Chapter 7

Seireitei.

The 11th Division, the barracks of the combat‑specialized unit.

In the swordsmanship dojo with wooden flooring, the Shinigami clad in shihakushō continuously waved their wooden swords while shouting the chant "Hey‑ho! Hey‑ho!"

As the 11th Division, the most combat‑adept of the Court Guard Squads, its members spend every day either training in the dojo or fighting.

According to the 11th Division members themselves, from the moment they wake each day from sleep and open their weary eyes, they are already prepared to slaughter the enemy.

And leading such a division, a veritable killing machine, is naturally no simple task!

That woman, who serves as captain of the 11th Division, is none other than the strongest Shinigami in the Court Guard Squads aside from Captain‑Commander Yamamoto, bearing the title of "Kenpachi"—Unohana Yachiru.

At this moment, the woman who subdues all sword schools of Soul Society with merely a single blade in her hand stares expressionlessly at the training of the 11th Division members in the dojo.

Her face is cold, devoid of joy or sorrow; the drills of the 11th Division cannot stir even a ripple in the icy, steadfast heart of this woman who craves battle and carnage.

However, at the very moment this woman, who stands at the pinnacle of Soul Society's swordsmanship, believes her utterly dull life will continue forever, an uninvited guest has already arrived outside the barracks of the 11th Division.

"Is this the 11th Division?"

The visitor is naturally Araki; standing outside the 11th Division's barracks, he eyes the somewhat shabby-looking building compared to other divisions' quarters and smiles faintly.

"Just standing outside the barracks, I can feel the immense, uncontainable spiritual pressure of Captain Kenpachi inside."

"Is this the first Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru? How terrifying~"

Araki harbors no prejudice toward the 11th Division merely because its quarters are humble.

After all, a mountain need not be high to have an immortal's fame, nor water deep to harbor a dragon's spirit…

Araki didn't come to the 11th Division to inspect the building; he came for the person inside—the division's boss, Unohana Yachiru.

"Huh?"

Meanwhile, Unohana Yachiru, standing in the dojo with both hands on her sword, overseeing the members' training, seemed to sense something; she slightly lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing as she gazed toward the outside of the 11th Division's barracks, lost in thought.

"Strong!"

After a moment, Unohana Yachiru's lips twitched upward as she softly uttered two simple words—words of immense significance! After all, throughout the Court Guard Squads, there are hardly any whom she would call "strong".

Meanwhile…

The Araki who had been standing outside the barracks now strode boldly and without concealment into the 11th Division's quarters.

Araki today came to cause a scene, to flex his muscles before the bigwigs of Soul Society, and also to inform his master—who will soon go bald—that Araki, holder of the Genryu Menkyo Kaiden, has returned.

Naturally, there's no reason to hide his presence; he might as well stir up trouble and make a big fuss~

Let the whole Seireitei know that today the master of the 11th Division has changed.

"Hey! Who are you? Dare you intrude into the 11th Division's barracks?"

Because Araki made no effort to conceal himself, the patrolling 11th Division members in black shihakushō, gripping their zanpakutō, immediately noticed him and surrounded him in a ring.

"Who I am doesn't matter; what matters is why I've come to your 11th Division's barracks."

"I happen to be itching for a fight, so I came specifically to learn from the blade in Unohana Yachiru's hands."

"I've heard her sword is fast—I wonder if it can match my speed."

Araki made no attempt to hide his intentions, openly telling the black‑clad soldiers who had encircled him.

"Insolent! Who gave you the right to address Captain Unohana by name?"

"You, a nobody, dare say you want to learn from Captain Unohana's sword? Utterly absurd! Shameless! Senseless!"

"You insignificant wretch, stop spouting nonsense here! Do you even know who Captain Unohana is?"

"Captain Unohana is the current foremost swordsman of Soul Society—how could someone like you dare challenge her at will?"

"If you wish to challenge Captain Unohana, you must first get past us! If you can't even defeat us, you're not worthy to stand before her."

As Araki's words fell, an uproar erupted among the 11th Division members! They could not tolerate this unknown brat directly uttering the name of their admired captain, Unohana, nor could they accept this nobody spouting mad boasts about learning Unohana's swordsmanship.

"The best swordsman? I doubt it."

Hearing the 11th Division members' praise of Unohana Yachiru, Araki lightly shook his head.

"Hah?! You bastard, stop trying to win favor here! The title of Soul Society's top swordsman held by Captain Unohana is even acknowledged by Captain‑Commander Yamamoto! Why do you, a nobody, refuse to accept it?"

Upon hearing Araki's words, the 11th Division members flared with rage; they had never encountered such a brazen, shameless fool.

