I'm in Bleach, starting with Unlimited Blade Works.

……

These three months were a nightmare for Byakuya Kuchiki.

Every morning when he wakes up, he is pulled into a bounded field by Erin, where all he does is fight.

Having gone through such a fierce battle, Byakuya's strength has improved significantly.

At the beginning of the third month, Byakuya Kuchiki had already completed the Shikai of his Zanpakuto.

Of course, although he has completed the first stage of Zanpakuto release, Byakuya has not yet used it in his battle against Erin.

He also wanted to give Erin a surprise on his last day.

Unfortunately, Byakuya Kuchiki was unaware that Erin had already seen through his Zanpakuto the day he completed its release.

Furthermore, he even created the Zanpakuto Senbonzakura and inserted it into his sword mound.

Furthermore, Erin even created two weapons similar to Senbonzakura based on Senbonzakura's characteristics.

……

"clang!"

"clang!"

"clang!"

Within the arena surrounded by thousands of Zanpakuto, two figures moved with the speed of the wind, sparks from the clash of their Zanpakuto flashing around the arena.

"Binding Spell Number Four - Gray Rope!"

"Hado No. 9 - Collapse Wheel!"

"Hado #33 - Azure Flame Fall!"

"Binding Spell Number Thirty-Nine - Round Gate!"

The light of the Hado and Bakudo intertwined, fireworks exploded, and a large amount of smoke and dust was released.

"Byakuya, among ordinary Shinigami, your strength is considered top-tier."

With the defenses of the round gate gone, Erin emerged from the smoke and fire.

"His use of the Ghost Path is also extremely skillful."

"Shunpo has also reached a level where it can be combined with the other three skills of the Grim Reaper."

"It can be said that even without releasing your Zanpakuto, your strength would allow you to secure a decent position among the seated officials."

"Humph……"

Across from Erin, Kuchiki Byakuya was panting heavily, but after hearing Erin's uncle's evaluation of him, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

Of course, outwardly, one should still scoff and express one's disdain for the praise.

However, his expression didn't last even a second before Erin's words broke him down.

"So it seems you've passed the first phase of training."

"So, Byakuya, are you willing to accept my second phase of training?"

"what?"

Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

Are you kidding me?

These two months of near-death battles, numbering almost tens of thousands, are only the first phase of training?

Seemingly sensing Byakuya's thoughts, Erin smiled and said, "Byakuya, as I just said, your current strength is quite good among ordinary Shinigami."

“If you are satisfied with your current achievements, I can end your training.”

"Tell me now, Byakuya!"

Are you content to be just an ordinary Grim Reaper?

Chapter 66 Second Stage

Chapter 66

"The ordinary Grim Reaper?"

"That's right, just an ordinary Grim Reaper."

Erin walked step by step toward Byakuya Kuchiki, his Zanpakuto dragging on the ground with a "whoosh" sound.

"After more than two months of fighting, you have basically digested the foundation you have built up over the past ten years."

"Even if I increase my strength to exploit you further, the improvement I can bring to you will be very limited."

"Slash techniques, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kido, Zanpakuto—these are the components of a Shinigami's power."

"In the first stage, you have successfully completed the training of the four Death God techniques, which has laid a solid foundation for you to have greater strength in the future."

"Base?"

Kuchiki Byakuya pursed his lips.

Having struggled between life and death for the past two months, I've only been cultivating the basics?

This was the first time Byakuya Kuchiki realized the difference in perspective between himself and his uncle, Erin.

However, Byakuya's expression led Erin to misunderstand and think that Byakuya felt he hadn't taught him anything more powerful.

So Erin tapped his head and explained to Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Byakuya, under normal circumstances, once an ordinary Shinigami has cultivated one of their techniques to a certain level, we recognize that they have the strength of a captain."

"For example, the Zanpakuto that can slice through mountains with ease, the Hakuda that can blast through skyscrapers, the Shunpo that can dodge all attacks, the ability to release Kido of level 80 or higher without chanting while retaining more than half of its power, and the ability to train a Zanpakuto to the point of being able to Bankai..."

"If a person can achieve any one of these, we can conclude that he or she possesses captain-level strength."

"Among these, whether it's swordsmanship, Shunpo, Hakuda, or Kido, it's extremely difficult to master them to the 'Captain level'."

"That's a level that requires talent, comprehension, and hundreds or even thousands of years of effort to reach."

