"Zaraki Kenpachi…"
With her black hair cascading over both shoulders, Retsu Unohana's eyes brimmed with a bloodthirsty aura, her lips curling into a chilling smirk, as if signaling…
She was about to slaughter Zaraki Kenpachi!
"Hah… what a fierce glare!!!"
After a mere three seconds of hesitation, Zaraki Kenpachi snapped out of the shock from Unohana's drastic transformation.
As always, he was thrilled!
Brandishing his Zanpakutō, he pointed its sharp tip at Unohana, taunting, "Come on! Let's have a real fight!"
"First Kenpachi or Eleventh Kenpachi, the winner walks away, the loser stays—forever trapped in this Muken hell!"
"You've been itching for this too, haven't you?"
"First Kenpachi… Yachiru Unohana!"
---
Through the broadcast of the ranking video, Zaraki's words reverberated across every corner of the Soul Society, triggering yet another seismic uproar!
"Nani?!!!"
"It's… it's really Captain Unohana?!"
"No way! Someone as gentle as Captain Unohana could never be the brutal First Kenpachi!"
"I… I can't accept this!"
The entire Soul Society was in shock!
Except for the Captain-Commander, Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, and a few others, the Seireitei and the broader Soul Society were filled with incredulous gasps.
For many, their entire worldview shattered in that moment!
The stark contrast between Unohana's chilling, malevolent aura and her usual gentle, refined demeanor left countless jaws on the floor!
---
Eleventh Division
"Masaka!!!"
"What an absurd truth! It's impossible to accept!!!"
Before the transparent screen, which zoomed in on Unohana's face with crystal clarity, Madarame Ikkaku let out a hysterical cry.
His eyes nearly popped out from shock at the scene before him.
What was going on?!
In the hearts of countless Shinigami, Unohana radiated maternal warmth, having saved lives for centuries. How could she be the First Kenpachi?!
How could she be the unprecedented villain of legend?!
Even with the truth staring him in the face, confirmed by the future Captain Zaraki himself, Ikkaku still couldn't believe it.
His mind went blank, and instinctively, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.
Slap—!!!
The stinging pain on his cheek finally hit, and his expression froze as if he'd fallen into an abyss of despair. "It seems… this isn't a dream after all!"
Behind him, Zaraki Kenpachi was unusually subdued.
The man obsessed with battle and bloodshed was, for once, eerily quiet, his face devoid of excitement or his usual feral grin.
There was only silence.
And… contemplation of this "Battle of the Kenpachis."
After all…
The title "Kenpachi" signified the strongest warrior in the Soul Society, unique and unrivaled!
At any given time, only by defeating the previous Kenpachi could one claim the title!
But what did it mean when two Kenpachis met?
Even a brute like Zaraki, who rarely bothered with deep thought, understood the consequences the moment Unohana revealed her identity:
A fight to the death!
To uphold the thousand-year tradition, only one of the two Kenpachis could leave Muken alive!
This was the price of being "the strongest"!
---
As expected, while the real-world Zaraki grappled with complex emotions, the video showed Unohana issuing her challenge, met with a ferocious golden sword pressure from Zaraki.
Clang—!!!
Their Zanpakutōs clashed, the sharp sword energy mixed with overwhelming spiritual pressure scattering the surrounding air, even causing the video's frame to tremble slightly.
"Zaraki Kenpachi…"
Despite her frail, feminine frame, Unohana's eyes behind her Zanpakutō, Minazuki, were like a devouring abyss. With a casual swing, she dispersed the incoming torrent of spiritual pressure.
In a tone laced with disappointment and disdain, she said coldly, "Swordsmanship isn't about relying solely on brute strength. That's the act of a barbarian and only exposes more weaknesses, like right now…"
Her emotionless voice pierced like a venomous sting into the marrow!
"Yachiru Unohana, are you lecturing me? Don't make me laugh! I…"
Zaraki's maniacal grin froze mid-sentence.
His Shinigami uniform and captain's haori tore apart on his left shoulder, a deep, bone-revealing gash spraying a blood pillar over a dozen feet high!
"Ugh…"
A muffled groan escaped him.
As the searing pain surged, Zaraki realized he'd been struck without even noticing!
"Damn it, I didn't even react…"
Touching the wound on his shoulder, he glanced down at the crimson blood staining his palm.
Gritting his teeth, he inhaled the scent of blood and demanded, "Yachiru Unohana… when the hell did you swing your blade?!"
---
Zaraki's question echoed the confusion of everyone watching the video in the real world!
"Too fast!!!"
