Chapter Three: Confrontation with Shigekuni Yamamoto

Chojirou never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that his very first opponent upon entering the world of the Soul Reapers would be none other than Yamamoto Jukoku, famed as the “strongest Soul Reaper.”

“This is a perfect chance to gauge my own strength…”

Slowly, Chojirou placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto at his waist.

Yamamoto watched Chojirou’s movements in silence. Though to his eyes, Chojirou’s stance was riddled with openings, he would never let his guard down, even against an opponent so far beneath him.

“Come then! Pierce through—”

Chojirou suddenly tightened his grip, intending to draw his Zanpakuto and unleash its power. But this was his first time wielding such a sword, and unfamiliarity showed.

A dull clack.

Both were momentarily perplexed.

The blade stubbornly stuck in its scabbard, refusing to be drawn.

Awkward silence stretched between them.

“...You truly live up to your reputation, Lord Yamagata. Even against an opponent who can’t match you at all, you remain vigilant…” Chojirou gave a dry laugh, surreptitiously wiping the sweat from his brow.

“It’s nothing. Hurry up and begin,” Yamamoto Jukoku replied, suppressing his irritation for the sake of the young man before him. He still harbored expectations for Chojirou, and so he endured.

“Very well…”

Chojirou drew his sword at last and held it upright before him, giving it a slight shake. “Pierce through, Severe Spirit Maru!”

A faint tremor ran through the blade, and in the next moment, it transformed into a rapier.

The First Release… Next comes the Bankai…

Yamamoto frowned, lifting his hand to his own sword’s hilt.

“Wow, I thought it would be rigid, but it’s as flexible as a true rapier,” Chojirou mused, grasping the tip of Severe Spirit Maru and bending it gently. As he released it, the blade snapped back with a springy rebound.

A faint twang echoed.

Yamamoto’s temple pulsed. Finally unable to contain his anger, he bellowed, “Brat! Are you going to fight or not?”

“Ah? Ah…! My apologies!”

Only then did Chojirou realize his lapse. He’d been so preoccupied with whether Severe Spirit Maru was a genuine rapier that he’d completely forgotten about the old man standing before him.

He took a deep breath. This was, after all, his first real experience—he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

“I’m coming, Lord Yamagata.”

He slowly raised Severe Spirit Maru above his head, invoking an aura reminiscent of a thunder god summoning heavenly punishment—an instant, overwhelming majesty that could not be gazed upon directly.

“Bankai…”

A crackling surge gathered at the sword’s tip, a mass of lightning building up, and then, as if guiding celestial thunder, a colossal pillar of light shot skyward.

A deafening roar thundered forth.

From the point where the lightning struck, dense clouds began to spread outward, accompanied by the reverberating sound of thunder.

Yamamoto’s eyes widened as he gazed up at the sky, his astonishment plain on his face. He thought, “So he possesses the power to control the weather…”

Another thunderclap.

The clouds swallowed the visible sky, shrouding the earth in darkness. Then, a pillar of lightning, thicker than a wooden cabin, crashed down onto the ground. From its base, the lightning split into nine, forming a canopy reminiscent of the imperial sunshades used by emperors.

With a sweeping motion, Chojirou lowered his blade. Though he himself had unleashed this Bankai, the pressure from the lightning felt as oppressive as that from a foe—wild, savage…

Was this the Bankai of Chojirou, Captain of the Sparrows?

“The Palace of Radiant Severe Spirit.”

So this is Bankai… Yamamoto’s brow furrowed as he watched the release of the boy who had always vexed him. For the first time, he felt a trace of pressure.

Without a doubt—

This was a spiritual pressure worthy of his attention.

He raised his hand to his own Zanpakuto, drawing in a deep breath, and stepped forward.

Yet it remains immature.

With a metallic ring, he drew his famed blade, reputed to be the “oldest and most powerful” Zanpakuto. Yamamoto Jukoku bent his body slightly.

Let me see how far you’ve come.

“I will show no mercy, Lord Yamagata,” Chojirou declared, raising his left hand and extending his index finger.

A flash of lightning danced at his fingertip.

Yamamoto’s eyes narrowed.

Just as Yamamoto Jukoku was pondering what move Chojirou would make, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down from the storm clouds toward him.

“Ugh!”

How fast is lightning? Its velocity rivals that of light itself. Though Chojirou’s Bankai could not yet reach such speeds, even a master like Yamamoto Jukoku could not easily evade.

The lightning struck the earth, shattering soil and stone.

But Yamamoto Jukoku was not hit.

He’d leapt aside, avoiding the blow, and raised his head, fixing his gaze on Chojirou and the mass of lightning behind him.

That strike missed—he still can’t control it freely…

“Damn… It’s hard to control at this level,” Chojirou cursed under his breath, then extended his finger again. Another pillar of lightning descended from the dense clouds, targeting Yamamoto Jukoku.

Dodging alone won’t suffice—at least…

Since the bolt was once again off-target, Yamamoto evaded it.

Let me witness its true power!

“All things in existence shall turn to ashes…”

Suddenly, Yamamoto Jukoku’s spiritual pressure surged. Even at the level of the initial release, it threatened to surpass Chojirou’s Bankai.

“Flowing Blade Like Fire!”

A fierce sea of flames enveloped them both, the suffocating heat nearly overwhelming Chojirou’s consciousness. It was only thanks to the lightning at his back that he managed to remain barely aware.

Just the initial release is nearly overpowering my Bankai? What manner of monster is this… Chojirou swallowed hard, realizing now how ludicrous his earlier thoughts had been. To see how far he could go? Simply surviving without being obliterated was already a feat!

“Come on, brat.” Yamamoto gripped his flaming sword in one hand, holding it horizontally before him. “Show me what your Bankai can do.”

“In that case, forgive me.” Though he knew he stood no chance of winning, Chojirou did not intend to retreat. This was the perfect chance for a novice like him to gain some battle experience!

For the third time, he extended his index finger, the lightning at the tip dancing more fiercely than before.

Thunder shook the heavens.

The lightning pillar crashed down once more. This time, Chojirou seemed to have begun to grasp how to control his Bankai; the bolt came without deviation, striking directly toward Yamamoto’s head.

A resounding impact.

Yamamoto did not dodge. The lightning struck him squarely.

“It… it hit…”

Chojirou could scarcely believe it—had he really struck the strongest Soul Reaper before him?

“Hmph. All show, no substance…”

As the smoke from the lightning attack gradually dispersed, Yamamoto Jukoku stood revealed, untouched by the ordeal.

“Your childish Bankai is incapable of defeating me.”