The voice was quiet, but it spread far and wide.
After hearing Nanaya's words, the Shinigami watching from a distance were shocked at first. Then, a fierce anger started burning inside them.
"How arrogant! That's Zaraki Kenpachi, captain of the 11th Division."
"He didn't even fight himself, but sent another squad instead."
"We need to teach him a lesson! Captain Zaraki must kill that squad quickly. We can't let them act so boldly."
"Do you really think defeating Captain Tousen means you can beat Captain Zaraki? Those two captains aren't on the same level."
"He's just a human. Don't be so full of yourself…"
The Shinigami shouted angrily.
Nanaya's action was like a slap to their faces, crushing their pride.
That was a captain—the strongest fighters in Seireitei. It wasn't something that would happen for hundreds of years. How could they be crushed so easily?
Many captains also felt a hidden fire in their hearts.
They admitted Nanaya was very strong, but they only accepted Nanaya himself.
The few humans who came with him were not strong—most powerful was Ishida Uryu, who was only a vice-captain.
And they let those guys challenge Zaraki Kenpachi?
"Hah, Zaraki Kenpachi, the madman, will definitely kill that troublemaker fast," Tousen Kaname, wrapped in bandages, said through clenched teeth.
Usually, Tousen and Zaraki didn't get along, but now he silently wished for Zaraki to win.
All eyes were on them.
On top of the Gedo Statue, Kurosaki Ichigo held his sword, Zangetsu, and stared at Zaraki Kenpachi with burning eyes.
"Is that the guy!?"
Even after being cut by Unohana Retsu for more than ten days, Ichigo still had a hidden fire inside him, ready to fight.
With one step, Ichigo jumped down.
Zaraki Kenpachi saw him coming and swung his sword casually.
"Don't get in my way, you brat."
Ichigo didn't back down and attacked with his sword.
When their swords clashed, Zaraki's face changed. He stepped back a few steps, nearly losing his grip on his sword.
"What a powerful strike."
They had just used raw strength, but Ichigo was stronger.
The Shinigami watching were shocked.
Zaraki Kenpachi got excited, turning his gaze from Nanaya to Ichigo. He laughed and raised his sword again.
"I didn't expect someone strong like you besides Nanaya. Let's fight, hahaha!"
Their swords kept hitting each other.
At the same time, their spiritual pressure, or Reiatsu, burst out.
One golden, one blue—both strong and balanced, both at captain level.
"That guy's Reiatsu has reached captain level!?"
The watching Shinigami couldn't believe it.
Some had trained for hundreds of years but hadn't even reached vice-captain level.
These two—who had been training less than a year—were already at captain level and the strongest among them.
The sound of swords clashing rang out continuously.
Their fight heated up instantly, slashing wildly. Every strike cracked the ground beneath them.
"That guy is releasing more of his power..." Unohana Retsu said, watching Zaraki Kenpachi's stance.
Zaraki could only get his full power by fighting strong opponents.
Half a month ago, Zaraki would have lost to Ichigo easily.
Seeing he couldn't beat Zaraki yet, Ichigo stepped back and said deeply:
"Bankai!"
Hearing those words, the Shinigami captains watching widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Bankai? Is that real?"
"Hasn't he been a Shinigami for just a few months?"
"Bankai is the ultimate power of a Shinigami. Even after hundreds of years, many can't achieve it. Could Ichigo be a genius?"
"Tensa Zangetsu!"
Saying the name of his sword, Ichigo's Reiatsu exploded violently in blue, shooting a beam of light into the sky.
His clothes changed from his Soul Reaper uniform to a black jacket.
His big sword transformed too—now pure black, thin, and sharp, with no extra power showing.
The Shinigami watching were confused.
Then, Ichigo suddenly moved. His speed was incredible. In an instant, he was right in front of Zaraki Kenpachi.
He swung the black Tensa Zangetsu sword down.
"ABU!"
