Chapter 337: Satoru's Thunderous Operation
Under Akane Shizuku's wary gaze, Satoru stepped forward.
Both stood mid-air with no obstacles between them.
Though uncertain of Satoru's capabilities, intuition warned Akane Shizuku that this man wouldn't be easily handled.
After brief consideration, she decided to flee.
At his leisurely walking pace, shaking him off would be effortless.
Akane Shizuku turned, executed Flash Step, and covered hundreds of meters in seconds.
She curled her lips, glancing back over her shoulder.
Then, frowned slightly.
Was it an illusion...? Why did it feel like not only had the other party not been left behind, but had actually gotten closer?
Watching Satoru approach with a leisurely pace and a smile, Akane Shizuku tilted her head in confusion.
She figured it was probably because they were both in mid-air with no reference points around, creating an optical illusion.
Thinking this, she increased her speed slightly, turned around, and dashed out several hundred meters.
She looked back again.
This time, Akane Shizuku's heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't an illusion!
That guy had gotten even closer!
For a moment, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
Her Flash Step was so fast—how was he catching up?
After a moment's thought, she turned her head away, facing away from Satoru.
Then, she whipped her head back around.
And saw that Satoru had drawn even closer.
"?!"
Akane Shizuku's eyes widened.
With a growing sense of fear, she swiftly turned her head away again, then immediately snapped it back without pause.
She saw Satoru's face appear less than ten centimeters away from hers, smiling at her.
"Here's Johnny!!"
"Eeeek, aaaaaah!!!!!"
Listening to the distant screams of despair, Ulquiorra remained expressionless.
Another peaceful day.
...
...
Aizen walked through the streets of Seireitei.
Satoru had just sent him a message, urgently summoning him to the Living World, claiming he had important information.
Aizen was half-convinced, half-skeptical.
Convinced, because Satoru did indeed have a talent for stirring up trouble and often brought major news.
Skeptical, because he was wary of the guy's character.
Once, while he was in the lab working on a critical project, Satoru suddenly messaged him, saying there was a big issue and to meet at the Eleventh Division immediately.
Out of concern, Aizen didn't hesitate. He put down his experiment and rushed to the Eleventh Division.
Only when he arrived did he learn that Satoru's so-called "big issue" was that they were short a player for cards.
It took every ounce of his self-restraint not to draw his sword and cut the guy down on the spot.
Remembering this, Aizen's face darkened.
If this trip to the Living World turned out to be another one of his antics, he'd make sure Satoru learned exactly what an angry scientist was capable of!
Out of habit, Aizen didn't use the Senkaimon. Instead, he went to a secret lab that could conceal Reiatsu and used a Garganta to reach the Living World.
No matter how discreet the Senkaimon was, it was still easily monitored by the Soul Society.
Arriving in the Living World, Aizen took out his tablet, confirmed Satoru's location, and hurried over.
Satoru was at a hotel.
Reaching the door and confirming the location was correct, he pushed it open and entered.
Inside the room, a purple-haired girl in a high school uniform was kneeling on the bed, gagged, with her hands and feet bound.
Tears welled in the girl's eyes, giving her a pitiful appearance.
Satoru sat in a chair opposite her, shirtless, scrutinizing the girl's body with an amused gaze.
Aizen: "..."
Satoru turned to look at him.
"Hey, Sōsuke, you're here?"
Aizen narrowed his eyes.
"Satoru Mikami, if the 'important information' you mentioned is just to have me watch you do this sort of thing, then I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
Satoru was momentarily taken aback.
After thinking for two seconds, he suddenly understood what Aizen meant.
Once he realized it, Satoru grew furious.
First, it was Ishida Ryūken, and now Aizen—what was wrong with these people?
Did they really see him as that kind of person in their minds?
This is simply slandering and defaming myself!
I must introduce myself to a cute little sister to soothe my wounded soul!
With an unhappy mood, he pulled Aizen over to stand before Akane Shizuku.
"Open your eyes and see, what is she?"
"?"
Aizen gave him a puzzled look.
Then, he released his Reiatsu perception to confirm the state of the girl before him.
A few seconds later, he suddenly showed a surprised expression.
