Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami-Chapter 226 ⥤ Now Go Wash My Socks

T/N: Without complications like the Soul King's nail removal or soul partition, both Rangiku and Gin are much more powerful than in the original timeline. Rangiku also wields an enhanced Shikai due to her complete soul.

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Materialized Reiatsu erupted in violent gusts, making the air thick and heavy with the spiritual pressure of both combatants.

The crowd cheered eagerly, thirsting for battle.

"Excellent, this is excellent!"

"It's Shikai! The release form that even Seated Officers struggle to master!"

"A rare battle between geniuses!"

In a brilliant flash of Reiatsu, Rangiku's blade shattered, transforming into countless black particles that filled the arena like mist.

At that moment, a dazzling white light streaked past, the air shimmering with heat from its speed.

Whoosh—

The sharp blade rushed toward Rangiku without restraint, ending with the crisp ring of steel.

Before the crowd's watchful eyes, the blade's light pierced through her body.

Bang!

An explosion followed. To everyone's surprise, Rangiku's body burst apart, dissolving into black particles that merged with the air.

"Today's young prodigies grow more extraordinary by the day." Shunsui shifted to a more comfortable position and added seriously, "Mastering Shikai right after graduation, with such unusual powers — even I can't determine their exact abilities."

Akira smiled silently, watching their performance with intent focus.

Both Rangiku and Gin's abilities had exceeded his expectations. He'd thought these unripe fruits would need years, if not decades, to mature. Yet in the blink of an eye, they had developed remarkably.

In the original timeline, Rangiku had her Soul King fragment forcibly removed, causing her potential to plummet to that of an ordinary Lieutenant. Her incomplete soul had even temporarily robbed her of the ability to achieve Bankai.

Now things were different. With her soul intact, her Reiatsu mighty, and her martial prowess abundant, Rangiku's Shikai, Haineko, released countless particles that enveloped the arena. Her abilities had evolved significantly.

When Shinsō pierced her chest, Akira observed the Reiatsu flow through the ash. It resembled the power of some ash-controlling fruit (Hai Hai no Mi...).

Rangiku merged with the floating ash, instantly materializing behind Gin. The fine particles condensed into a sharp blade, which she swung down at him without hesitation.

Yet this seemingly certain strike failed the moment Gin turned his head.

A flash of silver light burst forth, meeting the ash blade's tip perfectly. The resulting shockwave sent surging Reiatsu crashing against the surrounding Kidō barrier, making it groan ominously.

Akira's eyes lit up.

Gin was still Gin, a genius among geniuses. His control over power and speed, along with his attack angles, was flawless. From start to finish, he had maintained complete control of the situation.

Even while completely surrounded by ash, he remained calm and made precise decisions.

His strategy against wide-area attacks was brilliant: feign defeat, create an opening, wait for the opponent to strike, then deliver a killing blow!

Yet Rangiku saw through his plan. When Shinsō shot toward her, she had already transformed into ash, materializing instantly at his right side.

Though her combat prowess might not rival certain exceptional fighters, it was impressive nonetheless. After just a few exchanges, she had discovered a counter to his Shikai.

The Shinsō's greatest weakness lay in its simple extend-and-contract ability — it couldn't curve. Against an opponent who could anticipate its path, this limitation became obvious.

"The battle is quite intense."

Shunsui stroked his stubbled chin thoughtfully as he turned to Akira with a grin.

"Say, little brother, who's your pick this time? I believe Miss Rangiku has the advantage. Her ability to move freely within the ash makes her practically untouchable." He sighed, "I don't see how she could lose — unless she willingly surrenders first place."

Akira's lips curved into a mysterious smile, "Care to make a bet?"

"Bet what?"

"The loser washes Yama-jii's and the winner's socks for a year!"

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"?" Shunsui eyed the combat assessment suspiciously. Such a steep wager seemed fishy.

As he wavered, Akira shot him a sidelong glance and laughed mockingly.

