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The battle raged on.
Following the gazes of Big White and Little White, the view slowly pushed forward, finally locking onto a distant ruin where the earth had split open into a bottomless chasm.
Right there—
A figure appeared.
A demon, its skin blood-red and crisscrossed with black markings.
A real, living devil.
…
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Staring at the demon in the ruins—
One hand braced against the shattered ground, half its body pressed low to the earth, the other half buried beneath abyssal, bristling hair. In its eyes burned a savage crimson glow, hungry for blood.
That horrifying sight sent shockwaves through all three realms.
"That guy is… Zaraki Kenpachi?!"In the underground chamber of Squad Five, Ichimaru Gin gaped in disbelief, recognizing the demon at once.
Zaraki Kenpachi.The so-called King of Basic Slashes.The man who had stunned the entire Soul Society just one minute ago.
And now… he'd turned into a demon?!
"Gulp…"
Gin swallowed hard, even suspecting for a moment that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He rubbed them instinctively. When he looked again, the demonic figure was still there.
Which meant one thing.
Demons weren't just legends.
In the future, Zaraki Kenpachi would truly become an oni.
"Tōsen, looks like you called it…" Aizen's breathing quickened, his eyes burning with fervor. "In the future, Zaraki not only awakens Shikai, he even masters Bankai. It's completely insane."
Yes.
Everything happening to Zaraki Kenpachi had far surpassed Aizen's expectations and imagination. The impact shook him to his core.
If even someone as stubborn as Zaraki could break through his limits, awakening greater and greater power…
Then someone like himself, who aspired to sit upon the throne of heaven—
He must, absolutely must, shatter the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow and ascend to an even higher state.
Truthfully, with Aizen's broad ambition and absolute confidence, he felt neither envy nor jealousy toward the overwhelming power pouring off Zaraki.
Instead—
The loneliness born from standing at the pinnacle of the Shinigami world for so long was finally released.
Aizen's state of mind took a decisive step forward.
The hesitation he once felt, born from sensing his grip on the shadows weakening, instead hardened into unshakable resolve.
Squad Four
"This… has to be fake…"
"Is that really Captain Zaraki, the one we know?"Kotetsu Isane's voice trembled. Her face went pale with fear, and after barely holding on for a few seconds, she collapsed to the ground in despair.
The spiritual pressure spilling endlessly from the light screen was almost crushing her soul to pieces.
"…"
Not far away, Unohana Retsu stood restless.
Even she, once known as a great demon herself, found it hard to withstand the murderous aura rolling off Zaraki Kenpachi. The calm surface of her heart rippled violently.
So this…
This is what Zaraki Kenpachi looks like at the peak of his power?
A demon that devours flesh and blood, addicted to slaughter.
A fight to the death, until the enemy's last scrap of meat is torn away.
"If that's the case…"
"Then it seems my future self will once again find joy in battle with this man."
In that instant, a powerful premonition took hold of her.
The bond between Zaraki Kenpachi and herself would stretch from a thousand years ago into the future.
The Human World
Urahara's Shop.
"Honestly… this is the first time I've ever seen a Bankai this twisted. It's suffocating."
Even someone as formidable as Tessai Tsukabishi, the only Grand Kido Master in the past century, barely dared to breathe. Every cell in his body screamed in fear.
Yes.
Tessai was afraid.
Things had gone far beyond what he could comprehend.
Setting aside Zaraki's demon-like appearance—
That terrifying spiritual pressure alone, enough to overflow the light screen itself, had already broken past the limits of a Shinigami at the top.
This battle…
Had reached the level of gods throwing punches.
"Oh ho ho ho…"
"Tessai, no need to look so crushed. You're still the Grand Kido Master, after all."
Urahara Kisuke patted Tessai on the shoulder, chuckling as he tried to comfort him.
"Besides…"
"Not being in the spotlight doesn't mean you won't grow stronger. With the finest Kido in all of Soul Society, who knows? Maybe in the future you'll become a top-tier support."
"Me? I'll pass…" Tessai shook his head with a bitter smile. "I don't think anyone in their right mind would choose to work alongside a demon."
Top-tier support?
Supporting monsters this ridiculously strong?Yeah right. Boss, you do it yourself.
I'm not that eager to die.
At the same time.
The view slowly shifted away from Zaraki Kenpachi and settled on the figure standing opposite him.
Then—
A towering giant appeared out of nowhere, filling the entire screen.
"Who's that now?!"
"That size is absurd! The buildings on the ground look like toys next to him!"
"That's Zaraki's opponent? This really is a clash of gods!"
…
As the view finally fixed in place,
Valkyrie, enlarged countless times over, stood like a colossus upon the land of Wahrwelt.
In his hand, the Sword of Victory.On his shoulder, the Shield of the Miracle.
Empowered by the Miracle itself, Valkyrie looked like a divine emissary reaching straight into the heavens. Against him, the demon Zaraki crouched low upon the earth, forming a stark and blinding contrast.
Once again, the entire world of the Shinigami erupted in shock.
Countless worldviews shattered on the spot.
…
Silbern
"No way!"
"This has to be fake! Valkyrie's gotten that big?!"
"If he takes one step, wouldn't all of Silbern collapse?!"
"Wait… why does this place not feel like Silbern at all?"
…
The hall exploded into chaos.
Staring at the gigantic Valkyrie—
So enormous that his head brushed the sun and his hands seemed close enough to pluck stars from the sky—
Aside from a select few, most members of the Sternritter felt an uncontrollable urge to drop to their knees, as if standing before a god.
And those with sharper eyes noticed something else.
By examining the details of the surrounding structures, they realized the battlefield wasn't within the familiar territory of the Wandenreich at all.
"Hmph… So I've grown larger?" Valkyrie looked up at the screen, arms crossed, letting out a proud snort. "I don't know exactly why I've had to invoke the 'Divine Scale' so many times."
"But just you wait."
"For His Majesty. For the glory of the Wandenreich. And for the thousand-year honor of pure-blood Quincy!"
"I'll tear that monster Zaraki Kenpachi to pieces!"
"..."
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