Overwhelming Suppression

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū: Heavenly Flight Dragon Flash!

A dazzling blade gleam flashed past. The supersonic slash was swift as lightning, carving out a crescent-moon-like sword pressure as it struck the center of Kijō Kenpachi's chest. It cut three feet deep, leaving a long wound. Kijō Kenpachi screamed as blood sprayed wildly into the air and splattered across the barrier's light screen. The blood-soaked arena instantly became a living hell.

"See? That turtle shell can't protect you." Duke flicked his blade downward, shaking every drop of filthy blood from it onto the ground.

"Brat, I'll slaughter you!" Kijō Kenpachi roared, swinging his long sword at Duke.

Boom!

The ground was cleaved open again, a long chasm sending violent gusts spreading in every direction! In an instant, intense Reiatsu filled the entire space, swelling the barrier like a balloon. Having missed, Kijō Kenpachi became like an exhausted killing machine, hacking at the dodging Duke again and again. The wound on his chest throbbed faintly, continuously stabbing at his frayed nerves. The humiliation he had suffered today flashed through his mind, and the pent-up rage in his heart drove him to let out earth-shaking roars.

"Die for me! Take this, Demon Cry Consecutive Slashes!"

Kijō Kenpachi roared. His massive body swelled another size, and the black fur covering his body turned into sharp spikes as terrifying Reiatsu radiated from him. Wielding his great blade with both hands, he unleashed countless slashes in an instant. Black blade qi poured down like torrential rain, its immense force shredding everything within sight.

Facing this attack, Duke did not evade. He charged forward with his blade, white sword light surging forth. The raging wind bent to his will, willingly transforming into a blade.

Unseen Divine Wind Style: Flood Dragon!

Black and white collided. In but an instant, the black curtain was completely swallowed by terrifying white Sword Qi like a colossal tsunami. The savage Flood Dragon, finally baring its fangs and claws, roared as it continued bearing down on Kijō Kenpachi.

Your sword is worthless in my eyes! At that moment, Kijō Kenpachi seemed able to read the meaning in Duke's eyes. His Demon Cry Consecutive Slashes had been swallowed in a flash, and the Flood Dragon was already before him in the blink of an eye. Kijō Kenpachi's enormous body had nowhere to hide. He could only raise his sword before him, swinging the great blade into a continuous afterimage to protect his vital points.

Boom!

The Flood Dragon crashed head-on into the meat-grinder-like curtain of blades, and their collision erupted with a deafening explosion. The immense shock traveled through the ground, shaking the enclosed Training Ground No. 7. The distant crowd of onlookers was forcibly shoved dozens of meters away by the impact contained in the flying dirt.

"So strong!"

"Even the barriers of two captains can't contain the aftermath of their battle..."

"Is that kind of monster... really my classmate? I actually spent six years with him?"

Chunks of dirt and stone kept falling from the enclosed ceiling. The entire building was nearly shaken apart. Under the orders of the seated officers, the Shinigami cast Kido to stabilize the collapsing structure and organized the evacuation of the crowd. Quite a few terrified newcomers fled Training Ground No. 7 with the crowd, but even more remained behind, unwilling to leave no matter what.

"Are you kidding? I might only witness a battle like this once in my life. If I leave now, I'll definitely regret it."

"Even if I die, I'll die here!"

It had to be said that this year's graduates had backbone. Perhaps Duke's outstanding performance had stirred them up. The unwillingness of young people to admit defeat was now on full display.

"Ahhh—"

Inside the barrier, Kijō Kenpachi's miserable scream passed through the light screen and echoed over the Shinigami Academy. His body was covered in wounds of every size, bloody gashes packed so densely they could not be counted. One of the horns on his head had broken off. The black fur, once like steel needles, had lost its luster and hung limp, matted with thick, filthy blood. Blood flowed down his legs, pooling beneath him in a modest puddle.

Kijō Kenpachi spat out filthy blood mixed with clots. Both hands gripped his long blade for support with all his strength; otherwise, he might not even have been able to remain standing.

"Can't hold on after just one move? Compared to Kenpachi Zaraki, you're far inferior!" Duke was completely unscathed, forming a stark contrast with the battered Kijō Kenpachi. One was the lofty 10th Kenpachi, the captain of Squad 11 whose name resounded throughout Soul Society. The other was a newly graduated rookie. Their identities made the scene all the more shocking.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Kijō Kenpachi roared himself hoarse, then immediately slashed at Duke. The strike carried a mountain-heavy momentum, terrifying beyond measure. The sheer force of it nearly made the distant Shinigami spectators lose their footing.

Duke did not dodge. He used Shunpo to appear in midair, then met the attack head-on with his blade amid a stream of bright white light.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—

The two clashed without pause, the thunderous impacts deafening. The roars of their collision were like two colossal beasts battling, and every exchange shook the earth and mountains. There were no flashy techniques, only the simplest and most primal contest. Blade light and sparks flew as the force generated exploded again and again, becoming destructive hurricanes that continuously battered the barrier and blasted outward in all directions. Under their battle, the enclosed building of Training Ground No. 7 had already become a field of ruins!