"Brother Kyōraku, you're not scared, are you? I'll stake Yama-jii's left arm that this fight is completely fair."

Shunsui: "..."

Why did he suddenly lose interest in betting? If Akira had proposed something more reasonable, he might have agreed.

As he debated internally, he watched Gin's position grow more precarious, blood seeping through his Academy uniform as his injuries mounted. Defeat seemed certain.

The opportunity was too good to pass up. Whether having Akira wash his socks or washing the old man's socks — both prospects were tempting.

Hiss! He would bet!

"What's your wager?" Shunsui asked with a sideways glance.

But Akira just smiled confidently and declared, "They'll both fall."

Shunsui wondered if Yama-jii's sword had addled his junior brother's brain — how could he make such an absurd prediction?

The current situation clearly showed Rangiku having the upper hand. Using kiting tactics, she kept inflicting wounds on Gin's body. Given enough time, he would bleed out...

Wait! What was that?!

From start to finish, Gin had maintained absolute composure. After assessing Rangiku's abilities, he devised a countermeasure. Since his Shinsō was being countered, he would switch to another form of attack.

For example, Kidō!

⤫ Hadō #33: Sōkatsui ⥤ Blue Fire, Crash Down! ⤬

Under countless bewildered gazes, Gin placed one hand on the ground, channeling scorching heat and explosive flames into the ground's cracks.

An earth-shattering explosion rang out. Flames raged through the ash, instantly engulfing the entire combat platform. Even the Kidō barrier groaned under the strain.

The Kidō Corps members rushed forward to stabilize the wavering barrier.

"The young ones are truly formidable." Shunsui sighed, "While extending his Shinsō, he laid down Kidō markings on the devastated ground. Then he used Sōkatsui to ignite them, ending the match. A well-deserved loss..."

Akira flash-stepped onto the calming arena platform. Both fighters lay defeated by their mutual destruction strategy, neither having any strength left to fight.

Rangiku looked up at the familiar figure with disappointment. She could have won, if not for that moment of carelessness that led to a draw.

Looking at the dejected girl, he reached out, ruffled her soft orange hair, and smiled.

"Don't be discouraged, you did amazingly well." He turned to Gin and asked, "Have you decided which division you want to join?"

"The 11th Division!" The boy replied without hesitation.

Rangiku's eyes widened, "Hey, I was here first! Akira, I want to join the 11th Division too!"

At the judges' stand, Shunsui covered his face — he knew it would come to this.

As Akira rose to prominence in the Seireitei, more and more prodigies sought to join the 11th Division. At this rate, someone might replace Yama-jii and establish a new Gotei 13.

Regarding their decision, Akira laughed triumphantly:

"Kekeke, welcome to our united and loving family!"

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At the 1st Division barracks.

Chōjirō watched the "kid" sitting in the corridor scrubbing socks one by one, and a gratified smile crossed his weathered face.

He had watched Shunsui grow up. Now, at last, the junior was learning to show respect to his elders. Better late than never to return to the right path.

Perhaps Genryūsai's efforts in teaching Captain Kyōraku hadn't been wasted after all.

"Chōjirō."

At Genryūsai's voice from inside the room, he hurried in with documents in his arms.

"Lord Genryūsai, these are all the reports about the Quincy retrieved from the Daireishokairō."

Genryūsai held his brush, writing with intense focus.

Only after the final stroke did he ask slowly, "What are your thoughts on the Quincy?"

Chōjirō considered before answering gravely.

"The Quincy are fundamentally different from Shinigami. The souls they destroy vanish completely, violating the cycle of Reishi between the Three Worlds. If this continues, it will inevitably push the world toward Hell."

The matter of Hell was no longer secret. The high-ranking Officers of the Gotei 13 knew well of this future threat.

Compared to the Wandenreich hidden in the Shadow Area, Hell's threat loomed far more ominously.

"Such an existence, for the Sangai, is nothing but an unstable explosive waiting to detonate." Chōjirō said with concern, "For the sake of the world, and for all Shinigami and Humans, the Quincy cannot be allowed to exist."

