I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

He glanced at the Grim Reapers around him out of the corner of his eye and noticed that although they still looked sullen, many of them seemed to think, "This is absurd, but it's not incomprehensible."

Since this wasn't the first time this had happened, according to historical records, the fourth, sixth, and seventh Kenpachi all challenged their predecessors in broad daylight, carrying their swords. Perhaps this could be considered a kind of traditional culture (?).

The Eleventh Division's prestige is truly remarkable...

Only the world where Sidanfang is injured is achieved.

Almost simultaneously, he immediately manipulated his body, which was lying in the sun in the mortal world, to jump up, raised his hand to open a black cavity, changed into the Flowing Moon skin, put on the messenger cloak, and then jumped in with a whoosh, rushing to the Seireitei in three steps at a time.

Although this behavior may seem unnecessary, it's best to come just in case.

Who are you?!

Being publicly humiliated by name, if he doesn't fight back strongly, his time as Kenpachi is probably over.

At this moment, Oni Yanjo's temper flared up, and he drew his Zanpakuto from his waist, strode to the front of the formation, and confronted Zaraki head-on with his sword raised.

Despite his passionate demeanor, this big man wasn't so impulsive as to lose his temper—he was even calmly analyzing the situation.

What's wrong with this guy? His spiritual pressure and speed don't seem weak, and his strength in defeating Sidanbo is also commendable... but he doesn't seem to be particularly strong to an abnormal degree. Even his sword is tattered and broken... and he's carrying a child. Is he one of those particularly arrogant and neurotic people?

The analysis is good, but theories based on conventional conditions are obviously not applicable to Zaraki.

Indeed, the spiritual pressure displayed by Zaraki is not strong; it was only roughly equal to, or even weaker than, that he showed during his fight with Yama. His actions of carrying a broken sword and carrying a child also looked like performance art...

But when he thought about how this guy was actually desperately suppressing his level, and that the child he was carrying was actually a more outrageous normal manifestation of Bankai than Yuru Zheliu, Mima felt sad for Oni Yanjo from the bottom of his heart.

Anyway, this guy's probably dead today...

If it weren't for the fact that doing so would seem too excessive, Mima would have even considered opening a betting pool on the spot to see how many moves Oni Ichijo could last.

But for now... let's just keep watching.

Just in time, over two hundred members of the Eleventh Division arrived, a display perfectly suited to the needs of Kenpachi's succession ceremony. Oni-Ichiro must accept this challenge.

The team leaders looked at each other and exchanged glances for a while, then nodded in unison.

Although the intruder acted arrogantly, what he did was indeed in accordance with the rules... except for knocking the gatekeeper over with a single blow.

"..."

Only Unohana remained silent, like a ghost detached from the situation.

Logically speaking, Zaraki's main target should have been her... But as reckless as he was, he wasn't stupid at all. Publicly challenging the current Kenpachi was one thing, but declaring that he would cut down the Fourth Division Captain was another matter entirely. That would be tantamount to handing a target to the still-angry old man.

In fact, Zaraki did not cause any casualties on his way into Seireitei... even Jidanbo was knocked unconscious, so he was hardly a rebellious person.

After all, he's here to compete for the title of Kenpachi, so it's normal for him to have a bit of an eccentric way of thinking; everyone's used to it.

"You from Zaraki Ward, your goal is to challenge the current Kenpachi, am I right?"

Finally, the old man of the mountain spoke first, his loud voice resounding throughout the hall, naturally attracting the attention of Oni Yancheng and Zaraki.

"Yes, old man over there, you must be the captain, right?"

Zaraki tilted his neck, making his knuckles crack—compared to the heavily armed Gui Yancheng, his posture was relaxed, showing no sign of being on high alert, as if Gui Yancheng was just an insignificant stepping stone.

"I'm going to challenge this fat pig and take the title of Kenpachi. It's that simple." Zaraki revealed two rows of gleaming white teeth, his smile extremely ferocious.

"Yeah, yeah!" Yachiru, perched on Zaraki's shoulder, also raised her little fist in protest.

The old man was silent for a moment. Perhaps realizing there was no reason to stop him, he habitually tapped the ground with his cane and declared, "Since there are two hundred members of the Eleventh Division present, your actions are in accordance with the rules—approved. The time and place of the battle will be discussed and decided by Captain Oni-Ichiro and you."

"Huh? Is it really necessary to go through all that trouble?"

Zaraki sneered, "I'll just kill him right here, and that'll end it all."

The atmosphere became tense.

Gui Yancheng was utterly enraged by this arrogant attitude.

"How dare you look down on me like this?!" His spiritual pressure surged like violent magma. "Then you shall die here—roar, Tengokumaru!"

The slender katana transformed into a giant demon-headed blade amidst the gleaming light. Then, Oni Yancheng leaped high into the air and unleashed his signature powerful split-hit attack on Zaraki.

When Oni-Ichijo and Zaraki showed signs of tension, those who knew better ran away early. Only the members of the Eleventh Division remained in place, so there was no risk of harming innocent people. Therefore, everyone entered "watching the show" mode.

Old Man Shan already said they should discuss the fight, but starting a war immediately is also an option...

The spiritual pressure unleashed by the two captain-level figures was clearly too much for the lower-ranking Shinigami. Many of them turned pale almost instantly, their legs trembling with fear at the bursting killing intent—if adults were like this, it would be even more so for Nanao, who was only twelve years old.

