"Is three weeks strange?"
Kusajishi district.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi quietly scanned the sudden change in Zaraki Kenpachi's expression and couldn't help but ask a question.
"It's not that strange."
Kusajishi Yachiru shook her head slightly, a smile of relief gradually appearing on her tender cheeks.
"It's just that we didn't expect you to be a genius."
"Just like Kenpachi."
"Hmph." Kenpachi's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this, and after a cold snort, he turned his head away.
Seeing this.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly understood:
"I see."
"Were you defeated?"
"There's no need for that; you are very strong. At least, among the opponents I've met, you can rank in the top five."
"Who was defeated?!" Kenpachi's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"I just think you're a difficult opponent to cut, that's all!"
"Don't give me time to rest; I can cut you down today. Let's continue!"
"Come on!"
He let out a loud shout, ignored the pain in his body, drew his Zanpakuto, and slashed forward.
The Zanpakuto in his hand became even more formidable under the sunlight.
Kusajishi Yachiru helplessly held her forehead: "Kenpachi, you're too reckless!"
With this fighting style, Kenpachi would be lying on the ground, unable to move due to severe injuries, for at most half an hour.
To avoid a meaningless battle, as Tsugikuni Yoriichi helplessly swung his Zanpakuto, Yachiru instantly appeared between the two of them.
A pink Zanpakuto had appeared in her hand at some point.
She pressed one hand on Kenpachi's wrist, while her other hand, holding her Zanpakuto, used the momentum to parry the blade in Yoriichi's hand upwards.
Zzzzt! A harsh scraping sound rang out, and brilliant sparks shot out from the blade tips.
Yoriichi retracted his strength at the opportune moment, allowing Yachiru to pull the lightly injured Kenpachi aside.
"Yachiru!"
"Let me go!"
"Kenpachi, be good!"
The battle at this point was no longer just a contest between Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Zaraki Kenpachi.
Indeed, Yachiru had always believed Kenpachi was invincible; ever since she could remember, Kenpachi had never suffered a defeat.
But the crucial issue was that his opponents in the past were merely ordinary Rukongai residents.
Now, his opponent was a Shinigami, and a Shinigami strong enough to rival Kenpachi's formidable opponents of the past.
If he maintained that arrogant attitude at this moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Kenpachi's death in battle was not what Yachiru desired.
Therefore, Yachiru could only forcefully intervene and take him away, thinking that they could fight again after he learned swordsmanship.
After all, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's attitude seemed quite approachable.
However… Kusajishi Yachiru ultimately underestimated Kenpachi's determination.
With a "rip" sound.
Kenpachi's clothes were forcibly torn, revealing muscles that, while not particularly bulky, were clearly defined.
Dark red bloodstains covered his entire body. Even as his wounds burst open, he did not frown.
Watching the noisy Yachiru, Kenpachi lifted her with one hand, while with the other, he used her Zanpakuto to pierce his clothes, pinning her to the tree.
No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't reach the hilt of the Zanpakuto above her head with her small hands.
Seeing this, Kenpachi finally had the leisure to re-examine his opponent.
He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single syllable.
Yoriichi suddenly interrupted him:
"Is this okay?"
His gaze swept over Kusajishi Yachiru, his tone steady, "It looks like this little girl should be your family."
"Not listening to her advice… is fighting me to the death more important than everything you possess?"
"Of course!" Kenpachi puffed out his chest and said as a matter of course,
"I don't have much ability; I just want to cut down all the opponents I meet along the way."
"Only then can I reach that woman!"
"Blood excites me; make me retreat, what a joke!"
"My name is Zaraki Kenpachi!"
"Kenpachi never retreats!"
His voice was deep and powerful, echoing across the silent wilderness, filled with undeniable resolve.
"Hmm…" Yoriichi pondered for a moment,
"I understand."
"But…"
"Regarding Miss Yachiru's words, I suggest you listen to them."
"Having a family member who cares about you is not easy; don't easily throw away your life."
"That's all."
"My words are finished."
He slowly raised the Zanpakuto in his hand, and a hint of doubt flashed in Kenpachi's eyes.
Immediately, the blade was aimed at him like lightning.
"Devour him, Karmic Fire!" Yoriichi lightly shouted, and a surging reishi erupted, the blade instantly turning fiery red.
A speck of black reishi rapidly condensed at the tip of the blade, appearing on Kenpachi's body in an instant.
Kenpachi had not yet had time to react.
The reishi had already merged into his body.
Almost at the same time.
Boom!
A circular pillar of flame suddenly rose from his body.
Everything around him was completely engulfed within it.
"What?!"
All he could see was surging dark red, as if he were in an endless sea of flames.
A powerful pressure, coming from who knows where, made Kenpachi's breathing heavy and oppressive.
In his astonishment, he reached out to touch the leaping flames, only to find that they were not hot.
However, the reishi within his body was being frantically drawn away by an invisible hand, rapidly weakening.
Third Seat… Fifth Seat…
Seventh Seat…
Tenth Seat…
From Captain-level, it slid down until it stopped at the lowest Seat Officer level, and only then did the flames gradually subside.
Of course, it only subsided.
The feeling of reishi being drawn away never faded.
He tried his best to burst forth again and again, but the flames continued to burn fiercely, dropping another unit in just a single breath.
The originally dark red flames gradually deepened, and he seemed to see a skull gate appear above the void.
The evil aura emitted by that skull far surpassed any creature he had ever seen.
The alarm bells in his heart rang wildly!
—Extreme danger!
Just as he had gained a rough understanding of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's abilities and was highly vigilant towards the Hell Gate.
Whoosh!
The reishi emitted by Yoriichi instantly retracted, and the sound of wind ceased abruptly.
Kenpachi watched with his own eyes as the flames on his body were sucked back into the red blade.
Compared to his extreme weakness due to the loss of a large amount of spiritual power.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi, on the other hand, appeared much more refreshed, as if his spiritual power had become an excellent tonic for him.
Clang!
The skull gate above the void instantly vanished without a trace, and the immense pressure that had been like a shadow slowly dissipated from Kenpachi's heart.
He took a deep breath, and instinctively touched his forehead, only to realise that his forehead was covered in a large amount of sweat at some point.
He tried to forcibly restore his reishi with strong willpower.
However, at that moment, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's words interrupted his thoughts.
"Zaraki Kenpachi, seven-tenths of the reishi in your body has been temporarily burned by me."
"You will need at least three days of rest to recover the lost reishi."
"But in return."
"All those injuries on your body have also been eliminated by me. I don't quite understand how strong your willpower truly is."
"But, this situation, for you, for me, and Miss Yachiru, is the best outcome."
..........
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