Chapter 207: No Reason to Refuse

Within the Gotei 13, Division 11 was especially renowned—perhaps even the most famous squad of them all.

The reason was simple: Division 11 was fiercely combative, known as the most powerful force within the Gotei 13.

Division 11 was a unit devoted exclusively to combat, and it heavily emphasized physical strength. Most of its members wielded Zanpakutō focused on direct attacks, paid little attention to Kidō, yet were always at the front lines. Its very existence represented the most elite combat power in the Soul Society. So much so that the squad barracks even had designated arenas for sparring and dueling. Squad members frequently trained in combat, making them arguably the most professional warriors among the Gotei 13.

The Captain of this squad was even regarded as the strongest swordsman within the Gotei 13 and the Soul Society as a whole. As such, successive Captains of Division 11 were given the title "Kenpachi," a name that symbolized absolute strength.

Division 11 revered combat to the extent that they could bypass hierarchy. Anyone could challenge anyone at any time. If you won, you took their place. There was no need to wait for formal promotion as in other squads.

In other words, if you could defeat the third seat of Division 11, you became the third seat. If you defeated the Lieutenant, you became the Lieutenant. And naturally, if you could defeat the Captain, you would not only become the Captain of Division 11 but also inherit the title of "Kenpachi," the strongest swordsman of the era.

Kenpachi Zaraki had risen to power exactly this way.

He wasn't originally a Shinigami of the Gotei 13. Like Kaiser, he came from the 80th district of North Rukongai—Zaraki, the most chaotic and lawless region. A nameless and rankless soul, he later adopted "Zaraki" as his surname. From a young age, he displayed a thirst for battle and a bloodthirsty nature.

He never attended the Shin'ō Academy and never received formal Shinigami training. But through a chance encounter, he took an Asauchi from a deceased Shinigami and made it his own Zanpakutō.

With that stolen Zanpakutō, Kenpachi fought countless criminals and murderers. No one knows how many he killed or how many times he himself was slashed, but he enjoyed it all.

He became terrifyingly strong—though his swordsmanship was crude due to lack of training, his innate spiritual pressure and battle lust compensated for everything. And so, his name began to spread.

Eventually, driven by the desire for stronger opponents, Kenpachi traveled across districts, engaging in life-and-death battles, gathering like-minded warriors, and ultimately arrived at Seireitei.

When he learned of Division 11 and the title "Kenpachi," he went straight to challenge the former Kenpachi—and killed him. Thus, he became the current Captain of Division 11 and inherited the name Kenpachi Zaraki.

You could say his entire life was one of battle and slaughter. As a fearless warrior, he was worshipped by many seated officers and Squad members in Division 11. Some even referred to Division 11 as "Zaraki Squad" to show their respect for him.

Even after becoming Captain, his love for battle did not wane—it only grew stronger.

Now, without a doubt, Kaiser had been targeted by this battle maniac, igniting his desire for combat.

No helping it—upon learning that Kaiser, like him, hailed from Zaraki and was an unrivaled prodigy who had tested at Second-Class Spiritual Pressure the moment he enrolled, Kenpachi Zaraki had already been dying to meet him. But he had been prevented from doing so by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

Now that Kaiser had not only appeared, but had also demonstrated the strength to slay an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande in a single strike, how could Kenpachi Zaraki possibly sit still?

Whether Kaiser truly possessed that level of power was irrelevant to him—he simply wanted to challenge him and see for himself if the rumors were true.

If Kaiser lived up to the reputation, great. If not, Kenpachi wouldn't be disappointed either. After all, he was still a fellow warrior who had carved his way out of Zaraki, and no matter how weak he was, he couldn't be that weak, right?

And so, Kenpachi Zaraki went against his usual behavior and publicly questioned Yamamoto's decision—not for any principle, but simply to create an excuse to fight Kaiser.

"You're not the type to chicken out, are you?" Kenpachi grinned, saying, "I know better than anyone what kind of guys come out of that place. No way you'd turn down a fight served to you on a silver platter. Am I right?"

As he spoke, Kenpachi's spiritual pressure surged forth like a mountain crashing down upon Kaiser.

