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Before everyone's eyes,
Unohana Retsu stood with her black hair undone, like a vengeful spirit seething with resentment. Her slender body leaned slightly forward as her blade traced a crimson arc in front of her.
Then, the video showed something truly horrifying.
"BOOOOM—!"
A terrifying spiritual pressure, far beyond that of an ordinary captain, came crashing down from above, pouring out in a mad torrent.
Under its influence, even Muken itself, the sealed space forged from murderously charged stone, began to vibrate at a steady rhythm, as if it could no longer contain that killing intent.
And when Unohana Retsu's aura reached its absolute peak, that same low, emotionless, bone-chilling release command sounded once more.
"Bankai… Minazuki."
...
"She really used Bankai! That pressure is terrifying!"
"Was that my imagination? For just a second, I swear I saw piles of corpses stacked behind Captain Unohana!"
"I saw it too! And so much blood!"
"Just her presence can cause hallucinations? That's insane!"
…
Because of Unohana Retsu's Bankai, the entire world of the Shinigami was thrown into upheaval yet again.
The living world, Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, even the shadowed realms—anyone who could see the translucent screen stood frozen in awe at the eerie sight before them.
Especially that horrifying killing intent surging from Unohana Retsu.
Real. Vast. Malignant.
Stare at her silhouette for more than three seconds, and no matter who you were, even captain-class powerhouses, your mind would begin to falter, visions warping into hallucinations.
And this—was only the prelude to her Bankai.
At the same time, it was the true power she had hidden for a thousand years, refined and sharpened with time: the genuine strength of the first Kenpachi.
...
Eleventh Division.
"Hah… hahahahaha!"
Kenpachi Zaraki burst into manic laughter, his entire being blazing with excitement.
That killing intent was like a shot of pure adrenaline.
As it seeped into his soul, it awakened every single cell in his body, making his spirit roar with overflowing battle lust.
"Captain's reaction is exactly the same as his self in the video," Ikkaku Madarame said with a sigh as he watched Kenpachi's frenzy. "It's like he's back in the days when he was fighting for his life in Rukongai…"
Who knew how many years it had been.
Since he killed the previous Kenpachi, took the title for himself, and became the Eleventh Division's captain, a figure revered by countless souls in Soul Society—
Kenpachi Zaraki
had almost never been able to truly enjoy a fight again.
All these years,
he had been desperately searching for that feeling of dancing on the edge of death.
To chase it, he deliberately held back in battle, even letting his opponents cut him a few times first, cultivating that bizarre habit of his.
Everything he did boiled down to one thing.
Enjoying the thrill of combat.
And now, after a long, long wait, that wish had finally been granted.
Unohana Retsu's Bankai flooded the air with an overwhelming sense of death.
And that was exactly what Zaraki Kenpachi had been craving.
"From this moment on," Ayasegawa Yumichika said, eyes blazing with anticipation, "the real battle for the title of Kenpachi finally begins."
He had a powerful premonition.
What came next between Zaraki Kenpachi and Unohana Retsu would push the fight to an entirely new level. The true slaughter was about to begin.
...
The video resumed.
After the Bankai was unleashed, Unohana Retsu's Zanpakutō, Minazuki, was no longer shaped like a normal katana.
It transformed into a blade of living blood.
Real, tangible blood surged and writhed along its edge. At the same time, it released an ocean-deep killing intent, carrying something primal, ancient, and utterly murderous.
"The first Kenpachi…"
"To possess this kind of presence… I finally acknowledge your strength!"
Zaraki Kenpachi roared like a wild beast, his excitement infectious and unrestrained. The arm gripping his Zanpakutō trembled violently, not from fear, but exhilaration.
Yes.
After decades of once again smelling death up close, Zaraki Kenpachi was shaking from head to toe with joy.
"Acknowledge me?"
As her Zanpakutō fused completely with blood, forming what seemed like an endless crimson pool, Unohana Retsu's emotions sank to their coldest extreme.
She scoffed with open disdain.
"How ridiculous."
"What makes you think you've ever experienced even a fraction of my true peak?"
Her voice was cruel and emotionless, echoing through the sealed depths of the Muken. The sound reverberated in a way that sent chills crawling down the spine.
Then, something even more disturbing happened.
"Gurgle—!"
With a light swing of her arm, Unohana Retsu set the blood-forged blade beside her body.
In that instant, countless boiling bubbles rose from the thick, viscous pool of blood behind her. Each crimson bubble seemed to contain a buried corpse, casting twisted, shadowy silhouettes under the blood-red glow.
This time, it was no illusion.
The lake of blood and the piles of corpses had become real, made tangible by an overwhelming concentration of killing intent.
—
Hueco Mundo.
"That's terrifying…"
"Just the bodies in that blood pool alone… I've killed fewer people in my entire life."
"Is that woman really a Shinigami? How can someone be stained with that much blood?"
"Her killing intent is even more vicious than ours as Hollows…"
…
As the blood sea churned onscreen, even the notoriously cruel and violent Arrancar felt their scalps tingle with fear.
When Zaraki Kenpachi had been evaluated earlier, his impact came from his beast-like will to fight and his utterly unreasonable sword swings, shaking the Arrancar army on a psychological level.
But Unohana Retsu after releasing Bankai was different.
Her presence directly threatened their very existence.
It was fear that pierced straight into the soul.
