Chapter Three: Rotten Wood Shuster vs. Kenpachi Zaraki

Chapter Three: Shuster of the Decayed Wood versus Kenpachi Zaraki

The next day, at the assembly hall for the captains of each division.

After listening to Captain-General Yamamoto’s formulaic briefing early in the morning, the gathering was dismissed.

“How boring. Is it true that being a captain means having to endure Captain-General Yamamoto’s rambling for half an hour every day?” Shuster yawned, speaking to Byakuya Kuchiki after Yamamoto had departed.

“Don’t speak so carelessly… hmm? Kenpachi Zaraki, is there something you need?” Byakuya looked at Zaraki standing before him and asked with curiosity.

“Even though you’re a captain now, I still want to test your strength. Judging by the looks of the other captains, they’d like to see it too. So, what do you say—interested in trying me out?” Zaraki licked his lips and spoke.

“I think you just want someone to cut! You battle maniac!” Shuster scoffed from the side.

“Brat! Are you asking to be cut?” Zaraki tried to intimidate Shuster with his ferocious expression.

“Old man, do you believe I won’t cut you?” Shuster replied in the same tone, though his height made his attempt at intimidation rather lacking.

“Tch, cut if you want. I’ll cut the little one before the big one!” Zaraki stood up straight.

The other captains had no objections—they were all eager to witness Shuster’s abilities. For two hundred years, Shuster had never displayed his full power before them, and anticipation filled the air.

“Heh! It’s good to let you suffer a little, kid…” Zaraki said, walking outside.

“Captain Zaraki, please take it easy. Your opponent is just a child.” The current Fifth Division captain, Aizen, feigned concern, though the expression behind his glasses betrayed no hint of worry.

Shuster cast a look of disdain at Aizen and walked out.

The captains moved together.

On a barren expanse, Shuster and Zaraki stood face-to-face.

“Byakuya, aren’t you worried?” Soi Fon, captain of the Second Division, asked Byakuya.

“…He’ll be fine. In terms of speed, only the feline demon can keep up with him.” Byakuya paused before replying.

“…Must you bring up the cat demon? Is the kid really that fast?” Soi Fon fell silent, then spoke.

“…”

“Forget it. Speaking to you is exhausting,” Soi Fon said, turning away in boredom as Byakuya ignored her.

…

“Old man, let’s see if you can withstand the strength of my blade.” Shuster drew his Blood Dance Crescent.

“Brat, are you underestimating me? You’re not even using your Zanpakuto!” Zaraki yelled in anger, seeing Shuster’s choice.

“Captain Aizen, they’ve started.” Gin Ichimaru, watching the two draw their weapons, spoke to Aizen.

“Yes, let’s see what happens.” Aizen’s eyes behind his glasses showed a hint of curiosity.

“Go, Ken-chan! And you too, little one!” Yachiru grinned and cheered.

“Kid, you know, a hundred years ago when I first sensed your spiritual pressure, I wanted to cut you…” Yachiru stepped back, raised her chipped Zanpakuto, and pointed it at Shuster with excitement. “Today I finally get to cut you!!”

“Savage old man…” Shuster frowned, then appeared behind Zaraki and said, “You’re still as annoying as ever!”

“What? Impossible!” Zaraki froze, then laughed. “Tch! You noble types are always so irritating! Don’t cry when you’re hurt!” He grinned, a look that would terrify any ordinary child.

“Is this all you have to say? Soon you won’t be able to speak.” Shuster appeared behind Zaraki again, anger in his voice.

“…Heh heh heh, very well. I can’t wait any longer. Let’s begin! Come, let’s cut each other!” Zaraki paused, excitement lighting his face.

With a soft sound, as Zaraki finished speaking, Shuster appeared behind him, Blood Dance Crescent slowly returning to its sheath. Zaraki felt a chill in his chest, then a cold sensation on his back, and warm, crimson liquid sprayed from both sides—blood?

Let’s rewind the scene at two hundred times slower speed: As Zaraki’s words ended, Shuster surged forward, lightning crackling around him, brushing past Zaraki, then executing a spinning slash and resheathing his blade—a seamless, flowing motion. Even at two hundred times slower, the move was a blur.

“Sorry, I’m not used to being cut. And another thing… you’re too slow!” Shuster cast a glance at Zaraki, who was slowly collapsing.

…

“So fast—it’s Shunpo!”

“What happened? Captain Zaraki got injured so easily?” Isane Kotetsu exclaimed in shock, about to rush for aid when Captain Unohana held her back. “Wait, it’s not over yet!”

