"Sigh..."
Hearing this, the surrounding Shinigami all shook their heads and sighed.
They were quite fond of Kyoya.
Though Kyoya was young, his way of doing things suited their tastes.
Especially the fact that Kyoya had fought seventeen consecutive battles just two days ago, forcefully claiming the position of Lieutenant in the 11th Division, which had earned him a large group of supporters.
Now, Kyoya's presence here confirmed the challenge.
Kiganjo would never let this opportunity slip.
All they could hope for now was that Kyoya was strong enough to survive the battle against Kiganjo.
As for hoping that Captain Kiganjo might show mercy and spare Kyoya… anyone who knew Kiganjo's personality understood that such a thought was pure delusion.
"Kiganjo-sama is here!"
A Shinigami at the training ground's entrance exclaimed loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
Under their collective gaze, the towering figure of Kiganjo Kenpachi appeared at the entrance.
Standing nearly three meters tall, his massive frame nearly blocked the entire doorway.
"Captain Kiganjo!"
"Kiganjo-sama!"
As Kiganjo made his entrance, everyone in the training ground bowed in respect.
Even Kyoya was no exception.
This wasn't respect for Kiganjo as a person, but rather for his position as a Captain of the Gotei 13 and the title of Kenpachi.
"Hahahaha-"
"Kyoya kid, I heard you're planning to challenge me?"
Boom!
Kiganjo glared at Kyoya with a dark expression, his overwhelming Reiatsu erupting like a storm.
Though Kiganjo Kenpachi was wary of Kyoya deep down, hence why he had proposed a 'five-year promise' after Kyoya defeated Ichinose Makoto two days ago, that wariness was directed at 'future Kyoya'.
The current Kyoya, in Kiganjo's eyes, was still far too green.
Suddenly hearing that Kyoya intended to challenge him, Kiganjo felt both joy at finally being able to eliminate this nuisance and fury at the perceived insult to his pride.
A mere brat who had just graduated from the Shin'o Academy dared to challenge him directly?
"Do you have any idea how little you think of me?!"
The Reiatsu condensed by the 3rd-class Reiryoku directly condensed into a towering pillar, its oppressive force causing the Shinigami around Kiganjo to turn red-faced, struggling to breathe as they scrambled backward.
When a captain-level figure unleashed their Reiatsu, even lieutenants with 5th-class Reiryoku would feel discomfort, let alone seated officers with 6th-class Reiryoku or ordinary squad members with 8th-class Reiryoku.
Only after retreating over a hundred meters did they finally recover.
Now, their gazes toward Kiganjo were filled with fear.
This was the power of a Captain, standing at the pinnacle of the Gotei 13...
At the same time, they looked at Kyoya with pity.
If they, who are standing so far away, were affected this badly, how could Kyoya, who is facing Kiganjo directly, possibly move under such pressure?
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Kyoya's performance was far better than theirs.
When the future 3rd Division's Captain, Ichimaru Gin and 10th Division's Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro fought, 3rd Division's Lieutenant, Kira Izuru was ordered by Hitsugaya to retreat three kilometers away, as Hitsugaya couldn't guarantee his Reiatsu wouldn't harm him.
However, what Kyoya possessed at this moment was not just 4th-class Reiryoku, but also a body with thirty times the strength of an ordinary person!
With these two combined, Kenpachi's Reiatsu, while not as light as a breeze to Kyoya, had little effect on him.
"Ah, my apologies, Captain Kiganjo."
Kyoya drew the Zanpakuto at his waist and pointed it at Kiganjo: "If you believe I'm underestimating you, then prove it to me with your sword."
"Otherwise, everything you're saying right now is nothing more than the barking of a dog to me."
"Arrogant brat!!!"
With a furious roar, Kiganjo's figure vanished, reappearing right in front of Kyoya as his Zanpakuto came slashing down.
Though Kyoya's words were filled with disdain for Kiganjo, in actual combat, Kyoya would never truly underestimate him.
After all, Kiganjo was still a Captain-level fighter who had mastered Bankai.
His strength, even if somewhat inferior to other Captains, is certainly no weaker than that of the future 11th Division's third seat, Ikkaku Madarame.
Therefore, Kyoya's Observation Haki had been active from the very beginning.
This attack from Kiganjo was naturally detected by Kyoya's Observation Haki.
Swinging his sword horizontally, Kyoya's Zanpakuto clashed with Kiganjo's. The massive difference in their physiques meant that when their blades collided, Kiganjo's sword pressed downward while Kyoya's was forced upward.
Boom!
A visible shockwave erupted from the point of impact between Kyoya and Kiganjo's Zanpakutos. The ground beneath them caved in, and countless cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.
"So strong!"
Fortunately, Kiganjo had previously released his Reiatsu, forcing the observing Shinigami to retreat far back. Otherwise, the shockwave from this clash alone would have injured many of them.
Yet, even without casualties, witnessing the sheer destructive force of Kyoya and Kiganjo's battle filled the onlookers with awe and longing.
"Not just Kiganjo-sama… even Kyoya-sama possesses such power?"
"So the rumors from yesterday… might have actually been spread by Kyoya-sama himself?"
"Kyoya-sama truly has the strength to challenge Kiganjo-sama…"
"I knew it..."
Watching the two figures fiercely exchanging blows, Suzuki's eyes burned with fervent passion.
He had known all along… what he saw yesterday wasn't Kyoya's full strength.
'This time, I had gambled correctly!'
'If I could earn Kyoya-sama's favor in the future, then those who had once bullied me would never dare to act arrogantly in front of me again.'
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kyoya and Kiganjo's battle was straightforward and brutal.
Both adopted the simplest, yet most effective combat method… pure, unrelenting force!
They swung their Zanpakuto with all their might, each strike aimed at cutting the other down.
Every clash of their Zanpakutos unleashed deafening explosions, shockwaves rippling outward and ravaging the surroundings.