Sōya Azashiro felt the intense heat. He wiped his forehead; his hands were covered in sweat. He looked up at the sky, where the heat was intense.
Looking around, all that could be seen were corpses. This was a vast battlefield, stretching as far as the eye could see. Every breath was filled with the stench of blood, a stench that wouldn't go away.
"Where is this place? I've got my hands on Zaraki's heart, I'm sure of that, but is this place some kind of Inner World?"
Sōya Azashiro extremely vigilant, his Inner World fraught with danger. He casually tested his power and found it was still there, which reassured him somewhat. He then began to wander the battlefield, searching for Zaraki.
It has to be said that walking through mountains of corpses and seas of blood is quite stressful. Although Soul Reaper has seen many corpses, this amount is indeed hard to accept, causing one's sanity to plummet.
"No wonder that guy was so crazy, so obsessed with battle. It's not surprising that he has this kind of Inner World. But what about the person?"
He had been walking for an unknown amount of time, and Sōya Azashiro felt increasingly uneasy about his surroundings. At that moment, he faintly heard shouts of battle, so he headed towards the direction he remembered.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he saw a battlefield where there were living people—or rather, a group of Asuras and a group of ghosts.
Among those demons, the most conspicuous was the demon king, Zaraki, wielding a broken sword and fighting fiercely.
"What's going on? Could it be that since there are no enemies in the World of the Living, countless enemies are being created in the Inner World to fight against them?"
"Or is it that once the debunking is achieved, he will continue to live in this Inner World, fighting relentlessly, while the person outside is merely a shell with instincts?"
Sōya Azashiro by little, afraid that the demons would spot him and charge at him—that would be no laughing matter.
Those demons looked like Japan oni, the kind with horns on their heads. In Japan legends, oni are monsters with immense strength, and the battlefield was proving this to be true. The earth was constantly shattering, and the damage could spread for several kilometers. Sōya Azashiro was observing from several kilometers away.
"Something's not right. I have a feeling this shouldn't be happening. If I don't go, in the end..."
During his observations, Sōya Azashiro witnessed a scene where the Demon King Zaraki slayed a nearby demon, then miraculously bit its head. Because it had been cut in half, Zaraki continued fighting while carrying half of the demon's body in his mouth. Even more Kongbu, he continued eating while fighting.
As Zaraki food, Zaraki strength noticeably increased. Seeing this Sōya Azashiro knew that waiting any longer was futile; if things continued this way, he would be doomed once Zaraki had wiped out the dozen or so demons around him.
However, there was nothing else to rely on on this battlefield besides the corpses scattered everywhere. Corroding the ground was definitely not a good option; in fact, simply choosing the Forest of Menos had already greatly enhanced Sōya Azashiro's combat power.
"Hey~ come closer."
As they approached, Sōya Azashiro discovered something amiss: the number of human corpses decreased, and beneath the numerous fissures lay the corpses of demons.
However, the strength of the demons varies. The one closest to the human corpse is the Blue Oni, followed by the Orange Oni, then the Yellow Oni, then the Blue Turtle, the Purple Oni, the Earth-Colored Oni, and finally the red demon who is currently fighting Zaraki.
However, even at such close range, Sōya Azashiro discovered that Zaraki and the demons still made no move against him; their eyes were only on each other, and they only wanted to kill one another.
Since that was the case, Sōya Azashiro decided to approach again. However, after getting to within about a hundred meters, he could no longer get any closer, as the effects of the battle had spread to this area. He even had to change his position as the Sōya Azashiro situation shifted.
Sōya Azashiro could observe the battle more closely. Finally, after locking onto a Red Oni that was in relatively better condition, Sōya Azashiro seized the opportunity and instantly rushed into the Red Oni's body, merging himself into it.
Sōya Azashiro's possession ability is very easy to execute when possessing a target whose size is similar to his own; however, the time required for the erosion process depends on the target's Spiritual Power concentration.
However, once it has been completely invaded and there is no one with that kind of telepathic Spiritual Power, the complete erosion is only a matter of time. Sure enough, the possessed Red Oni quickly withdrew from the battle after a sudden engagement, and the other Red Oni and Zaraki didn't care.
The Red Oni clenched his fists, stretched his body, and his eyes cleared. This was the result of complete corruption. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in the Red Oni's hand. This blade was formed from Spiritual Power mixed with the Red Oni's blood, a very useful weapon that this body could create.
Because during the fusion process, Sōya Azashiro fully understands the host's body structure and Spiritual Power configuration, allowing him to quickly form combat power after the incubation is complete.
Wielding his longsword, Azashiro found an opportunity to join the battle. His first strike left a mark on Zaraki, preventing the other Red Oni from attacking him. This allowed him to steal damage in the process Red Oni.
Round after round of stealthy attacks, even Azashiro Red Oni made mistakes, and Zaraki was Kongbu. Sometimes, what should have been a clear opportunity was stubbornly turned back by Zaraki.
Moreover, as Zaraki sustained more and more wounds, Azashiro found the battle increasingly difficult; the closer he was to death, the stronger he became, his attack power reaching unimaginable levels Red Oni.
