Battle Maniac

Following the long sword, the owner was a gaunt young man in tattered clothes. A mop of messy hair like withered grass obscured most of his features, and his face was covered in dark red grime—it was unclear whether it was blood, mud, or both.

"I knew it. People who dress like that are never weak." The mouth beneath the long hair opened and closed, the voice low and raspy. "But you're much stronger than them. Not bad."

"Did you kill all the Soul Reapers from before?" Hongjiang scrutinized the long-haired man. His attire was typical of a drifter, but his skills were anything but. His arrogant words weren't empty; if it had been an ordinary Soul Reaper, they likely would have been cut down by him just moments ago.

"Some were too weak. They were pierced before they could even react. Many others held their own and played with me for a while, but most weren't very satisfying." The man tilted his head slightly, his tone filled with nostalgia and enjoyment.

From his account, Hongjiang gathered that the man didn't enjoy slaughter itself; what he truly craved was an evenly matched fight, a battle on the razor's edge of life and death. The man placed no value on life, whether his own or his enemy's—as long as it was fun, what did it matter if he lost his own life?

"You're different from them. I think I'll be able to have a good time this time!" As the man spoke, a sharp, fierce aura erupted from his body. He twisted his long sword and slashed at Hongjiang from below.

A madman! Hongjiang's temper flared. He raised his right foot to stomp down on the blade, while the Jiagui in his left hand had already vanished into its sheath.

"Trample, Jiagui!"

The black boot and the silver sword collided in mid-air with a crisp ring. Neither side could push forward, and they remained locked in a stalemate.

"Yes! That's it!" the long-haired man roared with excitement. "Changing back and forth! Fighting you people is just so much fun!"

"Then let me show you something even more interesting!"

Hongjiang flicked his ankle, knocking the sword aside, and thrust his empty right hand toward the man's face. Jiagui instantly manifested as a black short blade in his hand, drawing a spray of blood. This time, the long-haired man had been caught.

If that strike had landed true, the long-haired man's throat would surely have been pierced, killing him on the spot. Strangely, he seemed to sense something at the last second, twisting his head in an eerie motion and leaping backward. Jiagui only managed to leave a shallow cut on his face.

"Hahaha! Interesting, too interesting!" The man laughed without a hint of panic, his mouth stretching nearly to his ears.

The man's manic demeanor made even Hongjiang's heart tremble. This person wouldn't feel fear from injury; he was a true combat machine!

The only way to stop this machine was to destroy it. Having realized this, Hongjiang immediately used Flash Step to close the distance. Wasting breath on him was just a waste of time!

Jiagui's combat style relied on fluidity and unconventionality. Blocking a sword with bare hands and then switching to a short blade to claim a life—such bizarre maneuvers were made possible by Jiagui's zero-latency transformation.

Because of this trait, the rhythm of Jiagui's combat was unlike any other. As Yamamoto put it, the entire battle was like being caught in a deep-sea undertow: seemingly chaotic and disordered, but in reality, every move was lethal and fraught with hidden danger.

Hongjiang, having taken the initiative, kept the rhythm of the battle firmly in his own hands. The man didn't retreat, and within a few short breaths, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows.

This deep-sea undertow style of fighting took a heavy toll on the long-haired man. By now, most of his clothes were soaked red, and he was nearly a bloody mess.

But Hongjiang's mood was far from light. The opponent was indeed a bloody mess, but only he knew that while he had been able to threaten vital points at the start, he was now only occasionally leaving minor wounds in insignificant places.

The man before him was adapting to the fight at an astonishing speed, even showing signs of wanting to regain the initiative!

Bang! The man's long sword was once again caught on Hongjiang's gauntlet-clad shoulder. Hongjiang didn't hesitate, striking directly at the man's throat with his empty right hand. This time, the man didn't dodge; he clenched his left fist and met the strike head-on.

"Don't you want that arm anymore?" Hongjiang asked coldly.

"If you have the skill, take it! Hahaha!"

The two fists collided with a dull thud. Immediately, both exerted force, pushed off each other's strength, and retreated to create distance.

"Looks like you won't be taking this arm just yet, hee hee!" the man laughed easily.

Hongjiang remained expressionless, appearing calm, but his heart was in turmoil. It seemed the opponent had grasped the weakness of Jiagui, though it was unclear to what extent.

"I've been thinking, there should be two ways to deal with you. The first is to increase the distance!"

As the man spoke, white spiritual power coiled around his long sword. With a casual swing, the spiritual power followed the slash, rushing toward Hongjiang like a wave.

Hongjiang frowned. He clenched his right fist, coating the Jiagui gauntlet in white spiritual power, and struck the incoming spiritual slash with a heavy blow.

With a deafening roar, a gale carrying dust and debris ravaged the surroundings. When the dust settled, the land within a one-mile radius of the two had become a barren wasteland.

"Is this your method? It's quite convenient for weeding." Hongjiang mocked, though he didn't feel nearly as relaxed as he sounded.

Distance was indeed a weakness of Jiagui—Yoruichi had mentioned it six years ago, though it wasn't fatal. But since the man said there were two ways, could the other be the one he feared?

"You certainly aren't the type to be dismissed with a couple of sword swings." The man's voice rang out again. "If your blade were a bit slower, I'd probably be dead by now!"

