The blood filled the air like a torrential river, spreading with overwhelming force across the Hueco Mundo desert.
One moment, Hueco Mundo was still under the bright moonlight, mercury pouring down onto the sands.
The next moment, it became a desert saturated in blood, rivers of crimson surging upward into the sky.
"Minazuki!"
Accompanied by a scalp-numbing groan, the river of blood covering the desert suddenly surged skyward, as if to drown the two moons hanging in the night sky.
It almost succeeded, but in the end, it merely stained them crimson, transforming both bright moons into blood-red moons.
For several kilometers—and even farther—every inch of air was saturated with this blood-red Reiatsu.
This was the First Generation Kenpachi, completely unrestrained.
And here in Hueco Mundo, where souls are far denser than in the Soul Society, her Bankai's sheer force was exponentially greater than it would be in the Seireitei or the human world.
Just as the Sixth Espada, Grimmjow—though still an Adjuchas at the time—could unleash a massive Reiatsu storm upon Resurrección in this desert, and as the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra, could make Reiatsu rain fall from the heavens…
Here, the scale was even more immense.
When the top three Espada died in the human world, their presence felt weaker—not because they were weaker than Grimmjow or Ulquiorra, but because of the lower spiritual concentration outside Hueco Mundo.
Hollow, Shinigami, Quincy—any of them would find their powers enhanced here.
It was true during Aizen's war, when Adjuchas-class Grimmjow and Ulquiorra showed their might.
And it was even truer for Unohana Yachiru—the First Generation Kenpachi—one of the greatest combatants in Gotei 13 history.
"Not limited to kendo," she declared.
"This time, I'll use all my Reiatsu, all the power of my Zanpakutō, and every technique I possess. Aiyan… come and satisfy me. I want you to satisfy me completely!"
Unlike the pure kendo duel at the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy a year ago, Unohana Yachiru had no reservations now.
Her Reiatsu was fully unleashed.
Her Bankai—fully released.
Her sword—completely committed.
And her terrifying battle skills and instincts, forged over thousands of years in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, were now on full display.
In every regard, she surpassed even Furuoki Otagawa, another First Generation captain wielding the second-strongest heat-type Zanpakutō.
"Close your eyes, and you see darkness. Open your eyes, and you see light and shadow."
For the first time, Aiyan spoke the release phrase he had never uttered before.
This was the form Aizen had long wanted to witness.
As the release phrase and Shikai name were spoken, two beams of light burst from behind Aiyan, shooting into the heavens.
One was blinding gold, radiant and scorching.
The other was pure black, deep and infinite.
These twin pillars of Reiatsu—one gold, one black—rose into the sky like colossal supports, dividing Hueco Mundo's night into two halves: one of light, one of darkness.
It was only Shikai, yet its spiritual pressure was vast as an ocean—greater even than Unohana Yachiru's Bankai.
With a flash, two Zanpakutō—one golden, one black—descended along the pillars of light and shadow, resting at Aiyan's sides like loyal guardians.
Snap.
He took them in hand—the golden Shining Kōfūin in his right, the black Dark Kōfūin in his left.
"Is this… the first and strongest light-and-dark Zanpakutō in Soul Society's history?"
"I thought light and darkness were united as one… but they're actually a pair of blades."
"It's terrifying—two Zanpakutō, each embodying the peak of its element."
Unohana's expression became sharp.
Two thousand years ago, she had challenged Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, wielder of Ryūjin Jakka, the strongest heat-type Zanpakutō.
But he had only one blade.
Aiyan held two—one the most powerful dark-type Zanpakutō, the other the most powerful light-type.
If the wielder were weak, like a young Hitsugaya Tōshirō, then the weapon's potential would be wasted.
But Aiyan was no weakling. He was at least the equal of Yamamoto—perhaps greater.
The Stronger Zanpakutō. The Stronger Shinigami.
The combination was terrifying.
"You should be proud, Unohana," Aiyan said.
"In all of Soul Society, you're the first and only Shinigami to see this form of Kōfūin."
He swung the golden blade gently, testing the edge of its full Shikai form.
Crack!
The released sword pressure exploded outward, slicing the desert cleanly for hundreds of meters.
The cut was so precise it was as though it had been polished countless times.
"This… is what I want."
Unohana's blood boiled. She leapt forward, bursting from the wave of blood-colored Reiatsu, and in an instant appeared before Aiyan, her blade descending.
Her usual kindness was gone, replaced by cold indifference to all life.
Her strike was icy, her gaze colder still.
Aiyan didn't evade. He waited for her attack, then raised his twin swords to meet it.
When the blades collided, there was no metallic ring—only the deafening sound of mountains shattering.
It was as if two dragons were wrestling in the heavens.
The ground beneath them cracked open like a dried riverbed, exploding in all directions. Sand flew upward, only to be obliterated by the crushing sword pressure.
In one instant, the battlefield was chaos—blood, sand, and darkness swirling together.
In the next, a roaring wind cleared it all away.
Shh!
Unohana was undeterred. From her left sleeve, a short sword flew forth—already wreathed in bloodlight. As it extended, the blade seemed to grow, just like Ichimaru Gin's Shinsō, until the bloody sword-light shot directly for Aiyan's left heart.
"Minazuki—Dark Sword!"
Her strike was a lethal combination of Bankai and kendo, honed through years of killing Zaraki Kenpachi again and again, reviving him each time to push him further—never killing for its own sake, but to draw out his strength.
This was Unohana Yachiru not as the Fourth Division captain, but as the most feared killer in Soul Society's history.
Tch.
Just when it seemed Aiyan would be struck, his left chest dissolved into photons, dispersing into empty space so the deadly sword-light passed harmlessly through.
At the same instant, the golden blade in his right hand was pressed to Unohana's heart.
"Shōmei Strike."
...
If you enjoyed this book, don't forget to vote with a Power Stone and take a few seconds to leave a review
Join my P@treon for advance chapters and special content!
[email protected]/Ren_Saga