Chapter 33

"Puh!"

A tall figure violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then heavily crashed to the ground, the blood flowing slowly like a little stream.

It pooled on the ground into a small lake.

Earlier.

The spiritual pressure, vast as a ferocious beast, vanished without a trace; not one in ten of the strength throughout his body remained.

All that was left was a silent, fallen body on the ground, telling everyone that Kuchiki Senya had failed.

Kuchiki Senya.

One slash to defeat the enemy!.

028. Has Muguruma Kensei become a unit of measurement for combat power?

"Aken!"

A little girl's voice rang out.

A pink-haired, child-like figure—Sasakibe Chōjirō—no, wait—Yachiru Kusajishi, her face full of worry, came running over in a panic.

Glistening teardrops gathered in her eyes.

Everyone looked toward Kuchiki Kenpachi.

They saw a huge slash mark cut diagonally across his chest; flesh and bone were gone! One could even see the granulation tissue and organs inside!

A normal person.

Suffering such an injury, there was absolutely no chance of survival!

However, Kuchiki Kenpachi's chest was still rising and falling slightly—clearly, he was still breathing!

Shocked.

Stunned.

Scalp going numb.

Everyone was dumbstruck, mouths hanging wide open enough to stuff an egg in, rubbing their hair, staring fixedly at the scene in the field.

Kuchiki Senya remained calm and composed, calmly taking a swig of sake, lazily letting out a yawn.

As if everything had nothing to do with him.

Impossible!

Unbelievable!

Kuchiki Kenpachi, who had defeated a captain, was actually cut down in a single slash!

"Instant kill!"

"Is this Kuchiki Senya's true strength?"

"Even the strongest in Rukongai is no match for him!"

"You have to remember, Muguruma Kensei, a genuine captain, lost to Kuchiki Kenpachi!"

The surrounding onlookers.

Stared fixedly at Kuchiki Senya, calm and composed before the Thousand Night Pavilion, their eyes filled with awe and envy.

Originally.

Blocking Captain-General Yamamoto's Shikai in a single slash—any captain could do that; it could only be said that Kuchiki Senya absolutely possessed captain-level strength.

Even so, he could be called a genius, a once-in-a-generation genius!

But.

Now, Kuchiki Senya has proven with his own strength that his power is not limited to captain level!

He has already surpassed captain level!

"That slash…" Sitting on the grass, Kyōraku Shunsui's lazy expression faded, and his gaze toward Kuchiki Senya was filled with solemnity.

Then he sighed.

"Worthy of being the successor the Captain-General has his eye on—just how much strength has he been hiding?"

Anyone with eyes could see.

Kuchiki Senya defeating Kuchiki Kenpachi in one slash, although he used Shikai, that was definitely not his full power!

Fast.

This battle was truly too fast!

Beside them, Muguruma Kensei said nothing, his face black as the bottom of a pot, his forehead covered in dark lines.

Although the wounds on his body stung, it still couldn't compare to the chill in his heart.

Especially the surrounding onlookers: "Muguruma Kensei, a captain, lost… Kuchiki Senya's strength has surpassed captain level…"

What's going on?

Has Muguruma Kensei become a unit of measurement for combat power?

Become Kuchiki Senya's backdrop?

Thinking of this.

The corner of Muguruma Kensei's mouth twitched slightly, his body twisting like a big shrimp.

So embarrassed it was as if he'd eaten a devil pepper, his face flushing bright red.

He simply wanted to escape from here as soon as possible.

This place of sorrow.

……

"I lost."

Before the Thousand Night Pavilion.

The tall, broad-shouldered man lay on the ground, breathing heavily through his mouth, his chest heaving.

There was not the slightest hint of discouragement on Kenpachi's face; deep within his eyes, his fighting spirit instead blazed high.

Even the most grievous of wounds—

—could not crush his will to fight! On the contrary, they only made him more excited!

Although—

—the wound on his chest showed no sign of healing. A razor-sharp aura kept destroying the regeneration of his flesh and blood.

However—

—thanks to his tenacious vitality, the wound at least did not worsen.

"That slash of yours was strong." Kenpachi grinned. Beside him, Yachiru Kusajishi bustled back and forth, hurriedly bandaging him to stop the bleeding.

She was so busy she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

That slash was the most dazzling one he had ever seen—casting aside everything, leaving only the most extreme edge!

So much so that—

—even the flesh and blood on his own chest had been swallowed by the spatial rift torn open by that blade-light, vanishing without a trace!

That was a Zanpakutō capable of cleaving through space!

"The strongest Shinigami in a thousand years has been there all along."

"If you have the time, go find him to spar. Don't bother me while I'm resting."

Kuchiki Senya looked at the fighting spirit blazing before him and instantly understood what Kenpachi was thinking.

This Kenpachi—

—was born for battle, simple and straightforward in mind.

He pursued only the thrill of a fight to the utmost, with no other thoughts in his head.

His coming to challenge this time was simply because he had heard of Senya's reputation and purely wanted a fight.

Therefore—

—there was no need to kill him outright. Just teaching him a little lesson would do.

In the original work—

—Kenpachi was a berserker who grew ever stronger against stronger foes. As long as you couldn't one-shot him, you would draw out his potential, and his strength would keep climbing.

Apart from the main cast, he was also the character with the biggest hidden cheat.

If you didn't one-shot him from the start, you would surely be dragged into a bitter fight!

However—

—right now—

—he had taken Senya as his next target. How could that be allowed?