"That damn brat...!"
Madarame Ikkaku gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, barely suppressing the urge to run his spear through that pink-haired brat.
But he had no choice. For one, despite her appearance, she was his lieutenant, and she had the Captain's protection. Secondly, when it came to strength, he stood no chance against her unless he released his Bankai.
Even then, winning wasn't a guarantee.
"Squad 11 Captain, Zaraki Kenpachi, right?"
Asakura Yoh focused his Furyoku, letting it flow through his vessels. Blut Arterie immediately surged across his body. This was the first time since arriving in the Soul Society that he felt the need to be this cautious.
But the man before him made it necessary.
"A fine look in your eyes." Zaraki Kenpachi grinned, his body erupting with a golden Reiatsu so dense it felt physical. The sheer pressure was immense enough to be felt by every Soul Reaper within the Seireitei.
He drew the Zanpakuto from his waist—a blade so chipped and battered it looked less like a weapon and more like a thousand-year-old relic.
"Captain! I haven't lost yet—Gah-urgh!"
Before Ikkaku could finish, he took a rocket headbutt to the gut from his own lieutenant. He collapsed to his knees, his face turning pale as he clutched his stomach.
"Stop bothering Ken-chan, Baldy! He hasn't had this much fun in forever!"
Little Kusajishi Yachiru stood before Ikkaku and shouted without a hint of mercy.
"I'm going to kill you one day, you little brat..."
As Ikkaku finished his threat and looked up to glare at Yachiru, a glob of spit landed right on his shiny head. He froze, his expression turning blank.
"Heh... Hehehe... Ban..."
Driven nearly insane with rage, Ikkaku was on the verge of revealing his trump card right then and there. Luckily, Ayasegawa Yumichika covered his mouth and dragged him away as he struggled.
"Mmph—! Hmph-argh—!!"
"Alright, alright, calm down, Ikkaku."
Ikkaku's head was practically steaming. He was dragged away like a mad bull being led by the nose.
"What's your name?"
Yachiru asked Yoh in an adorable voice. She was so polite it was as if she hadn't just headbutted someone and spat on their head.
"Asakura Yoh."
Normally, Yoh would have been amused by Yachiru's antics. However, he had completely entered his combat state and simply wasn't in the mood.
"Yoh, could you play with Ken-chan?"
Yoh glanced at Yachiru as she actually bowed to him. Knowing she was the spirit of Kenpachi's Zanpakuto, he understood exactly what she was asking.
"Yeah. Honestly, I've hit the jackpot today."
Yoh hadn't expected to run into Zaraki Kenpachi on his very first day in the Soul Society, but this worked out fine...
"Then I'll leave him to you!"
Yachiru flashed a brilliant smile. Her small legs blurred as she sprinted toward the spectator area on a roof, her style of running and jumping oddly reminiscent of a young Goku from Dragon Ball.
"Since the talking is over, let's start the slaughter!"
Kenpachi's thirst for battle surged. Before he even moved, his killing intent crawled over Yoh's body like a demon from the depths of hell.
"Before we fight, can I ask a favor?"
As Yoh spoke, his clothes began to ignite with orange flames.
This time, he didn't use the Quincy Cross as the medium for Kurosaki Masaki. Instead, he used his own clothes—the garments Masaki had made for him herself after entering her Gigai.
'Oversoul: Hellfire Healing Garb.'
This was an Oversoul form that completely abandoned the Quincy's long-range methods, a form Yoh had developed specifically for close-quarters combat.
In this state, he gained a healing factor equivalent to a Hollow's High-Speed Regeneration, and the flames coating him were equally lethal to any foe.
"Let's hear it." Kenpachi was in a good mood and didn't seem in much of a rush. Instead, he watched the flames on Yoh's body with excitement. He could actually feel a rare sense of danger from them.
'Still, it's nowhere near that old man's...'
Kenpachi made a silent assessment. Given the fire-based ability, he couldn't help but compare it to the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years, Yamamoto Genryusai, and his Ryujin Jakka.
However, it was clear that their power levels weren't even in the same league yet.
"If I get killed by you, could you give my body and weapon to a girl with long orange hair? She's my friend. Her name is Inoue Orihime."
"The orange-haired woman? Fine. Now then..."
A crazed look, raw bloodlust—Zaraki Kenpachi was a monster who had climbed out from a mountain of corpses, a man born solely to fight.
"Let's enjoy this slaughter!"
"Yeah. To the death!"
A nearly crazed aura radiated from Yoh as well. Whether this battle ended in victory or death, it was a path he had to walk.
Ikkaku had finally cooled off. He and Ayasegawa Yumichika joined Yachiru on the roof to watch the battle unfold.
In their sight, the high-density gold Reiatsu and the mysterious orange energy began their clash, devouring and repelling each other.
One side sought to dominate, while the other fought to maintain its pride. They were as incompatible as fire and water.
In an instant, both energies vanished from the air along with their owners. When they reappeared, the two massive forces collided head-on, generating a powerful shockwave of air pressure and wind.
Ikkaku and Yumichika watched with cold sweat trickling down their faces. They realized then that when Yoh had fought Ikkaku earlier, he had merely been playing around. This was his true strength.
It was impossible not to feel humiliated. Ikkaku understood that the only reason he was still breathing was because the man had held back. His goal... perhaps it really was to make him a Guardian Spirit?
Hozukimaru had already returned to its sealed state within its scabbard. Ikkaku's grip on the sheath tightened.
'If I really become a Guardian Spirit, would I be worthy of participating in a fight like this...?'
The unwavering conviction in Ikkaku's heart wavered for the first time.
'But... this guy is probably going to die at the Captain's hands today.'
"Hahahaha!!"
Kenpachi unleashed a flurry of wild, chaotic attacks on Yoh, his mood reaching a peak of excitement.