Hiding One's Edge and Keeping a Low Profile

As soon as she finished speaking, Retsu Unohana swiftly drew her sword. The churning dark red liquid instantly adhered to her blade, transforming into a blood-red whip tens of meters long. With terrifying power capable of tearing through space, it swept towards Xuanxin at the waist!

"Bang!"

Xuanxin quickly dodged, but the blood-red whip lashed out at the spot where he had been standing, carving a deep, bottomless ravine into the hard rock.

"This can't go on!"

While rapidly Shunpo through the sea of blood, Xuanxin was simultaneously calculating in his mind.

Sister Hana's current fighting style not only possesses absolute regenerative ability, but also, with the support of the Blood Sea, is flexible, unpredictable, and extremely treacherous.

If he continues to maintain the huge and cumbersome image of the Myō-ō, he will only become a huge sitting duck, completely repeating the defeat he suffered in his match against Musashi that day!

"We have no choice but to take a gamble! Like Musashi said... compress!"

Xuanxin took a deep breath, abruptly stopped, and stared wide-eyed!

With a loud shout, the six-armed Vajra statue behind him, several meters tall, suddenly began to tremble violently!

A massive amount of Reishi were forcibly squeezed inward, and the enormous Dharma form began to shrink rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Seeing Xuanxin's unbelievable actions, Retsu Unohana was first slightly taken aback, and then the fighting spirit in her eyes burned even more fiercely, as if doused with oil!

And on the rocky peaks several kilometers away.

The onlookers were abuzz as they watched the figure of the King of Light gradually shrink.

"What's going on? Why has Captain Xuanxin's Bankai shrunk?! Is his Reiatsu insufficient to maintain his Dharma Form, and is he about to lose?"

However, Yoruichi Shihōin, Kisuke Urahara, and Shunsui, who were standing at the forefront, simply looked calmly at the distant battlefield and nodded.

"It seems that Junior Brother has finally found a way to deal with it." Jūshirō Ukitake stared intently at the gradually shrinking figure, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Hearing this, Shunsui Kyōraku chimed in, "That's right. In a true life-or-death battle, while a massive size can certainly bring extreme destructive power, more often than not, it becomes an unavoidable burden. Learning to control one's power is the first step towards the pinnacle."

Yoruichi, however, was in no mood to concern herself with techniques; she simply watched the two on the field with concern, remaining silent.

Listening to the captains' conversation, Rangiku Matsumoto scratched her head, seemingly understanding but not quite, but her ever-worried heart finally relaxed a little.

However, these words about "body size being a burden and compression being the truth" struck Sajin Komamura, who was standing behind, like a bolt from the blue!

Shunsui Kyōraku's words plunged him into deep thought and deeply moved him, as if they had opened a brand new door for his future path.

In the center of the battlefield.

Although Xuanxin was not yet able to completely compress the Myōō Dharma Image into a Reishi cloak that fit his body like Musashi, he successfully compressed the Dharma Image, which was originally several meters tall, to a size of only three meters!

The reduction in size results in a qualitative leap in agility and speed, as well as a geometric increase in Reiatsu density!

"Whoosh!"

After being compressed, Xuanxin stopped dodging and transformed into a white streak of light, launching a furious counterattack against the countless blood-red whips that filled the sky!

"Well done! This is how it should be." Retsu Unohana burst into laughter, her smile growing increasingly radiant and manic.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Various high-level Kidō light and sharp sword energy began to flash and collide wildly between the two!

The entire desert was transformed into an apocalyptic inferno by their collision! The earth around them trembled, and space itself was torn apart piece by piece!

The battle quickly entered its most brutal and intense phase!

As time went by, Minazuki with Reiatsu protecting him, the terrifying corrosive power still managed to penetrate Xuanxin's defenses.

At this moment, Xuanxin's left arm, where he held the knife, had been completely dissolved by the corrosion of the blood, turning into nothing but bare white bones!

