You Are Not Worthy of Being Called Kenpachi

Kijō Kenpachi's appearance completely ignited the otherwise sealed-off Training Ground No. 7. Nearly every new recruit and Bleach put aside what they were doing and turned their attention here.

"Look! Isn't that the captain of Squad 11?"

"The strongest Kenpachi..."

"Why would someone of captain rank take part in the assessment...?"

"Who's facing Captain Kijō? What terrible luck!"

"He's dead for sure!"

Iba, who had still been waiting in line for Squad 11, hurried over to the vicinity of the training platform. In the brief time he had been gone, his friend had already clashed with his future captain. Iba valued loyalty and friendship. Seeing that things were going south, he wanted to climb onto the platform and help Duke resolve this crisis. Unfortunately, the crowd was so packed that he could not squeeze his way to the front at all.

"Did you hear that, brat? Everyone is waiting to see you make a fool of yourself!" The flattering praise and admiring voices from the crowd made Kijō Kenpachi drunk on himself. This was the treatment the strongest Kenpachi deserved. As the strongest man in the Soul Society, he should be surrounded by admirers wherever he went.

Ever since he had defeated the previous Kenpachi and inherited the title of strongest Kenpachi, Kijō Kenpachi had grown arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone. He did not even listen to Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and he frequently skipped captain meetings. He acted without restraint, unaware that in the eyes of the other captains, he was merely a self-satisfied fool.

Duke looked at the fleshy-faced, booming-voiced... fat bastard before him and shook his head in disappointment. A mere brute with brawn instead of brains had actually inherited the name "Kenpachi." It was simply absurd. Compared to Kenpachi Zaraki, Kijō Kenpachi, this short-sighted big bear, was far inferior. The two could not even be mentioned in the same breath.

Kijō Kenpachi, the current captain of Squad 11, was the 10th Kenpachi and Kenpachi Zaraki's predecessor. In other words, Kenpachi Zaraki had become captain by killing him. Duke did not take his provocation seriously at all. It was not because Duke was arrogant; he simply did not sense any threat from Kijō Kenpachi.

Duke was not surprised in the slightest that Kenpachi Zaraki had killed Kijō. This guy, who had not even shown his face in Duke's memories, was truly pathetic. In short, he was a named passerby, a tragic joke not even worthy of being cannon fodder, yet he had no self-awareness whatsoever. The fact that he had not been killed before encountering Kenpachi Zaraki could only mean that his luck had been good.

"Idiot!" Duke shook his head. Though he had no interest in the title of "Kenpachi," he had inherited the will of several supreme swordsmen, and deep down, he found Kijō Kenpachi utterly repulsive. The very existence of someone like this was an insult to the word "Kenpachi."

Kijō Kenpachi's rage flared. His already vicious face became even more ferocious. He hated being called an idiot more than anything! An enormous Reiatsu burst forth from Kijō's body. Drawing his Zanpakuto, he surged with power and slashed at Duke!

Clang!

Sparks flew from the two Zanpakuto as Duke was driven back. As the saying went, size came with strength. Kijō Kenpachi stood nine feet tall and nine feet wide, his body three times broader than Duke's. All that fat had not been grown for nothing; he truly had reason to be proud of his strength. Though Kijō Kenpachi was full of hot air, even a mediocre captain was still a captain. In that clash of strength, Duke had suffered a minor loss through carelessness.

"That's all you've got? I thought you were stronger than this." Having gained the upper hand with one strike, Kijō Kenpachi immediately became even more arrogant.

"Just this much? I'm really curious how you inherited the name 'Kenpachi.' Could it be that the previous Kenpachi was even weaker than you? What a tragedy!" Duke was baffled. How had this brainless fool won the title of Kenpachi? Had he launched a sneak attack, or poisoned his opponent with laxatives? What Duke did not know was that Kijō Kenpachi had indeed defeated the previous holder fairly and openly to become the 10th Kenpachi, because the 9th Kenpachi had been an absolute disaster...

"You sharp-tongued brat, die!" Kijō Kenpachi roared, raising his blade and charging at Duke. Duke did not dodge. He drew his sword to meet the attack, and as their Zanpakuto collided, a fierce gale erupted.

"What the hell?!" The onlooking recruits were blown staggering in every direction by the violent wind. Their faces changed as they fled backward in panic. The wind pressure produced by the collision of those two alone was actually this powerful.

As the gale dispersed, Duke and Kijō Kenpachi stood with their blades locked, both straining with all their strength and refusing to yield.

"Huh? You brat!" Kijō stared at Duke, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes. This time, Duke had actually blocked his blade.

"So amazing! Duke actually blocked Captain Kijō's sword!" Iba raised an arm against the wind, but his heart sank as he worried for Duke. Even though Duke was not at a disadvantage, his opponent was still a captain-ranked figure.

"You blocked it this time!" Duke's expression tightened, but the corners of his mouth soon curled upward. He swung his blade, releasing a sword aura formed from sword pressure that shot straight toward Kijō Kenpachi. The latter snorted coldly and answered with a slash of his own, cutting Duke's sword aura apart.

