To all you handsome and beautiful readers, would you rather I write more from other people's perspectives, or stick to the protagonist's perspective?
The battles in Bleach are all very tightly paced, with many fights happening simultaneously.
To make the plot's logic a little more reasonable, I can't arrange for the protagonist to defeat every enemy.
That ends up making the plot move too quickly. I'm already writing at the slow pace mentioned in the synopsis, but in practice, it still feels too fast!
Kenpachi Zaraki grinned and pushed off hard.
Boom!
The wasteland instantly caved in. He was already in front of Yoriichi, bringing his nick-covered Zanpakuto crashing down.
Yoriichi held his blade across himself to block.
Clang!
Savage force traveled through the blade. The ground beneath Yoriichi's feet shattered inch by inch as he slid backward more than ten meters.
Kenpachi gave him no chance to stop, swinging his blade as he pursued him again.
"Not bad!"
"You actually blocked my blade head-on!"
Yoriichi sidestepped the slash. Kenpachi's blade struck the ground, cleaving a fissure dozens of meters long.
The next instant, Hekyō was already slashing toward Kenpachi's chest.
Kenpachi did not dodge at all.
Squelch.
The dark gray blade sliced across his chest, and blood immediately gushed out.
At the same time, Kenpachi raised his left hand and grabbed for Yoriichi's shoulder.
Yoriichi immediately retreated.
Thick fingers grazed his clothes, tearing the fabric over his shoulder.
The two put distance between themselves again.
Kenpachi glanced down at the wound on his chest, but his smile only grew more excited.
"That's it."
"Your blade is much faster than Ichigo Kurosaki's. More dangerous, too."
Yoriichi looked at him and said calmly, "You could clearly have dodged that last strike."
"Dodged?"
Kenpachi rested his Zanpakuto on his shoulder and grinned. "Where's the fun in fighting like that?"
Yoriichi fell silent for a moment.
People like Kenpachi, who deliberately let themselves get hurt to enjoy a fight.
He knew about them, but could not understand them.
Three sets of memories intertwined. He knew Kenpachi's fighting style, but Yoriichi Tsugikuni's own memories were influencing him too.
No matter how much he had seen, it was no substitute for experiencing it firsthand.
He knew this did not mean Kenpachi held life in contempt.
To Kenpachi, battle itself was proof that he was alive.
"You're strange."
"Likewise."
Kenpachi charged again, his savage Reiatsu pressing down on Yoriichi.
This time, he was faster than before.
The world in Yoriichi's eyes gradually became transparent. Every muscle and bone in Kenpachi's body, along with the flow of his Reiatsu, appeared clearly in his vision.
There was no technique.
His opponent relied solely on his fighting instincts, pouring all his strength into every slash.
There was a certain beauty to the raw stats.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two Zanpakuto collided repeatedly, their deafening clashes ringing across the wasteland.
Yoriichi blocked several strikes in succession, then turned his wrist slightly, sliding Hekyō forward along Kenpachi's blade.
Kenpachi tilted his head aside.
The tip grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody mark.
"Too shallow!"
Laughing loudly, Kenpachi raised his knee and drove it hard toward Yoriichi's abdomen.
Yoriichi pressed his left hand against Kenpachi's knee and used it to spring upward, bringing Hekyō down from above.
Kenpachi raised his blade to block.
Boom!
The immense force drove his feet into the ground, blasting all the surrounding rubble away.
"Now that's more like it!"
Gripping his blade with both hands, Kenpachi swung upward sharply.
Yoriichi twisted in midair and landed steadily some distance away.
"Kenny got driven into the ground!"
Yachiru sat on a rock, clapping happily.
Kenpachi jumped out of the crater and shouted in displeasure, "Yachiru, whose side are you cheering for?"
"Yours, of course, Kenny."
Yachiru tilted her head.
"But little Tsuggy's really strong too."
"Then just watch."
Kenpachi turned back to Yoriichi, his smile growing more pronounced.
At the edge of the wasteland, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake arrived one after the other.
Neither approached. They simply stood on a patch of high ground and watched the fight.
"Kenpachi's already taken off his eyepatch, but he still can't gain the upper hand."
Watching Yoriichi's movements, Ukitake said quietly, "And Yoriichi hasn't even used Shikai yet."
Shunsui Kyōraku lowered his bamboo hat.
"This boy's swordsmanship wasn't this fast when he fought me."
"He's still growing."
Kenpachi's attacks looked fierce, but in reality, not a single strike had truly landed on Yoriichi since the fight began.
Instead, several more wounds had appeared on his own body.
"His talent for swordsmanship is the greatest I've ever encountered."
A gentle voice came from behind them.
Retsu Unohana walked slowly to the edge of the high ground, her gaze remaining on Yoriichi the entire time.
Shunsui Kyōraku glanced back.
"You're here too, Captain Unohana."
"Naturally, I wouldn't want to miss such a rare fight."
Unohana watched Yoriichi, still smiling.
"He has already incorporated all his techniques into his instincts. No matter how his enemy swings their blade, he can find an opening in the shortest possible time."
Shunsui Kyōraku asked, "What if it were you?"
Unohana was silent for a moment.
"In swordsmanship alone, I'm not confident I could beat him."
Shunsui Kyōraku's expression grew serious.
For Unohana herself to admit that her swordsmanship was inferior carried considerable weight.
In the center of the wasteland.
Kenpachi gripped his Zanpakuto with both hands, his Reiatsu rising again.
It had been a long time since he had encountered an opponent like this.
He could clearly see every strike, yet no matter what he did, he could not touch him.
"Hey, kid."
"Stop dodging and trade a strike with me head-on!"
Yoriichi looked at him.
"All right."
He let Hekyō hang at his side, his breathing slowly changing.
Excitement flashed in Kenpachi's eyes. The muscles in his arms abruptly tightened as he forced all his Reiatsu into his Zanpakuto.
"That's more like it!"
The two charged at each other simultaneously.
Kenpachi raised his long blade high and brought it down with all his strength.
Yoriichi took half a step forward, slashing Hekyō diagonally upward.
He used no special move.
It was simply the most basic slash.
Clang!
A piercing clash suddenly rang out.
The Zanpakuto flew from Kenpachi's hands, spun several times in midair, and plunged heavily into a distant rock face.
Hekyō stopped before his neck.
The wasteland fell silent.
Kenpachi looked down at the blade, stunned for several seconds.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Kid, you really are strong!"
Yoriichi withdrew Hekyō.
"Do you still want to continue?"
"Of course."
Kenpachi reached up and gripped the spine of Hekyō, his smile not fading in the slightest.
"Wait until I get my blade back. We'll fight again."
Yoriichi glanced at the distant Zanpakuto.
"I refuse."
Kenpachi's smile froze.
"Why?"
"You're no match for me. There's no point in fighting any further."
Yoriichi sheathed his blade and said seriously, "Besides, I'm going back to the World of the Living soon. If you want another duel, get stronger."
Kenpachi: "..."
Watching this, Shunsui Kyōraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Unohana watched Yoriichi, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes.
She was very interested in this boy's swordsmanship.
(I wonder if anyone can understand the foreshadowing I left here!)
Before you continue