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Chapter 154 - The Process Was All Wrong, But the Result Was Perfect

"How truly rare."

The mountain of flesh let out a muffled sound, rumbling like thunder and causing the air to vibrate.

"To think that pampered, useless Soul Reapers would actually dare to show their faces in the Zaraki District."

"Looking at you, it seems you're a Captain?"

Soifon stared at the massive dark silhouette before her in shock. As a member of Squad Two and the Onmitsukidō, she frequently dealt with Soul Reapers of various ranks.

Therefore, she could tell at a glance that this mountain of flesh possessed a Reiatsu comparable to some Captain-class Soul Reapers.

She never expected such a powerful existence to be hiding in the Rukongai!

"You could say that," Naraku Sora replied, sizing up the mountain of flesh and nodding in acknowledgment.

The personnel of Shino Prison were no fewer than any of the Gotei 13 squads, so calling him a Captain wasn't an exaggeration.

Hearing this, the mountain of flesh immediately grew interested. He grinned, revealing a sinister, beast-like smile.

"I've seen and beaten up regular squad members and seated officers alike."

"But a Captain is a first for me. Besides, I've heard that the Gotei 13 has a Squad Eleven. As long as you kill the Captain of that squad, you can take his place and become a high and mighty existence."

"Brat, how do you compare to the Captain of Squad Eleven?"

Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow. "If you're referring to the previous Captain, I suppose he was a bit weaker than me."

As soon as those words fell, a ferocious smile spread across Kiganjō's dark, rugged face.

"In that case, I can put my mind at ease!"

"As long as I defeat you, I can also become a Captain and stand above all those Soul Reapers."

"Brat, enough nonsense. Remember my name—"

"The invincible Kiganjō!"

The moment his voice dropped, Kiganjō's muscles bulged. Radiating intense heat like a furnace, his thick feet crushed the ground, letting out a violent roar.

He charged forward!

Boom!

It was as if a cannonball had struck. Countless clods of dirt flew into the air instantly, the earth seemingly wailing in agony.

The tyrannical aura rushing at them caused Soifon's pupils to shrink. She subconsciously unleashed all of her Reiatsu, like a frightened cat puffing up its fur and hissing.

A fist the size of a human head was suddenly raised. The dark shadow rapidly expanded before their eyes. Before the attack even landed, the wind from the punch arrived, its piercing howl deafening.

"Lord Naraku!" Soifon cried out in alarm, drawing her blade in a backhand grip, ready to rescue him.

Although she frequently expressed her disdain for him verbally, she didn't actually hate Naraku Sora from the bottom of her heart. At most, she was a bit annoyed that this guy had stolen her Lady Yoruichi.

But for Soifon to just watch Naraku Sora get beaten to death was absolutely impossible.

However, her reaction was still a step too late.

Compared to a Captain-class Soul Reaper, even if he wasn't the speed type, he was still beyond what Soifon could react to.

Following the explosive boom, a pained grunt rang out.

But that sound didn't come from Naraku Sora.

Instead, it came from... Kiganjō?

Right there, the massive behemoth, wrapped in Reiatsu and resembling a mountain of flesh, let out a miserable roar, as if experiencing some indescribable agony.

Beneath that head-sized fist, a starkly contrasting, slender hand held it firmly in place, standing as unyielding as a mountain peak rising from the earth.

It didn't budge an inch!

"..."

Unconcealable astonishment surfaced on Kiganjō's pained face. He staggered backward in disbelief, unable to comprehend that his full-strength strike had absolutely no effect.

Even with Reiatsu defense, those slender arm bones should have shattered and snapped. How could there be no change at all?

Was this guy really a Soul Reaper?

"Both your Reiatsu level and physical strength meet the standard." Naraku Sora looked up, meeting his gaze.

"But for some reason, I really don't like the idea of someone like you taking over that position."

"Besides, if a certain someone found out, they'd probably laugh at me for the rest of my life, saying I was blind and all brawn with no brains."

Looking at the calm, rippleless eyes of the youth before him, Kiganjō felt a strong sense of unease well up in his heart for some unknown reason.

However, this emotion only made him show a look of anger. He reached back and drew the Zanpakutō that had been hanging at his waist.

A standard-issue Asauchi looked like a child's plastic toy in the hands of a hulking giant like him, giving off a stiff, awkward feeling.

"Crush them, Goshin!"

Amidst his roar, the earth suddenly trembled. A surging wave of Reiatsu erupted with Kiganjō at the center, and the loose dirt instantly hardened like steel under his stomp.

Within the heavy light, the slender Zanpakutō continuously elongated, rapidly becoming thick and sturdy.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an incomparably massive black war hammer.

The head of the hammer was covered in twisted, ferocious relief faces, as if imprisoning the souls of countless defeated foes.

The handle was thick and long, with a pitch-black chain at the end to prevent it from slipping out of his grasp.

With just a casual swing, it stirred up violent ripples in the air, summoning a hurricane from the ground.

Based on appearance alone, it was quite intimidating.

It was just unknown how it would actually perform.

The heavy hammer was hoisted high. Accompanied by Kiganjō's cruel smile, it smashed forward without any warning.

To dare be so arrogant in the face of a powerful existence like him, not even bothering to draw a Zanpakutō—this brat was completely looking down on him.

Since that was the case, then go to hell!

A violent hurricane howled, the atmosphere tearing apart beneath the heavy hammer. The ground trembled violently, caving inward while splitting into a web of cracks.

The destruction spread all the way to the end of the street.

Boom!

Airwaves erupted. The impact of the Goshin war hammer stirred up a massive shockwave, exploding outward with a deafening roar.

