Natsuro and Zaraki Kenpachi locked eyes. There was no referee to announce the beginning of their fight.
And yet, as if by tacit agreement, they both swung their blades down toward each other.
In that instant, a terrifying spiritual pressure erupted within Muken. Brilliant spiritual power surged from the tips of their Zanpakutōs, flaring toward each other.
A pure white sword pressure and a golden sword pressure manifested at the same time in the pitch-dark Muken, illuminating the entire prison as if it were daylight.
In the blink of an eye, the two sword pressures collided at the very center. The clash of supreme energy instantly triggered a violent explosion, scattering endless shockwaves.
But within that explosion, it was ultimately the pure white sword pressure that prevailed, breaking through the blast and continuing its arc toward Zaraki Kenpachi.
When it came to spiritual pressure, Natsuro feared no one!
Facing the incoming wave of pure white sword pressure, Zaraki Kenpachi split his mouth into a crazed grin. His face, at this moment, looked more demonic than human.
"Just as I thought, Natsuro, you're the best!"
Laughing wildly, Zaraki did not even consider dodging. He raised his Zanpakutō and swung directly into the white sword pressure.
Boom!!
That white sword pressure had already been weakened after clashing with the golden one and being dulled by the explosion. Its remaining power was not much.
At last, Zaraki's swing shattered it with a sound like glass breaking.
Yet beneath that shattering sound lurked a thunderous roar.
"First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (Hekireki Issen)"
A blade strike, faster than lightning itself, streaked like a shooting star, wrapped in white lightning that crackled across Natsuro's entire body.
"What—!" Zaraki's eyes contracted sharply. But at this moment, it was too late to pull back his blade and block. His only option was to take it head-on.
If it were anyone else's strike, Zaraki would have ignored it, letting his body absorb the blow without care.
But Natsuro's strike was different. If he underestimated it, he truly risked being cut clean in two!
Zaraki's spiritual pressure erupted once more, surging visibly from his body and instantly taking on a golden hue.
That golden reiatsu condensed into the shape of a massive skull surrounding him, cutting him off from all external attacks.
This was… Reiatsu no Yoroi (Armor of Spiritual Pressure), a materialized spiritual pressure defense!
In theory, every Shinigami could do this. But for most, such a defense consumed enormous energy and was as fragile as paper. Useless in battle.
Only someone with Zaraki's overwhelming reiatsu could form a defense of this level.
The defense seared with heat, stray reishi that touched the golden skull instantly ignited into flames and burned to ash.
It was even rumored that Zaraki's defense could rival Kido #96: Ittō Kasō (Flame Sword Burial)!
And yet, even in the face of this defense, Natsuro did not falter. This strike, Zaraki could not stop!
The next moment, Natsuro's blade collided with the golden skull.
Lightning burst from the blade, countless strands slicing into the golden reiatsu like tiny needles.
At the same time, the golden skull retaliated by burning with scorching flames that lashed out at Natsuro.
But Natsuro's spiritual pressure surged, and his sword cut through the golden skull, pressing down toward Zaraki himself.
Even so, the strike had lost much of its original speed and power. Zaraki, unwilling to take it full force, stepped back.
The blade still grazed his chest, leaving a deep wound that exposed flesh.
"Hah! As expected of you!"
Zaraki roared, paying no attention to the blood spilling from the wound, and charged straight back at Natsuro. The golden skull reformed around him once more.
As long as his spiritual pressure did not run dry, that skull would endlessly regenerate.
Now its arms seemed to merge with Zaraki's blade, making it even sharper.
"You're not bad yourself," Natsuro replied. Compared to their first duel, Zaraki had grown immensely.
He was no longer recklessly trying to take strikes with his bare body. Perhaps Natsuro had finally beaten some sense into him.
With a small laugh, Natsuro faced Zaraki's overwhelming charge without evasion. A crimson aura, like flames, rose silently around him.
In moments, armor shaped like burning crimson feathers wrapped around Natsuro's body. His sword, Meikyō Shisui, too, was wreathed in red flames.
Behind him, wings of fire spread wide, blazing furiously.
If Madara Uchiha had been present, he would have recognized it instantly, Susanoo!
But unlike in the shinobi world, where his Susanoo was born purely from Yin Release, here it had taken a physical form, forged from his reiatsu.
"Materialized reiatsu (Armor of Spiritual Pressure) isn't your exclusive trick," Natsuro said softly, and swung his flaming sword into Zaraki's.
The clash filled Muken with golden and crimson light, blades colliding in rapid succession.
They fought in close quarters, which was Zaraki's domain, and was the reason he risked injury to close the distance.
But even in melee, Natsuro gave no ground.
After all, in every one of their primal clashes before, it had always been Natsuro who emerged victorious.
If Zaraki feared nothing, why should he?
The sounds of clashing blades echoed endlessly, mixed with sonic booms and unseen sword energy, each slash strong enough to rival the highest-level Hadō.
"So this is how Natsuro fought Zaraki before?" Unohana watched, her beautiful eyes widening in astonishment.
Aside from these two, who else could fight like this?
Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto, now aged, could no longer sustain such a battle.
