The Battle Maniac

Following the sword, Hongjiang saw its owner: a gaunt young man dressed in rags. A tangled mane of hair like dried grass obscured most of his features, and his face was caked in dark red grime. It was impossible to tell whether it was blood, mud, or both.

"I knew people dressed like that wouldn't be weak." The mouth beneath his hair moved as he spoke in a low, hoarse voice. "But you're a lot stronger than the others. Not bad."

"Did you kill all the Soul Reapers who were here before?" Hongjiang studied the long-haired man. He looked like a typical drifter, but he didn't fight like one. His words were arrogant, but he wasn't bluffing. An ordinary Soul Reaper might really have been cut down just now.

"Some were so weak they didn't even have time to react before I ran them through. Plenty of others managed to block me, and I played with them for a while, but most of them still weren't much fun." The man lifted his head slightly, his voice full of fondness and pleasure.

From his account, Hongjiang realized that it wasn't the killing the man enjoyed. What he truly loved was an evenly matched battle, a fight to the death with victory hanging by a thread. The man didn't value life, whether his own or his opponent's. If it was fun, what did it matter if he lost his own?

"You're different from the others. I think this time I'll finally have some real fun!" As he spoke, a fierce aura burst from the man. He spun his sword and slashed upward at Hongjiang.

"Madman!" Hongjiang's temper flared. He raised his right foot and stomped toward the blade, while Jiagui had already disappeared from his left hand and returned to its scabbard.

"Trample, Jiagui!"

The black boot collided with the silver sword in midair with a sharp clang. Neither side could press forward, and they locked in a stalemate.

"Yes! Just like that!" the long-haired man cried, exhilarated. "Changing forms over and over! Fighting people like you is 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 reappeared in his hand as a short black blade, and a spray of blood followed. This time, the long-haired man had been hit.

If the blade had landed cleanly, it would have pierced the man's throat and killed him on the spot. But, strangely, he seemed to sense the danger at the last moment and tilted his head in an unnatural way before leaping back. Jiagui left only a gash across his face!

"Ha ha ha! Interesting! So interesting!" The man laughed without the slightest hint of panic, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears.

The man's crazed appearance made Hongjiang shudder. This person didn't fear being wounded. He was a true fighting machine!

There was only one way to stop a fighting machine like that: destroy it! Having reached that conclusion, Hongjiang used Flash Step to close in. There was no point wasting time talking!

Jiagui's fighting style relied on flowing, unpredictable transitions. Blocking a sword barehanded, then switching to a short blade to take the opponent's life—moves like that, no matter how bizarre, were possible thanks to Jiagui's ability to change forms without delay.

That ability gave Jiagui a rhythm unlike any other. As Yamamoto had put it, the entire fight felt like being caught in deep-sea currents: seemingly chaotic and disorderly, yet every move was lethal and every moment full of danger.

This time, Hongjiang took firm control of the fight's rhythm. The man didn't back down much, and within a few short seconds, the two had already exchanged over a hundred blows.

The long-haired man struggled against Hongjiang's deep-sea-current style. By now, most of his clothes were soaked with blood, and he was nearly covered in it.

But Hongjiang wasn't feeling at ease. His opponent really was drenched in blood, but Hongjiang alone knew how the fight had changed. At first, he'd been able to threaten the man's vital points. Now, he could only leave minor wounds on him once in a while.

The man was adapting to the fight at an astonishing rate. He was even starting to take back the initiative!

Bang! The man's sword was once again caught on Hongjiang's shoulder by his gauntlet. Hongjiang didn't hesitate; he drove his free right hand toward the man's throat. But this time, the man didn't dodge. He swung his left fist straight at Hongjiang's.

"Are you willing to lose that hand?" Hongjiang asked coldly.

"If you can take it, then take it! Ha ha ha!"

Their fists collided with a dull thud. Then they both pushed off at once, using each other's force to leap backward and open up some distance.

"Looks like you can't take my arm just yet. Hee hee!" the man said with an easy laugh.

Hongjiang's face remained expressionless, as if nothing could ruffle him, but his mind was in turmoil. It looked as if his opponent had figured out Jiagui's weakness. He just didn't know how much the man had understood.

"I'm thinking there are two ways to deal with you. The first is to attack from a distance!"

As he spoke, white spiritual energy coiled around the man's sword. He gave it a casual swing, sending the energy surging toward Hongjiang like a wave.

Hongjiang furrowed his brow and clenched his right fist. White spiritual energy covered Jiagui's gauntlet as well, and he slammed a punch into the incoming spiritual slash.

With a thunderous boom, a gale swept dust and broken stones in every direction. When the dust settled, the land within half a mile of the two of them had been reduced to barren earth.

"Is that your plan? It's pretty convenient for clearing weeds." Hongjiang taunted him, though he wasn't nearly as relaxed as he sounded.

Distance was indeed one of Jiagui's weaknesses. Yoruichi had mentioned it six years ago, though it wasn't all that serious. But since the man had said there were two ways to deal with him, could the other one be the one Hongjiang feared?

