Chapter 267: Watch Yourself!
Aizen wasn't surprised by Satoru's confident attitude.
This guy had always been like this.
No matter how tough or brutal the battle, he never backed down.
"Roar!!!"
Facing the two, the Hollowfied Kiganjo let out a furious roar.
The sound seemed synthesized through multiple layers, hollow and piercing.
Without hesitation, Aizen raised his hand:
"Kidō #63, Raikōhō!!"
A thick, twisting golden thunder pillar roared forth, charging forward.
The Hollowfied Kiganjo showed no intention of dodging Aizen's Kidō, instead stretching out both massive hands to press against the Reiatsu thunder cannon—
SCREEEECH!!
The thunder pillar, capable of easily destroying an Adjuchas-class Hollow, was forcibly held back by his bare hands.
After half a second of stalemate, Kiganjo roared and tore it apart.
The Kidō thunder cannon was ripped in two, dissipating into golden Reishi particles floating in the air.
But within the scattering, drifting Reishi light, a figure had already closed in like a demon.
"Aha!"
Satoru charged through the scattered Reishi fragments, his white haori fluttering as he threw a punch toward Kiganjo.
"ROAR!!"
Kiganjo bellowed, clenching his own fist to meet Satoru head-on.
Kiganjo's massive frame made his fist as large as Satoru's entire head. When he swung, it felt like a Ford Raptor charging straight forward, the oppressive force practically bleeding through the screen.
Yet, Satoru's relentless momentum showed no sign of weakness.
If there were a toggleable dual perspective allowing a direct frontal view of both combatants, one might even get the impression that Satoru—despite his significantly smaller size—projected greater aggression than his opponent!
BOOM!!!
Their fists collided, instantly tearing up the laboratory floor in layered upheaval.
Aizen's face darkened as he immediately canceled the Kidō he was preparing, redirecting his Reiatsu to suppress the aftermath of their clash and prevent his laboratory from being destroyed.
"Oh ho! Not bad at all!"
Satoru recoiled slightly in mid-air, but then pushed off against the air itself to charge forward again.
That earlier punch had been casual, not even utilizing his Ikotsu technique.
Back when they first met, that single strike would have been enough to overwhelm Kiganjo.
But now, he was the one at a slight disadvantage.
Hollowfication truly was remarkable!
With rising excitement, Satoru inhaled and retracted his fist.
Seeing this motion, Aizen knew he was about to unleash his Nijuukyō technique.
He raised a hand, hastily deploying several new barriers to contain the resulting shockwaves.
BOOM!!!
Two fists collided once more.
This time, Kiganjo's roar clearly held more pain.
Several wounds split open on the large fist clashing with Satoru's, splattering blood.
Yet, the moment he retracted his fist, the injuries had already healed on their own.
Aizen stared intently at those wounds, meticulously recording the healing speed and recovery process.
Having thrown one punch, Satoru, still unsatisfied, launched a second, then a third in rapid succession.
The explosive winds generated by Twin Bone left the entire laboratory in disarray.
Facing Satoru's fists, Kiganjo gradually descended into madness.
Originally a bully who rose through brute ferocity, he quickly adapted to this style of combat.
Driven by the frenzied mindset granted by Hollowfication and his powerful regenerative ability, he continuously swung his fists, trading blows with Satoru.
If two more people stood behind them, staring each other down, it would almost resemble a famous scene.
"Muda muda muda muda!!"
While unleashing his rapid strikes, Satoru roared with seemingly meaningless cries.
Aizen automatically filtered out the noise, focusing entirely on observing Kiganjo.
Suddenly, Kiganjo's punch went wide, failing to block Satoru's fist.
Satoru's punch landed squarely on his face, shattering white bone fragments and causing blood to gush forth.
Meanwhile, Kiganjo's stray punch released a Reiatsu shockwave that flew directly toward the barrier Aizen had set up.
Too engrossed in recording data, Aizen's hand movement was slightly delayed, and he failed to intercept the shockwave.
Just as he prepared to use Flash Step to pursue it, an invisible slash suddenly cut through the air, dispersing Kiganjo's punch wave.
Aizen gave a slight nod.
It was Satoru's invisible swordsman.
This guy had arranged things quite thoroughly.
...?
Wait?
Aizen suddenly froze.
He looked somewhat stunned at the two still exchanging blows.
What Satoru was unleashing was undoubtedly Twin Bone.
