Chapter 149: Pseudo-Quadruple Sōkotsu!
Rip—
Satoru slid back dozens of meters in mid-air, scraping up swirling Reishi dust under his feet.
He looked at his right hand.
Just now, he had used his newly acquired power to deliver a heavy blow to Muramasa.
Although he instantly defeated Muramasa, rendering him unable to continue fighting, several of his own finger bones had broken.
The fracture itself meant little to him—he was long accustomed to it.
But continuing to fight after the fracture caused increasing secondary damage.
Two fingers had swollen with purple lumps.
This was caused by the broken finger bones churning the soft tissues inside, resulting in massive internal bleeding.
Seeing the state of Satoru's hand, Kōga couldn't help but laugh.
Shadow Killer's Reiatsu had suddenly plummeted for some reason.
He sensed it and confirmed that Shadow Killer's current Reiatsu should have dropped to vice-captain level.
No surprise—he must have used some secret technique earlier to temporarily boost his Reiatsu.
Now that the technique's duration ended, he naturally couldn't continue fighting.
As for Satoru, with his hand in that condition, how could he still fight him?
Just as he was about to mock him, he saw Satoru suddenly stretch out his hand.
The swollen fingers all sprayed blood!
Then, the somewhat twisted and deformed fingers retracted, returning to their normal appearance.
Satoru clenched his fist, released it, tested it several times, then showed a satisfied smile.
"Though it was a sudden idea, the effect isn't bad."
Having restored his condition, he looked at Kōga.
"Come on, Kōga, begin round two!"
Kōga: "?"
Watching Satoru's restored hands, he felt as if he had seen a ghost.
Was this guy actually a Hollow disguised as a Shinigami?
How could anyone heal fractured injuries so quickly?
With a loud shout, Satoru charged toward Kōga.
His treatment method was actually quite simple.
First, he pierced his fingers with shadows.
Using the shadows' thinness and controllability, he drained the congested blood from his fingers.
Next, he wrapped the broken finger bones with shadows, forcibly pulling and realigning them.
Then, he layered shadows around the fractured areas to immobilize the finger bones.
This way, he could instantly regain his combat capability!
Under Kōga's furious gaze, Satoru's figure flickered rapidly, each reappearance accompanied by a heavy punch.
Throughout his long Shinigami career, Kōga had always relied on Muramasa's invincible abilities to dominate battles.
This kind of fighting style that tested reflexes and techniques wasn't really his forte.
Though protected by his powerful Reiatsu, he wasn't afraid of Satoru's punches, but being hit still hurt.
Moreover, it was humiliating.
While he desperately wanted to kill Satoru immediately, now wasn't the time to rush.
If he dragged this out longer, his total Reiatsu far exceeded Satoru's. Once Satoru exhausted himself, it would be his turn to counterattack!
Satoru maintained his relentless offensive rhythm.
In his mind, however, he reached a similar conclusion as Kōga.
If this dragged on, he would only be worn down.
His advantages were speed, technique, and combat experience.
Kōga's advantage was his overwhelming Reiatsu intensity.
How could he break through that Reiatsu defense?
His most powerful attack was the dual-layered Sōkotsu executed while merged with his shadow double.
This move was terrifyingly powerful - several times stronger than a normal Sōkotsu.
But... against Kōga who was fully defending with his Reiatsu condensed into a turtle shell, victory wasn't guaranteed.
If he couldn't win with one strike and let Kōga prepare for this technique, winning would become even harder.
If he delayed any longer and Tsunayashiro Takatori arrived, they would be outnumbered and this battle would be lost.
After thinking for a few seconds, Satoru made up his mind.
A determined gleam appeared in his eyes.
He suddenly stopped attacking and retreated some distance.
Under Kōga's wary gaze, Satoru grinned:
"Hey, Kōga, how about we call it quits for today?"
"Look, I can't hurt you, and you can't hit me. Why don't we just go our separate ways?"
"If we keep fighting, we'll both be badly injured. My plan for the Soul Society's paradise would fail, and your plan to peek into people's hearts would be ruined. Wouldn't that just benefit Takatori?"
Hearing Satoru's words, Kōga was somewhat surprised.
He thought this guy would fight to the death with him.
He never expected him to initiate peace talks?
For a moment, he considered agreeing with Satoru's proposal.
But when he thought of Yoruichi Shihōin, he frowned again.
Before coming to Hueco Mundo, Takatori had repeatedly emphasized that Yoruichi Shihōin must die.
If he spared Yoruichi Shihōin and let her return to Seireitei to change the Central 46's vote, the Tsunayashiro Clan would never let him go.
By then, he would truly become a homeless dog.
After pondering for a few seconds, he said: "I can let you go, but Yoruichi Shihōin must die."
Hearing this, Satoru scratched his head.
"Yoruichi is my sworn sister, my closest confidant."
"To kill her... there must be a price."
Kōga asked in confusion, "What price?"
Satoru took a deep breath.
Using the time he had spent bickering with Kōga, he had already completed his preparations.
Under Kōga's gaze, he suddenly widened his eyes, stomped his foot hard, and charged toward Kōga at a speed invisible to the naked eye!
Kōga was not surprised by Satoru's actions.
While conversing with Satoru, he had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of a sneak attack at any moment.
After all, this was Satoru—the shameless Satoru!
But for some reason, even though he wasn't surprised, as he watched Satoru throwing a punch before him, he still felt an eerie sense of danger.
Just in case, he unleashed all the Reiatsu he had stored in his body.
The wildly surging Reiatsu made his body and Zanpakutō glow with a blinding radiance!
Facing Kōga at full power, Satoru showed no fear.
He grinned.
At that moment, his posture resembled Ichigo Kurosaki flying forward in the opening theme of "Change"—like an airplane, his entire body parallel to the ground.
As he entered Kōga's attack range, he also sprang into action.
Clenching both fists, he thrust them forward simultaneously.
At the same time, his shadow merged with his body, perfectly synchronized with his hands.
Double Sōkotsu, ready!
Then, his feet, like the exhaust nozzles of a fighter jet, erupted with terrifying Reiatsu.
The shadow fused into his body, coordinating with his feet, also took action.
Using both feet, he unleashed Double Sōkotsu!
The forward-thrusting fists and the backward-thrusting feet completed a simultaneous acceleration and force amplification.
Staring at Kōga before him, Satoru let out a maniacal laugh.
"Magnetic Field Rotation!!"
"Nine Hundred Ninety Thousand Horses!!"
"Satoru Explosion Fist!!!"