Meanwhile, past the 4th door, a rematch was happening.
Soifon blocked the giant axe that swung towards her and sent her flying back.
"Captain!" Marechiyo Omaeda, Soifon's Lieutenant, shouted when he saw this before using Flash Step towards her but he had to stop midway when Soifon shouted back, "Don't leave your position! Cooperate with Ayasegawa to reduce the number of beasts!"
"B-but..."
Soifon turned her attention back to her enemy and smirked, "Leave him to me."
"You couldn't defeat the first time. What makes you think you can do it now?" The stocky muscular man uttered. At first, Soifon wasn't very sure who her opponent was due to his whole head just being a black skull. Soifon only figured out his identity when he took out a large battle axe that had a pair of rounded blades that were black with silver edges with a red slit-eye pendant in the middle of the focal point holding both blades together.
"You really are Baraggan Louisenbairn," Soifon muttered while standing up straight.
"Indeed. Without that Kidou master around you, you have no hope of winning." Baranggan replied with his usual arrogant tone.
Soifon, all of a sudden, disappeared and reappeared beside Barrangan with Suzumebachi's first release on her right hand.
But as if a reenactment of the fight more than a decade ago, Soifon felt something weird the moment before he hit him and Barragan effortlessly dodged her strike with minimal movements and margin. Soifon then saw Baraggan's hand coming after her and used Flash Step to get away.
In response, Baraggan used Sonido to chase after her and it became a game of tag with the former Hollow King trying to touch Soifoi and the latter evading him while considering the strategies she could use against him.
"I never thought I'd see a cowardly Captain like this." Baraggan started taunting Soifon, "What's wrong? Did the war against the Quincies scar you so much that you're unable to fight with your usual courage?"
Soifoi's expression immediately change as anger surfaced on her face, "You bastard!"
Using her Flash Step to appear behind Baraggan and stabbed him with Suzumebachi. But just the same as before, Baraggan was able to dodge with ease and was even able to grab Soifoi's right arm, "How disappointing."
But the moment his ability of decay activated, 'Soifon' popped like a balloon and Baraggan suddenly felt a sting to his right flank, "!?"
Immediately using Sonido to get away, Baraggan saw Soifon calmly standing where he was standing a moment ago.
Despite not being able to tell what expression he was making, Soifon was able to make out his confusion, "Portable Gigai. You must've heard of it. It was that detestable man's favorite trick. But I must say, it's very effective."
The faces of the man and woman who disappeared in the war more than a decade ago resurfaced in Soifon's mind and she couldn't help but be a bit melancholic. A lot of things had changed for her these past few years and she's very glad about these changes as she was not as close-minded as before.
Soifon immediately shook these useless thoughts out of her head and continued speaking, "Don't forget that we had all the time to study you from our previous encounter. You can deploy a field that slows down time for you within your immediate vicinity. It's the reason why we couldn't hit you no matter what. However, I found two limits to this ability of yours."
Soifon disappeared once again and reappeared behind Baraggan. However, Baraggan already heightened his senses and was able to feel another and weaker presence at his side. Slashing his axe towards this weaker presence, Baraggan saw Soifon as expected.
But the moment his axe hit her, 'Soifon' once again popped like a balloon and he felt a similar stinging feeling on his back, "!?"
Baraggan hurriedly escaped with a Sonido again and clenched his teeth, "So the first one was the real one."
Soifon ignored his words and continued her explanation, "The first one is that you obviously can't dodge wide-scale attacks that will hit you regardless of your reaction. The second one is that you can only slow down time for the things you are aware of." Soifon then smirked at him, "The second one is the main reason why you lost against Sousuke Aizen so easily."
For the first time in a long while, Baraggan became angry. It is his lifelong regret that he was not able to get his revenge against Aizen and now this silly Shinigami was now mocking him for it, "Regret ever uttering that name. Rot, Arrogante."
Baraggan immediately became covered with deep black colored Reiatsu and sure enough, his form changed to what Soifon was expecting, but this time, his whole skeleton is ink-black.
Baraggan then raised his skeletal arms and called, "Respira." And a cloud of black and purple miasma radiated out of him before that started making its way toward Soifon. By releasing his true form, he didn't just erase Suzumebachi's marks but also made Soifon not be able to approach him anymore to continue her stings. As far as he knew, Soifon's expertise lies within close combat and didn't have many long-range attacks like Kidous that could reach him aside from her very rigid Bankai.
However, Baraggan was surprised yet again when he saw Soifon still calmly staring at him, unmoving from her position.
"Did you think I didn't prepare for this too?" Soifon's Reiatsu then shot up as if she was activating her Bankai, "While you were rotting here in Hell, I never stopped improving."
A tornado made out of her own Reiatsu covered her before saying, "Mukyuu Shunkou (Tireless Flash War Cry)." Soifon's rushing green and golden Reiatsu then formed four elongated vortexes on her back. The two vortexes on top were larger than the two below it and formed what looks like two pairs of wings.