"You're obviously not someone I can deal with by casually swinging my sword a couple of times." The man's voice rang out again. "If your blade changed forms a little more slowly, I'd probably be dead by now!"

Before he'd finished speaking, the man raised his sword and slashed again. Hongjiang had no choice but to raise his left arm to block, just as he had before they'd separated.

"Your neck or your heart—pick whichever spot you like and stab! Let's see if you split in two first, or I run you through!" As he spoke, the man increased the force in his swing and grinned. "Or maybe we'll both die at the same time! That could happen too! Ha ha ha!"

Jiagui's greatest weakness had been found! Hongjiang's face turned ashen. He slapped the man's sword aside with his right palm, leapt backward, and opened up the distance again.

Hongjiang's fighting style relied on Jiagui's instantaneous form changes. That was also the Zanpakuto's greatest strength; without it, Jiagui was nothing more than an ordinary blade.

But sometimes, the greatest strength could also be the greatest weakness, and that was the case with Jiagui. Its rapid form changes seemed to let it attack and defend at once, but in reality, it could only switch between offense and defense—and that switch was extreme.

What did that mean? Simply put, the blade and its other forms couldn't exist at the same time. He could launch a lethal attack in an instant, but at that moment, his defenses would disappear just as quickly!

That was why Jiagui excelled at trading life for life, but was also most vulnerable to the same tactic. Before, whenever Hongjiang blocked an attack, he would use force to knock it aside while attacking with his free hand, avoiding the instant when his defenses vanished.

But if an enemy stuck close to him, Hongjiang wouldn't dare change Jiagui's form. Just like what had happened moments ago: if he'd dared to turn Jiagui back into a short blade, the first time he would have lost his left shoulder, and the second time he would have been split in two! So it wasn't that he didn't want to take the man's arm. He hadn't dared.

In that situation, he needed another fighting style: abandon the short blade's transformations and use Hakuda, striking and withdrawing in an instant.

But that would mean a real hand-to-hand fight, with no tricks to fall back on. Given Hongjiang's half-baked Hakuda skills, that approach would be tantamount to suicide.

Or should he reveal his Kido? Hongjiang believed that, given the man's performance so far, he could keep him from adapting and kill him in one blow!

Just then, Hongjiang sensed people approaching from behind. There were quite a few of them, maybe five or six. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. "People like me are on their way. Do you still want to fight?"

"Will they interfere with our battle?"

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

The man pursed his lips, looking unhappy. He hung his sword from his waist, seemingly ready to stop.

"What's your name? Where can I find you in the future?" the man asked. It seemed he still wanted to fight Hongjiang again.

"Diezuka Hiroe! As for where to find me..." Hongjiang grinned and pointed toward the Seireitei. "That way. There's a place called the Seireitei. I'll be there someday!"

"That place? I know people dressed like you all come from there. It must be even more fun!"

The man turned and walked away. Hongjiang watched him get farther and farther away, unable to suppress a wave of satisfaction. What a fool. Hopefully, he'd get to see him covered in blood, fighting in the Seireitei! No, he might never get the chance to see him again. That was even better!

"Oh, right! I have a question for you!" The man suddenly stopped and called back to Hongjiang.

"Uh... Go ahead!"

"Why aren't you called Kenpachi?"

Hongjiang was stunned. This fool knew about Kenpachi? To be precise, Kenpachi wasn't a name but a title, given to the strongest Soul Reaper in the Seireitei and passed down from one generation to the next.

Of course, there was a degree of bragging involved. From Hongjiang's experience in his previous life, none of the strongest Soul Reapers in history had ever earned the title of Kenpachi. Take Old Man Yama, for example.

So, to be precise, Kenpachi really meant the strongest swordsman among the Soul Reapers. It still sounded impressive, but the strength it represented was far less than one might think.

"There are Soul Reapers stronger than you?" The man seemed thoughtful, then called out, "Then tell the Seireitei's Kenpachi that I'll challenge him someday!"

Hongjiang couldn't help laughing. What the hell was a Seireitei Kenpachi? Who had told him to add a place name to Kenpachi whenever he meant the strongest person there? But Hongjiang had no intention of correcting him. On the contrary, he'd repeat the words exactly as they were to that "Seireitei Kenpachi." The scene that followed would be explosive!

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

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

Kenpachi was the strongest, and this idiot named things by putting a place name before Kenpachi. So, he was the Kenpachi of Zaraki District...

Wait, that couldn't be right! A name surfaced in Hongjiang's mind, but he couldn't reconcile it with the ragged man before him. It couldn't be him... could it?

"So my name is Kenpachi Zaraki!" Kenpachi turned around and waved as he continued, "See you in the Seireitei someday!"

It was over! He was completely screwed! He never would have guessed that this guy was Kenpachi Zaraki!

Kenpachi Zaraki, future captain of Squad 11, a battle maniac who spent all his time looking for people to fight because he was bored!

At the thought, Hongjiang couldn't help swallowing. He'd gotten Kenpachi Zaraki interested in him. He was in serious trouble! And that Seireitei Kenpachi—Hongjiang could only apologize to him in silence. He'd accidentally sent a wolf over there. Who could have seen that coming?