However, under normal circumstances, the nobles of the Seireitei would not appear in the Rukongai.
Only the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, who frequently came to purge the Hollows that entered the Rukongai, were often seen by the people living there.
Thus, most residents of the Rukongai believed the Seireitei belonged to the Shinigami, and their attitude towards the Shinigami was a mix of resentment and envy.
The ordinary people without power were predominantly envious.
While the armed thugs with power were predominantly resentful.
As Kyoya walked along, his calm demeanor and the Shihakusho covered by a Captain's Haori made it clear to the residents of the Rukongai that he was undoubtedly a significant figure from the Seireitei.
It wasn't that no one wanted to attack Kyoya.
But everyone who intended to make a move on him would be knocked unconscious by his Conqueror's Haki even before the thought fully formed.
As spiritual entities, the manifestation of Kyoya's Conqueror's Haki in the Bleach World was far more powerful and terrifying than in the One Piece World.
In the One Piece World, people had physical bodies, so even if they were knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki, their bodies' self-protection mechanisms would allow them to wake up again.
But the people in the Soul Society were all spiritual entities. Without the protection of physical bodies, Kyoya's Conqueror's Haki could directly shatter their souls, killing them instantly.
Even the residual waves of his Conqueror's Haki were enough to knock out everyone within range.
As Kyoya traveled through the Rukongai, those who survived the impact of his Conqueror's Haki naturally spread tales of his might.
This served to let other organizations know that their defeat was not due to weakness but because the enemy was too powerful.
At the same time, it was a warning to others, allowing them to assess the gap in strength when encountering Kyoya and make the right choice.
Although it might be said that the people in the chaotic districts of the Rukongai fought almost every day, they were perhaps also the most united.
Everyone who could attract numerous followers possessed not only great strength but also a unique 'charisma' that inspired loyalty and service.
At first, there were still stubborn individuals who wanted to make a name for themselves by challenging Kyoya.
But unfortunately, they all ended up as trophies fallen at his feet.
Over time, as more and more people fell before Kyoya, they came to understand the insurmountable gap between them and him. Moreover, since Kyoya showed no intention of killing them, those who saw him eventually stopped attacking.
If Kyoya had intended to exterminate these thugs in the Rukongai, even knowing they were no match for him, they would have fought him to the death.
Over the millions of years, the nobles of the Seireitei had, in the past, relied on their family's influence to come to the Rukongai and kill for sport. But in the end, they were repeatedly driven back by the people of the Rukongai.
To the people of the Seireitei, those in the deeper districts of the Rukongai were 'thugs', but to the broader population of the Rukongai, these people were 'heroes' who resisted the Seireitei.
It was precisely because of these people that the nobles of the Seireitei remained cooped up inside, rarely venturing into the Rukongai to cause trouble.
This was a lesson learned over millions of years, paid for with the lives of countless noble descendants.
Heroes often emerged from the grassroots.
Moreover, after Yamamoto established the Gotei 13 a thousand years ago and took over the defense of the Seireitei, the movement of nobles in and out of the Seireitei became restricted.
Under normal circumstances, nobles lived in the inner district of the Seireitei. Except for a few families who possessed Senkaimon, other nobles could only enter or exit the Seireitei through its four gates.
Kyoya paid no mind to those who did not provoke him.
In fact, by using these people to spread his reputation, he might even attract the attention of that person.
After a brief glance at these people, Kyoya continued on his way.
...
"Hey, are you the one who's been injuring so many people in the Rukongai lately?"
In a narrow alley, two figures blocked Kyoya's path.
Judging by their appearances, they were somewhat frail, with cheekbones visibly protruding, clearly showing signs of malnutrition.
Kyoya could understand this.
Although he hadn't paid close attention, the district he was currently in was beyond the 70.
For people living here, having enough to eat was already an achievement, so how could they have extra food to build body fat?
