The rapidly rising heat fueled Kenpachi Kiganjō's rage as he let out a furious howl, stepping forward and swinging a massive fist straight at Masatsuki Aozaki's head.
Bang!
Masatsuki Aozaki blocked the attack with Banshō Senran, parrying it just as his leg whipped around and struck Kiganjō square in the stomach.
Blow after blow, they clashed relentlessly. With each exchange, flas erupted from Kenpachi Kiganjō's body, burning hotter and hotter.
Swords t swords, fists and feet struck with lethal intent, and the battlefield was engulfed in a swirling storm of dust and embers as they fought with wild abandon.
They were both insane.
Perhaps anyone who crawled out from the lower districts of Rukongai carried a touch of madness.
It was the kind of place that bred lunatics.
"You damn maniac!!"
Kenpachi Kiganjō let out a guttural scream, the searing agony of the flas nearly unbearable.
No matter how hard he pushed his Reiatsu to disperse the fire consuming him, Masatsuki Aozaki would always find the perfect mont to fan the flas once more.
This unending, rciless burning—
It was as if he had been cast into hell itself.
"Hahaha! Co on! Keep going!!"
Masatsuki Aozaki was gradually reclaiming control over his body.
With Banshō guiding him, he was finally adapting to the true power of Banshō Senran.
Pain, blood, the thrill of battle—none of it mattered. What truly made a fight exhilarating was experiencing it firsthand!
Kenpachi Kiganjō's fist slamd into him with brutal force, sending him skidding several ters back. Blood splattered through the air, staining his face—
Yet, he laughed.
Kenpachi Kiganjō could feel it—
Masatsuki Aozaki was enjoying this.
If it weren't for these damn flas, I'd probably feel the sa way. How frustrating...
Kiganjō pushed his Reiatsu to its limits, suppressing the inferno ignited by Ryūjin Jakka just a little more.
The thrill of standing at the edge of life and death, the exhilarating clash of swords, the intoxicating scent of blood—
For a mont, it felt like he was back in Rukongai, fighting for survival.
Never a mont of peace. Never truly owning his own life.
But those days had felt so full.
"...Hey, kid," Kenpachi Kiganjō suddenly spoke.
Masatsuki Aozaki tilted his head. "What?"
"You're running low on Reiatsu, aren't you?" Kiganjō muttered, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Sa here."
"Isn't it a little reckless to announce your condition so openly?" Masatsuki Aozaki chuckled.
"Cut the act," Kiganjō growled, gritting his teeth. "I'll settle this with one final strike."
"Master Yamamoto is almost here. Shouldn't you be saving your Reiatsu to run?" Masatsuki Aozaki didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced past Kiganjō, toward the rapidly approaching force breaking through the barrier.
A scorching, overwhelming Reiatsu.
"I don't need to run. There's no point—I wouldn't make it far anyway," Kenpachi Kiganjō bared his teeth in a grin. "Besides, I'd rather see how this fight ends than disgrace myself by running."
He had completely forgotten why he had co here in the first place.
The only thing that mattered now was defeating the man in front of him.
Life or death—it didn't matter anymore.
"Co."
Masatsuki Aozaki took a deep breath, his confidence unwavering.
He wasn't going to lose.
Banshō Senran flared, its flas stretching out like wings. A high-pitched screech echoed in his ears.
"You haven't disappointed , Masatsuki Aozaki!!"
Kenpachi Kiganjō's eyes widened.
A fierce gust of wind rushed toward him, and under the crushing weight of his earth-colored Reiatsu, the very air howled in agony.
Whoosh!
Dust and debris erupted from the ground—
Masatsuki Aozaki had vanished.
No tricks. No unnecessary flourishes.
Just pure swordsmanship.
Zanpakutō against Zanpakutō.
Yet, in that instant, a storm raged within Kenpachi Kiganjō's mind.
White-hot Reiatsu surged toward him, twisting into flas that licked at his body.
