Awaken???

Swipe swipe——

Under the dazzling white light, the slash Saikyō unleashed directly hit Zaraki Kenpachi. The blinding flashes illuminated every corner of the battlefield. Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika felt as though their entire vision had been consumed by white light, their eyes aching so much that they couldn't keep them open.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

"Oops... I can't see anything. What's going on with Ken-chan?" Yachiru clutched her eyes, standing on the roof like a delicate doll. Just like the others, she could only see blinding white light.

As for Saikyō, he calmly held his Asauchi, looking toward the brightest point where Kenpachi's figure was faintly visible. After using his Reiatsu, combined with his space-time ability to form the ultimate strike, he had successfully injured Zaraki Kenpachi.

"It was a hard battle," Saikyō sighed in relief after confirming the situation. The process had been dangerous, but the outcome, albeit surprising, was exactly as he'd planned.

As time ticked by, and the suffocating pressure around the battlefield grew unbearable, the bright light finally faded. Zaraki Kenpachi's figure reappeared. His condition was drastically different from before.

A massive wound had torn through his chest, blood oozing from the gaping hole. His bare bones were exposed, and red blood poured from them, making him look like a figure straight from a horror story.

"Ken-chan!!!" Yachiru, watching from the rooftop, couldn't sit still any longer. In an instant, she leapt onto Kenpachi's shoulder. She had never seen him in such a terrible state, even in all her years with him.

"Yachiru... I'm fine. I'm Zaraki Kenpachi, you think I'd go down that easily?" Kenpachi growled, blood seeping from his mouth as he spoke. The blood made his already intimidating appearance even more terrifying.

"He didn't fall?" Saikyō's eyes widened in disbelief. His previous strike, a powerful Hakuda mixed with space-time abilities, had been his strongest move yet. If even that couldn't finish the battle, what hope did they have?

If Zaraki Kenpachi went into a rage, the fate of Saikyō and his allies was clear—they would be massacred. A berserk Kenpachi was an unstoppable force, and only Yachiru-chan could possibly calm him down.

"Hah! Saikyō, was it? I'll remember your name," Kenpachi wiped the blood from his mouth and lifted his jagged Zanpakutō. "You're the first one in centuries to give me such a thrill in battle."

Boom——

Kenpachi's Zanpakutō slammed into the ground, creating a terrifying shockwave that split the earth in two, forming a massive abyss that cut through the entire street.

Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika swallowed nervously. The oppressive power from Zaraki Kenpachi was overwhelming, leaving them with a suffocating sense of fear. His strength felt unstoppable, like an immovable force of nature.

This was the true might of Zaraki Kenpachi.

Boom, boom, boom…

The battlefield fell into silence, save for the pounding of hearts, which now echoed loudly. Kenpachi, like a demon, gripped his chipped Zanpakutō and walked slowly forward, causing the air around him to ripple with each step. His towering golden Reiatsu shot up into the sky like a beacon, lighting up the entire Zaraki District.

"What insane Reiatsu…" Ikkaku and Yumichika could feel the sheer difference in power between themselves and Kenpachi. They knew that they were powerless against him.

"Hm?" Saikyō's eyes sharpened as he felt a shift in his Asauchi. The bond between him and the weapon had strengthened with each moment of the battle, and now it seemed to be calling out to him.

Could this be it? Was his Zanpakutō about to awaken?

The moment Zaraki Kenpachi reached him, Saikyō raised his Asauchi. A new, unseen power surged forth from it, and a voice echoed in his mind—the voice of his Zanpakutō.

"Used by the evil god, he exhausts his enemies and rules the darkness."

"Yamimo Karasuga"