Szayelaporro stared at Kaelith for several seconds, then burst into laughter.
“This is absolutely hilarious! A Shinigami planning to make a Hollow serve under him?” He licked the long purple nail of his raised finger. “Kaelith, you really are quite interesting.”
“Fine. Since you’re so confident, show me what you can do,” Szayelaporro said. “If you really are twice as strong as your copies, and can even set up a laboratory in Hueco Mundo right under Baraggan’s nose, then why shouldn’t I work for you? But if you lose, you’d better be ready. My experiments might be more… exciting than you can imagine.”
Kaelith’s eyes lit up. As if worried Szayelaporro would go back on his word, he quickly clapped his hands together. “It’s a deal!”
Aizen watched quietly, thoughtful. The agreement sounded absurd, but Kaelith’s confident demeanor suggested he wasn’t just acting blindly. Aizen said nothing, preparing instead to intervene at any moment if needed.
With Szayelaporro’s command, the five clones roared and rushed at Kaelith, encircling him. Kaelith stood in the center, observing them calmly.
In an instant, one of the clones lunged forward, swinging its Zanpakutō down at Kaelith. Kaelith casually leaned aside, dodging the slash, and then stretched out his arm, punching toward the clone’s head.
The clone raised its free arm to block. Their Reiatsu clashed, releasing a white shockwave. Kaelith remained unmoving, while the clone was knocked back a considerable distance.
Szayelaporro frowned slightly.
While Kaelith knocked one clone away, two more came at him from the sides, both hurling punches charged with terrifying energy. As they struck, Szayelaporro felt his own energy drain rapidly.
Creating these five clones had already put enormous pressure on him—Kaelith’s Reiatsu was heavier and more substantial than he could have imagined. Normally, it would be impossible to supply five “Kaeliths” at once.
His cloning power stemmed from breaking the boundaries between Hollow and Shinigami, tapping into fundamental “rules.” These rules allowed him to bypass the energy cost of just creating the clones.
But once they started fighting, their Reiatsu usage still came from him. The two clones’ punches were draining him alarmingly fast. Whatever technique they were using must be incredibly potent.
Szayelaporro smiled in anticipation, expecting Kaelith to suffer now.
Aizen, however, recognized the move instantly—those were Ikkotsu strikes. The clones could even use Ikkotsu…
If Aizen were in Kaelith’s place, he’d avoid a direct clash, using Shunpo to gain distance and Kido to sow confusion before taking them down individually. He expected Kaelith would do something similar. But to Aizen’s disbelief, Kaelith didn’t move at all. He grinned, drew back both arms, and punched out simultaneously toward the attacking clones.
All four fists collided. After a brief stalemate, both clones’ arms exploded. Flesh, blood, and bone fragments scattered in midair.
Szayelaporro’s eyes went wide. “Impossible!” He was certain these clones matched Kaelith’s level in terms of Reiatsu. How could the difference be so large?
Kaelith merely shook his head. Szayelaporro’s clones were indeed advanced, even replicating techniques like Ikkotsu. But as Kaelith expected, they couldn’t replicate his special powers that lay outside this world’s framework.
The clones’ Ikkotsu was just raw physical technique, lacking the Kageuchi infusion that enhanced Kaelith’s attacks. Kageuchi, formed when his Zanpakutō absorbed contamination from outside this world, was something Szayelaporro could never recreate. Kaelith had used a double-strength Ikkotsu, vastly surpassing what the clones could muster.
Moreover, Kaelith’s defense was bolstered by a layer of soul power. Under its protection, his resilience rivaled Arrancar-level Hierro. Since this wasn’t Kaelith’s innate ability but more like a personal tool, the clones couldn’t copy it either.
With both offense and defense far beyond the clones’ reach, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
Retracting his fists, Kaelith drew his Zanpakutō. “Shatter defenses—Rixiang Jimie!”
With that command, the pair of blades wreathed in blue flames appeared in his hands. The remaining two clones mimicked him, summoning their own Rixiang Jimie as well. In total, six blazing blades now shone on the battlefield.
Kaelith and the two clones all hurled their chained blades. The difference was immediate. The clone’s thrown blades lacked Kaelith’s precision and maneuverability. Kaelith’s blades adjusted angles fluidly in midair, knocking aside the other four blades and quickly dispatching all five clones with a sweeping whirlwind of blue fire.
Szayelaporro watched his clones fall, eyes wide, questioning reality itself. How could anyone defeat him so effortlessly? He forgot he was still on the battlefield, his mind fixated on dissecting Kaelith on an operating table to unravel his secrets.
Overcome by intense desire, he momentarily lost control of his Reiatsu. A massive tidal wave of spiritual pressure surged over the city below.
Human inhabitants collapsed as though struck by a heavy club.
Kaelith frowned, about to speak when a Senkaimon opened at his side. Kyōraku Shunsui, wearing his straw hat, stepped out with a look of surprise.
“What immense spiritual pressure!”