Chapter 295: Demon
BOOM!!!
Amid the explosion, three figures were sent flying backward.
Starkk and Shiba Isshin barely managed to adjust their postures mid-air, trailing long plumes of Reishi smoke beneath their feet as they steadied themselves.
Ulquiorra directly activated his Resurrección in mid-air, unfurling massive black demonic wings to stabilize his stance.
At the very spot where the three had just been, Satoru roared furiously at the sky.
"ROAR————!!!!"
Watching Satoru, who had completely lost his sanity, Kisuke Urahara suddenly felt an urge to complain."
Come to think of it, when undergoing Hollowfication, people do go completely berserk, right?
But... in Satoru's case, it doesn't feel much different from his usual unrestrained antics.
Hmm, these thoughts must forever remain buried in my heart—absolutely cannot speak them aloud.
Otherwise, my life would be in grave danger...
Witnessing how Satoru had suppressed four powerful opponents in less than ten seconds, the Menos Grandes all chose to activate their Resurrección.
"Sing, Cierva!"
"Conquest, Empress Shark!"
"Creak, Leopard King!!"
Watching the flashes of light brought by each Resurrección, the Shinigami felt rather conflicted.
Since their academy days, they had been taught to fight Hollows to the death.
Never did they expect to find themselves standing in the same camp, fighting side by side with Hollows.
It was somewhat darkly humorous.
From the crowd, Aizen drew his sword and stepped forward.
"Everyone, follow my lead."
Among those present, his strength was undeniably the greatest.
To suppress Satoru as much as possible without inflicting too much injury would depend entirely on his performance.
Watching Satoru standing there screaming madly, Aizen curled his lips into a smile.
Come to think of it, although he often sparred with this guy, they had never fought a life-or-death battle going all out like this.
What a... rare experience.
Come on, Satoru!
...
...
Satoru slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing on the deck of a large ship.
The sky was rolling with dark clouds, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling.
The surrounding sea was turbulent, black waves constantly crashing against the ship's hull.
The tall mast creaked and groaned in the violent storm.
An ordinary person wouldn't be able to stand steadily on such a deck.
But Satoru remained completely unfazed, not even moving.
He looked up toward the top of the mast.
There, a figure stood silently, looking down at him from above.
The figure wore a large hooded cloak, making their appearance indistinguishable.
Satoru snorted with laughter.
"Being all mysterious, I've seen this episode before."
"Aren't you just someone who looks exactly like me but pure white, like you forgot to get colored?"
"Hurry up and take off that cloak, let me see!"
As he spoke, he drew his Zanpakutō and pointed it at the distant figure.
Under Satoru's gaze, the figure slowly raised a hand and placed it on the hood.
Then, pulling it back to reveal their appearance.
Red hair strands flew backward in the wind.
Amid the gale, they resembled wantonly blooming red spider lilies.
A pair of beast-like golden eyes stared directly at him.
Seeing the other's appearance, Satoru showed a somewhat surprised expression.
"Risō Jakumetsu? What are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't it be a Hollow appearing here?"
Risō Jakumetsu curled her lips into a smile.
"Yes."
"What's here is indeed a Hollow."
Hearing her voice, Satoru was momentarily stunned.
The girl's voice wasn't the clear, clean tone from their last meeting.
Instead, it sounded like it had been processed through multiple layers of synthesis, a resonant metallic hum.
Similar to the Hollow White inside Ichigo Kurosaki that he remembered, just a female version.
Satoru tilted his head.
Why did Ichigo Kurosaki fight his own Hollowfied self when mastering Hollowfication, while he had to fight his Hollowfied Zanpakutō?
As he pondered this, Risō Jakumetsu drew her Zanpakutō from her waist.
"Satoru, last time we met, I received quite a bit of... care from you."
"Huh? You mean that time I beat you up before?"
"..."
Risō Jakumetsu fell silent for two seconds, taking a deep breath.
Then, as if she hadn't heard Satoru's words, she continued:
"This time, I'll make you taste the bitterness of defeat."
As she spoke, she drew the Zanpakutō from her waist.
Blue flames whooshed into life, the long sword transforming into dual blades held in her hands.
Satoru frowned slightly.
"I don't mind fighting you, but I came here to learn Hollowfication."
"Unless something unexpected happens, my body is probably running wild out there. It must be quite difficult for Sōsuke and the others to restrain me."
