Fighting Kenpachi Zaraki (14)
Kenpachi Zaraki's hair billowed upwards due to the impact of Reiatsu, his clothes fluttered in the Reiatsu, and larger cracks appeared on the ground beneath his feet. These cracks spread outwards from him like a spider web, as shocking as a cracked earth.
What shocked everyone even more was that the Zanpakuto stuck in the distance, with half of Kenpachi Zaraki's arm hanging from it, also simultaneously erupted with an astonishing Reiatsu Zanpakuto. That Reiatsu resonated with, echoed, and merged with the Reiatsu emanating from Kenpachi Zaraki, as if they were originally one, as if they were calling to each other, as if they were trying to reunite.
A faint light began to appear on the Zanpakuto's blade. At first, the light was just a thin layer, like a thin mist in the morning light or the afterglow of dusk, but it quickly became brighter, stronger, and more dazzling.
The serrated notches on the blade seemed to be filled in by the light, becoming smooth and sharp; the rust on the blade seemed to be washed away by the light, becoming bright and new. The entire knife seemed to be undergoing a rebirth, a transformation, a sublimation.
Just then, a voice suddenly appeared in Kenpachi Zaraki's ear. The voice was deep and resonant, like the Roar of an ancient beast, the sound of a bell from an ancient temple in the deep mountains, or the rumble from the depths of the earth. The voice carried an ancient power, a primal aura, and a mysterious rhythm.
"Zaraki... Kenpachi... Zaraki... Kenpachi Zaraki..."
The voice called his name again and again, each call clearer, louder, and more real than the last. The voice seemed to come from the distant past, from the depths of his soul, or from another dimension.
Kenpachi Zaraki stiffened abruptly upon hearing the unfamiliar voice. His eyes widened, his pupils contracted, and he whirled around, scanning his surroundings to find the source of the sound.
"Who?! Who's calling me?!" His voice was filled with shock, confusion, and a hint of anticipation that he himself didn't even realize.
His gaze swept over the six Imperial Guards, over the crowd at the sidelines, over Liu Hao on the Imperial Throne, over Yachiru Kusajishi —but no one spoke, no one uttered a sound. The voice didn't come from any of them, but from—
When Kenpachi Zaraki's gaze fell upon the Zanpakuto in the distance, the one that held half of his arm, his body froze once more. He was certain that the sound was coming from his Zanpakuto.
The voice was there, in the sword that had been with him for hundreds of years, in the sword from which he had never heard a sound, in the sword from which he had always thought it had no name.
"You finally heard my voice! Kenpachi Zaraki!" The voice rang in Kenpachi Zaraki's ears again, this time clearer, stronger, and more full of emotion than before.
The voice carried a sense of relief, anticipation, and a joy as if it had been awaited for a thousand years. "Come, call my name! Let me fight alongside you! Let us become one! Let the world see what the real Kenpachi Zaraki is like!"
Kenpachi Zaraki's heart skipped a beat. A complex light flashed in his eyes—a light that contained shock, realization, excitement, and a touch of emotion that even he himself did not realize.
Kenpachi Zaraki reached out his hand to his Zanpakuto, and the Zanpakuto with half an arm attached to it seemed to be summoned by something, suddenly flying out of the ground with a whooshing sound, heading straight for his hand.
The light on the blade grew brighter, stronger, and more dazzling, like a shooting star falling from the sky, like an arrow shot from a bow, like a bolt of lightning piercing the night sky.
Kenpachi Zaraki caught the Zanpakuto's blade steadily with his right hand. The blade was incredibly sharp, instantly slicing through his palm, and blood gushed from the wound, flowing down the blade.
But he didn't care. His face showed no pain, only an almost manic excitement. He grabbed the severed arm hanging from the hilt of the knife with his left hand, yanked it off, and tossed it aside.
The severed arm bounced a few times on the ground, then lay there quietly, its fingers slightly curled, looking somewhat forlorn and eerie.
Then, Kenpachi Zaraki gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto again with his right hand. At that moment, he felt an unprecedented power surge into his body from the hilt, a power like a flood bursting its banks, an erupting volcano, or a bursting star, surging, churning, and the Roar within him.
That power merged with his own, strengthened and sublimated each other, propelling him to a whole new level.
Kenpachi Zaraki gripped his Zanpakuto, his body slightly arched, like a fully drawn bow, like a cheetah poised to pounce, like a volcano about to erupt.
The aura emanating from him was even stronger than before. It was so powerful that it created visible waves in the air, which spread in all directions, causing the pebbles on the ground to tremble and the sealing runes on the walls to shake.
The voice of his Zanpakuto echoed in his ears once more, clearer, louder, and more powerful than before. Each word was like a thunderclap, a war drumbeat, a horn blare. "Call my name, Kenpachi Zaraki! My name is..."
However, at this most crucial moment, just as Kenpachi Zaraki was about to shout out the name of his Zanpakuto and complete his Shikai, a voice came from the Imperial Throne, calm and serene, yet clearly reaching the ears of everyone present, including Kenpachi Zaraki.
"That's enough, Captain Zaraki."
Liu Hao's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority and a perfectly measured sense of proportion. It wasn't a command, nor a request, but a statement, a declaration, a well-timed reminder. His tone lacked the arrogance of a victor, the contempt of a conqueror, only a gentle warmth of equality, respect, and understanding.
Kenpachi Zaraki's body stiffened abruptly. His mouth opened slightly, but the name that was about to escape his lips caught in his throat and remained unspoken. His eyes widened, his pupils contracted, and his gaze shifted from his Zanpakuto to Liu Hao Imperial Throne.
His eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment—why? Why stop him now? Why stop him when he was about to complete his Shikai? Why call him back when he was only one step away from the peak of his power?
Liu Hao looked at Kenpachi Zaraki, his smile deepening. There was an indescribable meaning in that smile—was it relief, satisfaction, or something else? His gaze lingered on Kenpachi Zaraki for a moment, then he spoke slowly, his voice gentle and venerable. "You've heard its voice. That's enough."