Luke had no intention of trading barbs with a little girl. He stepped onto the starting line, kicked off his wooden clogs, and took a deep breath.
The students standing nearby could clearly see his chest swell high—but it was nothing like a normal deep breath. It felt more like gasoline flooding into an engine.
Then, as Luke lowered his stance, obvious bulges rose beneath his loose training robes.
The students stared at him in shock. It was hard to imagine just how savage and violent the body beneath those robes had become. Luke did not look like he was about to perform an elegant Flash Step. He looked like a beast about to pounce on its prey.
In the next instant, a heavy boom rang out and dust blasted into the air.
Luke vanished.
To Sosuke Aizen, Luke looked like a predator launching itself at its quarry. This was nothing like the Flash Step he knew. The way Luke generated power, the way he leveraged his footholds—none of it quite matched conventional Flash Step.
Most importantly, Luke was far too loud.
A violent scrape of feet against the ground followed. Through the swirling dust, Luke came to a stop at the next marker just past the halfway point.
Under the stunned gazes of Yoruichi, the students, and even the instructor, he flashed a grin and looked at the large screen.
2.939 seconds.
He rolled his neck before turning toward Yoruichi.
"Looks like I won, right?"
Yoruichi's mouth hung slightly open.
"...You... That wasn't Flash Step at all!"
"You only said you would run the full course and I'd run half. Whoever took less time would win. You never said I had to use Flash Step."
Luke grinned.
"Besides, who says that wasn't Flash Step? It was Flash Step."
Everyone present, teachers and students alike, was speechless. What kind of Flash Step made that much noise?
That had clearly been a brute-force charge, hadn't it?!
Yet after their initial shock, a few people began frowning thoughtfully. Luke's movement had indeed been thunderous, but it was undeniably a footwork technique built on Flash Step's principles.
He had simply discarded its silence and elegance.
After class, Yoruichi stood before Luke with a complicated expression.
"A bet is a bet. Tell me—what do you want to learn?"
She should have been furious about losing, especially since Luke had not used Flash Step in the traditional sense. But Yoruichi had an excellent eye, and her talent in Flash Step was nearly unmatched. After giving it some thought, she realized that Luke's version of Flash Step had plenty of merit.
Luke had never learned Flash Step before today. That left only one insane conclusion: after encountering Flash Step for the first time and trying it barely more than twenty times, he had created an entirely new form of footwork.
That was just completely ridiculous.
Yoruichi knew Flash Step was not the only high-speed movement technique. In fact, Shin'o Academy only taught students mass-market basics. The Flash Step taught here was basic even among basics. Calling it "classic Flash Step" sounded nice, but the harsher truth was that it was outdated Flash Step.
The Shihouin Clan excelled in Flash Step and hand-to-hand combat, and possessed many secret techniques for both. The advanced Flash Step techniques they possessed were in a completely different league from what Shin'o Academy taught.
Those so-called advanced Flash Steps had been created through generations of wisdom, accumulated by the clan's gifted predecessors.
And today, she had witnessed a new kind of advanced Flash Step—one invented by a Rukongai drifter in less than an hour.
Yes, Yoruichi considered Luke's footwork superior to ordinary Flash Step. At the very least, it suited Luke himself far better.
She had dared to challenge him while taking twice the distance because she possessed advanced Flash Step techniques. She had been certain that Luke, who had only just learned ordinary Flash Step, could never beat her.
Forget Luke. Even if the class instructor, the Third Seat of the Onmitsukidō, competed against her in Flash Step with equal spiritual pressure and over the same distance, she would still win.
But she never could have imagined that this freak would create a Flash Step tailored to himself in such a short time. It was loud, sure, but in terms of pure speed, it was incredibly fast.
And Yoruichi understood that Luke had only encountered Flash Step today, and this new Flash Step had only just been created. With more practice, he would only become faster. It was not impossible for him to eventually catch up to her at her peak.
Luke watched Yoruichi's ever-changing expression, unable to guess what she was thinking, so he simply made his request.
"I've heard of an advanced Flash Step technique called [Utsusemi]. Do you know it?"
"[Utsusemi]?"
Yoruichi frowned.
"Where did you hear that name?"
Luke shrugged.
"I heard someone mention it in the cafeteria while I was eating. I don't remember who said it. What, don't tell me you can't use it?"
He genuinely was not sure whether Yoruichi knew [Utsusemi]. The original story had never made clear whether it was a Shihouin Clan technique or something Yoruichi created later on.
If Yoruichi had invented it herself, she might not know it yet.
"It's a Flash Step technique of the Shihouin Clan. Very few people even know that name..."
Yoruichi seemed conflicted. After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"I'll teach you during our next Flash Step class."
She hesitated because [Utsusemi] was considered an elite Flash Step technique even within the Shihouin Clan. It was not strictly forbidden from being taught outside the family, but it was certainly not something to casually pass on to an outsider. If Luke had belonged to one of the Five Great Noble Clans, it would have been easier. But he was merely a lowborn drifter from Rukongai.
She might be the Shihouin Clan's heir, but she could not make such a decision on her own. Still, she could not bring herself to welch on a bet. She would just have to go home and wage war with those old men.
With the reward for his victory settled, Luke was in a good mood. He headed to the cafeteria with Sosuke Aizen to get some food.
"Luke, did you come up with that Flash Step on the spot?"
At the table, Aizen looked at Luke curiously. Luke had completely shattered his expectations once again today.
Aizen knew Luke was talented, but he had not expected him to create his own personal Flash Step the very first time he encountered the technique.
"I just made a few minor adjustments based on my own situation. What, Sosuke? Want to learn it?"
Luke swallowed a mouthful of rice and smiled.
"I'll teach you."
The corner of Aizen's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"I think I'll stick to practicing ordinary Flash Step."
He would pass on a technique that moved with the thunderous roar of a charging beast. It did not suit his low-profile style at all.
As Luke ate, he reflected on the matter. He knew his own technique better than anyone. The Flash Step he had created did not really qualify as some advanced technique.
He had merely thrown out the conventional Flash Step techniques intended to keep it quiet and subtle, focusing entirely on increasing speed. In his view, he would never be the type to ambush or assassinate enemies anyway.
Combat meant crushing your opponent head-on.
Silence? Keeping the noise down? Why bother?
"Oh, right. I won't be joining you for the first class this afternoon."
After finishing his meal, Aizen spoke.
——————
The novel has not been promoted yet, so I need to keep the word count under control. For the next few days, there will only be two chapters a day.
But please keep up with the latest chapters and leave comments. Early-release data is incredibly important, and I don't want this new book to die before it gets going. T_T
Once it gets promoted, I'll increase the updates as appropriate. Please support it!
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