"Roar! Zabimaru!"
A deafening roar tore through the night sky as Abarai Renji's body blurred in mid-charge.
Driven by the release of his Zanpakuto, the blade in his hand underwent a shocking transformation. Its segmented edge shattered apart, the sections breaking free and then being linked together by a powerful surge of spiritual energy, forming a massive and ferocious chain blade of bone-like segments.
The segmented chain blade howled through the air, carrying an unstoppable, razor-sharp killing intent as it twisted and shot straight toward Kurosaki Ichigo.
"So this is your Zanpakuto ability? It's not all that impressive," Kurosaki Ichigo let out a light chuckle. The Zanpakuto in his hand, plain and unadorned, was raised casually in the air. With precise and effortless ease, he blocked the incoming chain blade head-on.
At the very moment Zabimaru's assault was halted, a violent, tidal wave of spiritual pressure surged up, visibly clinging to Kurosaki Ichigo's blade.
"Getsuga... Tensho!"
Kurosaki Ichigo's low shout rumbled like thunder. The deep blue spiritual pressure erupted explosively, like a colossal wave from the depths of the sea, easily blasting the coiling Zabimaru away.
But the attack did not stop there. Immediately after, a crescent-shaped slash of spiritual pressure screamed through the air with devastating force, tearing straight toward Abarai Renji.
"What a powerful attack!"
Abarai Renji's battlefield instincts were razor sharp, and his expression changed slightly.
In a split second, he yanked hard on the hilt. The chain blade serpent let out a hiss and flew back in reverse at an even greater speed, instantly coiling in front of him to form a shield made of layer upon layer of blades.
BOOM!
Getsuga Tensho roared as it slammed into the clearly segmented blade shield, unleashing a deafening explosion that made it feel as though the very space around them was trembling.
A terrifying shockwave of spiritual pressure exploded outward in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust into the air.
Just one second later, the dust settled.
Abarai Renji's somewhat battered figure finally came clearly into view.
Several parts of his shihakusho were torn, charred marks and fine abrasions covering his face and arms.
A thin line of blood seeped from the corner of his tightly clenched mouth.
In just a single move, without Kurosaki Ichigo even releasing his Zanpakuto, he had already suffered light injuries.
"Damn it!"
Abarai Renji stared hard at Kurosaki Ichigo. Deep in his eyes, the flames of unwillingness and rage threatened to tear apart his reason.
'Why?'
'Why couldn't everyone be born equal?'
He had struggled for nearly a hundred years just to reach his current level, becoming one of the stronger vice-captains.
And Kurosaki Ichigo was only seventeen this year, yet his raw strength had already surpassed his.
'Why?'
'Is a stray dog by the roadside destined to never turn things around?'
"What are you spacing out for, redhead?"
A flippant voice suddenly came from behind him.
Abarai Renji's vision wavered. The Kurosaki Ichigo who had been standing in place had somehow turned into nothing more than an afterimage.
At the same time, intense pain exploded from his back.
The force that followed made him stagger forward a couple of steps. His tied-up red hair fell loose, just like the blood spraying from his back.
Thud!
Abarai Renji dropped to one knee. He wanted to struggle, wanted to fight again.
But it was no use.
The Zanpakuto pressed against his neck brought all his movements to a halt.
Defeated... Defeated easily, defeated completely.
Abarai Renji lowered his head unwillingly and spoke with difficulty.
"You win, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Tch! So you finally know my name. Not bad memory after all. Guess you really do have to fight it out. And now, that just leaves you, right? That stone-faced guy who stood there watching his subordinate get beaten," Seeing Abarai Renji concede, Kurosaki Ichigo casually withdrew his blade and flicked off the blood. Then he slung the sword over his shoulder, his gaze openly roaming back and forth over Kuchiki Byakuya.
'A captain's haori... Tch! A genuine captain, no doubt."
'Same rank as Aizen-sensei. Just how strong he is?'
'Aizen-sensei is number five. This stone-faced guy is number six. Even though division numbers does not represent strength, no matter how I look at it, this guy does not seem to compare to Aizen-sensei.'
Battle intent gleamed in Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes as he readied himself.
However, before he could make a move, Rukia suddenly stepped in front of him, spreading her arms to block his way.
"Ichigo, this is already enough! Don't do something stupid for my sake anymore!", Tears pooled in Rukia's eyes, but her expression was resolute.
The fight just now had happened quickly and ended quickly, so quickly that she, whose strength had not yet recovered, did not even have time to react.
She was deeply grateful to Kurosaki Ichigo for standing up for her at this moment.
But it was not worth it. She was not worth being treated like this.
She was a harbinger of disaster. Wherever she went, tragedy followed.
This was enough. Let her bear the punishment alone. Let no one else be hurt because of her.
"What stupid thing are you saying? You're my person. If they want to take you away, they'll have to get past me first," Kurosaki Ichigo clicked his tongue and ignored Rukia, stubbornly doing things his own way as he looked toward Kuchiki Byakuya and called out.
"Hey, since you're the one from Soul Society here to take Rukia, shouldn't you at least explain what crime she committed and what punishment she's supposed to receive?"
"Rukia's crimes will naturally be judged by the Central 46. If you continue to stand in my way, you will be dealt with as well," Kuchiki Byakuya replied coldly. This was the first complete sentence he had spoken since arriving in the human world.
He did not even glance at the vice-captain lying on the ground, nor did he pay Kurosaki Ichigo much mind.
Abarai Renji being inadequate did not mean that he was.
'Slow. Too slow.'
Whether it was Kurosaki Ichigo's speed just now or the strength Abarai Renji had shown, to him it was no different from children fighting.
This level of power was not enough to stop him.
"Tch! Then let's see you try to deal with me too," Kurosaki Ichigo snorted and slipped past Rukia in a flash.
With Aizen gone, a ball of fire had been building in his chest. These past few days had been extremely, extremely frustrating.
And now, two show-offs just had to be placed right in front of him. It was practically an invitation to let him vent properly.
Clang!
In the blink of an eye, several sharp sounds of blades colliding rang out across the area.
"So fast..."
Abarai Renji knelt on one knee, staring blankly at a battlefield where no figures could be seen at all.
'So my strength really is that insignificant?"
At this moment, he could not even see the figures of his own captain or Kurosaki Ichigo as they fought. He could only hear the sounds of their blades clashing.
The gap between them was so vast that it filled him with despair.
He really was just a stray dog by the side of the road.
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