Before anyone else could speak, Entetsu Kumoi drew his Zanpakutō.
"You lot just stay here and watch. I'll go test these juniors and see whether they've got what it takes."
With that, he rushed out of the building.
...
Urahara and the others had remained on guard the entire time.
The moment they saw a bald man with a mouth full of gold teeth charge out of the building, looking vicious and murderous, their expressions changed.
He did not waste a single word before attacking them.
Entetsu lunged straight at Urahara's group with terrifying speed, his momentum sharp and fierce.
Seeing this, Urahara immediately stepped aside and drew his Zanpakutō to respond.
The others also drew their blades one after another.
After all, they had once been captains of the Gotei 13, and every one of them possessed considerable strength.
Entetsu Kumoi was the first-generation captain of the Ninth Division.
The first person he targeted was Kensei Muguruma, because Kensei had succeeded him as a later captain of the Ninth Division.
Entetsu wanted to see just how capable this junior of his really was.
The instant the two clashed, Kensei felt the overwhelming force of his opponent's reiatsu.
Entetsu's Zanjutsu was brutally sharp. In a single exchange, he sent Kensei flying.
Kensei tumbled several times through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Kid, you're not much, are you?" Entetsu mocked.
Kensei climbed up from the ground, spat to the side, and shook out his aching arm.
"Where the hell did this vicious bald bastard come from? His Zanjutsu is ridiculously strong."
He was inwardly stunned.
Entetsu's strength had exceeded his expectations.
Kensei's gaze sharpened as he tightened his grip around his Zanpakutō.
"Don't look down on me, baldy!"
With a shout, he charged at Entetsu once more.
The two entered a fierce Zanjutsu duel, blade light crossing and clashing as though the air itself were being torn apart.
Entetsu revealed a satisfied smile.
"Not bad, kid! But it's still not enough!"
He sped up his attacks, pressing Kensei back again and again.
"Bankai! Tekken Tachikaze!"
Kensei could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and went straight into Bankai. He was going to beat this damn bald man into the ground!
He could not understand it.
There were so many people here, so why had this bald bastard singled him out?
Seeing Kensei enter Bankai, Entetsu smiled in a way that looked uglier than crying.
"That's right. That's more like it! Otherwise, I was afraid I'd hit too hard and accidentally kill you."
As he spoke, he gently stroked his Zanpakutō.
The blade instantly changed shape, becoming a short mace.
Urahara and the others, watching from the side, were horrified.
They had originally thought the bald man was only using an ordinary standard katana. Only now did they realize that the weapon in his hand was also a Zanpakutō.
And since it had transformed into a short mace, this was clearly its Shikai.
'Is this bald man also a Shinigami?'
The same question flashed through all their minds at once.
After activating Bankai, Kensei erupted with tremendous power. He threw a fierce punch, aiming directly at the short mace in Entetsu's hand.
However, the scene he expected did not happen.
The sharp force of his punch failed to affect Entetsu in the slightest.
Disdain flashed in Entetsu's eyes. His arms suddenly exerted force, and he easily knocked Kensei's fist-blades aside.
Immediately after, he flipped his wrist and struck Kensei heavily with the mace at a speed too fast to follow.
The blow was terrifyingly powerful.
Kensei instantly felt an intense pain tear through him, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
He could not hold back a miserable cry as he dropped to his knees, clutching the injured area with both hands, disbelief written across his face.
"Now it's your turn."
Entetsu weighed the short mace in his hand, staring excitedly at the remaining group.
Urahara's expression changed sharply, and an ominous feeling surged through his heart.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward, wanting to stop Entetsu's attack.
But he immediately realized he was too late.
Entetsu's figure flashed like a ghost, easily avoiding Urahara's strike. Then he swung the short mace again, this time turning his target toward Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi nearby.
Rose had not even had time to release his Zanpakutō before the mace struck him.
His body flew backward, blood spraying from his mouth.
Shinji and the others were shocked by the sight.
