"This is the place."
On the outskirts, Komamura Sajin's massive body easily crushed the fallen leaves beneath his feet.
He squinted slightly against the sunlight in the sky.
After confirming the time, he turned to look at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who had come alone, and spoke in a slightly deep tone:
"Tsugikuni-dono, I hope you do not disappoint this old man."
"Since mastering Bankai, I have never fought anyone."
The main reason was fear of being too high-profile and attracting unwanted attention, leading to his appearance being exposed.
He had originally thought he could remain low-key until the day he thoroughly mastered Bankai.
Unexpectedly, he was discovered prematurely.
This feeling was not good, like being poised to make a stunning debut, only to be interrupted beforehand.
However, this was the Captain-Commander's order, and he could do nothing about it.
With a soft sigh, Komamura Sajin's thoughts quickly returned.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi watched him silently, the sound of crushing leaves coming from beneath his feet, and nodded gently:
"Rest assured."
He also wanted to see what Komamura Sajin's Bankai truly was.
Due to the tense situation, his teacher had not come.
It was enough to have him fight and verify if he had the strength to become a Captain.
He should be slightly weaker than Kensei.
As their words fell, their movements instantly became serious.
The swirling wind in their ears was desolate and chilling.
Accompanied by the fall of a single leaf.
"Here I come!"
Komamura Sajin let out a low roar, his voice as loud as a grand bell.
Bang! The surrounding ground instantly rippled with a faint circle of dust.
Clang!
His Zanpakuto instantly unsheathed from his waist, and he shot forward like a cannonball.
His speed was astonishing, like a beast in a fight, sharp and fierce.
The howling wind rushed towards Yoriichi with his charge, and a chillingly sharp slash, like a fleeting flash of light, instantly entered Yoriichi's vision.
Yoriichi nodded slightly, showing respect for this attack, before raising his sword.
Ding!
The precisely swung blade easily parried Komamura Sajin's full-power slash, as if its direction had been subtly shifted by a clever force, causing the blade to uncontrollably veer towards the unmanned area on the right.
Ultimately.
Boom!
Komamura Sajin could only watch helplessly as his Zanpakuto cut a trench more than ten meters long into the ground.
The sound of thunder erupted, shaking the ground violently and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Only after the slash ended did he react.
His sword techniques, honed for twenty years, were… easily countered!?
He swung again.
Boom!
Another trench appeared, this time to the left.
It was as if Tsugikuni Yoriichi could see his every move, and then, with the smallest adjustments, counter his slashes, redirecting their power elsewhere.
In combat, this was undoubtedly fatal!
Why?
Komamura Sajin was utterly baffled.
He felt as if his twenty years as a Shinigami had been wasted.
These sword techniques were taught to him by the Captain-Commander, and he had also incorporated some of his own understanding, making them broad and sweeping.
Normally, in a direct confrontation, with equal reishi, he would have a clear advantage because every strike was at full power.
But now…
Is this what a Captain is like?
Komamura Sajin secretly took a deep breath, feeling that he still had a long way to go.
After exchanging a few more blows and realizing his slashes were completely ineffective, he quickly retreated.
Bang! His footsteps stirred up countless reishi ripples from the ground, and some scattered leaves drifted far away with his movements.
Komamura Sajin raised his head, and with deep admiration, loudly declared:
"You are truly formidable, Tsugikuni-dono!"
"As expected of the Captain-Commander's disciple! I am very impressed."
"Since ordinary attacks are ineffective against you, I will now use my strongest attack."
"This will be my first time using it in front of others, so I hope you will keep this a secret."
After speaking, the reishi throughout his body surged rapidly, like an overflowing tide rushing skyward, and a low roar passed through his iron mask.
"Bankai!"
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!!"
With his low roar, a hundred-meter-tall figure slowly emerged from the void.
Boom! Boom!
The ground instantly collapsed by half a meter, and the colossal sound was like muffled thunder, making one's ears ring.
The figure wore black armor, like that of ancient samurai, emitting a cold gleam.
Its head and shoulders were covered and enveloped by the armor, revealing clear yellow eyes.
The helmet bore two sharp horns, its face was covered by a red cloth, and a giant rope was slung across its back.
Upon closer inspection, its movements synchronized with Komamura Sajin's.
When it fully appeared, countless dust clouds, carried by the howling wind, almost engulfed the entire sky.
Not far away, facing the rushing wind and sand, Yoriichi quietly observed Komamura Sajin's Bankai, quickly forming a rough assessment in his mind.
