Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 155 - Yagami China

Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five

Wayne won his quarterfinal match, then collapsed on the stage, unconscious.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Momo's eyes welled up. She tried to rush forward, but Kira held her back. In the end, it was Mizusue who called the medical team to carry Wayne to the treatment room.

Once he was inside, Mizusue dismissed everyone. The moment they were alone, she let out a long breath and relaxed.

"Alright. Get up." She shot the figure on the medical bed a pointed look.

Wayne didn't move.

"Brat. Still playing dead." The corner of Mizusue's mouth twitched. She drew her Zanpakuto. "Bloom, Kanzaki-hime!"

"Wait, wait! I'm up!" Wayne scrambled upright. "Honestly. You could've let me lie there a bit longer. Today's matches are over."

"Tch. It's just us. Who are you still acting for?" She swung her blade, releasing a shower of pale golden light. The particles settled over Wayne's body, healing every burn. "Don't you have strong Reiatsu? How'd you get burned this badly?"

"Commit to the act." Wayne removed his glasses, letting his eyes rest. He had to admit, the craftsmanship was impressive. Even that kind of heat couldn't damage them. Squad Twelve really did produce top-quality work. "After that fight, everyone thinks I'm at my limit. More people will bet against me next match. Which means more profit for us."

"True enough..." Mizusue gathered her lake-blue hair behind her head. "But was it really necessary to go that far? You're only getting twenty percent."

"Every little bit counts, Mizusue-sama. You don't understand. Poor kids like us don't have resources to quickly build our Reiryoku. Every silver ring matters. We practically have to stretch one into two. And I've got a little sister who just came of age, a white-haired little brother, an old grandmother — tell me, how am I supposed to—"

"Alright, alright." Mizusue cut him off with a wave. "I'm not interested in your personal life. As long as there's profit." She shrugged. "Next match, barring surprises, you'll be facing Yagami Kina."

"Yeah." Wayne had already figured as much. The top four were set: Kidō Corps representative Yagami Kina, commoner representative Tsukishiro Hinamori, noble representative Suzuki Ittetsu, and championship favorite Kitagawa Sawa.

The way nobles chased profit, Kitagawa would beat anyone. So the opposing noble faction argued fiercely to match their rival's scion against that undefeated god of war, it would suppress the other side and let them clean up on bets. Meanwhile, the opposing nobles could never wager on Kitagawa to win. That was their bottom line. If they didn't support their own clansman, the fight was meaningless. Better not to fight at all. But forfeiting without a battle? That sounded even worse if word got out. As for trying to swap opponents for their own kid...

The Kidō Corps also needed victories to solidify their standing. When power and profit clash, power always wins.

So the nobles had no choice, just like the Ōtsuka family, stopped at the top eight. At least losing to a championship-seed contender wasn't too embarrassing.

"Speaking of which, if I beat Yagami Kina, the Kidō Corps won't come after me, will they?"

"You're already a retainer of the Shiba family. As long as the Shiba clan stands, no one's going to bother you over a junior selection tournament. This isn't their core interest. It's just icing on the cake and saving face." Mizusue rolled her eyes. "Give it your all. Win with an overwhelming display, then lose the final match. Let's collect every last bit of our prize money."

"Leave it to me."

After the quarterfinals, all matches were scheduled at five per day, one per academic year. Three reasons.

Better rest for the contestants. A more satisfying experience for the audience. And an extended betting window to draw in more participants.

With this arrangement, Wayne even had time to watch Kitagawa Sawa's match. His own wasn't first today. While resting up, he could observe this formidable rival more closely.

Though calling it "observation" wasn't quite right. It was more like giving Kira a lecture. Wayne had emphasized from early on that Kira should study Kitagawa's combat techniques. Kira had done exactly that. But he didn't understand why. After all, Kitagawa Sawa relied on his Zanpakuto's ability in combat. He excelled in all Four Core Techniques, sure, but watching his matches, Kira found that Kitagawa's fighting leaned far more heavily on his Zanpakuto's power.

