The Captains Watching the Show / Kiganjō, Leave the Division!

"Try me and you'll find out whether it was luck!"

"You're asking for death, so don't blame me!"

The next second, Kenpachi Kiganjō abruptly drew the Zanpakuto at his waist!

A great flash of steel swept through the air, hurtling toward Yoruichi with merciless, ferocious force!

But Yoruichi narrowed her eyes without showing any surprise. Instead, her smile grew even brighter.

"You're the one who started it."

"I... am only being forced to fight back, so you can't blame me."

She drew her short blade like lightning to block the incoming strike, while her other hand had already drawn the spare short blade from behind her waist and assumed an attacking stance.

At her side, Tessai Tsukabishi instinctively spun his staff, intending to stop Kiganjō.

Behind them, the expressions on the captains' faces grew particularly colorful.

They were really going to fight!

They were immensely curious to see which was stronger: the Second Division, which specialized in covert assassination, or the 11th Division, which specialized in combat!

All at once, the whole scene fell silent. Listening closely, one could even hear the blade slicing through the air with a piercing whistle!

The next second, everyone present froze.

Even Yoruichi Shihōin and Tessai Tsukabishi couldn't help staring in shock.

The black-haired young man stood silently beside Tessai, one hand pressed against Kiganjō's heavy Zanpakuto.

Compared to the cleaver as broad as a door, Kyōsuke Kuchiki's hand and frame looked so slender and fragile that he seemed liable to be snapped in half at any moment.

But...

Kiganjō said nothing.

His face simply flushed red as he clenched his teeth, silently put more strength into it, and pressed down with all his might.

But the Zanpakuto before him was like an impassable wall. No matter how he changed the angle or increased his strength, it wouldn't budge an inch!

Kyōsuke's fair hand and not particularly thick wrist didn't so much as tremble, nor was there any sign of exertion.

How could this be!

A chill crept down Kenpachi Kiganjō's back, and the way he looked at Kyōsuke silently changed a little.

Whether in Rukongai or the Seireitei, he had never lost to anyone in strength!

Because of that, he had even earned the title of a man born with monstrous strength.

But now...

Looking at Kyōsuke's wrist, which could quite fairly be called scrawny, the questions in his heart were practically bursting out of his chest!

He was already using all his strength!

Why... isn't this guy even shaking?

Could it be his Zanpakuto's ability?

Unlike Kiganjō, who was nearly straining with every ounce of strength he had, Kyōsuke looked completely relaxed and even had breath to spare for a taunt.

"Weren't you born with divine strength? Is that all? Haven't you eaten? Put some muscle into it!"

With the Six Treasury Immortal Thief at the consummate realm, Kyōsuke feared no one in a contest of strength or physique.

The only person who might be his equal in that respect was probably Kenpachi Zaraki, who was still wandering District 80.

The sight left the captains behind them dumbstruck.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki had effortlessly overpowered Kiganjō, a man of astonishing brute strength, using only one hand.

How much strength did that take? He was a monster!

The students who had retreated into the distance had lost all their earlier fear and began discussing it among themselves.

"This Kenpachi Kiganjō really does look like he hasn't eaten!"

"Maybe he isn't serious? He's the tenth Kenpachi. He can't be that weak, can he?"

"He is that weak. Didn't someone say it earlier? This guy picked up the title of Kenpachi!"

"If only I had luck that good."

Chapter 43: The Captains Watching the Show

Meanwhile, looking at the back before her, which had grown considerably broader, Yoruichi Shihōin couldn't help showing her astonishment.

When did this guy get here?!

She clearly hadn't sensed any trace of him, yet by the time she came to her senses, Kyōsuke was already standing in front of her.

It was no exaggeration to say that, if he hadn't blocked Kenpachi Kiganjō's Zanpakuto, she wouldn't even have noticed Kyōsuke making a move!

He had completely escaped her notice, despite her being the commander-in-chief of the Stealth Force...

Just how much control did this guy have over his presence?

As she recalled, he hadn't possessed such an ability before!

She had only been a captain for a few years, so why had this younger brother grown to the point where she couldn't understand him?

Curiosity stirred in her heart, and she couldn't help looking over at Kyōsuke.

As she observed him, Yoruichi seemed to notice something and thought to herself, Interesting!

Then she flickered backward, simply leaving Kyōsuke to face a captain on the verge of going mad.

"It's all because of you. If it weren't for you, you bastard..."

"I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

At that moment, listening to the discussions around him, Kenpachi Kiganjō's eyes were bloodshot, and his words came out incoherently.

His already savage, vicious face twisted into something even more terrifying, like an evil spirit.

The look Kiganjō directed at Kyōsuke was also filled with surging killing intent!

Fueled by rage, his massive body trembled as he released a savage Reiatsu imbued with a bone-chilling cold.

