Soul Society's Unrivaled Genius! Just How Strong Could Kyōsuke Kuchiki Become?

Kenpachi Zaraki's throat moved, and he slowly uttered a single word.

His Reiatsu, which had been raging violently just moments ago, finally began to subside.

Before he could finish what he was saying,

the monster of a man collapsed headfirst onto the ground and lay motionless.

The eye Yachiru Unohana had failed to take had now been completely erased by Dijiang.

Blood still gushed from the wound, staining half the man's face red and making him look utterly terrifying.

It seemed the Spiritual Power-devouring eyepatch the Research and Development Institute would eventually develop specifically for him would have to be worn on the other side.

"It's over."

"..."

Kyōsuke Kuchiki let out a long breath, and his taut nerves immediately relaxed.

Then Yoruichi's voice sounded behind him.

"Kyōsuke...?"

Yoruichi Shihōin arrived before the two of them in a few steps of Shunpo, her face bright with surprise.

But when she saw Kyōsuke Kuchiki's expression clearly, a trace of hesitation entered her voice.

The young man before her had only just finished fighting, and his aura still held a sharpness that made her heart tremble.

He looked a little unfamiliar, nothing like the carefree young man she knew.

Fortunately, Kyōsuke Kuchiki turned around the next second.

"I'm here."

He smiled, a rare trace of genuine exhaustion in his voice.

A true powerhouse had to be able to control their emotions.

In battle, one could not do without the will to fight.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki's ability to switch states at will was precisely a prerequisite for becoming a top powerhouse.

But perhaps even Yoruichi herself did not notice how much more at ease she felt when she sensed that familiar, leisurely aura from Kyōsuke Kuchiki.

Chapter 59: Soul Society's Unrivaled Genius! Just How Strong Could Kyōsuke Kuchiki Become?

Yoruichi glanced at Kenpachi lying on the ground, a trace of shock still lingering in her heart.

Even from a distance, the Reiatsu radiating from him had been overwhelming.

Now that she felt it up close, the mere traces of Reiatsu he had left behind were enough to make her uncomfortable!

The sharp killing intent it contained had even made her, the Second Division Captain, feel for a moment as though a blade had pierced her chest.

Recalling how Kyōsuke Kuchiki had fought him, she looked at the young man with another flicker of astonishment and joy.

Under that kind of pressure, he had still been able to fight at that speed and in that manner?

He was only just old enough to have graduated...

What a monster!

Meanwhile, Kyōsuke Kuchiki casually used Kaidō to heal most of Kenpachi Zaraki's wounds.

He could do nothing about the wounds affected by Dijiang's ability.

The ability to delete space erased things completely; they could not be recovered.

Those wounds could only heal through Kenpachi Zaraki's powerful physique and careful recuperation.

Of course, his vanished left eye could not grow back without special means.

Just then, a muscular, silver-haired man appeared before him.

He had sharp eyes and an upright air, with a lock of hair hanging over the center of his forehead. He wore a sleeveless shihakusho with a white Captain's Haori over it.

Looking at the familiar Soul Reaper captain, Kyōsuke Kuchiki could not help thinking of a question that struck straight at the soul:

How many Kensei Mugurumas could he beat?

It could not be helped. He was all too familiar with the "unit of combat strength" standing before him.

"Captain Kensei, what brought you here too?" Kyōsuke Kuchiki asked with a faint smile.

Kensei Muguruma was a straightforward man who spoke whatever was on his mind.

Hearing Kyōsuke Kuchiki's words, he waved his hands repeatedly.

"Young Master Kuchiki, please don't call me captain."

"In all of Seireitei, only a handful of people have any right to put on a captain's airs in front of you."

With that, he answered Kyōsuke Kuchiki's question.

"I... received a report and came to apprehend the so-called Rukongai murderer."

Kensei Muguruma glanced at the fallen Kenpachi Zaraki and could not help feeling a belated chill of fear.

What murderer? He should have been called a god of slaughter.

If this unparalleled genius had not taken the blade for him, the Ninth Division would have been in serious trouble this time.

He did not worry about himself, but he could not help worrying about his subordinates.

He also could not help glancing at his squad members, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

They seemed to have been frightened by the battle just now. They were all standing far away and did not dare come near.

Although Kensei Muguruma knew he could not blame them, even he felt a little uneasy in the presence of powerhouses at this level.

It was for no other reason than that they were too strong, like beings from another world.

That made him instinctively nervous.

In fact, however, Kyōsuke Kuchiki was younger than everyone present.

Yet his strength had already reached an incredible level.

As Kensei Muguruma marveled at this, he suddenly noticed something.

"Hm...?"

He stared at Zaraki's chest, which was rising and falling very faintly but unmistakably, and froze.

"This guy... isn't dead?"

"I thought you'd already..."

