Chapter 259: Baraggan's Fear
Seeing Satoru actually charging, Starkk was taken aback.
Lilynette gasped in surprise.
On the ground, Harribel looked up, her eyes filled with shock.
Without almost any hesitation, she shot upward, chasing after Satoru's direction.
But even faster than her was Nel.
The antelope-shaped knight trailed a long green light, instantly crossing half the battlefield and catching up behind Satoru.
"Lord Satoru! You must not advance any further!"
"If you enter the range of Respira, you will be annihilated!"
Hearing this, Satoru laughed heartily:
"Don't worry, Sōsuke said I can charge straight in!"
"Presumably, my power has now reached the pinnacle, and mere Respira can't do anything to me!"
"Watch closely, Nel! This is the day I, Satoru, display my might!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the sword in his hand.
"You're no longer useful. Stand down."
Before the Zanpakutō could protest, Satoru had already canceled its Shikai state, flicked his wrist, and sheathed it.
With a shining Reiatsu shield, he plunged headfirst into the range of Baraggan's Respira.
But the moment he entered, Satoru sensed something wrong.
The Reiatsu shield did block Respira, but the corrosion was too rapid.
At this rate, his shield would be gone after just a few moves, even before he reached Baraggan!
Sōsuke has misled me!
Satoru sighed in frustration.
Distracted, a corner of his haori fluttering behind him brushed against the black mist of Respira.
Instantly, the contacted area decayed and turned to dust.
The decay rapidly spread, covering nearly half the haori in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Satoru didn't hesitate—he tore off the haori and tossed it aside.
Then, he pulled off the upper part of his Shinigami Uniform and tied it around his waist to avoid further hindrance.
Though he didn't know what Aizen's plan was, since he was already here, it would be a shame not to punch Baraggan at least once!
Satoru grinned and continued charging toward Baraggan.
Just then, Baraggan sneered coldly.
"Bold of you to still approach?!"
He raised his hand and swung it fiercely.
With his motion, vast clouds of black mist surged, rushing in the opposite direction from Satoru.
"Oh ho..."
Satoru raised an eyebrow.
So that's it.
No wonder that guy Sōsuke told me to charge straight in.
It seems his understanding of Kyōka Suigetsu has deepened once more.
Baraggan's total Reiatsu was clearly superior to both of them. Hypnotizing him with Kyōka Suigetsu would be extremely difficult.
Just like during the fight against Senzaemon back then, even with Aizen taking stimulants and exerting his full strength, he could only manage to interfere at critical moments.
But now, he could already create such large-scale illusions.
He couldn't afford to fall behind!
As the concentration of black mist around him suddenly decreased, Satoru was finally able to gather his Reiatsu.
His eyes snapped open, and blue flames erupted from his body.
Trailing long blue flames, Satoru shot toward Baraggan like a missile.
Pseudo-Quadruple Sōkotsu!
990,000 Units!
"Satoru Explosive Fist!!!"
Baraggan stared intently at his right side.
There, Satoru was charging at him ferociously.
Although it didn't evoke much sense of crisis in him, it would still be somewhat embarrassing if this insignificant insect managed to breach his Respira barrier.
To crush Satoru into dust with absolute power, he pushed over half of the black mist surrounding him directly toward the charging figure.
Under the erosion of the black mist, Satoru indeed came to a halt, struggling within the sea of Respira.
Baraggan sneered coldly.
On the ground, the others also showed expressions of horror.
"Oh no, Lord Satoru is trapped!"
"Lord Satoru!"
Meanwhile, the Menos Grande revealed excited expressions.
"Lord Baraggan is invincible!"
"Lord Baraggan is going to win!"
Suddenly, under everyone's gaze, Satoru within the black mist vanished.
In his place, a figure that had somehow appeared on Baraggan's left side took his position.
"Huh?" Nel, who had been about to charge forward, froze in confusion at the sight.
She watched in astonishment as Satoru, who had just been trapped in the black mist on Baraggan's right side, suddenly appeared on Baraggan's left.
A fist slammed forward!
CRACK!!
Baraggan's skull was struck hard by Satoru, shattering into pieces.
"GRAAAAAAAH!!!"
Excruciating pain made Baraggan let out a piercing roar.
The force of the punch sent him flying sideways through the air, scattering a trail of broken bone fragments.
Then, he crashed headfirst into the structures of Las Noches!
Satoru stood mid-air, cracking his neck.
In the crowd, Aizen curled up the corner of his mouth.
"Cle...clean hit!!"
Lilynette (gun version) cheered excitedly.
Starkk tilted his head, somewhat confused about what had just happened.
"So strong..."
Nelliel exclaimed in surprise.
Although she had lost to Satoru before, there had been an element of being caught off guard.
If they were to face off properly in a direct confrontation, she felt she wouldn't have lost too badly.
But after witnessing Satoru's punch just now, she completely changed her mind.
If she had taken that punch, she would likely be dead or severely injured.
Baraggan truly lived up to his title as the King of Hueco Mundo—his defense was incredibly tough...
Tier Harribel nodded repeatedly.
As expected of Lord Satoru, he never disappoints!
Although she had no idea how he had managed that instantaneous movement, winning was all that mattered. The rest was irrelevant.
Szayelaporro blinked, a puzzled look in his eyes.
He quickly recalled the events that had just transpired.
A few seconds later, he suddenly turned to look at Aizen.
As if sensing his gaze, Aizen also turned his head to look in his direction.
Under Szayelaporro's watchful eyes, Aizen offered a faint smile.
Szayelaporro shuddered all over, quickly averted his gaze, and pretended as if nothing had happened.
...
...
Amidst the dust, a storm of Reiatsu swept through, dispersing the thick smoke.
Baraggan's figure reappeared.
A quarter of his skull had been shattered.
The golden crown resting upon it no longer held its usual majesty, instead appearing rather pitiful.
"You wretched creature... How dare you deceive me with an illusion..."
Baraggan gripped his great axe, and due to extreme fury, the sound of bone grinding against metal could be heard.
"Not bad insight to figure out it was an illusion so quickly."
Satoru approached cheerfully.
"Baraggan, still holding on?"
"Look around you... throughout all of Hueco Mundo, aside from yourself, every top-tier force has already submitted to me."
"All you have left now is yourself, and those cannon-fodder Menos Grande under your command."
"Rather than stubbornly resisting, wouldn't it be more dignified to surrender to me?"
"Hueco Mundo has been divided for too long—it's time for unification!"
Baraggan nearly laughed in sheer fury.
He was the King of Hueco Mundo, its undisputed emperor.
Since ancient times, he had sat upon this throne, unchanging!
How dare a mere Shinigami boast so arrogantly about replacing him and becoming the new emperor?
Did this fool not know his own limitations?
Besides... when had Hueco Mundo ever been divided? Where did these sentiments even come from?
He snorted coldly, offering no reply, and instead released billowing black mist once more.
"Satoru... I must admit, your illusion abilities are indeed troublesome."
"But relying on such petty tricks to defeat me is still far too naive."
"If I ignore your movements entirely, cease concentrating my Respira, and release my power in all directions, what will you do then?"
Satoru swiftly retreated, putting distance between himself and Baraggan.
Baraggan was right.
If he disregarded the illusions created by Kyōka Suigetsu and continuously unleashed Respira at full power, Satoru truly couldn't break through his defensive shell.
What should he do...
He instinctively glanced at the Zanpakutō hanging at his waist.
Should he borrow power from Risō Jakumetsu once more, ask her to lend him her Bankai's strength?
As a Warrior of Light, borrowing power seemed perfectly reasonable, right?
However, before he could even speak, his Zanpakutō seemed to sense his intentions and locked itself in its scabbard with a sharp clang.
Satoru tried pulling it out several times, but it wouldn't budge.
"Rebellion! Outright rebellion! How dare a mere Zanpakutō turn against its master!"
"I, Satoru, have treated you well—how could you betray me at such a critical moment!"
Failing to draw his sword, he had no choice but to give up.
Watching the continuously spreading Respira around Baraggan, Satoru fell into deep thought.
Lately, while mentoring newcomers like Zaraki and Kaname, he hadn't neglected his own training.
After countless instances of merging with his shadow duplicate and executing "Sōkotsu," he gradually developed a strange sensation.
Even though it was a special technique that required relying on his Zanpakutō's power, Satoru felt he was on the verge of achieving it through his own body alone.
