Chapter 373: The Priest's Existential Doubts
"Zehahahaha!"
"Drink! Drink heartily!"
Satoru sat on the ground, raising a wine bowl with arms formed from shadows, laughing boisterously.
Another shadow arm held a chicken leg, shoveling it enthusiastically into his mouth.
The feast had already begun, yet his arms hadn't fully regenerated.
The arm stumps that previously reached only to his shoulders had now regrown to about elbow length.
The destructive power of the Fivefold Force still lingered in his wounds, and even he himself, the one who had caused it, couldn't erase this energy.
However, with his shadow ability, losing an arm was no big deal.
In contrast, the Priest felt as exasperated as if he'd been screwed over by Komamura.
His chest and abdomen, like Satoru's, had partially healed but not fully recovered.
The problem was, even without arms, Satoru could still eat and drink heartily.
Without a belly, stomach, or esophagus, the Priest couldn't even swallow a fart.
It was infuriating.
Watching the five of them gathered together merrily, clinking bowls and drinking, the Priest suddenly felt like an unnecessary presence in the Zero Division.
With a sorrowful heart, he took out his LSPP and started gaming.
After finishing his drink, Satoru waved his hand grandly.
Several latest gaming consoles emerged from the Shadow Space, one for each person.
Then came the large screen.
They connected via LAN and launched Fall Guys.
Amid the Priest and others' hearty laughter, the banquet reached its peak.
After who knows how long, the banquet finally wound down.
Putting down the controller, Satoru stretched lazily.
Only then did he suddenly notice that his arm had completely regrown.
Raising his hand and clenching his fist, he felt somewhat emotional.
Now, he could use his shadow ability to execute a perfect Fivefold Force.
As for the Sixfold Force, he hadn't even touched the threshold.
The problem was, even if he could train to achieve the Sixfold Force someday, whether he'd dare to use it remained questionable.
A single Fivefold Force had nearly destroyed him.
If he hadn't mastered the Fullbring "Natural Body" before this, that triple Fivefold Sōkotsu would have finished him off before it could take down the Priest.
With such a fragile body, how could he possibly handle the Sixfold Force?
How could he advance further?
Squinting his eyes, he looked at the Priest, who had also mostly recovered.
Maybe he should go have a chat with the Soul King and get himself remodeled with a "Royal Key" too?
Although he wasn't from the Zero Division, the Eleventh Division and Zero Division weren't that different, right...
Leaving the Sleeping Pig Palace, Satoru first returned to the Kirin Palace, enjoying a relaxing hot spring bath and a good sleep.
The next day, he arrived punctually at the Phoenix Palace.
Standing by the seaside, Satoru stood tall and proud, waving his hand to strip off all his clothes and toss them aside.
His well-defined calf muscles stepped forward.
Steady feet tread across the ground.
Satoru walked into the seawater, found a spot with suitable depth, and lay back, floating on the ocean's surface.
After completing his preparations, he took out the Superhuman Drug and swallowed it in one gulp.
Gradually, boiling steam began rising from the sea surface.
At the entrance of the Phoenix Palace, Ōetsu walked out yawning, preparing to wash up.
Seeing the billowing white steam shooting into the sky in the distance, he couldn't help rubbing his eyes.
"...What the hell?Walking to the cliff edge and seeing Satoru lying in the sea with columns of steam rising from his body, Ōetsu felt as exasperated as if he'd been screwed over by Komamura.
"What kind of evil technique is this guy practicing?"
"Even when I forge Zanpakutō, the evaporation rate isn't this fast."
"Can a human body really be hotter than a Zanpakutō during the forging process?"
Suddenly, Ōetsu had a bad feeling.
Recalling Satoru's first visit, the evaporation had only been one-tenth of this amount.
Now, the evaporation rate is comparable to that of a power plant in the Living World.
If he were allowed to stay in the Soul King Palace any longer…
He couldn't help but shudder.
Then, he forced a smile.
How could that be? This guy isn't a member of the Zero Division, so how could he stay here for long?
Barring any surprises, he should be leaving soon.
When that time comes, I'll have to celebrate properly…
...
...
In the spiritual world, Satoru was more focused than ever before.
Before him, Hyōsube Ichibe'e, holding Ichimonji, was engaged in a fierce battle with him.
Although he had defeated the Priest once in the real world, that victory only proved one thing—he had reached the same level as Hyōsube Ichibe'e.
Not to mention the Priest hadn't used his Bankai, even without considering Bankai, he couldn't guarantee his chances of winning against the Priest.
In that case, what he needed to do was simple.
Fight, fight, and fight again!
As long as he kept fighting relentlessly, one day, he would completely conquer the Priest!
As the battles grew increasingly brutal, the heat radiating from Satoru's body intensified even further.
In the Phoenix Palace, Ōetsu looked out the window and could see a pillar of steam, thick as a building, billowing into the sky from afar.
Ōetsu: "..."
This guy should be leaving the Soul King Palace soon, right?
Right?!
Just as he couldn't help but scream inwardly, a figure had somehow appeared in his palace.
Seeing the visitor, Ōetsu was momentarily stunned.
Then, his expression turned expectant:
"Priest, are you here to send this kid home?"
"Huh?"
The Priest blinked, slightly taken aback.
"I'm here to see Satoru. There's something I need to discuss with him."
Realizing that Ōetsu wasn't here to send the guest away, Ōetsu clicked his tongue and lost interest in getting involved.
But just as he was about to leave, he heard the Priest say:
"This matter is related to that person."
"?!"
Ōetsu turned back, his expression turning serious.
...
...
Outside the Phoenix Palace, a pavilion stood at the edge of a cliff.
Satoru, wearing only a loincloth, stood with his arms crossed, looking at the two men before him.
The Priest glanced at his attire and showed a slightly complicated expression.
Then, he spoke:
"Satoru, I have received a message from the Soul King."
"The Soul King?"
Satoru was surprised.
He instinctively turned his head to look at the massive pillar floating at the very center of the Soul King Palace.
That was the inner sanctum of the Soul King Palace, the dwelling place of the Soul King.
Despite having been in the Soul King Palace for so long, he had never entered it.
Every time he tried to sneak in for a look, the Priest would notice in time and drive him back.
This made him suspect at one point that the Soul King might have already been eliminated by these people, and they were merely using the Soul King's name to command the Seireitei.
"What did he say?"
Satoru turned back to look at the Priest.
The Priest's expression was grave:
"Although the message was directed at me, it seems to me that it was more for you."
"The Soul King told me that Yhwach's power might be even greater than either of us imagined."
"Although he lost to Yamamoto Shigekuni a thousand years ago, the Yhwach who has returned is likely far more terrifying than he was back then."
"If I understood correctly, in the Soul King's view... I cannot stop that man's advance."
At this, his expression also turned somewhat complicated.
As the leader of the Zero Division, no matter how amiable the Priest might be, he still had his own pride.
Putting aside everything else, the name-cutting power of Ichimonji alone is not something an ordinary person is qualified to withstand.
No matter how powerful Yhwach is, can he truly surpass the rules of this world?
Even if, by some remote chance, he were like Satoru, capable of contending with the power of his own rules, Satoru's combat abilities in other aspects are still far beyond what any ordinary top-tier expert could ever hope to match.
However, since the Soul King had spoken, he, as a subordinate, had no choice but to faithfully relay the message.
Compared to the Priest, Satoru was not particularly surprised.
After his battle with the Priest, he had basically concluded that, disregarding authority-based abilities and focusing solely on direct combat, there was no significant gap between the Priest and his teacher.
Yamamoto in his Zanjutsu: Tōketsu state could definitely hold his own against the Priest.
Given that, in the original storyline, his teacher had died at the hands of a Quincy, it wasn't too hard to accept that the Priest had failed to stop Yhwach.
Most importantly, based on the information he knew, in the original storyline, Yhwach should have been slain by Ichigo.
If the Priest could have defeated Yhwach, what would have been the point of Ichigo stepping in? They might as well have left everything to the Priest.
Of course, not being surprised didn't mean he felt no pressure.
Through his battle with the Priest, Satoru clearly understood that although he had already reached the pinnacle of the Three Realms, he had no idea how to take the next step and become an existence that transcended that pinnacle.
Even if he truly mastered the Sixfold Force, it might not guarantee a victory against the Priest's Bankai.
Ultimately, he would need to master a rule-based ability, stacking power against power to see who could outmatch the other.
Seeing Satoru lost in thought, the Priest felt a bit uneasy.
Logically speaking, given the Soul King's temperament, he wouldn't bother with such matters.
The fact that he had specifically sought him out and hinted at this information spoke volumes.