"Captain Unohana's slash was completely invisible to the naked eye! I almost feel like she didn't even swing her sword!" Hitsugaya Tōshirō exclaimed, his face full of shock, feeling a phantom pain in his own left shoulder.
He'd been focused on Unohana the entire time, not blinking once.
Yet, he still couldn't catch her movements!
Hitsugaya admitted to himself that if he had been the one struck, his entire left shoulder would've been severed!
"Captain…"
"Even now, I can't wrap my head around it. Is that shadowy-eyed woman in the video really the Captain Unohana we know?" Matsumoto Rangiku's breathing was heavy, her gaze filled with intense fear and doubt.
As a female Shinigami and a fellow captain-level officer, she'd always been close to Unohana. They co-managed the Shinigami Women's Association and often shared tea and chats in their spare time.
This bond had lasted decades!
In Rangiku's heart, Unohana's gentle, radiant, and compassionate image was etched like a permanent mark.
Yet now…
The woman in the video, wading through blood-soaked air, wielded her blade without mercy, killing without a second thought!
The scene struck Rangiku's soul, nearly breaking her mentally!
"…"
Hitsugaya fell silent, unsure how to comfort her.
Even now, he was utterly baffled, unable to comprehend the origin of these scenes.
What happened in the future to make Unohana reveal her identity and fight Zaraki Kenpachi to the death in Muken?
---
Thirteenth Division Barracks
"As expected…"
"Once she enters her 'First Kenpachi' state, Unohana's blade shows no mercy. That's her true strength!" Shunsui Kyōraku stared at the screen, unable to hold back his amazement.
Not just one strike!
In the brief moment of his comment, Zaraki's body was marred with several more gashes—his right shoulder, arm, waist, legs…
In a flash, Zaraki was drenched in blood.
The beast hadn't even bared its fangs before its tendons were cruelly severed.
This was the brutal, blood-soaked scene Shunsui witnessed!
"Indeed…"
Jūshirō Ukitake nodded empathetically. "Even though I saw her slaughter countless enemies back then, seeing it again after a thousand years still sends chills down my spine."
Through the steam rising from his tea, one could faintly see goosebumps covering Ukitake's arms, trembling visibly.
The terrifying memories of the past had been reawakened.
As a youth, Ukitake had witnessed Unohana's massacres more than once, keeping his distance from the demon she once was.
Now, a thousand years later, that same dread resurfaced.
Even as a century-long captain, Ukitake still felt unease!
"Alas, what can we do? Unohana's swordsmanship reigns supreme in the Soul Society…"
Shunsui's gaze deepened, fixed on Unohana's ruthless silhouette.
Word by word, he declared, "She's the only one in the Gotei 13's history to master the Tenth Stage of swordsmanship!"
---
Back to the Video
The clash of Kenpachis didn't end with those bone-deep wounds.
Zaraki Kenpachi, after all, was the King of Flat Slashes!
The man who dominated previous rankings!
For him, such injuries were mere scratches!
"Tch…"
"Starting a fight like this feels shameful in my eyes, but against you, I have no choice but to go all out…"
Bathed in blood, Zaraki reluctantly tore off his right eye patch and tossed it aside.
The moment the black patch hit the ground, a golden pillar of spiritual pressure erupted, evaporating the blood on his body, his expression reverting to its wild ferocity.
"Is that so?"
Unohana remained expressionless.
Her venomous words dripped with disdain for Zaraki.
"Self-awareness is commendable, but it won't change your death!"
Almost before her deathly proclamation reached Zaraki's ears, Unohana swung her blade again!
"Crescent Slash—!!!"
In the blink of an eye, Zaraki's pupils dilated to their limit.
As he raised his Zanpakutō to parry, an agonizing pain tore through his abdomen, unbearable.
"Damn… it!"
A powerless roar, like a beast's final struggle before slaughter.
Zaraki struggled to look down, his gaze falling on his abdomen, where a blood-soaked crescent blade, Minazuki, gleamed!
"Still… couldn't… react?!"
His eyelids drooped, each syllable accompanied by a gush of blood from his mouth.
Removing his eye patch meant he was going all out.
Yet, Zaraki never anticipated that Unohana's frail frame could unleash such terrifying power!
"Have you finally realized the gap between us?"
With her back to Zaraki, Unohana held her blade in one hand, the number "4" on her captain's haori glaringly vivid amidst the shower of blood.
"Too weak!"
"Even after removing your eye patch, your limits are still pathetic in my eyes! You don't deserve the title of 'Kenpachi'!"
As her final word echoed through the air, Unohana withdrew her blade. Minazuki's blood-soaked edge slowly slid out of Zaraki's body!
One slash to end it all!
The Battle of the Kenpachis had concluded!
--------------------------------------------
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