C19 There Were Times When Flash Steps Would Trip

"One thousand, Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure!"

The crimson digits, alongside the mechanical voice emanating from the Spiritual Pressure Testing device, struck at the very core of everyone's being like an invisible sledgehammer.

A profound silence enveloped the vast testing hall, as if the air itself had been sucked out.

Faces glued to the screen, eyes wide with disbelief, they struggled to comprehend the number displayed.

"Is this some kind of joke? A man broken in body but not in spirit, no, a mere drunkard, wields Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure? Such a phenomenon is unprecedented in the history of Shinoreijutsuin."

"Remember Toushirou at graduation? Nine Bamboo Spiritual Pressure, hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy. So what do we call Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure?"

"A super genius or a genius beyond compare?"

"Good heavens, to be contemporaries with such a behemoth. How can we ever hope to claim the mantle of genius now? How can we carve our own legends into the annals of Shinoreijutsuin?"

The hall, once quiet, erupted into a cacophony of noise, punctuated by the occasional wail.

In the presence of a genius, everyone else pales in comparison.

And against someone with Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure? They are but dim stars in a brilliant constellation.

"Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure, that's beyond the realm of peerless genius. We might as well call it monstrous," Kyoraku Shunsui thought, his astonishment far from settling.

"It seems my millennium brew is secure."

Instinctively, Kyoraku reached for the wine pot at his waist, only to grasp at thin air.

"Damn it, you little devil, give me back my wine!"

"What rotten intel. Had I known about your true capabilities, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths, nearly pulling my hair out in the process."

Kyoraku's ire flared, but it was quickly quelled by Nanao Ise's lethal glare, forcing him to choke back his bitter rant.

Watching Taku chug the wine, Kyoraku's face twisted with bitterness, silently hoping there might be a few sips left for him to savor.

"No way, I've tested him before; he only had Three Bamboo Spiritual Pressure," Abarai Renji murmured in disbelief.

Aizen, standing nearby, quickly masked his surprise, suggesting, "Earlier, the first spiritual pressure test indicated Seven Bamboo Spiritual Pressure. Now it's suddenly Ten. Perhaps there's a malfunction with the machine."

"I've studied the machine before. Maybe with a few adjustments, we can run another test."

Aizen kept his genial smile as he approached the testing apparatus.

He was hoping that it was just a malfunction that caused the Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure reading.

After all, his scheme was at a pivotal moment. If someone with Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure joined the Thirteenth Division, it would throw a wrench in the works.

Such an addition would introduce a massive variable.

But the moment Aizen's pale fingers grazed the machine, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The already damaged equipment collapsed, turning into nothing more than a heap of junk metal.

Aizen's composed smile stiffened, leaving him with a sense of disarray as if caught in an unexpected storm.

"Ahem, Captain Aizen, looks like fixing the device won't be so straightforward," Kyoraku Shunsui remarked with a dry cough.

"Regardless of whether Shiba Taku has Seven or Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure, he's qualified to pass the test."

Kyoraku then shot Nanao Ise a meaningful glance.

For Kyoraku, the priority was to address the mission assigned by Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni.

The specifics of Seven or Ten Bamboo Spiritual Pressure were inconsequential.

What mattered was reclaiming the wine from that lush afterward.

"Shiba Taku is provisionally assigned a Seven Bamboo Spiritual Pressure, with an excellent rating, exempting him from the Spiritual Arts Test," Nanao Ise responded.

She was unaware of the exact deal struck between Kyoraku and Yamamoto, but as the vice-captain, her foremost duty was to support her captain.

She wished for this charade to conclude swiftly.

Yet, that hope seemed overly optimistic. As she finished speaking, Taku was already unsteadily getting to his feet.

"When does the test start? I need a swig of liquor to perk up. And don't forget, I want to be in the same division as my wife—her name's something like Lucia."

Taku took another swig of alcohol and wobbled in Lucia's direction, oblivious to the fact that his brother-in-law's face had turned as dark as coal.

Especially since he constantly talked about his wife yet couldn't even remember her name properly.

This must be what legends are made of, being so inebriated that one can't even recognize their own spouse.

"Captain Kuchiki, please, take a moment to relax," Kyoraku Shunsui implored, his head throbbing with the onset of a headache. He had hoped to gloss over the incident, but the sight of Taku's scowl made it clear that such hopes were futile.

"You're seeking your own demise, daring to sully the honor of the nobility!" Taku Baiyi's face was a mask of frost as he took action.

To outsiders, Kuchiki Rukia was merely a stand-in. Yet, only Taku Baiyi grasped the true significance of her role. The repeated slanders against Lucia's name were more than he could bear.

With a swift motion, Taku Baiyi executed Flash Steps, materializing before Taku like an apparition. He reached for Taku's wine pot, intent on shattering it first.

The tension in the room spiked at this development. Kyoraku Shunsui was poised to intervene, but he noticed Aizen and Ichimaru Gin subtly positioning themselves in his way, preventing any assistance.

Previously, Abarai Renji, despite his esteemed position, had been repelled in his attempt to seize the wine pot, sent flying by Taku. But now, it was the captain of the Sixth Division, the current patriarch of the Kuchiki Clan, who took action. He didn't exert his full power, yet for someone who hadn't even finished at Shinoreijutsuin, the task was child's play.

"Ah, big brother, is that you? I was just looking for my wife. Are you after this wine too? There's none left," Taku babbled, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

To the onlookers, the details of the unfolding drama were unclear. Yet, in a staggering moment, Taku's form wavered and vanished like a specter.

Flash Steps!

The captains onlookers' pupils shrank at the eerie sight. They were well aware that Shiba Taku's sudden disappearance was the work of Flash Steps. What they hadn't anticipated was a novice, not yet a graduate of Shinoreijutsuin, mastering such a technique. To elude a captain with Flash Steps was no small feat.

Then came a resounding crash that jolted everyone back to reality.

Rushing to locate the origin of the noise, the first scene that met their eyes left everyone dumbfounded.

Even Flash Steps can stumble at times.