The venerable Soul King was trying to tip the scales.
Previously, he had jokingly thought of Satoru as the Soul King's adopted son in his mind.
Now that he had personally witnessed the Soul King "intervening" with bias, he suddenly realized there was indeed some inexplicable complexity to this matter...
"Ahem."
The Priest coughed, interrupting Satoru's thoughts.
"Satoru, have you thought of anything?"
Satoru shook his head:
"Nothing."
The Priest slightly furrowed his brow.
The Soul King had intervened with bias, yet the protected side showed no reaction—wasn't this intervention in vain?
He raised his hand, stroking his chin, wondering if he could help in some way.
But before he could think of anything, Satoru continued:
"Although I haven't thought of anything, isn't it enough to just fight through it?"
"No matter how strong Yhwach is, as long as I become stronger than him, there won't be any problem!"
The Priest blinked, momentarily speechless.
Satoru grinned:
"Let's not think about that for now. Come on, after resting for so many years... oh, so many days, it's time for another bout!"
The Priest: "?"
Utterly bewildered, he was dragged by Satoru to a deserted area.
After preparing the space, Satoru tossed aside his Captain's Haori, assumed a stance, and began warming up.
The Priest was both amused and exasperated:
"Satoru, it's only been three days since our last sparring session. Have you already digested all the gains from it?"
"Yep! Completely digested!"
Satoru replied cheerfully while stretching his legs.
Seeing Satoru's confident and serious demeanor, the Priest scratched his head.
Though he didn't understand the situation, since the other party had said so, he had no choice but to oblige.
He took a deep breath, flipped his hand, and summoned his large brush.
Through his previous encounter with Satoru, he had already familiarized himself with the latter's habits and techniques.
Apart from that impenetrable black shadow, he was confident he could handle all other moves unscathed.
Since Satoru was so confident, thinking that just three days were enough for a second round of sparring, he would teach him a lesson!
With this thought, the Priest grinned, revealing a demonic smile.
...
...
Over ten minutes later, the Priest lay on the ground with an expression of existential doubt.
Staring at the metal claw poised just inches from his neck, ready to sever it and take his life, he couldn't help but question everything.
"Cheating, this is cheating!"
"In just three days, why has your entire fighting style completely changed?"
"And that's not all... how did you manage to decipher my techniques so thoroughly?"
"Even I myself probably couldn't have devised more targeted moves!"
"I refuse to accept this! There's something wrong here!"
As he spoke, the Priest performed a kip-up and leaped to his feet.
Although he hadn't used his authority abilities in this spar, relying only on normal techniques, there was absolutely no reason for Satoru to defeat him so effortlessly!
Seeing the Priest's indignant expression, Satoru grinned:
"Again?"
"Bring it on!"
The Priest gripped his brush, his fighting spirit ignited.
Having lived for millions of years, he had encountered all kinds of opponents.
Among them were monsters with immense strength, bizarre abilities, and rich combat experience.
For instance, he admitted that Yamamoto Shigekuni could trade blows with him if he didn't use his authority powers.
But someone like Satoru, whose every move countered his own, no matter how he varied his techniques, always striking where it hurt the most—this was truly the first time he had encountered such a foe.
By all accounts, they had only clashed twice—how could he be this familiar with his movements?
He absolutely had to figure out what tricks this kid was playing!
With simultaneous roars, they charged at each other, unleashing a storm of attacks.
Just like Yamamoto, who had experienced the feeling of being countered for the first time, the Priest's initial reaction was to adjust his fighting style.
In his view, Satoru must have used their previous battle as a template to figure out some of his habits.
If that was the case, he would completely change his style and see how Satoru could possibly counter him then!
And so, a few minutes later, he was pinned to the ground by Satoru even faster than the first time.
Staring at Sayafushi pressed against his neck, the Priest burned with rage.
What a joke!
He refused to believe that a mere Satoru could toy with him like a ball!
The Priest, with his round belly, rolled back to his feet and launched into another fierce exchange with Satoru.
After trying four different fighting styles in a row, only to be thoroughly countered by Satoru each time, the Priest fell into deep thought.
A strange feeling crept over him.
It was as if he wasn't himself, but a fixed-pattern ancient dragon from a game.
And Satoru wasn't Satoru, but a monster hunter who had memorized all his moves after thousands of practice runs.
Where were the devs? Do something! Buff me already!