The instant his opponent unleashed his Reiatsu, Kyōsuke grabbed Tessai and used Shunpo to retreat.

Then he stood in front of Tessai, blocking all the surging Reiatsu rushing toward them.

Just a moment earlier, Kiganjō had disregarded the Seireitei's rules and released his Zanpakuto's Shikai.

In an instant, his surging Reiatsu was like a billowing ocean wave, swallowing up the weakest students.

The discussions cut off abruptly. Several students couldn't withstand the impact of the Reiatsu and fell to the ground without making a sound.

The whole scene descended into chaos as the students with somewhat stronger Reiatsu dragged their unconscious classmates backward.

"Kiganjō, have you gone mad? Stop!"

Shunsui Kyōraku, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, unleashed Kidō alongside several other captains.

A powerful barrier immediately formed, sealing off Kiganjō's Reiatsu.

To avoid disturbing the lives of the important people in the Seireitei, Shikai was strictly forbidden here.

Now Kiganjō had broken that rule.

The captains could only take temporary measures to remedy the situation.

Feeling the terrifying aftereffects of Kiganjō's Reiatsu, Tessai turned pale with shock and hurriedly warned him:

"Deputy Kidō Chief Kuchiki, be careful. This guy's gone mad. Why don't we retreat first and wait..."

But Tessai stopped short at that point.

He also understood why the captains and Captain Yoruichi were merely watching coldly, with no one stepping in to stop Kiganjō.

The reason was that Kyōsuke was smiling.

Facing the tenth Kenpachi, whose Reiatsu had increased tenfold after Bankai, Kyōsuke showed not a trace of fear or concern.

He smiled as he looked at Kiganjō, who gripped his Zanpakuto with both hands.

"Look at you. Why are you getting so worked up?"

Kiganjō said nothing. His eyes were red and brimming with killing intent as he drove his Reiatsu forward with all his might.

He had come off a little worse in the contest of strength, but that was only because he had been careless.

For Soul Reapers, it was Reiatsu that mattered. He would crush this brat's body with his peerless Reiatsu.

But that was only Kiganjō's wishful thinking. His immense Reiatsu surged and churned around him, but it was like waves crashing against a massive rock: it couldn't raise the slightest splash, much less shake the young man's body.

This brat clearly doesn't have the slightest trace of Reiatsu. Why is he so strong?

Could I lose?

Impossible!

I'm the strongest tenth Kenpachi. There's no way I'll lose.

Seeing Kyōsuke's calm, indifferent gaze and his unmoving body, Kiganjō's heart wavered for an instant.

But that wavering was quickly replaced by peerless killing intent.

As Retsu Unohana gently led the students far away, Shunsui Kyōraku exchanged glances with several captains.

Everyone understood that Kiganjō had lost himself in the fight and gone completely mad.

"I never thought that bet we made almost as a joke would actually come true."

Shunsui Kyōraku, captain of the Eighth Division, sighed, then drew Katen Kyōkotsu and stood ready.

His actions made their position clear: if Kiganjō fell into a disadvantage, they would not intervene.

But if anything happened to Kyōsuke, all the captains would swarm in and stop the frenzied Kiganjō.

It was just that fair!

None of the captains had any objections.

It was rare to have a show to watch, and they were more than happy to see Kiganjō make a fool of himself.

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi was supremely confident:

"With several of us captains here, nothing can go wrong. Let's see how long this kid can hold out!"

In their hearts, they very much wanted to see Kyōsuke beat Kiganjō senseless.

But reason told them it was almost impossible.

After all, no matter how questionable Kiganjō's strength was, he could still use Bankai.

Unohana, walking over at a leisurely pace, happened to hear Rōjūrō's words.

A glint flashed in her eyes, and she seemed to think of something, but she said nothing more and simply watched the two facing each other on the field.

By now, Kyōsuke had long since drawn his Zanpakuto and held it at his side.

A faint, inconspicuous glimmer coated the edge of its snow-white blade, silently devouring the surrounding air while releasing an extreme chill.

Unlike ordinary Soul Reapers, Kyōsuke was accustomed to wielding his sword with one hand.

The vast majority of Soul Reapers wielded their swords with both hands, regardless of their weapons.

At the very least, they did so when fighting at full strength.

The reason was simple: using both hands gave them greater speed, more explosive power, and greater stability.

A master of the one-handed sword like Kyōsuke was very confident in both his swordsmanship and his control.

The source of Kyōsuke's confidence was the Six Treasury Immortal Thief at the consummate realm.

After sensing Kyōsuke's fighting spirit and confidence, the other captains gave up the idea of helping.

This was Kyōsuke's battle alone, a battle with a man's dignity at stake.

Chapter 44: Kiganjō, Leave the Division!

Inside the barrier, Kiganjō's eyes were bloodshot, and the blood-colored Reiatsu erupting from him even distorted the space around him.

This was the power of a captain after releasing Shikai.