The alarms across Seireitei blared suddenly, sharp and urgent.
All divisions sprang into motion.
"Level One Alert! Two Captain-class reiatsu signatures detected within the Eleventh Division barracks!"
Several Captains, sensing the abnormality, immediately used Shunpo to head toward the Eleventh.
Meanwhile, the battle between Shimo and Zaraki had only just begun.
---
Their Zanpakutō met, crimson and gold spiritual pressure entwining like ravenous beasts, devouring one another.
Zaraki's eyes gleamed with exhilaration. He had found someone who was like him! A man who, once battle began, could not suppress his instincts.
For Kenpachi, reason in combat was like a sheath on a blade—useless. Only instinct led to victory.
His wild, unrestrained slashes crashed down in endless succession, frenzied and ferocious—like lightning splitting the sky, like rain in a storm. The chaotic surge of golden spiritual pressure began to dominate the battlefield.
"Is that all you've got?" Kenpachi roared, his tone growing ever more arrogant as the fight consumed him.
"Too weak! Far too weak!"
Every swing of Nozarashi struck with the weight of a war hammer, reverberating like thunder.
This was the kind of fight Kenpachi lived for.
Shimo did not retreat. Instead, he advanced, his crimson spiritual pressure coiling around him like countless blood-red serpents, snapping at Kenpachi's golden aura.
Ichito-Ryu! (One Strike Style)
Lowering his stance, Shimo drew his blade in a flash. A dazzling arc of blood-red light—like a crimson moon—exploded from his strike.
Kenpachi froze for a heartbeat, then grinned savagely.
"Ha! Now that's more like it!"
He brought his Zanpakutō down full-force against Shimo's crimson slash.
Blood sprayed like a fountain, soaking the ruined earth.
"Your strike… too slow."
Shimo's eyes cut into Kenpachi's will like blades of their own. To face a beast, one must tame it.
"The battle just only begun!"
Zaraki ignored his wounds—pain only drove him further into ecstasy. The sting of blood made him swing faster, wilder.
His style was madness incarnate. But no matter how ferocious, it failed to land on Shimo.
The more wounds Zaraki took, the more exhilarated he became.
"Too much fun! This is too much fun!"
Their swords collided again—
BOOM!
The ground caved in across several blocks. What little remained of the Eleventh Division barracks was reduced to rubble.
From a safe distance, Eleventh Division members watched in horror.
"Uh… guys? I think we just lost our barracks."
"Lieutenant Shimo… he's actually fighting Captain Zaraki evenly?"
"Just how did he train to reach this level? The gap keeps widening—this is insane!"
...
By now, other Captains finally arrived, only to be greeted by devastation.
Two figures clashed amid the ruins, their spiritual pressure tearing everything apart.
"Can someone explain what in the world happened here?" Kyoraku Shunsui asked, utterly stunned.
Wasn't Shimo safely stationed in the Fourth Division? He'd even arranged a fiancée for the boy to settle him down. So why was he suddenly battling Zaraki?
"Captain Kyoraku!"
Ikkaku's voice cut through the crowd. Even bloodied, his bald head gleamed conspicuously.
"Shimo came to heal our men," Ikkaku explained. "But when Captain Zaraki returned unexpectedly… well, you know his personality better than anyone. The moment he sensed Shimo's reiatsu, a fight was inevitable."
Shunsui stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"So this whole mess was Zaraki's provocation?"
Ikkaku hesitated, then nodded.
Shunsui sighed in relief.
"Good. Then Zaraki can take responsibility. Shimo was dragged in against his will."
Ikkaku gawked.
"But—Captain! The entire Eleventh Division barracks is gone because of them!"
Shunsui's tone sharpened, his presence as an old Captain pressing down.
"Are you suggesting Shimo is at fault?"
Ikkaku shrank under the weight of that authority.
Meanwhile, Unohana pressed her right hand lightly to the braid before her chest, left hand resting on her Zanpakutō's sheath. Her gaze shimmered with excitement.
"What a magnificent battle…"
"Ehem! Captain Unohana…" Shunsui immediately tried to dissuade her.
"Things are chaotic enough already. If you step in, the situation could spiral beyond control. Central 46 would have no choice but to punish Shimo severely."