"I'd better make every second count, quickly defeat the Hollow inside me, and return my consciousness to my body."
Hearing this, Risō Jakumetsu grinned widely.
"Perfect timing."
She raised a sword and pointed it at Satoru:
"I told you, what's here is the Hollow."
"Defeat me, and you'll master Hollowfication!"
"Oh..."
A look of realization dawned on Satoru's face.
The next second, to Risō Jakumetsu's somewhat startled gaze, he flashed forward and instantly closed the distance between them.
His Zanpakutō transformed into a silver streak of cold light, aimed straight at Risō Jakumetsu's neck!
Clang!!!
At the critical moment, Risō Jakumetsu raised both swords to block Satoru's strike.
Staring at the red-haired girl right before his eyes, Satoru revealed a wild grin.
"Although I don't know why my Zanpakutō has turned into a Hollow, hearing you say that puts me at ease."
"I was originally worried that I'd need some kind of sudden enlightenment or profound realization."
"If all I have to do is defeat you, then it's simple."
"It's too early to boast!"
Risō Jakumetsu snorted coldly and forcefully pushed Satoru away.
Then, she swung her blades at him.
"Useless, useless!"
Satoru laughed heartily, casually deflecting Risō Jakumetsu's strikes with two swift moves.
"Your fighting style, habits, and specialized techniques—I remember them all clearly."
"Once I know your name, you're no longer effective against me!"
"..."
A vein bulged on Risō Jakumetsu's forehead, her blood pressure rising slightly.
Are you some kind of Monk from the Zero Division or something?
Amid the raging winds and towering waves, their figures darted back and forth along the mast, sparks flying everywhere.
Watching Risō Jakumetsu wield her twin blades, swirling with magnificent blue flames, Satoru nodded approvingly.
"Not bad. Compared to our last fight, your strength and speed have improved quite a bit."
"But you're still overthinking. Battle isn't something that requires so much thought!"
Suddenly, he lifted his foot and kicked Risō Jakumetsu's right wrist, then flicked his right blade upward, slicing open her left arm in one swift motion.
"See? You think too much when you swing your sword, so your reaction speed can't keep up with mine."
"Attacks like this won't harm me!"
Listening to Satoru's critique, Risō Jakumetsu nodded.
"You're right."
"If this were a real-world battle, I wouldn't be your match."
"But this is the Inner World."
"This is my domain!"
"I told you, Satoru, I will make you taste defeat—today, right here!"
The moment her words fell, Risō Jakumetsu suddenly leaped upward, landing at the very top of the mast.
Then, she raised one of her swords as if beginning some kind of ritual.
As she did so, the dark clouds in the sky began churning violently.
Drip.
A drop of water landed on Satoru's face.
He looked up at the sky.
Countless fine raindrops had already begun to fall.
"What kind of move is this... Summoning rain?"
Satoru raised his hand, wiping the rainwater from his face, but noticed nothing unusual.
Has Risō Jakumetsu changed professions? Become a water-type Zanpakutō?
Double damage in rainy conditions?
Then I need to quickly develop a new skill called "Leisurely Mastery" that doubles my speed during rainy days.
Suddenly, Satoru frowned.
Through the curtain of rain, he suddenly saw Yamamoto standing quietly, holding Ryūjin Jakka.
Before him, a tall man completely shrouded in a cloak raised a blue spirit bow toward Yamamoto.
Though his features were indistinguishable, the iconic weapon made it immediately clear—this was a Quincy.
"Wait..."
Satoru's heart sank.
Though both reason and subconsciousness had already told him this scene before his eyes was merely an illusion,
he still couldn't help but reach out, trying to prevent it from happening.
Whoosh!!
Under Satoru's stunned gaze, the blue spirit arrow shot forth from the bowstring.
The arrow tore through the curtain of rain, plunging fiercely into Yamamoto Shigekuni's chest.
The tall old man staggered back several steps, swayed unsteadily, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Facing the fallen Yamamoto, the cloaked man raised his bow once more.
BOOM!!!!
Lightning split the dark night.
Satoru's figure, appearing like a demon in the flash of lightning, had somehow materialized beside him.
His eyes were wide open, bloodshot veins surfacing within them.
Twin blades wreathed in blue flames swept down in a diagonal slash!
