Chapter 342: Rebels, All Rebels!
BOOM!!!!
Within the Dangai, two figures collided with passionate intensity.
A massive white ring of Reiatsu erupted from their clash, churning chaos throughout the Dangai.
Both had used "Tranquil Slash" as their opening move.
This technique, created by Yamamoto himself, was a form of iaijutsu.
Anyone below captain-level wouldn't even have time to react before being instantly bisected!
As Yamamoto's closed-door disciple, Satoru had naturally learned this move long ago.
And he wielded it with exceptional familiarity!
Seeing them use the same technique, the Kidō Corps felt reassured.
Although Captain Mikami was powerful and formidable, he was still the Captain-Commander's disciple.
When both used the same move, undoubtedly the master would prove superior.
But the next moment, to the Kidō Corps' astonishment, it was Yamamoto who was forced back several steps.
In the Dangai, Yamamoto opened his eyes wide, staring at Satoru in surprise.
How had this kid suddenly become so strong?
He asked in confusion, "Has your power grown again?"
Satoru raised his hand and pointed to the mask on his face.
In a voice that sounded like electronic synthesis, he said:
"Didn't I tell you last time, sensei? This is the symbol of breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow."
"With this mask, my power is ten times, even a hundred times greater than usual!"
Yamamoto clicked his tongue in displeasure.
Give you an inch, and you take a mile?
Seeing the dual blades in Satoru's hands, the old man snorted coldly.
"You've released your Zanpakutō, but I haven't yet!"
He raised his Zanpakutō and swung it forcefully:
"All things in the universe, turn to ashes!"
"Flowing Blade! Blaze!!"
Blazing white flames erupted violently as Yamamoto chanted the release command!
The towering inferno, like the gaping maw of a beast, surged toward Satoru to devour him!
But when the flames were about half a meter away from Satoru, they suddenly seemed blocked by some invisible force, forced to split apart and rush past on either side of him.
Amid the raging flames, Satoru's body stood unyielding like a pillar.
Yamamoto frowned slightly.
He sensed a strange fluctuation of power emanating from his foolish disciple.
Upon closer inspection, Yamamoto's blood pressure spiked abruptly.
Flickering blue streams of light shimmered across Satoru's body.
These luminous trails branched out like circuit patterns, pulsating between brightness and dimness.
Centered around these patterns, an invisible barrier unfolded before Satoru, blocking the flames of Ryūjin Jakka.
Yamamoto was all too familiar with this.
The signature ability of the Quincy—Blut Vene!
Why could this brat use such a technique?!
For a moment, Yamamoto felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
Had the disciple he placed such high hopes in defected to the Quincy?
But immediately, Yamamoto dismissed this speculation.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
He believed that this foolish apprentice of his would never become a lackey of the Quincy just for power.
When he adopted Hisana, Satoru had her call him "Grandpa."
In truth, he had long regarded this boy as his own child in his heart.
If a father didn't even understand what kind of person his own child was, that would be a complete failure!
"Haah!!"
Yamamoto stomped his foot, instantly closing the distance to Satoru and bringing his blade down upon him.
BOOM!!!!
Satoru raised his twin swords, blocking Yamamoto's strike.
Yamamoto's muscles bulged as he heavily suppressed Satoru.
At the same time, he gritted his teeth and demanded:
"Brat, where did you get that Blut Vene?!"
"Hoh, you noticed?"
Cornered with the key question, Satoru revealed a smug expression.
"This is a special ability I developed using my astonishing intellect!"
"By utilizing shadow power from beyond this world, I simulated and transformed it into the unique spiritual energy of the Quincy, and then... uh, I forgot the rest."
"Anyway, it's an advanced technique I researched!"
Yamamoto couldn't help but roll his eyes.
You developed it yourself, yet you can't even recite the principles?
Although Satoru's explanation was nonsensical, Yamamoto roughly understood.
No doubt, it was that Vice-Captain named Aizen who had researched this new ability for him.
With his doubts resolved, Yamamoto felt a surge of relief.
The warm-up was nearly over; it was time to get serious.
During their usual sparring sessions, he always had to hold back due to his role as a teacher and the constant threat of official duties, never able to fight freely.
But now was different.
This brat was a rebel acting against the Seireitei—it was time to clean house properly!
Thinking this, Yamamoto grinned.
"Brat, don't you die on me!"
As he spoke, his Reiatsu began to skyrocket.
The Dangai space was filled with wildly dancing flames.
With a roar from Yamamoto, he transformed into a blazing juggernaut, charging toward Satoru with an unstoppable force!
