Fighting Ikkaku

The next day, Ye Yang delivered the three jars of cherry blossom wine he had prepared to the Tenth Division, while he bought three boxes of konpeito and went to the 11th Division. Actually, the Tenth Division was closer than the 11th Division, but Ye Yang went to the 11th Division instead, because Ye Yang was not only going to the 11th Division to deliver the konpeito, but more importantly, to find Kenpachi.

Ye Yang had long promised to spar with Kenpachi, but he hadn't had the time until now. This was a good opportunity to satisfy Kenpachi's fighting spirit. Rather than saying that, it would be more accurate to say that Ye Yang's fighting spirit had soared.

Ye Yang hasn't fought a single battle since returning to Soul Society. In the World of the Living, he could often spar with Yoruichi and Urahara, but since returning to Soul Society, he hasn't had a serious fight. It can only be said that Soul Society is too peaceful, and over time, the warlike elements within Ye Yang have been almost completely worn away.

Upon opening the doors to the 11th Division, one is greeted by the sight of almost all the members practicing their slashing techniques. Some are sparring, while others are practicing against wooden dummy drills. It seems there's a reason why the 11th Division is known as having the strongest combat power.

Ye Yang's entrance immediately caught their attention, as it was rare for other people to come to the 11th Division. People from other divisions regarded them as simple-minded, physically strong barbarians who would never step into the place unless there was an emergency.

"I'm the vice-captain of the Second Division. I have something to discuss with your captain. Please inform him beforehand," Ye Yang stated his purpose simply and clearly, and was quite polite.

Most of the people here didn't recognize Ye Yang, but one veteran member spoke up and asked, "Second Division Vice-Captain? You're Ye Yang Shihoin?"

Ye Yang nodded. "Yes."

Immediately, the team members below looked at him with great astonishment. Who didn't know the head of the Shihoin Clan Four Great Noble Clans? Moreover, after every sparring session, Kenpachi would always say unsatisfactorily, "Tch, not enough fun. Why isn't that Ye Yang Shihoin back yet?"

Over time, the name Ye Yang Shihoin became associated with a mysterious and powerful figure within the 11th Division. They didn't know if he was as strong as Kenpachi had described, and all of them felt a desire to fight him.

The way everyone looked at Ye Yang immediately changed. But Ye Yang was unaware of this, so he asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Although they had the desire to fight, Ye Yang was, after all, a vice-captain. He was someone they couldn't afford to offend; the 11th Division's members were generally stronger than those of the other divisions. But for an ordinary member to challenge a vice-captain was practically suicide.

The gap between them is not so easily bridged, especially since the Second Division's combat strength is not weak either, and their assassination methods even send chills down the spines of the 11th Division.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out. "What's going on? Why has everyone stopped? What are you all doing gathered here?"

The voice was familiar, and looking towards the source of the sound, one could see a gleaming light – it was Ikkaku Madarame, the Third Seat of the 11th Division, followed by a slightly alluring man – Yumichika Ayasegawa.

At this moment, the members made way for Ikkaku, and one of them said, "Third Seat Madarame, Fifth Seat Ayasegawa, and the vice-captain of the Second Division wants to see the captain. What do you think..."

"Second Division Lieutenant? Ye Yang Shihoin?" Ikkaku exclaimed, looking down the road. Sure enough, it was Ye Yang standing there, smiling at them.

"Hey, Ikkaku, Yumichika!"

Ikkaku strode over and said, "Ye Yang Shihoin? What are you doing in our 11th Division?" Even Yumichika looked at Ye Yang in surprise. In his memory, Ye Yang seemed to be afraid of their captain and would pester him to fight. Why did he come here on his own initiative this time?

Ye Yang: "Can't I come over? I need to talk to Kenpachi, no, I should say I need to talk to Yachiru."

"Then you're probably too early," Yumichika suddenly spoke up. "Given how badly the captain and vice-captain are with directions, they definitely won't be here at this hour. It'll probably take them another half hour to get there."

Ye Yang rubbed his forehead. A large bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. He should have realized it sooner; the two of them, who were terrible with directions, were not as simple as one plus one equals two.

Ikkaku drew his Zanpakuto and said, "Since you're here, let's fight! I won't be defeated so easily after all these years!" He was indeed a battle maniac; the first thing he thought of upon seeing Ye Yang was to fight.

The surrounding team members made way for them, but Yumichika didn't retreat. Instead, he looked eager to try, seemingly wanting to fight Ye Yang as well. However, he said with a kick, "Yumichika, I know you also want to fight this guy, but let me go first this time."

Although Yumichika also wanted to fight, since Ikkaku had already said so, he slowly withdrew from the battle, leaving only Ikkaku and Ye Yang in the middle of the arena.

Ikkaku Zanpakuto at Ye Yang: "Come on, Ye Yang Shihoin!"

