BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

The two overwhelming forces clashed in an instant!

BOOM!

Zaraki Kenpachi's expression shifted as an unimaginable force surged toward him from the opposing side.

In the blink of an eye, blood erupted from his hand, his grip on the sword faltering as he staggered backward several steps.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each step he took cracked the earth beneath him, leaving deep craters in his wake.

"What monstrous strength…!" Zaraki's eyes gleamed with exhilaration. "I've never felt power like this before!"

Even Unohana Retsu, the only opponent who had ever pushed him to the brink of death, had relied more on sheer mastery of swordsmanship rather than raw physical strength. But this—this was different. The sheer force pressing against him was exhilarating in a way he had never experienced before.

"Hahahahaha! This is amazing! Let's go again!"

Releasing a terrifying burst of Reiatsu, Zaraki swung his sword down with reckless abandon.

"Kendō: Two Breaks!"

A strike carrying his full strength—the most devastating move in his arsenal. Unlike other Soul Reapers, Zaraki knew nothing of Shikai or Bankai. His power lay solely in his immense spiritual energy and brute-force swordplay.

BOOM!

Akira didn't hesitate. He met the attack head-on, his blade intercepting Zaraki's with another earth-shaking explosion. Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring the battlefield—yet in the next moment, Akira surged forward again.

Though his Zanpakutō's true name remained sealed, the sheer force of his spiritual power wrapped around his blade, turning every strike into something that surpassed its peak. Each swing was like a relentless artillery strike, hammering down on Zaraki Kenpachi without pause!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The rapid collision of blades created a deafening roar, the sheer force of their battle warping the very air. It didn't sound like a mere sword fight anymore—it was a battle between two monsters.

Even from a distance, Jūshirō Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui had to cover their ears. But their eyes remained fixed on the fight before them.

"Unbelievable… Zaraki Kenpachi is actually being overwhelmed!"

Kyōraku muttered in shock.

From the very first clash until now, Zaraki had been completely on the defensive. With every exchange, Akira's strikes were just a fraction stronger, forcing Zaraki to retreat step by step.

Blood dripped from Zaraki's hands, his fingers trembling from the sheer force of the impacts. His bones were nearing their breaking point.

"Your defeat is inevitable. Let's end this."

Akira inhaled deeply, shifting his stance for a final thrust.

For the first time in the fight, Zaraki Kenpachi's grin faded.

He wasn't laughing anymore—because at this moment, he had been completely convinced.

Just like Unohana Retsu in his past, Akira's ferocity was breathtakingly beautiful in Zaraki's eyes. And it was this very sensation—the pure, unfiltered thrill of battle—that made his blood boil!

"Fine then! Let's settle this in one final clash!"

Zaraki roared, his Reiatsu surging like a violent storm.

Throughout the Seireitei, he had always been known for his wild, relentless fighting style.

But Akira knew the truth.

At this stage, Zaraki Kenpachi's greatest strength wasn't his attack power at all. That would come later, when he could finally unleash his Zanpakutō's full potential.

Right now, his true strength lay in his unbreakable defense—his absurdly overwhelming spiritual power!

"OOOOOMMM—!"

Jūshirō Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes widened in disbelief as the sheer weight of Zaraki's Reiatsu pressed down on the battlefield, distorting the air itself.

Golden energy surged outward, condensing into the form of a massive, solid skull—a manifestation of his overwhelming spiritual pressure.

"His spiritual energy is so dense… it's physically materializing?!"

"This is my first time seeing this move!" Ukitake gasped.

This wasn't just defense—it was an attack in itself.

A spiritual fire so intense it could incinerate anything that came near, even techniques as devastating as Hadō #96: "Ittō Kasō".

The battlefield trembled.

What would happen next?

At that moment, the captains finally arrived one after another.

Leading the charge was Unohana Retsu.

"This is…"

Unohana's pupils narrowed sharply as she took in the scene before her.

As the former Kenpachi and Soul Society's most skilled swordsman, she instantly grasped the flow of battle at a glance.

"That man can actually push Zaraki Kenpachi this far?" she thought in surprise.

This completely overturned her previous assumptions.

Shing!

Boom!

Before Jūshirō Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui could speak, the two combatants—Akira and Zaraki Kenpachi—moved simultaneously!

In the blink of an eye, the Sword of Oath of Victory pierced straight toward Kenpachi's defenses!

"Guh…!"

Kenpachi let out a grunt as he was sent flying dozens of meters by the sheer force of the attack.

Despite cracks forming all over his materialized Reiatsu, it still held strong.

"No… it didn't pierce through!"

The gathered captains exclaimed in shock. Kenpachi, however, grinned wildly.

But before he could break into laughter, Akira's eyes sharpened.

Taking another step forward, he roared—

"AHHHHH!"

He poured every ounce of his spiritual power into the Sword of Oath of Victory. The golden brilliance condensed to its absolute limit—

And then—

It fired like a blinding laser cannon!

BOOM—!

At point-blank range, the erupting beam of light blasted straight through Kenpachi's materialized Reiatsu, piercing a massive hole in his abdomen!

"Cough…!"

Kenpachi froze. For a few seconds, he stood motionless before coughing up blood and collapsing heavily onto the ground.

"Quick! Fourth Division, with me!"

Unohana immediately rushed forward to administer treatment. But Akira remained unfazed, lowering his blade as if ready to strike again.

After all, he understood Kenpachi's monstrous vitality.

This kind of injury wouldn't kill him.

Rather, it wouldn't even take long for him to stand back up again.

"Congratulations, Captain Akira. It's your victory," Jūshirō Ukitake said in a solemn tone.

Kyōraku Shunsui, watching with a complicated expression, remained silent.

Mainly because—what was there to say?

In just two days since becoming a captain, Akira had already seriously injured two of his fellow captains.

What kind of troublemaker had they just let into the Gotei 13…?

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