…

Wounded, Zaraki instinctively fell forward, but after his surprise, he felt the bleeding wound, and instead of anger, his lips curled into a grin. He stomped a crater into the ground, used the force to anchor himself, and swung his jagged blade fiercely behind him, muttering, “Not deep enough… still not deep enough…”

“What!” Shuster was astonished that Zaraki, despite being struck by Blood Dance Crescent, showed no sign of weakness. Even more shocking was the beast-like spiritual pressure Zaraki used to lock him down, forcing him to defend against the incoming attack…

The clang of metal echoed as two blades collided, sparks flying. In terms of strength, Shuster was no match for the burly Zaraki, and he was sent flying.

As he was launched, Shuster summoned a layer of spirit particles beneath his feet, skidding nearly a hundred meters, performing several backflips to absorb the force and steady himself. He felt his trembling hands, a jolt of soreness stimulating his nerves.

“Oh my, terrifying! The kid’s speed is on par with the traitorous Yoruichi,” Gin Ichimaru remarked, his trademark smile in place as the first exchange ended, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

“What is it, Gin?” Aizen asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Kuchiki kid’s Shunpo…” Gin pointed at Shuster. “He’s mastered speed, surpassing even Captain Soi Fon. Given the earlier display, I’d have an eighty percent chance of failing to dodge such a sudden, skillful Shunpo. But…” He gestured to Zaraki. “Captain Zaraki avoided a vital spot at the first moment. That means, after the initial strike, within less than a second, relying purely on instinct, he dodged a fatal blow and counterattacked… That’s terrifying instinct, which is why I called it terrifying…”

“Oh? You don’t seem to think highly of the Kuchiki child?” Aizen adjusted his glasses again.

“Well, if that’s all the kid’s got,” Gin said, opening his eyes with a smile, “then he has no value for existence…”

Heh, it seems you still don’t understand me. The Kuchiki kid possesses rare spiritual attributes, and I feel an inexplicable sense of danger from him—how interesting…

Regardless of Aizen’s musings, Zaraki provoked, “What’s wrong, brat? Why aren’t you coming to cut me? Didn’t you say you’d cut me? If you won’t come, I’ll go to you!”

“Truly a savage old man!” Shuster flexed his hands, recovering from numbness, then drew Raiden with his right hand.

“Judgment! Raiden!” As Shuster invoked the sword’s name, its blade was instantly enveloped in lightning, which faded to reveal its true form…

The blade was a few centimeters longer, its pale blue spine glinting beside the blood-red spine of Blood Dance Crescent. Both had the same length—twenty-five centimeters—sleek, undecorated black hilts, but Raiden’s guard was silver-white, the opposite of Blood Dance Crescent.

“So this is your Zanpakuto?” Zaraki laughed, seeing the blade’s ornate appearance.

Ignoring Zaraki’s laughter, Shuster charged at him at even greater speed, leaping high, then slashing down with both blades…

“The weight, the mass… Why does the non-Zanpakuto blade feel heavier?” Aizen keenly sensed the difference in Shuster’s swords, narrowing his eyes to observe the final impact.

With a metallic crash, Shuster’s ‘overconfident’ frontal assault met Zaraki’s broad smile as he swung his massive sword to meet Shuster. But Zaraki was suddenly shocked—the ground beneath his feet exploded with cracks, shards flying like broken porcelain.

“This kind of power, hmm?” Zaraki looked up, seeing Shuster floating in midair, an unnatural stance that revealed the sword’s ability—gravity.

“Heh heh, so that’s your Zanpakuto’s power? If that’s all, then you’ve lost!” Zaraki knelt, using both hands to withstand the swords’ weight, looking up with a grin.

“What!” Shuster was startled as Zaraki ignored the heavy pressure on his arms, unleashing a surge of spiritual power, his whole body exerting force to the limit, then leaping from the ground.

“Whoa!!” The overwhelming force sent Shuster flying helplessly.

“Heh, dual-handed swordsmanship!” With a rise in spiritual pressure, Zaraki performed a slashing motion, releasing a golden arc of sword energy at the airborne Shuster.

“Damn! Hadō #31—Red Fire Cannon!” In desperation, Shuster abandoned the incantation, unleashing Red Fire Cannon to offset the attack.

With a blast, the sword energy was halved but continued toward Shuster.

“Damn it!” Facing the approaching energy, Shuster crossed both swords before his chest.

With a thunderous impact, Shuster was struck midair and crashed down in a battered heap.

“I concede!!”

PS: The gap between vice-captain and captain is considerable; besides, victory here serves no real purpose.