Both Yamamoto, who founded the original fluid combat style, and the super-genius Aizen had declared it impossible, yet Satoru felt he was already touching the threshold.
If... he could truly execute Sōkotsu using only his physical body, then combining it with his shadow duplicate's power, could he achieve "Triple Sōkotsu"?
And if his shadow duplicate also used Double Impact, while he perfectly mastered the method of combining both Sōkotsu, could he achieve "Quadruple Sōkotsu"?
Just the thought made Satoru somewhat excited.
He licked his lips and looked toward Baraggan.
Whether in manga or novels, protagonists needed life-or-death crises to achieve rapid breakthroughs.
Maybe he should also seek life through near-death experiences and charge at Baraggan for an exhilarating battle!
With this thought, he shifted his footing, ready to charge.
But before he could take a step, a hand slapped down onto his shoulder.
Satoru stumbled, nearly falling over.
"Sōsuke?"
He turned his head.
There stood Aizen beside him, one hand resting on his shoulder.
"I suggest you abandon those dangerous and unrealistic notions."
"Eh? What are you talking about? I don't understand..."
"Hmph."
Aizen let out a disdainful laugh at Satoru's feigned ignorance.
He adjusted his glasses and looked toward Baraggan standing within the black mist.
"Baraggan, your defeat is already inevitable."
"However, I understand that forcing a king to submit is more cruel than killing him."
"Therefore, I propose a transaction."
Baraggan didn't even acknowledge Aizen's words.
Satoru was at least an opponent of comparable strength, but this guy—who did he think he was, daring to propose transactions to him?
Yet the very next moment, the words that came from Aizen's mouth made him shudder involuntarily.
"Baraggan, you're afraid, aren't you... of 'aging'."
"Though you've lived for countless years, though you've mastered the ability to age others... aging remains your inescapable nightmare."
"What if I told you I could resolve your fear?"
Hearing Aizen's words, Baraggan couldn't help but look at him.
Aizen smiled faintly. "My name is Sōsuke Aizen. I am a researcher."
"The power you've been desperately pursuing—breaking the boundary between Hollows and Shinigami—happens to be my field of study."
"And we've already achieved initial results."
"If all goes well, I will make breakthrough progress within fifty years."
"By then, all Hollows will have the opportunity to break their masks."
"You must have felt it after your Resurrección... as your realm improved, your lifespan greatly extended."
"If you submit to Satoru, become his vassal, and manage Hueco Mundo for him, I will grant you complete Arrancar transformation, granting you a lifespan several times longer than your current one."
"Even... taking the next step forward, becoming an existence of higher standing!"
The soul-fire in Baraggan's eyes flickered slightly.
Was he tempted by what Aizen said?
Extremely so!
What in this world could attract him more than immortality?
The problem was, the other party was making empty promises.
Why should he believe them?
As if guessing his thoughts, Aizen turned to look at a certain pink-haired figure standing on the distant ground.
"Szayelaporro."
His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the battlefield directly into Szayelaporro's ears.
Szayelaporro flashed over to stand beside them.
Looking at Baraggan, he smiled.
"I can attest that Lord Aizen has indeed progressed far in this field."
"Though I'm not particularly interested myself."
"Until I complete my own research, no matter how great another's work may be, I only offer assistance without intention to participate..."
Hearing Szayelaporro's words, though Baraggan still had doubts, he instinctively believed them somewhat.
After pondering for a few seconds, he nodded slightly.
"What you say holds merit."
"However, there is one error."
Under Aizen's gaze, Baraggan raised his head.
"My magnificent power is something you cannot possibly withstand."
"No matter how many ants gather, they remain insignificant before absolute power!"
"It is you who should be kneeling in submission!"
As he spoke, Baraggan raised his great axe, preparing to release his Respira once more.
Just then, Aizen suddenly said:
"I advise you not to do that."
"What?"
Recalling the knowledge Satoru had shared with him before the battle began, Aizen spoke calmly:
"Your power is indeed formidable."
"But, if I'm not mistaken, your Respira can kill not only enemies, but yourself as well."
"To avoid accidentally killing yourself, you employ a special protective power when releasing Respira."
"Now here's the question."
"If you cannot determine whether your body has been properly protected, or even whether you've activated the protection at all... what would happen to your body?"