A Third Way to Seize the Captain, Draw Sword, Fight!

Su Feng stood beneath the sun, the gentle smile on his face complementing its warm rays, making him seem as approachable as the boy next door.

Yet as Kaname Tosen sensed the scene before him, he could not smile at all.

The moment Su Feng's words fell, both Spiritual Pressure and killing intent had locked onto him completely.

His expression stiffened slightly.

But upon recalling the purpose of this visit, Kaname Tosen stopped concealing himself.

He assumed the same stance, Spiritual Pressure surging forth and swirling around him as it blanketed the courtyard.

"In the Soul Society, there are generally three ways to become a captain."

Kaname Tosen's right hand had already settled on his sword guard, his braid scattering in the turbulence of his Spiritual Pressure.

"The first is to pass a test witnessed by at least three captains, including the Captain-Commander. The previous Assessment Battle was one such method."

"The second is to be recommended by six captains and receive recognition from at least three of the remaining seven."

As the two faced off, their auras grew increasingly fierce, even forming a howling gale that swept backward through the courtyard.

Sensing that things had taken a turn for the worse, the Shinigami Soldiers immediately scrambled away, hiding in distant corners of the barracks.

"The final method is to duel the current captain before more than two hundred division members and defeat them."

Kaname Tosen's expression darkened as he continued in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Kenpachi Zaraki of the Eleventh Division once rose to his position this way, openly killing the previous captain of the Eleventh Division."

"I thought that since you had passed the Assessment Battle, you would become a qualified captain."

"But judging from what you just did, that thought was absurdly mistaken..."

Shing—

A clear blade cry echoed through the courtyard, cold light flashing beneath the blazing sun.

Kaname Tosen drew his Zanpakuto first, his Spiritual Pressure instantly solidifying as it flowed around him.

"You who trample the rules!"

"Before all the division members, I will reclaim the captain's position."

"And correct my own mistake..."

Su Feng smiled in surprise at those words. "After saying all that, you're still just unwilling to accept your previous defeat."

"Since you have the courage to draw your blade again, I hope you can bear the consequences."

Su Feng could not agree with Kaname Tosen's way of thinking.

From the day Koka died, the justice in his heart had already become revenge.

Of course.

That did not mean Su Feng disapproved of it.

But when evil deeds were committed in the name of justice, that so-called justice became nothing more than a high-sounding word.

The Visoreds who had been framed, the several seated officers of the Ninth Division who had been murdered, the Rukongai civilians who had been turned into test subjects for no reason...

What had they done wrong?

"Evil and justice are often separated by no more than a single thought."

Su Feng's left thumb pressed against the sword guard and pushed lightly. With a soft click, another flash of cold light leaped across the courtyard.

His Spiritual Pressure erupted, sweeping across the entire courtyard in an instant!

Massive pillars of light shot into the sky, colliding and crushing against one another in the open space. Even the spirit particles in the surrounding air were drawn in and condensed, creating a breathtaking sight.

A battle between two captain-class Shinigami was on the verge of erupting.

Facing Su Feng, who had defeated him before, Kaname Tosen did not dare let his guard down in the slightest.

That nearly flawless fighting style was enough to send chills through anyone's heart...

Thus.

Kaname Tosen suddenly raised his Zanpakuto and held it upright before himself, his left hand pressing against the ring on the sword guard.

As he spread his arms, the ring expanded with them until it nearly enveloped his entire body.

"Bankai!"

Unshakable resolve seeped through his calm voice. The ring lay horizontally, splitting from one into nine in an instant as they encircled him.

At that moment, Kaname Tosen's Spiritual Pressure intensified once more. Purple light blossomed, filled with an eerie aura.

The nine rings hummed and vibrated, shaking the air.

Suzumushi was raised high, then slashed forward with explosive speed. The rings streaked through the air around them, directly enclosing both men.

The other Shinigami Soldiers had already retreated to the perimeter when the battle began.

They did not dare risk getting caught up in a captain-class battle.

One careless mistake, and they could be completely killed by the aftershock.

As for Rangiku Matsumoto and Nanao Ise, they had prepared to intervene the moment they realized something was wrong. But Kaname Tosen activated his Bankai too quickly, leaving them no time to act.

Kaname Tosen seemed to have no intention of dragging anyone else into the battle. The range covered by his Spiritual Pressure happened to avoid the two of them.

Above the ring, black Spiritual Pressure erupted, surging forth like a tide and swallowing everything in sight in an instant.

Night fell!

"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Koorogi!"

Kaname Tosen's tone brimmed with confidence, and even his battle-ready stance relaxed somewhat.

He knew full well how powerful Suzumushi's Bankai was.

Even if Su Feng was stronger than him, he would be unable to harm him within this sealed space.

Darkness—absolute darkness.

Within this oval barrier, Spiritual Pressure sensing, sight, smell, and hearing were all stripped away. A hell of ignorance was born.

Su Feng was also quite familiar with Kaname Tosen's Bankai.

Its ring, divided into nine sections, was derived from the Nine Stages of Corpse Decay. At this moment, nine characters were likewise engraved upon the patterns of the oval barrier.

They were: swelling, bruising, decay, blood, pus, devouring, dispersal, bone, and burning.

Each character represented a stage after death. As time passed, the corpse's appearance continued to change.

A true hell!

Since he had once lost to Su Feng, it was understandable that Kaname Tosen would open with his Bankai.

As for how to break this Bankai, Su Feng naturally knew as well.

Without achieving an absolute crushing advantage in Spiritual Pressure, only the one holding Suzumushi could remain clear-headed within this oval barrier.

As for that—

He had thought of several ways to break it.

There was absolutely no need to be like Kenpachi Zaraki, trading injury for injury and fighting on instinct.

"Hard to imagine, isn't it, Su Feng?"

Kaname Tosen walked slowly through the Enma Koorogi barrier, approaching Su Feng.

"You should find my Bankai quite unexpected."

"A silent world of darkness and ignorance—frightening, isn't it?"

He muttered expressionlessly, "A pampered Great Noble Clan member like you has probably never experienced such terror."

"Every sense but touch has been completely deprived."

"Take it all in. The darkness of this world is far more terrifying than what Enma Koorogi grants!"

Kaname Tosen had already arrived before Su Feng, the blade in his hand raised high.

Just as his slash was about to fall, he heard Su Feng's calm voice.

"If it were a talentless beast like Kenpachi Zaraki, perhaps he would be trapped within this cage."

Su Feng spread the five fingers of his right hand, intense Spiritual Pressure gathering in his palm.

"But never forget the greatest difference between humans and beasts..."

"Reason!"