sharp like a tiger's, locked onto Hao.

"Then grit your teeth."

The stiffness faded as Hao felt his heart pounding inside his chest.

Thump—thump—thump-thump-thump—thump—thump-thump-thump…

It was like war drums, pounding from within.

His fighting spirit surged in response.

The thrill of facing such a powerful opponent burned hotter than the crushing pressure.

What Hao couldn't see was that deep inside his jet-black pupils, a faint shade of purple began to flicker.

BOOM—!

The punch was like something that could split the heavens.

The floor beneath Hao shattered from the force of absorbing the impact, and his body went flying—

slamming hard into the wall behind him.

"Oh? Not bad reflexes,"

the Captain-Commander remarked casually, retracting his weathered fist.

He now stood in the exact spot Hao had just been.

Hao, now slumped against the cracked wall, lowered his arms that had shielded his face.

His right arm showed a clear dent—a deep red fist-shaped mark etched into the muscle.

But the pain didn't intimidate him.

If anything, it made his blood burn hotter.

As he stepped forward again, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

His eyes glinted with wild excitement.

There was no need to ask—

the Captain-Commander had clearly suppressed his spiritual pressure.

Otherwise, that single punch would've turned Hao into mincemeat.

Even so, with only a sixteenth of full power, and even with Hao managing to block in time,

the blow had still nearly snapped his right arm.

It wasn't broken, but the damage was severe.

As he walked, Hao's left hand began to glow as he placed it over the dent.

A few seconds later, the muscles had filled back in—though the red fist imprint remained.

"Kaidō, huh? At that healing speed, it's useless in actual combat,"

the Captain-Commander commented, not attacking again.

He hadn't said Kaidō was useless in battle entirely—he knew Unohana could wield it with lethal precision.

But this boy Hao? He still had a long way to go.

Hao just grinned. "I just want to give myself a chance to fight you at full strength."

His body dipped low.

In the next second, to the average student's eyes—Hao vanished.

BAM—!

The sound of fist and foot clashing rang out.

When Hao reappeared, he was midair, his right leg colliding with the Captain-Commander's wrist.

The gust from the impact ruffled the old man's beard—but his body hadn't budged an inch.

In that split second, the Captain-Commander didn't even glance up at Hao.

He simply twisted his wrist, caught Hao's ankle,

and with the force of swinging a battle axe, slammed him into the ground.

No one watching dared to breathe.

They were stunned.

Stunned that Hao—known as the top hand-to-hand fighter in the academy—was so easily overwhelmed.

Stunned at how ruthless the Captain-Commander was in combat.

That hit… could've killed him!

But in the next heartbeat, from the flying wood splinters and clouds of dust, an arm shot out like a snake—

Even the Captain-Commander's eyes showed a flicker of surprise.

°°°

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