"Boom!"
An even more powerful surge of spiritual pressure (Reiatsu) erupted explosively from Rojen. In that moment, he seemed to be shrouded in a blinding ring of dark, volatile energy.
A fierce gale tore through the air. His black Shinigami robe fluttered violently, snapping loudly against the rising energy. The rampaging Reiatsu grew increasingly turbulent, as if a great internal furnace had been ignited, surging wildly toward the heavens.
"Whoosh!"
The howling wind roared as the spiritual power spread, forming an incomparably oppressive pressure that weighed down on the surrounding environment.
"This feeling!"
Kizaru's expression shifted. This sudden pressure was akin to the spiritual force of Conqueror's Haki, targeting the soul itself and overwhelming one's will. Having faced it head-on before, he recognized its signature clearly.
A trace of sincere caution appeared in his eyes as Kizaru silently heightened his focus.
"Hua!"
Within a pale blue glow, Rojen's heavy black Shinigami robe began to disintegrate and peel away. After just two breaths, a tight-fitting, ankle-length black coat and garment (Shihakushō) appeared, clinging closely to his body. Simultaneously, the originally massive, cleaver-like Zangetsu transformed, shrinking into a slender, sharp, jet-black longsword.
"My speed… it has increased significantly!"
Sensing the vast, new power coursing through him, Rojen opened his eyes.
Previously, despite possessing foresight abilities similar to Observation Haki, he had struggled to keep pace with Kizaru's attack speed and was completely overwhelmed. But now, having activated Bankai, Rojen felt a power that was finally on par with his opponent's, if not faster.
"Tensa Zangetsu!"
He raised his right hand horizontally, revealing the perfectly streamlined jet-black blade. It was an exquisitely beautiful sword. The hilt was adorned with a simple "卍"-shaped guard, and the slender blade looked deceptively light, elegant, and refined.
"Ultra-high-speed movement, ultra-high-speed swings?"
A predatory smile curved the corner of his mouth. This was precisely the power of the Tensa Zangetsu: condensed spiritual energy focused entirely on augmenting speed.
"Then let's test it out!"
Fixing his gaze on the distant Kizaru, Rojen moved abruptly.
"Whoosh!"
As if turning into a streak of pure black light, Rojen's speed in that instant became too great to track clearly.
"So fast!"
Kizaru was visibly startled. His figure instantly reacted, dissolving and shooting forward just as quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the two masters of speed collided in mid-air.
Rojen swung his sword. Under the effect of ultra-high-speed slashes, his movements were unbelievably swift. Blade after black blade aimed toward Kizaru's neck, chest, and limbs, a dizzying flurry of thrusts and cuts that forced Kizaru's pupils to contract repeatedly.
Kizaru himself was frighteningly fast, and he deftly dodged the fierce blade strikes with rapid, light-speed shifts.
He raised his right hand and pointed repeatedly.
Golden Laser Rays fired out in dense, continuous succession.
"Xiu, Xiu, Xiu!"
Facing these terrifyingly powerful beams, Rojen naturally did not dare to make direct contact. His figure flickered rapidly, evading the shots with minimal movement.
"Boom… Long… Long…!"
The two fought at extreme velocity. Only after Rojen had swung his sword for the one hundred and fifty-eighth time did the buildings behind him finally light up with golden radiance and erupt in a sky-piercing explosion—the delayed aftermath of Kizaru's earlier shots.
Their speed was simply too high. As they clashed and dodged, they were nothing more than two streaks of light. One golden, one black, constantly retreating, then charging forward, colliding repeatedly.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A black, crescent-shaped slash was sent flying by Rojen with a single, powerful swing.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed as he lifted his leg and kicked out.
"Lightspeed Kick!"
The Getsuga Tenshō was kicked high into the skies, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
And yet, their high-speed battle had only lasted a mere five minutes.
The Marines watching the fight were utterly stunned.
"So this is what an Admiral-level battle looks like?"
"Too terrifying!"
"All the buildings within a kilometer have been obliterated by the aftershocks of their fight!"
The Marines' bodies trembled as their eyes remained locked on the two figures constantly colliding in the distance. It was simply too horrifying. Just the kinetic waves and delayed explosions alone had completely leveled the battlefield within a kilometer radius.
"That Rojen… he's unbelievably strong!"
"And his opponent is Admiral Kizaru! The legendary Admiral who wields light-speed!"
"How can he possibly dodge Admiral Kizaru's attacks?"
Most of the destruction within that kilometer had been caused by Kizaru's Laser Rays, making them fully aware of the Admiral's immense destructive power. Yet, the fact that Rojen could now evade Kizaru's relentless assaults plunged the Marines into deep shock. This young man, how old could he be, to actually face an Admiral head-on?!
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
After another fierce collision, Kizaru spread both hands wide. Countless points of light flared and blasted outward. Like innumerable sharp swords, they shot toward Rojen in a flash.
At this moment, the distance between the two was less than a hundred meters. For fighters whose speed had reached the absolute peak, this distance was an instant, something that could be completely ignored. The countless points of light nearly formed an inescapable curtain, covering the sky as they poured down toward Rojen.
"Hahaha, this feels incredible!"
With a loud laugh, Rojen gripped his sword in his right hand. Instead of retreating, he charged straight into the light storm.
Kurosaki Ichigo's Bankai had granted him an exhilarating level of speed. It allowed him to finally savor the true thrill of being a master of velocity. Only now did he understand the deceptive ease Kizaru displayed when fighting.
Fast! Faster! Fastest!
Care about nothing but speed! So fast that no one can see it, so fast that enemies can't even react.
Among all martial arts under heaven, speed alone is unbreakable! No matter how strong you are, no matter how ferocious your power, I only need one thing: Being fast!
The dense points of light reached him in an instant. Rojen's figure flickered left and right. Within his augmented speed, even these extreme-velocity light particles seemed to slow down.
He blinked in and out of view, terrifyingly fast, unbelievably fast!
In just a moment, the entire sky seemed filled with Rojen's black-clad afterimages.
Yet in Kizaru's precise vision, he saw Rojen rush straight in front of him. Rojen clasped his sword with both hands and brought it down in a fierce, screaming slash toward the Admiral.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
Light flared from Kizaru's right hand, and a longsword of condensed light appeared in his grip. He raised it instantly, blocking horizontally above his head.
Bang!
At extreme speed, the clash tore through space as the two weapons smashed together violently. The pitch-black Zangetsu slammed brutally into Kizaru's laser blade, Ama no Murakumo.
Buzz!
In an instant, an immense wave of sword pressure erupted. The air itself seemed to shudder before the force radiated rapidly in all directions.
"Whooo!"
A violent gale swept outward, spreading over three kilometers. Dust from the ground was ripped up and scattered into the air. The ground near the two combatants cracked rapidly, spiderweb-like fissures spreading across a hundred meters.
"Hah!"
Rojen struck again, the black long blade turning into a streak of dark light as it slashed out.
Kizaru's expression turned solemn. Ama no Murakumo flashed and blocked in front of him again.
Buzz!
Another violent gust erupted as the shockwave blasted outward, surging toward the southwest.
"Ahhhhhh!"
A thousand meters away, Marines standing on a crumbling watchtower screamed as the sudden gale swept them up and flung them into the air.
All the observing Marines sucked in sharp breaths.
"These two… they're simply not human!"
Indeed, how could anyone with such power still be called human?
"Kizaru!"
With a loud shout, Rojen accelerated his sword swings even further. The black Zangetsu turned into streak after streak of flowing dark light.
Kizaru shouted as well, his Ama no Murakumo slashing rapidly toward his opponent.
At this moment, both of them were fighting in mid-air. The speed of their weapons continued to rise, and their figures flickered ceaselessly.
The battle had instantly entered a white-hot climax!
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Hey Guys I have picked up 2 new Fanfiction
New Novels- 1. One Piece- Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki!
2. One Piece- Master Of Devil Fruits
(darkshadowtranslation.com)