Chapter 251: The Hell Is This Ash Cat?
While Satoru and Aizen were huddled together talking, Zaraki and Komamura were already clashing blades.
Now, Zaraki's strength far surpassed what it was when he first joined the division.
Every time he sparred with Satoru, his abilities leaped forward.
A year ago, Komamura could still exchange dozens of blows with him.
Now, he couldn't last ten.
Clang!!
With a sharp ring, Komamura's sword was sent flying, spinning several times in the air before embedding itself in the ground.
Komamura: "..."
He looked down at his large, thick-furred hands.
These hands could crush an ordinary person's bones, yet under Zaraki's assault, he couldn't even hold onto his sword.
Though Zaraki was tall, he was still quite lean.
The thought of his own burly frame being thoroughly beaten by Zaraki's lanky build made Komamura smile wryly.
Zaraki shook his head, looking unsatisfied.
"Not good enough, mutt! You're improving too slowly!"
"Are you even worthy of the Eleventh Division's name like this?!"
Hearing this, Komamura felt ashamed.
"My apologies, Vice-Captain Zaraki! I will redouble my efforts!!"
Not far away, Madarame couldn't help but exclaim, "Stop! You're already training nine hours every day! If you keep this up, you'll work yourself to death!"
"Don't worry, I'm very confident in my stamina!"
Komamura showed a smile.
When he first joined the Eleventh Division, he had actually been quite nervous.
With this dog face of his, what would he do if he faced rejection or was told to "go back to the mountains"?
To his surprise, the Eleventh Division members did approach him—but not because of his appearance.
Upon seeing his face, these Eleventh Division members merely paused for a moment.
Then, they started shouting loudly, wanting to test his skills.
Risking being disliked, Komamura sparred with them a few times.
After witnessing Komamura's strength, the Eleventh Division members' attitudes improved significantly.
"Not bad! Big Dog, you can fight pretty well!"
"It looks like once you officially join the division, the Eleventh will have another strong seated officer!"
"Overthrowing the First Division and establishing the Eleventh Division's regime is just around the corner!"
"For Big Brother Satoru!!!"
Setting aside the terrifying implications of the last two statements, Komamura really liked this division.
They didn't care about background or appearance.
Whether you could gain recognition and make people like you depended entirely on your personality and strength.
With a smile on his dog-like mouth, he looked at Satoru.
He was truly lucky to have been noticed by Lord Satoru and brought to the Seireitei.
To one day become Lord Satoru's right hand and do something for him, he must become stronger!
After casually teasing Komamura a couple of times, Zaraki shouldered his sword and scanned the surroundings.
Spotting Rangiku slicing through three illusions with one strike, his eyes lit up.
"Hey! Little girl!"
Zaraki raised his sword and pointed it at Rangiku from afar.
"Have you grown up yet? Come fight me!"
Hearing this, Madarame hurriedly intervened:
"Wait, Vice-Captain, what are you saying?!"
"Matsumoto is just a first-year at Shin'ō Academy! How could she possibly spar with you?"
Ayasegawa also rushed to stop him.
Stopped by the two, Zaraki's expression remained unchanged.
He dug at his ear lazily and said, "You two are the ones talking nonsense. That girl is clearly pretty strong."
Ayasegawa gave a wry smile.
After just one year at Shin'ō, how much could anyone learn, even if they were a genius?
Did they think everyone was Satoru?
Just as he was about to say more, Rangiku's voice came from behind:
"Alright! Let's have a match!"
"?"
Ayasegawa turned around in surprise.
He saw Rangiku lift her small face, dust off her school uniform, and take a few steps forward.
"But you have to limit your Reiatsu to my level!"
Zaraki grinned.
"Yeah, I'm good at that."
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the two walked to the center of the training ground.
"Captain, is... is this really okay?!"
Madarame quickly looked at Satoru.
Satoru crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
He was certain that Rangiku was no match for Zaraki—the gap between them was like heaven and earth.
Where did this little girl get her confidence?
Had the Soul King's Fingertip clouded her mind, making her think she was born with divine strength and invincible?
After a moment's thought, he shook his head and said, "If she wants to fight, let her try."
If Rangiku was truly drunk on power, then having Zaraki give her a wake-up call would be a good choice.
Thinking about Rangiku's free-spirited and unrestrained personality in the original work, she probably wouldn't be left with any psychological trauma from this.
Watching the two on the field, Aizen revealed an intrigued gaze.
He stepped forward and voluntarily took on the role of referee for this sparring match.
At his command, Zaraki and Rangiku moved simultaneously.
Zaraki grinned widely, raised his blade high, and charged forward with large strides.
Rangiku, however, remained standing in place, calmly lifting her Zanpakutō.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, she reached out and swept her hand along the side of the blade.
"Growl, Haineko!"
The moment her words fell, her blade instantly shattered into silver-gray dust, dispersing into the air.
Satoru showed a surprised expression.
This girl had only been in school for just over a year, yet she had already learned how to release her Zanpakutō?
Truly worthy of being a notable character in the main story—such talent was enough to make others envious.
However... he knew about Haineko's abilities.
It was perfectly fine for bullying weaker opponents or fighting those of similar level.
But trying to challenge a higher-level opponent, especially a super boss like Zaraki, was wishful thinking.
Haineko's meager output would probably be completely ignored by Zaraki, who would just charge through it unscathed.
Just as he thought this, he suddenly frowned.
Wait...
The amount of dust was off!
Satoru's gaze burned intently as he stared at the dust particles scattered around Rangiku.
In less than half a second, he confirmed his speculation.
In the original work, the amount of dust comprising Rangiku's Haineko was roughly equivalent to a handful.
But now, the dust swirling around her was at least enough to fill a bucket!
It was important to remember that Haineko's ability was quite similar to Senbonzakura's.
The factors influencing its combat effectiveness were the user's skill and the total volume of dust.
With such a dramatic increase in volume, Satoru couldn't help but feel excited about how much Rangiku's combat power would improve.
While Satoru was rapidly processing these thoughts, Zaraki let out a roar and charged forward.
Although he sensed the danger from Haineko, he still confidently rushed in.
Facing the tank-like, brutish force of Zaraki, a slight smile curled at the corner of Rangiku's lips.
She raised her hand and made a sweeping gesture through the air.
As she did this, a glow emanated from the tips of both her fingers.
The fine dust particles in the air erupted into a frenzy!