The strike was so fast and devastating that Ryōma couldn't believe Kenpachi was so strong while subjected to pain. After parrying he sliced forth another time and a second purple line appeared in Kenpachi's body. It didn't matter if the strike hit or not, it wasn't targeted at Reishi but instead, the soul.
"UGHHHAAAAAA!!"
Never had any of the witnessing captains ever thought Zaraki Kenpachi could scream in pain, but they were just seeing it happen in front of their very eyes. Once again he fell to one knee and almost released the handle of his Zampakutō, he checked his chest and realised there were no wounds whatsoever just a purple line that resembled the scratch of a snake's fang.
It was excruciating; the pain was akin to being pierced by scalding hot needless that burned the flesh from the inside while not doing so much as scratching the surface.
Ryōma spat blood and stood up to see Kenpachi rolling and twisting.
"Tone it down, Hebimaru..."
"Don't tone shit down~"
!!!
*WHOOSH!*
Another explosion of reiatsu from Kenpachi, it was to the point Ryōma couldn't even believe it. A slash so fast that it sliced Ryoma's flesh and easily split buildings in half.
Ryōma groaned and felt his insides soften and cool up with a rush of pain that reached the marrow, blood poured everywhere... it was a heavy wound that would have rendered anyone else incapable of continuing... but just seeing Kenpachi continue to get stronger and stronger, he felt like he would be a pussy to give up.
"No fucking way I'm ending this fight!".
*RUMBLE!*
*CLANG!*
...
In the distance, Unohana noticed this change in Kenpachi with a deep frown and shock, 'So it is possible like this too... he is finally being unleashed'.
As the fight progressed, even in a death state, Kenpachi kept getting stronger. It reached the point where Ryoma, the one who was the 'irregular' was just baffled.
'Where does he keep getting his strength from?!' He mumbled inwardly.
'Even for a Kenpachi, he's ridiculous... his Reiatsu has escalated to at least three times its original pressure since the fight started. It looks like he won't be stopping any time soon. If it was for the pain he is experienced, you would be quickly sent into a disadvantageous position. Finish this fight quickly, Ryōma!' Shitsutora shouted.
"I don't want to!"
Never had Ryoma experienced such a thrilling fight, even as the wounds mounted up and the opponent gained the height of a titan, he didn't want to end it.
"You woken me up, BRAT!"
The feeling wasn't any different from Kenpachi, he could almost remember that fateful day when he was a kid, the moment in which he realised he lived for the sword. He could remember 'her'.
Always holding back to enjoy the thrill of battle... it had been a skewered path, a byproduct. Each wave of humongous pain from Ryoma's sword made him remember those days, the rain, the cold, the dirt, the mud... the pain; he reason why he began fighting in Rokungai in the first place.
'Survival. If I don't fight... If I don't become stronger... I will die, I will suffer!'
It was like a beast whose chains were being released one by one each time he received that gargantuan pain that couldn't be described in words. It was worse than death!
He dashed, caught Ryoma's head and planted his head on the ground with such strength that the impact devastated the whole block.
*BOOOOMMMMM!!!*
Ryōma felt his skull shatter, sliced forth and created yet another line, this time dragging out blood. Kenpachi once again faltered and even vomited with blood flowing off his eyes like worms with sharp teeth were checking his flesh from the inside.
The amount of pain was just indescribable.
But to Ryoma it was no different... he hadn't yet recovered from the previous strike and already felt his head go numb from his shattered skull.
The onlookers increased in numbers, at some point a barrier was erected in the area composed by five powerful captains. They couldn't hope to stop this battle, but at least they could try to limit the destruction caused by it.
Aside from Unohana Retsu and Sosuke Aizen, three more captains stared at the scene kindly and in shock. They had heard the name Kamishiro Inuzuri... they hadn't expected this at all.
...
Ryōma cracked his regenerating skull unaware that his skin was beginning to change colours and his eyes were slit and demonic. He mercilessly kicked the shrieking Kenpachi's stomach with all the strength Shitsutora could muster, his body shot like a rocket destroying everything in his path. However, Ryoma also fell on his knees looking at the wound of his chest, it was so deep he felt his organs were going to gush out.
*cough!*
'Even as a hollow with your regenerative capabilities, this is still a terrible wound. You need time to recover–' Shitsutora mumbled in a rush, worried because she knew how much of a battle maniac her current owner was, and that he wouldn't stop at nothing to enjoy a good fight.
"There is no time!" Ryōma didn't disappoint her expectations and did forsake the state of his wounds, blindly believing in his regenerative capabilities.
'So long as I am not beheaded, there is no reason to stop!'.
*BOOOMMM!!*
Kenpachi shot out of the rubble and phased in space like a ghost using a dominance in Shunpo that was close to Kurayami's. He slashed forth and caused yet another mountain of destruction as Ryoma flickered away. It was a right downwards swing, a trajectory in which he couldn't parry with Hebimaru, and blocking with Shitsutora would put her integrity at a question, so he decided to evade
If another of those strikes hit, he didn't even want to know.
*CLAANG!*
*CLAANG!*
Kenpachi had demonstrated he had what it took to be the strongest. No, more.
Unohana gripped the handle of her sword with a flustered expression concealing beneath that facade. The thrill of a battle to the death which she hadn't experienced in a long time. Two strong seedlings, one young and one old, both strong enough to call themselves Kenpachi, facing each other in relentless battle.
'If this fight is allowed to continue, Captain Yamamoto will have to get involved'.
She saw Ryoma's body and she caught a glimpse of exposed mysteries. She looked around, surely enough those captains had questions. Too many irregularities in one body to not notice.
A young talent capable of matching a Zaraki Kenpachi without even using Bankai, the Shihoin Clan's treasure in his hands. Two Zampakutōs in Shikai state... soul rendering capabilities, a ridiculous regeneration.
Kamishiro Inuzuri was a box of mysteries that continued to deliver. The attention of the rest of the captains had already been called; one by one they manifested.
*CLAANGG!!*
Both swords met one time, and there was silence. The world around them had changed to a wasteland and even the tornados around did nothing but portray how chaotic the Reiryoku in the air was. There were ominous purple lines drawn everywhere... and the captains knew better than to touch them.
Ryōma and Kenpachi looked at one another, worn up, tired, bloodied and dirty.
"F-Fuck..." Ryoma fell on his knees first, refusing to lose consciousness... it meant defeat, it meant death.
Similarly, Kenpachi also fell on his knees... gone were the bells; his long hair fell unrestrained and wet in his own blood and his opponents... he didn't have Ryoma's regenerative capabilities, every wound touched the marrow and screamed in pain together with the excrutiating torture of those purple lines.
Eventually, his mind had enough.
Kenpachi collapsed unconscious in front of a smiling Ryoma who lifted up his sword to deliver the last strike... only for Shitsutora scatter back into her sword form as Hebimaru shrank.
'If it wasn't for my regenerative capabilities... because I'm a hollow. If this fight had been even...'
He looked at Kenpachi whose overwhelming strength and swordsmanship saved in a deep corner of his mind. Ryōma said something in frustration although those were words Kenpachi couldn't hear.
"I have... lost"