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The white-haired man lay in the rubble, struggling to lift his head, blood seeping from his mouth, a look of disbelief on his face.
His thread-like armor, along with the Zanpakuto on his right arm like a gauntlet, all shattered and fell away.
His body was in no better state.
His abdomen, the direct point of impact, now had a bloody hole, with his internal organs missing.
And this was something Aozaki Reiji had accomplished with his bare hands.
The white-haired man opened his mouth in shock, gasping for air, his face a mixture of alarm and terror.
Seeing the white-haired man's severe injuries, Aozaki Reiji relaxed.
He slightly distorted his shoulder, and the pain made him involuntarily hiss, then he grinned.
"Your injuries look very serious. I really used my full power, yet I couldn't shatter your body with a single blow."
"Indeed, compared to my teacher, I'm still far behind."
The white-haired man grunted, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
He propped himself up with his hands on the ground, slowly leaned his body against the wall, and sat down.
"...Captain-Commander's Sokotsu, truly lives up to its reputation. I never imagined it could possess such terrifying power."
Although he tried to speak in a calm tone, his trembling voice betrayed his true feelings at that moment.
Pain!
The extreme pain of hovering between life and death!!!
With a hole in his stomach, an ordinary Shinigami would have died long ago.
Fortunately, he was Captain-class; even without diligently training his Spirit Body, his physical strength was still significantly greater than that of an ordinary Shinigami.
"Hmm, knowing how formidable my teacher is, you still dared to assassinate me?" Aozaki Reiji blinked, "Should I praise your bravery?"
The white-haired man took a deep breath and said with difficulty, "In this world, there are some things that someone must do."
"That kind of righteous line shouldn't come from your mouth," Aozaki Reiji chuckled.
Who doesn't know who?
He had indeed done many bad things, but these guys were definitely not good people either.
"No, that's not a righteous line at all." The white-haired man shook his head with a sinister grin.
"What I mean is, there are countless ambitious people in this world."
"And some people are cowards, afraid of the Captain-Commander's might, so they don't dare to come."
"So you're not afraid of the Old Man?" Aozaki Reiji raised an eyebrow.
"I am afraid, but I want to realize my ambition even more. I want to become a high-ranking noble."
The white-haired man seemed to have forgotten the pain of his injuries, openly expressing his desires and displaying his final madness.
"So I came. My ambition overcame my fear. I walked before you, and I have no regrets."
The white-haired man laughed heartily, then suddenly changed the subject.
"Aozaki Reiji, a genius like you truly makes people envious."
"Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, values you so highly, it makes people envious to the point of jealousy."
"But unfortunately, luck seems to be on my side. The person who will die here today is not me!!!"
Aozaki Reiji shrugged and asked, "Do you still have a trump card?"
"You're so injured, what kind of move can you still use?"
"Even if you've cultivated Bankai, you can't use it in your current state!"
Hearing Aozaki Reiji's words, the white-haired man shook his head.
"I naturally won't use Bankai."
"However, do you still remember those two youngsters I let go?"
Aozaki Reiji suddenly froze, a chill rising in his heart, then he abruptly leaped backward.
Looking up, a three-pronged fork was conspicuously stuck in the ground.
There was more than one attacker, and it was a strong one whom the white-haired man trusted could quickly kill two high-ranking seated officers.
The white-haired man clutched his nonexistent stomach, praising in a low voice:
"Not bad, you still have some reserve power, but how much spiritual power do you have left? And how long can you hide?"
A figure dressed in black cloth flashed and appeared before the white-haired man, pulling out the fork from the ground.
"Rentaro, why haven't you dealt with the target yet?"
"That question should be directed at you, Takasugi. You're really slow. Why did it take you so long to deal with those two seated officers?"
As if seeing hope for survival, the white-haired man named Rentaro gritted his teeth and smiled, though there was still some resentment in his heart.
If Takasugi had returned earlier, he wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament.
"I ran into some trouble."
Takasugi scanned the surroundings with a grave expression, and upon seeing Aozaki Reiji's appearance, he was utterly shocked.
"Hmm, what happened to you? You're so badly injured?"
Although the target also had blood flowing from him, Rentaro was clearly more severely injured and could die if not treated promptly.
He knew Rentaro's strength.
Standard Captain-class Reiatsu.
Wasn't Aozaki Reiji supposed to have just graduated from the Shin'o Academy, only in his early twenties this year?
Are young people nowadays this terrifying?
"This kid is not simple; all my injuries are thanks to him," Rentaro said seriously. "But after fighting me, he definitely doesn't have much spiritual power left either."
"With your strength, killing him shouldn't be difficult!"
Rentaro's tone was full of confidence, but Takasugi glanced at him and did not act rashly.
Having lived for hundreds of years, he understood that a teammate's claim of severe injury was, in most cases, unreliable.
In fact, in his past experiences, many colleagues and rivals had been tricked to their deaths on the battlefield by such words.
Now that Rentaro was so badly injured, saying such a thing made it difficult for him to believe.
As if to confirm Takasugi's guess, Aozaki Reiji showed a sunny smile, inserting his finger into Shinra Bansho's blade ring, making the long sword spin.
Aozaki Reiji stared at him with knife-like eyes, his predatory gaze seeming to say, "I want to fight you for three hundred rounds."
He almost fell for it; he could still use Shikai, and this was called having no spiritual power… Takasugi cursed inwardly, looking at the battle-ready Aozaki Reiji, and couldn't help but say, "What a lunatic."
That being said, he wouldn't be content without a test.
Takasugi faced Aozaki Reiji, his arm suddenly exerting force, and the three-pronged fork shot a blue Sword Pressure through the air.
Whoosh!!
Under Takasugi's astonished gaze, Aozaki Reiji's figure flickered, appearing not far away.
Aozaki Reiji spun Shinra Bansho, its Sword Pressure compressed within the long sword, and swiftly slashed towards Takasugi.
Takasugi showed a surprised expression, blocking with the three-pronged fork in front of him.
He hadn't expected Aozaki Reiji's speed to be so fast.
Facing his Sword Pressure, he could not only dodge with Shunpo but also launch such a fierce counterattack!
What shocked him even more was yet to come.
In his eyes, the long handle of the three-pronged fork in his hand actually began to bend, showing signs of breaking.
Helplessly, he was forced to abandon his defense, Reiatsu erupting from his feet as he swiftly retreated backward.
"Do you still want to continue fighting…"
Aozaki Reiji hadn't finished speaking when Takasugi made his move.
Under Aozaki Reiji's surprised gaze, Takasugi turned, hoisted Rentaro onto his shoulder, and ran off into the distance without looking back.
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