Chapter 178: I'm Beginning to Lose Control of Myself
Szayelaporro paid no mind to the vice-captains' retreat.
Having lived for centuries, he had encountered countless Shinigami.
For nearly a millennium, almost every expedition force sent to Hueco Mundo had ultimately fallen into his hands.
Among them were no shortage of powerful vice-captains.
Shinigami of that caliber were merely disposable experimental materials to him.
In comparison, Satoru was far more to his taste.
As Satoru relentlessly launched attacks against him, Szayelaporro continuously compiled mental notes.
Soon, he constructed a mathematical model of Satoru's capabilities.
The range of his punching power, his movement speed parameters, preferred combat maneuvers, likely reactions to various scenarios...
Every possible situation was pre-calculated in his mind.
What initially seemed like barely adequate movements gradually became effortless and graceful.
While satisfied with his progress, Szayelaporro felt some irritation.
That old Shinigami called Tsunayashiro was truly annoying.
The intelligence shared with Las Noches was always fragmented and obscured—missing pieces here, incomplete sections there.
If he had known all of Satoru's abilities in advance, would he have needed to go through all this trouble?
Still, despite his displeasure, he understood this behavior quite well.
If he were in Tsunayashiro Senzaemon's position, he certainly wouldn't reveal everything he knew either.
Otherwise, whether one would live to see the next moonrise would be far from certain.
The corners of Szayelaporro's mouth lifted slightly.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The moment the sound rang out, Satoru felt his body growing stiff.
Seeing his reaction, Szayelaporro laughed:
"How about it? Feeling something wrong?"
"Unfortunately for you, my skin is coated with a special Reishi toxin I developed."
"Every time your fist strikes me, you're silently being eroded by the Reishi toxin... While you do have a decent Reiatsu defense layer, against my specialized toxin, it's only a matter of buying a little more time."
"Now, aren't you starting to feel your body disobeying you?"
"Don't worry, this is just the beginning. Soon you'll find you can't even move a muscle."
Szayelaporro crossed his arms, wearing a mocking smile.
He was most adept at dealing with Shinigami like this who only relied on brute force.
He wasn't in any hurry to take Satoru away.
Just like he wasn't rushing to hunt down those fleeing vice-captains, Szayelaporro wasn't a bloodthirsty Hollow.
Compared to killing his opponents, he enjoyed the process of toying with them more.
Under his gaze, Satoru showed a pained expression.
"Ohh... I'm starting to lose control of myself!"
His movements grew increasingly stiff, his originally storm-like attacks gradually diminishing to moderate rain turning to drizzle.
Szayelaporro looked pleased.
This Shinigami called Satoru made quite pleasant sounds.
Compared to those tight-lipped Shinigami he'd captured before, Satoru better matched his expectations of what a Shinigami should be.
Hmm... when I put this guy on the dissection table later, I'll try to do it without anesthesia.
It would be such a shame to miss out on such delightful screams.
Thinking this, Szayelaporro raised his hand.
Liquid began flowing from the tips of his fingers.
He planned to administer a few more potent doses to Satoru, then wrap him up and take him back to Hueco Mundo.
But just as he approached Satoru and prepared to act, he suddenly sensed an abnormal Reiatsu fluctuation.
Szayelaporro sharply turned his head.
Several meters away, a figure clad in a black cloak tore through the light-bending concealment and suddenly charged out.
It was a Shinigami about Satoru's age, quite young.
His face was expressionless, his eyes utterly cold.
He held his Zanpakutō high, swinging it down toward Szayelaporro!
Clang!!!
Szayelaporro instantly drew his own blade, clashing with Aizen's sword.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the wooden badge on the latter's arm marking his vice-captain status.
A flicker of surprise passed through Szayelaporro's eyes.
Was the vice-captain position in Soul Society this prestigious now?
A mere vice-captain had actually managed to evade his Reiatsu perception the entire time and get this close.
Moreover, this strike carried considerable weight.
Those vice-captains he'd encountered before would probably be sent flying and seriously injured instantly when facing his Vasto Lorde-level power.
...That old Shinigami Tsunayashiro claimed Soul Society had just experienced war and its upper ranks were depleted?
If they're using Shinigami of this caliber as vice-captains, what depletion is he talking about?
While marveling at this, Szayelaporro opened his mouth, preparing to give Aizen a taste of Cero shock.
Being a cautious scientist, even while dealing with Aizen, he didn't forget to keep an eye on Satoru.
He raised his other hand and, without even looking, slapped a Reiatsu restraint onto Satoru.
First, deal with this Shinigami who ambushed him, then handle Satoru!
But just then, he caught a glimpse of mockery in Aizen's eyes.
Whoosh!!!
Under Szayelaporro's somewhat stunned gaze, a blade of raging blue flames soared high from his side.
One of his arms flew off just like that.
Devoured by the blue flames, the arm turned to ash mid-air before it could even hit the ground.
"Wha…"
Szayelaporro turned his head, staring in shock at Satoru.
He saw Satoru grinning at him, gripping twin flaming blades.
"Sorry, I was faking."
How was this possible?
Szayelaporro's thoughts were in disarray.
Neither his paralyzing poison nor the Reiatsu restraint he had just unleashed were things that could be easily shaken off.
How had Satoru managed it?
Before he could figure it out, Aizen's second strike was already closing in.
At the same time, Satoru launched a fierce twin-blade slash.
Szayelaporro flashed away, using Sonído to create distance from the two.
Narrowing his eyes, he studied the twin blades in Satoru's hands.
No doubt, this guy must have used his sword's ability to break out of that deadlock.
Ah... this was getting more and more intriguing.
An intense curiosity made Szayelaporro's entire body itch with anticipation.
Even though he had lost an arm, his spirits soared even higher.
Watching Satoru and Aizen charging toward him, he smiled and raised his Zanpakutō—
"Drink, Azure-Horned Consort of Lewdness!!"
Seeing Szayelaporro's actions, Aizen's eyes lit up.
Zanpakutō release!
The power unique to Shinigami was now being wielded by a Hollow.
This aligned perfectly with his long-standing research—breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.
"Satoru, capture this guy."
"Alive, no matter what. With him, my experiments can advance to a new stage!"