Still. The order came from his teacher. He had no grounds to argue. He was learning higher-level techniques, it wasn't like Wayne was leading him astray. And Wayne's guidance had always proven correct for Kira.

Kitagawa's combat principles weren't hard to figure out. Activate Shien's ability at the start, trapping the opponent in a gravity field. Then engage using the Four Core Shinigami Techniques. As the enemy's Reiatsu drained from resisting Shien's effect, Kitagawa gradually seized the upper hand and secured victory. And he'd never stopped developing his Zanpakuto. Over six years, he was the student most likely to achieve Bankai before graduation.

Kitagawa Sawa's match didn't last long. His Zanpakuto's ability was already difficult enough for students to handle. His opponent, the noble Suzuki Ittetsu, wielded a Physical-Type Zanpakuto, perfectly countered by Shien. No surprises. Kitagawa won with ease.

With his victory, all the day's semifinal matches were over. Wayne had seen enough to get the gist. Kira and Momo had gained quite a lot. Nakai... his ears had heard the words, but his brain said it didn't understand. Wayne didn't push him. Cultivation depended on talent, to some degree.

After the matches, Wayne was heading to eat with Kira and the others when someone blocked his path.

"First-year. We're up tomorrow. Looking forward to it."

Yagami Kina of the Kidō Corps stood before him. Tea-colored long hair, fair skin like an elf's, orange-yellow eyes gleaming. She radiated zero pressure, as if tomorrow's match wasn't about face or ranking at all, just a personal exhibition.

"Likewise, senpai," Wayne replied politely.

"I may have been born in the Soul Society earlier, but judging by appearance, I can't really be your senpai." She gave him a playful smile. "Just call me Kina."

"Alright, Kina-senpai."

"Pfft. You're an interesting person." She covered her mouth with a laugh. "After tomorrow's match, I wonder if Tsukishiro-kun would be interested in visiting the Yagami household?"

"Senpai, we're opponents in the next round. Isn't this invitation a bit... poorly timed?"

"What does that matter?" She clasped her hands behind her back, light on her feet. "The Yagami family is very interested in your Kidō-insulated constitution. My father said that regardless of the match outcome, you should come by for a look. Perhaps we can cure your inability to use Kidō?"

So they want to slice me up, Wayne thought. "If the opportunity arises, I'll certainly pay a visit." What he actually thought was: only an idiot would let you slice him up.

"Hehe. Then it's settled." She gave him a sweet smile, not even checking if he could see it, then bounced away cheerfully.

"Mm..." After she left, Momo's cheeks puffed up. Jealousy, plain as day. Her eyes reddened as she stared at her big brother. "Big brother... are you going to the Yagami house?"

"Go there and let them slice me up? No way." Wayne flicked her forehead and flatly rejected the idea. Yagami Kina's words likely carried two meanings. One: don't bother thinking about the match outcome, you can't beat me anyway, so come hang out. Two: if you beat me, you come to my place and get played. If it was the former, the Yagami elders could examine his constitution and see if they could treat it, making Wayne owe the family a favor. If it was the latter... then it really might be about slicing him up.

He didn't know why she'd extend such an olive branch at this moment, but he wasn't about to grab it blindly. Who knew what secrets lay behind it?

"Hehe. Okay." Momo's face cleared instantly. "Big brother, let's go eat. I'm so hungry."

"Sure. Let's go."

The night passed in a blink. Soon it was time for the next day's matches. The lower-year battles didn't stir much excitement. The arena only started heating up when the fifth-years took the stage. And when Wayne stepped up, the whole place began to boil.

A first-year student, surging forward relentlessly, had fought from the sixty-fourth rank of the Challenge Tournament all the way to the Semifinals. Since the academy's founding and the Ranking Tournament's establishment, students who clawed from the first-year challenge matches into the Semifinals were exceedingly rare. Those who claimed the championship could be counted on one hand. Such rare, outstanding seeds made the audience's blood run hot.

Wayne had gone from being jeered at in the beginning, to shocking the entire arena, to having whole sections of students cheering his name. The transformation was impossible to ignore.