But the problem was, wasn't Twin Force a special technique Satoru could only use after releasing his shadow blade, in coordination with his Zanpakutō?
Now that the invisible swordsman was handling the combat aftermath, how could he simultaneously use Twin Force?
Unless...
As the thought occurred to Aizen, Satoru suddenly retreated, creating some distance from Kiganjo.
He took a deep breath, slowly retracting his fist.
With his movement, Aizen sensed the invisible swordsman in the air vanish.
Instantly, the aura around Satoru violently surged and boiled!
"The limit of the first force is broken by the second."
"And the limit of the second force is naturally..."
Facing the Hollowfied Kiganjo, Satoru revealed a ferocious grin, pressing forward with his entire body. His fist seemed both extremely slow and impossibly fast, moving at a speed beyond visual comprehension as he brutally thrust it out—
"Triple Bone!!!"
Under Aizen's astonished gaze, Satoru's punch landed on the arms Kiganjo had subconsciously crossed in defense.
A terrifying force instantly poured forth.
This force pushed against Kiganjo's Reiatsu and physical body, locked in a stalemate.
Then, the force suddenly withdrew.
Kiganjo's defensive power, still pushing against the previous force, suddenly met empty air, causing his defense to waver like someone stumbling forward with nothing to resist.
In that instant, the receding force abruptly surged back.
Kiganjo's defense was instantly shattered, his Reiatsu scattered, flesh and skin torn apart.
If it were just this, it wouldn't matter much, as the same thing had happened with each of the hundreds of clashes moments before.
Such minor wounds would heal in the blink of an eye.
But this time was different.
Hidden within the terrifying force that shattered his defense was another wave of power, identical in magnitude.
This second wave surged in at an incomprehensibly minimal time gap, following right behind the first.
His defenseless body instantly crumbled!
Splat!!
Kiganjo's arms, which he had raised to block the attack, burst like water-filled balloons pricked by a needle.
In an instant, two robust and powerful arms exploded into a mist of blood, vanishing into the air.
Aizen blinked.
Satoru hadn't been exaggerating this time.
This punch had far exceeded his expectations.
If Satoru had simply relied on brute force to shatter Kiganjo's arms, or even more outrageously, torn them apart like a berserker, he wouldn't have been surprised.
After all, nothing Satoru did was truly unexpected.
But... that punch just now transcended his very understanding of combat.
Without a doubt, Satoru had succeeded.
The dual-force technique that he and Yamamoto had deemed impossible—this guy had actually pulled it off!
If the old Satoru was merely a muddled fighter relying on talent and instinct, then in this moment, he had undergone a profound transformation.
The instant that punch landed, even Aizen couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.
This strike was the culmination of innate talent, relentless training, and countless sacrifices of blood and sweat!
Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile.
Though it had nothing to do with him, he couldn't suppress a sense of pride.
With both arms gone, Kiganjo was practically rendered combat-ineffective.
Though flesh and blood were already churning and regenerating at the stumps, and given a few seconds, new arms would regrow—
In close-quarters combat at this level, a few seconds might as well be an eternity compared to one's health bar.
Satoru laughed heartily as he sent Kiganjo tumbling with another punch.
Then, amidst the latter's continuous screams, Satoru's fists rained down like a storm, each impact resonating with a thunderous crash.
Soon, Kiganjo lay on the ground, gasping for breath but unable to draw any in.
His mask-covered face was now a mangled, unrecognizable mess.
Physically speaking, he had been "Arrancar-ed."
"Enough, enough. Stop now."
Aizen quickly stepped forward to restrain Satoru.
Truth be told, he had wanted to intervene the moment Kiganjo fell.
But he feared that Satoru's breakthrough with that punch was a spontaneous epiphany—one that might be forgotten if interrupted.
To let Satoru solidify the feel of it, he had waited until now.
Pushing Satoru aside casually, he knelt on one knee to examine Kiganjo's condition.
Confirming that the latter was still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Aside from the punch that obliterated Kiganjo's arms, Satoru had shown remarkable restraint in his subsequent attacks.
Those relentless strikes were just ordinary punches, not even utilizing the "dual-force" technique.
He had also deliberately avoided vital areas.
Though his face was pulverized, his brain and heart remained unharmed.
As Aizen checked, Kiganjo's body was already rapidly regenerating.
Of course, this was merely an illusion.
