"A Zanpakutō? And he's already achieved Shikai?!"
"A genius! A once-in-a-century genius!"
"Unbelievable! There was someone this powerful hiding in the academy?!"
"He's even stronger than Shiba Kaien from last year!"
"How come we never heard of him before?"
In an instant, the "nobody" flipped the script and gained the spotlight. Shirō had finally achieved his true purpose by stepping onto the stage today, washing away years of quiet humiliation with a single stunning display.
Ecstatic, he launched into a seamless offense, alternating strikes between both hands and unleashing his self-developed dual-blade style. Soifon was immediately forced into a defensive stance, unable to counter.
Off to the side, Kyōraku Shunsui suddenly smacked his thigh and sighed.
"What is it?" Lisa Yadōmaru asked curiously.
Kyōraku looked a little regretful. Not just him, nearly every captain who'd previously passed on Shirō now felt the sting of missed opportunity. The "mass message" excuse was clearly a joke. What captain wouldn't want a talent like this in their squad?
Unfortunately, the Captain's Council had already finalized Shirō's squad placement. Unless something truly exceptional happened, not even Head Captain Yamamoto was in a position to overturn it now.
"Can't we still get him?" Lisa asked, not fully understanding. Her glasses glinted sharply as she looked warily around at the other captains. "Wait, is someone else trying to poach him?!"
Kyōraku chuckled. "Besides, displaying his Shikai's ability so publicly like that... too reckless. Still too young."
"But Captain, the way he's flailing those two swords around, it's totally chaotic. Since you're a dual-blade wielder too, don't you think...?"
She didn't get to finish. One look from Kyōraku made her blush furiously and push up her glasses in embarrassment.
"Like I said... still too young," he laughed.
"Don't you start!" she muttered, swatting his arm.
Thankfully, all eyes were on the stage. Otherwise, Captain Kyōraku might've lost all dignity in front of a full crowd...
Back in the arena, Shirō clearly held the advantage, but his so-called dual-blade technique was self-taught and lacked refined power. It wasn't enough to break through Soifon's defenses, or more accurately, not before she wore herself out.
But this was a tournament match. Shirō didn't want it to devolve into a war of attrition.
So without hesitation, he gave up his initiative, leapt backward, and with theatrical flair, cough, no, let's say "elegant style", he tossed his shallow blade out of the arena.
"Ahh!" someone in the crowd yelped as the blade narrowly missed them.
Whew, that was close...
On the platform, Shirō now gripped his invisible Zanpakutō with both hands, raising it in a poised strike. He said with a cold voice,
"Looks like I'll have to use my trump card. Let's settle this with one blow."
Having already seen Shirō's mana burst, Soifon immediately jumped back. Her expression hardened as she prepared to respond to a potentially lethal attack.
"He's about to go all-out?!"
The audience held their breath, too tense to even swallow. Every eye was locked on Shirō, waiting to witness what devastating move he'd unleash.
"RAAAHHHH!!" Shirō roared like a beast, spiritual pressure exploding outward.
Soifon instinctively retreated again, her grip slick with sweat.
"RAAAHHHH!!" His spiritual pressure surged higher and higher.
Soifon, drenched in sweat, backed up once more. Stubborn to the end, she refused to yield, even in a situation like this.
Meanwhile, several captains on the sidelines stood ready to intervene at any moment. With the pressure Shirō was releasing, even a standard Gotei 13 officer wouldn't walk away unscathed.
"RAAAHHHH!!"
His spiritual pressure kept rising, pushing everyone's nerves to the breaking point. Hearts pounded in every chest. Tension filled the arena like a storm ready to break.
Then, suddenly, just when everyone was bracing for impact, the pressure vanished.
As if nothing had ever happened.
The crowd stared, slack-jawed, as if the last few seconds had been a collective hallucination. They all looked at the bastard in the ring with expressions ranging from disbelief to fury.
And that bastard? He casually raised his hand and innocently asked the referee,
"Hey, um... excuse me, judge? Did she just step out of bounds?"
The referee blinked, turned to check Soifon's position, and-
FWEET! "Winner: Shirō Emiya!"
"This is what they call defeating an enemy without fighting," Shirō said with a shrug, walking off stage with all the pride of a champion.
He's still hesitant to actually hurt Soifon, she was his fiancée, after all. And thanks to Yoruichi's earlier warning, he couldn't afford to lose either. So this shameless tactic was the best he could come up with.
"You bastard! Refund our tickets!"
"..."
And so, amid the chaos and laughter, this year's Central Spiritual Arts Academy graduates closed the curtain on their school days. Quietly, Shirō promised Soifon they'd have a serious rematch in private later. That calmed the prickly little bee, and everything wrapped up with a perfect ending.
Next up was the graduation ceremony and the official announcement of squad placements.
"WHAT?!" A sharp shriek drew everyone's attention.
"Shirō Emiya, assigned to Squad Eleven."
"You sure you didn't mistake the horizontal '2' for a vertical '11'?!" Shirō asked, staring at the letter.
"Sorry, it's definitely 'Eleven.'" The clerk held out the assignment scroll, clear as day, written in full: 十 一.
Thus, a living legend was sent to a legendary squad.
With Shirō joining Squad Eleven, peace would soon be a thing of the past.
"What the hell is going on?! What happened to Squad Two?! What happened to being the future Fifth Seat?!"
"Shh, quiet..."
"Was this your doing, Yoruichi?!"
"Shhhhhh~" Yoruichi continued to whistle, swaying her hips, pretending not to hear a thing.
"Shirō Emiya! How dare you speak to Lady Yoruichi like that!" Soifon snapped. Having officially joined the Punishment Force, she now served as Yoruichi's personal bodyguard.
"Oh, I see. Think joining Squad Eleven means I'm done for, huh? Well, let me tell you, perfect! I love it! Strength decides everything, and that suits me just fine!"
It was this impulsive declaration that kicked off Shirō's insane climb up the ranks from the very day he joined Squad Eleven.
Every day became nonstop battles. Constant challenges. Endless duels with every seated officer ranked above him.
Within a single month, Squad Eleven was turned upside down. Relying on his agility, speed, and invisible Zanpakutō, Shirō fought his way up to the position of Eighth Seat. Those he'd defeated refused to take it lying down and began challenging each other for higher ranks too.
The entire squad descended into organized chaos.
But to outsiders, it looked like madness. Within Squad Eleven, though?
They saw it as Shirō reviving the fighting spirit their squad was built upon.
And so, Shirō remained at Eighth Seat, stuck on a tiger's back, with no way off.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter