"Roar!!"
Seemingly sensing the threat of the creature before him, Ashisogi Jizō let out a deafening roar. The air trembled violently as visible soundwaves rippled across the martial arts arena.
The colossal beast crouching on the ground was completely different from the image in Naraku Sora's memory.
His limbs were thick and powerful, resembling stone pillars, and his entire body was covered in steel-like muscles that exuded a suffocating sense of power.
His skin gleamed with a metallic luster, and the veins beneath the surface pulsed and slithered like living creatures, giving off an indestructible aura.
He looked like a veritable mountain of flesh.
When Ashisogi Jizō stood up, the sunlight was completely blotted out. His shadow fell heavily like an iron curtain, radiating a terrifying, suffocating pressure.
Based on the intelligence gathered, the self-aware Demonic Womb Disease Sealing Entity believed that this form of Ashisogi Jizō was the perfect counter to Naraku Sora.
A weapon truly designed to counter Sora.
'Reduce the number of surface nerves to the absolute limit, maximize the strength of the spirit body, scatter and restructure the Reishi, and distribute them between the muscle fibers to forge a power that can easily crush a Soul Reaper.'
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had acquired Ashisogi Jizō's data and analyzed it in an instant.
Because of their synchronized minds, he quite approved of the Demonic Womb Disease Sealing Entity's approach. The only problem was that the intelligence might be a bit outdated.
The moment the roar faded away...
*Crack, crack.* As his massive body gradually tensed, countless web-like fissures suddenly spread wildly outward from beneath Ashisogi Jizō's feet, causing the entire martial arts arena to groan under the overwhelming burden.
*Boom—!*
In the next instant, the air suddenly exploded with visible ripples. The massive muscular monster vanished from his spot, and the ground beneath his feet completely collapsed.
When he reappeared, he had already teleported right in front of Naraku Sora. His thick, stubby fingers clenched together, forming a fist like a heavy hammer.
There were no flashy techniques; even his Reiatsu was entirely condensed within his flesh, resulting in an eruption of absolute, pure physical strength.
The fist compressed the air, creating a shockwave. The deafening boom of the explosion instantly spread, tearing apart the ground for dozens of meters in every direction.
This exaggerated display left Urahara Kisuke clicking his tongue.
This highly impactful scene alone was countless times stronger than the previous Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō.
However, in terms of aesthetics, the previous eerie and bizarre appearance suited Kurotsuchi Mayuri's identity as a scientist much better.
The current Ashisogi Jizō looked more like something that belonged to a brute like Naraku Sora.
Of course, he only dared to entertain this thought in his mind. Saying it out loud would be pure suicide.
He didn't want to walk the path of dying from overwork at such a young age.
Life was beautiful, and there were still countless unsolved mysteries waiting for him to uncover.
Just as he was grumbling internally, the shadow of the fist had completely enveloped Naraku Sora, crashing down without mercy.
*Bang—!*
A muffled explosion suddenly erupted!
The heavy force crashed down, and the ground centered around Naraku Sora instantly shattered. Countless clouds of dust flew into the air, howling and sweeping outward under the impact.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's eyes widened. He stared in astonishment at the figure standing in the center, standing as tall and straight as a stone monument. He had merely raised his right hand, as if holding something up.
He had effortlessly caught Ashisogi Jizō's full-powered strike.
He showed not the slightest hint of strain.
Seemingly realizing how troublesome his enemy was, Ashisogi Jizō roared at the sky. The moment the soundwaves erupted, his bulging, muscular arms pulled back.
His mountain-like body tensed, and his fists slammed down like a hydraulic press.
The frenzied attacks rained down without pause, blurring into countless afterimages that the naked eye could barely track. The deafening shockwaves pierced the clouds and swept out in all directions!
"Sounds like it's coming from the martial arts arena."
"They really have a lot of energy, grinding like this every single day!"
"As expected of Lord Prison Warden, so strong and powerful!"
The prison guards were startled by the explosions and looked toward the arena. After paying their respects to the spreading shockwaves, they went back to their own work and training.
For no other reason than that they were simply used to it.
Ever since Naraku Sora researched the fusion of Zanjutsu and Kidō and reduced a dojo to ruins, similar commotions had frequently occurred within the barracks.
At first, the guards were at a loss for what to do, but as time passed and the frequency increased, they gradually grew accustomed to it.
And under this endless, torrential rain of attacks, Naraku Sora did indeed feel a slight sense of discomfort.
Ashisogi Jizō's attacks didn't just affect the surface.
Every time his fists fell, they caused the Reishi in the atmosphere to vibrate, and resonating along with it were Sora's internal organs.
It seemed to completely bypass his Reiatsu defenses.
Aizen's gaze remained calm as he habitually jotted down a few of the captured parameters.
The resonance ability couldn't pierce through Hierro.
If it were any other Soul Reaper, he would likely have suffered severe internal organ damage by now.
But Naraku Sora still appeared completely unscathed. Even his breathing remained as calm as ever, without the slightest hint of disorder.
"..."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri stared blankly at this scene.
Even if the intelligence was a bit outdated, the gap shouldn't be this massive, right?
Could the Ashisogi Jizō he had painstakingly modified truly be incapable of even breaking his opponent's defense?
This was simply too disappointing.
After enduring countless heavy blows and realizing that Ashisogi Jizō had no new tricks, Naraku Sora prepared to end the battle.
*Buzz—*
His right arm was instantly covered in electrical arcs as blinding as sunlight. White currents of air exploded from his shoulder blades, shredding the upper half of his Shihakushō.
The power of Kidō converged into a scorching torrent, erupting outward alongside the lightning.
He clenched his fingers and met the attack head-on.
*Boom—*
The completely disproportionate fists clashed. A visible shockwave instantly exploded, and the entire martial arts arena shattered like glass trampled by a giant.
Web-like fissures hundreds of meters in diameter suddenly spread, and the towering, sturdy structures tottered on the verge of collapse.
Before he could even let out a wail, Ashisogi Jizō's pillar-like arm underwent a horrifying deformation. The bones beneath the muscles fractured layer by layer, and his flesh and blood disintegrated, splattering in all directions as a waterfall of blood mist sprayed out.
The mountain of flesh lasted for less than half a second before exploding like a popped balloon, sending sticky fragments of flesh and blood raining down in a torrential downpour.
The scene was an absolute mess.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri shook his head in disappointment and deactivated his Bankai with a backhand motion.
Countless fragments dissolved into Reishi and vanished, ultimately forming a heavily cracked Zanpakutō that appeared in his hand.
"As expected, it was just wishful thinking."
Seeing the completely unaffected Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Urahara Kisuke couldn't help but twitch his eye.
If a normal Soul Reaper had his Bankai shattered, even if he wasn't severely injured, he would at least collapse on the spot.
In contrast, his colleague acted as if nothing had happened.
*Is there a single normal person in this Shino Prison?!*
*Oh right, Mr. Aizen is quite normal.*
Whether it was his speech or his demeanor, one couldn't find a single flaw. Even his Zanpakutō was surprisingly normal.
Speaking of which, that flowing water-type ability was a bit too ordinary. It merely disrupted enemies through the chaotic reflection of mist and water currents, causing them to turn on each other.
For such a shallow ability, it was no exaggeration to say that he could casually come up with a hundred ways to counter it.
If Kurotsuchi Mayuri's modification technology could be completely stabilized, and if Mr. Aizen didn't mind, perhaps he could let Mayuri try modifying his Zanpakutō too.
Otherwise, hanging around a monster like Naraku Sora all day was simply too stressful.
Speaking of which, how exactly did such a normal, good-natured person become best friends with Naraku Sora?
Could it be that the two of them shared some common language?
Just as he was agonizing over this, Naraku Sora walked over and commented:
"Mayuri, the strength of the modified Ashisogi Jizō is actually pretty good. The mechanics suit you very well."
"The reason he didn't seem very strong is purely because of his stats."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri frowned. "Stats?"
After a moment of thought, he understood Naraku Sora's meaning and immediately grinned.
"I see. I understand."
"However, things like Reiatsu don't mean much to me. Since the upper limit of the modification stops here, I'll temporarily consider this phase of the research complete."
"Next, it's time to explore new unknowns."
Saying that, he grabbed Urahara Kisuke and headed toward the laboratory.
Although that face was detestable, he had to admit that when it came to science, the only one who could keep pace with him and follow his train of thought was Urahara Kisuke.
Aizen could too, but that guy always gave him the feeling that he was hiding something deep down.
Coupled with his special status, he simply wasn't as useful as Urahara Kisuke.
"Oh right, I almost forgot the main business."
Watching the two leave, Naraku Sora suddenly remembered something and turned his head to speak.
"Sōsuke, I'm going on a long trip the day after tomorrow."
Aizen was organizing the collected parameters and gave a perfunctory reply without looking up.
"Where to?"
"The Soul King Palace."
"?"
The tip of the pen that had been continuously writing suddenly paused. After a moment of eerie, dead silence, Aizen slowly raised his head, frowning deeply as he looked at Naraku Sora.
"The Soul King Palace where the Spirit King resides?"
Naraku Sora grinned and repeated Shutara Senjumaru's words in their entirety, briefly going over Yamamoto's analysis as well.
In short, he had no choice but to go.
This was a decree issued by the Spirit King himself, not a whim decided by some member of the Zero Division.
If he forcibly stayed in the Soul Society, there was no guarantee that a burly, broad-shouldered monk wouldn't come knocking on his door in the middle of the night.
To Ichibē Hyōsube, who viewed guarding the Spirit King as his sole duty, the Spirit King's orders were absolutely not to be defied.
If it really came to that, even Yamamoto wouldn't be able to protect him.
After hearing the explanation, Aizen's brow furrowed tightly, his expression darkening.
After the fall of the Tsunayashiro family, he had visited the Great Spirit Book Gallery multiple times to consult various records related to the Spirit King, and he had also browsed through some intelligence regarding the Zero Division.
But the more he read, the more he felt that the members of the Zero Division—especially their leader, Ichibē Hyōsube—were extremely dangerous.
The slightest misstep could result in a fate where not even one's bones remained.
Especially since a certain brute had absolutely no concept of restraint or caution.
After pondering for a moment, Aizen raised his head. His eyes burned with intensity as he spoke with utmost seriousness:
"I'm going too."
Naraku Sora: "?"