His rocky armor surged forward to et the attack—
Only to lt and shatter.
This...
"How can this be so terrifying?!" Kenpachi Kiganjō cried out in disbelief.
After their previous clashes, he had a rough grasp of the power Masatsuki Aozaki's Ryūjin Jakka could unleash.
It was worthy of its title as the strongest fire-type Zanpakutō, but the battle shouldn't have been so one-sided.
Dōhan Tengan hadn't even put up a proper resistance before it was effortlessly torn apart.
"I've used my full strength," Masatsuki Aozaki said.
Kenpachi Kiganjō was montarily dazed, his senses distorted by a cacophony of wind, thunder, and countless other noises.
He looked up. Masatsuki Aozaki, clearly smaller in stature, had deliberately positioned himself above—an awkward stance for delivering powerful strikes.
How the hell was he flying in Soul Society?
No, that wasn't the question he should be asking!
This was... Katen Kyōkotsu's Takaoni!
The higher ground ant victory!
Standing above him, Masatsuki Aozaki's slashes carried even greater force!
Clang!!
Their blades collided violently, the tallic clash ringing out like a bell.
White and earth-colored Reiatsu clashed, bursting into dazzling light before a hurricane-like shockwave erupted from the battle's epicenter, sweeping outward in all directions.
Crack!!
A deep fissure split across Dōhan Tengan, the sound of breaking stone sending a chill through the air.
Pain shot through Kenpachi Kiganjō's body, forcing him to suck in a sharp breath. A mont later, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.
A flash of steel. A flicker of flas.
He clutched his chest, pain surging through him. A deep, gaping wound now ran across his torso.
His body remained connected only by his spine and the shredded muscles of his back. Blood sprayed from the wound, spattering across Masatsuki Aozaki's face.
Masatsuki Aozaki took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. A rush of exhilaration flooded through him.
His hair, stained crimson, clung to his face as rivulets of blood trickled down his cheeks. But there was no revulsion—only the gleeful grin of a man reveling in victory.
He had defeated a captain.
This ant... he had truly stepped into the ranks of Soul Society's elite!
"You... really are one devious bastard."
With a loud thud, Kenpachi Kiganjō's body gave out. He slumped onto the ground, leaning back against a massive boulder, a faint smirk lingering on his lips.
Masatsuki Aozaki turned, planting Banshō Senran into the ground as he crouched before him.
"Disappointed? Because it wasn't the honorable duel you were hoping for?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Kenpachi Kiganjō coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"This was a battle to the death. A fight where you throw everything you have at your opponent, using every last trick to claim victory. This is what true combat is."
"I was just too much of an idiot to see that you were holding back. You're Shunsui Kyōraku's junior—I should have expected this..."
His vision blurred, breath growing shallower.
In his final monts, the man accepted his own foolishness.
Masatsuki Aozaki hesitated for a fraction of a second, caught off guard by his words.
But there was no ti for sentint.
Before Kenpachi Kiganjō could draw his last breath, Masatsuki Aozaki thrust his hand into his chest.
"You may be an insufferable bastard, but you're still Kenpachi."
He gazed at the soul of Kenpachi Kiganjō now resting in his palm, grinning as his blood-stained teeth glead in the dim firelight.
A captain's soul—an invaluable piece of experintal material.
Masatsuki Aozaki carefully stored it away as Kenpachi Kiganjō's body finally lost all signs of life.
Whoosh!
From the distance, an invisible blade of wind sliced through the air with terrifying speed.
The colossal stone prison—its structure akin to a gladiatorial arena—was split in half. The severed rock walls crashed down with a deafening rumble.
Boom!!
The ground trembled under the sheer force of impact. A violent shockwave erupted, sending dust and debris spiraling into the air—
And amidst it all, a pristine white haori billowed in the scorching wind.
Flas surged skyward, consuming everything in their path. The stone walls, once solid and imposing, lted away in an instant.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake
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