Even though the murderous aura of the confrontation wasn't directed at her, she was so frightened that she couldn't even stand up straight. She swayed and fell to the side. If Mi Zhen hadn't been quick enough to catch her, she probably would have left behind an embarrassing black mark on her record just minutes after taking office.

Hey, you two murderers over there, can you find another place to fight?! You're scaring my kid!

Feeling the arm resting on her shoulder, Nanao instinctively reached out and grabbed Mima's clothes around his waist, hugging him and trembling.

So, although this girl is sharp-tongued, her actions tell a different story...

Ultimately, Mizhen had taught her quite a lot over the years, so he was practically her mentor. Her doubts about Mizhen mainly focused on his character (specifically, his tendency to slack off), but their relationship had actually developed quite well.

So Mima sighed and tried to give a soothing reply, reaching out to pat Nanao's head as a small comfort.

Just seconds ago, Oni Yancheng and Kenpachi had already clashed.

His powerful slash, capable of cleaving boulders, was abruptly halted before the tattered scimitar. The violent thud and shockwave nearly blew away the nearby Eleventh Division members—but to no avail.

Zaraki simply raised his sword horizontally, his posture even a little awkward—but it was this simple block that prevented Oni-Ganjo's Tengokumaru from advancing an inch, no matter how hard he tried.

"what?!"

Gui Yancheng stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

—His knife was even being pushed back inch by inch!

"That's it?"

Zaraki's expression was somewhat disappointed: "Is this the current Kenpachi's power? You just watched as someone like this ascended to the throne of the strongest Shinigami?"

His voice was filled with anger, growing louder and louder, until the last few words were like a thunderclap.

What is this guy saying... Could it be... is he criticizing the Captain-Commander?

That's generally what everyone thinks.

Those who understood the explanation reacted differently.

Unohana raised an eyebrow, loosened her grip slightly... then instinctively reached for the hilt of the sword, but pulled her hand back halfway.

Meanwhile, Mima stroked his chin and calculated the current concentration of Kenpachi in Seireitei.

There are three standing on the ground and one locked up underground... Goodness, the strongest Grim Reaper F4, right? What a terrifying combination.

However, while onlookers find the spectacle fascinating, those directly involved may not.

Gui Yancheng's mentality plummeted like a drop tower.

It wasn't just because his strength seemed inferior to Zaraki's—more importantly, Tengokumaru's ability clearly took effect, but why did this guy seem completely unaffected?!

"Your spiritual pressure seems a little sluggish... Did you do something?"

Zaraki glanced coldly at Oni Yancheng: "Hmph... Whatever, if you have any tricks up your sleeve, feel free to use them."

Mi Zhen hissed, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated.

Once in battle mode, Zaraki would never be so calm—so there's only one answer: he didn't even consider Onijin a serious opponent, but rather some small fry he could easily dismiss.

But that's the truth...

From the start of the battle, Zaraki's spiritual pressure remained at a very stable level, showing no signs of rising due to the stimulation of a powerful enemy.

But he seems completely unaffected by Tengokumaru... Why is that?

The next instant, Mima discovered a terrifying truth.

—Zaraki barely used his spiritual pressure; he simply used his brute force to push Tengokumaru back!

The gap is even larger than expected...

Chapter 149: The Death of Guiyan City

Since even an observer like him could see the truth, Gui Yancheng, who was present, naturally knew it as well.

His thoughts at that moment were unusually simple.

How could this be... how could such a monster exist!

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Gui Yancheng's back.

If we don't go all out now, we might not have another chance...

Then, Oni Ichijo swallowed hard, mustered his spiritual pressure in one go, and roared, "Bankai! Eight Hells Death Scythe!"

Upon hearing the words 'Bankai', Zaraki's eyes narrowed instantly.

Although he had been wandering around Rukongai for many years, he was by no means a savage who knew nothing about the world. He was well aware of how great the improvement was from the second stage of Zanpakuto release.

Zaraki toned down his casual attitude slightly and gripped his sword more seriously.

That being said, he did not intend to employ any roundabout tactics, but instead remained stationary, waiting for Guiyan City to demonstrate further power.

He didn't know what kind of Bankai Oni Yanjo had, but whatever it was, he just needed to cut him down with one slash.

As the spiritual pressure flowed, the enormous demon head sword gradually changed shape, transforming into an extremely heavy curved scythe.

The boost from Bankai allowed Onijinjo to finally reverse the disadvantage and reach a stalemate with Zaraki.

Then, he revealed a smug smile.

The conditions for activating the ability have now been met!

In the next instant, an extremely subtle spiritual pressure fluctuation seeped into Zaraki's body along the blade, arranging itself in a special way—and in the next instant, it formed patterns all over his body.

It worked!

Oni Yancheng burst into wild laughter, took a step back, and swung his scythe with ferocious power—while Zaraki seemed to suddenly freeze, barely managing to block the deadly attacks with his blade, quickly sustaining numerous wounds on his body.

"Foolish challenger! Die in my hell!"

After exchanging blows for several rounds, Gui Yancheng felt much more at ease.

This arrogant fellow has probably been tormented to the point of collapse by "hell," as even his swordplay is crooked, which shows how weak he has become.

He only lasted for a dozen seconds; he's a useless piece of trash who's all bark and no bite.

Mima was also watching intently.