[Tenth Division]
All the division members, including Matsumoto Rangiku, were staring at the scene before them with shocked faces.
Just now, Toshiro had lost.
Lost completely. Lost without suspense.
Toshiro, who had unleashed his full firepower after activating his Bankai, couldn't even withstand a single swing from Rosse, who hadn't even released his Zanpakuto.
With just one simple, unadorned slash, Rosse had struck Toshiro down, sending him crashing to the ground, lying in a pool of blood.
In fact, Toshiro's wounds had even been healed by Rosse's Zanpakuto.
Lying flat on the ground, Toshiro stared blankly at the sky, his mind full of doubts about his own existence.
He had considered the possibility of losing, but never imagined it would be so humiliating.
Rosse hadn't used Bankai, not even Shikai.
It had been just a plain, ordinary strike. And yet he'd been instantly defeated, just like that.
This feeling of powerlessness, it was the first time he had ever experienced it.
Even back when he could only use Shikai and had faced Shiba Isshin, he hadn't felt such an overwhelming difference.
"How long are you planning to lie there?"
Rosse walked leisurely up to Toshiro. He had, in fact, just now used his Zanpakuto's ability.
He hadn't lied to Aizen about its name, it truly was called Purifier.
The ability of Purifier was Reversion, it could rewind the time of a person, object, or even an area.
When used on a person or an object, it could return them to their initial state.
However, when used on an area, even if he exerted all his strength, he could only replay past events, not change the established reality.
This unique ability was quite useful to Rosse. At least, with his current spiritual pressure, he could reverse himself five times in battle, essentially giving him five lives.
With an ability like that just from its Shikai form, he couldn't help but look forward to what the Bankai could do.
"Are you here to mock me?", Toshiro pressed his lips together in frustration, staring at Rosse with humiliation in his eyes.
"I'd rather spend that time drinking with Lieutenant Matsumoto," Rosse said, glancing at Toshiro before grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up.
"Alright, I've seen plenty like you. There are tons of people stronger than me. Are you going to question your entire existence every time you meet one?"
"That's different!"
Toshiro's face flushed red. It wasn't that he couldn't accept losing, it was just that he'd lost too fast. He still hadn't recovered from the shock.
"What's different? Your spiritual pressure clearly isn't enough to sustain a full Bankai, you're a half-baked one. Anyone who can properly use Bankai could crush you. Alright, just train your spiritual pressure more. The future belongs to you young ones," Rosse smiled, patted Toshiro's shoulder, and, leaving behind a tall and imposing figure, walked straight toward Matsumoto Rangiku.
If it weren't for having free time, he wouldn't even bother talking this much.
With that time, he'd rather drink with Rangiku instead.
"That kid's probably going to mope for a while. Have someone keep an eye on him, don't let him do anything stupid," Rosse leaned toward Rangiku, using Toshiro's situation as a topic of conversation.
"Don't worry, Toshiro's not that fragile. But seriously, your strength is insane," Rangiku couldn't help looking at Rosse, her eyes filled with awe.
She had truly never seen anyone defeat an opponent who'd used Bankai so easily.
The strength Rosse had just displayed seemed almost beyond reasonable limits to her.
But more than his power, what impressed Rangiku was Rosse's personality.
Despite being that strong, his personality was surprisingly pleasant. At that moment, Rangiku had already accepted him in her heart as her captain.
Strong, yet caring for his subordinates, such a captain was even more perfect than Aizen, the Captain of the Fifth Division.
After the exhibition match ended, it was time to continue drinking and having fun.
Rosse sat quietly on the side, smiling as he watched the squad members let loose.
"Feels kind of nice, doesn't it?", Rangiku came over and sat beside Rosse, watching the rowdy, drunken squad members together with him.
"Not bad. How's Toshiro doing?", Rosse smiled gently. Playing different roles now and then wasn't such a bad experience.
"Him? Locked himself in his room. Probably needs some time to get over it," Rangiku lazily raised her cup and took a sip. The moment the alcohol hit her tongue, her expression melted into bliss.
"That kid just hasn't been through enough setbacks. A few more will toughen him up," Seeing Rosse's concern, Rangiku signaled that he didn't need to worry.
To her, this was just the melodrama of a so-called genius.
Back at the Shin'o Academy, everyone had been called a genius.
But after joining the Gotei 13, she'd realized that among the squads, there were plenty of people far more talented than her.
Even though Toshiro was said to be the most gifted Shinigami in centuries, within the Gotei 13 there were plenty of old monsters who'd lived for hundreds or even thousands of years.
"Toshiro's a Third Seat, right? So that means Lieutenant Matsumoto's stronger than him?", Rosse smiled, lifting his cup to clink it with Rangiku's, who was already a bit drunk.
"Me? No way," Rangiku waved her hands quickly, "I'm just a desk officer. That kid Toshiro's the real genius."
"A desk officer, huh? Then Lieutenant Matsumoto must be amazing at handling paperwork."
"Of course! In all the years Captain Shiba's been gone, I've been the one managing the division's affairs!"
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Rangiku spoke with confidence, patting her chest proudly, setting off a wave of movement.
The nearby squad members who heard her words couldn't help but give her strange looks.
Everyone in the division knew the truth.
Rangiku was certainly capable, but her ability to slack off was even stronger.
During the days when the Tenth Division had no captain, all the administrative work had been handled by the Third Seat. Rangiku had just spent her days slacking off.
"If I pass the captain's examination tomorrow, I'll have to trouble you for some assistance, Lieutenant Matsumoto," Rosse smiled faintly.
Well, now he'd found someone to share the workload.
'What's said can't be unsaid, Miss Matsumoto, surely you won't go back on your word in front of the whole squad.'
"Don't worry, leave it to me! As long as there's booze every day, I'm in," Rangiku said boldly, already thinking fondly of Rosse's promise of daily drinks.
Her salary wasn't bad, but as a woman, she had plenty of fixed expenses. If she wanted to drink every day, she'd have to settle for cheaper liquor.
If she had enough money, she could finally drink without restraint.
"Don't worry, as long as nothing goes wrong in the division, I'll keep the booze coming," Rosse chuckled, catching the completely drunk Rangiku as she slumped over.
From the moment they'd sat down, she'd been drinking nonstop, she'd nearly finished his liquor too.
She hadn't come to chat at all, she'd come to mooch drinks.
"Fourth Seat Kino, I'll take Lieutenant Matsumoto back. You all can keep having fun. You know the division rules better than I do."
Holding Rangiku in his arms, Rosse stood up and nodded toward the middle-aged man nearby.
"Captain Rosse, please, go ahead."
Fourth Seat Kino immediately straightened up, bowing respectfully as he watched Rosse leave.
To this new captain, aside from Rangiku and Toshiro, the rest of them all felt genuine awe.
Especially since Rosse had just instantly defeated Toshiro, that made them respect him even more.
After all, they weren't close to Rosse yet, and he was undoubtedly a genuine captain-class powerhouse. They didn't want to accidentally offend him.
But everyone knew, getting familiar with him was just a matter of time.
If nothing else, Rosse was the most generous captain they'd ever seen.
Even though the previous captain had been from one of the Five Great Noble Houses, the Shiba Clan, he hadn't been nearly as openhanded as Rosse.
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