One Slash, One Kill! The Battle Ends!

After a Shinigami achieves Bankai, their Reiatsu surges to five to ten times its original Shikai level. Although this state cannot be maintained for long and consumes spiritual power far more rapidly than before, Bankai is undeniably a Shinigami's greatest trump card.

This surging Reiatsu grants the Shinigami immense power in every movement they make.

Spiritual power, or Reiatsu, is of paramount importance to a Shinigami.

The four basic skills of a Shinigami—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido—all rely on Reiatsu to varying degrees. Furthermore, the activation of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto abilities is also tied to their own Reiatsu.

It is precisely because the enhancement provided by Bankai is so significant that only those who have mastered it are qualified to serve as captains of the Gotei 13.

After being wounded by Natsuki repeatedly, Kiganjo finally could no longer suppress the rage in his heart and chose to unleash his most powerful technique: his Bankai.

Following the Bankai, not only did his Reiatsu skyrocket, but his physical stature also expanded dramatically, transforming him into a giant.

"Scum, die!"

Kiganjo swung his now-enlarged blade. As he did, the black flames swirling around his body surged onto the sword, enveloping it. With his swing, a massive black slash bore down upon Natsuki.

"Too slow!"

Natsuki utilized Shunpo, evading it with ease.

Kiganjo lacked the ability of a Quincy to manipulate Reishi, nor could he interfere with Natsuki's Shunpo. Moreover, Natsuki's Shunpo had been honed through rigorous training and sharpened by long battles against the Quincy; even an ordinary Quincy would find it difficult to disrupt his movement.

He dodged the strike effortlessly.

Kiganjo's slash continued unabated, instantly passing through the spot where Natsuki had stood and slamming into the buildings of the 11th Division.

BOOM!!

The buildings shattered, emitting a deafening roar and kicking up clouds of dust.

Yet, at this moment, not a single member of the 11th Division cared about the destruction.

All they cared about was the battle unfolding before them.

At the same time Kiganjo unleashed his Bankai, the 12th Division, located near the 11th, detected a powerful Reiatsu Wave.

The captain of the 12th Division was Hikifune Kirio, a female captain who had served for many years. In this era, the Department of Research and Development had not yet been established; instead, there was its predecessor, the Seireitei Research Institute. Within the Seireitei Research Institute, the functions were not as clearly divided into specialized departments as they would be in the future, though there was a specific office dedicated to monitoring Reiatsu Waves.

They were indeed responsible for monitoring Reiatsu Waves across the Soul Society and even parts of the Human World.

Whenever they detected the Reiatsu Wave of a Hollow or any abnormal fluctuations, they would report it to the 1st Division immediately.

As the head division, the 1st Division was responsible for consolidating and processing reports from other divisions before distributing tasks accordingly.

"What on earth are those guys in the 11th Division doing?"

Upon discovering the powerful Reiatsu reaction coming from the 11th Division, a Shinigami of the 12th Division muttered to himself before drafting a report. Although those guys in the 11th Division were known for being rowdy, this was the Seireitei, and things were supposed to be different here.

On the 11th Division training grounds.

The battle continued.

Natsuki used Shunpo to evade Kiganjo's numerous attacks with ease.

This only served to further enrage Kiganjo.

He began to stride forward; despite his massive size, his speed was not lacking as he closed in on Natsuki's position.

Natsuki did not choose to keep dodging forever and occasionally engaged Kiganjo head-on.

BOOM!!

The black-flame-wreathed blade collided with the crimson Zanpakuto in Natsuki's hand.

Natsuki immediately felt an immense force strike him, driving his legs deep into the ground. After all, he was not a Shinigami who excelled in raw strength, and in a pure contest of power against a brute like Kiganjo, he was at a disadvantage.

"Die!"

Seeing Natsuki suppressed by his strength, Kiganjo grew even more arrogant and let out a roar.

The members of the 11th Division had long since focused all their attention on Natsuki, worrying for his safety, and seeing this, they became anxious and restless.

They had already lost Gosu Kenpachi; were they now to lose Vice-Captain Natsuki, who had stood up for them?

Kiganjo Kenpachi was tyrannical by nature; if this continued, there was no telling what would become of the 11th Division.

Just as Kiganjo exerted his immense strength, intending to shatter Natsuki's guard and tear his body in two, a powerful, crimson Reiatsu suddenly erupted from Natsuki's body.

BOOM!!

The terrifying Reiatsu shot into the sky like a pillar of light, and then, the tangible pressure rippled outward in all directions.

Even though Kiganjo's Reiatsu had surged several times over after using Bankai, and his body had transformed to possess immense power, at this very moment, after Natsuki unleashed his own Reiatsu, Kiganjo still felt an irresistible force strike him, forcibly knocking his hulking frame to the side.

