Who exactly are you?
"What do you want with me?"
Why did you beat Renji Abarai like this? Rukia alright?
As soon as Ichigo Kurosaki approached the burly man, he bombarded him with three questions. At the same time, beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he stared in disbelief at his hand holding Zangetsu.
At this moment Ichigo, the Zangetsu on Zangetsu, bulged. He tried to pull Zangetsu back from the burly man's hand, but... no matter how hard Ichigo Kurosaki, the man's hand remained as steady as a mountain, unmoving. The man's strength was far beyond Ichigo Kurosaki's imagination. Even with all his might, he couldn't pull his Zanpakuto back from the man's enormous hand.
"Hey!"
The tall man showed no intention of answering Ichigo Kurosaki's question, or rather, he wasn't listening to what Ichigo Kurosaki was saying at all. He didn't care what Ichigo Kurosaki was saying; he only cared about what he wanted to know. Now that he had confirmed Ichigo Kurosaki's identity and that he hadn't made a mistake, what followed was the part he was most excited about: the battle.
" Ichigo Kurosaki! Fight me to your heart's content!"
The tall, imposing figure shouted, issuing a challenge to the troubled Ichigo Kurosaki!
At this moment, the burly man looked eager to fight, ready to battle at any moment.
The burly man loved fighting, adored fighting, and genuinely enjoyed fighting!
The strong man craved battle! He craved battle with the strong, and battle with all sorts of enemies!
"I must refuse!"
Ichigo Kurosaki glared at the tall man before him, annoyed. He had no time to fight this madman; his priority was to ensure Rukia Kuchiki 'Rukia Kuchiki safety. As for the heavily injured Renji Abarai?! Since that guy failed to protect Rukia, he was of no use. He wouldn't die anytime soon anyway, so let him lie there!
"You can't have that."
Unfortunately, the tall man had no intention of letting Ichigo Kurosaki go. He raised the arm that was gripping Ichigo Kurosaki's blade high and then slammed it to the ground.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, Ichigo Kurosaki was slammed heavily to the ground by Kenpachi Zaraki, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Cough cough..."
Ichigo Kurosaki felt Kenpachi Zaraki's powerful hand, a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth, and his entire brain trembled.
"A great opportunity!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who had been secretly observing, watched as Ichigo Kurosaki was being rubbed against the ground by the strong man. His eyes slowly lit up. He knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
Tōshirō Hitsugaya decided to seize this opportunity. He swung his Zanpakuto with all his might, and a huge and ferocious ice dragon flew out from the blade, heading straight for Ichigo Kurosaki, who was lying in the pit.
"Oh no!"
Lying in the crater, Ichigo Kurosaki's expression changed as he watched Tōshirō Hitsugaya control the massive dragon. In his current state, he couldn't withstand the Tōshirō Hitsugaya's power; if it hit, the battle would end in his defeat... But...
However, Ichigo Kurosaki is unable to break free from the burly man's grasp unless he chooses to relinquish his Zangetsu. But if he does relinquish Zangetsu, he will be powerless against Tōshirō Hitsugaya without a weapon, leaving him at the mercy of his opponent, and the battle will end immediately. But given the current situation, if he doesn't relinquish Zangetsu, he will be hit by Tōshirō Hitsugaya's attack without a doubt, and the battle will still end.
Ichigo Kurosaki was torn by inner turmoil; he could see almost no hope of victory in this battle.
"Ha?!"
At this critical moment, the burly man who had knocked Ichigo Kurosaki to the ground moved. He released Ichigo Kurosaki's blade, stretched out one hand, grabbed the ice dragon by the neck with one hand, and then used the hand holding the Zanpakuto chop the ice dragon, cutting the hundred-meter-long ice dragon in two.
"What?!"
Ichigo Kurosaki looked at the burly man who had bravely stepped in to help him block Tōshirō Hitsugaya's attack, his eyes filled with doubt.
Ichigo Kurosaki was completely baffled as to why the burly man who had been clamoring to fight him just a moment ago would suddenly help him after seeing the ice dragon. He couldn't comprehend the man's thought process.
