Chapter 82: The Examiner, Satoru
Faced with Rōjūrō, who had immediately released his Zanpakutō from the outset, Shinji also grew serious.
Clad in his white haori, he moved swiftly across the field with Shunpo, his position shifting rapidly.
Each time he moved, the spot he had just occupied was struck by Kinshara, now transformed into a whip-like form, leaving massive destruction in its wake.
In moments, the training grounds were filled with billowing dust.
The dense spiritual pressure made the very air feel thick and heavy.
On the high platform, Chōjirō gave a slight nod.
As expected of a descendant of the Ōtoribashi line.
For someone his age to possess such strength was truly remarkable...
After exchanging blows over a dozen times, Shinji suddenly swung his blade, deflecting the incoming Kinshara.
Using the momentum, he leaped back to create distance.
Once he had put some space between himself and Rōjūrō, Shinji grinned.
"Rōjūrō, I've got a good grasp of your abilities now."
"Next, let's see that."
"After all, if you want to be a captain, you can't do without it."
Upon hearing this, Rōjūrō nodded.
"Very well. Then please be careful, Captain Shinji!"
He took a deep breath and raised his Zanpakutō before him.
"Bankai—"
"Kinshara Butōdan!!"
BOOM!!!!
The moment his voice rang out, a pillar of Spiritual Pressure erupted into the sky!
Waves of force radiated outward from Rōjūrō, spreading in all directions.
Golden humanoid figures, woven from shimmering threads, materialized around him.
As these figures appeared, an eerie melody suddenly echoed in the ears of those present.
However, among all those gathered, only Shinji could clearly discern the music.
To everyone else, the melody was indistinct, as if coming from a great distance—impossible to make out clearly.
Shinji stood his ground, his expression wary.
Without knowing the abilities of his opponent's Zanpakutō, reckless action could spell disaster.
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shinji staggered as if yanked by an unseen force, nearly losing his balance.
He swung his blade, seemingly trying to cut through something invisible.
Then, he swayed again—this time in another direction.
Moments later, Shinji's face turned deathly pale, as if some immense agony had taken hold of him...
Aizen narrowed his eyes.
It seemed this Rōjūrō's Bankai was related to illusions.
If that were truly the case, he couldn't help but wonder—
Between Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's Zanpakutō and his own Kyōka Suigetsu, whose illusions were stronger?
On the battlefield, Shinji weakly raised a hand.
"Ah, no no, that's enough!"
"Pass, pass... Captain-Commander, I say this guy passes!"
Hearing Shinji's words, Yamamoto nodded.
Chōjirō loudly announced Rōjūrō's successful completion of the test.
Rōjūrō let out a relieved sigh and quickly deactivated his Bankai.
Freed from the Bankai's effects, Shinji glanced around.
Sure enough, the towering waves and scorching flames from earlier had all been illusions.
Others might not have sensed it, but as the one directly affected, Shinji had suffered greatly under Rōjūrō's Bankai.
That guy's Bankai likely induced bizarre hallucinations through the music or the dancing of those golden thread figures.
Earlier, he had been engulfed in illusory flames, burning in agony.
If this had been a life-or-death battle, he had countless ways to retaliate.
But... for a mere promotion test, there was no need to go that far.
Now that Rōjūrō's ability to use Bankai had been confirmed, the rest of the proceedings wouldn't be as strict.
Upon hearing Rōjūrō's success, the gathered Shinigami bowed their heads slightly in respect.
Though they hadn't witnessed what had transpired, the overwhelming Spiritual Pressure unleashed during his Bankai was undeniably real.
With mastery over Bankai and Captain Hirako's approval, there was no question about his qualification for the captaincy.
After Rōjūrō and Shinji left the field, several Shinigami hurried to clean up the area.
Once the grounds were restored, the second test began.
"Next, we proceed to the second captain proficiency examination."
"10th Division Vice-Captain, Shiba Kōdai! Step forward!"
A black-haired man stood up and strode onto the platform.
A wooden plaque bearing the character for "10" was wrapped around his arm.
At the mention of the name "Shiba," the crowd's expressions shifted subtly.
Satoru was quite curious as well.
A member of the Shiba family... meaning, an elder relative of Ichigo Kurosaki?
He wasn't sure how many generations apart they were.
No, it wasn't about how many generations—there was no guarantee they were even from the same branch.
Though the Shiba family later lost their status, before that, they had actually been quite prosperous.
Yamamoto glanced at the men beside him.
"Shunsui, you'll be the examiner for this match."
Shunsui Kyōraku adjusted his straw hat and flashed onto the field with Shunpo.
This battle was even more intense than the first.
Shiba Kōdai's Bankai was a direct-attack type, and out of curiosity, Shunsui toyed with him for a while.
Finally, after confirming Kōdai's strength met the standard, he raised a hand to signal his approval.
Seeing the second captain-level candidate pass the test, the Shinigami grew visibly excited.
Losing three captains in such a short time had dealt a heavy blow to the Gotei 13.
Many Shinigami had been carrying out their duties with gloomy expressions lately.
Now, at last, things were starting to look up!
Among the crowd, a young man with short white hair couldn't help but take a deep breath.
His gaze was sharp, his stature tall and imposing, his features handsome.
The sleeves of his shihakushō had been cut off at the shoulders, revealing his muscular arms.
The wooden badge symbolizing his lieutenant rank was strapped directly to his bicep.
He was the final candidate taking the captain-level test today.
Under his eager gaze, Chōjirō announced loudly:
"Next, we will proceed with the third captain competency examination."
"Lieutenant of the 9th Division, Kensei Muguruma! Enter the field!"
The white-haired young man rose to his feet without hesitation.
With long, purposeful strides, he marched into the arena.
Then, instinctively, his gaze swept over the captains standing behind Yamamoto.
Shinji Hirako and Shunsui Kyōraku—both had already served as examiners.
That meant the one he would face would likely be Captain Kuchiki or the long-standing captain of the 10th Division.
As he pondered, Chōjirō also glanced at Yamamoto.
Standing atop the high platform, Yamamoto looked at Kensei Muguruma.
Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear, he slowly declared:
"For the third examination—the examiner will be Satoru Mikami."
The moment these words were spoken, the entire venue fell into stunned silence…
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan