Looking at Shunsui Kyōraku standing in front of him, Kensei Kenzuru was deeply moved. Once we get back, I've decided to plagiarize some great works—stuff from people like Kyokutō, Takeyoshimitsu, Asanagi—and draw them for Kyōraku's appreciation.
Oh, and Old Man Yama too. It must have been him who told Kyōraku to follow me. I'll never swear by his arm again!
"My, my, young people these days fight with no sense of propriety," Shunsui Kyōraku crossed his twin swords, parrying Kuchiki Kōga's claw strike. His body floated back as lightly as a falling leaf, landing beside Kensei. "Seems I've reached retirement age. The Captain's position should be passed to you, little junior brother."
Kensei curled his lip and added, "I'll relay those exact words to Old Man Yama."
"Ahem!" Shunsui Kyōraku adjusted his straw hat, feeling this little junior brother really showed no respect for his senior. "The gap between you and him is a bit wide right now. Let your good senior brother shoulder the burden for you."
"In exchange, just don't tell Old Man Yama about what I just said. The old man shouldn't be shocked."
Kyōraku raised his twin swords towards Kuchiki Kōga. The lazy expression vanished from his face. This enemy was indeed somewhat tricky, but he could still barely handle it.
"Old Man Yama put me in charge of this. Uncle Kyōraku, you should step back."
Kensei grabbed Kyōraku's clothes and pulled him back.
"Huh???"
Shunsui Kyōraku was suddenly yanked back half a step. His eyes widened slightly beneath his hat, feeling that joking at a time like this was rather inappropriate and somewhat anxious.
"Don't mess around. You don't even have Bankai. How are you going to deal with Kuchiki Kōga?"
"It's simple. I'll just use Bankai, okay?"
With that, Kensei's Reiatsu erupted—Third-Grade Reiatsu!!!
Shunsui Kyōraku's eyes beneath his straw hat widened into perfect circles. The perpetually lazy expression on his face completely collapsed.
Isn't my little junior brother a bit too fierce? Didn't you just learn your Zanpakutō's name and achieve Shikai? How did you master Bankai in no time at all?
Kyōraku opened his mouth as if to say something, but all words caught in his throat. In the end, he could only draw in a breath of disbelief.
"Bankai—"
There was no earth-shattering power. Centered on Kensei, Kyōraku felt as if half of the Seireitei's space was continuously rippling with transparent and silent ripples.
Narrowing his eyes slightly beneath his hat, within Kyōraku's perception, this space itself seemed to have come alive, revealing countless overlapping possibilities to Kensei, its master.
"Kūkon: Reflector of the Vast Void."
The Zanpakutō in Kensei's hand disintegrated at the spiritual particle level, transforming into billions of transparent wafers invisible to the naked eye, levitating around him like a slowly rotating galaxy constantly reflecting every aspect of the surrounding space.
The hilt melted and reformed, extending into a pair of light wings composed of countless geometric planes that constantly generated and annihilated behind Kensei, manifesting various forms of space. The original triple geometric rings at the tsuba transformed into an eye-like shape, hovering before Kensei's forehead.
Kensei's eyes were dyed a pure mirror-silver, no longer meant for viewing real things, but reflecting countless rapidly flashing, ambiguous afterimages.
Although clearly aware that Kensei bore him no hostility, Shunsui Kyōraku instinctively stepped back and placed his hand on Katen Kyōkotsu's hilt. It wasn't wariness against a powerful enemy, but instinct upon seeing something that transcended the very concept of a Zanpakutō.
"Little Junior Brother, you..."
Kyōraku called out tentatively. The current Kensei gave him a very cold feeling, as if he were completely detached from this world."Woo-hoo! So my Bankai is this cool!"
"..."
Watching the excitedly shouting, jumping up and down Kensei, Kyōraku's hand on his hilt froze. His eyes twitched beneath his hat. I was an idiot for feeling wary towards my little junior brother just now.
"Look at these light wings! This effect!"
Kensei was like a child with a new toy, controlling the light wings on his back to constantly geometrically rearrange, refracting dazzling light.
"Don't get careless. Kuchiki Kōga isn't easy to deal with."
"Don't worry. My 'presence level' is way higher than Kuchiki Kōga's now. We're sure to win!"
Seemingly enraged by Kensei's dismissive attitude, the Soul King fragment in Kuchiki Kōga's chest emitted an even more violent spiritual pressure. He roared, a torrent of spiritual pressure flowing into Muramasa. The blade shone with blinding golden light, then a massive sword pressure capable of... of a shot that cuts through the sky towards Kensei.
Shunsui Kyōraku instinctively tensed. I'll have to block this attack if Kensei can't withstand it, or this whole area will be destroyed.
He saw one of the wings of light behind Kensei instantly disintegrate and recombine, transforming into a barrier as thin as a cicada's wing, standing in the path of the sword pressure.
The sword pressure slammed into the barrier. In the next instant, a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on Kuchiki Kōga, stretching from his left chest to his right waist. Before he could react, Kensei raised his hand in a loose clenching gesture. Kōga felt a sharp pain in his chest and couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
"Thanks for the fragment, Boss Kōga."
Kensei looked curiously at the bead still emitting faint light in his hand. He hadn't expected this fingernail-sized Soul King fragment could enhance Kuchiki Kōga so much. The Soul King really is something else.
Putting away the Soul King fragment, Kensei faced the still-struggling Kuchiki Kōga and brought his palms together. Kōga felt the space from all directions squeezing like speeding trucks. Every part of his body seemed to exist in different spaces. The commands from his brain were completely ineffective.
Suffering from this strange phenomenon, Kuchiki Kōga wanted to roar, to curse Kensei with the most venomous words. But his voice couldn't convey. Shunsui Kyōraku could only see Kōga's mouth moving and his hysterical madness.
"Alright, that should have him locked up."
Kensei released his Bankai and plopped down on the ground, panting heavily—the complete opposite of his earlier composed performance.
"Little Junior Brother, does that move cost a lot?"
Sensing Kensei's almost completely depleted Reiatsu, Kyōraku applied several layers of Seal Kidō to Kuchiki Kōga's body. Not sure if it'll work, but it's insurance. After finishing, he turned to ask.
"Sigh, just a bit of Reiatsu."
Kensei waved his hand freely. Normally, he shouldn't be able to use Bankai right now. But who told his Zanpakutō was so accommodating, giving him a 'trial card'? Still, once is enough; a few more times and he'd fully master Bankai.
"You brat..." Kyōraku shook his head, helped Kensei up, and leaned him against a relatively intact pillar to rest. "Is your seal on Kuchiki Kōga reliable?"
"Want me to give you a personal experience?"
"Who treats their senior brother like that?!"
Kyōraku glared at Kensei. I do want to hide where Old Man Yama can't find me, but not that way!
"You can ask when you're like Senior Brother Ukitake and have made up for the greeting gift you owe me. Uncle Kyōraku."
"Tsk—" Feeling his sore body, Kensei gasped. "Next time, I'm not doing such thankless things. Should have let the Kuchiki Clan handle it themselves."
"Want me to put in a good word for you with the Kuchiki Clan, get them to give you more compensation?"
"You're my best senior brother!"
Looking at Kensei with his eyes shining, even someone with Kyōraku's loose personality couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. I think I understand a bit how Old Man Yama feels when he looks at me.
***
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