Its terrifying weight caused space to tremble, and the air seemed to split into black and white, distorting the field of vision.

While Kaiser wasn't overwhelmed, he did sigh inwardly.

"Why is there always some battle-crazed lunatic no matter where I go?"

First it was the student council president of Jie Long Seventh Institute from the Asterisk world, then Vali and Cao Cao from the High School DxD world, and now the Captain of Division 11, Kenpachi Zaraki—why was he always being pestered by these combat maniacs no matter what world he entered?

Couldn't they show a little interest in something other than fighting?

But...

"I really don't have any reason to refuse."

Kaiser glanced at the silent Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and the other captains who were watching. He instantly understood what they were thinking.

They might not all doubt his strength, but they certainly wanted to see just how strong the Soul Society's most talented Shinigami in a thousand years really was—especially considering he had only studied at the Shin'ō Academy for half a year.

If Kaiser could display sufficient strength, then the captains' view of him would be completely different.

And that was no trivial matter.

As previously stated, the Soul Society was an extremely hierarchical world where the line between the upper and lower classes was very clear.

From a broader perspective, Shinigamis living in Seireitei were upper class, and souls living in Rukongai were lower class.

From a narrower view, the strong were upper class, and the weak were lower class.

Within the Gotei 13, power was especially important. Only those with sufficient strength could become Captains, Lieutenants, or seated officers.

Those with lower ranks had to serve those above them. Lower-seated officers were required to obey higher-seated ones. Even Lieutenants had to follow their Captain's orders without question. Disobedience could result in execution.

It was a world where, if a subordinate made a mistake, and their superior ordered them to commit seppuku on the spot, they'd have to comply.

Don't be fooled by how comfortably Kaiser lived in the Academy—that was only because everyone believed he had limitless potential and would one day rise above. If not for that, the noble-born students would never have tolerated a lowly soul from Rukongai causing waves.

Renji Abarai was already one of the nicer ones, but apart from Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, and Rukia Kuchiki—who had known him since childhood—who else willingly approached him or became friends?

No one.

Because the noble-born students looked down on those from Rukongai. Even though Renji Abarai performed outstandingly in Zanjutsu classes, their gaze toward him was like one might look at a rabid dog.

Why did so many Academy teachers and even the Headmaster personally seek out Kaiser, offering warmth and special guidance?

The answer was simple: because they believed Kaiser would eventually become a Captain-tier figure in the Gotei 13 and wanted to build a good relationship early on.

If Kaiser were merely a genius, even if he graduated early and joined the Gotei 13, he'd still likely be someone who ran errands for Captains.

But if he could demonstrate strength equal to the Captains...

"My goal in this world is simple: to live a brilliant and exciting life."

"As a mere commoner from the Soul Society, a soul born in Rukongai, what could be more talked about than joining the Gotei 13 and becoming a Captain?"

"What's one Adjuchas?"

"If I'm going to fight, then defeating a Captain—that's what makes things exciting!"

Pretending to be weak was never Kaiser's style.

To live life as fully as possible, he needed to stand out.

Otherwise, why would he have displayed his Second-Class Spiritual Pressure without holding back during the Shin'ō Academy entrance exam?

Wasn't it precisely to make a name for himself in the Soul Society?

Thinking this, Kaiser met Kenpachi Zaraki's war-hungry gaze and suddenly smiled too.

A sharp-edged smile.

"Let's move to another location, Captain Zaraki," Kaiser said. "There's no room here for us to go all out."

Hearing this, Kenpachi Zaraki burst out into wild laughter.

"No problem! Anywhere's fine with me!"

So long as he could fight, whether it was in a swamp or a mud pit, Kenpachi Zaraki would be thrilled.

THUD!

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto tapped his wooden staff for the third time, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Captain Kurotsuchi," Yamamoto said expressionlessly, "you handle the location."

"Understood," Mayuri Kurotsuchi shrugged. "This is a rare chance. Let me take the opportunity to collect some combat data on Captain-level battles."

The other Captains exchanged glances. In the end, even they started feeling a bit excited.

Two battle geniuses from the Zaraki District clashing head-on—what kind of sparks would fly?

They could hardly wait to find out.