"Vice-Captain Soifon—!!"
A burly man with a pointed head and a heavy gold necklace ran toward the Second Division training ground, wailing as if at a funeral. He executed a flashy sliding kneel, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Soifon stood in the center of the training ground, looking coldly at Marechiyo Ōmaeda kneeling a few meters away. She remained silent, her halter-neck, backless Shihakushō tracing her slender yet explosive physique.
By all rights, facing the son of the former Vice-Captain, Soifon shouldn't have treated Marechiyo so coldly.
However, she wasn't just putting on airs. It was only today that she had finally accepted the fact that she had transmigrated into the body of Soifon. If she spoke carelessly and revealed a flaw, things would turn disastrous.
She blamed herself. She shouldn't have mocked and slandered Soifon after seeing her Bankai swatted away by 'The Miracle.' Now, it was truly a case of 'if you think you're so good, you do it.'
In Marechiyo Ōmaeda's eyes, however, Soifon's icy demeanor was exactly how a young girl who had just been betrayed by her 'White Moonlight'—the person she idealized most—should look.
A month ago, Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara, along with Shinji Hirako, Kensei Muguruma, and several other captains seeking forbidden powers, had conducted Hollowfication experiments. Upon discovery, they defected from the Soul Society and fled to the World of the Living.
This was the final classification and verdict handed down by the vermin of Central 46 regarding the 'Hollowfication Incident.'
'It must be because I'm not strong enough that Lady Yoruichi didn't take me with her...'
That was what the original Soifon had thought upon learning the news.
The former Second Division Vice-Captain, Marenoshin Ōmaeda, had taken the blame for Yoruichi's defection and resigned, leaving the Vice-Captain position to her.
From that point on, Soifon began a training regimen bordering on self-harm, all for the sake of one day reclaiming Yoruichi Shihōin from Kisuke Urahara.
"Vice-Captain!" Ōmaeda's shout dragged Soifon back from her memories. "The official notice has come down! In seven days, the Captain Proficiency Test will be held in the Dangai!"
After all, the 'Hollowfication Incident' had caused the 'defection' of six captains and several vice-captains at once. It could be said that the high-end combat power of the Gotei 13 had been cut in half. If the vacant captain positions weren't filled promptly, the morale of both the high-and-mighty nobles and the rank-and-file soldiers would collapse.
Ōmaeda spoke with such urgency that one might think he was the one taking the exam instead of Soifon.
"And?" Soifon shot a sharp glance at Ōmaeda. "I'm the one taking the exam. Why are you in such a rush?"
Thump, thump, thud—
Ōmaeda took a guilty step back, waving his hands frantically in a ridiculous gesture. "Vice-Captain Soifon! As your most capable subordinate, I'm just showing some concern!"
"Heh. It looks to me like you've got your eyes on this Vice-Captain seat."
"Ehhhhhh?!"
Seeing his hidden thoughts exposed so easily by Soifon, Marechiyo Ōmaeda began to sweat buckets.
Ignoring his comedic performance, Soifon turned her back on him.
Actually, she had just tried to communicate with her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, but the spirit hidden within seemed to be in a deep slumber. No matter how much Soifon meditated, there was no response to her call.
'There are only seven days left. Even if I can't do it, I have to force it...'
In Soifon's memories, there were no clues regarding Bankai, only various theoretical concepts shared by Yoruichi Shihōin during their private lessons.
Generally speaking, mastering Bankai was the watershed for a Soul Reaper's combat power.
Every Soul Reaper who learned Bankai earned the qualification to become a Captain and would even be recorded in the history of the Soul Society.
'Let me think, the method for Bankai is...'
'Mobilize all of the Reiryoku in the body.'
Recalling the training methods from her memory, Soifon acted as naturally as if she were drinking water, attempting to push her internal spiritual pressure output to its maximum.
BOOM—
The air suddenly became viscous and heavy, as if an invisible mountain had slammed down.
The sand and stones of the training ground began to vibrate erratically, gradually defying gravity to hover in mid-air.
With Soifon's slender body as the epicenter, violent spiritual pressure erupted, forming waves of shockwaves that expanded outward.
"Waaah—!!"
Caught off guard, Ōmaeda's massive frame was sent flying backward. He tumbled clumsily several times before scrambling to hide behind a massive boulder, peeking out with half his head to observe.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
"Vice-Captain Soifon's spiritual pressure... it's terrifying!"
