Bleach: Soi-Fon's Challenge Begins with Ultra Instinct

{🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please support me.🥰 You can access upto 40+ advance chapter through Patreon by using the link: https://patreon.com/Oreski}

Su Li's index finger gently pressed against the blade, as if brushing aside a falling twig, his face unreadable, unnervingly calm. Across from him, Zaraki Kenpachi stood frozen mid-swing, disbelief settling into his features like a slow-breaking wave. Around them, the crowd's stunned silence deepened. That devastating strike—one that could level a mountain—was halted by a single finger? To the untrained eye, it might have looked like stagecraft, a rehearsed illusion, but anyone familiar with Zaraki Kenpachi knew better. He didn't fake fights. He didn't pull punches. This was a man who lived for blood, for battle, for the absolute thrill of domination. Holding back? Impossible.

So it wasn't illusion—it was reality. Su Li had blocked Kenpachi's full-force blow with one slender finger. Up in the stands, Unohana Retsu's gaze turned sharp, her posture still but her presence suddenly darker. Was this truly the same boy she had once glimpsed in the shadows of madness? The same Kenpachi who once rivaled her in slaughter—now countered, suppressed? What kind of monster had Su Li become? Before, they'd all admired his grace, his control, his spiritual balance. Now, they were afraid. Because genius too great to understand doesn't inspire awe—it inspires instinctive dread. It was the same kind of fear that once haunted their dreams when a young Kenpachi first appeared with his blood-drenched sword and dead-eyed smile. Now, Su Li had taken that place. A new terror had arrived. Two eras. Two monsters. One battlefield.

The minds in the stands couldn't keep pace. Their astonishment melted into something colder, heavier. "What the hell did this kid do in the past month…" Kyoraku Shunsui muttered under his breath, face more serious than anyone had seen in years. "He's far more terrifying than before…" Komamura Sajin stood tense beside him, unaware that his massive hand had already crushed the railing beneath him. "Captain Kenpachi's ghost aura had no effect… how strong must Su Li's mental world be?" Nearby, Yachiru mumbled, almost to herself, eyes wide and locked onto the boy below. "Little Susu… really is strong…" Rangiku Matsumoto trembled as she whispered, her breath shallow, heart pounding. And farther down the row, Shiba Isshin stared at the scene, voice faltering as he whispered with a bitter edge, "Is he even human…" A quiet pang of regret echoed inside him. Did I bet on the wrong one?

Kenpachi remained motionless, his blade still resting against Su Li's finger. He said nothing, but the fire in his eyes flared hotter, brighter, more savage. "You—" he began, but before the words could escape, Su Li lifted his other hand with quiet precision. He slowly formed a fist—no theatrics, no spiritual shockwave, no sudden gust of wind. Just a calm, fluid motion from a pale face devoid of emotion. And then he punched.

It was gentle, nearly soundless. There was no roar of energy, no distortion of the air. His fist glided forward like a feather riding wind, like silk on water. And then it struck Kenpachi square in the chest. The sound was delayed. Boom. Kenpachi's body shot backwards like a ragdoll, his limbs barely registering the hit before momentum took him. Boom!! The delayed shockwave caught up and howled through the arena like a stormwind loosed from the sky. Bang!! He slammed into the outer wall of the barrier, stone fracturing on impact. Pfft— Blood burst from his mouth in a red arc. The barrier—untouched even by Kenpachi's earlier spiritual pressure—rippling faintly under the transfer of force. And it hadn't even been a direct strike on the wall. It had been a direct strike on Kenpachi. He was the conduit. The wall was the collateral. The implications were bone-deep.

Su Li slowly withdrew his hand and, with elegant stillness, folded both hands behind his back. "A real man doesn't talk too much during a fight," he said, voice calm, as though he hadn't just sent a captain of legend crashing through half the arena. Below, Kenpachi stirred.

"Huff… ha… hahaha… hahahaha!!" The laughter began low, then erupted like a fire bursting through dry wood. Kenpachi stood, blood dripping from his chin, a grin splitting his face wide with mania. "Well said!" he bellowed. "That's what I'm talking about!" His body swayed but refused to collapse. The madness in his eyes began to shift, hardening into a focused fire. His pupils glowed faint red. That wild grin stretched wider, teeth bared, almost inhuman. And on his chest—burned deep into skin and spirit alike—Su Li's fist mark still smoldered like a brand. The crowd looked on in horror and reverence.

They knew how tough Kenpachi was. Shikai-level strikes from captains barely grazed him. Even advanced kidō could hardly leave a mark when his ghost aura was active. Now, in this heightened state, he should've been untouchable. But that one punch had cracked him—body and pride. Blood poured freely. The wound throbbed like a seal. A reminder. A warning. Who, now, was the real monster?

Silence gripped the stands. The duel had passed the threshold of comprehension. There were no more bets, no more hopeful muttering. There was only awe. A war between monsters. A collision of calamities.

"You really surprised me, kid," Kenpachi growled, his voice like gravel raked over fire. "I haven't felt this alive in years… this pressure, this hunger, this feeling—like dying might finally be fun again." His eyes burned brighter, the blood only adding to his savage glory. "Come on! Let's fight! Let me die by your blade or break you where you stand!"

With a howl of glee, he lunged forward again, blade high, hunger raw. The arena seemed to quake beneath him. Gasps echoed from the crowd. Up above, even Yamamoto Genryūsai narrowed his eyes. "Commander, should we intervene?" Sasakibe whispered beside him, anxiety bleeding into his voice. "If this continues… someone may actually die."

Yamamoto did not look away. His ancient eyes were sharp, calculating. Then, with finality, he shook his head. "No. Ali is not so easily defeated."

Sasakibe blinked. That phrasing struck him oddly. The commander hadn't said Kenpachi wouldn't be defeated. He said Su Li wouldn't. That wasn't a prediction. That was a declaration. And it chilled Sasakibe more than any scream of battle could.

Was Kenpachi the challenger now—and Su Li the benchmark?

Down below, the two clashed once more. Kenpachi's blade screamed through the air, but Su Li raised one finger and stopped it again. Then came the counter—one punch, clean and swift.

Boom!!

Kenpachi crashed backward, blood spraying in a mist.

"Not enough! Not enough! Again!!" he bellowed, standing once more, eyes alight with delight.

Ding!! Boom!! Again, he was knocked down.

Ding! Boom! Blood followed.

Again. And again. Zaraki Kenpachi charged, was struck, and fell, only to rise anew. His captain's haori, once pristine white, was drenched in crimson. His sword hand shook but never lowered. He bled, he laughed, he roared. The monster within him refused to die. He welcomed every blow. Each impact was a blessing.

And from the edge of the arena, Su Li watched, gaze steady, the faintest trace of warmth flickering in his eyes. Something unspoken. A small, hidden respect.

Within his chest, one quiet thought rang true—

Zaraki Kenpachi… a real man.

{ Enjoying the chapters? Please Support me on Patreon and unlock 40+ advanced chapters, with 3 new chapters released every two days!

The fanfic is also available for one-time purchase on Patreon – unlock lifetime access to the full collection, no membership needed! Don't miss out –support and own it forever!

patreon.com/Oreski}