"How strange..."
"Overall, she appears to be just an ordinary Shinigami."
"But upon careful investigation, countless soul fragments can be detected within her."
"How can such a strange existence exist?"
Looking at Akane Shizuku before him, Aizen couldn't help but become interested.
He had seen many collective entities of souls.
All Menos Grande were such existences.
However, Akane Shizuku was fundamentally different from Menos Grande.
First, Menos Grande were composed of countless "souls," not "soul fragments."
Countless souls together formed a Menos Grande, with the strongest consciousness suppressing all other souls, gradually achieving unity.
If unification succeeded, it could become an Adjuchas.
After permanent unification, it would become a Vasto Lorde.
If the unification process failed, it would revert to a Gillian.
Akane Shizuku was different—her body was composed of countless soul fragments, and she only had one consciousness. She wouldn't transform into another person due to insufficient consciousness.
Conversely, her mind contained a large amount of memories simultaneously.
These mixed memories would severely affect her self-perception.
Without intervention, she would eventually be consumed by these memories and become a fool.
Satoru walked over.
"That's because she isn't actually a Shinigami."
"Hmm?"
Aizen turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.
Was this guy going to explain things to him?
Under Aizen's gaze, Satoru crossed his arms:
"Sōsuke, have you heard of 'Howling Valley'?"
Howling Valley...
Aizen thought for two seconds, then said:
"Souls that break away from the cycle of the Three Realms and wander in the Dangai will slowly gather together, forming a special Reishi space. This space is called Howling Valley."
"In Howling Valley, the shells of souls fuse together, forming entities similar to physical matter."
"Meanwhile, the memories and emotions of these souls gather to form another entity, becoming..."
"...I see, so this girl's identity is that of an aggregate of emotions?"
"I never thought I'd be able to witness such a miraculous existence with my own eyes."
Satoru stood nearby, mouth agape, frozen in place.
He had thought Aizen wouldn't know such obscure knowledge.
He had planned to take this opportunity to expound knowledge and see Aizen's surprised, admiring expression.
He never expected that just by mentioning "Howling Valley," this guy had already analyzed the entire cause and effect.
He had even correctly identified Akane Shizuku's identity without any error!
Satoru swayed a couple of times, took a few steps back, and plopped back into his chair, turning into pale ashes.
Aizen stood in place, quietly watching him.
At a moment when Satoru didn't notice, the corner of Aizen's mouth lifted slightly.
Regarding Howling Valley, he had actually only come across it once in a book during his early years and didn't have deep impressions of it.
He had desperately recalled the information just to prevent Satoru from successfully showing off, presenting it with an air of familiarity.
Fortunately, his memory was still good enough to successfully make this guy withdraw into himself.
Pleasant.
Beside them, Akane Shizuku forcefully spat out the cloth ball stuffed in her mouth.
Staring at the two men before her, she said angrily:
"You two... what exactly did you mean by what you just said?!"
"I am clearly a Shinigami, a genuine Shinigami!"
Aizen glanced at her but didn't respond.
In his view, Akane Shizuku's fate would either be as his test subject or as Satoru's plaything.
In either case, there was no need for him to explain things clearly to her.
A waste of energy.
Satoru lifted his head.
"You could be considered a Shinigami, just not an original, authentic one produced by the factory."
"You heard everything we said earlier. Whether it's true or false, you can easily verify it yourself."
"Those memories of other souls constantly surfacing in your mind must contain various contradictions and inconsistencies that can't be integrated... This is the best proof that your memories are pieced together."
As he spoke, he stood up, randomly pulled a Shinigami Uniform from the Shadow Space and put it on, then casually grabbed a Captain's Haori and draped it over the outside.
Mikami Garment Factory product, quality guaranteed.
Hearing Satoru's words, Akane Shizuku knelt on the bed and began straining to recall her past.
No... those words are all lies.
She could clearly remember various scenes from her past life.
Her father was a businessman, a man with a gentle smile and thin cheeks, who would always pick her up and bring her toys whenever he came home.
She lived in a detached house in Tokyo, and her home was very warm...
Her father... was a chubby man who lived with her in a traditional Japanese house, and he treated her mother well...
