Chapter 177: The Onomatopoeia Master, Aizen
"Stop hiding. Come out."
"My eyes, Satoru's eyes, are sharper than Teacher Aoki's blade... To think you could hide from me is nothing but wishful thinking!"
As his words faded, a light chuckle echoed.
"Heh, so that's how it is."
"No wonder that old Shinigami said not to trouble you lightly."
"To see through my disguise, you do have some skill."
As the voice spoke, a section of the sky slowly distorted, revealing the figure hidden behind it.
Seeing the opponent's appearance, Satoru couldn't help but pause in surprise...
Long pink hair, streaked with a few strands of golden highlights.
On his head, two white, bone-like long horns extended backwards towards the nape of his neck, reminiscent of Lu Bu's pheasant plumes.
An elegant white robe adorned his figure.
A pair of bone-rimmed glasses rested on his face.
Although his appearance differed somewhat from Satoru's memory, the overall impression was not too far off.
With just one glance, Satoru guessed his identity.
Curiously, he asked, "Szayelaporro?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Satoru call out his name so readily, Szayelaporro showed a surprised expression.
He narrowed his eyes and raised the corner of his mouth.
"Satoru, how do you know my name?"
Satoru didn't answer him, instead letting out a hearty laugh.
"So it's you, you pervert."
"Merely the Number Eight, yet you dare to invade the enemy camp alone? This General admires your courage."
"Hmm... Judging by your appearance, have you achieved a partial Resurrección on your own?"
"To think a mere Adjuchas could reach this stage."
"While commendable, since you're here, don't expect to leave!"
"This General will prepare... prepare your funeral arrangements for you!"
The moment his words fell, Satoru charged forward instantly.
Pushing off with his feet, he shot forward like a cannonball.
Simultaneously, the short blade in his right hand, attached to a long chain, whistled as it lashed towards Szayelaporro!
Szayelaporro was covered in question marks.
What Number Eight?
When had he ever participated in such a strange ranking?
And that phrase "partial Resurrección"...
It was quite fitting to describe his current state.
Judging by Satoru's casual attitude, it seemed this guy had seen beings who had achieved "complete Arrancar" status?
Even he, a Menos Grande, hadn't seen one, yet this guy had?
And those last two sentences nearly made him laugh in anger.
An Adjuchas?
This Shinigami actually thought he was an Adjuchas?
From his demeanor, he seemed utterly convinced, as if he had obtained information about him from somewhere.
Could it be that he had seen him from his Adjuchas era?
Or perhaps encountered someone who had fought against him during his Adjuchas days?
Szayelaporro tried to recall.
How many years ago was it when he was still an Adjuchas?
He couldn't quite remember.
Sighing inwardly at the passage of time, he opened his mouth towards the charging Satoru.
A purple energy sphere rapidly condensed and formed!
Sensing the power of this sphere, Aizen's pupils constricted slightly.
"Satoru! Dodge!"
In fact, even before Aizen spoke, Satoru had already begun evasive maneuvers.
Although he didn't know why he needed to dodge, his intuition screamed that not doing so would mean disaster!
The next second, a purple beam of light pierced through the sky—
Terrifying Reiatsu radiated outwards in expanding concentric circles.
The Reiatsu shockwave surged outward, creating a violent blast. Some newly appointed vice-captains nearly got sent flying backward by the overwhelming spiritual pressure crashing toward them.
Chōjirō raised an arm to shield his face.
Sensing the intensity of the spiritual pressure in the air, his heart churned with turmoil.
Initially, he had also thought this was just an Adjuchas-level Hollow, albeit with a somewhat unusual appearance.
Only now did he realize that this Menos Grande was likely an existence beyond even that!
The legendary... Vasto Lorde!
Cold sweat trickled down Chōjirō's forehead.
Vasto Lordes were said to be so rare they could be counted on one hand throughout the entire Hueco Mundo.
And one of them had specifically come to attack them?
"Satoru!!"
Sōjun roared and charged toward Satoru's direction.
Seinosuke followed without hesitation.
Even from this far away, just facing the residual shockwaves felt like their faces were being scraped raw.
Satoru, who had taken the Cero head-on, was probably in terrible condition!
Sōjun pushed his Flash Step to the limit in his urgency.
But halfway there, he was astonished to see Satoru's figure reappear from the gradually fading Cero light.
Satoru stood with his Zanpakutō held forward.
Several dark shadows dissipated in front of him.
Though he had stopped moving, he showed no signs of injury.
