New Moon and Full Moon

Slash—

Blood sprayed everywhere. Kenpachi planted his blade into the ground and staggered twice before steadying himself. Panting heavily, he asked in surprise, "What kind of move was that?"

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū! The sword style I used just now. It pursues ultimate speed, launching a desperate counterattack at the instant you strike me. It's an attack that cannot be evaded," Duke explained. The so-called way of the sword was nothing more than three words: speed, ruthlessness, and precision. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū pushed "speed" and "ruthlessness" to their limits. Its peerless speed surpassed all limits, while its powerful attacks left opponents with nowhere to block.

"Ha ha ha..."

Kenpachi laughed for a while, lowered his head to look at the wounds covering his body, then looked back at Duke. The excitement in his eyes grew even stronger. "I don't really understand it, but it was undoubtedly an incredible move. It's been a long time since anyone managed to cut me. You really are something."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I won't be holding back."

"That's exactly what I want! This kind of fight makes my blood boil. Come at me harder!" With a roar, Kenpachi charged Duke, swinging his Zanpakuto and slashing down again and again, fast and brutal as if he would never tire. Kenpachi laughed madly as countless small wounds covered his body, though no one knew how much blood he had already lost. Yet he did not care in the slightest—or rather, he was enjoying it. That was only natural. With his powerful Reiatsu and physique, those wounds posed no real threat.

"As you wish. Just don't die." Duke judged Kenpachi to be only in his twenties, still quite different from the man he would become in the future. He was likely still far from becoming Squad 11's captain, with enormous untapped potential remaining. Even so, he was an utterly terrifying opponent. Against a monster like this, there was no point in hiding anything.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū! Dragon Hammer Flash!"

"Dragon Flight Flash!"

"Dragon Mallet Flash!"

"Twin Dragon Flash!"

"Flying Dragon Flash!"

The sun set, and sword light shot into the sky above the wasteland. Slashes stretched across dozens of meters, illuminating vast swaths of open ground. Duke looked at Kenpachi lying on the ground, bleeding without stop, then sheathed his Zanpakuto with a heavy breath. After unleashing so many ultimate techniques in succession, even his sword-wielding right hand had gone numb.

"Hope your luck holds out. Don't just die like that... You're still not..."

Duke had not finished speaking when his eyes widened. He watched in disbelief as Kenpachi rose to his feet again. Bathed in blood, Kenpachi's sword wounds had torn open his flesh, and white bones were visible in several places. Injuries that should have been fatal had not defeated Kenpachi. Instead, they awakened something buried deep within his heart.

Reiatsu! Incomparably powerful Reiatsu swept over everything like a tidal wave! An unimaginably dense Reiatsu poured from Kenpachi's body, utterly different from before. Its sheer thickness was like an ocean falling from the sky. Everything within sight seemed to let out a wail from the depths of its soul. Trees and rocks creaked and collapsed into fragments.

"This can still count as Reiatsu... Are you kidding me?" Duke's hand trembled around his sword as he stared in disbelief. He knew that although Kenpachi could not use Shikai, his Reiatsu ranked among the strongest of all captains. But this was far too outrageous. Duke had considered his own Reiatsu captain-class, yet before this Reiatsu, the power he had once been proud of was as laughable and insignificant as a child's.

"Thanks to you, it seems I remembered something. But that doesn't matter anymore. Now, let's begin the second round!" Kenpachi carried his Zanpakuto over his shoulder and walked toward Duke step by step. With every step, his presence rose another notch.

I can't let him continue, or I really will die! Duke forced his trembling limbs to stop. Under Kenpachi's destructive pressure, he concentrated fully and unleashed his most dazzling strike.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū! Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!"

The nine fundamental directions of swordsmanship: a straight downward slash, a downward diagonal slash from right to left, a downward diagonal slash from left to right, a horizontal cut from the left, a horizontal cut from the right, an upward diagonal slash from left to right, an upward diagonal slash from right to left, an upward slash, and a direct thrust at the throat. With the divine speed of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, Duke launched slashes from all nine directions in an instant, leaving Kenpachi unable to defend or evade.

"Pfft—"

Their figures crossed, sword light accompanied by blood. Duke turned to look behind him. All nine slashes had landed. Faced with attacks that surpassed all limits, Kenpachi had not reacted in time... Or rather, he had reacted but had been unable to dodge, taking all nine slashes with his body.

Cold sweat ran down Duke's forehead. The sensation transmitted through his Zanpakuto horrified him. The swordsmanship of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū had barely managed to cut through Kenpachi's Reiatsu, leaving behind nine tiny wounds. They did not even count as light injuries.

"Your sword is indeed fast, but it's not enough. You don't have enough strength!!!" Kenpachi stuck out his tongue and licked the blood from his arm, a crazed smile spreading over his face. "Are these tiny wounds supposed to be children fighting? Don't tell me this is all you've got! You should be fiercer than this—you can do it! Come on, kill me with your strongest slash!"

Duke stood frozen in shock. He remembered clearly that during Kenpachi's battles with Ichigo and Espada Nnoitra, Kenpachi had absolutely not been this powerful.

"What's wrong? Lost your fighting spirit? That would be far too boring..." Kenpachi Zaraki vanished from where he stood the moment he finished speaking, appearing above Duke and bringing his sword down in a savage slash.

