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Aozaki Reiji looked at the two Night Patrol Soul Reapers in the distance, drawing Shinra Bansho from his waist.
As he took a step forward, the two Shinigami suddenly moved.
A "rip" sound came from the Night Patrol Soul Reapers' bodies.
Like zombies from a horror movie, they distorted their joints in an extremely bizarre posture, then raised their asauchi.
The "zombies" slowly raised their heads, paused for a moment, then ran towards Aozaki Reiji.
Their hideous appearance, with blood flowing from their seven orifices, revealed their status as the deceased.
"What the hell is this!?"
The two Onmitsukidō hiding in the shadows were stunned, feeling a chill down their spines.
A cold sensation shot straight to their heads, and cold sweat instantly soaked their clothes.
They had never seen such a bizarre scene.
Based on their observations, these two Shinigami should have been dead.
But they were still moving, still running, still swinging the asauchi in their hands.
Aozaki Reiji stood in the hallway.
Starlight flickered in the sky, and footsteps came from the dead hidden in the shadows.
The Onmitsukidō members swallowed, their hands on the short swords at their waists, their expressions serious.
Years of Onmitsukidō training quickly calmed them down.
They held their breath, ready.
As soon as the dead approached, they would rush out first and decapitate the deceased.
A mocking smile appeared on Aozaki Reiji's lips, as if he had already seen through the illusion.
His figure flickered, and he appeared behind the two Night Patrol Soul Reapers.
With a gentle flick of his blade, blood drops splattered on the ground, drawing a graceful arc.
The two Night Patrol Soul Reapers' running movements were forced to stop.
The next second, To the shocked gazes of the two Onmitsukidō members, the dead were cut in half at the waist.
"Is this Captain Aozaki's strength? It's truly terrifying!"
"I couldn't even see his movements; he's no weaker than any Vice-Captain-class Shinigami!"
Both of them swallowed simultaneously, and such thoughts spontaneously arose in their minds.
They could now fully understand why this man could become a Third Seat right after graduating from Shin'o Academy.
"Ryusui, Sixth Seat; Izumo, Eighth Seat; I have already tried to use Tenteikūra, but it seems these guys are very well prepared, and Tenteikūra has lost its effect."
Aozaki Reiji looked up at the night sky.
A slight distortion was visible in the air, as if an invisible membrane was interfering with the natural flow of spirit particles.
He swung the Shinra Bansho in his hand, and Reiatsu gathered on the blade, a sky-blue slash tearing a large opening in the barrier.
The surrounding spirit particles seemed to be attracted, attaching themselves to the barrier to repair the crack.
But before it could be fully repaired, the surging Reiatsu fluctuations had been released without reservation.
"Go find someone to help, preferably a Captain, as this opponent is a bit tricky."
"..."
The two hesitated slightly, and Aozaki Reiji continued, his tone gentle:
"The coming battle will be very dangerous; I won't be able to look after you."
Ryusui and Izumo exchanged glances, their figures disappearing into the darkness.
Aozaki Reiji looked ahead and said leisurely, "If you don't come out now, I'm leaving."
"As expected of the Captain-Commander's disciple, to be able to discover me. I thought I was hidden well enough," someone said.
A cold smile played on Aozaki Reiji's lips as he clearly saw the person standing before him.
A tall, slender, and lean white-haired man walked from the other end of the street, wearing a metal gauntlet that covered his entire right arm, with metallic-glowing threads extending from the knuckle joints of the gauntlet.
"You really are giving me face, sending a Captain-class to kill me," Aozaki Reiji thought.
He narrowed his eyes and teased, "They're going to report back. Aren't you going to chase them?"
"By then, when the Gotei 13 Captains arrive here, you won't be able to escape."
"You don't need to worry about that; someone else will take care of those two youngsters."
The white-haired man revealed a mocking smile and said bluntly:
"You are very smart. You didn't foolishly charge at me, nor did you choose to run away.
Instead, you let those two youngsters escape, while simultaneously attracting my attention."
"Unfortunately, my target is only you."
"Don't make it sound like I'm using them. I sincerely hope they can escape, you know," Aozaki Reiji spread his hands.
"Is that so? Then let's assume it is."
The white-haired man chuckled, chatting leisurely with Aozaki Reiji, seemingly in no hurry to make a move.
"Are these guys' brains ruined by alcohol and women?" Aozaki Reiji thought.
Through the Sword Pressure that had just cut through the night sky, he had already emitted Reiatsu fluctuations. The longer he dragged it out, the more advantageous it would be for him.
The white-haired man let out a mocking laugh:
"However, your self-sacrifice is meaningless. The weak should die under the blade. Faking ease will only make you look ridiculous."
The sound of heavy rocks shattering came from beneath him, and the sense of threat approached infinitely.
Aozaki Reiji dodged the sharp threads emerging from the ground with a sidestep, a playful smile on his face as he teased:
"Self-sacrifice? I don't have that kind of resolve. I simply think that with your strength, you can't kill me."
As he spoke, Shinra Bansho completed its Shikai, maintaining its original form and mimicking the power of the "Forgetful Soul Bird."
With a gentle wave of his hand, the metal threads emerging from the ground were severed.
He deliberately cast a disdainful glance at the white-haired man.
"Are you deliberately trying to provoke me? Then congratulations, you succeeded."
The white-haired man suddenly gritted his teeth and roared in anger:
"You want to die!? I'll grant your wish!!"
For this man, who was outwardly glamorous but was actually treated as a pet by the nobles, severely lacking a sense of identity.
Aozaki Reiji's words completely questioned his value.
As expected, he felt his self-esteem hurt.
He raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. The threads seemed to gain life, wrapping around his body to form a metal armor.
A spear over two meters long condensed in his hand, and like a giant metal beast, it crashed violently towards Aozaki Reiji.
The explosive force of his foot striking the ground even caused the ground to collapse into depressions with each step.
The white-haired man's speed suddenly surged to its peak, like a powerful cannonball.
Paired with the metal spear, he resembled a rampaging steel rhino.
Bang!
A muffled thud.
The white-haired man looked with some surprise at Aozaki Reiji, who had blocked him with his Zanpakuto and retreated several meters.
Looking at the joyfully distorted smile, he was momentarily unable to react.
He was... blocked?
But the next second, his pupils instantly contracted.
Several clear cracks were visible on the metal spear, which had always been indestructible.
This was the spear he had condensed with his full Reiatsu, and its toughness was a notch higher than the iron threads he had used in his previous sneak attack.
"Aozaki Reiji... although I've heard of your deeds before, actually fighting you still makes one admire you."
"There's a reason why Captain-Commander chose you as his successor. If I had met you first, I probably wouldn't have been willing to give up on such a promising talent."
As he spoke, the bulky steel battle suit slimmed down, fitting his body's curves more closely.
The white-haired man quickly rotated the spear with both hands, and the cracks vanished instantly.
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