Chapter 305: Aizen, You're So Despicable
"Woof-woof!!"
Amid the explosion's light, a massive figure was sent flying backward.
Boom!!!
Komamura crashed to the ground, letting out a cry of pain.
His body was covered in charred burn marks.
From his shoulder to his waist, a long slash wound ran diagonally, and through the torn flesh, one could even see his ribs.
Komamura gritted his teeth, trying to get up.
But after struggling a few times, he finally collapsed again.
The enormous Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō slowly faded from the air.
At the center of the explosion, Shiba Isshin stood panting heavily.
Like Komamura Sajin, he was covered in wounds.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's custom-made reactive armor was just too ridiculously lethal.
Even though he had prepared in advance, he was still badly injured by the blast.
The combined power of the Kidō Cannon, machine gun, and flamethrower was slightly inferior to that set of reactive armor.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi really is a toxic guy.
Taking a deep breath, Shiba Isshin raised his fist.
The referee nodded and shouted:
"Winner, Mikami Faction, Shiba Isshin!"
Hearing the announcement, Isshin grinned.
He went over to Komamura, hoisted him onto his shoulder with a grunt, carried him off the stage, and handed him over to the waiting Fourth Division medical team.
Then, Isshin headed toward the rest area.
He needed to recover quickly and prepare for the next battle.
At this point, he finally understood why Ichimaru Gin had warned him earlier.
That fox-like guy had probably planned this all along.
By going all out and fighting Komamura to the bitter end, no matter who won, the other would inevitably be in worse condition.
Originally, having learned a full set of survival tactics from Vice-Captain Aizen, he knew well the principle of not revealing one's abilities easily.
But after that intense clash with Komamura, almost everything that could be exposed had been exposed.
That guy Ichimaru Gin was probably chuckling to himself right now.
Isshin sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to avoid seeing someone's smug expression.
The Mikami group takes blood pressure maintenance very seriously.
Suddenly, a voice sounded beside him:
"Well fought."
"?!"
Shiba Isshin opened his eyes in surprise and saw a man with glasses standing nearby.
"Aizen-senpai?"
"How did you come to be here?"
"I heard you were participating in the competition, so I came to watch."
Aizen replied gently.
He observed Shiba Isshin's condition, then said:
"Leave the remaining battles to Ichimaru Gin."
"With his abilities, winning the championship won't be a problem. There's no need for you to risk your life helping him."
Hearing this, Isshin pressed his lips together.
After several seconds of silence, he shook his head and said:
"No, Aizen-senpai, I must fight until the end!"
"Hmm?"
Aizen seemed somewhat puzzled.
Over the years, Shiba Isshin had been following him, continuously learning about concealing one's strength and staying behind the scenes.
He had always acted this way in daily matters.
Why was he suddenly so determined this time?
After some thought, Aizen asked:
"Did Satoru say something to you?"
"Yes, Brother Satoru said that whoever achieves final victory in this battle, he'll grant that person one request!"
"Hmph..."
Aizen narrowed his eyes.
How bold of him, promising to grant a request?
After thinking for two seconds, he looked at Shiba Isshin.
"Isshin, is there something you want him to do for you?"
"Uh..."
Hearing Aizen's question, Shiba Isshin showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.
But he never kept secrets when Aizen asked him questions.
Scratching his head, he revealed a serious expression.
"I hope that Satoru-nii will grant permission for Aizen-senpai to officially take me as his disciple!"
Aizen was momentarily taken aback.
Then, he nearly laughed aloud.
Shiba Isshin... wanting to become his disciple?
This was truly, utterly amusing.
Even for someone like him, it took considerable effort to restrain himself from laughing out loud.
Under Shiba Isshin's earnest gaze, Aizen nodded:
"Very well, I accept."
"Eh?"
"There's no need for anyone's permission. Since you wish to become my disciple, then so be it."
"After all, since when does that fellow Satoru have the authority to decide who I take as my disciple?"
Aizen remarked with some displeasure.
Hearing this, Shiba Isshin's eyes lit up.
He immediately dropped into a formal seated position.
"Teacher!!"
"Mmm."
Aizen nodded.
Looking at the fervent expression on Isshin's face, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Then he spoke: "Isshin, now that your wish has been granted... you wouldn't mind following my instructions for what comes next, would you?"
Though unsure what Aizen meant, Shiba Isshin nodded decisively.
During his decades following Aizen, he had long developed the mindset that "Aizen-senpai is always right."
Aizen showed a satisfied expression.
Then, he began to explain...
...
...
On the arena platform, Ichimaru Gin flashed forward, appearing beside his opponent and kicking him to the ground.
He placed his foot on the noble Shinigami's chest, resting his short blade against the man's neck.
Under the terrified gaze of the noble Shinigami, he revealed a fox-like smile:
"Will you surrender? Or choose death?"
"I-I surrender! I surrender!!"
The noble Shinigami immediately begged for mercy without hesitation.
Ichimaru Gin nodded with satisfaction, turning to look at the referee.
After the latter declared his victory, Ichimaru Gin stepped down from the platform to recover his Reiatsu.
Simultaneously, he glanced toward Shiba Isshin.
Soon, it would be his battle against this guy.
Shiba Isshin was strong.
In a fair fight, he would need to use his Bankai's true ability to defeat him.
The problem was... his Bankai's power was too overwhelming—once used on someone, it was almost certainly fatal.
As fellow members of the Satoru group, he didn't want to use this technique.
Fortunately, Komamura had done quite well, having already severely injured Shiba Isshin.
From here, he just needed to prevent Shiba Isshin from having any opportunity to use his ultimate technique, maintaining constant speed-based suppression throughout the fight to guarantee victory!
Just thinking about what kind of reward he could demand from Satoru after winning made Ichimaru Gin unable to suppress a smile.
As the referee called out, he stood up and walked toward the arena.
On the other side, Shiba Isshin also rose and approached.
Nearly everyone focused their complete attention, preparing to watch this most important battle.
At this point, even the nobles most reluctant to accept reality had to admit that the final champion would undoubtedly come from the Satoru group.
Many nobles wore expressions of despair.
If the Sixth Division fell into Satoru's clutches, wouldn't the Gotei 13 be next?
The Soul Society was doomed!
Meanwhile, more people simply wanted to see what kind of spectacular battle Ichimaru Gin and Shiba Isshin would deliver.
Stepping onto the platform, Ichimaru Gin smiled:
"Isshin, won't you consider surrendering?"
"If I can't hold back and end up taking something from you, that wouldn't be good."
Shiba Isshin grinned widely:
"Such trash talk won't work on me."
"Gin, don't say I didn't warn you—you'll lose miserably in this battle."
"Rather than humiliating yourself before Brother Mikami, you might as well surrender now."
"Oh...?"
Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes and raised his eyebrows, showing a curious expression.
Shiba Isshin didn't seem to be bluffing.
Where did this guy get such confidence?
Something's suspicious here, better be cautious.
He slightly opened his eyes and focused intently on Shiba Isshin's movements.
Meanwhile, the referee timely raised his hand:
"For the Mikami Faction—Ichimaru Gin!"
"Versus, for the Shiba Clan—Shiba Isshin!"
"The match... begins!!"
The moment the referee's voice fell, Ichimaru Gin immediately pointed his short sword at Shiba Isshin:
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!!"
Silver light instantly cut through space, arriving before Shiba Isshin and thrusting toward his shoulder.
Although Shiba Isshin reacted immediately, using his Zanpakutō to block, his movements were slightly slower due to injuries from Komamura's previous explosion that hadn't fully healed.
Shinsō didn't pierce through his shoulder, but still grazed his arm, leaving a fairly deep wound.
Ichimaru Gin gave him no chance to catch his breath.
Shinsō acted like a pile driver, continuously extending and retracting, each time leaving wounds large and small on his body.
Shiba Isshin blocked while trying to close the distance between them.
But the problem was, the closer he got, the less reaction time he had against Shinsō.
When they were a hundred meters apart, he could still alter the trajectory of almost every Shinsō attack.
But when only about twenty meters remained, it became difficult to defend against.
Several bloody holes appeared on his robust body.
Shiba Isshin paid no mind to his injuries.
He swung his sword fiercely:
"Getsuga! Tenshō!!"
A crescent-shaped slash formed of crimson flames surged forth.
Facing Isshin's attack, Ichimaru Gin remained unflustered.
While changing his position, he continued using Shinsō to drain Isshin's stamina.
Though their battle hadn't lasted long, it had already reached a fever pitch.
Shiba Isshin activated his Bankai.
A blazing sun emerged from behind him.
Seeing this, Ichimaru Gin also released his Bankai.
"Bankai, Kamishini no Yari!"
As his Reiatsu surged dramatically, he smiled:
"Be careful, Isshin."
"My Kamishini no Yari is quite different from its Shikai state."
"In Shikai, Shinsō can only extend about a hundred meters at most."
"And its speed doesn't exceed what top fighters can track with their eyes."
"But... Bankai is different."
"My Kamishini no Yari can extend a full thirteen kilometers!"
"As for its speed..."
As he spoke, the sword in Ichimaru Gin's hand suddenly transformed into a long white light.
Before Shiba Isshin could even react, the blade had already pierced through his arm.
His face contorted in pain.
"...Five hundred times the speed of sound."
Ichimaru Gin retracted his sword, still wearing a smile.
"At five hundred times the speed of sound, how will you block it?"
These words shocked everyone present.
The noble Shinigami looked at each other, seeing terror in each other's eyes.
They immediately realized—if this Ichimaru Gin wanted to assassinate them, couldn't he simply aim from an extremely distant location, like standing on Sōkyoku Hill, and kill them with a single strike from afar?
This guy... cannot be allowed to live!
Many nobles directly conceived murderous intentions.
But then, they quickly realized something.
Wait, this guy is from the Satoru Group.
Who would dare provoke them?
Would you? I certainly wouldn't!
Besides, with Satoru's strength, if he disliked someone, he could just crush them directly. Why bother with assassination?
Just like before, when the Tsunayashiro Clan offended him once, Satoru directly threw their outstanding third-generation disciple into the Central Great Prison. After release, the disciple's Zanpakutō was confiscated and they were placed under lifelong house arrest.
Such ruthless methods truly befit a noble.
On the arena, Shiba Isshin looked at the wound on his arm with a somewhat helpless expression.
If this were a life-or-death battle, he could desperately unleash the scorching sun power within him, forming an ultra-high-temperature layer on his body surface to destroy the God-Killing Spear.
But... once a Bankai is damaged, it's almost impossible to repair.
For just a match, it's not worth going that far.
Enough, I've just about reached my limit. It's time to do as Aizen-senpai... no, as my teacher instructed.
Isshin grinned, revealing a smile.
Seeing his reaction, Ichimaru Gin found it rather strange.
What are you so happy about... Do you even know what condition you're in?
Though baffled, his intuition told him something was amiss.
Ichimaru Gin didn't charge forward recklessly, instead continuing to launch long-range thrusts with his Shinso.
Shiba Isshin didn't evade his attacks, accumulating more and more wounds on his body.
Yet, he still refused to surrender, stubbornly enduring while retreating to the edge of the arena.
"It's over."
Ichimaru Gin aimed at Shiba Isshin who had reached the corner of the arena and swiftly released Shinso.
Thud!!
Shinso pierced through the latter's chest.
Ichimaru Gin had aimed precisely, avoiding vital organs—it was merely a grazing blow.
He didn't retract his blade, waiting for Shiba Isshin to concede.
But just then, he suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right.
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Hehe, Gin, what are you aiming at?"
"?!"
Ichimaru Gin whipped his head around.
To his astonishment, Shiba Isshin was standing behind him, as if he had teleported there!
The blazing sun floating behind Isshin was scorching his body.
Shiba Isshin's Zanpakutō rested on his shoulder.
With just a slight exertion, it could sever his head!
How is this possible... What kind of ability is this?!
Ichimaru Gin turned back to look at the "Shiba Isshin" he had pierced.
He saw that his Shinso had only impaled one of the pillars of the arena's perimeter fence.
"An illusion..."
After realizing he had fallen for some trick, Ichimaru Gin was incredulous.
Then, as if suddenly understanding something, he quickly scanned his surroundings.
Sure enough, he spotted Aizen standing in the crowd, smiling at him.
Sōsuke Aizen, you set me up?!
Ichimaru Gin opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to protest this unfair match.
But after a few seconds of thought, he shook his head.
He suddenly understood.
That guy Aizen... was after Satoru's promise.
This bastard was willing to use such underhanded methods, manipulating Shiba Isshin to scheme against him.
Truly the most despicable existence in the Satoru Group... Compared to him, I still have so much to learn.
Letting out a resigned sigh, he raised his hand.
"I surrender."
Amid the excited cheers of the Shiba Clan Shinigami, Shiba Isshin emerged as the victor of this public duel.
The Sixth Division... welcomed its first captain from the Shiba family!
In the crowd, Aizen adjusted his glasses, a smile of complete control spreading across his face.