Chapter 415: The Battle Between Aizen and Captain Shinigami
The sun hung high in the sky.
Soon, many of the Gotei 13's captains and vice-captains arrived.
The captains gathered in the center of a vast field with a yellow sand ground.
All members of the Fifth Division had essentially arrived.
The Fifth Division currently consisted only of the captain, vice-captain, and fifteen chief officers.
As for ordinary members, there were none; instead, a group of puppet spirits filled their roles.
Da da da!
As the staff assembled, the two combatants entered the center of the battlefield under the captains' watchful eyes.
"Is this the new graduate? His arms and legs are thin. He doesn't look very strong!" Gero remarked, observing Aizen in the center of the battlefield with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"You're just too tall and burly!" Sylph, standing nearby, retorted sharply. "He's already of normal height, and besides, size isn't everything."
While speaking, Sylph glanced at Captain Soralin and the others.
Catching Sylph's look, Gero fell silent for a moment.
He felt Sylph was looking down on him.
But what could he do? Those captains were formidable.
He resolved to train harder.
Gero cast a fierce smile toward the officers in his team.
On the battlefield, Unshō, captain of the Fifth Division, stood ready at the battle site.
He narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the approaching figure.
Though the man opposite appeared polite and composed, exuding a sunny and upright demeanor, Unshō felt an inexplicable unease.
He didn't dwell on it, however. Many in this world were not as they seemed.
How could he investigate every suspicion?
For now, the opponent's strength was what mattered most.
"Captain Unshō, please guide me in this battle," Aizen said with a gentle smile.
Wearing black-rimmed glasses, he appeared humble and courteous, instantly likable.
"I look forward to your guidance, Junior Aizen," Unshō replied with a smile.
He acknowledged Aizen as his junior, which, in truth, he was.
Unshō raised a finger to brush his cheek and continued.
"I've always been curious why Junior Aizen chose to challenge me. Would it not have been easier to compete with the acting captains of other divisions?"
His narrowed eyes fixed on Aizen, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
"Or… does Junior Aizen believe he can defeat me?"
Unshō's intimidating aura pressed forward, like the gaze of a majestic lion.
Yet Aizen maintained his gentle smile.
"No particular reason," he replied. "I simply thought Captain Unshō and I might get along. Perhaps Captain Unshō could consider being my vice-captain."
Hearing such bold words delivered in a humble tone, Unshō's smile widened.
How amusing, this newcomer already assumed he would win?
What an arrogant fellow!
Let's see if this rookie was bluffing.
"Haha, Junior Aizen is quite confident!" Unshō said. "If you can defeat me, I might just agree to be your vice-captain."
Clang!
With the sound of a sword being drawn, Unshō unsheathed the Zanpakutō at his waist.
"No more small talk, Junior Aizen," he said. "Do you need me to let you strike first? Though, for someone as confident as you, I doubt you would require such a concession."
Unshō spoke with a smile.
Before Aizen could respond, he acted.
"Assassinate him, Shadow Snake."
As Unshō activated his Zanpakutō's Shikai, the blade subtly transformed.
Black lines appeared along its edge.
In an instant, those lines came alive, slithering off the blade and becoming black snakes.
Whoosh!
Several black snakes dove into Unshō's shadow.
In the blink of an eye, they emerged from Aizen's shadow, lunging to bite him.
This was Unshō's Zanpakutō ability.
Within a hundred meters of him, the shadow snakes could move freely through shadows on the ground, their speed nearly impossible to counter.
"Bakudō No. 4: Slithering Rope," Aizen intoned calmly.
Facing Unshō's sudden attack, he remained composed, watching the black snakes rise from the ground's shadows.
A golden light flared.
Rope-like cords of light wrapped around the black snakes, binding them.
"It's no use, Shadow," Unshō said, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
He focused inwardly.
Whoosh!
The bound black snakes flowed like liquid, slipping free and lunging at Aizen again.
As the snakes drew closer, Aizen responded.
"Bakudō No. 8: Repulsion."
A spiritual shield formed on the back of Aizen's hand.
With a few swift waves of his hand, he repelled the attacking black snakes.
Seeing his shadow snakes repelled, Unshō paused his assault.
"Impressive, Aizen," he said. "Using chantless Kidō to block my Shikai with just two moves. Truly, you're a monster."
Unshō no longer called Aizen "junior," shaken by his opponent's skill.
Though he appeared calm outwardly, his mind was anything but calm.
His shadow snakes might seem unremarkable, but their attack potency was beyond what most Shinigami could withstand.
Even other acting captains would likely falter against such a sudden strike.
Yet Aizen remained composed.
More strikingly, he used low-level Kidō to counter the attacks.
Unshō had studied Kidō himself.
But with only two years of exposure, he found it challenging.
He devoted more time to Hakuda, Zanjutsu, and Shunpo.
Kidō received the least of his attention.
Even so, he knew the approximate power of a low-numbered Kidō.
Aizen's performance was astonishing.
"By the heavens, it's surprising that a newcomer blocked Unshō's attack without even using his Zanpakutō," Gero remarked, watching the duel with arms crossed.
His tall frame leaned slightly forward, his eyes burning as he glanced at Kai nearby.
"Aizen was brought here by you, wasn't he?" Gero asked.
Sensing the intense gazes from Gero and other Shinigami, Kai smiled and offered an explanation.
"Aizen is a genius. He masters anything he sees once."
At Kai's words, those around him seemed ready to protest.
They were geniuses too, why didn't they have such ability?
In truth, Aizen was an anomaly.
His Hōgyoku ability allowed him to learn Kidō rapidly.
His Reiatsu had also evolved quickly due to the Hōgyoku.
Currently, his Reiatsu reached the upper S-tier, the second level of spiritual power by Soul Society's classification.
He was close to its peak.
Of course, this was near the limit of his rapid growth, as the Hōgyoku's current ability was only A-level.
Even so, Aizen didn't need his Zanpakutō to challenge Unshō unrestrained.
The Hōgyoku's abilities were, frankly, unfair.
It could manifest a person's inner desires according to their will.
Though it had limitations, for Aizen, those were hardly an issue.
( End of this chapter)