They immediately released their Zanpakutō and took defensive stances, preparing for the battle to come.
Entetsu did not stop attacking.
His gaze shifted to Lisa and Mashiro.
He swung the mace quickly, and with two sharp cracks, sent both of them flying.
Seeing Mashiro and Lisa knocked away, Love Aikawa's anger surged.
He hefted the enormous cactus-shaped kanabō in his hands and smashed it fiercely toward Entetsu.
To everyone's surprise, that small mace actually blocked the attack from the giant club.
The powerful rebound made Love's hands go numb.
"Not bad. Your strength is decent! I wonder how many strikes of mine you can block."
It was rare for Entetsu to praise someone, but to everyone else, the words sounded full of mockery.
Love roared.
His eyes widened, his teeth clenched, and he used all his strength to grip the kanabō, trying to hold Entetsu off.
The corner of Entetsu's mouth lifted slightly, contempt flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly exerted force and shoved Love back.
Love staggered several steps before barely managing to stabilize himself.
But what followed was a series of heavy, devastating attacks.
Entetsu swung the short mace again and again, smashing it down against the kanabō with crushing force.
Love struggled to withstand the barrage, but in the end, he was still sent flying.
"Dead-eyed kid, you're next!"
As Entetsu spoke, he swung the short mace viciously toward Shinji Hirako.
As the leader of the Visored, Shinji still had real skill.
Relying on flexible Shunpo and refined Zanjutsu, he forcibly endured several of Entetsu's heavy strikes.
More than that, he seized an opening and cut Entetsu across the shoulder, leaving a wound that immediately sprayed blood.
Entetsu glanced at his still-bleeding shoulder, and the smile on his face grew even wider.
"Good! Very good! If you can injure me, that proves you do have some ability. It's been so many years since I was last wounded. Looks like I shouldn't have underestimated you. I thought you were trash like those others lying on the ground. I hope you can land a few more cuts on me!"
Shinji's eyes turned cold, sharp as twin blades as he stared straight at Entetsu.
He gripped his Zanpakutō tightly, the blade flashing with a chilling light.
His figure blurred as he rushed forward like a ghost, clashing fiercely with Entetsu once more.
The two exchanged blow after blow, sword and mace colliding with sharp, grating impacts that rang out again and again.
Every clash was a contest of strength and technique, too fast for the eye to follow.
Entetsu swung his short mace with tremendous force.
Shinji slipped aside with agile movement, narrowly avoiding the blow.
Immediately after, he counterattacked without hesitation, thrusting his blade toward one of Entetsu's vital points with lightning speed.
Entetsu reacted quickly and jumped back. Even so, Shinji's blade still cut open his clothing.
"Excellent! You're getting me more and more excited!"
Entetsu licked his lips, revealing a savage grin. His eyes carried a crazed delight, as if his passion for battle had only grown stronger.
His attack speed increased.
The short mace in his hand fell like a violent storm, every strike carrying a fierce wind and crushing weight.
Shinji fought with everything he had, using one refined technique after another to block, but Entetsu's strength was truly overwhelming.
Gradually, Shinji began falling into a disadvantage.
"You can lie down too!"
Entetsu roared, his figure flashing forward like a phantom.
He suddenly increased the force in his hand and smashed the mace down hard against Shinji's blade.
The blow came like a thunderclap, carrying unmatched power and momentum.
Shinji felt a tremendous force surge into him, instantly spreading through his entire body.
His arm went numb, as though it had lost all feeling. Then his whole body was sent flying, sword and all, like a kite with its string cut.
While airborne, Shinji tried desperately to adjust his posture, but he had no time to react.
At that moment, Entetsu appeared in front of him like a bolt of lightning and smashed the mace into his body.
Shinji suffered a heavy blow, blood spraying wildly from his mouth as he crashed hard into the ground.
The impact carved a large crater into the earth, sending dust flying everywhere and leaving the area in ruins.