Amidst the crimson Reiatsu, Natsuki slowly stretched his body. He first pulled his feet from the sunken ground, then looked at the somewhat horrified Kiganjo Kenpachi ahead, saying casually, "It seems that aside from the surge in Reiatsu, size, and strength, your Bankai doesn't have any other abilities."

"But that's fine. Now that I know all your trump cards, I can kill you without any reservations."

"Scum, do you have any idea what you're saying?"

Kiganjo Kenpachi roared upon hearing this.

He immediately unleashed his Reiatsu, his entire being resembling an evil spirit that had broken free from Hell to descend upon the Human World. Black Reiatsu shrouded his body as he switched to a two-handed grip, sending a massive, pitch-black wave of Sword Pressure tearing through the air.

The moment the Sword Pressure appeared, a fissure tore across the ground. An incomparably powerful sense of oppression swept in all directions, causing the many 11th Division members to tremble. Even the Seated Officers felt a sense of dread in the face of Kiganjo Kenpachi's full-force strike.

Natsuki took a deep breath as he watched the incoming Sword Pressure.

Crimson Reiatsu remained wrapped around his body.

He recalled the days spent following Unohana Retsu, learning the way of the sword and the art of Zanjutsu.

Although it was not a particularly long period for a Shinigami.

Unohana Retsu had indeed taught him a great deal.

Among those lessons, the most profound mysteries of Zanjutsu flashed through his mind.

The highest form of Zanjutsu did not rely on complex techniques; or rather, it discarded all technique to return to simplicity, boiling down to a single word: "Slash"!

By condensing the strength of one's entire body into the blade in hand, it becomes a single strike!

The thought vanished in an instant.

Natsuki's Reiatsu surged entirely into his Zanpakuto in a heartbeat.

The crimson, tangible Reiatsu that had been shrouding his body vanished instantly.

Facing Kiganjo's terrifying Sword Pressure.

Natsuki swung his blade.

Between heaven and earth, a crimson thread of light flickered and vanished.

Natsuki's figure disappeared in a blur, only to reappear behind Kiganjo's towering frame.

Compared to Kiganjo, who now stood as tall as a giant following his Bankai, Natsuki's ordinary stature appeared exceptionally short and insignificant.

Yet, under the gaze of the many Shinigamis, Natsuki now exuded an aura that even Kiganjo, the current Kenpachi, could not compare to.

However, they could not quite put into words what that aura was.

The next instant, under their watchful eyes.

First, Kiganjo's terrifying black Sword Pressure, still flying through the air, dissipated and vanished. Then, an expression of extreme agony appeared on Kiganjo's face.

A thin line of blood appeared across his throat.

Pfft!

The bloodline split open, and blood erupted like a fountain.

"This Great One..."

Kiganjo seemed to want to speak, but the words of resentment in his heart remained unsaid.

Thud!

His body collapsed toward the ground. Because of his massive size, his impact created a dull, heavy thud, kicking up dust. Scarlet blood stained the ground beneath him, turning his white captain's haori into a blood-soaked garment.

His presence faded rapidly until it vanished entirely.

Once Kiganjo's presence was gone, he reverted from his Bankai state, his body returning to its original size and his Zanpakuto regressing into its initial Asauchi form.

"Haa... haa..."

Natsuki stood behind Kiganjo, taking several deep breaths.

After confirming that Kiganjo was dead, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.

He had expected Kiganjo to be a troublesome opponent, so he had made significant preparations.

Even though Zaraki Kenpachi had easily defeated Kiganjo in the original story, Kiganjo had served as Kenpachi for nearly a hundred years. In that era, where captains often died in battle, his ability to hold the position of Kenpachi for so long surely meant he possessed some strength.

Kiganjo had even unleashed his Bankai during the fight, which confirmed Natsuki's hypothesis.

He just hadn't expected it to be such a trashy Bankai.

Aside from a surge in Reiatsu and physical strength, it had no other merits.

It was no wonder Zaraki could kill Kiganjo so easily in the original story.

As long as one's Reiatsu surpassed Kiganjo's, killing him did not seem difficult at all.

Natsuki's current Reiatsu might not be on par with Zaraki's, but over the years, thanks to the passive effects of his Zanpakuto—especially during the wars in the Human World, where those Quincy would occasionally gather Reishi and "gift" it to him—his Reiatsu had reached an incredibly powerful level.

In terms of raw power alone, even Kiganjo in his Bankai state was inferior to him.

The battle ended in one breath; from tomorrow on, it would be the daily routine of serving as the Kenpachi.