Kuchiki Byakuya rolled his eyes inwardly.

If Byakuya Kuchiki remembered correctly, the last time his uncle Erin took him to Rukongai to demonstrate the power of the Four Shinigami Techniques, he cleaved mountains with his sword, covered a thousand meters in an instant, blasted apart high-level defensive Kido, and instantly unleashed the Eighty-Eighth Hado...

All of these correspond to what Erin's uncle said about "captain level".

Uncle Ailin, he seems to be only in his fifties, right?

In just a few decades, he has achieved what others have taken hundreds or thousands of years to reach. Is Uncle Erin bragging?

"Comparatively speaking, it is much simpler to use sword Zen to nurture a Zanpakuto and then release it."

Of course, both Erin and Byakuya Kuchiki knew that this "simple" was relative.

The Soul Society has existed for millions of years, and the Gotei 13 has only been established by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni for less than two thousand years. Among them, the number of powerful figures who can reach the "captain level" is less than a hundred.

"Some of the captains of the Gotei 13 are those who have only trained their Zanpakuto to the Bankai level."

“Third Division Captain Rojuro Otohashi, Fifth Division Captain Shinji Hirako, Seventh Division Captain Rabu Aikawa, Ninth Division Captain Kensei Muguruma, and Tenth Division Captain Isshin Shiba are all such people.”

"Their strength is heavily reliant on their Zanpakuto."

"If you encounter an opponent whose Zanpakuto's attribute is countered, there is a high probability that you will be defeated."

Kuchiki Byakuya was a little confused.

The captain of the Gotei 13 is a very important figure at the top of the Seireitei's military power.

However, from Uncle Erin's tone, Byakuya could still sense that Uncle Erin seemed to look down on the people he had just mentioned.

However, after listening to Erin's evaluation of these captains, Byakuya Kuchiki actually felt that Erin's uncle made sense.

Perhaps, for those people named by Erin's uncle, the Bankai of their Zanpakuto is what enhances their strength the most.

However, for Byakuya, who had honed all four of the Shinigami techniques to a certain level under Erin's tutelage, the greatest boost from Bankai was perhaps the 5-10 times increase in spiritual pressure.

Whether it's advanced Kido or powerful Slashing Techniques, Hakuda possesses destructive power comparable to the Bankai of a Zanpakuto.

The powerful spiritual pressure combined with the powerful Shinigami Four Techniques can elevate a Shinigami's strength to an extremely terrifying level.

It's no exaggeration to say that our strength has doubled.

"Byakuya, even though you haven't learned much from me in the past two months, you've integrated the Four Reaper Techniques into your 'instinct' through thousands of life-or-death battles. This lays the foundation for you to train the Four Reaper Techniques to the captain level in the future."

"Throughout the history of Seireitei, everyone who has mastered the four Shinigami techniques to the captain level can achieve the Bankai of their Zanpakuto."

"However, almost none of the captains who have mastered their Zanpakuto to the Bankai level have mastered the four Shinigami techniques to the captain level."

Do you know why?

"why?"

Erin flicked his finger at the Zanpakuto in his hand: "Byakuya, the training of Zanpakuto Bankai requires materializing one's Zanpakuto and then making one's Zanpakuto submit to oneself."

"For a Shinigami who possesses Captain-level four Shinigami techniques, completing the Bankai of their Zanpakuto is not difficult at all."

"Those Shinigami who have gone through countless hardships to achieve the Bankai of their Zanpakuto suddenly possess immense power and will only explore more of their Zanpakuto's abilities. Few of them will turn around and diligently train the Four Shinigami Techniques."

"This is a matter of perception."

"Of course, it's also because they lack talent; even after hundreds of years of training in the four Death God techniques, it's difficult for them to improve."

"I understand."

Kuchiki Byakuya nodded.

"Then, Uncle Erin, what is the second round of training?"

"Hey, didn't I just say that?"

"The strength of a Shinigami is a combination of sword techniques, Shunpo (flash step), Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat), Kido (demon arts), and Zanpakuto (soul-slaying sword).

"The first stage is the training of an ordinary Shinigami, integrating the four Shinigami techniques into your instincts."

"The second stage is naturally the development and application of the Zanpakuto's abilities."

"The development and application of Zanpakuto abilities?"

Kuchiki Byakuya looked at Erin with a puzzled expression.