Chōjirō Sasakibe nervously gripped the sword in his hand, staring intently at the man before him. This man's appearance was simply too bizarre; not only did he live in Hueco Mundo, but he even treated Hollows as prey. Oh, right, I heard that the stronger the Hollow, the smaller its size. Could this be the legendary Vasto Lorde?
Chōjirō Sasakibe's face grew even uglier at the thought. If he really encountered a Vasto Lorde, wouldn't he be dead for sure?
"Brat, I'm asking you a question?" the man said coldly, his voice hoarse and very uncomfortable to listen to. Chōjirō Sasakibe bit the bullet and said, "I am Chōjirō Sasakibe, Vice-Captain of the First Division of the Gotei 13. May I ask why you are here?"
The man looked at Chōjirō Sasakibe with an extremely indifferent gaze: "Gotei 13? Never heard of it. But judging from your spiritual pressure, you should be a Shinigami! Why would a Shinigami appear in a place like this!"
"I came to Hueco Mundo to subjugate Hollows..." Chōjirō Sasakibe hadn't finished speaking when the man's face revealed a highly mocking smile.
"Subjugate Hollows? You? You'd probably wet your pants at the sight of a Hollow!" The man strode closer.
Chōjirō Sasakibe didn't know what the other party intended to do and watched him very warily. Then he heard the man say coldly, "Since you dare to enter Hueco Mundo alone, it means you believe you have some skill, right? I haven't met an opponent in a long time. You can spar with me. If you can survive my hands, I'll believe your words!"
As soon as his voice fell, electric light flashed in mid-air. Chōjirō Sasakibe activated Shunpo, instantly appearing behind the man and thrusting his rapier towards the back of the man's head.
During this time, Chōjirō Sasakibe had been training with Yamabuki and Unohana. Although his spiritual pressure wasn't top-tier, after this period of life-and-death torment, Chōjirō Sasakibe's combat awareness had greatly improved. Yamabuki had specifically said that when fighting, never show mercy to an enemy; that would cost you your life.
Therefore, Chōjirō Sasakibe's first move was a killing blow. If this man didn't detect Chōjirō Sasakibe's surprise attack, he would be pierced through the head in one move.
However, just as the sword in Chōjirō Sasakibe's hand was about to touch the back of the opponent's head, the man disappeared like a ghost.
Chōjirō Sasakibe clearly felt the opponent appear behind him; the opponent's speed was far superior to his own!
"Hmm? You've got some skill!" The man calmly watched Chōjirō Sasakibe's surprise attack. Chōjirō Sasakibe spun his foot, turning his body 180 degrees, and thrust his sword backward at the enemy's throat. However, just like before, just as his sword was about to touch the opponent's throat, the enemy instantly disappeared.
"But it's still far from enough." The man's voice came from behind Chōjirō Sasakibe. Chōjirō Sasakibe turned his head again, sweat already beading on his forehead. The enemy's strength was far beyond what he could match right now.
"What? Is that all your strength?" the middle-aged man asked with some disappointment.
Chōjirō Sasakibe took a deep breath: "My strength is far more than this. If you can withstand my next attack, I will admit defeat!"
The man looked at Chōjirō Sasakibe with interest, only to see Chōjirō Sasakibe suddenly place both hands on the ground and chant in a low voice: "Bakudō No. 21, Sekienton!"
The underground light was already insufficient, and with the addition of the crimson smoke bomb, how could the man see Chōjirō Sasakibe's figure?
Chōjirō Sasakibe clearly remembered Yamabuki saying, "If you can win, fight; if you can't, run. A strategic retreat is not shameful."
Since he had already determined that his strength was far inferior to the opponent's, why not run quickly?
At first, the man thought Chōjirō Sasakibe was going to launch a surprise attack, but he quickly realized that wasn't what he thought; this kid wasn't trying to surprise him at all, but to escape.
The man was not only not angry but even happier. Being able to clearly see the strength gap between oneself and the enemy was a skill in itself.
Those who thought they were hot-blooded but were actually instantly killed by the enemy were the real fools.
True combat is never about two sides standing there and hacking at each other in a Hollywood fashion; it involves various calculations, probing, finding the enemy's weaknesses, and so on.
The most perfect example of this was Aizen sealing Ryūjin Jakka with the Sōkyoku.
War is war, life and death. What's fair or unfair about it? If you truly want fairness, why not go to a gladiatorial arena and fight wild beasts bare-handed?
What? You want a weapon? Wouldn't using a weapon be unfair to the beasts?
Therefore, Chōjirō Sasakibe strictly followed the teaching and immediately ran when he realized he couldn't defeat the enemy.
A sinister smile appeared on the man's face. Run? Can you get away?
The man raised the huge Zanpakutō in his hand and slashed fiercely at the smoke. The powerful sword pressure directly dispersed the crimson smoke.
And Chōjirō Sasakibe's figure had completely vanished into the darkness.
"The game of cat and mouse is my favorite, but these Hollows are too stupid!" The man laughed as he walked into the darkness.
Chōjirō Sasakibe ran while searching for Yamabuki's whereabouts: "Where on earth did Brother Yamabuki go? Why does he always mess up at the most crucial moment?"
When he and Yamabuki first met, Yamabuki gave him a very unreliable feeling.
"Found you! I'm very familiar with this place; I wouldn't get lost even with my eyes closed!" The man's voice came from not far away. Chōjirō Sasakibe actually knew he couldn't escape; the other party was more familiar with the terrain here and faster than him. He was just trying to create distance between them to buy time for chanting Kidō.
"Chariot of thunder, the gap in the spinning wheel, after despair, a cluster of light gathers and divides into six, Bakudō No. 61, Rikujōkōrō!"
Six blades of light instantly fixed the man's body from six directions, and the man's movements also paused slightly.
"Success!" Chōjirō Sasakibe was excited. Sure enough, Brother Yamabuki was right; the weak are not absolutely unable to defeat the strong.
Chōjirō Sasakibe seized this tiny opportunity, used Shunpo to appear before the man, and thrust his sword at the man's throat.
Just when Chōjirō Sasakibe thought he had succeeded, the smile on his face suddenly froze, because he found that his sword could not penetrate the opponent's skin at all.
The man revealed a ferocious smile: "Your spell is so strange! I've never seen it before. However, you are too weak; no matter how powerful a technique is, if there isn't a strong body, it cannot unleash its original strength!"
Brother Yamabuki, you lied, how can the weak possibly defeat the strong!
"Brat, I've had enough fun, you can die now!" The man raised the great Zanpakutō in his hand and slashed down at Chōjirō Sasakibe!