If you had to ask what Kaelith’s strongest move was at the moment—
Naturally, it would be the “Pseudo Four-Bone” strike, propelling himself with his legs while both fists hammer forward.
That very punch had once defeated the all-powerful Kuchiki Koga, shaking the World to its core.
Hearing Aizen’s call for his strongest technique, Kaelith wasted no words and charged in.
Suspended in midair, he clenched both fists, thrusting them straight ahead.
His legs snapped together behind him, body stretched out horizontally.
“Human Cannon Kaelith—launch!”
He roared, hurtling toward Senzo Tsunayashiro.
Senzo blinked in mild surprise.
He’d never seen this move in their previous clashes.
At first glance, “Human Cannon” looked like some wild gimmick—but instinct warned him not to take it lightly.
Having nearly been knocked out cold earlier, Senzo wouldn’t dare drop his guard again. He focused his full attention on Kaelith, gripping his Zanpakutō and bracing for impact.
Kaelith’s speed was outrageous—he covered over a hundred meters in under a second, closing in on Senzo.
Senzo’s eyes flashed with killing intent; he raised his blade.
But in that instant, Kaelith abruptly vanished from his sight.
The sudden turn of events caused Senzo’s movement to stall, just slightly.
The hallucination came and went in a blink—when his vision caught Kaelith again, it was exactly like before.
He flicked a quick glance toward Aizen, who, at some point, had drawn his Zanpakutō again.
The color had drained from Aizen’s face, as though he’d spent too much energy.
That one instant of disorientation—brought on by Aizen—had cost Senzo the best chance to stop Kaelith.
Thankfully, having been fooled once, he hadn’t relaxed his Reiatsu barrier this time.
Raging spiritual pressure still burned around him, flaring like a Super Saiyan aura.
Kaelith grinned from ear to ear under Senzo’s watchful gaze, a demonic glint in his eyes.
From both legs came twin jets of Reiatsu, stretching thousands of meters like blazing tails.
Veins bulged along Kaelith’s forearms.
Double Sōkotsu—Arm Edition!
Double Sōkotsu—Leg Edition!
Pseudo Four-Bone Strike!
A terrifying spiritual explosion lit up the sky above Las Noches.
The land of Hueco Mundo, shrouded in endless night for millennia, now welcomed a second sun.
A massive bright flare hovered like an all-seeing eye in the deep black heavens, driving all beneath it to scurry for cover.
Several nearby Adjuchas were disintegrated on the spot by the shockwave, reduced to nothing but black dust.
Szayelaporro raised a hand to shield his eyes, peering at Kaelith’s spectacle in the distance.
Harribel blinked, astonished.
Maybe this Shinigami really could topple Baraggan’s dominion of a thousand years.
Baraggan gripped his giant axe, the soul-flame in his eyes flickering restlessly, lost in thought.
Aizen suddenly popped a pill into his mouth, swallowing it.
Then he lifted Kyōka Suigetsu, letting the blade’s glimmer catch in his own pupils…
Amid the blast’s shockwaves, Kaelith let out a soft snort.
He could feel it—his punch had burst through Senzo Tsunayashiro’s vital point.
That old relic could no longer stand and fight.
Next up was just clean-up, right…?
But then he spotted Senzo, still standing not far away, and tilted his head in confusion.
Was it a trick of the eyes? He felt as though he and the old man had already finished things.
It was almost like… they’d fought multiple times under this same sky.
Was he dreaming? Déjà vu?
“Kaelith, be cautious—study his ability first,” Aizen cautioned.
“Sōsuke, something’s off.
It feels like we’ve been at this with him several times already… and I don’t think I’m imagining it.
Each time, it’s like he gets a little better at handling us.”
At those words, Senzo’s eyes flashed with alarm.
His Zanpakutō, Reverse Tide, placed a “time anchor” the moment it was released.
Unless he died or was knocked unconscious, he could rewind time to that anchor point any time within a minute after it was set.
By repeating this ability, he could fight an opponent over and over, gradually learning all their moves until he completely dominated them.
Yes, the enemy might eventually notice something amiss if they were unusually sharp—perhaps even discover his secret—but that required at least twenty loops.
His clan’s experiments had shown that no matter how sharp a Shinigami was, they’d need to witness at least forty loops to guess the hidden truth of Reverse Tide.
They hadn’t fought even ten loops yet…
He still hadn’t seen the full abilities of these two monsters. How could they possibly suspect anything already?
Meanwhile, Aizen was mulling over Kaelith’s remark.
Kaelith rarely spoke without reason. If he sensed something, it was worth trusting.
Aizen drew his Zanpakutō once more, preparing to both fight and analyze Kaelith’s insight.
But the moment he started unsheathing it, he froze—images suddenly flared in his mind, as if waking from a dream.
He shut his eyes, letting those newly awakened visions surge through his thoughts.
Several seconds later, he opened them again and nodded lightly.
Kaelith glanced at him, noticing Aizen’s expression, and grinned.
“Sōsuke, you got a plan?”
Whenever Aizen looked like a strategist calculating his next move, it meant some nas—err, ingenious—scheme was brewing.
Aizen nodded. “All thanks to Serum No. 9.”
Kaelith paused, trying to recall.
Then his eyes widened.
“No. 9? Didn’t you say that stuff has insane side effects—something about burning one’s soul?”
“It does,” Aizen said with a faint smile. “But thanks to our opponent here, I managed to slip free.”
Kaelith looked perplexed.
“I’ll explain when we’re done,” Aizen said, dismissing the topic with an easy wave of his hand. “Right now, I need you to do something for me.”
“Unleash a move even stronger than your Pseudo Four-Bone Strike.
If you want to defeat Senzo Tsunayashiro, that’s our only way.
We’re stuck in his loop, and the only two paths left are—”
Aizen’s eyes narrowed.
“Beat Senzo Tsunayashiro… or die here.”
Kaelith fell silent, lost in thought.