"Heavenly Flight Dragon Flash!"

At the brink of life and death, at the instant Kenpachi's blade fell, Duke came to his senses in time and unleashed Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū's fastest and strongest ultimate technique. Heavenly Flight Dragon Flash was a transcendent-speed Battōjutsu, faster than divine speed itself—a sword move faster than any opponent.

Brilliant sword radiance streaked across the night sky. Yet there was no sensation of blade cutting flesh. Duke stood there gripping his sword, staring at Kenpachi holding his Zanpakuto in one hand, that savage grin curling at the corner of his lips.

Impossible... He caught Heavenly Flight Dragon Flash with his bare hand... His mind had lost the ability to command his body, and he stood motionless like a block of wood. How could this be? Was this really Kenpachi Zaraki? Was this some kind of joke? He was completely different from moments ago, as though he had been reborn. His speed, strength, and reactions were all utterly changed. Even his Reiatsu had risen to an unreachable height. What was going on?

"This is your strongest attack? It is fast, but the power is terrible!" Kenpachi Zaraki licked his lips, a cruel smile forming at his mouth. "If this is all you've got, then it's over!"

The raised serrated blade came down, carving a horrifying diagonal wound from Duke's shoulder to his lower abdomen. Blood—blood sprayed through the air and splattered Kenpachi from head to toe. Duke faltered, then slowly collapsed. As he lost a massive amount of blood, his Reiatsu plummeted as well.

"What? I thought you'd be able to dodge that... How boring!" Kenpachi licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced at the dying Duke, and turned away.

So strong... So fast...

So cold... I'm going to die... So this is what death feels like... What a waste...

There were still so many things I wanted to do...

Sorry, everyone. I might have to go on ahead...

His pupils gradually dilated as Duke's consciousness began to scatter. Everything blurred, and darkness swallowed his world. He drifted through a pitch-black space, carried along without knowing where he was headed. His heavy eyelids became harder and harder to hold open, while the candle flame of his life slowly faded.

"How long do you intend to sleep? Why don't you hurry up and call my name?" A cool, proud female voice spoke slowly and unhurriedly. Dreamlike and ethereal, it rang beside his ear like an orchid blooming in an empty valley.

"Who is it?" Duke opened his eyes, but the surroundings remained eternally black.

"You know. Say my name!" A cool, fair wrist, like pale moonlight, cut through the darkness and gently caressed Duke's cheek.

"Your name?" Duke tried to see through the darkness and make out the woman's face, but he could only see a vague outline shrouded in black.

"My lord! This world is so dark. How long do you intend to let it remain this way? I have always waited, hoping for you to bloom with light and dispel this boundless darkness." The woman's figure became clearer and clearer. She reached out and took Duke's hand, her pale hand gripping his tightly as she spoke.

"Your name?" Duke closed his eyes and murmured. Scene after scene flashed through his mind. Countless fragments of memories tangled together, then formed anew. He lay quietly in that flowing river, recalling the name hidden in the depths of his soul.

"My lord, I have always been by your side. Call it out—my name!" The woman's face emerged. What breathtaking beauty! Her black hair flowed in the wind like silk, her long phoenix brows framing eyes like stars and the bright moon. She had a delicate nose, cool purple lips, and a flawless face as lustrous as jade. Her skin was like ice and snow, and her white robes accentuated her slender, graceful figure. Every glance she cast carried an elegant and noble air. She was truly a goddess standing high above all others—noble and holy.

"Say it. My name is..."

"I remember now. Your name is..."

Boom—

Reiatsu surged into the heavens, scattering the clouds from the sky. A soaring, impassioned sword intent rose from the earth and pierced the firmament. The ocean covering the horizon was punched through, and it took a long time to settle. Kenpachi had only taken a few steps after turning away when the terrifying Reiatsu erupting behind him startled him. He spun around sharply and saw Duke supporting himself on his Zanpakuto as he stood once more. Reiatsu poured endlessly from his body.

"You're not dead?" Kenpachi was startled for a moment, then erupted with even greater Reiatsu than before and laughed madly. "That's the spirit! I knew it—you're the one I've been waiting for!"

Duke remained calm and composed. A faint smile touched his lips as he caressed his Zanpakuto as if it were a lover, then raised it horizontally before his chest and murmured:

"Bloom your radiance upon the world—New Moon and Full Moon!"

Boom—

Reiatsu exploded, sweeping through sky and earth like a passing hurricane. Kenpachi raised one arm before his eyes as the Reiatsu forced him back, his feet plowing two deep trenches through the ground. Once the gale had passed, Duke's clothing was unchanged, but the Zanpakuto in his hand had lengthened. A hazy, shimmering moonlight flowed along the blade, answering the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

"I've kept you waiting. The second round begins." With one hand, Duke brushed across the wound from his shoulder to his lower abdomen, and it healed in an instant. His sharp black eyes fixed tightly on Kenpachi, cold and proud yet overwhelmingly imposing, radiating a lone dominance that looked down on all things.

"The wound disappeared. Interesting... Your Zanpakuto's ability? Then that means you can take more cuts!" Rather than feeling fear, Kenpachi's ferocity surged. He stepped forward and slashed at Duke's head.

"Unseen Divine Wind Style—Flood Dragon!"