Omniverse: The Martial Artist

Hao didn't bother trading words with the girl. He stood at the starting line, lifted his foot, and kicked off his wooden sandals, then took a deep breath.

Those standing close could clearly see Hao's chest swell dramatically—this wasn't a normal deep breath. It looked more like gasoline being pumped into an internal combustion engine!

Right after, as Hao lowered his body, the wide fabric of his uniform visibly bulged.

The other students looked on in astonishment, unable to imagine what kind of monstrous and explosive physique was hidden beneath that robe. Hao didn't look like he was preparing for an "elegant" Shunpo—more like a beast crouching to pounce!

The next moment, with a muffled boom and a cloud of dust, Hao's figure vanished.

To Aizen's eyes, Hao was like a wild beast lunging at its prey. This wasn't the Shunpo he was familiar with. From the way Hao exerted force to the way he used the stepping points, everything was off. Most notably, he was way too loud!

A harsh scraping of feet against the ground rang out, accompanied by more dust. Hao came to a stop at the next stepping point—more than halfway across the course.

Under the stunned gazes of Yoruichi, the students, and even the instructors, Hao grinned and looked at the display screen.

"2.939 seconds."

He rolled his neck, stretched, and then turned to Yoruichi.

"Looks like I won, huh?"

Yoruichi's mouth was slightly agape.

"…You… That wasn't even Shunpo!"

"You said you'd run the full distance, I'd run half, and whoever was faster wins. You never said I had to use Shunpo," Hao said with a grin.

"Besides, who says what I used wasn't Shunpo? That was Shunpo."

Everyone present—student or teacher—was speechless.

Where the hell does Shunpo make that much noise!?

From any angle, it looked like Hao had just brute-forced his way through!

But after the initial shock, a few people began to frown and think. They realized that while Hao had made a huge ruckus just now, the way he moved did follow the underlying principles of Shunpo.

He had simply sacrificed "silence" and "grace."

—

After class, Yoruichi stood in front of Hao, her expression complicated.

"A bet's a bet. What do you want to learn?"

Originally, she felt like she should be angry—especially since Hao didn't use traditional Shunpo. But her sharp eyes—and her innate talent in Shunpo—made her think twice. On closer thought, she realized that what Hao just used had genuine merit.

Hao had never learned Shunpo before, which left only one insane conclusion:

After trying it just a couple dozen times, he had created his own variation.

That was just… absurd!

Yoruichi of course knew that Shunpo wasn't the only high-speed movement technique out there. To be blunt, what the Shin'ō Academy taught was standard, mass-produced Shunpo—the basics of the basics. If one wanted to be generous, it was "classic." If not, it was "outdated."

Her own family, the Shihōin Clan, was especially proficient in both Shunpo and Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat). They had many secret techniques, including advanced forms of Shunpo, far beyond what was taught at the academy.

Those advanced Shunpo techniques had been developed by the geniuses of her family, across generations of refinement and innovation.

And now, right before her eyes, a commoner from the Rukongai had spent less than an hour creating an entirely new high-speed movement technique.

Yes—she truly believed that Hao's version was superior to standard Shunpo. At the very least, it was more suited to his body and style.

She'd agreed to the duel, and to run double the distance, only because she had mastered an advanced Shunpo herself. She thought that Hao, who had just barely started learning the basic version, stood no chance.

Not even just Hao—even the teacher of this class, the third seat of the Stealth Force, wouldn't be able to beat her in a same-level Shunpo duel.

But never in her wildest dreams did she expect this monster Hao to invent his own personalized Shunpo variant in a matter of minutes.

Yes, it was loud.

Yes, it was wild.

But in terms of pure speed, it was terrifying.

And she knew—this was only his first day learning it. That new form of Shunpo was still in its infancy. The more he practiced, the faster it would become.

It wasn't impossible for him to someday catch up to her peak.

As Yoruichi's expression kept shifting, Hao glanced at her, unsure what wild thoughts she was running through in her head. So he just stated his request directly:

"I heard about an advanced Shunpo technique called Utsusemi. Do you know it?"

"Utsusemi?"

Yoruichi frowned. "Where did you hear that name?"

Hao shrugged. "Heard someone mention it in the cafeteria during lunch. I don't remember who exactly. Why? Don't tell me… you don't know it?"

Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure whether Yoruichi actually knew Utsusemi. After all, the original story never made it clear whether the technique was a Shihōin family legacy or something Yoruichi developed later on.

If it was Yoruichi's original creation, then she might not have learned it yet.

"That's a Shunpo technique unique to our Shihōin Clan. Very few people even know the name…"

Yoruichi seemed a little conflicted. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

"I'll teach it to you during the next Shunpo class."

She was conflicted because Utsusemi was considered a high-level Shunpo technique within the Shihōin family. It wasn't exactly forbidden to teach it to outsiders—but it certainly wasn't the kind of skill they casually passed around. If Hao were from one of the Five Great Noble Houses, it'd be a different story. But Hao… was just a low-born commoner from the Rukongai.

Yoruichi was the Shihōin heir, yes—but she couldn't just make decisions like this on a whim. Still, she wasn't the type to go back on her word either. She'd just have to argue with the old men back home later.

Having settled the reward for their bet, Hao was in a pretty good mood. He headed to the cafeteria with Aizen for a proper meal.

"Hey, Hao," Aizen asked curiously as they sat at the table, "that Shunpo you used earlier… you came up with that on the spot?"

Today, Hao had once again reshaped Aizen's understanding of talent.

He already knew Hao was a genius, but to think he could create his own Shunpo variant on his very first day learning it?

"I just made a few small adjustments based on my own condition," Hao replied after swallowing a mouthful of rice. "Why? You wanna learn it, Sōsuke?"

"I'll pass," Aizen replied, lips twitching ever so slightly. "I think I'll stick with standard Shunpo."

That thundering, ground-shaking version? No thank you. It went completely against his quiet and discreet style.

As Hao continued scarfing down his food, he was also deep in thought.

He knew himself well—truth be told, the Shunpo he "created" wasn't some high-tier movement art.

He'd simply ditched the stealth and elegance that traditional Shunpo focused on, and concentrated everything on maximizing speed. From his point of view, there was no need for sneak attacks or silent approaches in battle.

Fighting meant charging head-on. Crushing the enemy in a straight-up brawl.

Stealth? Silence?

What for?

"Oh, by the way," Aizen said after finishing his meal, "I won't be joining you for the first class this afternoon."

°°°

Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!

Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction

I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.