Come to think of it, he had just seen this genius treating the monster.

Of course, Kensei Muguruma was not blaming Kyōsuke Kuchiki.

He was simply curious about what Kyōsuke Kuchiki was thinking and how the monster had survived.

Hearing him, Kyōsuke Kuchiki gave a helpless smile. "How could I?"

"I still need him to go back and inherit the title of Kenpachi."

Leaving aside the fact that he was intent on taking control of the Kidō Corps and developing it, and therefore needed Kenpachi Zaraki to become captain of the 11th Division in his place,

Kenpachi Zaraki himself was valuable. At the very least, he could strengthen Seireitei's fighting force.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki would also have one more hired thug... companion to call on in the future.

"But you just now, he just now..."

At that moment, something suddenly occurred to Yoruichi, and her expression went blank.

She... she felt as though her mind had suddenly stopped working.

Even from far away, she had been able to feel just how focused Kyōsuke Kuchiki was when he fought Zaraki!

And yet... he had still had enough strength to hold back!

He had deliberately spared Zaraki?!

She recalled the moment she had exchanged blows with Zaraki, when his presence had suppressed her without her even realizing it.

Her feelings grew even more complicated.

That monster had been chasing him down, and he had already been forced to get serious and prepare a killing move...

Yet he had still had the presence of mind to consider how much force to use. What kind of strength did that take?

What kind of state of mind?

Had Kyōsuke been so certain he could win?

But the next second, as though sensing her thoughts, Kyōsuke Kuchiki suddenly reached out and patted Yoruichi on the head, immediately bringing her back to her senses.

Seemingly aware of what Yoruichi was thinking, Kyōsuke Kuchiki gave the two of them a calm explanation.

"I didn't hold back, and neither did Zaraki."

"If the fight had dragged on any longer, I'm afraid my Spiritual Power would have run out before his."

Kyōsuke Kuchiki was not lying.

After releasing Dijiang's Shikai, all his abilities could indeed be amplified tenfold, but the Spiritual Power they consumed would also increase tenfold!

And although Dijiang's active ability could erase anything and might be called invincible, it consumed an enormous amount of power as well.

The several times he had used Dijiang's deletion ability earlier had consumed seventy to eighty percent of his Reiatsu.

At the very end, facing Kenpachi Zaraki, who grew fiercer the longer he fought, he really had given it a hundred and twenty percent, throwing his whole body and mind into the fight!

Kyōsuke Kuchiki had chosen to take a risk with one strike, using most of his remaining Reiatsu on Dijiang's active ability.

If Kenpachi Zaraki had not been caught slightly off guard, unaware that Dijiang's ability could grow even stronger,

then both of them would probably have suffered grievous injuries and be lying on the ground, unable to move.

And after deleting Kenpachi Zaraki's eye and delivering the final blow...

Kyōsuke Kuchiki's Reiatsu had finally run dry as well!

It had to be said that even though Zaraki had not yet joined the Gotei 13 or learned to use his own Reiatsu, he was still very strong.

Even while Kyōsuke had been using the Six Treasury Immortal Thief to constantly absorb matter from his surroundings and convert it into Reiatsu, Kenpachi Zaraki had kept fighting him all the way until now. That alone showed how powerful his Reiatsu was!

After this battle, although Zaraki had lost an eye, this beast would be much stronger than he was in the original story.

Kyōsuke Kuchiki had indeed won this round!

He had won because he knew himself better and had finer control over his Spiritual Power!

He had won because Kenpachi Zaraki had relied solely on basic slashes and an Asauchi to fight.

Once Kenpachi Zaraki became familiar with using his Reiatsu and learned swordsmanship and how to release his Zanpakuto, it might be much harder for Kyōsuke Kuchiki to win again.

However, with the Eight Extraordinary Skills, Kyōsuke Kuchiki did not believe he would remain at this level forever either.

While Kenpachi Zaraki grew stronger, he would only grow stronger and stronger himself.

At that thought, Kyōsuke Kuchiki spoke.

"In that case, Captain Kensei, I'll take Zaraki with me."

"You know about my agreement with the Captain-Commander. I still need this guy to inherit the name of Kenpachi."

Slowly coming back to his senses, Kensei Muguruma nodded. "If he can become a comrade, that would really be reassuring."

Seeing this, Kyōsuke Kuchiki looked at Yoruichi.

"Give me a hand?"

He lifted Kenpachi Zaraki's arm and waved it toward Yoruichi.

"I've used up all my Spiritual Power. It'd be hard enough for me to get back to Seireitei using Shunpo on my own."

"If we're going to take this guy back, I'll have to rely on you."

"Please, Sister Yoruichi!"

Yoruichi's expression grew even more helpless. "You little... now you remember to call me sister..."

So she had come all this way just to be this kid's porter?