Chapter 259: Conclusion
"Eeeeveryone stooooop fighting~!" exclaimed Tiamat, her cheerful voice carrying across the battlefield, interrupting the remaining battles as she revealed, "Kyoraku-taichou of Team Gotei has forfeited, so the Dragon's Pavilion are the winners of today's inaugural Rating Game! Good work to the participants on both sides! I can't wait to see how everyone improves before the next~!"
Hearing Tiamat's announcement, Byakuya internally breathed a sigh of relief. His expression was still stoic, hardly changing throughout his bout with Yamato, Ravel, Asia, Frieren, Robin, and the newly arrived Issei, but his breathing was somewhat labored, and despite the pervasive chill that had permeated the area, he was sweating.
"Oh? The Rating Game is over...?" asked Yamato, resting her kanabo on her shoulder before smiling broadly and chiming, "Well fought, Kuchiki-taichou! Next time, let's enjoy a proper one-on-one!"
"If the opportunity presents..." responded Byakuya, closing his eyes and using Shunpo to vanish before the conversation could continue. Yamato puffed her cheeks at this, mildly annoyed by Byakuya's abrupt exit, but only briefly, as she had allies to celebrate with...
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"They pulled one over on us..." hummed Vahn, realizing what the Soul Society had done even without Venelana, Sona, or Ravel laying things out for him.
"Aw, poop. And I was really looking forward to showing everyone what I could do..." pouted Serafall, followed by a cutesy snort. She wasn't truly upset, but that didn't stop her from fishing for attention.
"Next time, for certain..." affirmed Vahn, pulling Serafall from his thigh to his lap to embrace her from behind and bury the lower half of his face into her silky, flowery-fragranced hair—reminiscent of lavender. Unlike her, he was moderately irritated that he didn't get to display his power, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel proud. He had expected his team to do their best but eventually be eliminated by Captains like Kenpachi and Byakuya. Instead, everyone went above and beyond, securing an almost one-sided victory that merited many, many rewards...
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