The instant he swung his blade, Duke used Shunpo and flashed before Kijō Kenpachi. He swept his sword horizontally, but Kijō Kenpachi was no pushover. He immediately drew his blade back to block.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two engaged in fierce battle. Every time their blades collided, Duke broke away at once. Relying on his advantage in speed, he circled Kijō Kenpachi and pressed him relentlessly. Kijō Kenpachi had nothing but brute strength and could not put it to use. Frustrated enough to howl, he could only erupt with his captain-level Reiatsu and blast Duke away.

"You can't be only this strong, can you? The sword in my hand cannot tolerate someone like you being called 'Kenpachi'!" After several exchanges, Duke despised the black, fat man before him even more. What was "Kenpachi"? That title represented supreme honor, the goal every swordsman in the Soul Society yearned for. It was an honor that only the strongest swordsmanship could inherit. No matter how one looked at it, Kijō Kenpachi was not qualified.

"You want my title of 'Kenpachi'?" Kijō Kenpachi asked darkly. The name "Kenpachi" had brought him not only power and status, but also satisfied his vanity. No matter what, he would clutch it tightly in his hands. Any Bleach who dared covet the name "Kenpachi," he swore to kill.

"I'm not interested in the title of 'Kenpachi,' but as a swordsman, I find it difficult to acknowledge that you possess it." Duke raised his Zanpakuto and pointed it at Kijō Kenpachi. Remembering that man who pursued battle like a demon, he said firmly, "As for your title of 'Kenpachi,' I know a Beast called Kenpachi Zaraki. In my eyes, only he is qualified to be called 'Kenpachi'!"

Outside the arena, Retsu Unohana's delicate body trembled. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

"A mere recruit, don't get too full of yourself. Who the hell is this Kenpachi Zaraki you're talking about?" Kijō was enraged by Duke's words. Black Reiatsu surged into the sky as fury completely drowned what little reason he had left. Before everyone's eyes, he released his Zanpakuto.

"Rip him apart, Onikubi Daitō!"

As he spoke, the Zanpakuto in Kijō's hand transformed into a black-and-gold ring-pommel broadsword. It had a heavy blade spine, a blade engraved with vicious ghosts, and a long hilt that could be gripped with both hands. A golden ring hung from the end of the handle.

The moment his Shikai was complete, Kijō Kenpachi charged at Duke. His speed seemed to have increased after his Shikai. His obese body swept forward like a black whirlwind, reaching Duke in the blink of an eye as he brought his blade down with thunderous force. Duke did not wait helplessly for death. The moment his opponent charged, he met him with the sword technique he had been preparing.

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū: Ryūtsuisen!

Duke twisted his body in a circle, evading the attack and using the centrifugal force of his rotation to strike. His powerful slash swept toward Kijō Kenpachi's waist. Having held the captain's seat for many years, Kijō Kenpachi was no fraud. His combat experience was extensive, and he had held back some of his strength when attacking. He immediately pulled back his broadsword to block.

Clang!

The instant their weapons collided, the ground of the training platform shattered. A visible ripple then spread outward, and wild winds swept through the area, hurling those who had not retreated far enough into the air.

"So this is the strength of captain rank? It's terrifying!" Faced with the intense wind pressure, the newly graduated recruits lay prone on the ground, struggling to open their eyes as they watched the two figures ahead. The captain of Squad 11 had already released his Shikai. That guy who did not know his place had to be dead by now, right?

"Duke, don't let anything happen to you!" Iba watched ahead anxiously, secretly resolving that if Duke met with disaster, he would avenge him someday.

"What are you all standing around for? Set up the highest-level barrier, now!" The Captain Commander slammed his cane against the ground and roared. The Bleach immediately rushed about in a flurry, arriving around the training platform to erect a Kido barrier. Unfortunately, it was already too late. The ground was covered in scars and utterly ruined.

"To be provoked so easily... Since this old man founded the Gotei 13, I have never seen such an unseemly captain." The Captain Commander looked at the devastated field with a pained expression. How much will the repairs cost? Fine, it'll come out of Kijō Kenpachi's salary... That brat will have to pay part of it too.

As the wind died down, Kijō's nine-ring broadsword was braced against Duke's horizontally sweeping Zanpakuto. The floor tiles across the entire training platform had cracked and sunk in a spiderweb pattern.

"He actually blocked Captain Kijō's sword!" Everyone swallowed hard, staring at Duke in shock. His opponent was the strongest Kenpachi in the Soul Society! Yet he had been blocked by an unremarkable young man... Who was he? Could he possess strength comparable to a captain?

You have to be kidding! They had clearly graduated in the same class, so how could he be monstrously strong? They had never seen him this powerful before!

"My, my, young people these days are really impressive! An outdated captain like me won't get instantly killed, will I?" Shunsui Kyōraku feigned surprise, but no one appreciated his exaggerated acting. Neither Retsu Unohana nor the Captain Commander paid him any attention. Retsu Unohana in particular had not taken her eyes off Duke ever since he mentioned Kenpachi Zaraki.