Defeat!

Natsuki charged at Azashiro Kenpachi, intending to end the fight quickly and defeat him.

Now that he had even used Shikai, he truly had no more tricks up his sleeve.

After all, he had not been a Soul Reaper for very long. Counting his time in Hueco Mundo, he had spent about as long as an ordinary soul took to enter and graduate from Shin'ō Academy—perhaps a little longer, but not by much.

Unlike the protagonist, Kurosaki Ichigo, who possessed immense power from the start and only needed to fight to unseal the strength within him, Natsuki's growth had its limits, no matter how fast he improved.

Azashiro Kenpachi was the captain of the 11th Division, a Captain-level fighter. He had already revealed many strange abilities, but Natsuki had no idea how many more tricks he had. So he had to defeat him while he still had the chance.

His resolve settled.

Natsuki swung his blade.

The crimson mist around them vanished in an instant.

At the same time, the crimson ground returned to normal.

The fluttering Crimson Butterflies also disappeared, but the red light shining from Natsuki's Zanpakuto grew more intense.

It was still a slash!

Although releasing his Zanpakuto caused the surrounding environment to change drastically, its most powerful attack was still a straightforward slash.

The crimson strike covered an enormous area, like a red curtain about to engulf Azashiro Kenpachi.

Just then, Natsuki's body abruptly stiffened.

"I can't move!"

Natsuki's expression turned grave.

In that instant, it was as if he had lost control of his body. A strange force had appeared within him, and it possessed a will of its own, fighting to seize control.

Then, through the power of his Zanpakuto, he realized that the force seemed to be Reiatsu.

Reiatsu that did not come from him.

There were only two people here. If it wasn't his Reiatsu, it could only belong to Azashiro Kenpachi.

"So this is what you were counting on?"

He had sent his Reiatsu into Natsuki's body to control him. Natsuki quickly forced himself to wield his Zanpakuto, trying to devour the Reiatsu that had entered his body and erase the will within it.

But in a real battle, even a moment's interference could decide the outcome.

Because of Azashiro Kenpachi's disruption, Natsuki's carefully prepared strike never fully came down.

Azashiro Kenpachi swept his blade through the crimson curtain, breaking it apart. Then his sword struck Natsuki.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Pain!

Agonizing pain.

Natsuki lay on the ground, feeling the pain coursing through his body.

It was the first time since coming to this world that he had suffered such a serious injury.

His feelings were complicated.

He had chosen to flee at the first opportunity, yet he hadn't expected Azashiro Kenpachi to come after him. He could only conclude that his luck was terrible.

"Why aren't you killing me?"

Natsuki looked at Azashiro Kenpachi, who stood beside him. "Or do you want to hear my last words?"

"If it's the latter, I don't think I have any."

He had made a few friends in this world, but all in all, he was still alone, with no one depending on him. On the contrary, he had been able to live for several more years in this world after dying once, and experience a life he had never known in his previous one. He had no regrets. If anything, he felt it had all been worth it.

Because of his Zanpakuto, he had already cleared the strange Reiatsu that had invaded his body and interfered with his movements. But it was too late. It couldn't change his predicament.

Azashiro Kenpachi's strike, infused with high-density Reiatsu, had pierced through all the layers of his defense and left him gravely wounded.

His defenses had been breached because the Reiatsu had interfered with his body.

"I have no reason to kill you," Azashiro Kenpachi said calmly.

Then he turned and walked away.

Surprised to see him leaving, Natsuki called after him. "If you let me go, aren't you worried I'll expose what you've done?"

Azashiro Kenpachi stopped.

Natsuki suddenly thought he should have kept his mouth shut.

He had no regrets, but of course, staying alive was best.

Had he just reminded Azashiro Kenpachi to kill him and silence him?

"Do as you like."

Azashiro Kenpachi spoke again, then continued on his way and left.

Natsuki truly couldn't understand what Azashiro Kenpachi was thinking. He was plotting in Rukongai, trying to turn the district's reconstruction into a weapon, yet he didn't seem to care if his schemes were exposed.

His thoughts racing, Natsuki didn't hesitate. He continued using his Zanpakuto in its Shikai state. In an instant, Reishi from the surroundings gathered by force and poured into his body, healing some of his grievous wounds. His injuries weren't completely healed, but at least his life was no longer in danger.

That was the ability of his Zanpakuto after its Shikai release.

The absorption and manipulation of Reishi.

Even in its Asauchi state, his Zanpakuto could passively absorb the high-density Reishi around him, strengthening his own spiritual power.

In its Shikai state, this ability changed from passive to active.

However, its active range was limited for now.

It only worked within the crimson area created after its release.

This could be considered a domain or barrier. As the battle went on, Natsuki could steal the Reiatsu of any enemy within it, convert it into pure Reishi, and use it to replenish the energy he expended in battle.

The fluttering Hell Butterflies could also serve as a third eye, giving Natsuki a new perspective. It was an extension of his Spiritual Perception.

In addition, he could shape his spiritual power into a powerful defense, gather it on his Zanpakuto, and unleash it all at once in a devastating slash.

Earlier, he had used his Zanpakuto's ability to break down and absorb Azashiro Kenpachi's Ghost Way.

But Azashiro Kenpachi's sword seemed even stranger.

Besides being able to use multiple Ghost Way spells at once and concentrate high-density Reiatsu along the blade, it could also inject its Reiatsu into Natsuki's body without a sound. Using Reiatsu imbued with his will, he could disrupt and control Natsuki's body.

Even though Natsuki had immediately used his Zanpakuto's ability to try to break it down and absorb it, the Reiatsu contained Azashiro Kenpachi's will, and it still took him a little time to deal with it. In battle, even that brief delay was deadly.

So he had taken a sword strike and lost the fight.

But Natsuki was certain that if he had another chance, knowing about Azashiro Kenpachi's strange abilities, he would never lose again.