Blood splattered.
A huge wound was cut into Zaraki Kenpachi's chest, and bright red blood kept flowing out, staining his clothes and the ground.
The Shinigami captains watching from afar were not calm anymore—they saw that this was a real Bankai.
"First Nanaya, and now this unexpected disaster with a Bankai..." Kyoraku Shunsui felt a growing headache.
Why are these outsiders so dangerous?
"Hahaha, interesting, Bankai..." Zaraki Kenpachi laughed loudly. He didn't care about the wound on his chest and fought even harder.
The fight went on, but Zaraki's wounds kept getting worse.
Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't just sit and watch anymore.
If this kept going, the Shinigami would lose all face. They had to step in.
The other Shinigami captains thought the same.
While they were thinking, Nanaya controlled Susanoo and flew up to the front of the Sōkyoku platform, facing the giant flaming bird—the King of Destruction.
Rukia Kuchiki, who was trapped on the execution platform, looked at Susanoo in surprise.
Then she thought of something and said quickly:
"Nanaya, try to break this platform, but be careful. The execution platform can hold up against the power of a million Soul-Slaying swords…"
"Remember, don't fight the King of Destruction head-on. That thing has the power of a million Soul-Slaying swords…"
"What are you going to do? You can't fight it directly. Its power will only grow, and in the end, even a captain could be killed…"
Rukia shouted nervously.
She knew Nanaya's personality—he wouldn't stop until he saved her—so she kept warning him.
"I know, don't rush me!"
Nanaya didn't even look back. With a thought, Susanoo swung a huge sword behind him.
"Boom!"
The Sōkyoku platform, which was said to withstand the power of millions of Soul-Slaying swords, was cut into pieces by that swing. Huge chunks of rubble fell down.
Rukia Kuchiki's eyes were wide in shock as Susanoo grabbed her with a big hand.
Then, he put her inside a crystal.
Rukia regained her senses, breathed a sigh of relief, and patted her chest. She looked at Nanaya, who was also inside the crystal, and nervously said, "Nanaya, I'm free now. Let's go quickly. As soon as we get to the real world, the Seireitei Shinigami won't chase us."
She wanted Nanaya to leave quickly because the captain was still there—the monster known as the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years.
If they could get to the real world, the Seireitei would have to consider the damage caused by the battle and let them live.
"I want to leave..." Nanaya said, looking at the giant flaming bird—the King of Destruction—coming toward him.
"But this guy has locked onto me."
Because he saved Rukia Kuchiki, the giant flame bird, Ruihuang Wang, made of flames and said to have the power to cut through a million souls, was staring at him coldly.
Ruihuang Wang let out a violent cry, and its sharp sound spread through the entire Jingling Court.
Waving its flaming wings, Ruihuang Wang's beak struck with terrifying power, attacking like a fiery phoenix.
There was a loud bang.
Ruihuang Wang's beak hit Susanoo's sword, and even the complete Susanoo was pushed back.
Then the giant flame bird pulled back.
An even stronger power burst out of its body.
It attacked again—another loud bang—and this time, the power was clearly stronger.
Rukia Kuchiki's face turned pale: "Ruihuang Wang's attacks are getting stronger and stronger. In the end, even a captain-level fighter can be killed instantly."
Nanaya suddenly understood.
No wonder, in the original story, the King of Destruction—who has the power of a million Soul-Slaying swords—was stopped by Kurosaki Ichigo's Shikai Zangetsu.
Its full power hadn't been unleashed yet.
Thinking this, facing the King of Destruction that had grown so terrifying, Nanaya said coldly, "I don't want to kill, but it's okay to kill you if it's to survive."
"Gedo Statue!!!"
As Nanaya shouted, the Outer Path Demon roared toward the sky in response.
Golden chains exploded out from its body.
Those golden chains seemed strong enough to trap gods—they wrapped tightly around the giant flaming bird's body and pulled it back by force.
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