Renji's pride was in shambles, but he refused to let it be completely crushed. The humiliation of being disregarded so easily burned deep in his chest, fueling his frustration. His teeth clenched, and his grip tightened around his Zanpakutō.
With a growl, he took a step forward, his stance firm.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Renji snapped, his voice sharp and full of rage.
"Before you can even think about fighting my captain, you have to get past me first!"
His blood boiled as he stared Ichigo down, his determination forcing aside the lingering fear from before.
Ichigo paused, then turned back to him with an amused expression. The way he looked at Renji—like he wasn't even a threat—only made it worse.
"Oh, my bad. Where are my manners?" Ichigo chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I promise my father didn't raise me like this." He sighed dramatically, then tilted his head, his smirk widening. "Alright, fine. Let's fight. But…" His eyes gleamed, and his tone lowered.
"If you don't call out your Zanpakutō's name, you won't last more than a second."
Renji's breath hitched.
He stiffened, eyes narrowing in shock. The sheer confidence in Ichigo's voice made it sound like an undeniable fact, not just a taunt.
Rukia, standing a few feet away, gasped.
"Wait, Ichigo… how do you know that?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
Ichigo shrugged, completely unfazed. "Oh, my Zanpakutō told me it has a name," he said casually. "Though I don't actually know what it is yet."
Renji blinked. His shock quickly twisted into laughter.
"Hah! What a joke!" he sneered. "You expect me to believe that? What kind of fraud are you?" His grin widened as he pointed his blade at Ichigo. "Let me show you what a real Soul Reaper is!"
His Reiatsu flared violently, whipping up a gust of wind around him as he raised his Zanpakutō high.
"Roar, Zabimaru!!"
With a flash of red energy, his blade extended, segments snapping apart and linking together like the spine of a beast. The sword let out a low, guttural growl as it stretched forward, slicing through the air with terrifying speed, aiming straight for Ichigo.
Renji's Zabimaru shot forward, the segmented blade extending like a wild beast lunging for its prey. The moment it reached Ichigo—
Clang!
Ichigo tilted his sword slightly, barely putting any effort into his movement. Yet, with that simple motion, Zabimaru was knocked off course, deflected to the side as if it weighed nothing.
Renji's eyes widened. 'What? That should've sent him flying…'
Ichigo smiled. "That's it?"
Without warning, he vanished.
Renji barely had time to react before—
THUD!
A foot planted itself against his stomach, sending him skidding backward with enough force to shatter the pavement beneath him. He gasped, the wind knocked out of him, but before he could recover—
WHAM!
Ichigo appeared behind him and casually slammed the flat of his sword against his back. Renji was launched forward, tumbling through the air like a ragdoll before he crashed onto the ground.
Dust billowed around him as he groaned, struggling to push himself up. His arms shook.
'This… this isn't possible…'
Ichigo lazily rested his sword on his shoulder. "You were talking real big just now," he said with a smirk. "What happened?"
Renji gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet. His breath was ragged, but his pride wouldn't let him stay down.
With a roar, he swung Zabimaru again, its fanged segments whipping through the air toward Ichigo from multiple angles.
This time, Ichigo didn't even raise his sword.
He simply tilted his head slightly to the left—
Whoosh!
The attack missed completely, slicing through empty air.
Renji's eyes widened, but he didn't stop. He spun, redirecting Zabimaru for another strike—
Whoosh!
Again, Ichigo sidestepped effortlessly, his expression never changing.
"You're pretty slow," Ichigo remarked, yawning. "I thought this was supposed to be your Shikai? Shouldn't it be, I don't know… faster?"
Renji's frustration exploded. With a desperate roar, he poured everything into his next attack, sending Zabimaru whipping around like a tornado.
Ichigo finally moved.
In a single step, he closed the distance between them, too fast for Renji to react.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted as Ichigo struck him in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. Renji's body folded, his mouth opening in a silent gasp of pain before he was sent flying backward, slamming into a nearby wall. The stone cracked upon impact.
Blood dripped from his mouth as he slumped forward.
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move.
Ichigo walked up to him at a leisurely pace, looking completely unbothered.
"I'll give you one thing," Ichigo said, stopping just a few feet away. "You've got guts. But if this is all a "real" Soul Reaper can do…" He lifted his sword and rested it against Renji's shoulder, making the redhead freeze in place. "Then I seriously overestimated the Soul Society."
Renji stared at him, his pride shattered beyond repair.
There was no contest. This wasn't a fight. It was humiliation.
Ichigo's smirk didn't fade as he turned fully toward Byakuya, resting his sword on his shoulder. The atmosphere grew heavier, the very air between them thick with unspoken tension. Byakuya's piercing gaze locked onto him, his expression calm, detached—yet undeniably sharp.
