Chapter 181: I Have Never Been Inferior to Aizen in My Life!
After consuming one Gillian, Szayelaporro's wounds were almost completely healed.
He licked his lips and reached out again.
But faster than him was a blade wreathed in blue flames.
Swinging on a long chain, Risō Jakumetsu carved a massive arc across the battlefield, slicing the remaining Gillians in half!
Szayelaporro couldn't help but feel enraged.
He glared at Satoru, his expression furious.
Satoru opened his hand, the chain retracting with a clatter to wrap around his arm, while the short sword blazing with blue flames returned to his grasp.
As it returned, both blades flashed with white light, reverting to their ordinary Zanpakutō forms.
Holding the swords, Satoru almost instinctively prepared to throw them.
But he caught himself, forcibly altering the motion, twisting his arm back in a stylish flourish before sheathing the blades.
Watching Szayelaporro grit his teeth in frustration, Satoru picked at his ear:
"What's with that look? Did you expect your enemy to stand by like an AFK player and watch you heal?"
"You don't even understand the basics of battlefield etiquette, and you still dare to come out and fight?"
Szayelaporro's eye twitched.
He instinctively opened his mouth, ready to declare himself an elegant scholar, unlike these brutish thugs.
But before he could speak, Aizen interjected:
"Satoru, there's no need to be so harsh."
"From his desire to capture you for experiments and his research into Reishi toxins, he's likely a researcher."
"Researchers in their immature stages often develop the mindset that 'as long as I focus on research, combat skills are unimportant.'"
"When I was very young, I too had such thoughts."
As he spoke, he stroked his chin.
"A Hollow's age is difficult to determine by appearance... Considering his immature mentality, he might just be a very young Hollow."
"Though lacking in perspective, his willingness to strive for his ideals is commendable."
"SHUT UP!!!"
Listening to Aizen's gentle analysis, Szayelaporro couldn't help but roar in anger, interrupting him.
These two brats... mere Shinigami, how dare they insult him, the great Szayelaporro, like this!
Satoru was somewhat tolerable, at least his mockery was straightforward.
But that deceptively quiet-looking boy, who seemed to be speaking in his defense, was actually even more wicked than Satoru!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The four fleshy tentacles on Szayelaporro's back once again extended at speeds barely visible to the naked eye—
"Die, Satoru!"
Szayelaporro bellowed.
"Then let's see how much you're truly worth!"
Facing the attacking tentacles, Satoru chose not to use Rissō Jakumetsu.
In a flash, he appeared at the center of the battlefield and raised one arm.
His fingers closed together, forming a hand blade!
Blue flames of Shunkō surged from his shoulder, roaring upward before converging in his hand, forming intense fiery power—
"Flame Blade!!"
A wave of flame shot forth from Satoru's hand.
The Shunkō flames collided with one of the tentacles, causing a massive explosion.
Meanwhile, Satoru's shadow swordsman silently attacked another tentacle, delivering several slashes that left two deep wounds.
Szayelaporro looked over in surprise.
There was clearly nothing there—he hadn't even sensed any Reiatsu fluctuations. What had injured him?
While his attention was diverted, Aizen acted like an artillery battery, launching one Kidō after another—
"Hadō #73, Sōren Sōkatsui!"
"Hadō #54, Haien!"
"Hadō #63, Raikōhō!"
Satoru, trailing long blue flames as he soared through the sky, took a moment to fly over to Aizen's side.
"Sōsuke, are you planning to transfer to the Kidō Corps? Why are you only using Kidō in this fight?"
"?"
Aizen shot him a displeased look.
Did this guy have no idea why he was using Kidō?
Kyōka Suigetsu's abilities were completely useless in direct combat.
Aside from swinging his sword, what else did he have besides Kidō?
Mentally noting this against Satoru, he spoke up:
"What, are you jealous of my Kidō because you've neglected your own training and can't use it proficiently?"
Hearing this, Satoru was momentarily stunned.
Then he laughed heartily:
"Ridiculous! I, Satoru, have never been inferior to Aizen in my life!"
"You want to see me use Kidō? Then I'll show you!"
As he spoke, he imitated Aizen's earlier posture, raising a finger.
Seeing this, Aizen felt a pang of apprehension.
Then, Satoru loudly declared:
"O minions who hide in the turgid markings of sin and vainglory, crawl forth and prostrate yourselves!"
Hearing this familiar incantation, Aizen's eye twitched slightly.
Hey now, is this for real?
Satoru continued chanting:
"Surge, deny, paralyze, instant, hinder slumber—"
"The crawling steel princess, the self-mutilating clay doll!"
Not far away, upon hearing this familiar nonsense, Szayelaporro couldn't help but show an irritated expression.
What, you just used this move to ambush me, and now you're trying it again?
Reishi light flashed beneath his feet as he prepared to use Sonído to create distance.
Noticing Szayelaporro's movement, Aizen sprang into action.
He used Flash Step to appear beside Szayelaporro, drew Kyōka Suigetsu, and unleashed a powerful sword technique to prevent the latter from moving.
Szayelaporro initially thought he could easily deal with Aizen, but upon actual contact, he discovered this guy's skill level was extremely high.
Despite being only a vice-captain, his Reiatsu intensity had already reached the Vasto Lorde level.
If he hadn't already achieved Resurrección, he might even have been suppressed by Aizen's Reiatsu.
But more than the Reiatsu, it was that monstrous tactical thinking that he found truly annoying.
Facing Szayelaporro, Aizen didn't press the attack but instead adopted a defensive stance.
This way, Szayelaporro couldn't find any openings to easily repel him.
And if Szayelaporro chose to ignore Aizen and prioritize dodging Satoru, Aizen would instantly switch from defense to offense, using his powerful Reiatsu to deliver a fierce slash.
While Szayelaporro was struggling to deal with Aizen, Satoru's incantation continued.
"Combine, rebound, extend to the ground, know your own powerlessness!"
"Hadō #90!"
"Kurohitsugi!"
As the final syllable fell, massive amounts of black Reiatsu surged upward from beneath Szayelaporro's feet!
Seeing this familiar Reiatsu construction method, Aizen knew that Satoru had truly mastered this 90th-level Kidō.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel emotional.
What exactly doesn't this guy know how to do?
At this moment, the walls of Kurohitsugi had already risen to Szayelaporro's chest level.
Under the unique effects of Kurohitsugi, Szayelaporro could no longer escape.
Aizen prepared to retreat some distance to prepare his next attack.
But just then, under his gaze, Szayelaporro suddenly grinned.
From behind him, within the continuously rising walls of Kurohitsugi, a burst of black liquid erupted, shooting straight toward Aizen—