"Your lordship came all the way from Rukongai, and heard that the Soul Reapers in the Gotei 13 were all strong. Among them, the captain of the 11th Division was said to be the strongest Soul Reaper of all. But now that your lordship has seen you with his own eyes, you don't look all that strong."
The place where the many members of the 11th Division usually gathered.
With many 11th Division members watching, a tall, rugged, ugly man dressed in coarse clothes and holding a plain Asauchi stood at the far end of the crowd, facing Gosu Kenpachi in the middle. He spoke with open contempt.
His words immediately enraged many members of the 11th Division.
But they didn't rush forward to attack the ugly man with the thick, bushy beard.
That was because, as soon as he arrived at the 11th Division, he had made his purpose clear.
He had come to challenge Kenpachi!
Kenpachi was the most unusual of all the captains in the Gotei 13.
The only way to inherit the title was to challenge Kenpachi. As long as you were strong enough to defeat him, you could become the new Kenpachi, regardless of whether you had previously been a Soul Reaper or what your status was.
The first few generations of Kenpachi were lost to history, their details impossible to verify.
But the Kenpachi before them had all inherited the title in this way.
Only when Gosu Kenpachi took over had something unexpected happened.
Because Azashiro Kenpachi had committed a grave crime and been imprisoned in Mukaden, Gosu Kenpachi was the only man to inherit the title as a lieutenant without defeating the previous Kenpachi.
Even so, the members of the 11th Division fully recognized Gosu Kenpachi.
Aside from the fact that Gosu had served as the 11th Division's lieutenant for many years and was already an old friend to them, he always led the charge in battle, rushing ahead of his men.
Even when he was repeatedly injured as a result, he acted as if he didn't care in the slightest.
His manly spirit earned him the admiration of many members.
Of course, in the eyes of some veteran captains, it meant something else entirely.
It meant Gosu Kenpachi wasn't strong enough.
Only the weak got injured.
It was worth remembering that the two Kenpachi before Gosu had been extraordinary. One had defeated a Vasto Lorde with his bare hands and emerged without a scratch. The other had committed a grave crime, calmly escaped capture by several captains, and even killed the powerful Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
Gosu was the only one who was different.
In recent years, aside from the slaughter of the Quincy, no especially powerful Menos Grande had appeared in Soul Society. Yet Gosu had still been injured when he faced such an enemy.
But he had become Kenpachi, after all. They could only keep such thoughts to themselves.
"You want to challenge me?"
After serving as captain for several years, Gosu had gradually developed some of a captain's bearing.
He wore a captain's Haori, and the garment lent a touch of authority to his otherwise unremarkable face.
Looking at the fierce, burly man standing among the members, he asked in a deep voice.
"That's right."
The burly man raised his Asauchi and grinned at Gosu Kenpachi. "So let's have a good fight. Let your lordship see whether you're really that strong. If you aren't, then the title of Kenpachi will belong to your lordship!"
Gosu's gaze was steady, but he said nothing.
After becoming Kenpachi, he had known this was something he would have to face sooner or later.
The title of Kenpachi was both an honor and a responsibility.
As the bearer of the title, he had to lead the charge in battle. Only then could he inspire his men and live up to the meaning behind the name.
At the same time, as the inheritor of that honor, he had to face certain challenges.
For example, accepting challenges from others.
If he won, it would prove he was worthy of the title.
If he lost, it would mean he wasn't the strongest Soul Reaper and had no right to bear the name Kenpachi.
Seeing that Gosu Kenpachi still showed no sign of acting, the fierce burly man grew impatient. "Hey, what's the matter with you? If you don't want to accept the challenge, just hand the title over to your lordship!"
"You should at least answer me if you're going to accept my challenge!"
Perhaps because he was surrounded by Soul Reapers, the man—who had always thrown his weight around in Rukongai—felt a little nervous with so many of them watching. The 11th Division's rules for inheriting the captaincy kept them from rushing him all at once, but he still managed to show a modicum of decency and didn't attack Gosu Kenpachi without warning.
Just then, a low voice rang out.
"Looks like I've arrived just in time."
Kyoraku Shunsui, captain of the 8th Division, arrived at a leisurely pace.
After someone defeated several Soul Reapers of the 11th Division and openly declared his intention to challenge Kenpachi, another Soul Reaper from the 11th Division had gone to the 8th Division and informed Kyoraku Shunsui.
Kyoraku Shunsui had wasted no time and hurried over.
He hadn't come to stop the fight. He had come to witness it.
"Now that the witness is here, we can begin our fight."
Gosu Kenpachi spoke to the fierce burly man.
"Tch, we should've started ages ago."
