The massive Seireitei contained a wide variety of terrains, including mountains, rivers, forests, and grasslands. At a normal walking pace, it would take ten days to travel from any of the four outer gates to the opposite one. It was an absurdly large city.
Located in the northwest, the Squad 2 barracks were built upon a mountain, hidden within a dense jungle—a setting perfectly suited for their role as assassins in charge of executions and covert operations.
Hidden inside the mountain was a dimly lit cave with complex terrain. It was used by Squad 2 and the Onmitsukidō for training, simulating assassinations and operations across various intricate environments.
This simulated training ground was currently requisitioned for Kōe and Zaraki Kenpachi to play a game exclusively their own. There were two reasons why Squad 2 was put in charge of the venue.
First was the unique nature of Squad 2 itself. Although other squads had their own secret training grounds to varying degrees, they were far too transparent compared to Squad 2. Even if Central 46's original intention was to turn this matter into a game to buy time, they absolutely could not allow the clashes between these two to become casual gossip or an absurd farce.
With that in mind, the highly secretive Squad 2 was indeed an excellent choice, arguably second only to the Great Underground Prison, Muken, and a few other detention facilities.
As for the second reason, it was the petite new Captain of Squad 2, Suì-Fēng, who was currently in the cave with them.
From Central 46's perspective, out of all the current captains, including Head Captain Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the only ones who would completely follow their will were Yamamoto and Squad 2 Captain Suì-Fēng. And when it came to the matter of Kōe, even Yamamoto couldn't be fully trusted.
But Suì-Fēng was different. First of all, Squad 2, which commanded the Executive Militia, was a special squad that operated on the fringes of the Gotei 13. Whether it was the establishment of the Maggot's Nest or their numerous covert operations, Squad 2 answered more directly to Central 46.
Perhaps it hadn't been so extreme when the Shihōin clan commanded Squad 2, but following Yoruichi's defection, the Shihōin clan's actual power had been weakened to its lowest point in history. Consequently, Central 46's influence over Squad 2 had reached new heights.
Suì-Fēng's presence played a massive role in this. It wasn't that she had actively pledged her loyalty to Central 46, but rather that her strict adherence to the law and her indifference to the emotions of others were viewed as excellent qualities by them. In fact, throughout the entire history of Squad 2, there had been very few captains who suited their tastes so perfectly.
Placing this matter under Suì-Fēng's surveillance was enough to put Central 46 at ease. If Shihouin Kōe showed any strange behavior or violated the rules they had set, Suì-Fēng would undoubtedly react immediately.
For these reasons, Kōe and Zaraki would have to report to Squad 2 regularly for a long time to come. However, this 'coincidence' was exactly what Suì-Fēng secretly desired.
No matter what, Shihouin Kōe was the only person in the Seireitei who allowed her to see traces of Lady Yoruichi. That was a good thing.
While Suì-Fēng thought this way, the person beside her held the exact opposite opinion. He was a slightly bloated man wearing a thick gold chain around his neck, possessing an aura completely at odds with Squad 2, yet he was its lieutenant—Omaeda Marechiyo.
*'This is an absolute disaster. Squad 2 is suffering massive losses because of this!'* Watching Kōe and Zaraki wantonly destroying everything below, Omaeda gulped heavily, completely forgetting to shove the fried rice cracker in his hand into his mouth. After all, this place used to be a residential training sector!
The nearly thousand-square-kilometer mock city, specially built to simulate urban infiltration and combat responses, had already been more than half destroyed. It was destruction in the truest sense of the word—not a single piece of rubble remained. It had been completely leveled.
Furthermore, both of their Reiatsu had been restricted to a level barely comparable to a Shinigami fresh out of the Shin'ō Academy. To be honest, such destructive power was astonishing, especially considering it relied solely on physical strength.
Recalling the specific details of their swordplay spar, Omaeda's mouth couldn't help but twitch. To put it bluntly, there was no actual sparring involved; it was completely a one-sided beatdown by Kōe. Most of the destroyed buildings had been smashed by Kenpachi's flying body.
But this didn't mean Zaraki's swordsmanship was terrible, nor did it mean Kōe's was vastly superior. In Omaeda's eyes, it was entirely because Kōe was just too... well, cunning.
Taking advantage of the pre-match bow, Kōe had immediately launched an incredibly fast drawing slash. It was the fastest strike Omaeda had ever seen—mostly because he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the blade. He only knew what had happened because Captain Suì-Fēng had muttered, "A drawing slash?"
If even a captain wasn't entirely sure, one could only imagine how fast that strike had been.
Zaraki Kenpachi, who had just been about to raise his head, was sent flying by a single sword strike. It was a good thing they were both using specially made wooden swords; otherwise, Zaraki Kenpachi would have likely been cleaved in two.
Of course, it was also fortunate that their Reiatsu was restricted. Otherwise, even with a wooden sword, tearing through Zaraki Kenpachi's body would have been entirely possible—highly probable, in fact!
If it had ended there, Omaeda would have just chalked it up to all being fair in war. But what happened next completely cemented his definition of Kōe as shameless. Yes, that was his most honest assessment.
After sending Zaraki Kenpachi flying with a single strike, Kōe immediately closed the distance, refusing to give his opponent even a fraction of a second to breathe. He literally batted the infamous Zaraki Kenpachi around like a rubber ball for nearly ten minutes!
These were tactics meant strictly for life-and-death battles; using them here was honestly going too far. In a deathmatch, there was no such thing as pre-battle etiquette, and both sides would be constantly on guard against each other's every move.
But right now, the two were supposed to be having a friendly sparring match of swordsmanship, so a certain level of relaxed guard was inevitable. Kōe's approach was clearly exploiting a loophole. It was an underhanded victory—truly shameless!
In truth, Omaeda's own lack of skill limited his perspective. If Suì-Fēng were to describe it, the battle had an entirely different complexion.
Although the initial drawing slash was abrupt, Zaraki Kenpachi's hand had already been resting on his hilt. In fact, the very moment he raised his head, his hand had already begun the motion to draw his blade.
Unfortunately, a lowered stance was much more conducive to a technique like a drawing slash. It was ultimately a matter of tactical choice in swordsmanship, and Zaraki Kenpachi likely didn't understand this particular style.
Even so, Kōe's strike hadn't actually landed on Zaraki Kenpachi's body; it had been barely blocked by the man. It was just that the awkward blocking posture caused Zaraki to lose his balance for a split second. As he fell forward, he was somehow simultaneously sent flying backward?
After that, Kōe's advance actually consisted of two movements. First, a two-handed downward slash that ensured even if Zaraki blocked it, he would continue to fall forward. Simultaneously, Kōe delivered a kick that landed squarely on his opponent's shoulder. That was the first time Kōe had truly struck Zaraki, and he had clearly held back.
If that kick had been angled just slightly differently, it would have crushed Zaraki's throat. Suì-Fēng didn't think that would have been a difficult feat for Kōe to pull off.
However, Suì-Fēng rested her chin in her hand, falling deep into thought.
*'Why did that drawing slash send Zaraki flying backward? Just how exactly did he do that?'*