Is Your Kidō from a Different Version Than Ours? / Kill the Captain, and You're the Captain

How could his reiatsu have solidified, leaving him completely unable to draw on it?

At most, he could make his reiatsu flow slowly, like a snail... but no matter what he did, he couldn't use it!

In other words...

Kenpachi Kiganjō had been completely barred from using his reiatsu!

But... but how was that possible?!

What kind of Kidō could have such a terrifying effect?!

The shock was so overwhelming that Kenpachi Kiganjō opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

These things had gone far beyond anything he could comprehend.

His entire view of the world was on the verge of collapse!

Gripping his Zanpakuto, which was now no better than a piece of scrap metal, Kiganjō could only stare blankly at Kyōsuke Kuchiki, panting heavily like a fool as he repeated himself.

"You..."

"How did you do that?"

"That's impossible..."

"How is that possible?!"

"..."

Chapter 47: Is Your Kidō from a Different Version Than Ours?

"You can take your time thinking about that in the next world!"

With that, Kyōsuke Kuchiki's figure flashed, and he swept past Kiganjō.

The instant they crossed paths, he struck again.

It was Senka again!

"Kyōsuke Kuchiki..." The moment Kyōsuke Kuchiki drew his blade, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto closed his eyes again and said to his lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe, "Prepare a division funeral!"

Kiganjō was still struggling to break through the bizarre seal and regain control of his reiatsu.

Only when a spray of blood burst from his wound and spattered all over him did he suddenly freeze.

"Huh...?"

"How... how could I?"

Kiganjō stared blankly at the wound on his body, his face full of disbelief.

His vital Hakusui and Saketsu had been shattered. He was as good as dead!

Even at the very end, Kiganjō refused to fall, roaring as though muttering to himself:

"I'm the captain of the 11th Division, the strongest Kenpachi!"

"Goodbye, Kiganjō!"

Kyōsuke Kuchiki slowly withdrew his Zanpakuto. Its blade was still perfectly clean, without a single drop of blood.

With a crisp click, Dijiang slid into its sheath.

Kiganjō crashed to the ground, his eyes still open in death.

His massive body sent the blood pooled on the ground splashing up, staining his snow-white Captain's Haori a vivid red against the two conspicuous characters for "eleven" on its back.

He was a captain—and the Kenpachi who led the 11th Division, a division dedicated to combat.

Kiganjō had already unleashed his Bankai and even launched several imposing attacks.

Yet from beginning to end, he had never had a chance to wound or even touch Kyōsuke Kuchiki before the fight came to an abrupt end. It was practically a joke!

"Kyōsuke, you've really grown up!"

Yoruichi Shihōin was shocked, with a touch of relief.

From this day on, Kyōsuke Kuchiki was no longer merely the greatest genius, but a true powerhouse—a Captain-level powerhouse.

Retsu Unohana's eyes shone with excitement and admiration she could barely conceal.

As for the Soul Reaper students, every one of them stood dumbstruck, unable to believe what they had just seen.

"I'm not dreaming, am I? Is this real?"

"It's real. Our classmate Kyōsuke Kuchiki beat a captain who used Bankai."

"And a combat captain from the 11th Division, at that!"

"I doubt anyone can surpass his talent, whether in the present, past, or future."

"Lord Kyōsuke is amazing!"

To these young Soul Reapers, Soul Reaper captains were godlike beings.

Now the old god had fallen, and a new god had been born!

Compared with the utterly shocked students, the captains were naturally shocked as well.

But having seen and experienced much, they soon turned their attention to Kyōsuke Kuchiki's methods.

It was instinct for those who were strong.

The facts proved that Kiganjō's defeat was no injustice.

Never mind that the man lacked strength and had a limited range of techniques—even a stronger captain would find himself hampered against Kyōsuke Kuchiki, and the slightest lapse could spell disaster.

First, there were the Shunpo and Zanjutsu Kyōsuke Kuchiki had just used...

Everyone present was Captain-level, and one look at that bizarre way of moving was enough to tell that it was different from the Shunpo they used.

In other words, this was another technique Kyōsuke Kuchiki had created himself!

The other captains were confident they could imitate it.

But they could never give it that kind of power.

Because they didn't possess Kyōsuke Kuchiki's terrifyingly steady control.