Ye Yang could only nod slightly. His purpose in coming here was to fight. Being able to become the Third Seat in the 11th Division was enough to show that Ikkaku had a certain strength. The 11th Division was known as the division with the strongest combat power, and that was no exaggeration. Ikkaku's Third Seat was probably no less than that of the vice-captains of other divisions, except for Ye Yang, of course.

"Consider this a warm-up before fighting Kenpachi," Ye Yang thought, drawing his Zanpakuto from his back, holding the hilt in his right hand, the tip pointing to the ground, a glint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. "Come on!"

Meanwhile, the onlookers were buzzing with discussion, "Who do you think will win?"

"It should be Third Seat Madarame. Although he's only the Third Seat Madarame Third Seat, everyone knows that his strength is definitely at the vice-captain level, and Third Seat Madarame has a wealth of combat experience! He should win!"

"I don't think so. Firstly, this Ye Yang Shihoin is also a Vice-Captain-level figure. I've heard that this vice-captain fought in Hueco Mundo for decades, and his combat experience is by no means inferior to that of Third Seat Madarame. Besides, doesn't the captain often mention him? How could someone who is remembered by the captain not have strength?"

Opinions differed. Some believed that Ikkaku Madarame was stronger, while others thought that Ye Yang's strength was unknown, but Ikkaku Madarame's strength was undeniable. For a moment, no one could make up their minds.

Finally, someone asked Yumichika Ikkaku. He simply shook his head. "I don't know. It's about to start, let's just stay quiet and watch."

After that, everyone fell silent, watching the two in the arena intently, afraid of missing this exciting battle.

However, no one noticed the bitter smile on Yumichika, because he knew that this battle was not in any suspense at all. He remembered the first time they met Ye Yang, he had a tremendous battle with Kenpachi! At that time, he and Ikkaku could only watch from afar, as it was not a field they could even enter.

Even now, they secretly compare themselves to each other, wondering if they could have intervened in their battle if their strength had been the same back then. In the end, they all came to the same conclusion: no!

Even now, they all possess combat strength comparable to Vice-Captain-level, but Ye Yang's battle with Kenpachi was definitely at the Captain-level. They've trained day and night for decades, and have only reached the Vice-Captain-level now. What about Ye Yang?

Ye Yang, who possesses even greater talent than them, has cultivated in Hueco Mundo for fifty years. He doesn't believe that his progress is slower than theirs. He doesn't know exactly how strong Ye Yang has become, but he's sure he's much stronger than himself and Ikkaku!

Even though Ikkaku knew it was a battle he was destined to lose, he still chose to fight! Because the word "retreat" didn't exist in their dictionary! At the same time, he wanted to know how big the gap was between himself and them.

"Hah!" A loud shout pulled Yumichika's thoughts back to the arena. The two were already fighting. Ye Yang easily blocked Ikkaku Jiao's slash, and then kicked Ikkaku's waist with his right foot at an extremely fast speed. If this kick landed, even if it didn't seriously injure him, it would still have some impact.

In the nick of time, Ikkaku used both swords to forcefully deflect Ye Yang's attack. Then, Ye Yang's foot struck Ikkaku's Zanpakuto. "Clang!" The Zanpakuto, and the blow sent Ikkaku flying more than ten meters away.

However, Ikkaku was not discouraged; instead, his eyes were filled with fighting spirit! Clearly, Ikkaku was not surprised by the result. He Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him and said, "In that case! Extend— Hōzukimaru!"

As Ikkaku stretched his hands, the Zanpakuto lengthened, eventually transforming into a spear. However, the spearhead was not an ordinary spearhead, but a short sword, as if the tip of the Zanpakuto had been embedded in the spear shaft.

"Heh heh, Ye Yang Shihoin, we've improved too, haven't we? Watch out!" Ikkaku sneered as he charged toward Ye Yang with Hōzukimaru in hand.

It must be said that after Ikkaku's Shikai, his attack power and speed increased significantly. Moreover, Hōzukimaru is a spear-type weapon, and as the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger," so Ikkaku's attack range also increased considerably.

However, these attacks still couldn't break through Ye Yang's defenses. Ye Yang hadn't truly attacked at all; it was merely a warm-up. Hōzukimaru clashed with Ye Yang's Zanpakuto once more, but this time, a smile appeared on Ikkaku's lips as he said, "You must think Hōzukimaru is a gun, right? I've never said that! Crack open— Hōzukimaru!"

Ye Yang knew he was in trouble. He saw that Hōzukimaru had broken in two, with chains connecting the broken parts. The tip of the spearhead was aimed directly at Ye Yang's forehead, and Ye Yang's Zanpakuto was also locked by the other broken chain, unable to move!

With the blade tip only a finger's width away from Ye Yang, and just when Ikkaku thought the attack would succeed, Ye Yang didn't choose to dodge to Ikkaku vital point as Yi Jiao had expected. Instead, he neither dodged nor evaded. Was he going to take the hit head-on? A question flashed through Ikkaku's mind.