Of course, based on the spiritual pressure emanating from these two, obtaining sufficient food shouldn't have been difficult for them.
Possessing such power yet not using it to plunder food from others indicated that these two were not ordinary 'thugs'.
"To think, I've been wandering around here for so long and haven't encountered the main course yet, but I've stumbled upon two appetizers instead."
Seeing the two blocking his path, Kyoya's mood instantly brightened.
These two were no strangers to Kyoya.
They were the future third seat of the 11th Division, Madarame Ikkaku, and fifth seat, Yumichika Ayasegawa!
In Kyoya's memory, these two had encountered Zaraki after he became Captain of the 11th Division. After a battle, they earned Zaraki's recognition and were allowed to enter the Seireitei to become Shinigami.
Right now, the captain of the 11th Division was Kyoya himself. It was still unknown how long it would be before Zaraki arrived at the Seireitei to challenge the Captain of the 11th Division.
Kyoya estimated that it might be another ten years or so before Ikkaku and Yumichika entered the Seireitei.
The Ikkaku and Yumichika standing before Kyoya now were clearly still very young.
"Main course?"
"Appetizers?"
Hearing Kyoya's words, the expressions of Ikkaku and Yumichika changed noticeably.
Even Ikkaku could hear the contempt in Kyoya's tone towards them.
Furthermore, from Kyoya's words, they understood that the reason he had caused such a commotion in the Rukongai was to lure out someone specific.
That person was Kyoya's 'main course'.
And the two of them, who had suddenly popped up to intercept Kyoya, were seen by him as mere 'appetizers'.
"Heh, I hope your strength lives up to your tone!"
Ikkaku grinned, a fervent fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.
Since he had first grasped a sword, he had roamed the Rukongai for decades without ever encountering an opponent who could give him a real fight.
Yumichika's strength was decent.
But the two of them had been 'family' for decades. Although Ikkaku loved to fight, he wasn't the type to turn his blade against 'family'.
He wasn't afraid that Kyoya was strong, he was only afraid that Kyoya wasn't strong enough!
Immediately, Ikkaku drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at Kyoya.
"Ikkaku…"
A trace of worry flashed in Yumichika's eyes beside him.
Over the years, it wasn't as if they had never encountered Shinigami.
Although they hadn't fought, they felt confident that their strength was not inferior to those Shinigami.
But Kyoya's attire was very different from that of an ordinary Shinigami.
Moreover, judging by Kyoya's tone and expression, even among Shinigami, Kyoya was no simple figure.
An enemy like this would be very dangerous for Ikkaku to face alone.
However, Ayasegawa understood Ikkaku.
With Ikkaku's personality, even if he knew he was at a disadvantage, what Ikkaku enjoyed was the thrill of battle itself, not necessarily 'victory'.
Sure enough, as Yumichika expected.
In response to Yumichika's signal, Ikkaku shook his head.
"Yumichika, an opponent like this… it would be a shame not to fight him with everything I've got!"
"Alright."
Seeing this, Yumichika could only sigh and take a few steps back.
"Draw your sword, Shinigami!"
"Let's have a good, hearty fight!"
"Heh…"
Witnessing this scene, Kyoya chuckled.
He had quite a good opinion of Ikkaku's strength.
But he wasn't very fond of Ikkaku's tendency to 'hide his abilities'.
Ikkaku enjoyed serving under Zaraki, hoping to always fight behind Zaraki… that was fine.
However, fearing he would be transferred away from the 11th Division to become Captain of another division simply because he had mastered his Bankai showed a lack of self-awareness.
It was true that mastering Bankai placed Ikkaku among the notable figures in the Gotei 13.
But compared to others, Ikkaku fell short by quite a margin.
More importantly, this guy, in order to hide his strength, could disregard his duties as a Shinigami.
Whether it was losing to the Ryoka, Ichigo, or being defeated by Choe Neng Poww during the Fake Karakura Town battle, leading to the destruction of a sealing pillar, both were failures of Ikkaku's duty.