Genryūsai gave him a surprised look.

He hadn't expected such radical thoughts from this old man who had served him for thousands of years.

Yet considering everything, it seemed a reasonable perspective. After centuries of racial warfare with the Quincy, his Lieutenant's wariness was only natural.

"What if..." Genryūsai set down his teacup and spoke seriously, "Someone could restrain the Quincy?"

Hearing this, Chōjirō frowned. His mind flew back to the brutal war centuries ago.

Back then, under Yhwach's command, the Quincy had wreaked havoc on the Soul Society, with countless Shinigami falling in battle.

For such a group, perhaps only the Quincy King, Yhwach himself, could keep them in check.

But wasn't Yhwach's goal to destroy the world? How could he possibly restrain his Quincy subordinates?

Chōjirō sank into deep thought.

Seeing this, Genryūsai shook his head and said nothing more.

It wasn't that he distrusted his old subordinate, but matters concerning his wayward disciple were best kept to as few people as possible.

The mighty captain of the 11th Division — as orthodox a Shinigami as they come — had transformed into a Quincy of the Wandenreich. Such a thing defied belief.

Though Genryūsai was accustomed to certain people's reality-defying actions, this revelation had shocked him so deeply that he couldn't eat sweet potatoes for days. Only now had he begun to accept this new reality.

In the end, old beliefs died hard.

Oh well. Rather than dwelling on these matters, it was better to trust his wayward disciple's abilities. Compared to Akira, a certain fool's pointless show of dedication seemed rather worthless.

"Yama-jii, where should I hang the socks?" Shunsui entered the room carrying dripping wet socks.

Genryūsai gave him an annoyed look, casually pulling Ryūjin Jakka from under the fireplace.

Reiatsu flowed in, flames rising. Within seconds, the socks were completely dry.

Shunsui: "..."

Now he knew where that junior had inherited his habit of solving everything by drawing his sword.

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"Your punches aren't fast enough, and they're not fierce enough!"

After spending time in the Soul Society, Akira returned to his loyal Wandenreich.

As Combat Chief Instructor, his primary duty was training the basic Quincy soldiers.

"How many times must I tell you — Reishi is merely external!" He shouted, "What will you do if you face an enemy who can negate Reishi? Submit without resistance? Let yourself be slaughtered? Mere Reishi cannot compare to bodies tempered through countless trials! Train, keep training!"

As time passed, not only basic soldiers but also some subdued Sternritter members came for instruction.

Only a few among them caught Akira's eye.

Pernida would often come to observe. He caused no trouble, simply standing quietly as he waited for Akira to finish teaching.

Perhaps it was his personality, or maybe because someone had unique experience dealing with the Manus (Hand) species. Pernida enjoyed Akira's company, even if just for trivial conversation.

After all, Akira was the only one who could communicate with him without barriers.

After teaching some self-created Hakuda styles, Akira left the Quincy to practice.

{T/N: I wanted to put the translation of Hakuda in German, but the name is very ugly: Nahkampf.}

He approached Pernida, reached into his pocket, and offered him a steaming sweet potato.

"Gu..." Pernida made an unclear sound.

Having never left the Wandenreich since gaining consciousness, he understood little of the outside world.

"This is legendary glowing cuisine, one of the world's rarest delicacies." Akira lavished praise, elevating Genryūsai's culinary skills to unparalleled heights.

After a moment of silence, Pernida made another "gu" sound. He didn't want to eat it — such precious food should be saved for his only friend.

Akira frowned.

This child was perhaps too kind, completely different from the Pernida in his memories.

And... where did this foolish stupidity come from?

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T/N: Regarding Pernida, his inherent ability was Evolution, and in the original story, as his interactions increased, his manner of speech and behavior would grow to match those of the people or things he contacted.

Simply put, one takes on the color of one's company.

Another T/N: If you want more Chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

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