'Damn it!'
Kiganjo's face twisted in fury as he poured all his strength into his Zanpakuto, swinging it down at Kyoya with overwhelming force.
But unfortunately, just like the dozens of strikes before, Kyoya blocked it effortlessly.
The small figure standing before him, barely half his height, possessed a Reiatsu no greater than that of a typical Lieutenant, a 'mere' 4th-class Reiryoku.
However, Kyoya's physical strength was monstrous!
Kiganjo himself had always been an anomaly, possessing power far beyond that of an ordinary man.
Moreover, the difference in their spiritual pressures was like night and day.
Most Lieutenants wouldn't even survive a single slash from Kiganjo, let alone withstand his full-powered strikes reinforced by his Reiatsu.
And yet, every time their blades clashed, Kiganjo felt himself being pushed back slightly.
If not for his towering height, which allowed him to swing his sword with greater leverage, Kiganjo might have already been overpowered by now.
'This brat… truly possessed the strength to stand toe-to-toe with me!'
Boom!
Another violent collision.
This time, the ground beneath their feet finally gave way, unable to endure the force of their clash. The earth shattered, sending both Kyoya and Kiganjo flying backward from the shockwave.
"Kyoya, you little bastard… I'll admit, I underestimated you."
Kiganjo's grip on his Zanpakuto trembled slightly, his expression grim.
Even with the vast difference in their Reiatsu, Kyoya's Buccaneer bloodline had closed the gap with sheer physical might.
"But if you think this is enough to challenge me… you're even more naive than I thought!"
"Trample them, Uraushi!"
Boom!
With Kiganjo's roar, his Reiatsu surged, tripling in intensity. His Zanpakuto transformed into a massive, double-handed octagonal warhammer.
"I'll crush your delusions with a single swing!"
Leaping high into the air, Kiganjo gathered his immense Reiatsu into the hammer, causing it to glow with blinding radiance. Like a meteor descending from the heavens, he brought it crashing down upon Kyoya.
Boom!!!
The colossal hammer's shadow fell like a flaming comet, its sheer force igniting the air as if it were a falling star… determined to obliterate everything beneath it.
"Oh no! Kiganjo-sama has released his Zanpakuto! Everyone, run!"
The Shinigami spectating the battle in the training grounds paled, immediately sprinting away at top speed. Only when they were far enough to escape the shockwaves did they dare turn back to witness the clash between their Captain and Lieutenant.
This was the Kenpachi battle of the 11th Division. As members of the 11th Division, it was their duty to bear witness to this battle.
"Kyoya-sama is in trouble…"
Many of the Shinigami murmured as they watched the flaming hammer descend from the sky.
Kiganjo's Zanpakuto was a direct-combat type, and its release granted him an immense boost in physical power. Combined with the sheer weight of Uraushi, few could withstand its force.
Those who had seen Kiganjo fight in this state before claimed that even a Gillian-class Menos would be crushed in a single strike.
As for the higher-level Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde… well, Kiganjo had never encountered one yet.
Kyoya was strong, yes, but matching this form of Kiganjo in raw power was pushing it.
After all, based on the battle from two days ago, Kyoya's Zanpakuto, like former Lieutenant Ichinose was a light-type. Its Shikai couldn't possibly enhance his physical abilities as much as Kiganjo's Uraushi!
'As expected, aside from the 9th Kenpachi, none of the Captains are simple.'
Feeling the overwhelming force behind Kiganjo's strike, Kyoya's expression grew serious.
And this was just his Shikai.
If it were his Bankai, the power would likely multiply several times over.
After all, the boost a Zanpakuto's release provided to a Shinigami's Reiatsu was exponential.
Shikai could amplify a Shinigami's Reiatsu by three to five times, while also granting partial access to their Zanpakuto's abilities.
Bankai, on the other hand, could multiply it by five to ten times, allowing complete mastery over their Zanpakuto's power.
Kiganjo's Shikai had only tripled his Reiatsu, meaning his Zanpakuto's enhancement in that regard was fairly standard.
However, the true advantage of Uraushi was the sheer physical strength and weight it granted, allowing Kiganjo to rival Captains whose Zanpakuto provided a fourfold Reiatsu boost.
When Kyoraku Shunsui had spoken about the past Captains of the 11th Division, he had only skipped over Gosen Kenpachi. Kiganjo's name, at least, had been mentioned in passing.
This alone proved that, even though Kiganjo had been effortlessly slain by Zaraki, he was still a Captain deemed noteworthy by Kyoraku.
Kyoya suspected that in Kiganjo's battle against Zaraki, he had likely underestimated his opponent… so much so that he hadn't even bothered releasing his Zanpakuto.
Had Kiganjo fought seriously from the start, unleashing the same power he was displaying now, even if he still lost, Zaraki, being the battle-hungry monster he was, would have at least given him the chance to go all out.
Perhaps this was why Ichinose had never accepted Zaraki's victory.
In his eyes, had Kiganjo fought with his full strength from the beginning, Zaraki would never have won.
But what-ifs were meaningless.
Right now, the one facing Kiganjo's overwhelming might was Kyoya!
"Shine, Borsalino!"
Once Kyoya's Reiryoku had reached 6th-class and beyond, his Zanpakuto's release command had naturally evolved.
At Eighth-Class Reiryoku, he could only access a fraction of Borsalino's power, specifically, the Ama no Murakumo.
Thus, back then, his release command had been Ama-no-Murakumo.
But now, with his Reiryoku at 4th-class, he could fully utilize his Shikai, the power of the Pika Pika no Mi.
Therefore, when Kyoya released his Zanpakuto, he directly called out Borsalino's name.
Following Kyoya's call, the Zanpakuto dissolved into golden light, merging into his body and causing his entire form to radiate with a brilliant glow.
Boom!
Golden Reiatsu erupted from Kyoya, forming a towering pillar of energy.
Though it's still weaker than Kiganjo's, it was terrifying in its own right.
Kyoya clasped his hands together, then made a sword-holding gesture with his right hand, and stretched his hands out to his sides-
In that instant, a golden sword materialized between his palms, forged entirely from light.