This is the Inner World, where there are virtually no limits. Every strike from Zaraki now possesses the power of Kuruyashiki; a single strike can cause shattering effects several kilometers in radius. The surrounding area has long since been obliterated, the ground completely hidden. Each strike is like a hurricane.
"This can't go on! We'll be dragged down by him sooner or later! What!?"
In that brief moment of contemplation, Azashiro saw Red Oni slay Zaraki Red Oni, and, as fate would have it, devour it. This act of eating him made Zaraki stronger.
"Fuck you!" Azashiro, driven to desperation, finally uttered a Red Oni. There was no way he could compete; there were only a handful of other Red Oni. In short, if Azashiro were to fight Red Oni one- Zaraki -one now, he wouldn't stand a chance and wouldn't stand a chance of winning.
"Calm down!" Sōya Azashiro knew that the more critical the moment, the less he could afford to panic. He had to find the right opportunity to strike decisively and behead the monster.
The number of Red Oni continued to decrease, instantly becoming seven, and Zaraki caught another one. At that very moment, the Red Oni of the Azashiro transformed into a streak of red light, using all its Spiritual Power for propulsion. Its powerful Shunpo allowed it to truly appear as a beam of light above Zaraki.
However, Zaraki is Zaraki after all. This demon king, even while carrying something in his mouth, could force his arm to bend, even if it was broken, to attack the Crimson Red Oni of Azashiro.
Red Oni of the Azashiro had no other choice; victory or defeat hinged on this one strike. With all his might, he cleaved the blade at the neck of Demon King Zaraki. Even a Demon King couldn't withstand such a blow and was instantly beheaded.
However, the Ghost King's blade also severed the Red Oni of Azashiro in two, and the immense power that erupted completely obliterated the Red Oni. The next moment...
Sōya Azashiro withdrew his hand, glanced around, and let out a long sigh, "Phew~ You're back? Ha~ Ha~ You're back!"
On the other side, Zaraki's Spiritual Power trembled. His Zaraki King form shattered, his Spiritual Power shell vanished, and a broken giant blade grew back. Zaraki staggered back two steps, dragged by the massive blade, and leaned on his sword, panting heavily.
"You two, can we continue?"
Both looked at Jun, who had suddenly appeared. Sōya Azashiro glanced at his own palm, though Jun's appearance was even clearer; he was practically transparent. On the other side, Zaraki struggled to lift his axe.
Chun glanced at the situation and said, "In that case, it 'Zaraki difficult."
"Huh!?" Zaraki looked completely bewildered. "I didn't."
"I don't care," Jun interrupted Zaraki, "What I see now is that you still have the fighting ability, Azashiro is gone. I don't care what happened between you in the Inner World, but it's clear you've won now. So, go ahead and kill Azashiro!"
"I refuse to accept this!" Zaraki shouted.
"Zaraki!" Jun's voice deepened. "Even if it was luck, you've won. The outcome is irreversible. If you're not satisfied, then go and become stronger. I don't think anyone understands these things better than you. Are you underestimating Kenpachi's challenge?"
"I"
"Go ahead, I've lost," Sōya Azashiro smiled helplessly. "I have no strength left, haha~ I used to underestimate you, thinking you were incapable of anything, haha, I never expected to be the one who lost in the end, how ironic."
Zaraki is now Kenpachi Zaraki. He's not usually a sentimental person; his current state was only because he truly believed he had lost. But now he also truly believes he has won. So, with a single slash, Sōya Azashiro shattered, the invisible blade finally becoming visible, before vanishing in a speck of light.
Jun glanced sadly at the spot where Sōya Azashiro had disappeared, and sighed, "He's gone~, the new captain, Kenpachi Zaraki!"
Zaraki followed behind Jun. Jun activated Shunpo, but then realized that Zaraki had no extra Spiritual Power left. He Kaido that it was to restore Spiritual Power, and then led Zaraki forward, saying as they walked.
"If you truly feel your victory was dishonorable, then like I said, become stronger."
"Shimizu- sensei~"
"Oh my, you actually call me teacher?"
"What's wrong with that? You taught me my Shikai, so of course you're my teacher," Kenpachi Zaraki said, unusually shy. "Ahem, teacher, I can't control my Shikai."
Upon hearing this, Chun suddenly realized, "This is your first time entering the Inner World, right?"
"Hi~ That's exactly right."
"In that case, if you wish to cultivate in the Inner World, come find me. I have a method to help you enter the Inner World."
"Really!?"
"Of course, don't forget, the method of sensing blades currently used in Soul Society was spread by me."
Thank you, Shimizu- sensei.
Haha, you're welcome.
In his heart, Chun was thinking that Ichigo and the Ichigo were about to storm into Soul Society to rescue Rukia. In the original work, Ichigo's first boss in Soul Society was Kenpachi Zaraki, whom he barely won.
But that was Kenpachi Zaraki without his Shikai. This Kenpachi Zaraki his Shikai! Wouldn't Ichigo into a Nigo?! Hopefully, this guy won't go and fight Ichigo.
But how do I stop it? This is giving me a headache.