Engagement Captain

Watanabe Keiryū no longer acted all high and mighty all of a sudden. After witnessing Kimura Muyang's power firsthand, he realized that he had underestimated Kimura Muyang all along. He could no longer say that he could easily defeat him now in this situation.

He immediately backed off for a moment by using Shunpo and carefully put down Watanabe Ichiro, who passed out in his arms. His kind eyes as he put his nephew down didn't match his appearance at all.

Kimura Muyang didn't have to worry about Watanabe Keiryū running away. Even though he was a traitor to Soul Society, his pride as a Captain wouldn't allow him to do such an embarrassing thing. Moreover, he was a noble, and for a noble who simply wanted to restore his family's glory like him, pride was way more valuable than his life.

"I didn't expect you have such a soft side, too. I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover." Kimura couldn't help but say these after seeing the stern and rude Watanabe Keiryū showed such kindness.

"He's my only relative, you see."

Watanabe Keiryū looked at Kimura Muyang solemnly, not with his usual condescending look.

"Hm? So you can talk to me normally, too? I thought you couldn't speak without your condescending tone."

After a brief pause, Watanabe Keiryū finally answered: "You're qualified to talk with me on equal ground with that strength of yours."

Kimura Muyang realized that he thought too much into it. Watanabe Keiryū sounded just as condescending as always!

Even though Kimura Muyang despised Watanabe Keiryū to the point that he wanted to kill him, he was extremely calm this time for some reason. Was it because he got everything under control? Such a question crossed his mind, but he immediately realized that he didn't actually know how strong Watanabe Keiryū was, so he immediately cast such thought away from his mind

"Come on, let's see what you got."

Watanabe Keiryū said as he drew his Zanpakuto.

"Smash, Ravenfly."

Watanabe Keiryū used his Shikai right off the bat. Following this incantation, the Zanpakuto in his hand shapeshifted into an entirely different weapon that resembled an Emeici but more ominous.

This is...

While Kimura Muyang was still brooding about this oddly shaped Zanpakuto, Watanabe Keiryū already rushed toward him. Even though it appeared to be just a straightforward attack, his momentum was nothing to laugh at.

However, Kimura Muyang effortlessly blocked Watanabe Keiryu's thrust by slightly raising his Zanpakuto. Something strange afterward, Kimura Muyang felt a peculiar force once his Zanpakuto collided with Watanabe Keiryū's Zanpakuto that suddenly deflected his Zanpakuto downwards while Watanabe Keiryū's Zanpakuto was driven straight into his face.

Kimura Muyang's complexion changed. It was a close call, but he managed to evade it by tilting his head at the last moment.

Even though Kimura Muyang was positive that he evaded the attack, he felt there was an external force that grazed his cheek.

He couldn't believe he was wounded in the face right off the bat! Aside from during his training with Kimura Kazuya, he has never received any scar on his face, even during his journey with Zaraki Kenpachi! He realized that even as rotten as he was, Watanabe Keiryū was still a Captain, and he couldn't afford to take him lightly.

Even though he was a little bit surprised, Kimura Muyang wasn't the kind of person who would let his enemy do whatever they pleased, so as he dodged the attack, he touched Watanabe Keiryū with his index finger.

"This is bad!"

Realizing Kimura Muyang tapped him, Watanabe Keiryū's complexion changed. Although he was not that well-versed in Kidō, he could tell which Kidō Kimura Muyang was going to use just from his finger's gesture…

"Hadō #4. Byakurai."

Following Kimura Muyang's remark, a concentrated bolt of lightning was generated from Kimura Muyang's fingertips and penetrated Watanabe Keiryū's abdomen.

"Shua~"

After exchanging attacks, both of them used Shunpo to create some distance between them.

Kimura Muyang touched his cheek and immediately clicked his tongue right after: "tsk, it really was grazed." As he looked at Watanabe Keiryū closer, he clicked his tongue once again: "tsk, I thought I managed to pierce his heart."

Kimura Muyang's Kidō blew a small hole on Watanabe Keiryū's abdomen, and his white Captain Haori was stained by red blood.

"I didn't expect that you'd be pretty good at Kidō."

Watanabe Keiryū just looked straight at Kimura Muyang as if the wound he sustained just now didn't affect him at all.

"You took the words right out of my mouth. I didn't expect a burly fellow like you would have such Zanpakuto."

"Oh? Then what kind of Zanpakuto did you expect I'd have?"

Watanabe Keiryū replied with another question.

"Uhhh…" when Watanabe Keiryū asked him that question, he couldn't really come up with an answer. He was a little thrown off by Watanabe Keiryū's sudden change in attitude that he began to question whether the one in front of him was the same Watanabe Keiryū who humiliated him that day.

Watanabe Keiryū didn't even go for the kill even when Kimura Muyang let down his guard like that. However, Kimura Muyang could feel the atmosphere was gradually changing, so he immediately collected himself. He didn't know what happened to Watanabe Keiryū, but he realized this wasn't the time to delve further into this matter as he must defeat him right here and now.

Kimura Muyang suddenly raised his Zanpakuto...

"Shingetsu!"

An azure crescent-like compressed air blade came out of Kimura Muyang's Zanpakuto, heading straight toward Watanabe Keiryū at incredible speed.

Watanabe Keiryū was startled and immediately raised his Zanpakuto in his hand to block the incoming attack. As the crescent compressed air blade hit his Zanpakuto, it was deflected downwards for some reason, but it still hit Watanabe Keiryū.

Kimura Muyang watched closely and didn't overlook what happened.

As the compressed air blade dispersed, Watanabe Keiryū emerged from the smoke caused by the impact. He himself wasn't wounded at all, but he seemed irritated for some reason.

"I have a rough idea what your Zanpakuto's ability is now." Kimura Muyang said as he loooked at Watanabe Keiryū.

"Hmph!" Watanabe Keiryū grunted. Obviously, he knew what Kimura Muyang did just now. Even though the compressed air blade was so fast, it completely lacked power, but he instinctively used his Zanpakuto's ability to block it because he panicked. Because of that, the kid in front of him managed to figure out his ability.

"Now that I know your trick, things won't go like last time. You'll never injure my face like earlier anymore!"

In a blink of an eye, Kimura Muyang was already right beside Watanabe Keiryū and almost beheaded him.

"Dang~ "

Right before Kimura Muyang's Zanpakuto could cut off Watanabe Keiryū's neck, his Zanpakuto was deflected by a strange force, and then Watanabe Keiryū blocked it efforlessly.

"I knew it." Kimura Muyang used Shunpo to back off and said: "Judging from that sensation just now, it must be a wind-type, no?"

"As expected of a prodigy." Watanabe Keiryū looked at Kimura Muyang seriously and said, "to think that you can figure out my Zanpakuto's ability so quickly."

Kimura Muyang just pointed his Zanpakuto at Watanabe Keiryū without saying anything back.

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