Like those souls who had previously succumbed to the Hollow's power and disintegrated, Kiganjo's body was also being corroded by the Hollow's energy.
However, thanks to his formidable physique and the improvements in Hōgyoku technology, he hadn't immediately met his end.
As expected, over the next month or so, Kiganjo's Reiatsu would become increasingly unstable, ultimately leading to self-conflict and destruction.
This timeframe was more than enough for him to conduct hundreds of experiments.
How wonderful, how delightful.
With a blissful mood, Aizen administered anesthesia to Kiganjo and sealed him away.
After completing these tasks, he went to find Satoru.
Satoru was standing outside the door, drinking water.
Seeing Aizen emerge, he grinned widely.
"Sōsuke, did you see that move just now?"
"So, were you impressed?"
"Come on, give me your assessment!"
Seeing Satoru's smug expression, Aizen couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed.
"Average."
"What? Average? What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"
Satoru flew into a rage, followed by a torrent of noisy declarations like "peerless talent surpassing Aizen and Yamamoto," "an unprecedented feat no one has ever accomplished," and "who in this world could possibly stop me now."
Watching Satoru hopping mad with impatience, Aizen felt somewhat satisfied.
Satoru craned his neck to peek inside the room.
Seeing Kiganjo tossed into the cultivation tank, he showed a thoughtful expression.
Since the Hollowfication period had ended, the mask on Kiganjo's face had vanished.
To be honest, compared to his current dark, fat, and ugly face, the masked Kiganjo earlier had been soaring in style.
Kiganjo's mask had a somewhat tribal aesthetic.
Like primitive hunters who enjoy wearing prey skulls, it emphasized a fierce, savage quality.
If he were to undergo Hollowfication, what would he look like?
Thinking about Ichigo's Hollowfied form—those cool black sclera with golden irises—Satoru couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning.
He glanced at Aizen, who was washing his hands not far away.
"Sōsuke, I think I could probably handle your Hōgyoku... Since you're short on test subjects right now, why not try it on me first?"
Hearing this, Aizen was momentarily stunned.
He straightened up, drying his hands with a towel.
Then, he turned around to look at the speaker.
"Satoru."
"Y-yes?"
It had been a long time since Aizen called him by his full name, making him instinctively straighten his posture.
He couldn't help but gasp at Aizen's appearance.
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly, emanating a terrifying pressure.
Under Satoru's somewhat frightened gaze, he spoke word by word:
"If I find out you've secretly tampered with the Hōgyoku, I'll definitely hand over all your misdeeds from these years to Yamamoto Shigekuni and have him cripple you before throwing you into Muken Prison."
"You'd better watch yourself!"
After delivering this threat, he turned and left with an oppressive aura.
Leaving Satoru trembling.
Strong, capable, yet helpless.
...
...
As summer ended, the members of the Satoru Group shared a shocking meal together.
The newest member of the Satoru Group, their junior Ichimaru Gin, had graduated early.
Hearing this news, Rangiku couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"Graduated? You must be joking... Has he even completed a full year? How can he graduate already?"
Isshin couldn't help but marvel: "Incredible, truly incredible! This is what genius means!"
"Hey, Shiba, whose side are you on?" Rangiku said discontentedly.
Isshin paused for a moment, instinctively responding: "I'll always remain loyal to Vice-Captain Aizen..."
"?"
Shocked! There was a traitor among the Satoru Group!
As Rangiku contemplated whether to deal with a certain mole through humane means, Satoru had already returned with the others.
Silver short hair, narrowed eyes, and a perpetual smile at the corner of his mouth.
It was Gin.
After being taken in by Satoru, Gin no longer had to worry about food and drink.
With ample daily nutrition intake, his height had noticeably increased significantly.
Previously only elementary school height, he now stood just a head shorter than Satoru.
Of course, no matter how fast they grew, they still remained a bunch of shorties compared to the two-meter-tall Zaraki.
Looking at the people before him, Gin bowed respectfully.
"Senpais, I'm Ichimaru Gin, newly joined this year. Please guide me well!"
In truth, even before joining the division, he had already gained thorough understanding of these Satoru Group members.
None of these people posed any real threat to him.
Even Matsumoto Rangiku, who seemed closest to Satoru, was merely a wishful-thinking child at heart.
Among all members of the Satoru Group, there was only one terrifying presence whose position he couldn't shake.
Aizen, Sōsuke!