53 Chapter 53: Training Partner
Yamahiko's special training with Suì-Fēng didn't end because of his Shikai release; instead, it continued for an additional day. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they dedicated half a day to their training.
The training had a dual purpose. First, it aimed to help Yamahiko improve his combat skills. Second, it served as a way for Suì-Fēng to have a competent sparring partner.
Suì-Fēng's Shunpo was already the fastest in the Seireitei, and in a later battle with Yoruichi, she managed to land multiple hits on her, making Yoruichi quite embarrassed. In response, Yoruichi activated Shunko, and the result was that Suì-Fēng was defeated within seconds.
Therefore, Suì-Fēng already had no competition in terms of Shunpo speed in the current Soul Society.
Now that she had mastered Shunkō: Raijin, her speed had increased even more. There were hardly any suitable opponents who could keep up with her.
Except for Yamahiko.
Suì-Fēng called out to Yamahiko at the training grounds, saying, "I want you to train with me in Shunkō: Raijin today."
"Alright," Yamahiko replied with a smile. He was delighted that Suì-Fēng thought of him first when she wanted a training partner.
"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Suì-Fēng's expression darkened when she saw Yamahiko's face.
Yamahiko quickly wiped the smile off his face, standing up straight. Suì-Fēng removed her shihakusho to reveal her Shinigami uniform underneath.
Suì-Fēng's uniform had a bare back and exposed the outer sides of her thighs, displaying her smooth, fair skin, which had a seductive charm to it.
Yamahiko only glanced at her for a moment before turning his head away and drawing his Zanpakuto.
Suì-Fēng nodded and said, "Let's release them."
"Descend, Raijinmaru."
Yamahiko chanted softly, and in the next moment, the sky filled with dark clouds, flashing with lightning.
Boom.
A thunderbolt struck down, transforming into a spear, which Yamahiko held in his hand.
Suì-Fēng watched this scene and said, "Even after seeing your Shikai many times, I'm still impressed by its display."
Yamahiko smiled and replied, "It's just a bit attention-grabbing."
He waved his hand, and the dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the thunder disappeared. However, the lightning-spear in Yamahiko's hand didn't vanish.
Suì-Fēng's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Can you make it dissipate on your own?"
Yamahiko nodded and said, "Yes, I can control the dispersal of the dark clouds and the thunder in the sky."
The dark clouds that appeared when Yamahiko released his Zanpakuto were part of his Zanpakuto's ability to manipulate the weather, and it required maintaining reiryoku. However, the energy consumption was minimal. Additionally, the lightning above wasn't entirely his reishi; it was what happened when his Zanpakuto flew into the sky and used its control over lightning to separate the air and materials with like charges, forming a charged center in the air. Then, using reishi to convert this into an electrical field, it accelerated the like charges in the charged center to create the result of lightning strikes in the clouds.
These lightning bolts only required a small amount of Yamahiko's spiritual energy(reiryoku) to trigger.
As long as Yamahiko didn't convert his reiryoku into an electrical field, which balanced the charges, the dark clouds would disperse.
Of course, losing the dark clouds in the sky meant losing one means of attack. The lightning from the dark clouds was incredibly powerful. Even Kenpachi Zaraki would be covered in injuries from the strikes.
Suì-Fēng nodded and said, "Then let's begin."
She suddenly emitted an immense amount of lightning from her body, concentrating it behind her back and shoulders before continuously exploding it. The power from these explosions flowed into her limbs.
Yamahiko controlled the transformation of the lightning and created lightning wings.
"Be careful," Suì-Fēng warned.
With that warning, their figures vanished in an instant, colliding in the sky with a momentary pause.
From a distance, it seemed like Suì-Fēng's Zanpakuto had struck Yamahiko's short spear, but in the blink of an eye, they disappeared again.
This was the speed of their Shunko and lightning wings, so fast that it was challenging to capture with the naked eye.
Shunko was already a top-notch movement technique, and the movement process was challenging to detect. With lightning wings created by Raijinmaru being even faster, only when they clashed and used immense force did they create a momentary pause.
Clang, clang, clang.
Yamahiko's short spear and Suì-Fēng's Zanpakuto clashed dozens of times in an instant. On the final strike from Suì-Fēng, the force suddenly increased.
Yamahiko's short spear ended up pressed beneath himself, and Suì-Fēng had stepped forward, delivering a powerful palm strike to his abdomen.
Bang.
Yamahiko was sent flying, crashing into a rocky surface. His wings cut two deep grooves into the stone as he slid down. He realized there was still a significant gap between him and Suì-Fēng.
One aspect was the hand-to-hand combat techniques; Suì-Fēng had far surpassed him.
The second was combat experience, where Yamahiko fell short compared to many others, like Suì-Fēng, who were consciously aware of avoiding mistakes.
The third was speed and strength; he felt he was slightly slower than her.
In reality, Yamahiko could go even faster, and his wings could carry more energy, but his body couldn't handle it.
Suì-Fēng was petite, but she possessed incredible physical strength. Her training focused not only on speed but also on enhancing her strength.
Yamahiko's body couldn't currently match Suì-Fēng's, so he could only use a limited amount of lightning energy, making him slightly slower than her.
"Let's go again," Yamahiko said, rising into the air once more and charging towards Suì-Fēng. He thrust his short spear towards her face.
However, Suì-Fēng simply raised her left leg, kicking upwards. Just as the short spear was about to hit her, her kick landed just below the tip of the spear. Simultaneously, her upper body leaned backward, and her right leg extended.
When her right foot struck Yamahiko's neck, her upper body was already upside down, perfectly supporting the reishi platform formed in air.
Boom.
Yamahiko blocked Suì-Fēng's strike with one hand, but he was again sent flying and crashed into a rocky surface.
Yamahiko couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless. It seemed that he didn't just lag behind Suì-Fēng in three aspects but also a fourth: control over his body and multitasking abilities.
Her left foot had been raised first and hit the exact center of his spear's tip, which demanded pinpoint accuracy. The slightest error, and she would have been struck.
Simultaneously, her body leaned backward, kicking out her right foot, requiring an exceptional level of body control.
Finally, the moment her backward movement stopped, an area under her inverted body already had a resihi platform, indicating that she had controlled the reishi to mold it while performing the first two actions.
While Yamahiko might have a slightly lower speed and strength, there were other areas where he lagged behind Suì-Fēng. These differences would widen in battle, leading to swift defeats.
Of course, Yamahiko had yet to utilize his lightning based techniques. However, in such a rapid battle, he couldn't afford to perform those techniques.
In terms of an all-around difference, he couldn't find an advantage against Suì-Fēng.
Nevertheless, Suì-Fēng, now armed with Shunkō: Raijin, had elevated herself to the middle-upper tier among the 13 squads. Those who could defeat her were just a few seasoned Shinigami.
Furthermore, her maneuverability was exceptional. If she couldn't win a fight, she could retreat, and if she could win, she would do so quickly.
Yamahiko's shikai could surpass some captains, but once his reiryoku was depleted, it became challenging to win. Hence, he still needed to improve his strength and reach a consistent captain-level power.
~End of the chapter~
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