"Heh…"

Araki listened as those soldiers invoked his master's name, 'Genryūsai,' and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

"Just because Old Man Yamamoto says something doesn't make it true—I doubt it as well."

"As for Unohana Yachiru's claim to be Soul Society's foremost swordsman, since she hasn't even crossed blades with me, what right does she have to the title of strongest?"

Araki spoke in an extraordinarily calm tone, addressing the members lightly. It seemed he wasn't uttering wild boasts; he was merely stating a fact in all composure.

"Arrogant! You don't even hold Captain‑Commander Yamamoto in regard!"

"Everyone, stop wasting words on this madman—I'd bet he's just here to cause trouble. Let's seize him and send him to the Detention Unit so he pays for his rash talk."

"Alright!!"

As Araki's words landed, the 11th Division members were utterly shocked; they had never seen anyone so arrogant as to dare question Captain‑Commander Yamamoto's statements!

With Araki's repeated outrage pouring from his mouth, the 11th Division members could no longer bear it; they all drew their zanpakutō from their waists, intent on giving him a lesson he'd never forget.

"Hold it!"

Araki looked at the crowd drawing their swords and sighed helplessly.

"You finally know fear now? Too late!"

Upon hearing Araki's words, the Shinigami troops finally showed a glint of excitement.

"You've misunderstood me; even for me, trying to step on an ant without harming it requires a level of control that's hard to master…"

Beneath Araki's expressionless visage, a hint of sentiment finally surfaced.

At first hearing, I didn't grasp the meaning of those words, but in a flash they had already left his lips.

"…"

Silence! As Huang Mu's words fell, the entire barracks of the Court Guard Eleventh Division became unusually quiet.

"Damn it! We've come to this point, and you're still spouting nonsense!"

Who knows who suddenly let out a loud shout, finally breaking this silence.

Following that, the squad members' faces flushed with anger; at this moment, the members of the Court Guard Eleventh Division finally became enraged, and they intended to use the swords in their hands to make Huang Mu feel their wrath.

"Go die! You vile madman!"

Who knows who threw the first strike; under the blade light of the leader, one after another silver blade light slashed toward Huang Mu.

"Swish!"

For a moment, the blade lights were like snow, filling the space between heaven and earth.

However, when the blade lights from all over the sky fell, Huang Mu remained unharmed, standing at the very center surrounded by everyone.

"How is that possible?!"

As for the Soul Reaper squad members surrounding Huang Mu, at this moment their eyes were filled only with bewilderment and despair.

"Pop..."

"I saw that each and every Soul Reaper squad member who had surrounded Huang Mu, when they drew their Soul-Cutting Swords from their waists and aimed at Huang Mu, preparing to strike, the blades in their hands shattered like snowflakes, drifting down to the ground......"

At the same time, each squad member's chest burst open with an extraordinarily brilliant and vivid 'blood-red rose'.

"Thud, thud, thud......"

As the sounds of bodies hitting the ground rang out, in just a moment the entire vast courtyard of the Court Guard Eleventh Division's barracks was left with only Huang Mu standing alone in the center.

At this moment, Huang Mu's expression was calm, just as it had been when he first entered the gates of the Eleventh Division's barracks, wearing a white robe purer than snow, unstained by a speck of dust.

"As I said, wanting to step over ants without harming them, this amount of force is hard to master."

Huang Mu gazed at the fallen squad members scattered across the ground, his expression indifferent, muttering to himself.

"Crack~"

Just then, the gates of the Court Guard Eleventh Division's swordsmanship training hall suddenly flung open; the squad members who had just finished their daily training poured out in a black mass, glaring murderously at Huang Mu.

Behind the line of squad members filing out stood a woman likewise dressed in white, with long black hair like ink! However, the white garment she wore was the white haori symbolizing the status of captain of the Court Guard Thirteenth Division......

At this moment, the captain revered by countless members of the Court Guard Eleventh Division was gazing into the distance at the lone figure—Huang Mu standing alone in the courtyard of the Court Guard Eleventh Division, where every blade of grass and tree was an enemy.

"Finally I have found an opponent worthy of a battle with me~"

"I hope you can fully satisfy my thirst for battle~"

The woman smelled the bloodiness in the courtyard, lightly licking her pale red lips, then turned toward Huang Mu's direction and revealed a somewhat twisted, sickly smile.

"Thanks to reader Mu Nanmao for the 1500 reward~ I will work even harder! Also, during the new book period we have to wait for recommendation slots, so we must control the update speed; after it goes live we will release bursts of updates!"

(End of chapter)