Her father was a violent man who enjoyed beating and scolding her mother...
No... why were these memories so contradictory?
Not only the content, but even the backgrounds of the stories were vastly different.
Some scenes had a modern setting, with skyscrapers already present.
Other scenes showed dilapidated surroundings, with only single-story houses along narrow streets...
Akane Shizuku's pupils trembled.
She looked up with a bewildered, despairing gaze.
"Who... who am I really..."
Satoru adjusted his collar and spoke in a lazy tone:
"No need to dwell on that. Although you're an amalgamation of countless soul fragments, you've already completed the construction of self-awareness."
"Right now, you're just experiencing memory confusion. Once you absorb all the soul fragments, this situation won't occur anymore."
"Many Menos Grande experience similar conditions when they first evolve from Gillian to Adjuchas."
"Hmm... if you think this process is too slow, I can find someone to help you. For example, this gentleman here is an expert in soul research who has overseen hundreds of Arrancar Transformation procedures with over ninety percent survival rate."
Satoru showed a business smile as he pointed to Aizen beside him.
Aizen ignored him.
Akane Shizuku was taken aback.
Was this bizarre situation happening to her just something that could be so lightly dismissed in this man's eyes?
She instinctively asked:
"What... what exactly are you?"
Satoru chuckled lightly.
"Just a passing Shinigami."
Akane Shizuku blinked, frozen in place.
Aizen looked at Satoru: "Satoru, what's next?"
"First take her to Satoru Paradise and have Ishida look after her. You come with me."
"Where to?"
"The Dangai."
Satoru slightly raised his head, his gaze indifferent.
There was some ancient family in the Dangai—he couldn't remember clearly.
But without doubt, this family's goal was to destroy both the Living World and Soul Society.
When dealing with such antisocial elements, he only had one approach.
Those who enjoy neutron sweep sterilization and planetary glassing—having just himself was enough.
Everyone else—eliminate!
Hearing Satoru's words, Aizen nodded.
Although he didn't know what this guy was planning, he knew that when Satoru showed this expression, he had already made up his mind.
At times like these, he just needed to support him.
Just as Satoru was about to move, he suddenly turned to look out the window.
"Interesting. I haven't gone looking for them, yet they've come to me."
A few seconds after his words fell, a figure suddenly crashed through the window, shouting as he charged in.
"HYAH!!!"
The one who charged in was a dark-skinned, muscular man holding two crescent-shaped blade fists.
Amid the flying glass shards, he looked at Akane Shizuku sitting on the bed.
"Hmph, so you were hiding here."
After confirming Akane Shizuku's location, he turned to look at Satoru and Aizen.
"Two Shinigami... tch, as expected of Seireitei's lapdogs, quite sharp senses you have."
"Unfortunately, you're about to die here!"
As he spoke, he swung his fist blades toward the bespectacled scholar who appeared weaker among the two.
Facing the oncoming blades, Aizen remained expressionless.
Just as the blades were about to strike his face, a burst of Reiatsu impact suddenly erupted from him.
The burly man was sent flying backward several times faster than his initial charge, disappearing through the window with a loud crash.
Aizen adjusted his glasses.
"You have someone's brains but lack their instincts—seeking your own demise."
Satoru turned to look.
He couldn't help feeling there was a hint of malice directed at him in those words.
Was it just his imagination?
In a flash, Aizen appeared in midair outside the hotel.
Satoru glanced at the bound girl kneeling on the bed.
After a moment's thought, he smiled and snapped his fingers at her.
Snap!
Akane Shizuku was surprised to discover that all the ropes binding her wrists and ankles had broken apart.
They were severed by several Reiatsu blades that had materialized in the air at some unknown time.
Through Satoru's casual capture of her earlier, Aizen effortlessly repelling the enemy with Reiatsu just now, and now these Reiatsu blades, she clearly realized these two men's strength far surpassed her own.
Looking at Satoru, she took a deep breath.
"What exactly... do you want from me?"
"Haven't decided yet, but no rush for now."
Satoru reached out and grabbed the back collar of her clothes.
"For now, let's deal with those rebellious scoundrels outside first!"