The burly man replied. In the next instant, he stomped on the ground. Despite his tall, massive frame and somewhat bulky build, he was surprisingly fast. In a flash, he was in front of Gosu, swinging his Asauchi with all his might.
A blast of Sword Pressure burst forth and swept toward Gosu.
Gosu's expression grew solemn as he drew his Zanpakuto. He had once received years of instruction from Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. His strength ranked near the bottom among the captains, but he had still managed to make it into their ranks.
He, too, unleashed a blast of Sword Pressure.
Boom!
The two blasts collided, and Reishi scattered in a storm. The members felt a fierce wind rush against their faces, but none of them dared even blink. They watched the two combatants intently.
The two figures crossed paths, swinging their Zanpakuto again and again. Powerful Reiatsu surged into their blades, forming Sword Pressure that the two men unleashed without restraint.
As the witness, Kyoraku Shunsui watched the fight closely as well.
He couldn't help feeling a little impressed.
"Rukongai really is full of hidden talent!"
Before coming to witness the fight, he had made some inquiries into the background of the man challenging Gosu Kenpachi.
He came from Rukongai and seemed to have been a formidable force there for a long time.
Unable to stand the same dull routine in Rukongai day after day, he had defeated the Warden of Seiryu Gate and made his way into Seireitei. After that, he had headed straight for the 11th Division, intent on challenging Kenpachi.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
The name Kenpachi was famous not only within Seireitei, but also beyond its walls, in Rukongai. The unique succession ceremony was widely known, too, in order to encourage more powerful people to come to Seireitei and become Soul Reapers.
After all, the strong loved to fight.
Once they learned about the Kenpachi succession ceremony, it was inevitable that powerful people hidden among the public would emerge to claim the title and the privileges that came with it. Even if Kenpachi lost and the challenger became the new Kenpachi, that wouldn't be a bad thing.
After all, the unique succession ceremony had been established for the very purpose of selecting someone stronger.
Kyoraku Shunsui continued watching the fight.
After a clash of Zanjutsu, the burly man from Rukongai seemed to be falling behind. That was hardly surprising. He was an untrained fighter. Though he seemed to have found a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto and awakened it, gaining power equivalent to that of a Soul Reaper, he had never undergone systematic Zanjutsu training. In a contest of swordsmanship, he was no match for Gosu Kenpachi.
Still, his opponent clearly wasn't about to lose so easily.
Powerful Reiatsu erupted from his body.
He snarled, "Devour everything! Yashagami!"
As he spoke, the Asauchi in the burly man's hand changed, becoming a gigantic, ring-pommeled greatsword. Several iron rings hung from the back of its blade. More striking still were the fearsome demon patterns etched across it, exactly like the "Yashagami" of ghost stories from the Human World.
Of course, there was no such thing as a Yashagami in this world. If one did exist, its true form would probably be a distinctive-looking Hollow. It must have once harmed humans, been spotted by someone with spiritual powers, and then recorded and depicted in an account that grew distorted as it was passed down, giving rise to the legends.
"That's quite something!"
Kyoraku Shunsui let out a strange exclamation at the sight.
A self-taught Soul Reaper who had spent all this time wandering around Rukongai had actually mastered Shikai. He couldn't help wondering just how many people like this were out there—people who had accidentally come across a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto, awakened it, and continued living in Rukongai.
He was impressed, but not astonished.
After all, mastering a Zanpakuto's Shikai was different from learning techniques like Ghost Way. Anyone who could hear their Zanpakuto's voice could achieve it. At Shino Academy, plenty of students had mastered Shikai with ease not long after enrolling.
Of course, there were also Soul Reapers who couldn't master it even after many years.
The battle continued.
After releasing his Zanpakuto, the burly man charged at Gosu again.
His released Zanpakuto didn't display many strange abilities. It was clearly a direct-attack type, not a Kidō-type Zanpakuto.
But when Gosu swung his Asauchi and clashed with it,
Gosu's superior skill with the blade no longer gave him the advantage.
After the other man released his Zanpakuto, his strength had surged. The huge, ring-pommeled greatsword packed terrifying power.
Boom!
Gosu was forced backward. Faced with the burly man's strength, which had surged after releasing his Zanpakuto, he released his own.
"Pierce through! Suzumebari!"
A sharp cry rang out as Gosu's Zanpakuto changed, becoming a spear. Then, at Gosu's command, it shot toward the burly man.
A longer weapon had the advantage.
As a spear, it should have been more lethal than the ring-pommeled greatsword, and its length gave it an edge as well.
Yet when the two finally clashed, the outcome was a great surprise.
"Weakling, remember this: the man who killed you is Kiganjo Kenji!"
Blood sprayed as Gosu's body fell to the ground, his life extinguished.
There was a wound through Kiganjo's body as well, but he remained standing.
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