The irony was that Ikkaku's 'concealment' was actually sensed by almost all the Captains.
How could any Captain, losing their senses, possibly choose him to become a Captain with such a smarty-pants approach?
"The most important thing for a person is to have self-awareness."
"An ant who doesn't even understand its own insignificance, yet dares to expect the gaze of a dragon soaring the sky..."
"What utter arrogance!"
As he spoke, Kyoya raised his right hand and flicked his finger-
Bang-
Pfft-
Before Ikkaku could even react, a tremendous force pierced through his chest, sending him flying over seven or eight meters before he crashed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Ikkaku!"
Seeing Ikkaku injured, Yumichika ignored the vast difference in their strength and rushed to Ikkaku's side, drawing his sword into a defensive stance as he stared grimly at Kyoya.
"See, with just a light flick of my finger, I can easily kill you."
"What exactly gave you the courage to make me draw my sword?"
Kyoya slowly walked toward Ikkaku and Yumichika. Each step seemed to fall directly on their hearts.
With every step Kyoya took, Ikkaku and Yumichika's heartbeats would skip a beat. Only when Kyoya lifted his foot could they gasp for air.
"Yumichika, run!"
Ikkaku struggled to get up, wanting to buy time for Yumichika to escape.
If Ikkaku said he didn't regret his recklessness dragging Yumichika into danger, that would be a lie.
But since it had already happened, Ikkaku would do his utmost to protect Yumichika.
"Don't waste your effort, Ikkaku."
Yumichika said solemnly, "This guy's strength is beyond our imagination."
"If he wants to kill us, there's no way we can escape no matter what."
"Rather than that, we might as well face him directly and die as warriors."
"Ha, sorry about this, Yumichika."
"Between you and me, is there still a need for such words?"
The pressure Kyoya exerted on Ikkaku and Yumichika was overwhelming.
The two could only chat to alleviate the pressure, but even so, Kyoya's terrifying presence left them completely paralyzed except for their mouths.
It wasn't until Kyoya walked past them and moved beyond that their bodies finally went limp.
"We survived!"
In that instant, Ikkaku's face showed anger, while Yumichika felt a sense of relief.
Ikkaku was angry at his own weakness.
Just as the other had said, he was a dragon soaring through the sky, while Ikkaku was merely an ant crawling on the ground, not even worthy of a downward glance.
But even an ant has the desire to soar into the sky one day!
"Hey-"
Summoning his courage, Ikkaku turned around and shouted at Kyoya's retreating back, "My name is Madarame Ikkaku! One day, this ant will stand before you and swing his sword at you again!"
Kyoya paused his steps, "A fine dream."
"However, if you're stuck in this mud, even if I gave you a hundred or a thousand years, you'd still just be an ant rolling in the muck."
"If you want to transform into a flying insect, then go become a Shinigami!"
"I am the Captain of the 11th Division."
"If you have the ability, come before me and challenge me!"
"If you can make me use my full strength, I will personally tell you my name."
After saying this, Kyoya didn't linger any longer and continued his leisurely stroll.
'Since I had already encountered Ikkaku and Yumichika… how far could meeting Zaraki be?'
Kyoya just wondered, since Ikkaku was defeated by him and would enter the Seireitei early, would he still cross paths with Kenpachi as in his memories?
Also, although Kyoya's name wasn't exactly a secret in the Seireitei, and Ikkaku and Yumichika would learn the name of the 11th Division's Captain as soon as they entered the Shin'o Academy, for a warrior, hearing the name from another source versus having the opponent personally tell you their name held different significance.
The former would simply mean Ikkaku learned Kyoya's name.
The latter would mean Ikkaku had earned Kyoya's recognition, that Kyoya believed Ikkaku had the ability to fight him.
For a battle maniac like Ikkaku, this was absolutely a challenge worth dedicating his life to pursuing.