Sorry for the wrong chapter! I'm releasing another one to make up for it.
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Night fell within the battlefield of the Kuchiki Clan.
Byakuya Kuchiki supported himself against the wall and slowly stood up, looking at the two experts above who remained silent, his face filled with unwillingness.
"Why did you save me..."
Clearly, just moments ago, Soifon only needed to erupt with enough Reiatsu to repel Senbonzakura around her to retreat safely. However, she had covered him within the range of her Reiatsu protection as well.
Just as Soifon wanted to say a few words to Byakuya, her spiritual senses suddenly felt the auras of Suzumebachi and Kyōka Suigetsu approaching them rapidly.
"Don't be so sentimental, Captain Kuchiki."
"We just simply happened not to step on you, that is all."
Aizen did not even turn his head, looking toward a certain fluctuation of Reiatsu in the distance that made no attempt to conceal itself.
In the blink of an eye, two figures, one yellow and one blue, appeared in the center of the dilapidated courtyard of the Kuchiki house. The dangerous aura they inadvertently released made Byakuya Kuchiki shudder.
Kyōka Suigetsu had black hair like a waterfall, looking like a Yamato Nadeshiko who had walked out of an ink wash painting, with water ripple patterns embroidered on her cuffs and hem.
"Finally... I see you, Sōsuke."
From her long sleeve, a Zanpakutō silently extended out.
It wasn't until the woman before him called his name that Sōsuke Aizen finally shifted his gaze over, staring fixedly at his own blade spirit for a few seconds, as if admiring an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Long time no see, Kyōka Suigetsu."
"Hehe..."
Hearing this hypocritical sigh, Kyōka Suigetsu sneered. She held the Zanpakutō in a reverse grip, the tip pointing to the ground, the blade refracting kaleidoscope-like rays under the moonlight.
Seeing her posture, the smile on Sōsuke Aizen's face grew even wider. He did not draw his sword, maintaining his posture with hands in his pockets as he jumped down from the eaves to the center of the courtyard.
"I have always wanted to know..." Aizen issued a challenge with composure. "Is it because your ability, Kyōka Suigetsu, is too strong? Or is it because of my Reiatsu that they fall into the effect of Complete Hypnosis?"
"Come, prove yourself to me now, Kyōka Suigetsu..."
The instant his voice fell, a crisp, subtle cracking sound rang in everyone's ears.
Crack—
It was as if the first crack had appeared on a mirror, followed by countless sounds of shattering flooding in from all directions.
In the eyes of Sōsuke Aizen and Byakuya Kuchiki, the world distorted. The petals falling to the ground turned into maggots, and the stone path beneath their feet turned into a filthy swamp.
Immediately after, countless Sōsuke Aizens wearing Captain's Haori slowly rose from the putrid swamp. They adjusted the glasses on their faces in unison and spoke at the same time, their voices coming from all directions.
"Sōsuke."
"This is the first time you've seen this perspective, right?"
"This is the illusion seen by those you have subjected to Kyōka Suigetsu."
"Are you afraid?"
The moment the voices fell, all the phantoms raised their hands simultaneously, unleashing a Hadō toward Sōsuke Aizen, who was wearing the Las Noches uniform.
"Hadō #91: Senjū Kōten Taihō."
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of red floating cannons covered the sky of the courtyard. All the phantoms spoke at once, their voices superimposing into a deafening resonance.
The next moment, points of crimson light poured down, submerging Sōsuke Aizen's figure.
Byakuya Kuchiki subconsciously took a half-step back. Even knowing this was an illusion, the Reiatsu he perceived felt so real that his body's instincts were still warning him.
However, Aizen looked straight at the oncoming light cannons and did not move.
At the same time, he raised his hand, also without chanting the incantation, and released Senjū Kōten Taihō in a single direction.
He locked onto the only real Hadō attack among all the phantom attacks with incomparable precision.
The red streams of light collided in mid-air, erupting with blinding light and shockwaves, blasting a deep pit in the center of the courtyard.
The illusions receded like a tide.
"Why is it like this..."
Kyōka Suigetsu's sleeves had been stained black in the exchange just now, and were currently emitting wisps of black smoke.
Aizen withdrew his hand and put both hands back into his pockets.
"The number and speed of the Senjū Kōten Taihō you released were different from the illusion setup."
"Although you mixed your own attack within the illusions, it was still too obvious to me, just like a firefly in the dark night."
"Furthermore..." Sōsuke Aizen continued to walk slowly toward Kyōka Suigetsu. "The illusions created by Kyōka Suigetsu themselves carry no damage. Those flames will not burn, that frost will not freeze..."
"Therefore, I only needed to guard against that one single real attack."
Stopping in front of Kyōka Suigetsu, Sōsuke Aizen was about to raise his hand to grab her blade...
Swish—
A blade light flashed past. Kyōka Suigetsu slashed back in exasperation, but Aizen easily tilted his head to dodge it.
