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"Ha. A natural disaster, huh?"
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth—pure disdain.
Kenpachi Zaraki rested his zanpakutō on one shoulder and lifted his gaze toward the sky, expression flat and unreadable, letting the boiling magma and the freezing cold of absolute zero swell larger and larger in his vision.
And this scene…
Perfectly matched the ending of that earlier battle.
The only difference was—
Kenpachi's presence now burned with confidence and overwhelming force.
He didn't look like someone on the brink of death at all.
In Silbern
"What's with that arrogant look?"
The moment the camera panned across Kenpachi's face, the Sternritter gathered in the great hall collectively frowned.
That beastlike man…
Was he mocking them?
Who did he think he was?
Valkyrie snorted. "So the fight flipped after all. No wonder that ugly Shinigami made it onto the list. Really pisses me off."
Among the pure-blooded Quincy present, he held the deepest hatred toward Shinigami.
If Haschwalth hadn't stopped him earlier, Valkyrie would've already stormed out of the shadow realm to go fight Kenpachi himself.
"Didn't expect anyone could break through Gremmy Thoumeaux's imagination ability…"
In the northwest corner, Bazz-B's cocky expression eased slightly.
Even though the footage still showed Kenpachi moments before a heavenly calamity crashed down on him…
Strength recognized strength.
And Bazz-B felt it—Kenpachi would shrug this off.
Sure enough, the thought had barely formed when the scene continued. Kenpachi raised his zanpakutō.
And then—
Shing!
No flashiness. No grand theatrics.
Just a simple, straightforward strike.
One swing.
A golden wave of sword pressure tore through heaven and earth.
His reiatsu was so immense it actually took form—shaping itself into a golden skull.
It looked like a demon roaring.
Fourth Division
"So strong! Compared to now… future Captain Zaraki's reiatsu feels like it's an entire tier higher!" Kotetsu Isane was completely stunned.
If Captain Unohana weren't beside her, she might've collapsed on the spot.
Even through the screen, the pressure of that reiatsu was suffocating.
"Looks like… he's returning to who he once was."
The spiritual winds spilling out of the projection swept Unohana's long hair back.
She smiled softly, warm and content.
After all, if she hadn't fought him back then, Kenpachi wouldn't have sealed away his own power on purpose.
As his former mentor…
Seeing him regain his former glory only confirmed that she had chosen the right person.
Now, the sky-splitting disaster filled with destruction was closing in around Kenpachi's body.
It looked like it was about to swallow him whole.
But—
Boom—
The calamity that once made countless people go pale during the previous countdown…
Hadn't even fully descended before that golden sword pressure had already shattered it.
In less than a few moments—
It vanished without a trace.
"?!"
"You're kidding! He dealt with a natural disaster that easily?"
"He only swung his sword once!"
In Las Noches, screams echoed everywhere.
As the magma and freezing winds vanished and the sky returned to clarity, the Arrancar army collectively shut down again.
So reiatsu… could really become something tangible?
Ridiculous.
The video's viewing effects only amplified the terror—several Arrancar were visibly sweating, faces pale, as if they'd witnessed it firsthand.
Officers, Fracción, Espada—everyone was shaken silent.
"My god…"
"That was insane! Captain Zaraki is way too strong!"
Inside Second Division's barracks, Ōmaeda was practically shouting. He was so hyped he'd already inserted himself into the scene in his imagination—he was Zaraki, slicing the heavens apart.
One swing to cleave the sky.
Crushing everything through reiatsu alone.
Zaraki's raw, brutal charisma had him hooked.
"Zaraki… that monster got even stronger in the future…" Despite being impressed, Soi Fon's mood sank.
So far, ignoring Kisuke Urahara who appeared first and was disqualified as a captain…
Three Gotei captains had already been listed.
Byakuya Kuchiki.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō.
And now Kenpachi Zaraki.
And Soi Fon knew all too well that aside from those already shown, very few captains were weaker than her.
Tōsen?
Komamura?
Aside from those two…
In terms of seniority and strength, she wasn't confident she could surpass any of the remaining captains.
That was why she felt so dejected.
Because the further the ranking progressed, the slimmer her chances became.
Did that mean her future self stayed stagnant while everyone else pulled far ahead?
Unacceptable.
Absolutely unacceptable.
Fifth Division — Underground Base
Facing the storm of reiatsu blowing out from the screen, Ichimaru Gin cracked open his eyes, revealing icy blue pupils.
"Heh. Just like I thought. Zaraki didn't die at all. He's like a damn cockroach—you can't kill him."
Whether it was his fight against Nnoitra…
Or this one…
Kenpachi always flipped the situation effortlessly.
His absurd vitality and physical reiatsu made him seem more monster than man.
"Gin… don't jump to conclusions yet. The fight isn't over." Aizen's voice stayed calm.
"Oh—right! Captain Aizen's correct!" Gin blinked. "Besides the natural disaster… there's still that meteor that destroyed the Seireitei!"
Remembering the footage from the previous ranking, he broke into a cold sweat.
There was no way someone could destroy that thing with reiatsu alone… right?
So then…
How would Kenpachi deal with it?
Just as that question surfaced—
Fwoosh—
The scene jumped.
The video fast-forwarded as always, skipping directly to the next moment.
The first thing to appear was a familiar sight:
BOOOOOOM!
A thunderous crack tore through the air.
The atmosphere trembled violently.
Heat built from friction, and a massive black silhouette slowly emerged from the blazing sky.
A shadow so huge it covered all of Seireitei.
"It's here! That scene again!"
Gin's eyes lit with excitement.
Even after seeing it once already, the impact hit just as hard.
Beside him, Tōsen trembled uncontrollably.
Though blind, through reiatsu perception and the overwhelming pressure of the video, he could feel every detail.
"Zaraki Kenpachi… how will you handle this?"
Aizen stared unblinking.
The camera shifted—back to Kenpachi.
Just like before, the king of brute force looked completely unfazed.
If anything, his excitement was burning hotter than ever.
"A meteor, huh? Ha! Now this is exciting! I've never cut one of these before!"
He tightened his grip on his sword.
Then he leapt—his demonlike body soaring upward toward the colossal meteor dwarfing him tens of thousands of times over.
And as he flew, he growled the release phrase of his zanpakutō:
"Drink, Nozarashi."
"..."
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