"What are you doing?!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya never imagined that the person who ultimately saved Ichigo Kurosaki would be his own teammate. Or perhaps even the man known as Kenpachi, the strongest Soul Reaper in the Gotei 13, had already betrayed Soul Society?!
Tōshirō Hitsugaya's eyes flickered slightly as he thought this.
"Hey! Captain Zaraki, what do you mean by this?!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya looked at Kenpachi Zaraki, who had destroyed his Ice Dragon, with displeasure. He tentatively asked a question, knowing that if Kenpachi Zaraki's answer did not satisfy him, he would immediately list Kenpachi Zaraki, the captain of the 11th Division, as an enemy as well.
"This is my battle! Don't disturb me!"
Kenpachi Zaraki glared angrily at Tōshirō Hitsugaya. He hated being interrupted in his battles. In Kenpachi Zaraki's eyes, fighting was as important as drinking water and eating—an indispensable part of life. Interrupting his battle was as unforgivable as interrupting his meal. If it weren't for Tōshirō Hitsugaya, that little brat who couldn't arouse even the slightest bit of his fighting interest, he would have already chopped Tōshirō Hitsugaya down along with him...
"Call..."
Seeing Kenpachi Zaraki's furious expression, Tōshirō Hitsugaya breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the man before him simply wanted to fight, unlike those who knew what they were doing but still drew their Batto Sword Drawing against their comrades.
"In that case, this battle is yours, Kenpachi Zaraki!"
Hitsugaya slowly retreated, trying to minimize his presence and avoid attracting Kenpachi Zaraki's attention.
"Alright!"
"The troublesome person is gone, let's have a good fight! Ichigo Kurosaki!"
Kenpachi Zaraki grinned, his mind already conjuring up images of flashing swords and splattering blood. Today, either he would be cut down by Ichigo Kurosaki, or Ichigo Kurosaki would be cut down by him. In any case, one of them had to fall today. That was his statement... Even if Ichigo Kurosaki Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai came, it wouldn't make a difference!
"Reason..."
There has to be a reason for a fight, right?
As Ichigo Kurosaki pressed closer, Ichigo Kenpachi Zaraki's eyelids twitched slightly, and he asked.
"Reason?!"
"Look at what a superficial thing you just said!"
"What reason do we need for a fight?!"
"Fighting is like eating and drinking; it's essential for sustaining life... Do you need a reason to eat and drink, Ichigo?!"
Kenpachi Zaraki chuckled dismissively. "Does a battle need a reason? Who do you think I am, some division captain?!"
"That really doesn't need a reason."
Ichigo Kurosaki was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the seemingly rough Kenpachi Zaraki would be so eloquent... His brain couldn't process it for a moment. Kenpachi Zaraki was actually talking about some heretical theories.
"No, no, no..."
"No, these are not the same thing at all."
Ichigo Kurosaki nodded at first, then suddenly realized what he meant and quickly shook his head.
"Isn't this the same thing?"
Kenpachi Zaraki scratched the back of his head and suddenly turned to ask.
"That's certainly not the same thing."
Ichigo Kurosaki thought Kenpachi Zaraki was asking him a question, so he immediately kept emphasizing it.
"That's certainly the same thing, Ken-chan ~"
Just as Ichigo Kurosaki was emphasizing that this was not the same thing, a pink-haired little girl suddenly popped out from Kenpachi Zaraki's shoulder, smiling energetically as she spoke.
"Huh..."
The loli's appearance was so sudden that Ichigo Kurosaki gasped in surprise and retreated backward.
Hello~ Little Ichi ~ It's nice to meet you.
Seeing Ichigo Kurosaki's terrified expression, the little girl smiled slightly and greeted Ichigo Kurosaki warmly.
What is " Little Ichi "?
Ichigo Kurosaki's right eye twitched slightly as he heard the loli address him.