Though some of those cheers were probably just about the bets.

On the other side, the cheers for Yagami Kina were just as loud. She was an outstanding sixth-year, after all. Aside from the newly enrolled first-years, every student knew of the Yagami family's Yagami Kina, especially the Kidō specialists. Add her lively personality and that enviable, peerless beauty, and she radiated a dazzling, sun-like warmth from start to finish.

And she was no ornament. She had the strength to reach the Semifinals, even challenge the Final Round. It was just a shame she'd run into Wayne.

"So? Have you thought it over, underclassman? Want to go on a date with me tomorrow?"

The crowd erupted.

Wayne instantly became public enemy number one. Faced with this girl's mischievous streak and that little devil's smile, all he could do was smile wryly.

"Thank you for the kind offer, senpai. Unfortunately, I still have the finals tomorrow. Perhaps after senpai attends my award ceremony, we can discuss other matters." Not exactly a subtle rejection.

"Hehe. Very confident." Her smile stayed sweet, no trace of anger. "Then let's have a proper match!"

She drew the Zanpakuto at her waist.

Wayne's eyes narrowed. In every fight he'd watched, she'd won with Kidō alone. This was the first time he'd seen her draw her blade.

Unprecedented. He grew cautious. This might be the threat that turned the tables. He had to face it with extreme care.

"Match — begin!"

Wayne kicked off the ground, launching himself at her like a cannonball.

Shunpo plus Shadow Step. He closed the distance in a flash, a lightning thrust arriving before her in the span of a blink.

"Fast!" Alarm flickered through her eyes. She'd watched plenty of his fights. She knew he was skilled at Shunpo, even capable of a two-stage Shunpo to change direction. But this speed was far beyond anything he'd shown before. She barely reacted in time.

CLANG!

Her Zanpakuto came up in desperation, deflecting his thrust. The metallic ring rang out sharp. She was driven back several steps. The moment she steadied herself, she used Shunpo to retreat.

"Your power's way up too. You're already using a Secret Technique?" She stared at him, stunned.

"Smart." He didn't deny it. He just kept coming.

"Bakudo Number Thirty-Nine, Enkosen!" She raised her left hand. An elliptical barrier of light flared to life directly in front of her. Wayne's blade came down at that exact moment.

BOOM!

The barrier shattered like glass. Smashed apart, not cut. His katana lacked the sharpness. It was the overwhelming force of his Reiatsu that crashed down on the Enkosen and broke it to pieces.

"Bakudo Number Four — Hainawa! Bakudo Number Nine — Geki!" Two low-level Bakudo tangled around him instantly. They held for less than a second before he broke free. Yagami Kina had already raised her Zanpakuto, aiming to exploit the opening for a sneak attack.

CLANG!

He knocked her blade aside with lightning speed. The force threw off her grip entirely. Her guard flew wide open. No time left to defend against his rising slash.

"Hado Number One, Sho!" The lower the Kidō, the more surprising its effectiveness in the hands of a high-ranking Kidō Corps member. She'd executed it perfectly. Sho's force wasn't enough to threaten him, but it struck the side of his rising blade with precision, deflecting its path. She twisted sharply. The tip skimmed past her chest, a hair's breadth from cutting flesh. Only her clothes were torn.

"Very clever," Wayne said, pulling back to create distance. Pressing the attack now would just let her deflect with similar tricks. Better to reset and find an opening for one decisive strike.

"You're impressive too." She glanced at the tear in her clothes. A faint blush touched her cheeks before she refocused. "But I'm not admitting defeat yet!"

She swept her left hand before her. A trail of spiritual light traced along her fingers.

"Bakudo Number Thirty-Seven, Tsuriboshi!" A massive star-shaped net shot out, descending toward him.

"Hado Number Thirty-One, Shakkaho!" Before the net could land, a crimson sphere of fire hurtled straight at him.

The net and the fireball met.

The explosion swallowed the stage. Wayne vanished inside that burning web.

➤ Next: Semifinals — Steel and Blood