"An interesting power? One that'll make me go all out?"
Hearing those words, Kenpachi lit up, bloodlust curling his lips as he hefted his ragged blade.
"Fine by me. But listen up—I won't hold back. If you die, that's on you."
"Relax."
Cole's mouth quirked. His right hand drifted toward his face.
"You should worry about not dying to me."
Hollow power was too dark—like the world's malice condensed.
Which made sense: hollow power was the ugliest part of the human heart, the thing that drags you down if you let it.
To master it is to wrestle your own evil.
Shinji and the others had all fought the hollows born from within themselves and only gained their masks after winning.
Ichigo, though, was different—White, the hollow, was a true Menos fused into him while Masaki carried him.
"So… what level will my hollow be? Don't tell me it'll be a trash Gillian."
Cole thought to himself, swinging his golden staff as black-crimson reiryoku licked off it like smoke.
"Hahahahaha…!"
Kenpachi strode in roaring, his broken zanpakuto howling through the air.
"Cole—fight me to the fullest!"
Golden reiryoku erupted from Kenpachi and shaped itself into a howling beast overhead.
Cole didn't flinch; a deeper, heavier blue reiryoku surged from him, coalescing into a raging ape that bellowed back as the two auras collided.
The clash in midair was catastrophic.
The training yard Cole had protected a moment ago shattered in an instant; stone and brick exploded outward as pressure turned into stormwind.
Thankfully, everyone watching was strong enough not to be blown away, though their faces tightened.
"Captain Kenpachi looks even stronger than last time… and he's using both hands," Rukia gasped.
In her mind he always fought one-handed.
Soi Fong sniffed. "That's because that jerk Cole is pushing him. After all, that's the strongest physical-type zanpakuto."
Heads nodded all around.
The strongest physical-type zanpakuto—acknowledged by the Head Captain himself.
As terrifying in weight and suppression as Ryūjin Jakka's flames; a weapon that could shake the heavens.
And, the Head Captain had said, Cole's zanpakuto hadn't even reached its limit—
at its peak, one strike might rattle all Soul Society.
"Hah!"
Kenpachi thundered forward, both hands on the blade, cleaving straight for Cole's skull.
Cole casually lifted the golden staff to meet him.
Clang!
Metal shrieked.
Cole's feet sank a hair. Kenpachi staggered back several steps under the rebound.
"Too light…" Cole murmured.
Kenpachi's reiryoku was monstrous, but his swordcraft couldn't yet draw all of it out—
his pure killing instinct hadn't fully awakened.
This was a man who'd beaten Unohana centuries ago; fully awakened, he wouldn't be only this strong.
But right now, he still wasn't Cole's match…
"Looks like you can't force out the fun move," Cole sighed. "Captain Kenpachi, go fight Ichigo. Temper yourselves together."
Kenpachi's current level wasn't far from Ichigo's.
Let those two cheat-code monsters grind each other; their "plugins" would kick in nicely.
If he kept fighting Kenpachi himself and slipped even once into the malice pulling at him…
they'd be marking Kenpachi's death anniversary next year.
Kenpachi snarled at that, reiatsu spiking higher in a blink.
Just then, more people arrived: Shunsui, Byakuya, and Unohana—three Captains—
plus Orihime, Chad, Ishida, and Kūkaku.
They stared, awed, at the battle.
Shunsui cupped his hands and shouted, face dark, "Captain Kenpachi! Harder! Teach that brat a lesson!"
Squad 8 had been chewed up three times in half a month.
Especially the last time—not even a floor tile left.
The squad members refused to rebuild; they'd rather sleep outdoors until the disaster named "Cole" left.
So Shunsui had spent half a day himself reconstructing the captain's office brick by brick.
Just remembering it made his fists itch.
Byakuya snorted, about to speak when his face went pale and he clutched his chest—
Gin's stab still hadn't fully healed.
Rukia hurried over. "Brother, should we have Orihime treat you?"
Byakuya's lip twitched. Through gritted teeth, cold as ice:
"That would be Cole's… girlfriend?"
"Not exactly," Rukia said weakly. "They're just… close…"
Byakuya suddenly wanted to kill someone.
That human brat dared string along two women—no, three, counting Unohana.
How could his sister be involved with such a philanderer?
He shot Unohana a frosty glance.
She smiled back, eyes crescent. "Captain Byakuya, is there something you'd like to say?"
Byakuya opened his mouth. Staring at her gentle face, he thought better of it.
"…Nothing."
Unohana nodded, still smiling, then turned to the field. Her voice was soft.
"Who'd have thought Cole enjoys fighting so much? He always dodges when I invite him to spar."
That gentle tone made everyone shiver.
For some reason… Unohana seemed very, very angry.
Steel rang on steel again and again—until Cole exhaled, shifted to a two-handed grip, and swung once.
Boom!!!
Kenpachi flew like a baseball off a bat.
Shunsui braced him with a palm and sank his own feet to stop the human rocket.
"Cole!!!"
Kenpachi roared, trying to charge again.