An all-out strike capable of shaking mountains. A light called confidence flickered in Kiganjō's eyes, as if he could already see that damn Soul Reaper turned into a pile of mashed meat.

Since his debut, he had experienced countless battles, but no one had ever been able to withstand a single blow from Goshin.

Speaking of which, he had actually snatched this Zanpakutō from some unlucky bastard.

After tearing off that Soul Reaper's head, the Zanpakutō became ownerless. After injecting his own Reiatsu and soul into it, it gained a new name—

Goshin.

By concentrating the power of earthquakes entirely into the war hammer, and then unleashing it all through his sturdy flesh and immense strength.

Even if a Soul Reaper Captain came, taking this strike head-on would turn them into minced meat!

When the dust settled, Kiganjō's expression suddenly froze. His eyes widened perfectly round, and his rugged face was filled with utter disbelief.

Beneath the heavy hammer, a fair, clean hand was still raised.

Like an insurmountable chasm, it completely blocked the entirety of the impact.

The only difference from before was that golden arcs of electricity were leaping across Naraku Sora's body, continuously distorting the surrounding atmosphere.

"How..."

Kiganjō muttered to himself, his entire expression turning dazed. His body trembled, unable to believe what was happening right before his eyes.

The sheer disparity was enough to breed despair.

Looking at the horrified mountain of flesh before him, Naraku Sora shook his head in disappointment.

"Even if you forcefully plunder someone else's Zanpakutō and convert it into your own, you still cannot understand the true essence hidden within it."

"When I touched 'it', I only felt an intense sorrow."

"Following a master like you who only knows how to slaughter, the Zanpakutō itself must be quite desperate, right?"

As his words fell, under Kiganjō's horrified gaze, the fingers of the hand pressing against the Goshin war hammer curled slightly.

Crunch—

The sound of metal twisting and deforming rang out continuously. Clear fingerprints were left on the solid heavy hammer, and it continued to crack along with his movements.

Countless fissures appeared.

On his arm, muscles shifted, and a scorching torrent converged upon it, erupting with a terrifying power that made one's heart palpitate.

Then, a deafening roar suddenly exploded.

The high-pitched screech almost tore through everyone's eardrums. Even the wandering samurai of the Zaraki District who were watching from afar couldn't help but retreat.

Even through thick Reiatsu defenses, the piercing sound still stabbed into their brains.

"Kiganjō, do you know what the greatest perk of being the Prison Warden is?"

Naraku Sora crushed the opponent's Zanpakutō with his bare hands, then looked up and asked with a smile.

Kiganjō was bluffed by this sudden shift, unable to react for a moment.

Without waiting for his answer, Naraku Sora grinned.

"It's the authority to execute first and report later!"

An intense sense of crisis erupted in his heart. Ignoring his shattered Zanpakutō, Kiganjō shifted his feet back, already harboring thoughts of escape.

After that brief exchange just now, he deeply realized the gap between them. There was simply no possibility of overcoming it.

He didn't have any warrior's pride. At the juncture of life and death, keeping his little life was the most important thing. At worst, he would just kill a few more Soul Reapers later and snatch another Zanpakutō.

However, just as this thought arose in his mind.

A scorching heat arrived right in front of him.

Without any buildup, the flames of Reiatsu followed Naraku Sora's movements, and an indescribably massive power condensed entirely on his knuckles.

Ikkotsu!

Terror surfaced on Kiganjō's face. He frantically mobilized his Reiatsu, trying to get away from this terrifying guy in front of him.

However, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, completely unable to move an inch.

Immediately after, the earth trembled. A cruel sound drilled into flesh and blood, echoing between bones, violently ravaging every inch of muscle tissue.

A hurricane swept up, howling as it arrived!

Countless specks of dust flew up in rustling waves, and the ground rippled like water.

An impassioned roar struck suddenly. The mountain-like body plowed a wide trench through the dusty earth, crashing fiercely into the buildings at the end of the street.

The chaotic noises ended there, completely cut off.

Just as Soifon was shocked by Naraku Sora's overwhelming display of power, he suddenly paused, frowned, and looked in the opposite direction.

Perhaps attracted by the Reiatsu from their battle, or perhaps just passing by.

Another tyrannical and aggressive Reiatsu approached.

Compared to Kiganjō just now, it was even stronger and more terrifying. Even from a great distance, it gave the illusion of directly facing a sharp blade.

Soifon also noticed the anomaly. She held her blade in a reverse grip, staring warily into the distance.

The wandering samurai who had been watching the battle seemed to realize something as well. Their faces filled with terror, as if recalling something horrifying.

They subconsciously backed away, yet were unable to move half a step due to the violent trembling of their bodies.

This was the manifestation of being pushed to the absolute limit of fear.

To think that even fearless wandering samurai like them would display such a cowardly posture.

Soon, a tall, straight figure appeared in their line of sight.

It was a man with a ferocious face, resembling an evil demon. He was unkempt, his black hair hanging messily down his back in clustered spikes.

The most eye-catching feature was the scar running through his left eye, stretching all the way from above his eye socket down to his chin. It was hard to imagine just how powerful an enemy must have been to leave such a terrifying wound on him.

On his shoulder lay a pink-haired little girl, forming a stark contrast with the beast-like man.

There was no one else in his eyes. His aggressive gaze was fixed dead on Naraku Sora, as if looking at some peerless treasure.

A long time passed.

The man's mouth split open, his stark white teeth particularly striking under the sunlight. What followed was a suppressed, low laughter. A hint of madness seeped through his ferocious face, making his expression even more savage.

A surging will to fight burned wildly.

Upon seeing this scruffy man, Naraku Sora grinned.

He had finally found him!

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