"Cole, who the heck is chasing Ichigo!?"
Rukia handed Cole a cup of water, puzzled by the ruckus outside.
They had all been cleared by the Soul Society.
Who would still be hunting Kurosaki Ichigo?
"This guy isn't even as hated as you are," Rukia muttered. "I heard Shunsui got back to Squad 8 yesterday, saw the big vacant lot you left behind, grabbed his sword, and was ready to fight you to the death."
Cole took a sip, spit out the lingering toothpaste foam, and mumbled, "One's Kenpachi, the other is Renji. They're on his tail yelling about 'sparring' and stuff."
"Kenpachi I get, but Renji too!?"
Rukia looked annoyed.
Ichigo had achieved Bankai (Final Release); his reiatsu was several tiers above hers. How could Renji possibly be a match?
What if he got cut down?
While rinsing his mouth, Cole muttered, "Judging from his reiatsu, Renji should've achieved Bankai (Final Release) as well."
"What!?"
Rukia bolted for the door.
Right then, Soi Fong walked in, cheeks faintly red. "Cole, you scoundrel, you used my toiletries."
"No wonder they smelled so nice."
Cole said it offhandedly, rubbed her hair, and headed out.
Soi Fong's face reddened further as she followed, teeth clenched. "Brat. Only Yoruichi-sama can touch my hair. Do that again and I'll cut your hand off!"
Cole pouted. "What's a head-pat? When you were unconscious I touched you all over."
"What did you say!?"
Mortified and furious, Soi Fong chased him, her zanpakuto clanging off Cole with a series of metallic thunks.
"Ow, ow—my bones are gonna snap!"
Cole yelped theatrically as he dashed out of Soi Fong's room.
"Cole, thank goodness you're here."
Ichigo, seeing Cole arrive, exhaled in relief and pointed at Kenpachi and Renji.
"These two lost it before dawn—dragged me from Squad 4 to here trying to fight."
Kenpachi hefted his battered zanpakuto, eyes blazing at Ichigo.
"Who needs a reason to fight? Fighting is joy! Hahaha… Ichigo, by now you should love it too, yeah!?"
"Like hell I will!"
Ichigo's face went black.
Getting cut hurts, okay?
Skin splitting, blood everywhere—just looking at it is scary.
Especially with Kenpachi's dull blade—it didn't so much cut as it tore like a jagged scrap of metal.
Renji glanced at Cole, then back at Ichigo, grinding his teeth.
"Don't get cocky, Cole. I've got Bankai now. Once I beat that blond punk, you're next."
Cole got the picture.
One was a sword-mad battle junkie; the other was his love rival.
So he said lazily, "Ichigo, if they're so eager, go spar them."
"Eh!?"
Ichigo gaped at Cole.
"Why do I have to fight these two!?"
Cole explained, "You're roughly on their level. Sparring will raise your floor."
Then he added, "Also, when there's time I'll teach you proper kendo. Not using kendo with your Tensa Zangetsu is a waste."
Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu had shed the usual frills of most Bankai—
pure speed and power.
That blade was perfect for swordsmanship. If he learned it well, his strength would multiply several times over.
Though, with your cheat-like growth, you might not even need kendo… Cole grumbled inwardly.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll go along with it," Ichigo sighed, hefting Zangetsu.
The group headed toward the training grounds.
On the way, Rukia dead-fished at Cole, who was still absorbing spirit power from the walls as they walked.
"The fighting's over, and we're not enemies with the Seireitei anymore. Why are you still absorbing? Aren't you afraid Captain Soi Fong will kill you?"
Cole glanced at Soi Fong and smiled.
"Our cute and beautiful Queen Soi Fong definitely won't mind a little reishi, right?"
Soi Fong snorted. "Call me Soi Fong-dono. Do that and I'll let you drain a few more walls."
"Yes yes, Soi Fong-dono."
In a blur, Cole pinched her small nose.
"Soi Fong-dono's little nose is so soft."
"Cole!!"
Soi Fong swung her zanpakuto again.
They soon reached the training grounds.
Ichigo faced Renji first; the two stared each other down from a distance.
At Rukia's signal, they both flared reiatsu and charged.
Boom!
Blades met, a shockwave rippled out.
Then they hacked away like mad—silver arcs flickering, steel screeches rising and falling.
Steel crossed; both were wounded.
Neither cared. They kept slamming into each other, strike after strike, like sworn blood-enemies.
Watching, Rukia's heart pounded. She called to Cole, "Are you sure this is okay?"
Cole was studying something in his hand. "Have they both used Bankai?" he asked.
Rukia shook her head.
"Then leave them. They're not kids. They know their limits."
Cole's attention returned to the shimmering, crystalline blue shard in his hand—like a jewel carved from water.
A fragment of the Hōgyoku.
When it shattered, Aizen wasn't the only one who caught a piece—Cole snagged one too.
He'd studied it for a while, to no avail.
"Maybe you need to swallow it… or stab it into yourself?"
