The sword had pierced, and Gin had delivered a fatal strike... the academy teachers and disciples were shocked and wondered if this was the time to stop the match. While Gin's injury could be treated, Ryoma's injury was life-threatening.
When the barriers were about to be lifted, a powerful voice spoke.
"Kamishiro Inuzuri hasn't given up yet. As per the duel's customs; until he gives up or loses consciousness, the battle must continue" The impeccable Sosuke Aizen was the first to light up the flames!
Unohana stared at him puzzled and got a kind stare from him in return, "Isn't that the case? Captain Unohana?".
"That is the case..." She mumbled with a sigh, staring at Ryoma and expecting him to surrender. Even if he did, his display had already been beyond supernatural. No one had expected Ichimaru Gin to have achieved Bankai.
"I fucking agree! Don't stop till he gives up!" Kenpachi growled, he was holding the hilt of his sword as if he was ready to do something.
'Let the boy stand up, I'm sure that's not all he has to offer'
Outside of the barrier, the disciples gossiped. Some were worried and some anxious, however, all their eyes focused on a certain blonde girl who was punching that barrier with tears in her eyes.
"YOU CAN DO IT, SENSEI!".
Sakuya who teared and thought of the worst upon hearing the Captain's words, looked at Mikoto whose faith seemed unyielding and she recalled who they were talking about.
"YOU GOT THIS, RYŌMA!".
...
'Those two are embarrassing me... I guess I'll have to reward them later' Ryōma sighed and spat blood and held the elongated blade of Gin's Zampakutō a smile visible at all times, 'So his Bankai is an increase of speed and strength of his previous ability, fuck... this hurts like hell~'.
Gin noticed Ryoma's smile and he went even more wicked in response, as if wondering how the bastard could smile at this stage of the duel.
"You can still smile, Inuzuri? How about one more for good measure?~"
The sword cut Ryoma's hand, retracted and then shot back once again penetrating his flesh, all so quick that one couldn't even react. He did the same again and again. Ryoma no longer felt just the sharp pain of the edge piercing, but also the impact of the speed that accompanied it.
The sword was now piercing a different spot every time, it even flashed across, piercing the barrier as well before retreating and once again piercing Ryoma, this time close to the heart.
It all happened in less than a fraction of a second. The sword was just imperceptible.
With each strike, as the blood poured, Mikoto and Sakuya's hopes dangled while the crowd went slowly silent.
"Stop this, he can't fight any longer!" Kurayami was the first to shout, she even unsheathed her sword, Renketsu, ready to fight were it necessary. However... she felt two piercing eyes glaring at her to shut the fuck up. It was the very Ryōma who even now, still held onto Gin's Zampakutō.
Ryōma coughed some more blood, cracked his neck and then smiled.
"You caught me off-guard, I admit".
*CLANG!*
A metallic noise resonated when he grasped the sword with his hand, it puzzled Gin to no end. Ryoma clutched onto the edge of that sword like a vice.
Tired of his arrogance, Gin frowned and retracted the sword once again, displaying a great deal of vectorial force; intending to give another fatal strike to end the match. But things didn't go as he thought.
The next thing he saw, in fractions of a second, was a grinning Ryōma in front of him.
*BOOOOOMMMM!!!*
He got an elbow to the face that shattered his jaw and sent him into dreamland faster than he could 'shoot' a shot with his Zampakutō, that elbow had all the combined kinetic force of his sword's speed and it was so strong that Ryoma's arm dislocated in the process, bending in an odd direction and even smoking as he fell harshly on the ground.
*BAAAANGG!!*
Ichimaru Gin was blasted out of the barrier like a cannon, poking a hole through it when he was sent out of the arena, his flying body phased through the onlookers and eventually came to a stop far away in the Seireitei where the eye couldn't see, but they could see the cloud of dust that was created with the impact.
While the gasping eyes followed Gin's trajectory, the shattered barrier crumbled and Ryōma stood up, he fixed the fucked-up angle of his arm and whistled as his wounds recovered at a visual pace.
Sakuya, Mikoto and Kurayami entered the stage, Unohana was also the first captain to put her eyes on him, followed by a frowning Aizen.
"Ryōma, are you crazy!?" Kurayami went straight to check up on his forearm while Sakuya went for the wounds... Mikoto was checking his crotch for some reason.
"It was a bit hard to keep up with the speed of that sword, but I could follow its momentum with Shunpo".
"Who would ever think of using Shunpo that way, lunatic?!".
Ryoma smiled and unconsciously lifted his head up to stare at one of the captains, the one that was giving him that not-so-friendly gaze with that single eye of his. His heartbeat faltered for one moment in the presence of danger.
The young man smiled and while everyone was in the process of clamouring and celebrating... he prepared for yet another fight.
...
"I believe the winner of this duel has been decided. I will make preparations to take Ichimaru-kun into our infirmary, I believe with the force of that strike, he is unable to continue this fight" Unohana said and nodded towards the head of the academy who gulped a mouthful of saliva in response.
"The winner is, Kamishiro Inuzuri!–".
*RUMBLE!!*
!!!
Titanical Reiatsu crashed down on everybody to the point even Unohana who was about to shoot away, stopped in her tracks and gasped.
'N-Not here!–'
With a swift move, Ryōma pushed Mikoto, Sakuya and Kurayami away from him with enough time to take Hebimaru and regain a blocking stance; however... it didn't matter how amazing his healing factor was, his shoulder and arm were far from their top condition.
*CLAANGG!!*
"UGH!"
Sparks flew everywhere as he received a strike akin to a mountain, his shoulder gave away the next second and all he could see before the inevitable strike was the grinning maniacal face of a man who sought a good fight.
"Zaraki Kenpachi!–"
*BOOOOOOOMMM!!!*
****
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