Kaelith surged with blazing Spirit Pressure, pursuing Kōga Kuchiki closely.
“Kehehehe!! Kōga Kuchiki! You think you can escape?!”
“Stop obediently, and I’ll spare your life!”
“Still running? If you keep running, I won’t hold back!”
“You bastard! Weren’t you happily chasing me just now? Why turn into a coward all of a sudden?!”
Following behind Kaelith and listening to the string of insults, Aizen couldn’t help feeling the urge to cover his face.
If Kōga Kuchiki turning his back makes him a coward, then what did that make you when you were running away earlier…
Kaelith was shouting gleefully when he saw Muramasa charging over with a look of wild frenzy.
That eerie excitement resembled a prisoner trapped in darkness for centuries, suddenly seeing daylight again.
Aizen blinked in surprise.
If this expression were on Kaelith’s face, he wouldn’t be shocked.
But… Muramasa was supposed to be a refined gentleman.
This expression on Muramasa felt completely out of place.
Before Aizen could think further, Kaelith grinned and said:
“Not bad. Though your master’s a coward, at least the Zanpakutō is lively!”
“Come, let me test your purity!”
With shining Spirit Pressure, he threw a punch at Muramasa.
Muramasa’s eyes widened, filled with madness. He seemed brimming with infinite strength as he wildly swung his Zanpakutō at Kaelith.
Seeing these two lunatics collide, Aizen quickly sidestepped.
He used Shunpo and continued chasing Kōga Kuchiki.
Not far away, Yoruichi flashed onto a dune.
She looked at Kaelith and Muramasa locked in battle, her expression complicated.
In a battle of this level, she was no help.
Joining in would only cause interference.
Speed was her only strong point.
Yet against Kaelith and that unknown Shinigami, her speed was no advantage at all.
After a brief moment of frustration, Yoruichi took a deep breath.
Her eyes reignited with determination.
If she couldn’t measure up now, she would just train even harder!
Self-pity leads nowhere.
Only hard work brings strength!
For the day she could stand side by side with that person in battle, Yoruichi, you must work tirelessly!
Aizen followed Kōga Kuchiki, constantly adjusting his direction.
Captain-level Shinigami had terrifying mobility.
A single Shunpo could span hundreds of meters, possibly appearing anywhere.
Normally, he wouldn’t care about such details.
But now, with his mind sealed, his reaction time was slower.
In the Menos Forest, countless towering pillars stood everywhere. In the dim environment, relying on sight to track someone was impossible.
When Kaelith was running away before, he made full use of this fact.
Now that Aizen was chasing Kōga Kuchiki, he suffered the same disadvantage.
If not for his extremely keen Spirit Pressure sensing, allowing him to detect each of Kōga Kuchiki’s direction changes in time, he would have lost him by now.
In the distance, he could sense Kaelith and Muramasa still fiercely battling.
Kōga Kuchiki’s Zanpakutō was unexpectedly formidable one-on-one… managing to hold off Kaelith for so long.
As he thought this, Aizen suddenly sensed Kōga Kuchiki change direction again.
Just as he tried to follow, he noticed three “Kōga Kuchiki” appear simultaneously within his sensing range.
Realizing the opponent’s tactic, Aizen couldn’t help but laugh.
Kōga Kuchiki’s abilities were too convenient.
He could control shadows like Kaelith, and create illusions like Aizen himself. In less than a second, Aizen distinguished illusion from reality.
But with his mind sealed, realizing the illusion and then adjusting direction still cost him over a second.
Two seconds, nearly three seconds—though short, at Captain-level pursuit speeds, that was enough to widen the gap.
Sensing Kōga Kuchiki pulling away again, Aizen felt displeased.
Kaelith was battling Muramasa right now. If he let Kōga Kuchiki escape, that guy would mock him for a whole year.
Just imagining Kaelith’s ridicule made Aizen’s blood pressure rise in advance.
Enough. He would take a risk!
Aizen’s gaze sharpened. The indifference vanished from his eyes, now bright and alert.
He temporarily lifted his inner seal.
Locking onto the direction of Kōga Kuchiki’s escape, he unleashed a terrifying surge of Spirit Pressure, like a raging storm engulfing Kōga Kuchiki!
Sensing Aizen’s renewed pursuit, Kōga Kuchiki repeated his illusion trick.
But this time, it barely affected Aizen at all.
In negligible time, Aizen saw through the illusion and corrected his path.
The distance between them shrank rapidly.
Kōga Kuchiki showed a surprised look.
Then, as if realizing something, he sneered and placed a hand on his Zanpakutō at his waist.
Kaelith’s body shone with dazzling blue Spirit Pressure, like a Super Saiyan’s aura. (t/n: Finally a dbz reference)
Within that light, his eyes burned bright, his fists continuously striking forward.
Muramasa also radiated purple Spirit Pressure.
He was more excited than ever, wielding his Zanpakutō and clashing with Kaelith repeatedly.
Yet, even in this unprecedented state, he wasn’t a Zanpakutō specialized in combat.
Before long, Kaelith seized an opening, punching aside Muramasa’s blade and exposing his defenses.
Kaelith’s fists rained down on Muramasa’s face like a torrent—
“Ora ora ora ora ora!!!”
Bang bang bang bang bang!!!
Countless blows struck Muramasa’s face, twisting him like a ragdoll in midair.
Under normal circumstances, such a terrifying assault would have knocked him out.
But now, Muramasa felt only excitement.
Compared to that endless darkness, mere pain was nothing!
Seeing Muramasa smiling despite the relentless beating, Kaelith was moved.
“Great, you’ve got spirit!”
“Though you’re a Zanpakutō, I, Kaelith, acknowledge your courage!”
“With this punch, I’ll smash your head!”
He stopped his barrage, and his aura climbed another level.
He drew his fist back to his waist.
Shadows merged into his body.
Black Flash: Ikkotsu!!
Like a falling mountain, an unstoppable heavy punch descended upon Muramasa!
Muramasa roared, his blade swinging in a deceptively simple slash to meet the blow head-on!
Just as they were about to decide the winner, in Kaelith’s view, Muramasa’s eyes showed sudden astonishment.
Then, Muramasa vanished into thin air.
Kaelith’s fist passed through where Muramasa had been, smashing downward—
A shockwave erupted from his fist, blasting into the desert below.
Amid the deafening explosion, a pillar of silver sand shot skyward, shattering the forest’s canopy and reaching Hueco Mundo’s surface!
In the distance, Harribel, who had been exploring around, was startled by the sight of the sand pillar.
Then, realizing something, she rushed toward it.