Renji staggered to his feet, still dazed from his humiliating defeat, but he barely had time to register what was happening before Ichigo vanished. A shockwave erupted as the ground beneath him cracked.
SWOOSH!
Ichigo reappeared in front of Byakuya, slashing downward in a blur. The air screamed as his blade cut through it, a streak of black and silver flashing toward Byakuya's head.
CLANG!
Byakuya drew his Zanpakutō in a fraction of a second, meeting Ichigo's strike effortlessly. The force of the impact shattered the ground beneath them, sending debris flying.
Ichigo pushed forward, his blade pressing against Byakuya's, his muscles tensed. "Not bad, but—"
Before he could finish, Byakuya was gone.
A flicker of movement—Ichigo barely caught it in the corner of his eye. Behind me!
SHING!
A thin, precise cut appeared on Ichigo's shoulder before he even saw the blade move. Blood sprayed into the air.
"Tch—!" Ichigo leaped away, gripping his shoulder. He turned, eyes narrowing. Byakuya stood exactly where he had before, as if he had never moved. His blade was lowered, spotless, as though it had never been used.
'Fast... but I know I can match him!'
Ichigo grinned, tightening his grip on his sword.
He disappeared again, moving in a burst of raw speed, appearing above Byakuya this time. He swung with full force.
BOOM!
The ground caved in from the pressure, but Byakuya wasn't there.
Ichigo's instincts screamed—
SLASH!
Another thin wound carved its way across his ribs. He twisted mid-air, catching sight of Byakuya's calm figure once more, standing as if he had never moved.
Ichigo landed, breathing heavier, but grinning through the pain. "Damn, you're tricky."
Byakuya didn't respond. He simply lifted a single finger.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
The blade in his hand dissolved.
Ichigo's eyes widened as thousands of tiny, glimmering pink shards filled the air like flower petals.
FWOOOSH!
The petals moved. A storm of razor-sharp slivers rushed toward him with terrifying speed.
SCHING! SCHING! SCHING!
Ichigo barely managed to react. He swung wildly, deflecting as many as he could, but the sheer volume overwhelmed him. Deep cuts formed across his arms, legs, chest—too many to count.
'Shit—! At this rate—'
He pushed through the pain, his body screaming in protest, but he leaped forward, forcing his way through the storm of petals.
The air around him buzzed with deadly intent, but Byakuya's expression didn't shift. He remained still, as calm as ever. With a flick of his hand, the petals swirled back—
SLASH!
Ichigo roared as a deep wound tore across his back. The pain was unbearable, but it only fueled his resolve. Blood splattered, and he staggered, gasping for breath as he coughed up more crimson.
'Damn it… he's too fast. His control over those blades… it's insane…'
But Ichigo wasn't done. He couldn't be.
He planted his foot hard into the ground, forcing himself upright despite the searing pain that shot through his body. His chest heaved as he took a deep breath, lifting his sword with shaking hands.
He could feel it. The power surging inside him, wild and untamed. The energy clawed at him, demanding to be unleashed.
Byakuya's gaze shifted slightly.
'What is this…?'
Ichigo's heart pounded in his chest. This was his moment. He inhaled deeply, drawing on everything he had left—
"GETSUGA TENSHŌ!"
A brilliant golden crescent of energy erupted from his blade. The force of it screamed toward Byakuya like a cannon, leaving a trail of fiery destruction in its wake.
Byakuya's eyes narrowed, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
BOOOOOOOM!
The explosion rocked the battlefield, the shockwave sending clouds of dust and debris spiraling into the air. The earth trembled under the impact, and for a brief moment, everything felt still.
Ichigo stood there, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down his forehead, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. His vision blurred for a second, but he steadied himself, refusing to fall.
'I got him…?'
The dust began to settle.
And there he was—Byakuya, standing untouched. His figure unmoving, as if the battle had never even occurred.
Ichigo's eyes widened, his heart racing.
He hadn't even seen how Byakuya dodged.
Byakuya exhaled slightly, his voice as calm as ever. "It is over."
Before Ichigo could react, the petals moved again—
FWOOOOOSH!
A thousand blades tore into him at once, each one cutting through flesh and bone with ruthless precision. The air vibrated with the violent rush of steel, and Ichigo's world blurred in a crimson haze as the sharp, piercing CRACK of his sword shattering echoed through the battlefield. His grip failed, and his blade slipped from his fingers, clattering to the ground with a hollow sound.
Pain exploded through his chest, his body trembling under the relentless assault. Blood burst from his wounds, splattering the ground in dark arcs. His vision darkened with each second, the world spinning out of control. He staggered, unable to maintain his stance as his knees buckled beneath him. The weight of his injuries dragged him down, the weight of defeat settling over him.
The last thing he saw was Byakuya standing over him, his expression unreadable, like a statue carved from stone. Silent, powerful.
Then, everything faded to black.
TO BE CONTINUED