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The carnival lasted a long time before it slowly came to an end. The other squads never stepped forward to interrupt. They understood. To die and return to life—this kind of miracle was worth celebrating.
Only when the joy began to settle did the captains approach with their teams. The crowd parted as the captains appeared, the expressions on every face still glowing with excitement and joy.
"Sui-Feng and Captain Kyoraku are both seriously injured," Unohana Retsu reported calmly, "but not life-threatening."
The captains collectively let out a breath. They'd suspected as much—but confirmation still brought relief.
Yamamoto nodded, then turned toward the boy surrounded by a throng of people. "Su Li, that Vasto Lorde..."
"I've already been killed by the vice-captain!! Captain-Commander!! One punch!! Just one punch!! It went 'poof'—gone!!" Omaeda couldn't hold it in and jumped out, shouting excitedly.
Everyone's expression changed. They had expected the Hollow to be dead—but hearing it described like that... disbelief spread through the group.
Even Yamamoto's normally steady face twitched in shock. He stepped forward unconsciously. "Su Li, is that true?"
Omaeda was known for exaggeration—he wanted to hear it from Su Li himself.
Su Li glanced bitterly at Omaeda. "…This…"
"Captain-Commander, I can testify. Mr. Omaeda is telling the truth," Ise Nanao stepped out firmly.
"I can too!! He's not lying this time!!" another added.
"And me!! I saw the Menos Grande get wiped out with my own eyes!!"
"Yes!! All of us!! We all saw it!!"
The voices of Second Division and Eighth Division members rose up, filled with passion. Yamamoto watched the outpouring, expression unreadable.
"Quiet!!" Sasakibe barked, his voice booming with authority. Silence returned.
"Su Li," Yamamoto looked kindly at him, "I want to hear it from you. Is it true? Did you really punch the Vasto Lorde to death?"
Every captain leaned forward, expectant. Even Aizen adjusted his glasses, the reflection hiding his expression. Every eye turned to Su Li.
The young man slowly raised his hand—then suddenly covered his face.
"Teacher!! You finally came!! I was almost killed!!"
Su Li burst into tears.
"You don't understand! This guy was insane!! He was going to kill me!!"
"I threw everything I had at him—I thought I was going to die!!"
"I was scared! I panicked! I thought I'd never see you again!!"
"I almost died out there, Teacher!! Waaaah!!"
The entire Second and Eighth Division froze.
Was this some kind of hallucination?
He was afraid?
Panicked?
Are you kidding?
He was the one dominating! He crushed that thing! It was the Hollow that was terrified!
Everyone else, including Yamamoto, was stunned speechless.
Su Li ignored them and kept acting.
"And then… I don't know, the guy just went berserk... and exploded! Boom! Probably defective or something…"
"I was terrified! But somehow survived… whew…"
He clutched his chest and panted like a man who'd narrowly escaped death.
The scene was so absurd, the onlookers were stunned.
Omaeda looked like his soul had left his body.
Worst. Acting. Ever.
But the other teams, who hadn't been present during the battle, looked thoughtful.
"Maybe he did just get lucky…"
Yamamoto nodded slowly. "Surviving a Vasto Lorde's rampage… that in itself is a feat."
The other captains followed his lead, crediting Su Li's survival to fortune.
Only Aizen, behind the crowd, remained unreadable, though a glint in his glasses hinted at deeper thoughts.
Su Li, watching him from the corner of his eye, smirked inwardly.
The whole performance was for Aizen.
He wanted Aizen to assume the Vasto Lorde exploded due to experimental instability. A misjudgment in Su Li's power could be a valuable weapon.
Keep thinking it was your creation that failed, Aizen.
You're clever—but I'll kill you with that cleverness.
As others accepted Su Li's humble version of events, members of the Second and Eighth Divisions became frantic.
No! This guy's lying! You're all being fooled!
We were there! We saw everything!
Omaeda was about to shout the truth when he felt someone grab his wrist.
He turned and met Ise Nanao's calm, serious gaze.
She shook her head subtly.
Omaeda froze, then nodded.
She was smarter than him. If she signaled silence, there must be a reason.
The two exchanged glances, and the rest of the Second and Eighth Division followed suit, falling silent.
"Even if the Vasto Lorde died by self-destruction," Unohana said with her usual warm tone, "the fact that you fought it head-on without injury, Vice-Captain Su Li… is remarkable."
"Yes, yes," Shiba Isshin agreed, grinning. "And you're so young. What a monster of a genius!"
"Even a genius like me is nothing in front of Vice-Captain Su Li," Ichimaru Gin smiled slyly, voice unreadable as ever.
"In my opinion, Vice-Captain Su Li is already the strongest among us," Aizen added smoothly, his face perfectly composed.
"The strongest vice-captain, huh? Sounds fun…" Zaraki Kenpachi's grin split his face.
"Kid, fight me. Beat me, and I'll let you become the strongest captain instead! What do you say?"
Zaraki laughed wildly, bloodlust in his eyes.
"Oi! You can't decide that! Captain-Commander hasn't spoken yet!" Sasakibe snapped.
Kenpachi's laughter stopped abruptly. "Right… forgot about the big guy…"
"The strongest vice-captain…" Yamamoto echoed. He looked at Su Li, his expression softening. "This old man agrees."
The crowd went still.
It was one thing to hear it from other captains.
But when Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto—the Captain-Commander—said it…
It became truth.
Su Li.
A sixteen-year-old graduate.
Now recognized by the highest authority in the Soul Society.
The title of "Strongest Vice-Captain"… was well-earned.
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