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Chapter 121 - Chapter 121 Win or Lose, Wedding Date

Kyoya raised his Zanpakuto high, with surging spiritual pressure gathering around the blade.

At the same time, an extremely sharp aura transformed into a white light that coiled around Kyoya's Zanpakuto.

Even the observing Shinigami felt their eyes sting just from looking at the blade.

It was easy to imagine just how devastating the slash would be once Kyoya swung it.

At the very least, among the many Captains present, only a handful felt confident they could block this attack.

And with Zaraki already severely injured, could he even survive Kyoya's strike?

True, Kyoya had mentioned that Zaraki had only ever fought him using one-handed swings.

If Zaraki could learn to wield his sword with both hands, there was indeed a chance he might survive Kyoya's next attack.

After all, the strength of a two-handed swing was at least 50% greater than a one-handed one.

Moreover, with specialized training, it might even be possible to double or more than double that power, achieving a 1+1>2 effect. But that required long, disciplined, and proper practice.

Could Zaraki manage it?

"Gripping the sword with both hands..."

Hearing Kyoya's words, Zaraki fell silent for a moment.

Indeed, after all these years of battle, even during his youth when he fought that woman, Zaraki had never once used both hands to swing his sword.

But if he wanted to survive the next slash, he needed to unleash a stronger strike!

In the past, Zaraki would have thought that dying in the midst of an exhilarating battle was the most thrilling way to go.

Now, however, he felt that dying like this would be far too regrettable.

Clearly, Kyoya's strength went far beyond what he had shown.

Compared to the current Kyoya, fighting an even stronger version of him would undoubtedly be far more exciting, wouldn't it?

With that thought, Zaraki, for the first time, held his Zanpakuto vertically before him and placed his left hand on the hilt.

Frowning slightly, Zaraki instinctively felt that his grip was off.

Following his instincts, he adjusted his hold slightly until it felt natural, then raised the blade high.

Golden Reiatsu erupted as immense power condensed around his Zanpakuto.

It was clear that Zaraki's next slash would far surpass any of his previous attacks!

Seeing that Zaraki was ready, Kyoya wasted no time and swung his Zanpakuto downward.

Whoosh-

A slash dozens of meters tall shot forth from Kyoya's Zanpakuto, tearing through the air with overwhelming force as it hurtled toward Zaraki.

On the other side, the moment Kyoya unleashed his attack, Zaraki also swung with all the Reiatsu he had gathered-

For an instant, the Shinigami watching felt as though the world had been dyed in gold and platinum.

Then, the golden and white slashes collided.

After a brief stalemate, the two attacks shot skyward, scattering the clouds above the Seireitei.

In the end, Kyoya's slash overpowered Zaraki's golden one, sending the latter flying.

Though Kyoya's attack had been weakened considerably by Zaraki's counter, it still left deep, bone-exposing wounds on his body.

Combined with the injuries Zaraki had already sustained from Kyoya's earlier strikes, he lost consciousness before even hitting the ground.

Swish-

Unohana's figure flashed, instantly appearing behind Zaraki and catching him in her arms before he could land.

"Ken-chan!"

Following closely behind was Yachiru!

Sensing that Zaraki's Reiatsu was still stable, Yachiru patted her chest in relief.

"Kyo-chan, thank you so much! Ken-chan was really happy!"

Yachiru first smiled and thanked Kyoya before reaching out to Unohana, wanting to take Zaraki away.

Seeming to understand Yachiru's intention, Unohana smiled gently.

"Don't worry, little one."

"I'm the captain of the 4th Division. My Kaido is among the best in the entire Seireitei."

"Zaraki's injuries are severe, so I need to take him to the 4th Division immediately for treatment. Would you like to come along?"

"Mmm-hmm!"

Upon hearing Unohana's words, Yachiru narrowed her eyes and nodded vigorously.

While Zaraki's constitution and Reiatsu ensured he would recover as long as he wasn't dead, Yachiru naturally wouldn't refuse anything that could ease his suffering and speed up his healing.

Once she had Yachiru's agreement, Unohana gently pushed her Zanpakuto an inch out of its sheath with her left thumb.

"Minazuki!"

With Unohana's soft incantation, the Zanpakuto at her waist transformed into a green, monstrous creature, a massive, one-eyed manta ray spanning dozens of meters, hovering behind her.

Then, the enormous manta ray opened its mouth and swallowed Zaraki whole.

Unohana's Zanpakuto, Minazuki, might appear terrifying in its Shikai form, but its ability was purely healing.

No matter how severe the injury, once swallowed by Minazuki, the victim would be treated within its stomach by its restorative fluids.

Though the recovery speed wasn't as instantaneous as Unohana's direct Kaido, it was no less effective than the Kaido of seated officers in the 4th Division.

"Let's go."

Taking Yachiru's hand, Unohana lightly leaped onto the back of the giant manta ray formed by her Zanpakuto.

"Everyone, I'll take my leave now to tend to Zaraki's injuries."

"Of course, the wounded come first. Take care, Captain Unohana."

The gathered Captains nodded in acknowledgment as Unohana rode off on her Zanpakuto.

"Hahaha! Kyoya, you never cease to amaze."

Yoruichi was the first to approach Kyoya, clapping him on the shoulder. "That guy… Even I might not have been able to defeat him, yet you didn't even need to release your Zanpakuto to take him down..."

"Indeed."

"Captain Kyoya's strength is truly astonishing."