It wasn't just Ōmaeda. At the moment Soifon's spiritual pressure fully erupted, the Soul Reapers of the Seireitei all turned their eyes toward this pillar of power soaring into the sky.
At the center of the spiritual storm, Soifon was unaware of the commotion she had caused.
'Strange... do I really have this much spiritual pressure?'
According to the instinctive memories of this body, her spiritual pressure output should have already hit the peak of a Fourth-grade Reii, yet the current Soifon felt like she still hadn't reached her limit.
Deciding to abandon her reliance on past habits, Soifon pushed her spiritual pressure even higher.
'Raise spiritual pressure to the peak, pour it into the Zanpakutō, and call out the True Name.'
This was the second step of Bankai taught to her by Yoruichi Shihōin.
It was no different than trying to fit an elephant into a refrigerator.
"Bankai—"
Soifon shouted with immense momentum.
For some reason, she felt that this time, she could actually do it.
"Jashaku Raikōben!"
The girl's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the gale whipped up by her spiritual pressure. A blinding pillar of light soared into the heavens, and the golden radiance completely swallowed Soifon's small silhouette.
'Aaaah! I clearly haven't told Soifon my True Name yet! How does she know it?!'
At this moment, the Zanpakutō spirit Suzumebachi, attached to the Bankai, was having a minor breakdown, feeling a sense of grievance as if she were being forced into a bad deal.
However, since her True Name had been called, she decided to cooperate with her master.
It turned out Suzumebachi was quite the loyal soul after all.
Marechiyo Ōmaeda stared blankly at the piercing golden light, forgetting even to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He swallowed hard with difficulty.
As the light gradually dissipated, Soifon panted, one knee slightly bent.
An exaggeratedly large, cold, metallic-gleaming... black and gold missile launcher was resting on her relatively petite right shoulder.
It looked like an oversized version of a queen bee's stinger.
'So heavy...'
Carrying this massive Bankai, Soifon felt her right arm go numb.
Her shoulder sank slightly, and she carefully rested the tip of the massive missile head on the ground by her feet, hoping to ease some of the pressure on her shoulder.
Thud—
Because she had forced the Bankai without communicating with the spirit, she didn't fully understand its mechanics. Combined with her unstable spiritual pressure fluctuations...
The next moment.
The Bankai wrapped around her right arm dissolved into golden spirit particles. The missile head of Jashaku Raikōben acted like a dud, and the backlash from the forced cancellation of the Bankai instantly flooded Soifon's consciousness.
—It hurt.
Soifon collapsed powerlessly to the ground, her muscles aching and her surging spiritual power running rampant through her body. Not far away, Ōmaeda, who had been hiding behind the small rock, was knocked unconscious by a boulder dislodged by the violent winds.
The Jashaku Raikōben on her shoulder had automatically deactivated, returning to its sealed Asauchi form and lying quietly by her side.
"What truly astonishing spiritual pressure..."
A gentle female voice rang in Soifon's ear. She looked up to see a refined, beautiful woman with a long braided ponytail looking down at her kindly.
Fourth Division Captain—Retsu Unohana.
"Cough, cough..."
Soifon tried to speak, but only managed two weak coughs, leaving behind a pool of bright red blood.
"To be honest, it's the first time I've seen a Soul Reaper end up like this because of their own Bankai~"
With a smile, Retsu Unohana knelt down, a green glow lighting up her hands as she began emergency treatment on Soifon.
"Isane, pick Vice-Captain Soifon up and bring her to the Fourth Division barracks to recover."
This was the last thing Soifon heard before her consciousness blurred.
...
Inside the Fifth Division barracks.
"Captain Aizen, what terrifying spiritual pressure~"
With his hands in his pockets and his eyes narrowed, Gin Ichimaru teased Aizen in an exaggerated tone.
"I'm not a Captain yet, Gin." Sōsuke Aizen pushed up his glasses, the white glint of the lenses masking his gaze. "If I'm not mistaken, that spiritual pressure belongs to the Second Division's Vice-Captain Soifon. She truly is a genius."
Meanwhile, in Soifon's inner world.
After canceling the Bankai at the critical moment for Soifon, Suzumebachi sat atop a giant tree and wiped her sweat.
She had nearly become the first Zanpakutō to kill her own master.
____
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