" Little Ichi is Little Ichi ~"
The little girl stretched out her tiny finger, pointed at Ichigo Kurosaki's face, and spoke.
" Little Ichi... you're not referring to me, are you?"
Ichigo Kurosaki followed the little girl's finger and looked around. He realized that he was the only person in the direction she was pointing, and he suddenly understood.
Congratulations on getting it right, Little Ichi!
After hearing Ichigo Kurosaki's words, the little girl nodded repeatedly, congratulating him on successfully discovering that ' Little Ichi Ichigo Kurosaki ' was Ichigo Kurosaki himself.
"Are you going to start by giving people nicknames?"
Ichigo Kurosaki was speechless, unsure what to say, but to immediately give someone a nickname... was he really being unreasonable?!
"Feel honored, Ichigo Kurosaki!"
" Yachiru's nickname was given to someone she liked."
Kenpachi Zaraki, seeing Ichigo Kurosaki's disgusted expression, explained.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you so much."
Ichigo Kurosaki chuckled and thanked Kenpachi Zaraki.
"Anyway... Little Ichi, just do your best to get Ken-chan excited!"
" Ken-chan hasn't met a suitable opponent in a long time! Good luck, Little Ichi!"
The pink-haired little girl seemed to sense Ichigo Kurosaki's displeasure. True to her pink-haired nature, she skillfully steered the conversation back to Ichigo Kurosaki's battle with Kenpachi Zaraki.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you indirectly expressing your dissatisfaction?"
Ichigo Kurosaki had been deliberately stalling, realized that the pink-haired loli had ill intentions and questioned her.
Anyway, good luck, Little Ichi!
After cheering on Ichigo Kurosaki, the pink-haired loli instantly disappeared onto Kenpachi Zaraki's shoulder.
"Now that the troublemaker is gone, Ichigo Kurosaki! Let's have a fierce battle!"
Kenpachi Zaraki laughed maniacally, gripping his sword in one hand, and charged straight at Ichigo Kurosaki's head.
"Hey! Are we going to start fighting right away?"
Ichigo Kurosaki was startled when he saw Kenpachi Zaraki charging towards him like a wild beast, and he quickly dodged.
"Enough talk! Fight me, Ichigo Kurosaki!"
Kenpachi Zaraki was like a bloodthirsty beast, constantly attacking Ichigo Kurosaki. Every attack he made was aimed at killing, just as Kenpachi Zaraki said, he was looking forward to a bloodbath!
"Damn monster!"
"Hey! Renji! If you're not dead, get up and help me..."
Ichigo Kurosaki dodged Kenpachi Zaraki's attacks relentlessly, beads of cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He knew the situation would only worsen, especially since besides the beast before him, there was another enemy who manipulated ice. Fighting both of them alone was far too difficult; he desperately needed a powerful ally. Currently, besides Renji Abarai, there was no one else to help him. Therefore, he could only call out Renji Abarai's name. Ichigo Kurosaki was taking a gamble, hoping that Renji Abarai had recovered within the time he had bought.
"I know! Honestly... you really can't get anything done without me~"
While Ichigo Kurosaki chatted with Kenpachi Zaraki and the others, buying time, Renji Abarai had barely managed to revive. Although he was still far from being fully recovered, at least he could continue fighting, which was enough for Renji Abarai Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Oh! Two against one?"
"I like two against one!"
Kenpachi Zaraki smiled slightly as he looked at Renji Abarai, who had recovered. What he liked best was two against one; one person simply couldn't satisfy him. Only when two people were on the same side could he feel fulfilled and satisfied.
" Zaraki, I'll help you?!"
Seeing that Tōshirō Hitsugaya Renji Abarai had recovered, Toshiro Hitsugaya immediately went to Kenpachi Zaraki's side and asked.
"Get out of my way! This is my battle!!"
"If you dare to disturb me, I'll chop you up too."
However, Kenpachi Zaraki did not Tōshirō Hitsugaya's feelings.
"You..."
