Kenpachi Zaraki and Hitsugaya Tōshirō released their Reiatsu at the same time, shattering all the icicles from Frozen Rain into powder.
Immediately afterward, Kenpachi slashed out a wave of sword pressure, while Hitsugaya unleashed a blast of frost that tore apart the waterfall-like rain curtain.
As the rain curtain collapsed, the two captains emerged.
Kenpachi stood there wrapped in dense yellow, tangible Reiatsu, while Hitsugaya revealed his form after activating Bankai.
After releasing Bankai, the traits of an ice dragon appeared around Hitsugaya's body—
ice wings, a dragon tail, clawed limbs, and a dragon's head biting down on Hyōrinmaru around his right arm.
Behind him floated three diamond-shaped ice flowers.
"Kenpachi Zaraki," Hitsugaya said as he pointed his blade at Tsunayoshi, "let's take him down together."
Kenpachi ignored him completely.
Once prey was within his reach, he never shared it.
With a powerful push of his legs, he charged straight toward Tsunayoshi.
Hitsugaya sighed quietly.
When Kenpachi entered his battle frenzy, he would listen to absolutely no one. The fact that Kenpachi hadn't turned his blade on him already was a blessing.
So Hitsugaya had no choice but to support from behind.
Before Kenpachi's blade even reached Tsunayoshi, the pressure of his Reiatsu alone surpassed that of Hitsugaya's Bankai.
Without hesitation, Tsunayoshi threw the three short blades from his left hand forward and infused them with dense rain-attributed flames.
Special Technique — Nine-Headed Dragon: River Collapse.
In the original Shigure Sōen Style, Yamamoto Takeshi often used the three auxiliary blades as propulsion tools.
But in the world of Shinigami—where one could stand in midair on Reishi—Tsunayoshi had no need for such tricks.
Here, the three blades returned to their true purpose: weapons.
Empowered by Fullbring, the rain flames surrounding the blades condensed into the forms of nine massive dragons.
In the blink of an eye—
One dragon devoured Kenpachi whole.
The remaining eight dragon heads turned and lunged toward Hitsugaya.
A single strike targeting two enemies.
This was Tsunayoshi's Nine-Headed Dragon, capable of shattering mountains and rivers.
Facing the eight dragons charging toward him, Hitsugaya strangely stood still as if stunned.
The dragons tore straight through him—
Shattering his body into pieces.
But Tsunayoshi remained cautious.
There was no way two captains would fall so easily.
He raised his sword defensively, ready for any change.
Suddenly—
A flash of yellow light burst from within the dragons.
A massive sword slash split the Nine-Headed Dragon in half.
Kenpachi Zaraki stepped forward, his Zanpakutō resting on his shoulder.
The attack had done absolutely nothing to him.
"Make it more fun," Kenpachi grinned.
In the next moment, he appeared in front of Tsunayoshi and swung his blade down with both hands.
Tsunayoshi raised a swirling Prosperous Shower water barrier to block.
But Kenpachi's strike was terrifyingly powerful.
The blade sliced straight through the water defense and continued toward Tsunayoshi.
Tsunayoshi barely managed to block with his sword and was forced backward.
At that exact moment—
A freezing chill appeared behind him.
"Ryūsenka!"
Along with the shout came the blade of Hyōrinmaru.
A massive cross-shaped block of ice formed in midair, trapping Tsunayoshi inside.
The one who struck was, of course, Hitsugaya.
Earlier, when Tsunayoshi launched Nine-Headed Dragon: River Collapse, Hitsugaya had used an ice clone as a decoy and allowed the dragons to destroy it.
Meanwhile, his real body waited for an opening.
Hitsugaya knew that interfering with Kenpachi's attack would anger him.
Since Tsunayoshi was already keeping him busy, the best option was to find a chance to finish Tsunayoshi with one decisive strike.
And the opportunity appeared quickly.
The moment Tsunayoshi was knocked back by Kenpachi's strike, Hitsugaya spread his wings and dashed forward at incredible speed—
Activating Ryūsenka.
Anyone trapped inside would soon freeze completely and crumble into powder along with the ice.
