Bleach: Starting with Marrying Retsu Unohana

"According to my calculations, if I can stop you here, I won't die! Only if I can't stop you will I risk being killed by Lord Araki..."

As Szayelaporro spoke, he unleashed the spiritual pressure of a ghoul and then moved to block Lilynette's path.

"court death!"

Upon hearing this, Lilynette also unleashed an astonishing spiritual pressure.

In an instant, the two Hollows at the top of Hueco Mundo immediately engaged in an astonishing duel.

Nullification flashes filled the sky, one after another, like dazzling smoke, constantly exploding in the dark sky, confusing the eyes of countless Hollows...

"It's so noisy!"

"I said let's stay away from the fighting and just eat something quietly, isn't that better?!"

Inside Hueco Mundo, on the eastern side, Yoruichi held two large Adjuchas in his hands, gnawing on them while shaking his head helplessly at Lilyne and Szayelaporro, who were fighting in the sky.

the other side……

Compared to the noisy interior of Hueco Mundo, the place where Genryusai and Araki were located was naturally quiet.

With Barragan's order given, no one dared to bother Araki and Genryusai anymore.

quiet……

Yuan Liuzhai and Huangmu stood there for an unknown amount of time, seemingly becoming one with the world, like two statues, standing motionless on the earth...

Even the tiny Hollows, which usually live in the sand dunes of Hueco Mundo and are extremely agile, hiding in the desert at the slightest disturbance and surviving by preying on insects and plankton, treated these two beings, who were capable of destroying an entire world, as sculptures, freely playing and running in the white sand beneath their feet, searching for their prey.

At that very moment, one of the two who were locked in a silent standoff made the first move...

"Araki..."

"Only those who possess the world's most powerful Zanpakuto can bear the responsibility of protecting the Seireitei!"

"Let me show you just how powerful my Ryujin Jakka, which I've forged over a thousand years, truly is!"

The first to move was naturally Genryusai Shigekuni. He gently removed the white haori he was wearing and then drew his Zanpakuto from his waist.

"boom!"

Genryusai, having drawn his Zanpakuto, did not release it at all, yet flames shot into the sky. The tiny phantoms that had been playing in the sand were instantly burned to ashes before they could even react.

"Spiritual pressure?!"

Araki, who stood in front of Yuan Liuzhai and was in a subtle confrontation with him, narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt the endless heat surging from Yuan Liuzhai's body.

Araki knew that the scorching flames rushing towards him were not the power of Genryusai's Zanpakuto, but rather the spiritual pressure that Genryusai had continuously condensed over a thousand years of tempering and refining. After countless years of tempering, Genryusai's spiritual pressure had become so powerful that it could condense into a tangible object that could affect reality, demonstrating its immense power.

"All things in the universe turn to ashes! Flowing Blade Like Fire!!"

As the heatwave from the spiritual pressure reached its peak, Genryusai softly uttered the release incantation for his Zanpakuto. Thousands of flames, perfectly formed, naturally coiled around Genryusai's body, and the terrifying heat ignited the night sky of Hueco Mundo!

Araki was not surprised by this. After the surging spiritual pressure, Araki, as Genryusai's opponent, would naturally have to face the Blazing Sword that released endless flames.

The same Zanpakuto, wielded by different people, possesses vastly different power. Compared to Ryujin Jakka, which Genryusai wielded with the power to seemingly incinerate the entire sky of Hueco Mundo, the Ryujin Jakka that Tsunayoshi used as a trump card, imitating by Enra Kyōden, appeared insignificant. In comparison, it was like a small witch meeting a great wizard...

"Shine forth, Yakushi Ruriko..."

The man standing before Araki, Genryusai Shigekuni, whose eyes revealed a serious expression, naturally did not dare to be careless. He calmly drew his Zanpakuto from his waist and released it, and instantly the sky lit up with auspicious seven-colored light.

"boom!!"

Seeing that Araki had released his Zanpakuto, Genryusai no longer hesitated, gripped his Zanpakuto, and slashed at Araki.

"Well done!"

Araki saw Genryusai charging towards him and immediately began hacking at him without saying a word. With a slight smile, Araki also swung his sword to block Genryusai's Ryujin Jakka.

"Ding~"

With a crisp metallic clang, Araki and Genryusai immediately began their struggle in Hueco Mundo.

In an instant, two figures, as ethereal as ghosts and gods, engaged in a fierce battle in the white desert...

From a distance, they look like two balls of light dancing in the desert, one constantly spewing out scorching flames, the other wrapped in an eerie, glassy glow...

"boom!!"

As flames collided with endless, azure-colored light...

A terrifying mushroom cloud slowly rose, and a series of booming sounds resounded throughout the entire 'Hueco Mundo'!

However, behind this clash, which even the 'highest-ranking Hollow' had to shake his head and temporarily avoid, was the prelude to a battle between Araki and Genryusai.

After Araki and Genryusai clashed over spiritual pressure, creating a huge mushroom cloud, they tested each other for a while.

Both Genryusai and Araki restrained their surging power, wrapping their strong spiritual pressure around their bodies and the Zanpakuto in their hands, while closing the distance between them.

At this moment, Genryusai and Araki, understanding each other perfectly, both used their respective 'slaying techniques'.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding..."

Thrust, flick, swing, strike, bump...

Araki and Genryusai's Zanpakuto clashed repeatedly, and strings of fire danced on the tips of their blades.

At this moment, the battle between Araki and Genryusai seemed to have returned to the most basic "slash" of 'Bleach', the most fundamental of the fundamentals of 'Bleach'...

Before Nimaiya Oetsu was able to forge a Zanpakuto, it was a key factor in measuring a strong person in the Soul Society. It was also the foundation that Araki learned from Genryusai, and the basis of the Genryu school!

"Skill, speed, strength, all satisfactory..."

"Araki, you have grown to the point where you can fight me with swordsmanship."

When Yuan Liuzhai discovered that all his horizontal slashes, vertical slashes, thrusts, and stabbings had been blocked by Araki, a look of admiration flashed in his sharp eyes. At this moment, Yuan Liuzhai still maintained the mindset of a teacher when facing Araki.

"Confrontation? Teacher Genryuzhai, when did you develop the illusion that I have already used all my strength?"

Araki smiled faintly after hearing Genryusai's words.

"Um?!"

Yuan Liuzhai was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

"boom……"

Before Genryusai could think further, Araki transformed into a dark shadow and rushed straight towards Genryusai, his Zanpakuto held horizontally as he slashed at Genryusai.

"Ding……"

Faced with Araki's sudden burst of astonishing speed, Genryusai was momentarily stunned before immediately swinging his sword to block. Centuries of training had ingrained combat in Genryusai's bones and blood; even Araki's sudden, almost sneak-attack-like outburst was beyond his control. Genryusai Shigekuni, who had imprinted swordsmanship in his heart, was now helpless.

However, the moment Genryusai's sword clashed with Araki's, Genryusai knew he was wrong, terribly wrong...

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, Genryusai, who had clashed with Araki's Zanpakuto, along with the Zanpakuto in his hand and himself, who was tightly gripping the Zanpakuto, were all sent flying by Araki's strike.

Yuan Liuzhai glided through the sky for hundreds of meters before bursting into flames, dissipating Araki's terrifying strength, and transforming into a terrifying meteor, falling once again in front of Araki.

"boom!"

After a huge crater was blasted into Araki's front by Genryusai, Genryusai, who had been sent flying by Araki's sword, finally landed steadily on the ground.

"Teacher Yuan Liuzhai, how was that cut?"

When Araki and Genryusai's "slashing techniques" are evenly matched in skill, the battle comes down to who has the greater strength.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Genryusai did not answer Araki's question. He simply lowered his head, staring at his right hand, which was trembling as he gripped the Zanpakuto, and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, after Yuan Liuzhai forcibly controlled his trembling right hand, he looked at Araki and suddenly spoke.

"I remember a long time ago, when Araki, you were still very young, and you had only been my disciple for a little over a hundred years. Back then, neither your spiritual pressure nor your swordsmanship were particularly outstanding among your fellow disciples..."

"However, it was you who suddenly decided to challenge me one day. This not only startled me, but also shocked the entire 'Yuanzi Academy.' At the time, everyone thought you had gone mad..."

"At the same time, you naturally attracted ridicule from countless fellow disciples. You remained calm and prepared quietly until you displayed amazing combat power in your duel with me. Only then did everyone realize that you had been hiding your true strength all along."

"After this battle, you not only passed my test, but also left this indelible scar on my forehead. From now on, your name will spread throughout 'Yuanliu' and you will become a sensation in this 'Yuanzi Academy'!"

"From that moment on, all those who mocked you shut their mouths, and countless classmates looked at you with nothing but admiration. Yet you remained the same as before, seemingly indifferent to all worldly matters!"

“From that moment on, I knew! Perhaps you are the only one who can remain unchanged in this ‘Seireitei,’ and perhaps you are the only one who can change this ‘Seireitei’ from colluding with the nobles…”

As Genryusai scrutinized Araki, he gently stroked his beard. The seeds he had sown years ago seemed to have finally borne fruit; Araki had surpassed him in every aspect of 'slaying techniques'...

"Who knows what the future holds?!"

Araki simply smiled after hearing Genryusai's words.

When he first joined the Yuanzi Academy, he was unfamiliar with the place and the people. All he could think about was "system points". Naturally, he was too lazy to communicate with the people around him. He didn't dare to be too high-profile in the early stages because he was afraid of standing out from the crowd. He challenged Yuanliuzhai later because he thought he had been "playing it safe" enough and could now show some of his strength.

As for those who mocked him after hearing that he was going to challenge Genryuzai, or those who flattered him after he used the power of 'fruit' and 'dominance' to catch the 'arrogant' Genryuzai off guard and almost caused him to stumble, he ignored them all.

After all, he didn't need to argue with a bunch of dead people, nor did he need to enjoy their flattery. However, Araki hadn't expected that his actions that day would be interpreted differently by Genryusai…

"Hehe, that's true..."

"As people get older, they tend to have many feelings."

"You've passed the slashing test. Next up is your fist technique! Let me see your fighting skills."

As Yuan Liuzhai spoke, he gently removed his shihaka (a type of Japanese martial arts uniform) from his upper garment, revealing his incredibly strong body covered in scars.

Araki Hikaru looked at Genryusai's upper body and it was as if he saw Genryusai in his youth, holding his Zanpakuto and fighting one life-and-death battle after another in the Soul Society. Compared to Genryusai's era, people living in the modern world are undoubtedly happy.

"Teacher Yuan Liuzhai, it's not that I'm saying anything, but..."

"If you fight for nothing, you'll be no match for me."

As Araki spoke, he sheathed his Zanpakuto back into his waistband, and suddenly a fierce wind swept around him.

"Wind? No, this is the way of the ghosts!"

"A technique that combines Kido and Hakuda? Interesting..."

Genryusai narrowed his eyes as he watched the whirlwind swirling around Araki's body. In just one exchange, Genryusai had completely seen through Araki's techniques.

"As expected of Master Yuan Liuzhai, he saw through my technique in an instant."

Araki smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

"This is 'Instant Hurricane'! It's a technique I developed with the help of Sayoichi and the others, combining the 'Hakuda's Stealth Movement' with the 'Kido' of the Kido Clan..."

"Teacher Yuan Liuzhai, what do you think of my technique? Would you like to learn it? If so, just let me know, and I will impart all my knowledge to you."