"Don't get too cocky, Sōsuke!"
Instantly, countless phantoms of Kyōka Suigetsu densely filled the entire courtyard, raising their swords in unison to hack at Sōsuke Aizen...
Countless fake figures passed through Sōsuke Aizen's body. In Byakuya Kuchiki's field of vision, it was as if Aizen and Kyōka Suigetsu were not on the same layer, able to clip through each other at will.
However, the Reiatsu of each and every Kyōka Suigetsu felt as if it truly existed without any flaws. It was truly too contrary to common sense; even for a Captain-level figure like Byakuya Kuchiki, it was hard to imagine how Sōsuke Aizen managed to hold back from attacking.
Ding—
A long-absent sound of blades colliding rang out in the courtyard.
Sōsuke Aizen raised his sword, steadily blocking the slash of one of the Kyōka Suigetsus.
"How is it possible..." Kyōka Suigetsu muttered in a daze. "How could you possibly distinguish it?! Under Complete Hypnosis, all senses should be..."
"Of course, it is because... your Reiatsu is insufficient to completely hypnotize me."
Aizen interrupted her words.
"Kyōka Suigetsu's ability is indeed powerful, but executing it requires two prerequisites..."
"First, let the opponent see the Shikai process. Second, the caster's Reiatsu must be sufficient to overpower the opponent's perception."
"Your hypnosis ritual was completed very well, but your Reiatsu is far inferior to mine, and..."
Aizen tilted his head slightly, staring at the Kyōka Suigetsu blade spirit whose eyes were somewhat unfocused.
"And what?!"
From this moment on, Kyōka Suigetsu seemed more like a Shinigami who didn't understand blade spirits, while Aizen seemed more like Kyōka Suigetsu's blade spirit.
"And... there is the most important third point, which I have actually never told you."
"That is, using Kyōka Suigetsu, aside from powerful Reiatsu, also requires a little bit of brains."
The corners of his mouth curled up into a slightly mocking arc. Aizen raised his hand and lightly tapped his own head, clearly mocking Kyōka Suigetsu for not being bright.
As his voice fell, Kyōka Suigetsu stumbled back a step, but her blade was tightly grasped by Sōsuke Aizen.
At this point, the blade was thoroughly under Aizen's control, and she could no longer cast Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions at all.
She looked down at the Zanpakutō in her hand, beginning to fall into deep self-doubt.
"I am Kyōka Suigetsu..." She fell into self-doubt. "I am your Zanpakutō. My power originates from you, how could..."
How could the gap be so obvious!
Is it precisely because of this that you are unwilling to use my Bankai?!
Sōsuke—!!!
Kyōka Suigetsu's inner voice was hysterical, but she could only suppress her crumbling emotions, because Sōsuke Aizen did not like anything out of control, including Zanpakutō.
"Precisely because you are my Zanpakutō." Aizen's hand gripping the blade applied more force. "Therefore, I understand your limits better than anyone."
Saying this, Aizen took another step forward:
"Go back, Kyōka Suigetsu... This farce should end."
Kyōka Suigetsu wanted to dodge, wanted to counterattack, wanted to weave illusions again, but her blade was already held by Aizen.
Hearing only a crisp crack, Sōsuke Aizen crushed Kyōka Suigetsu's blade. Her body began to turn transparent, transforming into transparent purple points of light starting from her fingertips, finally converging into a beam that flowed back into the Asauchi held in Aizen's right hand.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Aizen withdrew his hand, looking down at the Asauchi at his waist. A layer of extremely faint purple luster appeared on the surface of the scabbard, subsequently transforming into the appearance of Kyōka Suigetsu.
He raised his head, looking at Soifon who had been standing on the corridor eaves the entire time.
"Did you know? Aizen." Soifon hugged her arms, lacking interest. "Just now, I was watching you perform an act without props."
After all, in the eyes of someone who could ignore Kyōka Suigetsu, Sōsuke Aizen had just been smiling and talking to the air, then Kyōka Suigetsu's blade spirit had quietly sneaked behind him like a thief, only to be seen through by Aizen.
"Apologies, Kyōka Suigetsu was a bit mischievous."
"Next, it seems it is Captain Soifon's turn to resolve the problem between you and your blade spirit."
Sōsuke Aizen flourished his sword and sheathed it, then leaped onto the neighboring roof, watching the confrontation between Suzumebachi and Soifon.
He was very much looking forward to the contest between the two users of 'Death in Two Steps'.
At the same time, Suzumebachi also raised the blade on her right hand, her left hand on her hip as she stared at her master: "Now it's time for the two of us to fight, Soifon!"
"Are you sure?"
Soifon lazily lifted her eyes, revealing no expression.
"Of course I'm sure!" Suzumebachi puffed out her flat chest. "I've waited a long time for this day!"
"If you lose the spar... you know what the consequences are, right?"
Soifon's voice carried a hint of threat.
Huh?!
