"Is Instructor Kōe a Kenpachi?"
"That's impossible, right? How could Seireitei have two Kenpachis at the same time?"
"Of course it's impossible. Didn't you hear? His name is Kōe Shihouin, not Chōzuka Kenpachi."
"Heh, do you actually believe that?"
The current captain of Squad 11 had suddenly appeared, and judging by his words, their new instructor was also a Kenpachi. An intense thirst for knowledge instantly permeated the entire classroom.
Perhaps these youths, mostly hailing from Rukongai, did not yet have a deep understanding of Seireitei, but they had certainly studied the entities that held significant positions within it, such as the Gotei 13 and Central 46. The title of the strongest swordsman in Soul Society and the symbol of Squad 11—Kenpachi—was naturally part of their curriculum.
In the more than two thousand years since the founding of Seireitei, there had only been eleven generations of Kenpachi. A title passed down strictly through victory and defeat could never have two simultaneous holders.
Did Zaraki Kenpachi make a mistake? Abarai Renji stared at Kōe, who stood not too far away. Setting aside the question of why a Kenpachi would come to the Shin'ō Academy to be an instructor, this man lacked even the slightest hint of a sharp aura. It was hard to associate him with a swordsman at all, let alone the strongest one.
*A sharp aura? The strongest?* If Kōe could hear Renji's thoughts, he would probably heave a heavy sigh. *Young people really care too much about these empty titles!*
Being a Kenpachi was absolutely a high-risk profession in Seireitei. From the day you accepted the title, all sorts of people might challenge you at any given moment. Some might be deep, calculating schemers like Azashiro Sōya, while others might be natural-born battle maniacs like Zaraki Kenpachi.
And in his eyes, the latter was far more troublesome. This was a situation that would only end in death! *No, using 'end in death' to describe Zaraki is a bit too shallow.*
As someone who currently understood Zaraki Kenpachi better than Zaraki understood himself, Kōe knew that if he failed to pique the man's interest, Zaraki would be more than happy to casually finish him off.
If his strength met Zaraki's internal standards, then what followed would simply be an endless, unceasing battle. *Death? Zaraki's pursuit isn't that superficial. Fighting for a moment is thrilling, but fighting forever is his true, fundamental desire!*
Zaraki would use his wealth of experience to find a perfect balance between holding back and growing stronger, ensuring the joy of battle could continue indefinitely—right up until you could no longer keep up with his rhythm.
Therefore, the correct ending was either death, or without end.
*A fitness coach chasing you down to do one more set, year-round without a single day off? That's probably what it feels like.* Either way, Kōe had no desire to let that feeling become a reality.
Fortunately, relying on his rich, era-transcending foresight, he seemed to have successfully fooled Zaraki. Of course, this might also have something to do with the man's simple-minded nature, but that wasn't the point!
*I absolutely cannot let Zaraki find out I tricked him. First, I need the Old Man to issue a secret gag order, especially for those veteran Squad 11 members.*
*Then, I'll recommend an excellent opponent to distract him. Aizen Sōsuke seems like a pretty good choice, right?*
"Chōzuka Kenpachi!"
"..."
*The plan ended before it even began.* Looking at Uesawajiri Tama, who had just arrived at the doorway, Kōe really wanted to pretend he didn't know him. *I knew there would be traitors, but I didn't expect them to be one step ahead of me!*
The classroom grew even more chaotic. Their instructor actually *was* a Kenpachi, and judging by the words of both the current Kenpachi and the Squad 11 members, this instructor had absolutely never been defeated and still retained the title.
Zaraki Kenpachi grinned. This expression, which barely qualified as a smile, only made his face look even more terrifying. His hoarse voice carried undisguised excitement. "I was wondering why I couldn't find such an interesting guy like you after I came here."
"That bulky guy was incredibly boring. He died the moment I got a little serious. What a total buzzkill!" Zaraki tilted his head and smiled. "So you were the main reason I came here in the first place."
Judging by his words, Zaraki Kenpachi hadn't forgotten what happened back in the Zaraki District. Thinking back, it was Kōe who had told him to come to Seireitei to find Kenpachi, so Zaraki probably thought Kōe had tricked him?
Fate truly made fools of men; these were all the sins of his youth. Kōe smiled bitterly. "Listen to my explanation, Zaraki..."
Before the words fully left his mouth, a cold light suddenly slashed from Zaraki's hand, piercing straight toward Kōe's throat. His battle intent had reached its absolute peak!
"I don't need to hold back against you, Kōe Shihouin!"
A violent gale erupted. The students in the classroom instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces. Their academy uniforms fluttered wildly, making them look like a flock of kites struggling desperately in a storm.
*Are they really two monsters? Is this truly a level that humans can reach?!* Renji lowered the arm shielding his face, straining his eyes as he tried to catch sight of Kōe and Zaraki. But where could he possibly find them? This realization left him feeling somewhat disappointed.
In truth, Renji should have felt fortunate at this moment. If he could still see Kōe and Zaraki right now, he would likely be standing at death's door.
A clash between captain-level combatants was not something they could observe up close, and the same held true for ordinary members of the Gotei 13.
However, there was one exception at this moment. A cute girl with pink hair sat cross-legged at the edge of a gaping hole in the southern wall of the classroom. She wore a delighted expression as she looked down at the massive, rain-swept clearing below, where the vanished Kōe and Zaraki had reappeared.
Right now, Kōe held a dark gray short sword in his right hand. He raised his arm slightly, intercepting the long sword that was slashing vertically down at him in mid-air. The owner of the long sword was none other than Zaraki Kenpachi.
The clash of short and long blades sparked with the sharp ring of metal. Kōe's arm surged with power, deflecting the long sword while stepping forward with his right foot. With a slight twist of his wrist, the short sword in his hand slid along Zaraki's blade, slashing toward his opponent.
Zaraki didn't retreat either. He threw his left arm horizontally to block the short sword, while twisting his long sword to sweep toward Kōe's waist. Trading injuries for injuries, risking life for life—he thoroughly enjoyed this process.
But Kōe certainly did not enjoy it. Not only was this a life-risking tactic he rarely used, but he also saw absolutely no meaning in this battle.
Pushing off with his right foot and twisting his waist, Kōe suddenly flipped forward, doing a handstand in mid-air to narrowly dodge Zaraki's merciless horizontal sweep.
At the same time, the Kōki in his right hand chopped down viciously onto Zaraki's long sword. Using the recoil from the strike, he flipped backward, launching himself behind his opponent.
"You think you can dodge like that? The warm-up should be over by now!" Zaraki laughed loudly. The rainwater streaming down his cheeks seemed to shatter and scatter from the sheer force of his voice.
The hazy curtain of rain could not obscure his vision. His white haori fluttered slightly as he spun his body, and in the very next second, he landed softly a hundred meters away.
The heavily chipped long sword thrust forward like lightning, slicing through the curtain of water layer by layer. At the end of its path was Kōe, whose body was still suspended in mid-air.
This sword strike was unavoidable!