"Are you the one who fought the Captain last time?" Ikkaku realized.
From a distance, seeing Zaraki talking to Toshiro, Ikkaku had initially thought Toshiro was just an acquaintance.
"Correct."
Toshiro glanced at Ikkaku, wondering if he had already mastered Bankai at this point.
"Hey, Baldy, let's move farther away. Don't disturb Ken-chan's fight," Yachiru said.
"Damn it, how many times have I told you not to call me Baldy!"
With that, Ikkaku and the other members moved to a distance, clearing the area for the two to fight.
"Then, come on, Hitsugaya Toshiro!" Zaraki said.
Clang!
Toshiro drew his Zanpakuto and pointed it at Kenpachi. "Go all out! Zaraki Kenpachi. Otherwise, this time, you won't even have a chance to fight back."
"Tch! What a cocky brat." As he spoke, Zaraki tore off his eyepatch.
Boom!
Ferocious Reiatsu erupted unabashedly.
"Bankai! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"
Toshiro also pointed his sword skyward, unleashing his Bankai for the first time without hesitation.
Boom!
A pillar of blue Reiatsu shot into the sky.
Dark clouds gathered, shrouding the entire Seireitei.
Rumble!
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky.
The spectacle was far more immense than during Shikai.
After Bankai, the [Weather Subjugation] ability was greatly enhanced. Toshiro could feel the entire sky under his dominion.
[Weather Subjugation], Hyorinmaru's most basic yet also most potent ability, finally began to exhibit its true power after Bankai.
Simultaneously, Toshiro's appearance underwent a dramatic transformation.
His right arm holding the sword became covered in ice crystals, resembling a dragon. A pair of massive frost wings spread from his back, almost enveloping his entire body.
Then, three sets of twelve-petaled crimson ice lotus flowers appeared behind him.
He looked utterly divine and majestic.
Toshiro frowned, glancing back at the lotus petals.
He could sense that his Bankai was still incomplete.
Hyorinmaru's power was too immense. The fully realized Bankai was probably something he could only master after reaching the transcendent Captain-class level.
…
1st Division.
"To think Hitsugaya Toshiro mastered Bankai in just one day. Is he going to fight Zaraki Kenpachi again?" Yamamoto murmured, looking up.
4th Division.
"Ara ara, it's already started?" Unohana showed a subtle smile.
8th Division.
"Yare yare, already Bankai? So fast. At this rate, he'll surpass me in less than a hundred years, won't he?"
With that, Kyoraku drank another cup of sake.
Other Captains and members of the Gotei 13 also couldn't help but look towards the 11th Division's direction.
A Captain releasing their full Reiatsu could be sensed by everyone in the Seireitei even without trying.
…
11th Division, Training Grounds.
After Bankai, countless chilling gusts of cold air emanated from Toshiro, enveloping the entire training ground.
Zaraki, standing within, immediately felt a bone-piercing chill. His entire body began to stiffen and grow numb.
This hadn't happened during their last battle.
Last time, although Toshiro's ice was formidable, as long as he wasn't directly hit, it couldn't affect Zaraki at all.
This time, merely the pervasive cold air made him feel as if his body was freezing solid.
"Zaraki Kenpachi, take this!"
Toshiro's ice wings flapped, and his figure instantly vanished.
'So fast! I didn't see how he disappeared at all!' Zaraki thought, astonished.
Suddenly, Zaraki sensed a deadly threat from behind. He immediately turned and swung his sword.
Clang!
Zaraki blocked Toshiro's sword thrust from behind.
In that critical moment, Zaraki's combat style, relying on beast-like intuition, saved him.
But blocking hastily meant insufficient power. Zaraki was forced back several steps.
Toshiro's ice wings flapped again, and he vanished once more.
'It's from the left!'
Zaraki's beast-like intuition again predicted Toshiro's attack direction.
Zaraki immediately slashed to the left.
Schlick!
Blood spurted from Zaraki's chest.
"How?! Your speed is fast, but I predicted your attack. Why didn't I block it? Did your attack speed increase again?" Zaraki asked, puzzled.
"It's not that I got faster. You got slower," Toshiro explained.
"I see. It's because of the cold air permeating the area," Zaraki suddenly understood.
"Correct. This cold air is formed from my power. It can freeze everything, including an opponent's Reiatsu. Of course, a Captain's Reiatsu is too strong to be frozen directly, but it can stiffen their body, slow their movements, and hinder spiritual energy flow," Toshiro explained.
While this pervasive, bone-chilling cold air couldn't severely injure a captain-level expert, it could continuously weaken them, creating a home-field advantage for Toshiro.
"Hmph!"
Zaraki snorted, wanting to use Shunpo to close in on Toshiro, but Toshiro easily evaded.
In terms of speed, Zaraki was now completely outmatched by Toshiro.
Seeing this, Zaraki stopped trying to match speed. Instead, he gathered Reiatsu and slashed out a golden Kenatsu towards Toshiro.
In response, Toshiro raised his hand and sent a blue slashing attack to meet Zaraki's.
Boom!
The two Kenatsu clashed for a moment before canceling each other out.
This time, in a direct Reiatsu confrontation, Toshiro was no longer inferior to Zaraki.
Although Zaraki's Reiatsu was still at the late captain-class, one minor level higher than Toshiro's, Toshiro's Reiatsu density surpassed Zaraki's.
Now, Toshiro wasn't the least bit intimidated by Zaraki in a contest of Reiatsu.