Cole, bored, waved him off. "Captain Kenpachi, I'm not interested in playing healer. Go test yourself on Ichigo first."
The more he exchanged blows with Kenpachi, the closer the man's old killing instinct returned—
but this would take too long.
Months, probably. Cole had better things to do in Soul Society.
Like the promise he'd made to Orihime—to reunite her with her brother.
At that moment Unohana smiled. "Since Captain Kenpachi failed to satisfy you, how about a little spar with me?"
Cole blinked and shook his head immediately. "Nope."
He'd rather not test hollowfication than fight Unohana.
Beat her—no benefit.
Lose—also no benefit.
Why fight, then?
A cross-shaped vein popped on Unohana's brow. She drew her blade, eyes narrowing as she walked toward Cole.
"Does fighting me displease you that much?"
"Not exactly…" Cole coughed twice. "There's another kind of… uh… 'sparring' I quite enjoy."
A razor-keen arc of sword light split the training field in two.
Unohana sheathed in one smooth motion. "Cole, it seems I've been too gentle with you lately. I've spoiled you."
Blood wet her pale hand as she ran it along the blade.
"Bankai!"
"Minazuki (All Things End)!"
In an instant, the vast training ground drowned in crimson. Stone became a lake of blood; heaven and earth turned red.
Outside, everyone stared at the scarlet world, bewildered.
"So that's Captain Unohana's Bankai? It looks terrifying—doesn't match her face at all."
Curious, Ichigo stepped forward—then jerked Zangetsu up.
Clang!
He caught Kenpachi's sudden strike.
"What the hell, Kenpachi!?" Ichigo snapped.
"Cole ran off," Kenpachi's eyes gleamed. "But fighting you is good too. Let's go!"
"Nope!"
Ichigo dashed straight into the blood-red space.
On the blood-slick surface, Cole traded with Unohana, then waved cheerfully at the newcomer.
"Ichigo, need a hand?"
Ichigo froze. After grasping what Minazuki did—and after one look at the savage exchange between them—
cold sweat poured down his temples.
After exactly one second of thought, he backed out of the scarlet.
"Kenpachi—let's fight!"
Kenpachi blinked at the sudden enthusiasm. He didn't get it, but he strode into the red space himself—
—and came back out seconds later, sporting one staff welt and one sword cut, blood dribbling from his mouth.
He raised his blade toward Ichigo. "Come on, Ichigo!"
Ichigo deadpanned. "Shouldn't you stay and fight them?"
Kenpachi's mouth twitched. "I stepped in and they hit me once each. I didn't even get to swing back."
He loved battle, not suicide.
If those two monsters really got serious, one staff and one slash would end him.
No fun in that.
Fighting Ichigo, though—that would be even ground. True battle.
They crashed together, blades snarling like beasts with no technique—pure killing instinct.
"Two foolish beasts," Byakuya sniffed. "No understanding of technique. They shame the Seireitei."
Shunsui could only sigh.
It did look like street punks brawling.
Cole's voice drifted from the scarlet: "Got room to talk, Byakuya? If your sweet sister didn't bail you out last time, you'd have died eight hundred times over."
Byakuya's face went black. He stepped into the red space.
The other Captains followed.
…And then came back out seconds later, sweating.
"Back, back…"
Shunsui retreated in a hurry—not because he didn't want to watch, but because if those two got riled and dragged him in,
his old bones would be wrung dry—tons of blood before Minazuki let him go.
Inside Minazuki's blood-pool realm, Cole's golden staff howled, pounding the crimson world so fiercely that he actually pressed Unohana back.
Cole grinned. "Flower-sister, put your back into it. Where's your kendo? Can't even scratch me?"
Unohana's jaw tightened. "This is a duel of kendo, Cole. Leaning on your zanpakuto's ability proves nothing."
In kendo she far surpassed him—
but his zanpakuto had grown even heavier; each clash rattled her arms numb.
Hands like that couldn't display true swordcraft.
Cole smirked. "Okay then—call me 'darling,' and I'll turn off my Nyoi-bō (As-You-Wish Staff) / Chinkai Shinshin (Sea-Calming Pin) field."
Under the Nyoi-bō's "Chinkai Shinshin (Sea-Calming Pin)" effect, a kilometer around them lay under multiplied gravity—
his own strength magnified tenfold while the opponent was crushed.
Advantage gained, advantage denied; the two had reached a razor's edge of parity.
Even someone who'd lived a thousand years flushed at that.
"You wicked child. Don't get cocky. Don't forget Minazuki's power—within this space, you must also be wounded to live."
Cole's eyelid twitched. He gritted his teeth and rammed the golden staff into his own side.
"—Tch!"
Pain lanced his brain; he was pretty sure he'd just snapped at least three ribs.
Still, he endured it and arched a brow at Unohana, smug.
No way she'd hold it together after that.
She wanted a sword duel.
If it was just mindless slaughter, why not pick a fight with Genryusai instead?
After a few seconds' hesitation, color touched Unohana's cheeks. In the faintest voice, she said:
"…Darling."
(End of Chapter)
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