At that moment, the other captains arrived as well, followed closely by several vice-captains. First Division Vice-Captain Sasakibe Chojiro; 2nd Division Captain Soi Fon; Fifth Division Captain Aizen Sōsuke and Vice-Captain Gin Ichimaru; 6th Division Captain Kuchiki Ginrei and Vice-Captain Ginjiro; 9th Division Vice-Captain Kaname Tōsen; Squad 10 Captain Isshin Shiba; 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi; 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake. The Gotei 13 had turned out in full force; everyone was present. So many people should not have needed to mobilize, but Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was at the scene, and they dared not be negligent!

Seeing Duke and Kijō Kenpachi's brutal battle within the barrier, they all frowned. Bankai was not permitted within the Seireitei. Captain-level battles were no joke; even their aftermath could destroy vast stretches of buildings and cause incalculable losses.

Other than the fiercely loyal Sasakibe Chojiro, who rushed to the Captain Commander's side to protect him, the other captains and vice-captains remained standing by the barrier without moving. Captain-level battles could not be casually interfered with. If they got dragged in, it would be troublesome—especially now, when Kijō Kenpachi had reached the point of recognizing neither friend nor family.

"Everyone's here!" Shunsui Kyōraku greeted them. His expression was grave, without the slightest trace of his usual frivolity.

"That idiot Kenpachi is actually using Bankai to fight someone in the Seireitei. Does he even have a brain?" The speaker was Soi Fon. Though short in stature, she had an exceptionally fiery temper.

"Hey, don't ignore me. Hurry up and lend a hand!" Shunsui Kyōraku struggled to maintain the barrier. Duke and Kijō Kenpachi's battle had escalated completely, and the area the barrier needed to cover was growing larger and larger. A high-level barrier that normally required at least four people to cast was difficult for him and Retsu Unohana to sustain alone. Jūshirō Ukitake and Aizen Sōsuke, the two captains skilled in Kido, promptly stepped forward to help.

"What happened? Did someone challenge Kenpachi?" Aizen asked Shunsui Kyōraku, while casting a curious glance at Duke. His glasses reflected the barrier's glow, concealing whatever he was thinking.

"Just the opposite. Captain Kijō provoked that kid... and got beaten up!" Shunsui Kyōraku explained. Seeing the expressions on his colleagues' faces that clearly said, Are you messing with us?, he could only shrug helplessly. If he had not witnessed the entire incident himself, he would not have believed it either. It was simply too unconvincing.

"Ah, Ukitake!" With help arriving, Shunsui Kyōraku let out a sigh of relief and reverted to his lazy middle-aged self. He asked his close friend indignantly, "Didn't you say you weren't feeling well? How come I can't tell?"

"Now isn't the time to talk about that..." Jūshirō Ukitake said with righteous solemnity, staring straight ahead as he rejected his friend's invitation to chat. Unfortunately, he was not good at lying. Shunsui Kyōraku saw right through his unnatural expression and the cold sweat on his forehead.

"Hey, you're feeling guilty!" Having been tricked by Ukitake, Shunsui Kyōraku felt like he had suffered a ton of damage.

"Kijō Kenpachi is getting beaten badly. Even his Bankai is about to be destroyed. Shouldn't we help him?" Isshin Shiba asked, but after he spoke, he received not a single reply.

Help? Help whom? Kijō Kenpachi? I'd rather watch him make a fool of himself! Nearly every captain was thinking the same thing. Kijō Kenpachi was usually arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone. Relying on the Kenpachi title, he acted without restraint and had terrible relationships throughout the Gotei 13. If the Seireitei's rules had not been so strict, someone would have put a sack over his head in the middle of the night long ago.

"Captain Kyoraku, this old man would like to know which division the boy fighting Kenpachi belongs to," Kuchiki Ginrei asked. Born into high nobility, he greatly disdained rough men like Kijō Kenpachi, though he still acknowledged the man's strength. Anyone capable of forcing Kijō Kenpachi into such a state without suffering so much as a scratch was certainly no ordinary person.

"To be honest, I'm not too sure either... You can tell from his clothes that he's a Sixth-Year Student who just graduated. Hahaha..." Shunsui Kyōraku gave two dry laughs after speaking. A Sixth-Year Student possessing captain-level strength... Though it was the truth, it sounded utterly unreal.

A strange glint flashed in everyone's eyes. They had noticed Duke's attire long ago, but instinctively rejected the truth. If a Sixth-Year Student could beat the current Kenpachi senseless, then what did that make them? Had they spent half their lives living like dogs?

"Is that sword his Bankai?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi asked. He was very curious about Duke's Zanpakuto. No matter how undeserving of his reputation Kijō Kenpachi might be, it was impossible for a newly graduated Sixth-Year Student to beat him like a dog. The answer was already clear: the other side possessed a Zanpakuto with bizarre abilities.

The captains were all shrewd. At Mayuri Kurotsuchi's words, they all looked toward Duke's New Moon and Full Moon. Its nearly two-meter-long blade gave off a faint glow, yet it did not appear particularly special. They could not tell what kind of ability it possessed.

"No, that sword is only in its Shikai state!" Retsu Unohana finally broke her silence and said calmly, "From the beginning until now, all he has used is swordsmanship. His Zanpakuto's Shikai was only to contend with Captain Kijō's Reiatsu after his Bankai!"

"What?"