Unohana's gaze lingered on Zaraki's demonic grin as he swung his sword, and for a moment, she felt envy.
She could no longer taste battle at this level. Her reiatsu simply wasn't enough.
And she realized something unsettling, Zaraki now seemed stronger than when he fought her a thousand years ago.
Which meant…the seal on him must be fully broken.
Then Natsuro's goal in this fight… was it to force out Zaraki's Bankai?
Perhaps… yes.
Unohana found herself eager as well, she wanted to witness Zaraki's Bankai.
Meanwhile, the battle raged on.
With the golden skull and the flaming Susanoo as armor, both warriors fought more recklessly than ever, as if throwing their lives away.
By now, both the golden skull and Natsuro's Susanoo had become battered and broken.
"You've grown a lot stronger," Natsuro admitted with some surprise.
"Of course! As long as it means I can fight better, I'll keep getting stronger, without end!" Zaraki laughed, crashing his blade into Natsuro's once again.
"Then… try taking this next move." Natsuro smiled faintly.
Zaraki's eyes narrowed, his instincts screamed danger. He lunged forward, swinging his Zanpakutō down at him.
But just as his blade seemed to connect, Natsuro's form dissolved into a mass of flames, vanishing before him.
In Zaraki's shrinking pupils, the flames fell to the ground of Muken, and in an instant, as if they had ignited some vast fuel, the entire visible space was set ablaze.
Countless flames burned without fuel, yet still raged on without end.
At that moment, the flames seemed to surge upward, gathering in the heavens until they formed a massive sphere of fire high above.
Zaraki Kenpachi immediately noticed the blazing sphere, it was impossible to miss. He was certain Natsuro was inside it.
With both hands gripping his Zanpakutō, Zaraki did not hesitate. His golden reiatsu exploded outward, every ounce of his power condensed into a single strike.
He swung down with all his might, unleashing a colossal golden slash of spiritual pressure straight toward the fireball.
"Kendō: Ryōdan!" (Swordsmanship – Two Severing Strikes!)
This Ryōdan was far stronger than the one he had used the first time against Natsuro.
Not only had more of his power returned, but his control over that power had also grown vastly superior.
As Natsuro had once told him: controlling power was not about suppressing it, but about wielding it to strike even harder when facing a true opponent.
Now, Zaraki had achieved that much. There was still room for growth, but without doubt, he could now unleash strength greater than ever before!
The golden slash neared the fireball. Just before it could strike, flames entwined around it, halting its advance.
Then, from within the fireball, a blade emerged, a sword wreathed in flame, unmistakably the form of Meikyō Shisui.
With a gentle sweep, Natsuro's flaming blade pulled the surrounding fire to itself, the inferno converging onto its edge.
Standing upon the sky itself, he looked down at the halted golden slash, and at Zaraki who had unleashed it. His eyes gleamed.
"You've truly improved," Natsuro said calmly.
"But not enough! If you can't even break through, then you'll never wound me!" Zaraki glared at his stalled golden slash, a flicker of shock in his eyes.
He had improved, yes, but had Natsuro improved even faster?
If it had been the Natsuro of their first battle, he might have barely withstood such a strike, but not dismissed it so easily.
"Heh. Progress is good. What's frightening is no progress at all." Natsuro shook his head, then asked quietly,
"Zaraki Kenpachi, do you still remember this move?"
Though his voice was soft, it carried effortlessly to Zaraki's ears, unbroken by distance or the blaze between them.
"Of course I do. It's the move you used to defeat me before." Zaraki's grin widened, his eyes blazing with fiery hunger. He looked eager, almost thrilled, as though he longed to face the very technique that had once brought him down.
"As you wish," Natsuro replied, reading Zaraki's intent. Still as reckless as ever.
With one hand tightening on his sword hilt, he let Meikyō Shisui erupt in an inferno. In that instant, the sky itself seemed to ignite.
Under his control, the flames gathered, shaping themselves into a titanic sword hundreds of meters long.
"Fourth Form: Futen (Burning Heaven)"
Zaraki was not the only one who had grown stronger. Natsuro too had advanced, his reiatsu, his swordsmanship... everything had evolved. Though he was already nearing the peak, his progress was undeniable.
Natsuro was strong. And this strike… was stronger than any he had unleashed before.
The flaming greatsword loomed across the heavens, its sheer pressure pressing the very sky downward. For the first time, Zaraki felt the heavens so close they seemed about to crush him.
But this overwhelming pressure only made his body tremble with exhilaration.
He wanted to try. He wanted to cut.
He wanted… to shatter this flaming sword!
Both hands clenched around his Zanpakutō, his entire being radiating a demonic aura.
And Natsuro did not disappoint him. The next instant, the colossal flaming sword descended, slashing straight toward Zaraki.
Along the way, it collided with the golden slash still hanging in the air. But the moment they met, the golden energy shattered instantly, as if it had never existed, while the fiery greatsword pressed on, utterly unhindered, crashing down upon Zaraki's figure.
"Come! Come on! Let me cut you apart!"
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Currently on Chapter 627 - Caught Between Advance and Retreat