Chapter 143: Muramasa, Full of Vigor!
Satoru erupted with a brilliant glow of Reiatsu, closely pursuing Kōga from behind.
"Heh heh heh!! Kōga! Do you think you can escape?!"
"Stop obediently, and I shall spare your life!"
"Still running? If you keep running, I won't be polite anymore!"
"You coward! Weren't you having a great time chasing me earlier? Why are you turning tail and acting like a turtle now?!"
Aizen: "..."
Following behind Satoru, he listened to the barrage of trash talk from ahead and couldn't help but feel the urge to facepalm.
If Kōga is turning tail like a turtle, then what were you when you were running away earlier...
Satoru was shouting with enthusiasm when he saw Muramasa charging toward him with a fanatical expression.
That eerie excitement was like a prisoner who had been locked in solitary confinement for centuries suddenly seeing daylight again.
Aizen was momentarily taken aback.
He wouldn't have been surprised to see such an expression on Satoru's face.
But... Muramasa was an elegant gentleman.
This expression looked utterly out of place on Muramasa's face.
Before he could ponder further, Satoru grinned and said:
"Not bad! Though your master is a coward, your Zanpakutō has spirit!"
"Come on, let me test your purity!"
With a brilliant flash of Reiatsu, he threw a punch at Muramasa.
"Satoru!!"
Muramasa's eyes widened with madness, as if possessed by infinite power, wildly swinging his blade at Satoru.
Seeing the two madmen engaged in combat, Aizen quickly circled around them.
Using Shunpo, he continued pursuing Kōga.
Not far away, Yoruichi's figure flashed and landed on a sand dune.
She watched Satoru and Muramasa fighting with a complex gaze.
She... was too weak.
In battles of this level, she was practically useless.
Joining the fight would only get in the way.
The only thing she could boast about was her speed.
Yet, compared to Satoru and that unidentified Shinigami, even her speed was no longer an advantage.
After a brief moment of frustration, Yoruichi took a deep breath.
Fighting spirit reignited in her eyes.
She couldn't lose!
If she couldn't match them now, she would train even harder!
Self-pity would only keep her stagnant.
Only through hard work could she become stronger!
For the day when she would be qualified to fight alongside that guy, Yoruichi, you must train relentlessly!
Aizen followed behind Kōga, constantly adjusting his direction.
The mobility of a captain-level Shinigami was terrifying.
A single Shunpo could cover hundreds of meters, and they could appear in any direction.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care about this.
But now, with his heart sealed, his reaction speed was slower than usual.
The Forest of Menos Grande was full of towering stone pillars, combined with the dim environment, making visual tracking impossible.
Satoru had fully utilized this when escaping earlier.
Now, chasing Kōga, he was suffering from the same disadvantage.
If not for his extremely sensitive Reiatsu perception, allowing him to detect every time Kōga changed direction, he would have lost track by now.
In the distance, he could still sense Satoru and Muramasa engaged in fierce combat.
Kōga's Zanpakutō was quite formidable in one-on-one combat... to be able to hold off Satoru for so long.
As he thought this, Aizen suddenly sensed Kōga changing direction again.
Just as he was about to follow, he discovered three "Kōga Kuchikis" simultaneously appearing within his Reiatsu perception range.
"Illusion?"
The moment he guessed the opponent's ability, Aizen couldn't help but laugh.
This Kōga's abilities were quite coincidental.
He could use shadow control similar to Satoru's ability, and also employ illusions similar to his own.
In less than a second, he distinguished the illusions from the real one.
But, under the effects of his sealed heart, detecting the illusion and adjusting his direction cost him more than a second.
Two seconds, nearly three seconds―while seemingly short, in a captain-level pursuit battle, this was enough to create significant distance.
Sensing that Kōga had escaped far away again, Aizen felt a sense of displeasure.
Satoru was currently fighting Muramasa. If he let Kōga escape, that guy would probably laugh at him for a year.
Just thinking about being mocked by someone like Satoru made Aizen's blood pressure rise in advance.
Forget it, he'd take a risk!
Aizen's gaze sharpened, his eyes shifting from their previously dull state to become bright and clear.
He temporarily lowered his mental defenses.
Aiming in the direction of Kōga's escape, he unleashed a terrifying Reiatsu that swept toward Kōga Kuchiki like a storm!
Feeling Aizen catching up again, Kōga Kuchiki repeated his old trick, using an illusion technique once more.
However, this time, it barely hindered Aizen at all.
The latter took negligible time to analyze the illusion and adjust his course.
The distance between them rapidly closed!
Kōga's face showed surprise.
Then, he suddenly realized something.
He sneered coldly and placed his hand on the Zanpakutō at his waist.
...
...
Satoru's body erupted with a dazzling blue Reiatsu glow, as if he were a Super Saiyan powering up.
Within the radiance, his eyes burned intensely as he continuously threw punches.
Muramasa's body also blazed with a purple Reiatsu glow.
He was in an extremely excited state, swinging his Zanpakutō as he fiercely battled Satoru.
However, despite being in an unprecedented state, he wasn't a sword skilled in combat.
Before long, Satoru seized an opportunity, punching his Zanpakutō aside and creating an opening.
A barrage of fists rained down on Muramasa's face—
"Ora!"
"Ora ora ora ora ora!!!"
Bam bam bam bam bam!!!
Endless punches pummeled Muramasa's face one after another, making his body twist and contort in midair like a ragged sack.
Under normal circumstances, such terrifying attacks would have knocked him unconscious.
But now, Muramasa's heart was filled only with excitement.
Compared to being trapped in that endless darkness, mere pain meant nothing!
Seeing Muramasa smiling despite being relentlessly beaten, Satoru couldn't help but feel moved.
"Good, very spirited!"
"Though you're a Zanpakutō, I, Satoru, acknowledge your fighting spirit!"
"Let this punch blow your head off!"
With that, he stopped his barrage, and his aura surged to another level.
His fist retracted to his waist.
The shadow merged into his body.
Black Flash: Single Bone!!
Like a mountain crashing down, an unstoppable heavy fist descended upon Muramasa!
"Satoru!!!!"
Muramasa roared, his blade transforming into a simple yet devastating slash, meeting the attack head-on!
Just as the two were about to decide the outcome, under Satoru's gaze, Muramasa's eyes suddenly showed astonishment.
Then, he vanished into thin air.
Satoru's fist passed through where Muramasa had just been, crashing downward—
Boom!!!!!
A shockwave erupted from his fist, plunging into the desert below.
Amid the deafening explosion, a silver sand pillar shot into the sky, breaking through the ceiling and reaching the surface of Hueco Mundo!
In the distance, Tier Harribel, who had been searching everywhere, was startled by the sand pillar.
Then, she suddenly realized something and rushed over quickly.