Suzuki Makoto sheathed his blade and extended a hand toward Kenpachi Zaraki.
The man was momentarily stunned, then reached out to grasp Suzuki Makoto's hand, allowing himself to be pulled up from the ground.
"Let's spar again if there's a chance."
"Good!"
Watching Suzuki Makoto disappear in front of the 11th Division barracks, Kenpachi Zaraki turned his head to look at all the squad members.
"From today on, you are only allowed to call me Zaraki."
"Eh? We can't call you Ken-chan anymore?"
"...Do whatever you want."
The squad members dispersed while discussing this animatedly, leaving only Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa behind.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, it's merely some heavy bleeding. That guy's Kaido is no worse than those fellows in the 4th Division; the wounds have already healed."
Kenpachi Zaraki took off his tattered Shihakusho. The wounds that Suzuki Makoto had hacked open, which had been spraying blood earlier, now barely even showed a scar.
Of course, this was only a superficial recovery. The lost blood still had to be slowly replenished by the body. Although Kaido was miraculous, this level of Kaido could not yet achieve the feat of reviving the dead or putting flesh back on white bones.
"Is that man really powerful to such an extent?"
"He is even more powerful than you think, stronger than anyone I have ever met—that is, I only faced such pressure when I was learning Kendo from that old man back then. Although I can feel my own growth, I still cannot touch his limit."
Kenpachi Zaraki raised the Zanpakuto in his hand to his face and fell into silence.
"Why do you simply refuse to respond to me?"
Neither of the two subordinates dared to speak out of turn. They had also always found it strange: Kenpachi Zaraki's Reiatsu had already grown to such a level, so why did his Zanpakuto still not show any reaction?
Previously, the Captain could defeat everyone else, so this matter was never an issue. But now, a man had appeared whom even the Captain could not defeat.
"Forget it. Suzuki Makoto doesn't have Shikai either anyway. Since he can reach such a realm, it proves that a Zanpakuto is not strictly necessary—I just need to continue slaughtering!"
For Kenpachi Zaraki, hesitation was only a momentary thing. Since he could still continue to become stronger through battle, there was no need to let other thoughts shackle his steps.
He would heal his body first, then go and challenge Suzuki Makoto again!
On the other side, the Lieutenant of the 4th Division finally began to learn Kaido from the Captain of the 4th Division.
"Why did you come back so early?"
Retsu Unohana was somewhat puzzled. Kenpachi Zaraki might not be Suzuki Makoto's match for the time being, but the opponent's infinitely evolving upper limit was right there. Before their Reiatsu was completely exhausted, they should have been able to keep fighting.
"If we kept fighting, it would easily become endless. It's better to come back for class first. Besides, I don't possess a Zanpakuto like yours—to awaken such an ability just for the sake of such a drippingly delightful battle is still a bit too luxurious for me."
Retsu Unohana's hand subconsciously rested on her Minazuki, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
"You figured it out."
"One can figure it out after meeting Kenpachi Zaraki. The opponent can grow endlessly, but if one suppresses their power to slowly guide his growth, it must be a painful thing for the Captain, right? After all, you and Kenpachi Zaraki are the same; you only want to enjoy battle and do not wish for any restraints or scruples."
"That is why that Zanpakuto has a Shikai and Bankai that are completely inconsistent with you. Only in this way can you enjoy battle forever, without even needing to hold back. Because even if the opponent dies, you can directly restore them to their prime state, then continue to slaughter each other with you, and continue to grow."
Suzuki Makoto shrugged.
That sword's Bankai could be completely understood as a gladiatorial arena, where the two gladiators inside could slaughter each other without any scruples. The final result could only be one of two things—either the challenger dies until their spirit is shattered, or the challenger becomes strong enough to defeat Retsu Unohana.
regardless, only one person can walk out of that Bankai.
One could only say it fits the title of Kenpachi very well.
"Would Suzuki-kun be willing to experience it? I can report to the Captain-Commander and hand over the leadership of the 4th Division to you hereafter."
"Please, by all means, do not hand this responsibility to me. I only came to the 4th Division because I wanted to slack off. After all, this should be the purest division within the Gotei 13."
The man rejected Retsu Unohana's invitation without hesitation. What he wanted was to learn continuously, not to hack the textbook to death on the spot. The one who could get satisfaction from that matter was Retsu Unohana, while if Suzuki Makoto wanted to find another such earnest and responsible encyclopedia of Soul Society swordsmanship, he would have to go try his luck with Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
"Oh, that really is a regret."
The woman sighed softly; this regret was genuine.
"Captain, can we start teaching me Kaido now?"
"Of course. Let us start from the basics of Kaido..."
"Captain Aizen has already taught this."
"Then let's start directly with learning the usage of Kaido..."
"Captain Aizen has taught this too."
Retsu Unohana smiled and gripped her sword hilt tightly.
"Suzuki-kun."
"Eh?"
"Since Captain Aizen is teaching you anyway, how about we just skip the process?"
"...That works too."
And so, the man and the woman fought to their hearts' content once again.
At night, Suzuki Makoto poured tea as Sosuke Aizen knocked on the door right on time.
"The Garganta is ready. The opening is in the Rukongai. Same as always: we utilize the Negación of a Menos Grande to travel to Hueco Mundo, then return via Garganta. This saves a lot of time."
"Then let's set off."
Under the cover of Kyōka Suigetsu, the two arrived in the Rukongai without causing a single ripple, were picked up by a Menos Grande, and entered Hueco Mundo.
The familiar desolate desert came into view once more. Illuminated by the cold moonlight, it actually revealed a touch of elegance.
"Who is our opponent?"
"It is a supreme Menos Grande who currently calls himself the King of Hueco Mundo. He is also the first Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande I have found."
During his earlier planning stages, Aizen had already conducted a certain degree of investigation into Hueco Mundo. To deal with the Gotei 13, fillers like Gillians and Adjuchas were basically meaningless to him, so he had set his sights on Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande from the very beginning.
"His territory is in the center of Hueco Mundo. He built his throne and palace there, calling it 'Las Noches,' and gathered a large group of Adjuchas-class Menos Grande as subordinates. He has ruled in Hueco Mundo for countless ages."
"Is that so? The name Las Noches sounds quite nice. How about we continue to call it that later?"
"I also appreciate this name. Since Suzuki-kun thinks so as well, we might as well continue to use this name for our base in Hueco Mundo."
The two chatted casually, neither of them taking this so-called King of Hueco Mundo to heart.
____
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