"What incredible speed! What powerful Reiatsu!" Zaraki exclaimed.
"What's this? You're actually pretty good," Zaraki said, glancing at the bleeding wound.
"But why? Why didn't you aim for a vital spot like the heart just now? That might have killed me," Zaraki asked.
"Hmph, nothing much. If we're going to fight, it should be a fair fight. Winning by exploiting your carelessness wouldn't bring any satisfaction."
Of course, this only applied to people like Zaraki who enjoyed fair fights. Against other treacherous enemies, Toshiro wouldn't be so considerate.
"Excellent! Truly excellent! Hahaha... I have to admit, you are indeed a remarkable opponent. Not just strong, but your temperament suits my taste perfectly," Zaraki shouted excitedly.
In the distance.
"Hey, he's clearly injured, so why... why does he look so happy?" Renji said, unable to comprehend.
"It's obvious, of course! It's because Ken-chan found an amazing opponent," Yachiru said, beaming with joy.
"Not only strong enough, but also with a temperament he likes. Such opponents are incredibly rare. Ken-chan is completely fired up. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time," Yachiru said, dancing around.
…
"Hahaha… Watch out, here I come!" Zaraki bellowed.
Step, step, step...
Step, step, step...
Footsteps echoed as Toshiro and Zaraki charged at each other simultaneously.
Clang!
Their swords clashed, producing a clear, ringing sound.
Then, their figures passed each other by.
"Hah!"
They turned and charged at each other again.
Clang!
Toshiro gripped his sword with both hands and slashed at Zaraki. Zaraki blocked with his right hand while simultaneously grabbing Toshiro's Zanpakuto with his left.
Completely ignoring his left hand being sliced and bloodied by Toshiro's blade, Zaraki pulled forcefully. Toshiro, along with his sword, was yanked forward.
At that moment, Zaraki thrust his sword with his right hand straight towards Toshiro's chest.
In a critical moment, Toshiro stomped his right foot hard on the ground, propelling himself upward and kicking at Zaraki's left hand gripping his Zanpakuto.
Thud!
Toshiro's kick forced Zaraki's left hand open. Simultaneously, using the momentum, Toshiro performed a backflip to retreat.
As Toshiro landed and looked forward, Zaraki's figure had already vanished from his sight.
Jingle!
Suddenly, the sound of bells came from behind.
Zaraki appeared behind Toshiro and brought his sword down in an overhead slash.
Toshiro hastily crossed his sword above his head with both hands, blocking the attack.
Clang!
Although he blocked Zaraki's strike, Toshiro's legs buckled under the pressure.
"Hah!"
Toshiro erupted with Reiatsu, pushing Zaraki's Zanpakuto away while simultaneously kicking backward.
Thud!
Zaraki stumbled back, knocked off balance.
Toshiro quickly seized the opportunity. Turning around, he used Shunpo to appear right in front of Zaraki.
Swish!
A flash of blade light, and another deep, bone-exposing wound appeared on Zaraki's body.
"Haha! This is fantastic! Again!" Zaraki roared excitedly.
Then, he slashed again.
Toshiro's figure flickered, appearing in the distance.
'The situation isn't good,' Toshiro thought to himself.
Although on the surface, they seemed evenly matched, and Toshiro had even wounded Zaraki multiple times, seemingly holding a slight advantage.
But Toshiro was already fighting at his full capacity, aside from not releasing his Shikai. Zaraki, however, clearly wasn't using his full power… he was merely enjoying the fight.
He wasn't even using both hands to hold his sword, let alone removing his eyepatch.
Zaraki's strength with just one hand was no less than Toshiro's with both hands, perhaps even greater.
Moreover, even when wounded, the blood only seemed to excite him further, making him even more terrifying.
'What a troublesome guy,' Toshiro sighed inwardly.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why stop attacking?" Zaraki said, displeased.
"Hmph, here I come!" Toshiro snorted and charged forward again.
[Shunkuho!]
Toshiro's figure instantly appeared in front of Zaraki, thrusting his sword at him.
Schlick!
Toshiro's Zanpakuto pierced Zaraki's body.
However, Toshiro didn't feel pleased.
'Why? He should have been able to block that strike?' Toshiro wondered.
"Hahaha!"
Zaraki didn't answer with words but with action.
Zaraki swiftly raised his sword and slashed at Toshiro's chest.
Toshiro's pupils contracted. As he tried to pull his sword back to defend, the muscles around Zaraki's wound tightened, and Toshiro's Zanpakuto was momentarily stuck.
Schlick!
Blood spurted from Toshiro's chest.
The tables had turned. This time, it was Toshiro's turn to have blood blossom on his body.
However, Toshiro wasn't a masochist like Zaraki, who grew more excited with heavier injuries.
All Toshiro felt was pain. Excitement was the furthest thing from his mind.
Schlick!
Toshiro pulled his Zanpakuto out with another forceful tug and rapidly retreated.
"Trading injury for injury, huh? What a reckless guy," Toshiro muttered.
Usually, trading injury for injury was a tactic used by the weaker party against the stronger.
But Toshiro never expected Zaraki, who was stronger than him, would use this method against him.
'Hmph! So what if it's trading injury for injury? Who can't do that?' Toshiro thought defiantly.
The one with nothing to lose fears nothing. Since his opponent was already using this tactic, what did he have to fear?
Thinking this, Toshiro charged forward again.
Then, it became a game of 'you slash me, I slash you', as the two fought with increasing fervor.