The excited expression on Suzumebachi's face froze, and she blinked somewhat guiltily: "Uh... is there a punishment for losing?"
Tilting her head slightly, the corner of Soifon's lips curled into a wicked arc: "Nothing much, it's just that I might rarely use you in battle in the future, Suzumebachi."
"—?!"
Suzumebachi was stunned for a moment, then puffed up her cheeks in anger: "That's fine! Anyway, you've hardly used my abilities in battle recently either, Soifon!"
That was the honest truth.
Ever since Soifon gained the power of the System, she indeed hadn't used Suzumebachi's power much in battle; her Hornet's Crest hadn't been carved onto an enemy for a long time.
A few seconds later, Suzumebachi took a deep breath. The Reiatsu around her body began to climb steadily; the enhancement from the Royal Key had strengthened her main body's abilities quite a bit as well.
"Today, I will make you—"
Her figure suddenly vanished from the spot.
"—become my mount, Soifon!"
The instant the voice fell, Suzumebachi had already appeared half a meter directly in front of Soifon, the blade on her right hand thrusting straight toward Soifon's shoulder with a piercing whistle.
This strike was so fast that even Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't see the afterimage.
But Soifon merely turned sideways slightly. The blade grazed past her cheek, the wind it generated blowing the ringed-braids behind her head and gently brushing past Suzumebachi's cheek.
"Too slow."
"Don't forget, I have also been enhanced by the Royal Key, Suzumebachi..."
Speaking in a whisper only the two could hear, Soifon's left hand precisely clamped onto Suzumebachi's wrist, dragging her body downward.
Suzumebachi was pulled into a forward stumble, but her reaction was extremely fast. She raised her left leg with the momentum, her knee smashing viciously toward Soifon's abdomen.
Thud—
The next moment, Soifon's left elbow and Suzumebachi's knee collided, emitting a muffled sound that blew away the fallen leaves on the eaves.
Suzumebachi used the force to flip backward, adjusting her posture in mid-air.
Her figure vanished again, leaving dozens of indistinguishable afterimages in the courtyard. Every afterimage approached Soifon from a different angle.
These were the afterimages left behind when Shunpo reached its extreme speed. Combined with Suzumebachi's already petite stature, it was enough to dazzle most opponents.
Infinite Shunpo!
The next moment, a massive amount of Reiatsu constantly wound around Soifon's body like a whirlwind. Because the speed of the Reiatsu rotation was too fast, it became transparent like wind, hence the name.
"Is this... Yoruichi's move again?"
Byakuya Kuchiki protected his body with Reiatsu, pressed against the wall behind him by the powerful wind pressure, looking unwillingly at the person and blade fighting above.
The gap was too large. He had thought he was constantly improving over these years, but unexpectedly, he still couldn't even see their backs.
Soifon's figure vanished at the same time. In the next instant, she appeared on Suzumebachi's movement trajectory, throwing out a punch.
In Suzumebachi's eyes, Soifon's petite fist expanded rapidly in her field of vision, finally stopping steadily a few centimeters before her face.
Boom—
The fist did not directly hit Suzumebachi's body.
But even so, the Reiatsu explosion compressed to the extreme still generated a terrifying impact.
Suzumebachi was sent flying backward, tracing an arc in the air before smashing ruthlessly into the mansion not far away.
The entire battle was unpretentious. Sōsuke Aizen still hadn't been able to see Soifon's true strength; the other party had resolved the battle just like that.
He only knew that Soifon's movement speed was very fast and her attack power was very high, which was basically equivalent to having no intelligence.
Soifon slowly withdrew her fist. The Reiatsu cyclone around her body gradually dissipated as she slowly landed in the ruins of the mansion.
Suzumebachi raised her head, looking at Soifon who walked in front of her. She pursed her lips, offering no stubborn retort.
"I lost..." After the two looked at each other for a long time, Suzumebachi spoke bitterly. "In future battles, I..."
Before Suzumebachi could finish speaking, Soifon crouched down and extended her right hand toward Suzumebachi expressionlessly...
Subconsciously, Suzumebachi closed her eyes and dodged her head to the left.
The imagined pain did not arrive. Soifon's fingers gently wiped away the dust on Suzumebachi's face, her movements very gentle.
"Come back, Suzumebachi." Soifon pinched the flesh of Suzumebachi's cheek. "I will use you a lot in the future. Trust me, Suzumebachi."
She stared blankly at Soifon's hand stroking her cheek.
A sour feeling welled up in her eye sockets. Suzumebachi bit her lip, wanting to hold it back, but tears still surged up disappointingly.
"Woo..."
Suzumebachi let out a small whimper, then lunged forward abruptly.
She hugged Soifon's neck with all her might, burying her face deeply into the hollow of Soifon's neck.
"Soifon... Woo woo..."
"I thought you didn't need me anymore..."
"Sometimes I really don't wish for Soifon to become so powerful, really..."
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