But he still gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with his skeletal hands, and each swing was without the slightest tremor! The Captain's Haori on his body had long since turned to ashes, and deep, bone-revealing knife marks were visible everywhere on his robust body.

Meanwhile, Retsu Unohana on the opposite side also looked extremely disheveled.

Although she maintained a high-intensity attack, her increasingly heavy breathing and violently heaving chest all indicated that this high-intensity battle was also taking a terrifying toll on her Reiatsu and physical strength!

Even so, looking at Genshin, who was almost covered in blood but was still fearless and whose attacks were becoming more and more fierce, Retsu Unohana 'Xuanxin smile became even brighter. It was the pure joy of finally satisfying a thousand years of suppressed desire.

"That's it... Xuanxin! More! Faster!"

In this frenzied battle, Xuanxin clearly felt that as the Reiatsu within his body gradually reached its limit, the hard shell called the "bottleneck" finally began to loosen slightly under the pressure of life and death!

"Just a little bit more... just a tiny bit more!"

Xuanxin took a deep breath, squeezing out the last bit of potential from his body. Even ignoring his left arm, which had already turned into bones, he once again took the initiative to meet Retsu Unohana's blade head-on and crashed into it with a bang!

"Bang--!"

In a fierce battle so intense it seemed to eclipse the heavens and earth, Xuanxin ultimately succumbed to exhaustion of his Reiatsu and was defeated in this head-on clash.

He was like a kite with a broken string, once again violently cleaved away!

"Splash."

Xuanxin crashed heavily into the dark red, viscous liquid, splashing up large amounts of blood.

This time, he didn't get up immediately as before, but lay quietly in the sea of blood, motionless.

Seeing this, Retsu Unohana stopped in her tracks.

She looked down at Xuanxin, who lay in a sea of blood, the smile on her face gradually fading, replaced by a deep sense of loneliness and disappointment.

Retsu Unohana sighed sadly in her heart, "Did I fail? Was I too impatient? Was the time I gave him ultimately not enough? I'm so sorry I couldn't help you cross that boundary, Xuanxin..."

Although she was filled with disappointment and regret, as she said, this battle could only be fought by one person.

Then she slowly picked up the blood- Zanpakuto and walked step by step toward Xuanxin, preparing to fulfill the contract they had made before the battle—to give this loser his final death.

However, just as her blade was about to strike!

A sudden change has occurred!

Xuanxin, lying in a sea of blood, suddenly unleashed a strange power from deep within his body!

It turned out that, just now, on the verge of life and death, Xuanxin's mind was completely emptied, and he entered an incredibly magical state of clarity!

All the techniques he had learned in his life—the fierceness of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the ruthlessness of Retsu Unohana, the instantaneous strikes of Hakuda, the unpredictability of Kidō —all flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern!

Ultimately, all the images froze on the scene from a few days earlier in the basement, Musashi combined his two swords and unleashed that simple yet world-severing strike!

At this moment, all the fragments were suddenly pieced together!

"I see..."

Xuanxin's eyes snapped open amidst the blood, and his once-dark pupils now shone with a light as bright as stars!

"Whoosh!"

Just as Retsu Unohana Retsu's blade was about to slice open his throat, Xuanxin's figure, in a bizarre and precarious manner, slid out of the blade's reach and stood once again atop the sea of blood.

Seeing that Xuanxin had not only survived but was also radiating an indescribable and mysterious aura, Retsu Unohana's disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by an uncontrollable surge of joy!

"It seems you've succeeded, Xuanxin! Then let's continue this grand feast."

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin didn't say much. He simply raised his hands slowly, Zanpakuto diagonally at the ground, making the exact same starting gesture as Musashi that day.

However, when faced with the same posture, Retsu Unohana, a master of swordsmanship, felt a sense that was both familiar and completely different!

In stark contrast to Musashi's unrestrained and wild style, Xuanxin was emanating his own all-encompassing yet restrained sword intent!

