Under the shadow of a towering tree.
"Oh my, he's been taken out. It seems a failure is a failure after all."
Gin Ichimaru squinted, his tone playful.
Sōsuke Aizen pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a faint glimmer of light. "He mastered Sonído, yet he couldn't even manage to force out more of the opponent's hidden techniques… truly disappointing."
"Maybe it's because Captain Soifon is just too strong?" Gin drawled.
Aizen didn't reply. Their figures seemed to melt into the shadows, quietly vanishing.
…
"Captain Soifon! I am truly sorry!"
Under a tree that was still somewhat intact, Rangiku Matsumoto's face was slightly flushed as she gave Soifon a ninety-degree bow of apology.
As everyone knows, showing one's cleavage while apologizing is the ultimate expression of sincerity.
She was beginning to regret getting so carried away, actually performing such a transgressive act just because her revenge had been successful. If she had actually smothered Captain Soifon to death just now, she probably would have had to take her own life in atonement.
"Forget it. Just be careful next time."
Soifon waved her hand helplessly, a trace of a milky scent still lingering at the tip of her nose. She wasn't the type to complain after getting the better end of a deal.
"By the way, Rangiku, did you record the characteristics of that Adjuchas just now?"
Actually, Soifon regretted it slightly. Perhaps she shouldn't have used the power of Death in Two Steps to finish the opponent; would capturing it alive with Bakudō have been better?
If she had just tossed it to that scientific madman, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, he certainly would have been able to pry its mouth open.
"I recorded it." Rangiku Matsumoto pulled a notebook from her chest. "The form, abilities, and the broken mask Captain Soifon mentioned—it's all in there."
After a quick flip through, seeing no discrepancies with the Adjuchas from earlier, Soifon nodded. "Good. Let's head back and report."
Just as she was about to hand the notebook back to Rangiku Matsumoto, Soifon's movements suddenly froze.
She whipped her head around, her gaze piercing toward a certain direction deep within the withered forest.
A powerful, savage, and completely unmasked spiritual pressure was rapidly approaching their position at an incredible speed!
Boom—
Distant trees continuously collapsed, and the rising dust gradually obscured their vision. They could only rely on their spiritual senses to perceive the opponent's position.
"This is… there's another one?!"
Rangiku Matsumoto sensed it too. Her face turned pale, and she instinctively gripped her Asauchi.
"No, it's not a Hollow's Reiatsu." Soifon shook her head, drawing her Zanpakutō as well. "It's a Shinigami's Reiatsu."
The words had barely left her mouth.
The stands of withered trees in front of them were crudely severed, and two figures appeared in their sight.
One was a tall, burly man with long, unkempt black hair wearing simple hemp clothes. Sitting on his broad shoulders was a little girl with pink hair.
It turned out to be the current Zaraki Kenpachi and Yachiru Kusajishi.
No, the current Zaraki hadn't killed that guy Kiganjō yet, so he hadn't obtained the name 'Kenpachi.'
Soifon's brow twitched slightly. She hid her hand behind her back and gave Rangiku Matsumoto a signal to retreat.
Even if he wasn't an Adjuchas, this man's danger level was far higher than one.
"Didn't I say this direction was correct? Little Ken."
Sitting on Zaraki's shoulder, Yachiru Kusajishi's voice was crisp and clear.
"Shut up, Yachiru! Weren't you the one who took the wrong path and led us in circles several times before?"
The man called Zaraki irritably picked his ear.
"Captain Soifon, please be careful of this man." Rangiku Matsumoto felt as if she were facing a great enemy, leaning in to whisper in Soifon's ear. "Holding a Zanpakutō without wearing a Shihakushō—he is extremely suspicious."
Zaraki Kenpachi overheard their whispering. Seeing Rangiku Matsumoto address Soifon as 'Captain,' his battle-hungry eyes shifted toward the short woman before him.
"The commotion just now—was that you two?"
"Was that guy already cut down by you?"
Zaraki Kenpachi grinned, unable to hide the fighting spirit in his voice.
"That Hollow has already been dealt with by me," Soifon said, her voice calm. "If you came for that, you may leave."