The miasma finally arrived but it couldn't approach Soifon herself as they were sucked up by the vortexes. Of course, its effect of decaying anything it touched was still there so the 'wind' that deflected it slowed down. However, the vortexes made out of Soifon's Reiatsu were a self-feeding system. The slowed-down 'wind' would return to the center and would be sped up again before returning to the edges.
The miasma was consumed but Soifon's 'wind' continued to move. As long as Soifon had enough Reiryoku to fuel it, these winds would never die out.
"Now then... How would you like to die?" Soifon lowered her body before punching out. Wind gathered around her arm, forming a tornado and blasting away the rotting miasma in front of her, creating a clear path to her opponent.
Baraggan panicked and immediately summoned his Zanpakuto, "Gran Caída!"
Sadly for him, Soifon was also a lot faster than before so before he could even swing it, Soifon had already arrived in front of him using an advanced Flash Step technique called Senka (Flash Blossom), stinging him twice.
The marks Soifon left on Baraggan started shining brightly with her own Reiatsu before they began growing in size.
Thanks to Aizen, Soifon knew the limits of her Suzumebachi, however, Baraggan was not Aizen and she had been improving the amount of the Reiryoku she could hold and she just injected a majority of it into her marks.
Soifon could hear Baraggan's groans and she could feel his Reiatsu destabilizing and knew that her ability had taken effect properly this time.
But at that moment, her communicator resounded again, [To all units, beware! Your opponents can't be killed! I repeat, your opponents can't be killed!]
Soifon's eyes widened in surprise and at the same time, she felt a threat behind her and immediately used Flash Step to get away.
And when she looked back, she saw that Baraggan had just swung his axe with concentrated miasma at her former position. However, what bothered her the most was that most of Baraggan's body has already disintegrated but it was being put together back, "...Black chains?"
Editors:
28th00: This is a “Can’t die outside specific conditions, locations or circumstances.” type immortality bullshit, ain’t it? I guess this explains Zommari’s utter terror of Serafall. She froze his soul. That’s a sealing technique and it had enough power to be perpetual. He quite literally would’ve had a fate worse than death since he was aware the entire time.
"Hmmm...? Not what I was expecting." Zaraki commented as soon as he stepped into Hell. Soon enough the door behind closed and Zaraki just looked at it with an unconcerned expression, "...I'll eventually find my way out of here, but if there are strong people here, I also don't mind staying for a while..."
"Well, well, look who it is. It's the illustrious Captain of the 11th Division, Zaraki."
Zaraki turned to the voice that called him out and saw a big man, with a dark complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes. He had two spiked piercings below his lips and had a very rough appearance, with chipped fingernails, facial hair, and body hair.
But instead of him, Zaraki's eyes landed on another man beside him, "So you're also here."
Zaraki is talking to the dark-skinned man with dark brown braids and blindfolds.
However, the man, Kaname Tousen, didn't utter a word and stayed back. It was then that Zaraki finally gave the already fuming muscular man attention and asked, "Are you my opponent? And who are you?"
With that sentence, the muscular man finally loses it, "I'm Kenpachi Kiganjou you damned brat!!!"
Sadly for him, Zaraki is still clueless about who he is, "Kenpachi? I've only met two and I enjoyed fighting both of them." Zaraki genuinely doesn't know who this bulky man is and thought that he's a Kenpachi of even further generation than him. After all, the only Kenpachi he met were the 1st and 8th. In the first place, he didn't really have a good memory, and he especially doesn't even bother remembering someone who's weak unless he could see them multiple times or they had a 'funny' ability.
Tousen immediately took his distance the moment he heard that and the man who introduced himself as Kenpachi Kiganjou almost had his veins popped from anger, "Looks like I'm going to have to educate you and take what's rightfully mine."
Holding his Zanpakuto which looks like a single-edged greatsword that has a large, black ring inlaid with gold on the end that was roughly the size of his palm, he shouted with his towering voice, "Bankai!"
From the ground, a column of lava suddenly erupted, engulfing Kiganjou.
At that scene, Zaraki's memories were rattled. He finally remembered that the two [Kenpachi] that he met were not the people he took the title of Kenpachi from but another person who he forgot until now, "Ah... You're that boring guy who only had brute strength and nothing else."
The lava disappeared, revealing Kiganjou holding a five meter long and one meter-wide rock crystal and magma in the shape of a single-edge greatsword, "Onimaru, Fire Demon's Flower Blossom."
The greatsword then started extending further by disassembling itself to be longer while also making flames break out of it, "You only won by a sneak attack. I'll make you regret being alive."
Although Szayelaporro released the information about the current state of affairs to those who followed his instructions, Kiganjou never listened to him and his boring strategy meetings, all while believing himself to be the strongest Captain aside from the Captain Commander due to him gaining the top seat of the 11th Division. As such, he really had no idea what he's talking about and the only thing in his mind was taking his revenge against Zaraki who cut him down while he wasn't fully ready.
The bandit-looking man then swung his elongated greatsword as it spouted flames at the back of its blade, increasing its speed.
