"She even came to me for a date," Aiyan said casually, revealing Unohana Retsu's true intention.
"The captain of the medical division... invited you to fight in the middle of the night?"
Aizen raised his eyebrows, finding the whole thing bizarre.
Wasn't the Fourth Division supposed to be about healing and support? Since when was their captain so bloodthirsty?
"In the dead of night. With swords drawn," Aiyan nodded, equally surprised but undaunted. With his Zanpakutō in hand, he calmly walked toward the source of the Reiatsu.
"Interesting," Aizen murmured, a spark of intrigue lighting up his eyes.
"It seems the Gotei 13 runs much deeper than I imagined. Not all captains are just convenient test subjects like Hirako Shinji."
He watched Aiyan's back disappear into the night and followed after him with quiet steps.
Following the flow of Unohana's spiritual pressure, the two left the Spiritual Arts Academy and eventually arrived at a secluded forest. On a high hill under the pale moonlight stood a lone figure.
Bathed in silver light, Unohana Retsu waited quietly, her silhouette both serene and terrifying.
"You don't mind if I bring an audience, do you, Captain Unohana?" Aiyan asked, stepping forward.
"If you don't mind me cutting him down if you bore me," Unohana replied softly, her voice gentle like water—but her words sent chills down the spine.
"Leave him. I doubt your blood alone can entertain me."
Aiyan didn't flinch at all. He merely smiled.
"That won't be necessary."
"Oh?"
"Then draw your blade," Unohana whispered, her voice trembling with anticipation."Let me witness your sword. I can hardly restrain mine any longer."
Aiyan's smile sharpened slightly.
'She's here because of the cut I left on Hirako Shinji.'
It all made sense. For someone like the First Kenpachi, only the sword mattered. And the technique he used, a Hundred-Steps Flying Sword, was something Soul Society had never seen before.
"As you wish."
The moment the words left his lips, Aiyan vanished, his figure and Reiatsu disappearing like a phantom. In the next instant, he appeared before Unohana, slashing straight for her waist.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Unohana met his blade with her own, drawn with a single motion. Zanpakutō clashed, sending a flash of light across the dark forest.
"Sparkling Blossom of the Kuchiki clan," she said calmly.
"I forgot to tell you... this form of swordsmanship was invented by me."
She was unimpressed.
"That's not what I want to see," she added coldly, and with a swing of her blade, unleashed a surge of Reiatsu that forced Aiyan backward.
Before he could even land, she flashed forward. Her blade gleamed in the moonlight, its tip aimed straight at his heart.
"Way of the Sword: Twin Breaks."
Still in the air, Aiyan didn't panic. He gripped his blade with both hands and struck downwards with all his strength.
A surge of raw spiritual pressure exploded outward. Reiatsu gathered to the blade, forming a massive golden slash that lit up the sky and crashed toward Unohana.
"You think something like this will stop me?" Unohana didn't dodge. Holding her Zanpakutō with one hand, she blocked the attack directly.
Hirako Shinji had been completely overwhelmed by this move. But Unohana stood her ground.
And she wasn't done.
As she blocked the Reiatsu slash, her left hand—hidden within her sleeve—suddenly shot out. A tiny dagger emerged from her sleeve, moving like a snake, striking toward Aiyan's neck at an impossible angle.
"Is this... really swordsmanship from a medical captain?" Aizen, standing at a distance, was stunned.
In just seconds, he had seen five completely unique sword techniques from Unohana. They were brutal, beautiful, and terrifying.
This wasn't the gentle captain of the Fourth Division.
This was the Kenpachi of old—the monster who once ruled the battlefield through fear and blades.
"Hirako Shinji wouldn't last a second."
"If even Shiba went head-on against her, he'd be sliced to pieces."
Aizen's smile deepened.
"Yes. This was the right call."
He had originally planned to challenge Aiyan himself to gauge the gap between them, but now Unohana had done him a favor. He could learn simply by watching.
"Same Division Captain. Same swordsmanship," Aizen muttered.
"But Hirako Shinji… you're not even worthy to polish her shoes."
Aiyan, meanwhile, parried the hidden dagger with ease, and let out a sigh in his heart.
The difference was obvious.
Against Hirako Shinji, he dominated from start to finish. Three moves, and it was over.
But Unohana?
Every strike was sharp. Every technique is deadly. She was toying with him—and yet pressing him to the limit.
"That's enough warming up," she said suddenly.
"How long are you going to hold back?"
"Aiyan… give me your real sword."
Her soft eyes burned with craving. Swordlust. Desire.
Aiyan narrowed his eyes.
"You want to see the Hundred-Steps Flying Sword?"
He raised his Zanpakutō, then flicked his wrist.
Roar!
The blade flew from his hand, letting out a deafening roar like a dragon's cry. The night trembled.
Birds scattered, beasts fled, and the very air cracked under the pressure.
Clang!
Under Unohana's widened eyes, the flying Zanpakutō transformed mid-air into a golden dragon of pure spiritual pressure. With one flick of its tail, it knocked away Unohana's blade and sliced through a dozen massive trees behind her.
Aiyan stood mid-air, his right palm facing downward.
The golden dragon circled in the sky, roaring as if alive. Then, with a thunderous cry, it dove.
The entire night lit up as the sky itself seemed to collapse under the dragon's descent.
"This… this is the sword I was waiting for," Unohana whispered, a smile blooming on her lips.
"This is the duel I've longed for."
"A style of kendo that has never existed in Soul Society—let me be the one to cut it down!"
She didn't retreat. Didn't flinch.
For the first time in centuries, her heart raced.
Not since she gave up the title of Kenpachi and joined the Fourth Division had she felt such pure, overwhelming joy.
...
[If you are enjoying the story so far, consider dropping power stones.]