Although he had acted quite dashing in front of the Captains just moments ago, Kensei Kenzuru felt unsure the moment he stepped out the door.
It wasn't that he was afraid of losing to the original Kuchiki Kōga. After all, once Muramasa's effect was nullified, it would be like cutting off half of Kōga's strength. The key issue was that this Kuchiki Kōga had definitely been enhanced by someone; otherwise, where did this terrifying Reiatsu come from?
Kensei quickly headed towards the Kuchiki Clan's estate. No matter where Kuchiki Kōga was now, he would surely return to the Kuchiki home in the end to vent his grievances.
Sigh, what a cursed entanglement...
One could only say the misunderstandings caused by the Kuchiki Clan's habit of not speaking plainly were far too many. No wonder Kuchiki Byakuya's personality differed so much between his childhood and adulthood.
Kensei landed, looking at the already deserted Kuchiki estate, and couldn't help but sigh. Noble safety evacuation measures are truly complete. The person hasn't even arrived, and they've all withdrawn.
Kensei found a conspicuous spot, sat down cross-legged, placed his Zanpakutō on his knees, and adjusted his own state and that of his sword. He hadn't properly used it once since learning its name, lest he forget the technique names during the upcoming fight.
Although Kensei's eyes were closed, the structure of the surrounding space was imprinted in his mind as clearly as a three-dimensional map. The trajectory of falling leaves, the flow path of the wind, the weak points of every space—all were revealed in minute detail within his perception.
"All phenomena, all things, return to emptiness. Kūkon!"
Kensei whispered the call. Transparent ripples, like water waves, shimmered across his Zanpakutō. The blade transformed into pure nothingness, only darkness capable of swallowing light outlining the contours of the edge. The triple-nested geometric rings at the tsuba rotated slowly, governing the dimensional laws of space.
He casually slashed the air a few times. Where the blade passed, only subtle marks of space shattering followed by instant mending remained.
"Ku—chi—ki—"
A figure shrouded in purple Reiatsu plummeted like a meteor into the center of the Kuchiki family's courtyard. The resulting shockwave instantly destroyed the once-luxurious garden.
Kuchiki Kōga held Muramasa. The dust stirred up by his landing swirled around Muramasa's blade like a dragon sucking water. With a light flick of the hilt, the dust automatically dispersed around him. His crimson eyes fixed intently on Kensei, who had his back to him.
"You shouldn't have come..."
Kensei slightly raised his head to gaze at the sky. Golden sunlight bathed him, as if draping him in holy raiment.
"Get out of my way!" Purple Reiatsu gathered on Muramasa's edge. Kōga swung his sword, sending an arcing slash of spiritual pressure towards Kensei. "Tell me where Kuchiki Ginrei is!"
Whoa, Getsuga Tenshō?!
Kensei was startled but quickly realized it was merely similar in form; he could also project Reiatsu through his Zanpakutō. Raising Kūkon, he tapped the air in front of him. The terrifyingly powerful slash shattered just centimeters away, as if colliding with an invisible wall.
"Actually, I really don't like fighting," Kensei sighed, adopting the demeanor of a pacifist. "Why don't you just put down your Zanpakutō and surrender? It'll save us a fight. The final result will be the same anyway."
Mainly because Kensei felt fight scenes were indeed hard to write.
Kuchiki Kōga didn't answer, only tightening his grip on his sword. Reiatsu surged to Muramasa's tip, and in an instant, a massive fireball flew towards Kensei.
Seems Kuchiki Kōga lacks the wisdom to understand the principle of putting down the butcher's knife.
Kensei lifted his Zanpakutō and executed a vertical slash, splitting the fireball cleanly in half. The two halves continued their trajectory, veering to either side and igniting the grass on the ground.
"Glacial Fang, Raging Storm!"
No sooner had Kensei dealt with the fireball than Kōga raised his sword and pointed. A snowstorm erupted from the tip, surging towards Kensei like an angry tide. A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped their battlefield, the ground freezing into a thick layer of ice.