It was one of Hitsugaya's finishing techniques.
The battle that had lasted all night came to an abrupt halt.
Kenpachi's face twisted with fury.
The opponent he had searched for all night had been defeated.
Fine.
If that opponent was gone—
He would simply find another.
Kenpachi Zaraki wasn't picky.
He turned and slashed at Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya barely avoided the blow.
"Kenpachi Zaraki! What are you doing? The enemy is already defeated!"
"I don't care about enemies!" Kenpachi snarled. "Fight me!"
Understanding immediately, Hitsugaya turned toward Yachiru.
"Yachiru! Stop him! Now's not the time for infighting!"
"Nope, Shirō-chan," Yachiru said sweetly. "Ken-chan hasn't fought enough yet. He's really angry right now."
With no help coming, Hitsugaya had no choice but to defend himself.
As their blades clashed, he began to understand why Tsunayoshi had been unable to withstand Kenpachi's strike.
Kenpachi wielding his sword with both hands was simply a monster.
Without relying on Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, Hitsugaya couldn't withstand Kenpachi's strength.
But using his Bankai against an ally wasn't an option either.
Just as Hitsugaya was being forced back again and again—
A cold Reiatsu suddenly erupted from the massive ice cross floating in the sky.
"Bankai."
A chilling Reiatsu exploded outward.
The entire frozen cross shattered instantly.
Yet the fragments did not fall.
They remained suspended in the air in the shape of a cross—
Until the pressure crushed them all into powder.
Tsunayoshi appeared where the cross once stood.
He now wore a kendo-style uniform, and around his neck hung a katana-shaped necklace bearing the emblem of the Vongola.
A flash of light split the necklace into four rays.
Two landed at his waist.
Two formed metallic gauntlets on the backs of his hands.
At his waist now hung two katana.
The hilt of the right blade carried a small Akita dog ornament.
The left bore a swallow ornament.
From Fullbring's four-blade style, to Shikai's single blade, and now Bankai's dual blades—
The adaptability of rain power was fully revealed.
Only after the transformation finished did Tsunayoshi softly speak the rest of the release.
"Cleanse the blood… sing the requiem of souls… Rain."
"Now that's more like it!" Kenpachi roared with excitement, charging forward like a mad beast. "Come on! Make this more fun for me!"
Facing the charging Kenpachi, Tsunayoshi calmly placed his hand on the hilt of the Akita blade.
"Special Technique — Rain Hound Intimidation."
The dog-shaped ornament on the hilt opened its mouth and barked twice.
In that instant—
Kenpachi felt the entire world slow down.
Both Tsunayoshi and himself appeared to move eight times slower.
The invisible rain flames had infected his senses, calming and slowing his thought processes.
Watching from afar, Hitsugaya frowned.
Kenpachi had already reached the perfect striking distance.
So why hadn't he attacked?
Kenpachi continued drifting forward, carried by his own momentum.
He had entered Tsunayoshi's attack range.
Tsunayoshi drew the left-hand blade.
Left blade—draw.
To Kenpachi's eyes, the strike was incredibly slow.
Normally he could block such a move effortlessly.
Yet his body refused to respond.
It wasn't that his body failed.
The moment he decided to block, his body began moving.
But the process of thinking how to block had slowed so much that the action came too late.
Gradually, the slash appeared gentle—like autumn rain.
Unlike the relentless rains of spring or the violent storms of summer, autumn rain felt soft and calm.
Kenpachi's mind became numb.
But autumn rain also heralded winter—the season of death.
This was a harvesting strike.
Autumn Rain — Iaido Slash.
Tsunayoshi stepped forward and drew his blade in a flash, appearing behind Kenpachi.
A blue line cut across Kenpachi's body—from his left abdomen to his right shoulder.
Shigure Sōen Style — Offensive Form, Modified Eighth Technique: Autumn Rain.
Blood erupted from Kenpachi's chest.
The pain restored his senses.
But the wound was too severe.
The moment his mind returned to normal, Kenpachi lost consciousness and fell from the sky.
"Ken-chan!"
For the first time, panic appeared on Yachiru's face as she used Shunpo to catch him.