Cole raised the shard, itching to try.
He wasn't craving the Hōgyoku's powers—he just wanted a Hollow mask.
Like Shinji and the others: slap on the hollow mask and your strength jumps by at least ten percent.
As Aizen said, shinigami have a ceiling—only by fusing with hollow power can you break that limit.
Thinking so, Cole pressed the Hōgyoku shard into the flesh of his wrist.
Still no sensation.
But at a thought, a new entry surfaced on his system screen:
[Hollow Power: 0.0]
Cole's eyes lit up.
So it really could grant hollow power.
He looked at his remaining two hundred thousand-plus points and, without hesitation, started dumping them in.
"Add points."
"Add points."
"Add points."
He'd gorged on reishi lately; this time he poured a full hundred thousand into Hollowfication.
"Bankai!!!"
"Hihiō Zabimaru (Baboon King Snake Tail)!!!"
On the field, Renji roared. His reiatsu spiked, comparable to Sajin.
His zanpakuto's form morphed; the whip-like Zabimaru became a colossal skeletal serpent—
white bones bristling with spikes, a red-maned skull for a head.
Renji himself now looked like a fur-clad hunter from antiquity.
His left wrist gripped the tail-end of Hihiō Zabimaru; a flick sent the bone serpent shuddering.
Cole and Ichigo both looked impressed.
"What a domineering zanpakuto."
"Way bigger than mine."
Renji snorted, "Cole's zanpakuto I'll ignore, but Ichigo, your zanpakuto—how can a Bankai be that small?"
"Don't look down on me. Bankai!!!"
Ichigo's reiatsu erupted, forcefully suppressing Renji's.
"Tensa Zangetsu (Heavenly Chain Slaying Moon)!"
They clashed anew.
In Bankai, their destructive power was terrifying; the ground burst into flying gravel.
To ordinary shinigami, their bodies were invisible—only two beams of light flashed and crashed.
Kenpachi trembled with excitement, gripping his sword as he looked at Cole.
"Cole, you and me—let's fight!"
He hadn't planned to bother Cole; clubs are less fun to clash than swords—
he preferred the crescendo of scars and blood.
"Nope."
Cole shook his head, exhilarated by the new power coursing through him.
Greed, despair, lust, arrogance… human malice congealed, tugging at him, tempting him to fall.
If he followed that pull, he felt he could complete hollowfication—
but he wasn't sure how well he could control it.
While he weighed it, the Ichigo vs. Renji bout reached its end.
Ichigo roared and brought his blade down:
"Getsuga Tenshō (Moon-Fang Heaven-Piercer)!"
Renji wasn't to be outdone; he snapped Hihiō Zabimaru, the ancient white-bone serpent yawning wide.
"Hikotsu Taihō (Baboon Bone Cannon)!!!"
The instant the two blasts met—KRAKOOM—
a wild shockwave surged outward, ready to pulverize the surrounding walls.
Cole tapped the ground with his golden staff.
"Suppress."
Tenfold gravity crashed over the arena; the raging shock was crushed into nothing.
Not only were the walls unharmed—
even the floor under their feet was untouched.
Soi Fong blinked. "Not bad this time, Cole. Is it because this is Squad 2's turf that you protected it?"
"No."
Cole glared at Ichigo and Renji.
"Those two idiots were about to smash my food. No way I'm letting that happen—once they're done, I'm absorbing all of it."
"Cole, you…!"
Soi Fong ground her teeth and started ping-ponging her blade on him again.
When the dust settled, the sight shocked everyone.
Ichigo stood there, Tensa Zangetsu in hand, panting hard, blood seeping from several cuts.
Renji looked worse.
The massive Hihiō Zabimaru lay in pieces; thick bones littered the ground.
Rukia's pupils tightened. "Ichigo, you shattered Renji's zanpakuto! Didn't you swing a little too hard!?"
Unlike shikai, a Bankai damaged in battle can't be restored.
That was why Cole had come to rescue her before.
Ichigo panicked. "Rukia, don't accuse me! I wasn't aiming at his blade!"
Renji willed the broken segments back together; the skeletal serpent reassembled.
"Relax, Rukia. Hihiō Zabimaru is modular by design—I dispersed it to bleed off the force."
Then he smirked at Ichigo.
"Didn't expect this, huh? My Hihiō Zabimaru hard-counters physical-type zanpakuto like yours."
"Is that so?"
Cole's voice came from behind him; a hand landed on Renji's shoulder.
"Why don't we test whether I can pound those bones into bone-meal?"
Cold sweat ran down Renji's back. He waved both hands. "N-No rush. I need a few days to train…"
He did want to beat Cole, but he knew exactly how outclassed he was.
With Cole's monstrous strength, one swing and Zabimaru wouldn't even have time to split before it got smashed.
"What a shame…"
Cole shook his head, then grinned at Kenpachi.
"Captain Kenpachi, how about we spar? I just mastered something new—I bet it'll satisfy you."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]