Chapter 144: Kyōka Suigetsu's Wrath
"Damn it, he actually used a Command Seal!"
His punch landing on empty air, Satoru froze momentarily before quickly piecing together the situation.
Sensing the Reiatsu lingering in the air, his expression shifted to surprise.
"Damn, Sōsuke went after him... With his meager skills, he probably can't hold off Muramasa."
"What does he even have left without his Zanpakutō?"
"Absolutely useless now."
"I can't just stand by—I need to hurry over and collect his corpse."
He turned to look behind him:
"Yoruichi! Follow me! Keep your distance! Guard your mind!"
After shouting, he vanished in a flash, chasing in Aizen's direction.
"Understood!"
Yoruichi nodded and swiftly followed.
Watching Satoru's retreating figure, she fell into thought.
She understood Satoru's character quite well.
This man's kindness wasn't cheaply given.
Aside from those he acknowledged and held dear, Satoru rarely cared about anyone else's life or death.
For him to rush to someone's aid with such urgency and disregard for cost, the Shadow Killer's true identity must be someone extremely close to him.
Then, a piece of intelligence suddenly surfaced in her mind.
The Shadow Killer was once someone who indiscriminately slaughtered Shinigami, friend or foe.
But from a certain point onward, he abruptly changed his ways.
He avoided all Shinigami of the Gotei 13.
He only killed Shinigami from the rebel side.
At the time, when she heard this information, she found it completely baffling and incomprehensible.
But now, thinking back... wasn't the time when the Shadow Killer changed targets exactly when Satoru began to stand out?
At this thought, Yoruichi couldn't help but look at him with curiosity.
It seems this guy, Satoru, isn't as straightforward as he appears.
She quickly ran through the list of Satoru's close friends and family in her mind.
But even after thinking it over several times, she couldn't think of anyone around Satoru who possessed such strength.
He really is an unpredictable guy.
Could it be that while he seems to slack off and idle away his days, deep down, he's actually plotting some grand scheme?
...
...
In the blink of an eye, Muramasa appeared beside Kōga.
"Kōga?"
He gripped his sword, frowning slightly.
The life-and-death clash with Satoru had just given him a long-lost sense of exhilarating pleasure.
Muramasa knew very well that if his strike had met Satoru's head-on, he likely wouldn't have been a match.
Even so, he had wanted to deliver that ultimate, transcendent blow.
Being pulled back by Kōga at such a moment gave him a faint sense of resistance.
However, that feeling lasted only an instant.
His boundless loyalty to Kōga made him instantly forget this displeasure.
Seeing Aizen before him, he immediately understood why Kōga had called him back.
He suddenly lunged in the direction opposite to Aizen!
Seeing the direction Muramasa charged in, Kōga was dumbfounded.
What was his Zanpakutō doing?
Kōga opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he saw Muramasa collide with someone.
Noticing Aizen's slightly surprised gaze, Muramasa said calmly:
"Your illusion ability manipulates the target's five senses, right?"
"Unfortunately, that trick isn't very effective against me."
"My ability allows me to sense the location of others' Zanpakutō... So, while you may hide yourself perfectly, you can't hide your Zanpakutō!"
Reaching toward Aizen's sword, he called out:
"Mukyō Jōju!"
"Awaken, unyielding soul!"
With his action, an invisible wave pierced into Aizen's body.
Aizen frowned slightly.
Muramasa's appearance was too sudden; he only had time to build half of his soul's defenses.
In that brief moment, he made a decision.
He used the half-formed soul defenses entirely to protect his memories.
He completely released the defenses around his Zanpakutō!
Muramasa, who was in the process of invading, flashed a look of surprise in his eyes.
This guy... is far too composed.
On the verge of losing his Zanpakutō's abilities, he could still make such a decisive choice—sacrificing the pawn to save the king.
What a fearsome individual.
He pulled back, extracting a figure from Aizen's soul.
Aizen felt as if a part of him was missing from deep within his soul.
The Zanpakutō in his hand had completely lost its usual spirit, becoming like a piece of scrap iron.
Not only its release ability, but even the sharpness of its blade had drastically declined.
The current Kyōka Suigetsu was probably no better than an Asauchi...
So this is what it feels like to have your Zanpakutō taken away?
It's quite intriguing, especially the sensation of emptiness in the soul.
A valuable experience—one I'll certainly apply in my next soul experiment.
Beside Muramasa, the previously indistinct figure had now fully materialized.
It was a tall woman wearing a black kimono, her gaze gentle.
In her hand, she held a Zanpakutō identical to Aizen's.
Looking at the woman before him, Aizen felt a flicker of curiosity.
"Are you the embodiment of Kyōka Suigetsu?"
The woman slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
"Indeed."
"Pleased to meet you, my master."
"Or, to be more precise, my former master."
She pursed her lips, then narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a dangerous glint.
"Though I'd very much like to ask how it feels to lose me... upon second thought, I'll refrain."
"After all, whether you possess me or not isn't really that important to you, is it?"
Aizen raised an eyebrow.
"Why would you say that? You are my Zanpakutō, a being born from my soul. Naturally, you are important."
Kyōka Suigetsu let out a soft laugh through her nose.
"Let me borrow a phrase from that guy Satoru."
"You can deceive others, but don't deceive yourself."
"In your eyes, my power is merely a simple auxiliary tool... What you truly believe in is only that ever-increasing Reiatsu!"
Hearing this, Aizen showed a thoughtful expression.
But this calm demeanor only fueled Kyōka Suigetsu's anger even more.
Had he lost her, lost the ability of his Zanpakutō, and yet felt no panic at all?
Was she so insignificant in his eyes?!
She said no more, her figure flashing as she directly swung her blade at Aizen.
Facing Kyōka Suigetsu's attack, Aizen raised his sword.
With the clang of metal, he effortlessly blocked Kyōka Suigetsu's strike.
Looking at Aizen before her, a flicker of pleasure passed through Kyōka Suigetsu's eyes.
In that very instant, she had already completed the permanent hypnosis on Aizen.
Now, she could toy with her former master as she pleased!
She moved her feet, her figure appearing some distance away.
Simultaneously, she used her hypnosis ability to make Aizen believe he had appeared elsewhere.
Next, her former master would, like the Shinigami who had died by his hand before, wander lost like a headless fly, gradually losing his life in confusion.
The moment this thought crossed her mind, she saw Aizen's calm face suddenly appear right before her.
Under Kyōka Suigetsu's incredulous gaze, Aizen clenched his right hand into a fist.
Then, he threw a punch forward!