Seeing this, Sōjun couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Seinosuke's jaw dropped in surprise.
Though he'd heard Satoru had become monstrously strong, he never imagined it would be to this extent.
In the distance, the vice-captains who had nearly been blown away by the earlier Reiatsu were equally shocked.
Szayelaporro raised an eyebrow.
Unlike those distant observers, he had seen everything clearly.
At the last moment before impact, Satoru had twisted his body and shifted position.
He instantly moved from the Cero's core to its periphery.
It wasn't purely a Shinigami's Flash Step—it seemed mixed with a Hollow's Sonído.
Then he switched from offense to defense, rapidly converting his attacking Reiatsu into protection.
Simultaneously, he used either Kidō or his Zanpakutō's ability to summon a shadow shield.
Any one of these actions would have been extremely difficult to execute in that split-second situation.
Yet this guy managed to do them all instantly.
Quite impressive.
He smiled, licking his lips.
Nearby, Satoru lowered his sword and looked at Szayelaporro with suspicion.
"Hacks?"
"?"
Szayelaporro made a puzzled expression, not understanding what Satoru meant.
Satoru found it even stranger.
Szayelaporro... wasn't he the Eighth Espada under Aizen's command?
In the original storyline, he only bullied early-series Renji before getting completely dominated by Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
How could such a minor character unleash such a powerful Cero?
Though confused, he quickly dismissed these thoughts.
Why Szayelaporro had become stronger wasn't important right now.
The priority was to get the vice-captains back to the Soul Society.
A Vasto Lorde-level Menos Grande that had already achieved Resurrección on its own—its danger level couldn't even be described as high.
If things went badly, half the vice-captains present might be wiped out.
With this in mind, Satoru prepared to make his escape.
However, just as he was about to create distance, Szayelaporro suddenly laughed.
"Weren't you trying to keep me here earlier? Running away now is not acceptable."
As he spoke, he raised his arm and extended a finger toward the sky.
Instantly, a circular barrier expanded, enclosing both him and Satoru within.
It was as if an arena had been created out of thin air.
Satoru glanced around, showing a thoughtful expression.
Szayelaporro chuckled, "This barrier isn't particularly strong, but it's enough to stop you for about a second."
"In just over a second, at such a short distance, how much do you think I can do to you?"
Satoru asked curiously, "You want to keep me here?"
"Precisely."
Szayelaporro nodded elegantly.
He smiled and said, "As a scientist, I plan to take you back as my experimental material."
Hearing this, Satoru couldn't help but laugh.
All along, it had been him and Aizen going to Hueco Mundo to capture various Hollows for experiments.
He never expected the tables to turn, with him becoming the experimental subject today.
How delightful, how delightful.
"Satoru!"
Not far away, Sōjun rushed over.
He gripped his sword with both hands, staring intently at Szayelaporro.
Satoru paid him no mind.
He looked at Szayelaporro:
"It seems you really want to test yourself against me."
"Do you even have what it takes to challenge me, Satoru?"
Szayelaporro's eyes flashed with displeasure: "Satoru, though that old Shinigami speaks highly of you, in my view, you don't actually possess abilities worthy of such high praise."
"Right now, I'm the one in the position to ask questions from above."
"And you are not permitted to maintain such an attitude!"
Hearing this, Satoru grew angry.
"A mere Hollow dares speak to this Shinigami like that!"
He glared fiercely and raised his sword.
Then, he turned his head toward Sōjun.
"You! Take those nuisances and get far away from here!"
"I'm going one-on-one with this Hollow!"
"If any of you dare come closer, I'll cut you down too!"
"Oh, and especially that old man Sasakibe—he's so ancient he's practically falling apart. Tell him to scram along with the rest, or I'll cut him down first!"
As he spoke, his Reiatsu began rapidly intensifying.
Sensing Satoru's continuously strengthening, thickening Reiatsu, Szayelaporro revealed a pleased expression.
Good, very good.
This test subject was fascinating in every aspect.
He absolutely must take him back to Hueco Mundo later and study him inside and out!
As for Sōjun, hearing Satoru's merciless words, he first felt somewhat hurt and wanted to argue.
But then, the results of his training over the past year finally showed.
His father, Ginrei Kuchiki, had once told him:
On the battlefield, one must be skilled at observing every detail.
Any negligence could lead to complete defeat.
Satoru wasn't the type to say such things.
There must be a reason he was acting this way.
He looked behind him.
And then he understood why Satoru was doing this.