"Dealt with? Ha!" Zaraki Kenpachi acted as if he had heard something hilarious. His Reiatsu was so intense it caused the surrounding air to distort. "Anyway, it's been killed by you, right?"
Step, step.
Zaraki's straw sandals stepped on the dirt as he gradually approached the two of them. Even without deliberately targeting anyone with his Reiatsu, the powerful pressure made Rangiku Matsumoto almost unable to keep her footing.
Clang—
Just before Rangiku Matsumoto's Zanpakutō could leave its sheath, Soifon's hand firmly pressed down on the hilt.
The cold, gleaming blade was pulled halfway from the scabbard but could not move an inch further.
She looked at Soifon in confusion, only to see the latter shaking her head slightly with a grave expression.
"Hey, you—the one who can't even pull her sword."
"Keep an eye on Yachiru for me."
Zaraki walked up and stood before them, picking up Yachiru Kusajishi from his shoulder and handing her to Rangiku Matsumoto.
Eh?
Though her expression was bewildered, Rangiku Matsumoto still instinctively took the adorable Yachiru Kusajishi into her arms, holding her comfortably.
Perhaps the maternal instinct hidden in one's heart is proportional to one's figure?
Receiving Soifon's hand signal, Rangiku Matsumoto carried the little pink-haired girl and moved far away.
With no more concerns, the violent golden Reiatsu on Zaraki's body was released without reservation. A physical shockwave crushed all the surrounding trees and weeds.
"What terrifying spiritual pressure…"
Rangiku Matsumoto hugged Yachiru Kusajishi and jumped onto a distant large tree.
Zaraki unwrapped the cloth strips around his blade, revealing a Zanpakutō full of notches.
If I get hit once by that…
Soifon felt a chill just looking at it.
"Do we really have to fight?"
Soifon tried to confirm one last time, unwilling to give up on a peaceful resolution.
"Hah—?" Zaraki swung his sword, sending a shockwave of blade pressure toward Soifon. "Do you have any idea how much trouble it is for me to wrap these bandages!"
Tch.
What a clumsy excuse. You clearly unwrapped them yourself without even asking...
Soifon drew her blade and cut through the shockwave. The chaotic winds blew weeds and broken branches into the air.
He was gone!
Her pupils shrank. She realized the spot where Zaraki had been standing was already empty.
He's above!
A warning stemmed from her physical instincts. Without thinking, Soifon raised her hand and held her sword horizontally to parry.
Clang—
The two Zanpakutō collided, erupting in a shower of sparks.
Soifon's arm suddenly felt heavy, and the ground beneath her feet instantly cracked. She didn't even have time to think; her body instinctively retreated rapidly.
However, Zaraki's offensive was like a torrential storm, without the slightest gap.
Like a beast, it was chaotic yet violent and ferocious, giving the prey no chance to breathe.
Soifon's eyes were fixed on that notched Zanpakutō. Thinking? Analyzing?
—There was simply no such luxury.
Every dodge and parry happened in the blink of an eye, relying entirely on physical instinct to fight.
(Is this that… Combat Instinct?)
It was as if her body could judge the trajectory and power of the attacks on its own, as well as the most effective way to respond.
With their clash as the center, terrifying wind pressure continuously expanded outward in a ring. The two high-speed figures, constantly colliding and separating, made it impossible to see their specific movements.
Rangiku Matsumoto had to jump back again while holding Yachiru Kusajishi, only managing to stand firm after retreating over a hundred meters.
(Damned stat monster!)
Every time she crossed blades with him, the massive force transmitted through the Zanpakutō made Soifon's palms go numb.
With her consummate Shunpo, Soifon was able to maneuver around Zaraki, yet she remained consistently at a disadvantage.
You couldn't blame Soifon for being too weak; it was just bad luck to run into a 'max-level' Zaraki Kenpachi on her first mission out.
If her strength hadn't been boosted several times, Soifon would have been dead by the time he made his first testing strike.
The current man wasn't wearing his self-sealing eyepatch yet; he could only rely on his feeling to suppress his own strength and fight his opponent.
Clearly, he hadn't encountered a decent opponent in a long time, so it was inevitable that his hand would slip and he'd use the wrong amount of force.
_____
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