After hearing Kenpachi Zaraki's words, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's face flashed with displeasure. Although Kenpachi Zaraki's strength was recognized as formidable, his temper was also universally disliked, leading to him being intentionally ostracized by the squad leaders. For example, during parties, no one would invite Kenpachi Zaraki, and whenever they drank, they would always bring up Kenpachi Zaraki's past to make fun of him, although Kenpachi Zaraki himself didn't care about this ostracism.
"Enough with the nonsense..."
Kenpachi Zaraki words with Tōshirō Hitsugaya. He brandished his sword and continued to slash at Ichigo Kurosaki.
However, just as Ichigo Kurosaki and Kenpachi Zaraki were locked in a stalemate, the temperature on the entire cliff suddenly rose by tens of degrees.
"Boom!"
The overwhelming Spiritual Pressure the Roar and surged, heading straight for the heavens!
What happened?
Renji Abarai felt the Spiritual Pressure far exceeding his own, and his face turned pale. The gap between him and this Spiritual Pressure was simply too great, so great that he couldn't even muster the thought of resisting it.
"Damn it, is the world about to end?"
Ichigo Kurosaki and the others stopped what they were doing and looked toward the location from which the terrifying Spiritual Pressure had erupted.
That was the place where Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and others fought.
At this moment, this group of elderly people, the youngest of whom are two hundred years old, are doing their best to demonstrate their strength.
However, when faced with Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, who radiated terrifying light and heat from head to toe and was as dazzling as the sun, everything else seemed too insignificant and vulnerable.
"This can't go on!"
" Kūkaku! Bankai!"
Kaien Shiba brandished his trident, but he couldn't use any water-related techniques against Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai. All the water he created was burned up the moment it got close to Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
"Okay, big brother!"
Kūkaku Shiba knew that now was no time to delay any longer; it was time to rely on her Bankai to gain the upper hand.
" Bankai! Nejibana ·luo! Sea King Throne!"
In an instant, Kaien Shiba completed his Bankai, and beneath him appeared a magnificent throne adorned with countless Nejibana patterns!
This seemingly flashy but impractical chair is actually Kaien Shiba's Bankai, Sea King Throne!
At this moment Kaien Shiba sat on that magnificent chair, wearing a crown and holding a trident, just like the sea king in mythology, arrogant and disdainful of all living beings! He looked arrogantly at Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
" Bankai! Kyōran ·Sky Temple!"
At the same time, Kūkaku Shiba also completed her Bankai. Unlike her Shikai, which merely summoned an invisible breeze, Kūkaku Shiba's Bankai not only had a physical form but was also enormous, a floating temple in the air!
"Oh~"
Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai looked at Kaien Shiba and Kūkaku Shiba's Bankai and nodded slightly. In terms of completion alone, both Bankai were quite good and barely acceptable to him.
" Kūkaku!!"
Just as Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai was silently admiring the scene before him, Kaien Shiba called out loudly for his younger sister.
"Learn!"
Kūkaku Shiba nodded slightly, indicating that she knew what they were going to do next.
"Come on! Let me see what kind of tricks you guys are up to!"
Suddenly, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai felt a sense of crisis lingering in his heart. He felt that long-lost feeling, but instead of being afraid, he smiled. This sense of crisis, which had been absent for a thousand years, rose again in his heart. Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai as if he had returned to his youth, which made him feel somewhat emotional.
"Null!"
Just as Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai was feeling sentimental, Kaien Shiba, sitting on the throne, created an endless torrent of water that rushed towards the temple in the sky.
"Spin it around!"
The next second, only a low moan was heard.
The towering torrents of water suddenly began to rotate rapidly in one direction, and soon a huge waterspout, hundreds of meters tall, appeared before Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's eyes.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
"Interesting!"
"Today, I will teach you brats a lesson and show you what it means to 'burn the heavens and boil the seas'!"
Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai looked at the attack unleashed by the combined power of two different Bankai and laughed excitedly. He didn't know how long it had been since he had felt this happy.
For a moment Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai was as happy as a sun god who was thousands of years old!
Continue with another 5,000 words.
(End of this chapter)