Faced with this attack that defied all comprehension, Retsu Unohana unhesitatingly unleashed all the Reiatsu within her body. A dark red sea of blood began to frantically converge towards her blade, preparing to meet this final and ultimate clash!

Meanwhile, the crowd watching the battle from dozens of kilometers away was all wide-eyed in shock!

They discovered that the fierce winds across the entire wilderness had completely stopped at that moment!

All the Reishi in the surrounding world seemed to be summoned by some irresistible force, and began to frantically converge towards the two people in the center of the battlefield!

The overwhelming, dark red, viscous liquid, like a receding tide, rapidly receded towards Retsu Unohana's feet!

"Now!"

A blinding glint flashed in Xuanxin's eyes as he met Retsu Unohana- on and swung his sword with all his might!

In response to Xuanxin, Retsu Unohana unleashed a terrifying wave of red sword energy, several meters high, with all her might!

"Boom--!"

Two forces, representing the pinnacle of the old and new eras, collided violently in the heart of the desert!

A blindingly bright light flashed instantly, illuminating the entire world in a ghastly white light, and even sound was robbed of its power in that moment!

I don't know how much time passed.

As the light faded, the gale swept across the desert once more.

Amidst the endless yellow sand, all was calm.

Xuanxin stood quietly in front of Retsu Unohana. His left arm, now a skeleton, hung limply at his side, while the blade of his Zanpakuto in his right hand was firmly stopped less than an inch away from Retsu Unohana's fair and slender neck!

If we push it in just half a step further, we can easily cut open the throat of this First Kenpachi.

A gentle breeze ruffled Retsu Unohana's long, loose black hair. She didn't resist, but looked at the man before her with a puzzled expression in her eyes, which had regained their clarity and gentleness.

Retsu Unohana's voice conveyed an unprecedented sense of relief and tranquility.

"You won. But... why didn't you make a move? According to Kenpachi's rules, only one can survive."

Upon hearing this question, Xuanxin slowly lowered his Zanpakuto. On his blood-stained, utterly exhausted face, he forced out an incredibly bright smile.

"Sister Hana, you just said it yourself, I won."

Xuanxin's voice, though weak, carried a domineering air that seemed to defy all fate. "So, from this moment on, your life belongs to me. I won't let you die, and no one can take you away, not even yourself."

After saying this, as if draining the last bit of strength from his body, Xuanxin's vision went black, and he collapsed forward.

Looking at the man lying at my feet, listening to that domineering declaration.

Retsu Unohana froze on the spot, a strong shock flashing in her eyes. Then, looking at Xuanxin's profile, the corners of her mouth slowly curved up, revealing a relieved smile.

"Yes... you won. Since my life is yours, then I... I'll protect it for you."

Then, having exhausted all her Reiatsu and physical strength, Retsu Unohana slowly closed her eyes and collapsed beside Xuanxin.

Two figures lay unconscious side by side in the desolate yellow sand.

Seeing that the battle in the distance had completely stopped and the Reiatsu storm had dissipated, the captains and vice-captains standing on the rocky peak immediately unleashed their fastest Shunpo ever and frantically rushed towards the center of the arena.

"Quickly! Kaidō base and prepare! Send her to the Fourth Division for emergency treatment immediately!"

With a series of anxious shouts, this epic duel between the old and new Kenpachi, which shook the entire dark side of Soul Society, finally came to an end.

Chapter 69 Concealing Strength and Maintaining Simplicity

As Xuanxin's consciousness slowly rose from the darkness, he opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was still the familiar ceiling of the Fourth Division.

"So, I woke up here again..." Xuanxin chuckled bitterly to himself.

He then tried to move his stiff body, and his bones immediately cracked and popped, accompanied by a throbbing pain, silently proclaiming the fierce battle his body had recently endured.

But when Xuanxin turned his head slightly and his gaze swept over the low cabinet by the bed, his eyes suddenly froze.

There, neatly folded, lay an old-fashioned Captain's Haori, its fabric slightly yellowed.