The air around them grew heavy beneath the immense Spiritual Pressure radiating from their bodies. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, unwilling to disturb the fierce clash about to erupt.
Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes were filled with complicated emotions—disappointment, confusion, and even a hint of indescribable anger.
He had thought that when facing this "Kenpachi," renowned for his strength, he would feel a tsunami-like surge of overwhelming power. Yet reality was the complete opposite.
What Kenpachi Zaraki displayed was merely a trickle like a stream, utterly insignificant compared to the seemingly endless power he possessed.
You have such powerful, massive, tremendous strength, and you're only fucking releasing this much???
Are you messing with me?
Are you humiliating me?
Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division, was a madman who lived for battle.
In this duel, he had not deliberately concealed his strength. On the contrary, he had released his power without reservation, in an almost savage manner.
Yet in Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes, that power seemed so "stingy," as though he had scooped a single ladleful from a vast ocean, nowhere near the raging waves Ichigo had expected.
"Not enough! A blade like this is nowhere near fierce enough, nowhere near strong enough!"
Ichigo Kurosaki's roar was not merely a challenge to Kenpachi Zaraki's power. It was also the yearning buried deep in his heart for the ultimate pursuit of battle.
Ichigo Kurosaki's words and expression deeply wounded Kenpachi Zaraki.
They also reminded Kenpachi Zaraki of his previous encounter with Retsu Unohana.
For the first time, disappointment welled up in Kenpachi Zaraki's heart. He had always been the one disappointed in others—when had he ever disappointed someone else?
At that moment, Ichigo Kurosaki's disappointment and fury struck his iron-hard heart like a heavy hammer. It was an unprecedented feeling, more