Zaraki Kenpachi's perception of powerful individuals was exceptionally keen.
The moment Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Ichimoku appeared, he understood.
Ichimoku was an ant.
The kind that, on a normal day, could be knocked unconscious by his spiritual pressure alone.
The truly powerful one was the person beside him.
Very strong.
Zaraki Kenpachi had never attended school, so he couldn't describe it well, but seeing him was like seeing the sun—resplendent yet dangerous.
An opponent like this… he hadn't encountered in perhaps seven hundred years.
He recalled that the last one was an extremely beautiful woman; she had the serene appearance of a spring breeze, but her heart was bloodthirsty and cruel.
He had wounded her with a single strike, and he was almost cut to death by her… no, he had already been cut to death, but she had spared him.
It was in that life-or-death struggle that he first heard the special moniker "Kenpachi."
It was said to be the strongest Shinigami of all generations.
After he became an adult, he adopted that name.
Kenpachi was the place where he was born.
"Tsk…"
Breaking free from his memories, Zaraki Kenpachi slightly curved his lips, looking at Yachiru with a playful smile: "Hey, how many moves do you think he can last against me?"
"Although he's strong, he doesn't seem as strong as that old woman."
"And I'm not who I used to be…"
"Kenpachi!"
Yachiru interrupted him, extending a finger and saying seriously: "Don't underestimate any opponent. He's a Shinigami, you know."
"I cut Shinigami, and I wouldn't bother cutting anyone who isn't a Shinigami!"
As the two spoke, Yoriichi's figure rapidly approached.
Zaraki Kenpachi timely quieted down, holding his breath and watching Tsugikuni Yoriichi, then… "Hey!"
"Let's cut each other!"
"Only the strong one gets to leave here alive!"
He drew his sword and pointed it at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, his tone arrogant as if he looked down on everything.
Yoriichi's steps suddenly halted. He looked at him with a gaze full of doubt.
Before Yoriichi could ask why, suddenly, Yachiru transformed into a light, fluttering Kochou, instantly leaving Zaraki Kenpachi's shoulder.
She stood on a nearby treetop, looking down at the two with a joyful, unhurried tone: "This big brother, please don't worry, Kenpachi is just joking."
"As long as you can wound him, you can leave here."
"I'm sorry, Kenpachi's personality is just like that; he loves to fight, and you came at just the right time."
"Noisy!" Zaraki Kenpachi retorted with a swing of his sword, "Yachiru, why do you have to tell him all this?"
"I still want to experience a battle where the victor lives and the loser dies!"
"…"
Yoriichi remained silent.
He opened his mouth, having just uttered half a word, when instantly, Zaraki Kenpachi's horizontal slash followed.
"!"
Yoriichi parried with his sword.
This strike was powerful and heavy, like facing the trampling of an elephant; Zaraki Kenpachi's seemingly slender body hid immeasurable strength.
Yoriichi couldn't help but furrow his brows, thinking to himself: "Natural strength?"
He did not retreat half a step; although Zaraki Kenpachi's slash was heavy, it was far from reaching his limit.
Immediately, both released their immense spiritual pressure.
Boom!
Instantly, two vastly different pillars of spiritual pressure fiercely collided in the air.
Like the creation of heaven and earth, they split the clouds in the sky in two, triggering a reishi storm!
The surrounding air was drawn away by this force, forming a temporary vacuum, making even weak creatures feel suffocated just by observing.
Not far away, Yachiru's smile gradually receded, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "This spiritual pressure, it's actually on par with Kenpachi's?"
In her four hundred years of life, she had seen this for the first time.
However… "This is good too…" she mused, thinking that at least this would allow Kenpachi to have a satisfying fight.
With that thought, her face once again beamed with a smile.
"Hey!"
Zaraki Kenpachi swung his sword fiercely, the sword light like lightning.
"You're a Shinigami, right!" he said with excitement, his offensive unwavering: "Do you know a woman named Retsu Unohana?"
Clang, clang, clang!
In an instant, the two exchanged blows no less than fifty times, but all were parried.
The sparks generated by their collisions flickered like stars, almost forming a continuous line in mid-air.
Their speed was so fast that Zaraki Kenpachi's mind could barely keep up; he fought purely on instinct.
"Unohana?" Yoriichi pondered, casually blocking one of Zaraki Kenpachi's strikes.
Amidst heavy breathing, his figure suddenly vanished from his original spot, leaving only an afterimage.
Zaraki Kenpachi's sword swung through empty air, and before he could turn to defend, an intense sense of crisis suddenly climbed up his spine from his tailbone.
A chilling sensation surged.
[Sun Breathing… Fourth Form… Fake Setting Sun Rainbow!]
Appearing like a phantom behind Zaraki Kenpachi, Yoriichi struck down without hesitation.
Chii!
Vivid blood splattered like blooming roses, instantly dyeing the air red and splashing outwards.
Bang.
Stepping on air, as Zaraki Kenpachi spun to counterattack, Yoriichi vanished again.
At the same time, a thrust with a circular flame at the tip of the sword, transforming into a miniature fire dragon with unstoppable momentum, fiercely stabbed towards Zaraki Kenpachi's chest!
[Seventh Form… Solar Halo Dragon Dance: Thrust!]
"!"
This time, Zaraki Kenpachi reacted in time; the spreading pain in his back made him sharply sober.
In the past, he always overwhelmed others with his spiritual pressure.
Because his opponents' spiritual pressure was inferior to his own, no matter how they attacked, they couldn't break through his defence.
But now it was different.
The pain constantly reminded him that he had encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opponent.
His innate battle instinct was clearly at a disadvantage against sword techniques honed to perfection.
He could no longer let that woman, Retsu Unohana, distract him.
Clang!
Clutching his sword hilt, he barely blocked Tsugikuni Yoriichi's thrust, the thousand-pound blow making Zaraki Kenpachi's tiger's mouth numb.
Compared to his solemn expression, Yoriichi was in a more relaxed mood.
Wounding him meant that his battle intuition was not invincible.
Fake Setting Sun Rainbow specifically targeted masters; the more intuitive a master, the more they would be deceived by the illusion.
And after incorporating Shunpo, Yoriichi could appear behind his opponent the moment they struck at the illusion, thereby winning in one move.
However, due to Zaraki Kenpachi's strong musculature, the move that theoretically should have been an instant kill only left a gash about half a meter long on his back.
Such an injury would be fatal in the real world, but then again, everyone here was a Shinigami with spiritual pressure.
Before their spiritual pressure dissipated, they could still live even with their internal organs gone.
Healing Kido was created for this very reason.
Taking advantage of Zaraki Kenpachi's counter-defence, Tsugikuni Yoriichi slowly responded: "Are you referring to the Captain of the Fourth Division?"
"Retsu Unohana, do you know her?"
"Hmph."
Zaraki Kenpachi forcibly contracted his muscles, causing the blood vessels in his back to constrict violently, instantly stopping the bleeding.
He faintly snorted: "Of course I know her."
Clang!
He blocked Tsugikuni Yoriichi's circular horizontal slash, but he failed to block the subsequent double slash.
Dark red blood splattered like a fountain, and two distinct wounds appeared on his chest, causing Zaraki Kenpachi's words to halt.
He took a few steps back, then after a long while, continued: "Where did you learn these sword techniques?"
"Retsu Unohana… Hmph! The last Shinigami who made it difficult for me to parry was her!"
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