Instinct and Reason, Threat from the Beast

What was the difference between a king and his mount?

Instinct?

Su Feng held an entirely different view on the matter.

Granted.

Fighting without cease, pursuing strength, crushing enemies without mercy, carving them into a thousand pieces... that was an absolute thirst for battle.

It was a killing impulse, stripped of skin, carved from flesh, smashing through bone to reach the depths of the nerves—an utterly lucid reaction to slaughter engraved into the primal layers.

That was what was known as instinct.

But it existed only in a very small number of exceptional individuals.

Whether Kenpachi Zaraki or that future mixed-blood cheat, both were utterly irreplaceable.

If anyone truly tried to imitate them, they would only end up like Ikkaku Madarame, losing what belonged to them.

Reason was the only way to control oneself.

Su Feng's gaze and words plunged Ikkaku Madarame, imprisoned in the Prison, into deep self-doubt.

After a long while.

He raised his gleaming head and stared straight at Su Feng, asking word by word:

"What exactly... is your purpose in doing this?"

His hoarse voice sounded like sandpaper grinding fiercely against gravel.

Those words had undoubtedly dealt Ikkaku Madarame quite a blow.

"I merely wanted to break through your psychological defenses."

Su Feng was utterly frank. "If I didn't do this, getting a madman like you to confess would take some effort."

Before this, he had already received Fujio Ryukawa's report.

Ikkaku Madarame did not believe that his previous actions had violated the laws of Soul Society.

He refused to acknowledge his crimes.

"You bastard..."

Ikkaku Madarame clenched his teeth until they creaked, his expression turning vicious once more.

"Don't think you can make me confess like this!"

Su Feng said nothing, simply looking directly at him with calm eyes.

Under that gaze, Ikkaku Madarame felt as though he had no secrets left at all. His mental defenses crumbled further and further until they completely collapsed.

"Where's the case file?"

Though he still looked fierce, he had clearly lost his earlier momentum.

It had to be said.

Those earlier words had proven quite useful.

A Shinigami Soldier from the Prison promptly presented the case file recording Ikkaku Madarame's crimes.

Then.

In an exceedingly awkward posture, he crookedly scrawled his name.

Ikkaku Madarame.

"Mm, it's ugly."

Su Feng commented, "Before you begin training, you should go practice calligraphy with Captain Aizen."

Ikkaku Madarame bared his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead, his savage intent obvious.

Su Feng motioned for the prison guard Shinigami to put away the case file.

This thing was of no use to his self-discipline mission.

Su Feng merely wished to use it to establish a good beginning, announcing to the many criminals of Soul Society that the era of innocence had arrived.

That was all.

Meanwhile.

Inside the largest training room of the Eleventh Division Barracks.

Dozens of Shinigami Soldiers had gathered there, and the heavy atmosphere was entirely unlike usual.

The faces of those tough and savage soldiers were full of worry, as though they had been thoroughly beaten.

At the center of the group, a figure utterly out of place in the Eleventh Division sat cross-legged on the wooden floor.

He had short dark-purple hair, a distinctive feather ornament over his right eye, and smooth skin on his refined face that faintly gleamed with an unmistakable luster.

If one ignored his gender, he might well make countless men stop in their tracks.

One of the few friends of Ikkaku Madarame, the Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division.

Yumichika Ayasegawa.

At the same time, he was the most rational person in the Eleventh Division—provided no one touched upon his taboo.

At that moment, his brows were tightly furrowed as he stared fixedly at the people before him.

His overwhelming presence nearly crushed the breath from their lungs.

Though he was merely the Fifth Seat, his true strength was in no way inferior to Ikkaku Madarame, the Third Seat. If he mastered Bankai, he might even surpass him.

As a result, quite a few members of the Eleventh Division deeply feared this Seated Officer.

"So, I was only away on a mission for a few days."

Yumichika Ayasegawa narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of viciousness appearing on his face.

"And Ikkaku got arrested by people from the Ninth Division?"

The pressure of his gaze and presence gradually became too much for the few people at the front to bear.

"Our deepest apologies, Fifth Seat Yumichika."

They dropped to their knees in unison, their foreheads pressed tightly against the floor.

"The one who acted was the Ninth Division's new captain, Tsunayashiro Su Feng."

"Lord Ikkaku was completely no match for him!"

They spoke in one voice. It was as though recalling that day's battle had brought a trace of fear to their fierce faces.

"Spiritual Pressure so overwhelming it reached the extreme!"

"A figure impossible to catch!"

"An Enkōsen cast with Incantation Abandonment!"

"Clean and decisive Hakuda!"

From their words, Yumichika Ayasegawa reconstructed the course of the battle in his mind, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

As Ikkaku Madarame's friend, no one knew his strength better than he did.

Though he was still somewhat lacking, he had attempted it several times already. With a little more training, he would be able to achieve Bankai successfully.

Once he mastered Bankai, he would possess standard captain-level combat strength.

Yet even so, when facing the Ninth Division's new captain, he had been utterly unable to fight back. The other party had not even used his Zanpakuto.

Was the gap really that terrifying?

Just as he was pondering this, a rough, hoarse voice shattered the dead silence in the training room.

"So, Madarame was defeated head-on by the captain of the Ninth Division?"

The sliding door opened, and a burly figure strode inside, sweeping his gaze across everyone's expressions.

His vicious, demon-like face bore a scar that ran through his left eye, stretching from his forehead all the way to his chin, while his right eye was covered by a black eyepatch.

Thick hair wrapped with bells was gathered into a hedgehog-like style.

The sleeves and hem of his white Captain's Haori had been torn into jagged edges, adding even more savagery to his appearance.

The captain of the Eleventh Division, the Eleventh Kenpachi—a being like an evil demon.

Kenpachi Zaraki!

"I only went out for a while, and another strong fighter has appeared in the Seireitei."

He carried a Zanpakuto with a blade wrapped in white bandages over his shoulder, his beastlike gaze falling upon the crowd.

Fervor, delight, and...

Desire!

"How exciting!"

Kenpachi Zaraki grinned, his stark white teeth sending a chill down everyone's spine.

"A strong fighter who crushed Madarame should be able to let me enjoy a good battle, right?"

"I just hope he isn't like that idiot Kiyone Kotetsu—completely incapable of giving me any satisfaction!"

Everyone was cowed by his presence. Cold sweat soaked through their Shinigami Uniforms, and none of them dared make a sound. They even held their breaths unconsciously.

Even though Kenpachi Zaraki had been the captain of the Eleventh Division for some time now.

Everyone still feared him deeply.

Yumichika Ayasegawa spread his hands and muttered helplessly, "I just hope this doesn't develop into something beyond control..."