Hitsugaya stared in disbelief.
The exchange had been so strange that he couldn't understand what had happened.
Under such circumstances, close combat with Tsunayoshi was unthinkable.
Hitsugaya raised Hyōrinmaru.
Cold Reiatsu gathered around Tsunayoshi.
"Thousand-Year Ice Prison!"
Countless ice pillars erupted around him, connecting together and sealing him within an enormous frozen cage.
Tsunayoshi remained calm.
"Jirō," he called softly.
The Akita ornament leapt down from the blade and transformed into a blue rain-flame hound.
Tsunayoshi began swinging the blade in an X-shaped pattern, pouring rain flames into the hound.
Jirō grew larger and more powerful.
Cracking sounds echoed throughout the Thousand-Year Ice Prison.
Huge claw marks tore across the pillars.
The ice prison shattered open.
Tsunayoshi burst out through the gap.
Still swinging his blade in the X-pattern, he merged with the charging hound.
A gigantic rain-made dog head formed in front of him, clearing his path.
Special Technique — Left Blade: Hound Assault.
Inspired by Squalo's Shark Assault, Tsunayoshi had evolved the technique into a canine variant.
Seeing Tsunayoshi rushing forward, Hitsugaya made a decision.
He pointed Hyōrinmaru at him and spread his wings.
"Ryūsenka!"
Dragon and hound collided.
A thunderous explosion echoed across the sky above the Shihōin district.
The giant cross-shaped ice block created by Ryūsenka—
Was bitten apart by the massive dog head.
Again and again, the hound devoured the ice until the entire structure crumbled.
Hitsugaya quickly retreated.
One moment slower and he would have been chewed up along with the ice.
After destroying the attack, Tsunayoshi swept his blade sideways, shattering the remaining ice and ending the technique.
Hitsugaya stared down at him from above.
Since releasing Bankai, Tsunayoshi had only used one blade.
The swallow sword remained sheathed.
Was this truly the strength of a Ryoka?
Even two captains together couldn't restrain him.
The judgment from Squad 1 had been completely wrong.
How could a captain and lieutenant possibly stop someone like this?
Hitsugaya glanced behind him.
Some of the ice flowers had already begun to wither.
Should he request reinforcements?
Or stall for time?
After a moment's hesitation, he made his choice.
He would stall.
As a captain, he had his pride.
He wanted to defeat this Ryoka with his own strength.
But this was exactly what Genryūsai Yamamoto feared.
Many captains were problem children.
That was why he required captains and lieutenants to operate together—to ensure the lieutenant could make rational decisions when the captain acted impulsively.
But Rangiku had been sent after Yoruichi.
And expecting Yachiru to follow orders was impossible.
So Hitsugaya was alone.
He intended to delay the battle until Daiguren Hyōrinmaru's ice flowers fully withered, releasing its true power.
He began retreating in the same direction Rangiku had gone.
He assumed Tsunayoshi would chase him.
But Tsunayoshi did something unexpected.
He released the left blade.
Rain flames wrapped around his leg as he kicked the sword's hilt.
Offensive Form, Third Technique: Guest-Staying Rain.
The blade shot forward like a projectile.
The rain flames transformed into a sprinting Akita hound, accelerating even faster.
In an instant, it caught up to Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya never expected such an attack.
He had no time to defend.
The hound slammed into his back.
The impact shattered one of his ice dragon wings.
Rain flames clung to his body, slowing his movements.
Meanwhile, the blade itself flew past his face.
Did it miss?
The thought appeared for only a moment before he dismissed it.
Someone capable of defeating Kenpachi wouldn't make such a mistake.
Then he felt it—
His speed had slowed.
Now he finally understood Kenpachi's strange state earlier.
"Come back, Jirō."
Standing far away, Tsunayoshi simply called out.
The hound returned, carrying the blade in its mouth.
As it passed Hitsugaya again, it deliberately brushed close—
Startling him into sweating.
At that exact moment, the calming effect of the rain flames wore off.
Instinctively, Hitsugaya dodged aside.
For a brief moment—
He swore he saw a mischievous smile on the Akita's face.
Had he just been toyed with by a dog?
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