Looks like Kuchiki Kōga is still quite law-abiding. Knowing that starting fires could land him in prison, he specifically put it out.
"Sigh, poor child." Kensei adjusted the rings on his tsuba. The space around him instantly solidified. "Haven't you heard? Time reigns supreme, but Space is king?"
The roaring icicle and roiling chill were all frozen within transparent space. The sharp tip of the foremost icicle was only three centimeters from Kensei's brow yet couldn't advance another millimeter.
"How can you resist an attack like this?"
Kensei's right hand gripped Kūkon and casually thrust towards Kuchiki Kōga's direction. A bloody hole instantly appeared in Kōga's chest.
It wasn't an extension of the blade's edge. Kensei had folded and pierced the space between his own Zanpakutō and Kuchiki Kōga, directly erasing the concept of distance.
"Guh!" Kōga staggered back, clutching his spurting chest. Being so easily and casually injured by a Soul Reaper weaker than himself brought a more crazy red to his eyes. The corners of his mouth twisted into a ferocious grin. "Your Zanpakutō's ability is indeed troublesome."
As soon as the words fell, an anomalous light emerged from Kōga's chest, causing his Reiatsu to swell, transform at a terrifying speed.
Thump—thump—
The sound of a violently beating heart echoed through the courtyard. The flesh all over Kōga's body rapidly withered. Golden veins spread from his heart across his entire body beneath the skin. An aura of heart-palpitating emanated from him.
"This feels a bit familiar..."
Kensei's pupils constricted. Within his spatial perception, it was as if a sun were hidden within Kuchiki Kōga's heart—pure, ancient, and powerful. Stroking his chin in thought, Kensei suddenly understood.
Isn't that Soul King fragments? I just told Aizen I'd help him find this stuff, and Kuchiki Kōga delivers it right to me.
Kuchiki Kōga is quite a decent fellow, ah!
Feeling the surge of his Reiatsu, Kōga threw his head back and let out an inhuman, beastly roar. Seemingly to alleviate the pain, his hands grabbed the front of his Shihakushō and tore it open violently.
"Bankai—Mukagari Jōshu Muramasa!"
Kōga's voice was hollow and layered, as if countless versions of him were hissing simultaneously. Fine cracks appeared in his crimson eyes.
A pillar of pure golden light shot into the sky, instantly piercing through the clouds above the Seireitei. Under the intense impact, the entire Kuchiki family's buildings were torn apart like brittle paper, dissolving into the finest spirit particles drifting in the air.
"Whoa, there's a second phase?!"
Had I known this Kuchiki Kōga had so many Soul King fragments inside him, I wouldn't have come! Old Man Yama, you've done me in!
Moving through space to distance himself from Kōga, Kensei watched from afar as his externally released Reiatsu subsided. He originally wanted to directly solidify the space around Kōga, but the Reiatsu gap was too great, and he failed.
Damn this Reiatsu hierarchy! Aizen, you've done me in too!
"Die."
Kōga's voice was icy, devoid of any emotion. He slowly raised Muramasa in his hand. Highly concentrated Reiatsu fissioned into hundreds of golden rays of light, transforming the entire battlefield into a cage.
Kensei could only evade Kōga's attacks by constantly using spatial movement and solidification. But the light beams were too dense. A half-beat too slow, and Kensei gained several patches of blackened skin on his body.
Kōga's empty gaze locked onto Kensei amidst the light curtain. His mummy-like body blurred. In the next instant, eagle-claw-like fingers tore through the air, carrying massive Reiatsu, aimed straight for Kensei's throat.
"Clang—"
The sound of steel clashing rang out. A figure wearing a straw hat and a pink haori inserted himself into the battle between the two. The twin swords in his hands blocked Kuchiki Kōga's attack.
"Little Junior Brother, remember to put in a good word for me with Old Man Yama when we get back."
***
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