When Ran Yan finally unleashed the Hundred-Step Flying Sword, Unohana Yachiryu—the First Generation Kenpachi—no longer held back.
She had her pride.
If Ran Yan fought without invoking Zanpakutō abilities, then so would she.
BOOM.
Blood-red light exploded around her like a crimson mist. A savage Reiatsu drenched in the scent of blood roared into the night sky. Her presence surged upward like a tidal wave of killing intent.
As the golden Reiatsu dragon descended, she met it with a single one-handed swing.
A blood-colored blade of light burst forth, cleaving the sky with the weight of the First Kenpachi's will. It collided midair with Ran Yan's flying sword, and the resulting shock split the very heavens apart.
There was no Kidō.
No Shikai.
No Bankai.
Only swords.
Pure. Brutal. Unrelenting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shockwaves tore through the ancient forest.
Trees were uprooted and shredded. The earth cracked and split into ravines. Dust exploded upward like volcanic ash, engulfing the stars themselves.
Where the blood-red arc met the golden dragon, the night sky fractured.
One half bled crimson.
The other, gold.
CRACK—
A sound like tearing silk split the silence.
Unohana's bloody arc shattered.
The golden dragon dispersed.
The storm stilled. The world exhaled.
Ash drifted gently to the ruined forest floor.
Drip… drip…
Blood hit the ground.
The battlefield fell silent.
"The feeling of the blade sinking into flesh… How nostalgic."Unohana Yachiryu's voice was steady, almost blissful.
"It's been centuries. I had almost forgotten how alive it makes me feel."
She looked down.
Blood oozed down from a deep gash in her chest—a wound that pierced through her lung and exited cleanly out the back.
For most, the pain would be maddening.
But for Unohana?
She smiled.
That pain was rapture.
Her body trembled—but not from weakness. From joy.
From exhilaration.
"Only blood… only the strong…"
"…can stir my soul like this."
Across from her, Ran Yan stood quietly as his Zanpakutō—having completed its flight—returned to his palm like a loyal beast.
"That's your evaluation?" he asked mildly.
"Vertical… and horizontal…" Unohana whispered, her voice laced with awe."Dominating everything in your path."
"Do you wish to continue?" Ran Yan asked, glancing at her still-bleeding chest.
"I'm the Fourth Division Captain," she said, casting Kaido over the wound."But you don't know why I studied healing."
She smiled sweetly.
"It was to extend the fight. To savor it more."
"Injury. Pain. Fatigue. These things… get in the way of pleasure."
"Of course," she added, "I also didn't want to accidentally kill someone I like."
Her hand glowed green as the massive wound slowly knit itself shut—not entirely, but enough to let her fight without hindrance.
"I see," Ran Yan nodded. "Pity."
"From now on, you'll only be healing your own losses."
Unohana chuckled softly.
"That sword earns you something special—my real name."
She placed a hand gently on her chest, where the wound had just closed.
"Unohana Yachiryu.Named for mastering every sword school in Soul Society."
She bowed her head respectfully.
"Or perhaps," she added, her eyes flashing,"you prefer the title… First Kenpachi."
A chill went down Aizen's spine where he stood silently nearby.
It made sense now. All of it.
Why the medical captain could match any of Gotei's fiercest warriors in raw skill…
Why her Reiatsu had dwarfed even Hirako Shinji's.
She was the First. The True. The Original.
Kenpachi Yachiryu.
"Master of all sword styles?" Ran Yan shook his head, chuckling.
"That's impossible."
"Because you haven't mastered mine."
Yachiryu's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"That's why I came tonight."
"I want to feel that sword again. I want to be cut deeper—stronger."
"Ran Yan Sōsuke… please me. Completely."
Without waiting for a reply, she vanished into Shunpo, blade aimed like a guillotine for his throat.
"To please you?"
Ran Yan sighed.
"You underestimate me."
As the blade neared his neck, he did something shocking.
CLANG.
He sheathed his Zanpakutō.
Yachiryu's eyes narrowed. Even Aizen's breath caught.
"What are you doing?" she asked sharply."A Shinigami without a sword is just a lion without fangs."
"Or… are you at your limit?"
Her blade didn't slow.
She was prepared to end him.
But Ran Yan—calm as ever—didn't move.
Because for him…
The real fight was only just beginning.