...
...
The ceiling of Las Noches was now in complete disarray.
Aizen gripped his Zanpakutō, confronting the partially Hollowfied Satoru.
His body radiated with the glow of Reiatsu, his terrifying power unleashed without restraint.
Even Shiba Isshin was witnessing this formidable state for the first time.
"Left!"
Aizen swung his blade abruptly, the sword pressure extending hundreds of meters in an instant.
Satoru's figure flickered, shifting left to evade the strike.
Starkk, Tier Harribel, and the others, having received Aizen's command, were already positioned there.
The moment Satoru appeared, they simultaneously fired Ceros.
Multicolored beams formed a crisscrossing pillar of light, engulfing Satoru within.
Kisuke Urahara stood at a distance, watching the scene unfold, finally allowing himself a sigh of relief.
This might work!
As long as they could hold out until Satoru defeated the Hollow within his inner world...
Huh?
Kisuke Urahara suddenly froze.
An intensely ominous feeling abruptly surged within him.
At the center of the battlefield, Aizen prepared to swing his blade again but halted abruptly.
As the Cero light gradually dissipated, it revealed Satoru's figure within.
The previously frenzied Satoru, who had been rampaging wildly, had now ceased all movement, standing silently in mid-air.
"Fall back."
"Everyone... fall back!!"
Amid Aizen's roar, Satoru suddenly threw his head back.
"ROAR!!!!!"
A piercing metallic screech, accompanied by Reiatsu that had suddenly become several times more violent and oppressive, instantly swept across the entire battlefield!
Shiba Isshin's vision went black, nearly knocked unconscious by the sonic blast.
Among those present, several with weaker strength were directly inflicted with internal injuries, blood trickling from their ears and noses.
Half of Las Noches crumbled into ruins under the force of that furious roar!
Kisuke Urahara, having retreated quickly, leaped high into the air, putting distance between them.
Gazing at the distant Satoru, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of frustration.
What had Satoru encountered in his inner world?
Was the Hollow within him really this ferocious?
No, this couldn't continue. Based on prior experience, if they allowed Satoru to remain in this frenzied state, he might never return!
Mid-air, his expression turned grave as he raised his Zanpakutō:
"Bankai..."
Before he could utter the release command, Kisuke was astonished to see Satoru suddenly turn his gaze toward him.
Instantly, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he prepared to call for Aizen's assistance.
But, in the moment he meant to speak, his field of vision was already obscured by the face concealed behind a white bone mask.
"!!!"
Under Kisuke Urahara's horrified stare, Satoru instantly traversed over a thousand meters, arriving before him.
Squelch!!
A white claw pierced through Kisuke Urahara's chest as easily as tearing through paper.
Blood sprayed from Kisuke Urahara's mouth.
Excruciating agony nearly caused him to lose consciousness.
Yet, through sheer force of will, Kisuke Urahara managed to grip the arm piercing through his chest.
"Mr. Aizen!!!"
The moment he spoke, Aizen had already closed the distance.
With a flash of cold steel, Aizen's blade descended upon Satoru's arm.
Satoru's arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder.
But before the severed limb could fly away, a new arm instantly regenerated from the stump.
Aizen's eyes widened as he watched two fists charging toward him at an unbelievable speed.
BOOM!!!!
Twin Sōkotsu struck solidly against the blade he used to block.
Aizen felt as if he'd been struck by a mountain, his body sent flying uncontrollably through the air.
He didn't even need to crash into anything—the sheer wind pressure alone felt like it would tear his joints apart.
Ulquiorra and Starkk charged in from both sides.
Ichimaru Gin fired his Shinsō.
Tōsen unleashed his Benihikō.
Komamura Sajin, having returned to the battlefield, summoned his Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō and fired the Kidō Cannon directly at Satoru!
In the next instant, before any of them could comprehend what happened, they were all sent flying in different directions, bleeding from fresh wounds.
Standing amidst the fallen combatants, Satoru roared at the sky.
His Reiatsu washed over the surroundings like a torrential downpour.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi gritted his teeth, face contorted in frustration.
He never imagined that gathering so many powerful fighters—a lineup impressive in both quality and quantity—would bring them so close to complete annihilation in such a short time against Satoru alone!
Just how much power was hidden within this usually cheerful, unassuming man who never carried himself like a true powerhouse?!