With Zanjutsu like that, a miss of a hair's breadth truly meant an error of a thousand miles. The slightest mistake would greatly diminish its power.

Yet throughout the entire fight, Kyōsuke Kuchiki had not made a single mistake.

More frightening than the Zanjutsu was Kyōsuke Kuchiki himself.

But if that were all, the captains wouldn't have been so wary of him.

"...What do you think?"

The late-arriving Shinji Hirako glanced at Kisuke Urahara beside him, who had also only recently arrived.

Both had been drawn there by the reiatsu of the two combatants.

A Captain-level Soul Reaper performing a final release in the Seireitei was no small matter.

The two had hurried over, only to witness this incredible scene.

"Hmm, that's a little tricky."

At Shinji Hirako's question, Kisuke Urahara narrowed his eyes. It was impossible to tell what he was observing.

"If it were me, I wouldn't underestimate him, so I might be able to avoid that strange Kidō that makes reiatsu disappear completely."

"But that equally strange-looking Shunpo... I'm afraid it would be hard to avoid the first time you saw it."

As they talked, the two moved over to Shunsui Kyōraku.

"Captain Kyōraku, what about you?"

"What do you think of this genius's strength?"

"I can't make heads or tails of it!"

"It feels like this kid's Kidō and ours are two completely different things."

There were some things Shunsui Kyōraku didn't say outright.

In the Seireitei, Kidō related to time and space were forbidden techniques, and no one was permitted to use them.

Yet even those forbidden techniques involving time and space were no better than this.

Before meeting Kyōsuke Kuchiki, Shunsui Kyōraku had considered himself quite skilled at Kidō.

But after seeing Kyōsuke Kuchiki's various Kidō that went beyond all standards, he doubted whether he understood Kidō at all.

He turned to his friend and former classmate Jūshirō Ukitake beside him.

"Hey, Ukitake, do you have a way to counter Kidō like that?"

"I don't. I've never even heard of it."

Hearing Ukitake's answer, Shunsui Kyōraku spread his hands at Urahara and Hirako, looking helpless.

"Newcomers these days are no pushovers. Kiganjō really picked the wrong opponent."

Everyone fell silent.

For Soul Reapers and the vast majority of spiritual beings, reiatsu was everything.

Without reiatsu, even heaven-reaching abilities could not be used.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki's method of sealing reiatsu was far too deadly; it was the bane of all Soul Reapers.

And they had no good means of dealing with it.

At this moment, they could only be glad that Kyōsuke Kuchiki was on the Soul Reapers' side.

Otherwise, even the captains would have no good way to deal with such a troublesome ability.

"As for that Shunpo, it's too fast. The chances of blocking it are about fifty-fifty."

After some thought, Shunsui Kyōraku added this uncertainly.

"Once you've seen it, though, there are ways to counter it."

"It's just that this kid has too many tricks up his sleeve. He's hard to deal with."

"...Yes! He's already reached Captain-level at such a young age. His future is boundless!"

Kisuke Urahara chuckled and continued:

"Maybe the best outcome would have been for Kiganjō not to release his Zanpakuto."

"A Captain-level fighter getting taken out in one move while using Bankai... doesn't sound very good."

"..."

Chapter 48: Kill the Captain, and You're the Captain

Kisuke Urahara's words sounded somewhat absurd, but no one refuted them.

After all, when faced with a brand-new technique, no one could be certain they could avoid it.

Though no one said it aloud, those present had probably already committed that strange Shunpo to memory and were silently running through it in their minds, calculating their chances of blocking that slash.

Even Yoruichi Shihōin was no exception.

She, who bore the title of "Flash Goddess," had also fallen silent at the sight.

Shunpo was extremely fast, which meant that many people had no room to pull any new tricks while using it.

She knew that very well.

Yet Kyōsuke Kuchiki had not only used that special Shunpo, but had done so with great proficiency!

In other words, this was a special Shunpo he had created a long time ago!

But back then... how old had he been?

In other words, while his peers were still "playing in the mud," he had already started developing his own Shunpo.

Was... was that even fucking reasonable?

Realizing this, Yoruichi Shihōin couldn't help smiling, a trace of helplessness on her face.

She naturally had her own special Shunpo, Utsusemi.

But she had only perfected it enough to use it in actual combat on the eve of becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force and Second Division Captain!