Chapter 166: Sugoi ne
So fast!
The moment the Zanpakutō spirit swung out the chain-blades, Satoru was mentally prepared.
Yet, its speed still surpassed his expectations.
The short blades attached to long chains seemed to bypass space itself, instantly closing the distance between them as if using a Stand ability, arriving right before him.
Instinctively, Satoru tilted his head to the side.
The short blade wreathed in blue flames shot past his ear, stabbing into the distance.
He raised his hand and snapped his grip shut around the middle of the chain.
With soft weapons like this, controlling the non-destructive middle section was the key to an easy counter.
Seeing his Zanpakutō take on such a bizarre form, Satoru felt a twinge of disappointment.
A change in his Zanpakutō's shape, in his view, wasn't necessarily a good thing.
A new form meant a new way of fighting.
Currently, he already had two mainstream combat styles: swordsmanship and Hakuda.
These twin blades with long chains were too complicated to wield and could become a hindrance in battle.
As he pondered this, he prepared to yank the chain, pull the Zanpakutō spirit closer, and decisively end the fight right then and there.
But before he could act, internal alarm bells screamed.
It was as if an invisible "Danger" character, complete with a sound effect, shot up above his head!
Satoru released the chain and vanished from his spot with a Flash Step.
Almost simultaneously, the blue-flamed short blade pierced through the space right behind where he had just been!
A long trail of blue flame lingered in the air.
Observing the chain-blade's flight path, Satoru was surprised.
He had grabbed the chain. Logically, the spirit shouldn't have been able to transmit force through it to alter the blade's trajectory.
Could it be...?
As if reading his thoughts, the Zanpakutō spirit opened her hand and caught the returning short blade with a sharp snap.
She curled her lips into a smirk. "I'm not a sword you can understand with common sense."
"Ooh, sugoi ne!"
Satoru raised his hands and clapped for his own Zanpakutō.
Seeing his reaction, the spirit frowned.
"You think that was everything? It's only the beginning!"
As she spoke, she swung both arms, sending both short blades flying out simultaneously.
The chained blades tore through space from two different directions, charging towards him!
Just like before, the blades sliced through space like lightning, instantly appearing before Satoru.
The howling flames dyed vast stretches of the sky a dazzling blue.
A Kidō barrier materialized in front of Aizen, blocking the wave of scorching heat.
Watching the battle unfold not far away, a glint flickered in his eyes.
Satoru's figure continuously flickered and reappeared in mid-air.
With every Flash Step, the blades would stab through the space he had just occupied.
"A bit harsh, aren't you? You're really trying to kill me," he commented between movements, his voice fragmentary.
By the time he uttered the last few words, the two blades had already cornered him into a position where evasion was nearly impossible.
Watching the blades flying toward him, Satoru raised his arm.
Torrential Reiatsu instantly flooded his entire body.
Due to their physical constitution, even with immense Reiatsu, it was difficult for Shinigami to form powerful defenses on the surface of their bodies.
But Satoru was different.
He could first attach a Gigai to his body's surface, then forcefully inject Reiatsu into the Gigai.
With a medium, the defensive power of Reiatsu could be greatly enhanced.
Previously, he had suffered little injury from the aftermath of the massive explosion created by Mayuri Kurotsuchi and had charged through Kōga Kuchiki's Kidō head-on—all thanks to this technique.
It had never failed him.
But the moment he raised his hand, a sense of foreboding surged within him again.
Under Satoru's gaze, the short blades pierced through his Reiatsu defense layer.
Even Kōga Kuchiki's Kidō could only break through seventy to eighty percent of this defense, yet now it felt like a hot knife through butter, offering no resistance at all!
Though somewhat surprised, Satoru reacted instantly.
He abandoned his defensive stance and switched to evasion… Huh?
The arm he intended to retract seemed to be hooked by something.
A tremendous force transmitted through the chains behind the blades.
Satoru was uncontrollably yanked upward and flung high into the air.
"Whoooooa!!"
Satoru shouted as he flew.
If someone were standing on the ground looking up, they would see Satoru's body tracing a massive arc with a radius of over a hundred meters across the sky at incredible speed. In just a few seconds, he was flung from one end of the arc to the other.
BOOM!!!!
Pulled by the chains, Satoru crashed headfirst into the ground.
Rubble and dust erupted into the sky!
The two short blades, tugged by the chains, flew back into the Zanpakutō spirit's hands.
The trailing chains swiftly rewound around her arms.
She calmly watched the billowing dust.
Before long, Satoru's figure emerged from within.
Unsurprisingly, he appeared largely unchanged.
Only shallow wounds marked his left forearm and right shoulder.
Despite such a heavy impact, he seemed completely unfazed.
If an ordinary Shinigami had taken that fall, they would've been bedridden for months at least…
Though he was her master, the Zanpakutō spirit couldn't help feeling a bit conflicted.
Satoru's Reiatsu surged.
With the force of Shunkō, all the dust on him was blasted away.
He rotated his neck, confirmed nothing was broken, and nodded in satisfaction.
Lifting his head, he looked at the Zanpakutō spirit hovering mid-air.
"I see. I think I understand now."
"Seeing the blue flames on you, I thought you were a fire-type Zanpakutō."
"But it seems those flames are actually a misdirection."
"Just now, against your two blades, I used two types of defense."
"One was a hybrid defense of Reiatsu and Gigai, the other was a Kidō defense."
"Both different types of defenses were instantly shattered by you."
"Your ability is to break through defenses… or perhaps negate energy-based techniques?"
Hearing Satoru's analysis, the Zanpakutō spirit showed a hint of surprise.
She hadn't expected him to deduce her ability so accurately after just a few exchanges.
Though he was an arrogant and irritating fellow, she had to admit his insight was sharp.
As she pondered this, she saw Satoru shake his head and continue:
"Unfortunately, while the ability is good, your execution is rather mediocre."
"?"
The sword spirit's expression froze, a flash of anger appearing in its eyes.
As the spirit of the Zanpakutō, it understood the Zanpakutō's abilities better than anyone in the world.
This guy, having only seen its power for the first time, actually dared to say it was using it incorrectly?
Seeing the sword spirit's reaction, Satoru grinned:
"What, not convinced?"
"If you're not convinced, hand over your power to me. I'll show you how this power should really be used!"