Among the vice-captains present, aside from Chōjirō—who already had the qualifications to become a captain but voluntarily declined—none were qualified to participate in a battle of this level.
Satoru was using himself as bait to let the others retreat quickly.
For a moment, Sōjun felt complicated emotions.
But soon, he made up his mind.
Gritting his teeth, Sōjun turned and swiftly departed.
The faster he could get the others to retreat, the sooner he could create an opportunity for Satoru to escape!
Szayelaporro paid no attention to Sōjun's departure.
All he wanted was Satoru.
Looking at Satoru, his eyes burned with eager anticipation.
Then, to his surprise, he saw Satoru suddenly release his Zanpakutō's release and sheathed it at his waist.
Next, with a pull of both hands, he stripped off the upper half of his Shinigami Uniform.
"?"
Szayelaporro was stunned.
Every Shinigami he had encountered before was severely dependent on their Zanpakutō.
Even in death, they would die with their swords released.
Who would cancel their release when facing a powerful enemy like this?
Under Szayelaporro's bewildered gaze, Satoru flashed forward and appeared right in front of him.
His fists, condensed with the power of "bone strike," rained down in a relentless barrage!
"Ooh... this power?!"
At first, Szayelaporro wanted to test the strength of Satoru's fists, so he directly blocked with his arms.
But after just a few punches, he felt intense pain shooting through his arms.
If this keeps up, my arm is going to break!
This guy... he can unleash such powerful attacks without even using his sword?
In the distance, sensing the combat Reiatsu transmitted through the air, the vice-captains couldn't help but show expressions of astonishment.
Has Satoru already grown this strong?
Should I go and assist?
Chōjirō frowned deeply. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Sōjun land beside them with a Flash Step.
"Lord Kuchiki, what did Lord Satoru say?"
"Satoru told everyone to retreat... That humanoid Hollow is in an abnormal state. Satoru is stalling it to buy time for everyone."
"Vice-Captain Chōjirō, please hurry!"
Hearing this, Chōjirō Sasakibe nodded.
He drew his Zanpakutō, thrust it into the air, and opened the Senkaimon.
"Everyone, withdraw into the Dangai in order... quickly!"
Under Chōjirō's direction, the vice-captains filed into the Senkaimon one by one.
Before entering, they all caught sight of Satoru fiercely battling Szayelaporro.
Although Satoru was strong, the Menos Grande clearly held the upper hand.
It probably wouldn't be long before Satoru was defeated.
Even the newest vice-captains among them were far more senior Shinigami than Satoru.
The thought that they owed their escape to a junior risking his life to save them filled them with deep shame.
Seinosuke gritted his teeth tightly.
Though he desperately wanted to help Satoru, he knew all too well that as a medic, he would be of little use.
Taking a deep breath, he rushed into the Senkaimon.
Chōjirō wanted to stay behind, but Sōjun stopped him—
"Vice-Captain Chōjirō, Satoru said you should leave as well."
"Nonsense!"
Chōjirō was somewhat angry. "I am a Shinigami who has mastered Bankai. Now that everyone else has evacuated and no longer needs my protection, of course I should go assist Lord Satoru!"
As he spoke, he had already drawn his Zanpakutō.
Just then, a voice condensed from Reishi reached his ears—
[Vice-Captain Chōjirō, the opponent's strength is extraordinary. Please return to the Soul Society immediately and ask the teacher to intervene!]
[Among everyone here, you are the fastest. This task can only be entrusted to you!]
Chōjirō looked up in surprise toward the battlefield.
That voice just now was Satoru's.
And Satoru was currently fighting fiercely, leaping and dodging all over the place.
To maintain such stable communication amid such an intense battle...
Had his strength already reached such a level?
While marveling, Chōjirō nodded.
Having served as Yamamoto's attendant for many years, he had long developed the habit of following orders in critical situations.
Although Satoru wasn't his direct superior, he was, after all, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's disciple.
Before they left, Lord Yamamoto had also instructed them to consult Satoru if anything happened.
Thus, after hearing those words, he wasted no more time and dashed into the Senkaimon, rushing toward the Soul Society at full speed.
Once Chōjirō and Sōjun had left, Aizen breathed a sigh of relief.
His simulated voice had been quite convincing.
Watching the Senkaimon close completely, he smiled.
Having taken advantage of the chaos to hide in his "Bending Light" ability from the start, he turned his gaze toward Szayelaporro.
That guy Satoru had gone to great lengths to create a situation with no witnesses.
He couldn't let him down.
This Menos Grande must be captured!