Ren stared at the imposing old man before him sporting a long white beard tied with a purple sash, feeling both excited and a bit surprised.
The excitement came from meeting one of the most powerful figures in this world, but the surprise came from the man's stature.
He's….shorter than I imagined.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't paid much attention when reading the manga, or maybe the art style had elongated the characters. Ren had always envisioned the Captain-Commander as tall and imposing. But standing here now, the man didn't even seem to be 170 cm tall.
Does old age make people shrink?
Inside the training hall, every student was energized. After all, standing before them was the living history of the Soul Society, the strongest Shinigami of all time—the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and head of the Shin'ō Academy.
No one could have anticipated that a simple first-year hand-to-hand combat lesson would be taught by the Captain-Commander himself.
The excitement wasn't limited to the dojo—students crowded every window, each pane hosting at least ten pairs of eyes eager to catch a glimpse of this living legend.
Just as the students prepared themselves to listen intently and showcase their abilities, Captain-Commander raised a hand and pointed directly at Ren.
"You there. I hear your Hakuda skills are pretty decent. Since Sugawara claims he can't teach you anymore, why don't I give it a try?"
A hush fell over the room, broken only by the countless gazes turning to Ren, each carrying a different sentiment.
Some were surprised. Others envious. A few pitied him. But most….were reveling in schadenfreude.
Ren Hoshino had become the academy's top sensation over the past two months.
His exploits were legendary: punching down the Shihōin Princess and slashing the hakuda instructor Fujimoto was just the tip of the iceberg. His talent seemed boundless, so much so that many instructors had confessed they could no longer keep up with him.
Now, finally, it seemed someone might put him in his place.
The Captain-Commander himself? Prepare to get pummeled into a pulp!
Even those closest to Ren—Aizen with his hidden amusement and Yoruichi with her overt delight—took a step back, leaving him to face his fate alone.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Ren didn't falter. Instead, he grinned and said, "To receive guidance from the Captain-Commander? Nothing could be better."
He stepped forward, tightening the sash around his waist, then shrugged off the top half of his uniform, letting it hang loose at his sides.
The academy's uniform always felt cumbersome during combat. Against the pinnacle of Shinigami's strength, Ren needed to be as unencumbered as possible.
For the first time in a while, he felt the blood in his veins boiling, urging him to overcome this mountain before him.
"Wow….Ren's physique is amazing…"
"Look at those muscles! So masculine and handsome."
"Those abs, that back….Ahhh! I'd love to touch drink them…"
The whispers spread among the students. Without his shirt, Ren's perfectly sculpted body was on full display. His muscles, like those of a Greek statue, seemed to be carved by the gods themselves.
From the front, his muscle definition exuded strength. From the back, his symmetrical musculature seemed almost artistic, a portrait of raw power.
But Ren heard none of the noise. His focus was solely on the elder before him.
"Hmm, not bad. You have trained well."
The Captain-Commander gave an approving nod before shrugging off his own wide-sleeved haori.
As the haori fell, the students realized this was no kind, diminutive old man.
Every inch of his exposed upper body was a testament to steel-like muscle forged through centuries of combat. His countless scars spoke of life-or-death battles, exuding a predatory aura.
As the haori touched the ground, the Captain-Commander stepped forward. In that instant, Ren's body froze.
The old man's figure, though short in reality, seemed to rise endlessly in Ren's eyes. Though he emitted no spiritual pressure, his sheer presence felt like a tsunami ready to crash down, obliterating everything in its path.
This wasn't a mountain to climb—this was an unstoppable cataclysm bearing down on him.
"Kid, get your act together…"
The elder's tiger-like gaze bore into Ren. "And grit your teeth."
The paralysis subsided as Ren felt his heartbeat intensify.
Thump—Thump—Thump-Thump-ThumpThumpThumpThumpThump…
The pounding of his heart was like a battle drum, igniting his fighting spirit. The suffocating pressure gave way to exhilaration. Somewhere deep within his black irises, a faint trace of dark purple flickered.
BOOM—
The Captain-Commander's punch cracked the floor beneath Ren as he deflected, sending him hurtling backwards until he crashed into the wall behind.
"Oh? Quick reflexes," the elder remarked, slowly retracting his fist.
Leaning against the cracked wall, Ren lowered his arms, which had shielded his face. A deep dent marred his right arm, bearing a crimson fist-shaped mark.
The pain didn't deter him. If anything, it only heightened his fighting spirit. As he stepped forward, he flexed his muscles, his joints cracking audibly.
It was clear the Captain-Commander had restrained his spiritual pressure. Otherwise, that punch would have reduced him to nothing.
Even so, using the strength of roughly a sixteenth-class spiritual energy, the Captain-Commander had almost shattered his arm—despite Ren successfully blocking the strike.
Although his arm wasn't broken, it was severely impaired. Ren placed his glowing left hand on the dent in his arm, channelling a healing spell. Within seconds, the damage began to mend, though the crimson imprint remained.
"Reiatsu healing? That's far too slow," the Captain-Commander remarked. "In real combat, that'd be useless."
He didn't press the attack but stood still, offering his critique.
The Captain-Commander refrained from stating outright that healing techniques like Kaidō were ineffective in battle. After all, he knew of individuals like Unohana, who could seamlessly integrate healing into combat. However, it was clear Ren still lacked the mastery required to do so effectively.
Ren grinned, his tone light but resolute. "I just want to give myself the chance to face you at my best."
Lowering his stance slightly, Ren's muscles tensed like a coiled spring.
In the next moment, he vanished from the sight of ordinary students.
Bang!
The sound of limbs clashing echoed through the training hall. When Ren's figure reappeared, he was in midair, his right leg locked in contact with the Captain-Commander's forearm.
The force of the blow sent a gust of wind rippling through the elder's beard, but his stance remained rooted—completely unmoved.
The Captain-Commander hadn't even tilted his gaze toward Ren's position. Instead, with a simple twist of his wrist, he seized Ren's ankle with an iron-like grip.
Then, in a motion as fluid as swinging a battle axe, he hurled Ren downward.
Crash!
Ren slammed into the ground with bone-rattling force, the floorboards shattering into splinters upon impact.
The gathered students held their breath, the sheer power of the exchange leaving them speechless.
This was the academy's strongest hakuda combatant, someone who had outshone every peer—yet here he was, utterly outmatched. What left them even more stunned was the Captain-Commander's unrestrained ferocity.
Did he….kill him?
For a moment, an uneasy silence reigned as they stared at the cloud of debris and shattered wood.
But then, cutting through the haze, a single arm shot out, moving with the fluidity of a serpent.
Even the Captain-Commander raised a brow, his expression betraying a trace of surprise.