Zaraki, on the other hand, kept the same face as his ragged Zanpakuto changed its shape to a great axe or war cleaver hybrid with a long, cloth-wrapped handle and the top of its blade has a brass cover with a green tassel attached to the backside, "You're as boring as ever."
Even before Zaraki started learning Zanjutsu and took on the mantle of the 11th Division, he could already tell if someone was good with a sword or if the sword was just swinging its user. While the former is a good opponent, the latter is just a child for him, waving a dangerous weapon around without really thinking.
Kiganjou, in his opinion, falls into the latter category and no real exchange of swords could come out of fighting them. And that's why after cutting him down in a single strike, Zaraki completely forgot about the 10th Kenpachi until now.
Kiganjou was surprised that Zaraki's Zanpakuto suddenly changed but he was shocked further when Zaraki swung his cleaver at his giant flaming sword and bisected it, "W-what!?"
Zaraki then disappeared and reappeared in front of Kiganchou while saying, "Quit swinging your giant stick. It's annoying."
The next instant, Kiganchou felt the pain come from his right shoulder before sliding to the side uncontrollably. It was only a moment after that he realized that Zaraki had cleaved him from his right shoulder to his left flank.
With a smile to his face, Zaraki turned to Tousen, and with his back to the falling Kiganjou and his Zanpakuto both bisected, "It's finally just you and me. Let's resume the fight."
However, Tousen didn't move from his spot at all and there's not even a hint of him pulling out his Zanpakuto, "You're not yet done."
"Hmm?" Zaraki felt something move behind him, but just as he turned his head around, he felt something hit his back and he was forcefully launched.
Zaraki crashed to the ground with a big explosion without being able to do much about it.
Nevertheless, it's not really a big deal for him. Zaraki checked the damage on him and figured out that there was a large hole in his Shihakushou's back with his skin charred. It's just a trivial wound so he immediately looked at the thing that hit him and it was his turn to be surprised when he saw the man his cut down was connected by black chains inside his body and was being put together, "...What are you?"
"Kuhahahahaha!!!" Kiganchou laughed at the top of his lungs as his flesh fuse back together and his Zanpakuto recover to its original state, "Here in Hell, there's no way for you to defeat me! I'm going to enjoy burning you alive!"
But instead of fearing this unknown regeneration, a large grin finally emerged on Zaraki's face, "Ho? Finally something interesting from you? Don't disappoint me then!"
With another Flash Step, Zaraki arrived in front of Kiganchou once again and bisected him. This time, from his forehead.
However, Kiganchou only made a pained expression briefly and swung his greatsword, sending Zaraki flying once again, "Let's see how much of a beating you can take!"
Zaraki's stomach became charred from the hit but the grin only went wider, "That's my line! Let's see how many times you can come back to life!"
As both of them released their massive Reiatsu and destroyed everything around them, Kaname Tousen just stood back, not saying anything, 'As Zaraki said... Kiganjou is really a boring man who only knows how to swing a big stick.' He can tell that Zaraki was purposely not blocking Kiganjou's attacks so that he could find enjoyment in this battle. If he didn't do that, he'd soon be bored of mindlessly cutting meat and bones.'
Tousen then turned his attention to another direction and thought, 'We're more or less successful with Zaraki tied here. Though that really only lasts as long as Kiganjou's mind can take repeatedly dying.'
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Announcement: January 08, 2024
Good day~
Goyya here~
I need to rest so I'll get straight to the point. The reason why I posted late cause I got admitted on a hospital the other day due to stomach pains. Apparently, I developed stomach ulcers.
It was due to stress, fatigue and a shitty habit that I learned which is forgetting to eat. These past 1 or 2 months have been one of the busiest time for me with so many things IRL going on. Don't worry though as most of them are in 'good' category. Thanks to that, it's not unusual for me to just eat some pieces of bread and soda and that would be my meal for the entire day. Well... maybe that's the main reason.
I got home and rested a bit before doing the usual and just not forget to eat proper meals. With an assortation of meds, I thought I could handle it.
Ehem... My dumbass couldn't and have to be readmitted and get scolded by those around me.
So I'll be following the doc's advice and rest for a while. I'm thinking about one week of doing nothing aside from light exercise and lazing around with head empty. In other words, I'll be coasting for a while.
I'm also thinking of quitting my current job since it's not really doing me any favor and it doesn't really pay that good. But until I can make sure that I could secure my next employment, I can't proceed with it.
TL:DR
Ulcers,
got hospitalized,
thought I could go on but couldn't,
got hospitalized and scolded,
now I'm a good kid who follows instructions and will be resting for a week.
Thank you for reading and your understanding~!
Have a great day~!
Editors:
28th00: Yeah, just gonna keep killing them and their minds will snap eventually. Death is traumatic, I hear. I love how even fucking Tousen is like “Yeah, Zaraki’s right, that Kiganjou is boring as hell.”
Goyya: In certain situations, immortality isn’t fun, especially when there’s a maniac trying to cut you nonstop.