Direct attack type.
Power amplification type.
Swish!
Komamura Sajin could feel the reishi within him rapidly draining away. He violently swung his sword, and the giant samurai behind him also unleashed a slash.
That single slash carried world-destroying power, cleaving the nearby mountains in half with a tremendous sound, as if it were the wail of the earth!
Rumble!
Since Bankai could only last for thirty seconds, he said nothing and unhesitatingly swung his sword at Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
He did not advance, because beneath the giant's dozens-meter-long blade, everything in front of it would be impossible to escape its strike.
However, as mentioned before, this was a sparring match.
Therefore, if Tsugikuni Yoriichi were injured and unable to fight, he would immediately terminate his Bankai.
But as things stood, even with Bankai activated, he might still be the one to lose.
Thus, Komamura Sajin no longer hesitated.
Whoosh! A full-power slash, carrying immense force, seemed like a falling mountain, or a towering tsunami, instantly overwhelming Tsugikuni Yoriichi!
He had expected this strike to land smoothly.
Unexpectedly, at the very instant it was about to touch the ground, Komamura Sajin's right hand, holding the sword, suddenly felt an indescribable resistance.
It was like trying to cut a watermelon but hitting steel in the center, a sensation that vibrated through his hand.
No matter how much force he exerted, he could not lower the blade even an inch further.
Creak…
The bulging muscles caused veins to pop out on his forehead, and at the same time, an absurd thought surfaced in his mind.
This thought made Komamura Sajin's eyes widen abruptly, and he looked at Tsugikuni Yoriichi's location in disbelief.
As time passed, dust flew and scattered.
Visible to the naked eye, beneath that colossal blade...
Was Tsugikuni Yoriichi lightly raising his palm, his Zanpakuto pressing against the iron blade, effortlessly blocking the tens of meters long blade.
His posture was effortless, as if that mountain-cleaving strike was unable to even cut tofu in front of him.
—This is impossible!!
Under Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, his synchronized power with Bankai would expand a hundredfold!
An attack of this magnitude…
Blocked by a sword less than a meter long??
How is this any different from a nail clipper fighting a master swordsman?
And yet, the master swordsman was defeated by a nail clipper…
It truly overturned his worldview.
Honestly, if this hadn't actually happened before his eyes, no matter what anyone said, he wouldn't have believed it.
How could such a Shinigami exist in this world?
Doing the math.
His power, amplified a hundredfold, was actually no match for Tsugikuni Yoriichi's normal state?
Is this a Captain?
An indescribable emotion surged in Komamura Sajin's heart, as if he had seen the Captain-Commander himself.
The gap was too vast!
Taking a deep breath, the thirty seconds vanished in an instant.
Komamura Sajin felt as if the power within his body was being siphoned away, and the giant samurai behind him instantly dispersed like shattered paper scraps in the wind.
His muscles felt somewhat sore. He then let out a long breath, slowly returning his Zanpakuto to its sheath.
Whoosh!
Beneath his mask, his keen gaze became fixed. Komamura Sajin discarded all previous thoughts and slowly walked towards Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Only when he stood before him did he lower his head and say earnestly:
"I am truly sorry, this old man was impulsive just now."
"Captain Tsugikuni, this old man would like to ask, with your current strength, where do you rank in Seireitei?"
If he were defeated by a Shinigami second only to the Captain-Commander, his mood might be slightly better.
Because this wouldn't mean his strength was weak, only that his opponent was too strong.
In his opinion, this level of strength was already beyond that of an ordinary Captain.
He had seen ordinary Captains before; his direct superior, Aikawa Roujūrō, was among them.
The pressure he exerted was far less than that of Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
At least.
Komamura Sajin did not believe that Aikawa Roujūrō could directly withstand his Bankai in his normal state.
Yoriichi, uncharacteristically, pondered the question for a moment.
He thought for a bit, considering the Captain-Commander's evaluation of him, and said with some uncertainty:
"Top twenty?"
After speaking, he let out a breath, "I'm just stronger in terms of raw power."
"In terms of true strength, compared to my teacher, I am still far behind."
Yamamoto Genryusai had entered the first-class reishi realm over a thousand years ago. Even now, though his reishi could no longer improve, the gap between them was not something his current self could easily bridge.
Using Bankai.
At most, it would elevate his reishi to the same stage as Yamamoto Genryusai's normal state, but...
First-class reishi also had varying strengths.
For example.
Yamamoto's Shikai.
Yamamoto's Bankai.
The former was comparable to the Bankai of some Captains.