Before the words faded, the man raised his sword to strike again. Hongjiang had no choice but to raise his left arm to block, just as he had before they separated.

"Pierce my throat or my heart, pick whichever you like! Let's see if you get cut in half first, or if I get pierced first!" The man grinned, his strength increasing as he laughed. "Or maybe we'll both die at the same time? Who knows! Hahaha!"

Jiagui's greatest weakness had been found! Hongjiang's face turned ashen. He used his right hand to slap the man's sword aside, leaped backward, and once again opened the distance.

Hongjiang's combat style relied on Jiagui's zero-latency transformation. This was its greatest strength; without it, Jiagui was nothing more than an ordinary Zanpakuto.

But sometimes, one's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness, and Jiagui was no exception. The rapid form-shifting seemed to cover both offense and defense, but in reality, it only allowed for switching between the two—and in a very extreme manner.

How to explain it? Simply put, the blade and other forms could not exist simultaneously. You could launch a lethal attack in an instant, but your defense would vanish at that same moment!

That was why Jiagui excelled at trading life for life, but also feared the "life-for-life" style of combat most of all. This was why Hongjiang always blocked the opponent's attack before launching his own with his free hand, avoiding that momentary loss of defense.

But if an enemy stuck to him like glue, Hongjiang dared not shift Jiagui's form. Just like the situation moments ago, if he had dared to turn Jiagui back into a short blade, he would have been shorn of his left shoulder the first time, and cut in half the second! So, at that moment, it wasn't that he didn't want the man's arm—he didn't dare.

In such times, he had to use another style: abandoning the short blade transformation and using Hakuda, where one sticks and then separates.

But that was true hand-to-hand combat with no room for trickery, and with Hongjiang's mediocre Hakuda skills, using such a style was undoubtedly suicide.

Or perhaps expose his Kido? Hongjiang believed that, based on the man's performance, he could prevent the opponent from adapting and kill him instantly with a Flash Step!

Just then, Hongjiang sensed people approaching from behind—not a few, perhaps five or six. Hongjiang curled his lips into a smile. "People like me have arrived. Do you still want to fight?"

"Will they interfere in our battle?"

"I think they will. And attacking a Soul Reaper is a grave crime."

The man pouted, looking unhappy. He hung his long sword at his waist, appearing ready to stop.

"What's your name? Where can I find you later?" the man asked, clearly still wanting to fight Diezuka Hiroe again.

"Diezuka Hiroe! As for where to find me?" Hiroe smirked, pointing toward the direction of the Seireitei. "In that direction, there's a place called the Seireitei. That's where I'll be in the future!"

"There, huh? I know everyone who wears the same clothes as you comes from there. It must be even more fun there!"

The man turned and walked away immediately after speaking. Hiroe watched his retreating figure, a surge of secret satisfaction rising in his heart. You silly kid, I hope to see you fighting bloodily in the Seireitei! No, wait, I might never have the chance to see you again. This is truly satisfying!

"Right! Let me ask you something!" The man suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and shouted at Hiroe.

"Uh... go ahead and ask!"

"Why aren't you called Kenpachi?"

This silly kid even knows about Kenpachi? Hiroe was stunned. To be precise, Kenpachi wasn't a name but a title, a title passed down through generations to the strongest Soul Reaper in the Seireitei.

Of course, there was some exaggeration involved. According to Hiroe's experience from his past life, the strongest Soul Reapers in history never actually held the title of Kenpachi, such as Old Man Yama.

Therefore, to be accurate, Kenpachi actually represented the Soul Reaper with the best swordsmanship. Although it sounded just as intimidating, the strength it represented was significantly discounted.

"Because I'm not the strongest Soul Reaper in the Seireitei, so I can't be called Kenpachi!"

"Are there stronger ones?" The man looked thoughtful and continued shouting, "Then tell the Seireitei Kenpachi that I'll go challenge him in the future!"

Hiroe was amused by this. What the hell is a 'Seireitei Kenpachi'? Who on earth told him that the strongest person in a place should be named after the location plus 'Kenpachi'? But Hiroe had no intention of correcting him; on the contrary, he would relay these words exactly as they were to that "Seireitei Kenpachi." The scene would surely be explosive!

"Sure! But you still have to tell me your name!"

"Kenpachi! I'm also called Kenpachi! But I'm the strongest in the Zaraki District, so..."

Kenpachi is the strongest person, and this idiot's naming convention is the location plus Kenpachi, so he's the Kenpachi of the Zaraki District...

That doesn't seem right! A name surfaced in Hiroe's mind, but he couldn't connect it to the disheveled man in front of him. It can't be, right...

"So my name is Kenpachi Zaraki!" Kenpachi turned around, waving his hand as he continued, "See you in the Seireitei then!"

It's over! I'm completely screwed! I never expected that this guy in front of me was Kenpachi Zaraki!

Kenpachi Zaraki, the future captain of Squad 11 in the Seireitei, a battle maniac who spent his days bored and looking for fights for fun!

Thinking of this, Hiroe couldn't help but swallow hard. By piquing the interest of Kenpachi Zaraki, he had really gotten himself into big trouble! As for that Seireitei Kenpachi, Hiroe could only silently apologize in his heart. He had accidentally sent a wolf over; who could have possibly foreseen this?