Zanpakutō have weaknesses.
This is, indeed, an undeniable fact.
In truth, for Arima Shinya, this statement did not have much impact… after all, he understood his own situation perfectly.
In the world of the Shinigami, truly invincible things could only exist in theory. No wonder the "Little Strawberry" managed, with pure brute force, to traverse three worlds in a row, right?
Embarrassing to admit, but in this world, if you want the "mechanism" to take priority over the "attributes," then your own attributes must be powerful enough.
And Arima Shinya was still far from reaching that level.
Moreover, this was still only the initial release of his Zanpakutō.
Therefore, going back to the point — the mere fact that he was able to wound Aizen could already be considered a kind of "unexpected reward."
But, to be honest… Arima Shinya was still a bit curious.
Had Aizen really already discovered the ability of his Zanpakutō?
Or was he just bluffing?
Either way, today's battle would certainly be very fruitful for him.
While observing Aizen from a distance, who was making a simple bandage over his wound, Arima Shinya did not remain idle. Taking advantage of the gap to recover, he quickly assessed his own status panel.
It was the result of everything he had accomplished up to that moment…
[Blade: 59][Fists: 40][Movement: 30][Kidō: 35]
Each attribute had evolved considerably — not only because of the previous fight against Kiganjō,
but also thanks to the training with Tōsen Kaname and the complete guidance of Aizen.
As previously mentioned, Arima Shinya's spiritual power was essentially the sum of the four main foundations.
Now, after releasing that power again and allowing others to fully perceive it, everyone could clearly feel the changes occurring within him.
The most evident of these was the spiritual pressure — so intense that even Tōsen could not help but cast a sharp glance his way.
"Fifth level of spiritual pressure…"
The growth rate was indeed astonishing.
Even from the perspective of a friend, it was impossible not to feel a touch of envy.
So this is what a genius chosen by Aizen-sama looks like…
Thinking that, both quickly reassumed their combat stances.
Without knowing exactly what Aizen was scheming, Arima Shinya maintained a very conservative tactical posture.
'I'll rely on Kyui's prediction and observe his movements more carefully before acting.'
Instead of aiming to defeat Aizen directly, he focused on a more realistic goal — injuring the opponent, or gradually pressuring him.
With that as a foundation, the simulated environment that his Zanpakutō created became more stable, less severe.
Yes — this was also a way to use the Zanpakutō's power.
Adjusting the user's intention to shape the difficulty level of the "illusory labyrinth."
A strategy similar to using a dull blade to cut meat —
gaining an advantage in small details and gradually creating a physical difference between the two.
With this principle, Arima Shinya fought with increasing confidence, envisioning increasingly favorable futures.
But then — how would Aizen deal with that?
In silence, Arima Shinya's gaze shone again.
His spiritual pressure stirred, converted, and in an instant, hundreds of possible futures unfolded before him.
He quickly identified a viable path.
This is it.
Muscles tensed, his lips moved slightly — and he murmured:
"Excuse me."
Shunpo.
In an instant, his body surged forward with an explosion of spiritual power, moving in a zigzag toward Aizen — but the man did not show the slightest sign of surprise.
Aizen simply observed the boy approaching calmly and then uttered a short phrase:
"Tōsen, attack him."
At that same moment, Arima Shinya's expression changed.
He felt the air behind him distort with a cutting wind — he didn't have time to look back, but already knew that it would be bad.
I need to get out of here!
He instinctively stepped to the side — but at that very moment, Aizen's voice sounded softly to his left, like a demonic whisper.
"As I thought. If I'm not mistaken… you didn't predict this scene, did you?"
Before he could react, a crimson sphere of light blazed intensely — and in the blink of an eye, completely engulfed Arima Shinya's body.
Hadō No. 31 — Shakkahō!
BOOOOM!!!
Arima Shinya emerged from the flames staggering, his body covered in soot. He rolled on the ground to try to extinguish the sparks burning him, but Aizen gave him no time to breathe.
With a calm smile, the master advanced swiftly — and a powerful kick struck the side of his waist squarely.
The impact sent him flying as if hit by a truck.
With no time to recover, Arima Shinya crashed down, body and sword colliding with the ground in a pitiful scene.
"Cough… cough…"
Coughing, he wiped the blood flowing from the wounds on his face and, with effort, got back up again.
The opponent, after all, had indeed discovered his weakness.
Aizen observed him from head to toe and, smiling, commented:
"In truth, I only conducted a quick test, so I can only make an approximate guess. But that sense of discomfort… it was too strong to be a coincidence."
"I had already prepared to react to various types of attacks and even considered countermeasures. But during the fight, none of them were necessary."
"It was as if… all my movements had been predicted in advance."
"Then I reached a bold hypothesis…"
"If I'm not mistaken, Shinya-kun, your Zanpakutō has the ability to predict a few seconds into the future, right?"
First confrontation, and he had already deduced so much.
Impressive — but not unexpected. After all, it was Aizen. It was natural for it to be so.
Arima Shinya gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Aizen-sensei, you're too strong…"
"Heh. It's nothing impressive. When Shinya-kun reaches my level, you'll understand."
Aizen smiled serenely and adjusted his glasses with a calm gesture.
"The truly strong always have a clear notion of the reach of their own power."
"Mastery of spiritual pressure, control of the body… are the fruits of countless battles, mistakes, and learnings over time."
"Shinya-kun, your ability to identify openings and strike at the right moments is admirable.
But it also forces the opponent to become increasingly vigilant."
"Especially those with vast combat experience — they will soon learn to react in a similar manner."
And as for the weakness…
What had just happened made that more than clear.
With a light smile, Aizen added:
"Your ability did not predict the possibility of a third party interfering in the fight, did it, Shinya-kun?"
As he said this, he pointed to Tōsen, who was not far away.
"After all, Tōsen only threw a stone."
(End of Chapter)
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