Faced with a serious Yamamoto, Satoru grew excited as well.
He discarded his twin swords and charged toward the juggernaut-like Yamamoto, throwing a punch—
Triple·Ikotsu!!
Rapid-Fire Version!!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!
Yamamoto, gripping his long sword and trailing a blazing path of flames, clashed fiercely with Satoru, who spread his arms and continuously unleashed punches—an unprecedented, intense collision!
The surrounding space trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse.
Just then, a beam of light shone from afar.
It was a madly charging rock train.
The source of the light was its "locomotive" searchlight.
Seeing this, the Kidō Corps members were greatly alarmed.
In the Living World, Shiba Isshin sucked in a sharp breath:
"Damn, it's the Kōtotsu!"
Kurosaki Masaki asked in confusion, "Kōtotsu? What's the Kōtotsu?"
Ishida Ryūken adjusted his glasses:
"The Kōtotsu is a giant cleaner that appears in the Dangai once every seven days."
"Everything in its path is utterly annihilated. Even Captain-class Shinigami possess no resistance against the Kōtotsu."
"There was once an exceptionally powerful Quincy who attempted to attack the Kōtotsu with a Sprenger, yet failed to leave even a scratch."
Hearing this, Kurosaki Masaki showed surprise.
"In that case, aren't those two Shinigami in great danger?"
Shiba Isshin frowned slightly.
Indeed, facing the Kōtotsu, even Mikami-san would probably...
Just as this thought crossed his mind, his eyes widened in shock.
Under the disbelieving gazes of Shiba Isshin and countless others in the Soul Society, when the Kōtotsu rushed into the area affected by Satoru and Yamamoto's Reiatsu, it suddenly distorted.
Then, with a thunderous crash, it shattered into pieces and vanished within the Dangai!
Unaware of this, Satoru and Yamamoto continued their frenzied battle as if nothing had happened.
The members of the Kidō Corps stood with mouths agape, feeling as if they'd seen something utterly unbelievable.
Tessai Tsukabishi raised a trembling hand to wipe cold sweat from his brow.
That was the Kōtotsu... an entity even Captain-class Shinigami could only flee from upon encounter.
Such a powerful being had been shattered to fragments merely by the residual energy of their clash, without even making contact with the two combatants...
He suddenly felt a wave of relief.
Thankfully, those two were battling deep within the Dangai.
Although viewed through the swirling vortex in the sky, their battle seemed close, this was merely a special spatial phenomenon within the Dangai.
In reality, their combat location was far from the Seireitei.
Had it been otherwise, both the Seireitei and the Living World would likely be facing catastrophe by now!
...
...
While the battle raged in the Dangai, unrest spread through the Seireitei.
Shinji Hirako was taking an afternoon nap when sudden noise from outside woke him.
He opened his eyes, sitting up groggily.
As he prepared to investigate, a Shinigami rushed in.
"Captain! Captain! Something terrible has happened!"
"Captain Mikami has rebelled and is engaged in fierce combat with the Captain-Commander!"
"?"
Hirako tilted his head in confusion.
This is bad, I must have gotten up too quickly - I'm seeing things.
After a few seconds of contemplation, he lay back down.
The squad member stared in disbelief before rushing over to shake him awake:
"Captain! You can't sleep now! What should we do?"
Finally shaken to awareness, Hirako realized this was no illusion.
He sat up, face pale, and rushed out of his quarters to the skies above.
There he witnessed the entire Seireitei descending into chaos.
Through streets and alleys, squads of Shinigami hurried about.
Many powerful Shinigami had released their Reiatsu.
They shone like flashbangs, serving as beacons to rally their subordinates while simultaneously intimidating potential enemies.
Among them, the seated officers and former seated officers of the Eleventh Division stood out most prominently.
Kenpachi Zaraki, Ichimaru Gin, Kaname Tōsen, Matsumoto Rangiku, Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Komamura Sajin...
Sensing their Reiatsu, Hirako's eye twitched violently.
So powerful!
When he usually encountered these individuals, they were never this strong!
How had they suddenly increased by one, or even two levels?
These bastards had been hiding their true strength all along!
Damn these members of the Mikami Group!!
These Eleventh Division members were swiftly moving to secure various critical locations throughout the Seireitei.
Hirako's face darkened with fury.
Bastards, absolute bastards!
Not even pretending anymore, planning to rebel outright?!
Fortunately, although the Eleventh Division was hiding their true strength, the other Gotei 13 divisions weren't pushovers either.
The Second Division, Fourth Division, Sixth Division, and Twelfth Division had already mobilized and were heading toward the area controlled by the Eleventh Division.
Thank goodness, thank goodness—Seireitei still had loyal and courageous warriors!
Shinji Hirako wiped his bald head and prepared to command his troops to set out, coordinating with the allied divisions to suppress the rebels.
But just as he was about to speak, his Reiatsu perception picked up something strange.
After the Second, Fourth, and Sixth Divisions encountered the Eleventh Division rebels, they paused briefly.
Then, shockingly, they went their separate ways peacefully!
Judging from the fluctuations in their Reiatsu, there wasn't even a confrontation—it was all harmonious!
What kind of joke is this?!
Shinji Hirako was furious.
Rebels, all of them rebels!
How can we protect Seireitei with these vermin around?!
Enraged, he returned to the Fifth Division and summoned his subordinates as quickly as possible.
Soon, hundreds of Fifth Division members had gathered in the square.
Standing on the platform, Shinji Hirako declared loudly:
"Everyone, follow my orders! First and second squads, head to the Great Spirit Book Corridor immediately! Third and fourth squads, go to the First Division barracks and protect—"
Shinji Hirako was rapidly issuing commands when suddenly, a holographic projection appeared beside him.
The sudden appearance startled him.
Upon closer look, it was actually Aizen!
In the hologram, Aizen wore glasses, his hands swiftly typing on a keyboard, though it was unclear what he was doing.
Seeing the projection before him, Shinji Hirako widened his eyes:
"Aizen! You bastard, what on earth..."
Before he could finish, the holographic Aizen raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Apologies, Captain Hirako, save the unnecessary talk for later."
He turned to face the squad members below.
"All personnel, immediately disperse and head to civilian gathering areas. In case of emergencies like earthquakes or Hollow invasions, prioritize protecting the civilians."
Shinji Hirako stared in disbelief.
This brat actually dares to overstep and command my troops right in front of me?!
I'm still the captain here!
He looked at the Fifth Division members.
To his astonishment, everyone had already begun moving according to Aizen's instructions.
Shinji Hirako: "..."
This captain position is impossible!
As he was mentally cursing Komamura, Aizen turned to look at him.
"Captain Hirako, don't just stand around either."
"Patrol the nearby Rukongai. If you encounter disasters beyond your capability to handle, activate your Reiatsu."
"I've installed a Reiatsu monitoring device on you. I'll know immediately if you suddenly increase your Reiatsu level."
"The safety of Rukongai depends on you."
After speaking, Aizen rubbed his temples, appearing somewhat fatigued.
Snap!
The holographic projection vanished.
Staring at the disappeared "Aizen," Shinji Hirako stood dumbfounded.
A monitoring device installed on me?!
And I never even noticed!
Sōsuke Aizen, you bastard, you're absolutely despicable!!!
Shinji Hirako gritted his teeth, seething with anger.
However, after hesitating for a few seconds, he still leaped into the air and headed toward Rukongai.
The Third, Seventh, and Ninth Divisions had organized a force to try to stop the Eleventh Division's unauthorized actions.
Yet, facing the Eleventh Division's seated officers, these three captains couldn't even hold out for five minutes before being defeated and restrained one after another.
Their subordinates naturally surrendered with raised hands.
The Shinigami dispatched to key locations like Central 46, the Central Great Prison, the Great Spirit Book Corridor, and Shin'ō Academy had already completed securing their respective areas.
Thus, in less than an hour, while Yamamoto was still fighting Satoru, the entire Seireitei had fallen under the control of the Mikami Group!
At Shin'ō Academy, all students were gathered in the training hall.
Surrounded by Shinigami, the students looked bewildered, unaware of what was happening.
In Hueco Mundo, inside the laboratory, Aizen typed rapidly on his keyboard.
The Kyōgoku had expanded too much. Although Ryūdōji Yanlong was desperately relocating it, the Kyōgoku's movement remained slow.
Under the Kyōgoku's influence, the space between the Living World and Soul Society began to destabilize.
Cracks started appearing in the air around Karakura Town and the Seireitei.
"Groowl..."
Eerie roars emanated from the cracks.
A Hollow over thirty meters tall poked its head out from a crack.
Seeing the city before it, it grinned widely, revealing a sinister smile.
Here, many delicious meals were waiting for it.
But at that moment, a terrifying pressure suddenly surged in his heart.
It looked up in astonishment toward the distant sky.
There stood a cold-faced handsome man, quietly watching this direction.
A pair of black wings spread behind him like a demon descending upon the world.
That invisible pressure was frantically warning it—
This city already has an owner!