Unohana's eyes never left the battlefield. After a long pause, she smiled gently.
"I understand the weight of the matter, Captain Kyoraku. Do not worry."
Shunsui exhaled slowly.
"Good. As long as you understand."
At that moment, more people arrived—Soi Fon, Gin Ichimaru, Aizen Sosuke, Byakuya Kuchiki, and even the sickly Ukitake Jushiro.
All that greeted them was a wasteland.
"My, my… what a spectacle," Gin drawled, smiling with false cheer.
"Who would've thought Lieutenant Shimo was this strong?"
"Indeed. His performance has exceeded expectations," Aizen said smoothly, wearing his ever-gentle smile.
"Shouldn't we stop them now?" Soi Fon demanded, frowning.
"Wait," Ukitake coughed, forcing himself to speak. "The battle has reached its peak. If we interfere now, we'll become their targets as well. That would only escalate the destruction."
"Exactly," Shunsui agreed. "Instead, let's reinforce the area. We can erect a Kidō barrier to contain the fallout."
The Captains spread out, their chants weaving together. A vast Kidō barrier rose around the Eleventh Division grounds, sealing the chaos within.
---
Inside the barrier, the contrast was stark: Zaraki, drenched in blood yet grinning wildly, and Shimo, spotless, his every move sharp and precise.
Even veteran Captains felt uneasy.
"Shimo's strength… it's beyond what I imagined," Shunsui admitted, stroking his beard.
It wasn't just overwhelming spiritual pressure—Shimo wielded refined swordsmanship and uncanny Shunpo that let him slip through Zaraki's storm of blows.
Kenpachi Zaraki, however, showed no sign of waning. His aura only grew more savage.
And then, with a guttural laugh, he reached for the cloth over his face.
"Looks like I'll have to remove the restraints to fight you properly!"
He ripped off his eyepatch—unsealing the limiter suppressing his immense spiritual pressure.
Golden spiritual pressure erupted like a pillar of light, engulfing everything around him.
"Well, well…" Gin murmured slyly. "So Captain Zaraki has taken off his limiter. Looks like Shimo-kun's gonna have some trouble now."
Soi Fon's glare cut at him like a blade.
"Wipe that false act off your face. Shimo is in no danger."
Her words drew sidelong glances from the other Captains. Realizing her own slip, Soi Fon flushed and fell quiet.
Shunsui's eyes narrowed meaningfully. Unohana's lashes lowered ever so slightly, concealing her expression.
Within the barrier, Shimo's crimson spiritual pressure flared to meet the golden pillar, shielding him from being consumed.
"Come on!" Zaraki bellowed. "Let's keep this going! This is fun!"
Now unshackled, his aura soared to new heights. He felt reborn, surging with endless power.
Blood gushed from his body, yet he treated it as nothing. His laughter shook the ruins.
The clashing blades rang out in symphony, a relentless rhythm within the Kidō barrier.
Shimo's eyes darkened. His Shikai pulsed restlessly in his hand, urging to be unleashed.
"I want… I want to use my full power."
But he forced the impulse down. Victory could still be won without revealing everything. For future plans, restraint was wiser—for now.
Across from him, Zaraki shifted his grip. Nozarashi was now clasped in both hands.
Long ago, Yamamoto Genryusai had tried to teach Zaraki Zanjutsu, hoping to prevent him from growing stronger. Zaraki only tolerated one day of lessons—but from that day, he retained a single technique.
Zanjutsu: Twin Severance!
Golden spiritual pressure poured into Nozarashi as if into a colossal axe, cleaving down with the intent to crush everything in its path.
Shimo lowered his stance, blade drawing in crimson spiritual pressure that swirled like an awakening Shikai.
Zanjutsu: Infinity.
No fixed technique—only the boundless power of the sword itself.
Crimson met gold—
KA-BOOM!
Their auras detonated in full, shaking the Kidō barrier violently.
"Hold it steady!" Shunsui barked, pressing his palm to the barrier.
The other Captains followed, pouring their spiritual pressure in to reinforce it, preventing the explosion from leveling all of Seireitei.
Inside, the two titanic forces raged against each other like armies locked in endless war.
And beneath that chaos… another, subtler power stirred, altering the flow of battle in ways none could yet perceive.
-----------------------///
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