Chapter 209

  “Thief!”

  Senzo Tsunayashiro bellowed in rage as he unched himself into the air, charging straight for Kaelith.

  Aizen frowned slightly, gncing toward Szayeporro.

  Kaelith grinned. “Even if the setup was a bit off, the result’s fine by me. Time for the old man to cough up some coins!”

  With that, he whipped out the Enra Kyōten.

  Aizen’s eyes narrowed. He’d just warned Kaelith not to use it, yet here he was, unsheathing it in the blink of an eye.

  “Kaelith!”

  At Aizen’s shout, Kaelith followed his gaze to the sword in his hand. Realizing what Aizen meant, he quickly stashed the Enra Kyōten back at his waist. Aizen gave a subtle nod—this was more like it. Time to unleash Rixiang Jimie, perhaps.

  But instead, Kaelith only fshed a wild grin and ripped open the front of his shirt.

  “Heh, time to pluck your feathers!”

  He stomped the ground, releasing a circur bst of energy underfoot, then shot into the sky to meet Senzo Tsunayashiro head-on.

  Aizen sighed inwardly. He’d been hoping for a surprise attack, or at least a more subtle approach, not a full-frontal assault. Sometimes, he truly envied Kaelith. Surrounded by enemies in the very heart of Hueco Mundo, yet charging straight at the enemy commander without hesitation…

  Of course, Aizen had such courage himself—but only after all schemes were spent and he had no other choice.

  While Kaelith’s reckless onsught often cked strategy, it undeniably had a certain infectious bravado.

  Aizen let out a small chuckle and raised his hand.

  “Hadō #63: Raikōhō!”

  High above, Kaelith cshed with Senzo Tsunayashiro. When Senzo finally got a clear look at Kaelith’s face, his eyes widened.

  “Kaelith?!”

  “Gramps is here!”

  “…?”

  After an instant of shocked anger, Senzo couldn’t help but smile in excitement.

  How delightful.

  He’d been pnning to slip into the Soul Society one day to settle the score with Kaelith—and yet here was the man himself, delivering his head on a ptter in Hueco Mundo.

  This is what they call walking right into the lion’s den.

  His glee was short-lived, though; a sudden fsh from the side caught his attention.

  He turned to see a massive bolt of lightning bsting toward him.

  Senzo found it puzzling. He hadn’t clearly seen the face of the man at Kaelith’s side, but he seemed to be about the same age.

  Such a young Shinigami, casting Raikōhō without incantation?

  And that power… easily matching a captain-level spell with the full chant!

  When did the Soul Society’s new generation become so monstrous?

  Before Senzo had time to linger on the thought, he fshed aside in midair, shifting his position.

  But the moment he reappeared, Kaelith was already there, as though he’d predicted the move. Bare-chested, Kaelith grinned broadly, his face half-shadowed as his fist came hurtling toward Senzo’s face—

  ““Double Ikkotsu!” (Double Impact—Single Bone)

  Senzo Tsunayashiro merely scoffed. A mere whippersnapper… Even if he’s Yamamoto Shigekuni’s disciple, it’s too soon to bare his fangs at me.

  Without bothering to draw his bde, Senzo flipped his scabbard, using the pommel to meet Kaelith’s fist head-on.

  In the next instant, his expression changed dramatically. A mountainous force hammered his Zanpakutō, no weaker than a fully chanted high-level Hadō.

  Worse yet was the bizarre ripple carried by Kaelith’s punch. It felt as if two fists struck at once, their impact resonating.

  His insides heaved in protest, pain wracking him from within.

  Senzo’s stomach churned violently. Were it not for his deep reserves of Reiatsu suppressing the backsh, he might have vomited on the spot.

  This kid… there’s something off about him. That punch definitely wasn’t a simple “Ikkotsu.”

  Senzo slipped away with a Shunpo, putting some distance between them. He pressed his hand to the hilt of his bde, intending to draw.

  Yet before he could, several blue fmes streaked toward him from all angles.

  Sōren Sōkatsui?

  He can even cast something on that level?

  Visibly startled, Senzo drew his sword in one swift motion, weaving a dense net of steel around him. Each blossom of Sōren Sōkatsui exploded on contact, rocking him with blue fire.

  Amid the smoke and debris, Senzo raised his Zanpakutō. Normally, someone would wait for the dust to settle, checking for traps before charging in again.

  He pnned to use that interval to release his bde.

  “Shine—huh?”

  Within that swirling haze, Kaelith tore the smoke open, ughing wildly as he lunged once more. That terrifying fist came crashing in again!

  “Damn it!”

  Senzo growled, forced to engage Kaelith in close combat once more.

  The fight was infuriating to him. In raw stats and spiritual pressure, he surpassed Kaelith by a wide margin. Yet Kaelith’s heedless, relentless style made it impossible for Senzo to establish any rhythm.

  Meanwhile, Aizen off to the side kept harassing him with Kidō attacks, further complicating matters. Most importantly, Senzo hadn’t battled seriously in ages.

  When was his st real fight to the death?

  Five hundred years ago?

  Eight hundred?

  He couldn’t even recall.

  Any encounters since then had been one-sided affairs—he’d all but forgotten how to handle real duels that required technique and swift adaptability. Now, he couldn’t even find a chance to release his Zanpakutō.

  Irritated, he shouted, “Baraggan—assist me!”

  Below, on the ptform, Baraggan stood face-to-face with Szayeporro, brandishing his massive axe. That pink-haired fiend refused to fight in earnest or get out of the way. He just deyed Baraggan, biding his time.

  Down in the courtyard, Harribel was growing stronger by the moment. She’d practically seized the upper hand against the other Hollows.

  Baraggan had half a mind to tell Senzo Tsunayashiro he was on his own; let him learn the hard way. A whole squad of Shinigami residing in his fortress—pretending to bow to him—who knew what they’d do if he left them with too much leeway? Better they took a few hits themselves.

  But faced with the immediate crisis, Baraggan reluctantly set aside that tempting thought.

  He raised his voice: “Third Squad—help Senzo!”

  The moment he spoke, more than twenty Adjuchas nodded and sprang skyward, heading straight for Kaelith.

  From afar, these Hollows opened their jaws wide, all aiming at Kaelith. One after another, red orbs of energy fred into being, shining with deadly brilliance.