"I have to admit," Szayelaporro said, his heart pounding, "the Gotei 13 truly hides monsters among its ranks. Who would've imagined that a medical captain could be this terrifying?"
Could it be…
That the true end point of medicine… was violence?
For a healer, if you were strong enough to kill every enemy, then no ally would ever get hurt. Wasn't that the ultimate answer?
The scientist of Hueco Mundo found himself questioning his entire worldview.
...
Fourth Division.
"Captain… you…"
Kotetsu Isane stared at the screen, at the blood-drenched madwoman steeped in slaughter.
Then she looked beside her.
Unohana Retsu stood there with a blue-green hairpin, her dark hair neatly tied and resting against her chest. Though worry showed on her face, her expression remained gentle and kind.
Isane's mind went completely blank.
More confused than anyone else, she felt like her thoughts had tangled into a mess.
Seriously.
Could someone please tell her?
Which one was the real Captain Unohana?
Sensing her lieutenant's panic, Unohana Retsu finally broke her silence. She forced a soft smile and spoke gently.
"Isane, don't worry. I would never hurt you."
Her voice was still warm and soothing, like winter sunlight at noon. In an instant, it calmed Isane's fear.
"No matter what," Unohana continued, "I don't wish to explain much about the past. Just know this. I am still the person you know. The captain of the Gotei 13's medical division."
Her tone was calm, without excuses or embellishment.
She acknowledged her identity as the First Kenpachi, yet made it clear she had no intention of returning to who she once was. She had chosen the present.
"But Captain Unohana… then why do those scenes appear?" Isane asked without thinking.
Unohana was kind by nature. She clearly rejected her past.
So why, in the future, would she accept that identity again?
Isane needed to understand.
"I don't know," Unohana replied, shaking her head. Then she analyzed calmly. "But did you notice something? The place where Captain Zaraki and I fight is the Muken beneath the First Division. That place is an absolute forbidden zone. Entry is only allowed with authorization from Central 46 or the Head Captain."
"The Head Captain's order…?"
Isane's blood ran cold. "Could it be… Head Captain Yamamoto ordered you to do this?"
After all, considering Unohana's status as the First Kenpachi, only the Head Captain would have the authority to persuade her to reveal her true self.
However, her guess was denied immediately.
"Not necessarily…"
Unohana shook her head, her expression complicated. "Ever since these evaluation videos appeared, I've never doubted their authenticity. Everything that followed only confirmed it."
"Do you remember?" she continued softly.
"When Captain Kyōraku was evaluated in the previous round… what title did he have?"
Isane thought back for a moment.
Then her pupils shrank as realization hit.
"You mean… this was Captain Kyōraku's request? Then that means Head Captain Yamamoto…"
The conclusion was so terrifying she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
"Yes," Unohana said quietly. "Exactly what you're thinking."
Her eyes dimmed as she let out a lonely sigh.
"In the near future, Head Captain Yamamoto truly does die. Captain Kyōraku succeeds him. That is why he becomes the second Head Captain."
"And this battle between Captain Zaraki and me was likely entrusted by Captain Kyōraku. By then, the Gotei 13 must have been facing a crisis of survival."
…
While the outside world was reeling from the revelation of her hidden identity, Unohana Retsu remained calm.
She analyzed every clue she had seen so far, carefully piecing them together.
And from that, she arrived at this conclusion.
Through scattered hints and fragments, Unohana Retsu had reconstructed the future.
"Hiss…"
After hearing her reasoning, Isane couldn't help but inhale sharply.
So the clash between the two Kenpachi was unavoidable.
But if the future was known in advance, was there really no way to change it?
Why did one of the two captains have to die?
Isane couldn't accept that outcome.
—
At the same time, the battle within the video reached its climax.
"Zaraki Kenpachi… it's time to end this."
The prelude to Bankai was complete.
Unohana Retsu lifted her gaze, the blood blade resting at her side, her eyes utterly cold.
"Bring it on!" Zaraki replied.
His expression was grim. Gone was his usual wild arrogance. Every nerve in his body was stretched taut.
He understood better than anyone.
There was no turning back now.
Either he would fall, or Unohana Retsu would.
One of them had to be sacrificed.
Otherwise, both of their convictions would crumble.
"Zaraki Kenpachi," Unohana asked softly, "are you ready?"
"I'm going in now…"
Her soft body leaned forward slightly.
Unohana Retsu gripped her sword tightly. Endless waves of blood seemed to swallow her whole, and in the next instant, her figure vanished from where she stood.
If the Unohana from before was like a rose growing at the edge of a cliff, dangerous, but not yet lethal—Then now…
She was a fully bloomed flower of blood-soaked fury, a blossom that would only wither once it had drained every last drop of her enemy's blood.
"Curved Blade Slaying Art!"
Everything felt like a replayed film.
Using the exact same technique, Unohana appeared before Zaraki Kenpachi for the third time, ghostlike and unavoidable.
Her blade came crashing down.
After entering Bankai, her slashes were infused with crimson killing intent. Their destructive power multiplied several times over.
The same strike.
A completely different outcome.
This time, no miracle came to pass.
When that terrifying blood-red blade light split the air and descended—
Kenpachi Zaraki didn't even manage to raise a hand in resistance. He was smashed into the ground in an instant, sent flying and left sprawled there, unmoving.
That brutally violent scene once again sent shockwaves through the entire Soul Society.
"..."
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