The latter.
Far surpassed it. According to Shinigami who had witnessed Yamamoto Genryusai's Bankai, the combined reishi of ten Captains' Bankai might not even surpass one Yamamoto Genryusai.
Of course… this was him in his prime. Now, being elderly, his reishi had slightly decreased.
But even at its lowest, it would not be less than five Captains.
Listening to Tsugikuni Yoriichi's explanation, Komamura Sajin increasingly felt that the road ahead was long.
He had thought that mastering Bankai meant he was a strong individual.
He never imagined he had just left the beginner's village.
Could he, like this, truly manage the Eleventh Division?
Komamura Sajin sighed, thinking he could only try.
Even if he couldn't, he absolutely could not disappoint the Captain-Commander's expectations!
About ten minutes after the two left Rukongai, not far away, a young boy, accompanied by a young man, slowly arrived at the battleground where the two had fought.
Ichimaru Gin felt the scattered reishi in the air. Although no emotional changes could be seen in his crescent-moon-like eyes.
However, through his difficultly rising and falling chest, one could sense his current state of labored breathing.
So heavy.
Ichimaru Gin remained expressionless, suppressing the overflow of emotions in his heart, and quietly surveyed his surroundings.
Whether it was the mountain split in the middle, or the hundred-meter-long trench formed by the sword pressure.
Without exception, they all spoke of the danger and intensity of this battle.
Ichimaru Gin subconsciously compared the power he possessed with what he saw.
He had yet to draw a conclusion.
Beside him, Aizen smiled and spoke:
"A truly spectacular battle."
"Gin, don't you think so?"
"…"
"Heh…" Ichimaru Gin displayed his usual smile, his fox-like eyes reflecting Aizen's slightly emotional expression.
He casually said:
"Perhaps, but give me some time, and I can surpass them too."
"Cutting a mountain in half is no big deal; my Shinsō can do it too."
"No." Aizen smiled and shook his head, "I wasn't referring to those things."
"Gin, you must have seen it, right? The moment Tsugikuni Yoriichi, using only pure strength, effortlessly blocked Komamura Sajin's Bankai."
"At that moment, what stage do you think his power was at?"
"Shinigami… or, transcending Shinigami?"
Upon hearing this, although Ichimaru Gin's expression remained unchanged, his brows furrowed inwardly.
He hesitated and said:
"When did you start taking an interest in muscle strength, Aizen?"
"If I recall correctly, within Seireitei, Shinigami with natural superhuman strength are not uncommon."
"The four heroes guarding Seireitei are all naturally endowed with great strength."
"That's right, but that's limited to specific body structures." Aizen glanced at him, his gaze falling into deep thought.
"Normally, muscle strength has no relation to a Shinigami's reishi. The intensity of muscle strength grows as a Shinigami's body grows."
"This situation is irreversible, so every Shinigami who wants to increase their strength can only do so through arduous training. However, the strength gained through training is limited by the Shinigami themselves and has an upper limit…"
"His strength, in my opinion, is the result of compression and exceeding the Shinigami's upper limit… This is a very strange phenomenon, so strange that it violates the very essence of a Shinigami…"
One must know that even Yamamoto Genryusai's muscle strength wasn't that strong; his power… no, the power of all Shinigami relies on reishi.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi, however, was the opposite…
The feeling he gave Aizen.
Was extremely similar to a Hollow.
The reason Hollows possess powerful physical abilities is also due to a long process of power compression.
From the initial, towering 120-meter Gillian, gradually shrinking to the 5-meter Adjuchas, and then the roughly 2-meter Vasto Lorde.
Their size decreased, but their power expanded by hundreds or even thousands of times.
Comparing the two, one could easily draw a conclusion.
Although this conclusion was rather absurd, it lingered in Aizen's mind.
—Tsugikuni Yoriichi is a Hollow, a Menos Grande of the Vasto Lorde level.
It's just that he possesses the appearance of a Shinigami, the reishi of a Shinigami, and the personality of a Shinigami.
This also explains why he possessed third- and second-class reishi at such a young age.
His sword techniques were at their peak…
In the Human World, could such sword techniques be honed in just a few decades?
Impossible. Humans are too weak, pitiful creatures who can't even see Hollows. Their limit of strength is at the Seat Officer level.
Yet, the sword techniques Tsugikuni Yoriichi mastered allowed him to contend with Yamamoto Genryusai, who had nearly two thousand years of combat experience…
Such a vast disparity truly makes one's imagination run wild.