Following Yoruichi's remark, the other Captains also gathered around, voicing their thoughts.

"It's not just Captain Kyoya… that Zaraki is no ordinary fighter either."

"Tch. With this, the 11th Division under Captain Kyoya might truly be the strongest division after the 1st."

Ginrei's words brought a momentary silence among the Captains.

As the strongest warriors in the Seireitei, none of them truly believed they were inferior to others.

Though each division had its own duties, limiting frequent interactions outside of Captains' Meetings, they still had a basic understanding of their own and others' strengths.

Among the Gotei 13, the 1st Division was indisputably the strongest.

Setting aside the others, Yamamoto was undeniably the Strongest Shinigami.

Beyond that, most Captains believed their divisions were strong contenders for second or third place.

But now, with Zaraki's display of power under Kyoya's leadership, it was clear that the 11th Division had surged far ahead of the rest.

If internal conflict ever broke out within the Gotei 13, the 11th Division, with their two Captain-level fighters, would require at least two other divisions to stand a chance against them.

The problem was, among the eight Captains present, none could confidently say they would emerge victorious against either Kyoya or Zaraki in a fight.

Of course, some Captains believed that if they used their Bankai, they might gain an advantage… or even secure victory.

But unless the odds were absolute, no one could be certain who would be left standing in the end.

Kisuke's expression shifted slightly at the mention of 'the strongest division'.

He sensed that this might be related to some plan of Kyoya's.

In the end, however, Kisuke shook his head and set aside his speculations.

Anyway, as long as Kyoya posed no threat to the Seireitei, he had no interest in interfering… no matter what Kyoya intended.

Still, the thought lingered in Kisuke's mind.

He decided that he might need to make some preparations to deal with future uncertainties.

"Haha, you flatter me."

Kyoya shook his head modestly: "You are all my seniors. Compared to you, I'm still very inexperienced and have much to learn. If it weren't for the fact that the 11th Division only needs to focus on combat, my capabilities would likely have made a mess of our division's duties."

Hearing Kyoya's self-deprecating words, the Captains simply smiled.

As leaders of their respective divisions, they might not have systematic intelligence networks like the 2nd or 8th Divisions, but if they wanted to know something, there were always ways to find answers.

The 11th Division was a combat unit that only needed to follow the Seireitei's battle orders.

Organizationally, Kyoya might not have shown anything particularly remarkable. But in the most crucial aspect of leadership, which is 'utilizing people', he had done exceptionally well.

The Captains still remembered what the 11th Division had been like under former Captain, Kiganjo.

And what was 11th Division like now?

Orderly and disciplined. While strength was still respected, the previous bullying of the weak by the strong no longer existed.

Even in their own divisions, incidents of seniors oppressing juniors or the strong abusing the weak still occurred to varying degrees.

But for them, lower-ranked Shinigami would be replaced every few years or decades anyway. Only those who reached seated officer-level might remain in a division for over a century.

Thus, the Captains saw no need to change the 'collective consciousness' of their divisions for those who would inevitably disappear.

Yet in the 11th Division under Kyoya, administrative staff had gained significantly more authority. Even the strongest combatants now spoke politely when requesting assignments from them.

All this was because Kyoya had established the 11th Division's [Warrior Spirit]:

"The strong raise their blades against the stronger."

"The weak vent their violence on the weaker."

"The 11th Division is the division for the warriors who dare to challenge the strong are, not cowards who bully the weak!"

As fellow division's members, even if there were differences in strength, none would admit to being the 'weak' who bullied those below them. Instead, they enthusiastically challenged stronger comrades… this was the 11th Division's [Way of the Warrior]!

"By the way..."

After pleasant conversation, the Captains prepared to leave with their subordinates. At this moment, Ginrei suddenly spoke up:

"My daughter, Kuchiki Haruko, is scheduled to marry at year's end. I hope you can all attend."

"Oh?"

Kyoya glanced at Ginrei.

'If I remembered correctly, Ginrei's son-in-law was none other than Kuchiki Koga, who possessed the strongest spiritual-type Zanpakuto, Muramasa!]'

Koga was a genius comparable to Gin. His Zanpakuto's Ability could achieve near-instant kills against unfamiliar opponents. Against foes of similar strength, his Bankai could turn the enemy's Zanpakuto against them, rendering Bankai unusable while creating a Captain-level manifested Zanpakuto enemy.

As for Koga's eventual fate, Kyoya could only say the man lacked both the insight to discern truth and the power to destroy all obstacles. Like a fish caught in a net, he was manipulated by political schemes. After learning the truth, his excessive expectations of Ginrei led to mental collapse, defection from the Seireitei, and eventual sealing by Ginrei and Yamamoto.

Kyoya had once considered recruiting Koga to the 11th Division.

But not knowing Koga's original name before marrying into the Kuchiki Clan or where Ginrei had found him, Kyoya hadn't pursued the matter.

He hadn't expected Koga to enter Ginrei's sights at this time.

Knowing Ginrei, announcing his daughter's wedding now likely meant Koga had made significant progress in training, either reaching 5th-class Reiryoku or achieving Zanpakuto's Shikai.

"Certainly, certainly."

Kyoya didn't know how other Captains would respond, but he definitely planned to attend Koga's wedding.

He wanted to observe Koga and determine whether to intervene in his future.

With Koga's potential recruitment, Kyoya could begin implementing his plans.

After seeing off the Captains, Kyoya activated the gravity device on his body before stretching and heading toward his Captain's quarters.

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