Chapter 357: Leave It to Me!
"Sa... Satoru!!"
The replicas' expressions changed drastically as they stared at the man who had suddenly descended onto the battlefield.
"Boo hoo."
"So many people having a party, but no one invited me. That really hurts my feelings."
As he spoke, Satoru slowly stood up from his half-crouched landing position.
"You know, I'm really afraid of being bullied."
Satoru grinned, revealing a smile that seemed to belong to a demon from hell.
His white Captain's Haori billowed and swelled as if stirred by an unseen wind.
The next moment, a pillar of blue Reiatsu suddenly pierced the sky.
A terrifying pressure swept across the entire battlefield!
"Gah!!!"
Rōjūrō cried out in alarm, his legs buckling as he nearly collapsed to his knees.
Byakuya raised an arm to shield his face.
The violent gust of Reiatsu stung his cheeks.
Nearly all the vice-captains present were unable to withstand the pressure, either sitting or kneeling as they fell to the ground.
Through the air, distorted and warped by the overwhelmingly dense Reiatsu, everyone looked toward the replicas on the other side.
They saw that although the replicas appeared to be affected by the Reiatsu, they were far less disheveled than their own side.
At the very least, all of them were still standing firmly.
Many instinctively glanced at Satoru's back, standing at the center of the battlefield.
At this moment, the Reiatsu released by Captain Satoru was either evenly distributed to both sides, or the opposing side was bearing the greater pressure, while their own side was relatively more at ease.
There was no way Captain Satoru would specifically direct Reiatsu backward to pressure his own allies, right?
It seemed that these damned replicas had been holding back during the previous battle!
If not for Captain Satoru stepping forward and forcing out their hidden strength, their own side would likely have suffered significant losses in the upcoming fight.
Jūshirō Ukitake's expression turned grave:
"I never expected the replicas to be even stronger than we imagined."
Shunsui Kyōraku, however, wore a slightly peculiar expression.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off...
Not far away, on the roof of a building, Aizen stood there with a look of speechlessness.
From his perspective, he could clearly see the distribution of Reiatsu across the entire battlefield.
Using Satoru's position as the dividing line, the Gotei 13 side was bearing nearly seventy percent of the Reiatsu he had released.
The replica faction on the opposite side was only bearing thirty percent.
Originally, the replicas' Reiatsu intensity was higher than that of the originals. Now, with Satoru tipping the scales like this, the consumption on both sides was no longer on the same level.
What is this guy up to now?
Aizen narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment.
Then, a look of realization dawned on his face.
I see... No wonder this guy has been so proactive in cooperating with my actions.
Turns out he had such an ulterior motive...
Aizen shook his head gently, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, by taking such a disciple, you've truly picked up a real monster.
Facing Satoru, all the replicas momentarily halted their movements.
Each person had their own thoughts, each harboring their own schemes.
Not long ago, a group of replicas had gone to the Living World to attack Satoru, yet none returned alive.
What's more, among them were powerful fighters like Retsu Unohana and Jūshirō Ukitake.
The fact that he could easily dispose of such individuals demonstrated Satoru's formidable strength.
Facing such a powerful enemy, acting rashly would surely mean certain death.
It would be best to let teammates make the first move while looking for opportunities from the sidelines.
Most replicas had similar thoughts.
Fortunately, among this group of clever individuals, there were still a few reckless ones.
The replica Kenpachi Zaraki, with wild laughter, was the first to swing his sword and charge at Satoru.
"Big brother, let me show you my slashing technique that surpasses even the original!"
He raised his serrated blade high, took several large strides to reach Satoru, and brought his sword down!
Seeing this, Kenpachi snorted coldly.
First of all, how dare a mere replica claim to be stronger than him?
More importantly... since when does a replica have the right to call him big brother?!
He revealed a ferocious grin and stepped forward, ready to eliminate this foolish replica for his big brother.
But after taking just two steps, he was surprised to see Satoru facing the replica Kenpachi Zaraki and throwing a punch through the air.
A channel of terrifying fist pressure condensed into a shockwave that instantly shot toward the replica Kenpachi.
The latter instinctively swung his sword down, attempting to slice through the shockwave.
However, the moment his blade touched the shockwave, he was blasted away, crashing through all the buildings within hundreds of meters before disappearing into a cloud of billowing dust!
Kenpachi Zaraki: "..."
Although he had always looked down on the clone, considering it a crude imitation of himself, even at its worst, that guy was still a warrior qualified to stand on the same stage as him.
Such a fierce fighter was sent flying by Mikami-aniki with a single strike?
Did that mean Mikami-aniki had been holding back significantly when fighting him all this time?
For a moment, Kenpachi Zaraki was stunned.
He had thought he was gradually closing the gap between himself and that man.
But now, it seemed not only had the distance not narrowed, but it had grown even wider?
He lowered his head, his body trembling slightly, as if unable to accept this reality.
"Ken-chan?"
Yachiru, perched on Kenpachi Zaraki's shoulder, spoke softly.
The next second, Kenpachi Zaraki suddenly threw his head back and let out an excited, maniacal laugh.
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
"GOOD!! This is the Mikami-aniki I know!"
"I'll get stronger too! Even stronger!!"
"Yay! Stronger!!"
Yachiru chimed in cheerfully.
Swinging his Zanpakutō, Kenpachi Zaraki charged fiercely into the clone ranks.
Find the strong, defeat the strong, and step by step chase after that figure accelerating ahead!
Meanwhile, Satoru raised his Zanpakutō:
"Everyone! Charge hard!"
"I've already suppressed these clones with my Reiatsu. They can't even use half their strength now… This is your chance to win!"
Hearing this, the members of the Gotei 13 no longer hesitated, gripping their Zanpakutō tightly as they charged at the clones.
Although Satoru was still releasing Reiatsu onto them, making each step difficult, the thought that the clones were enduring several times more pressure than them reinvigorated everyone.
In an instant, the clashing of Zanpakutō, the roars of released Zanpakutō, and the rumbling of runaway Reiatsu resounded throughout the First Division barracks.
Satoru stood to the side, simultaneously applying intense pressure on his allies while cheering them on.
On the battlefield, Shunsui Kyōraku occasionally glanced his way, feeling as exasperated as if he'd been kicked by Komamura.
Is this little junior really an ally?
He sure smells like the enemy…
Amid the chaos, Satoru suddenly sensed something.
He turned his head to look nearby.
There, several ordinary squad members who had been caught in the crossfire of the earlier battle lay fallen on the ground.
Among them, one soldier suddenly pushed himself up, flipping to his feet.
His appearance was familiar.
A clone of Chōjirō Sasakibe.
Under Satoru's surprised gaze, the clone Sasakibe widened his eyes, glaring fiercely at him as he drew his Zanpakutō:
"Bankai!!"
"Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!!"
As Sasakibe uttered the release command, powerful Reiatsu shot into the sky.
The Reiatsu formed a golden canopy in the air.
Around the canopy, eleven golden bolts of lightning descended, enveloping Sasakibe like a shimmering golden cage.
Bathed in the lightning's glow, Sasakibe extended his rapier, pulling all the lightning to converge upon it.
Golden thunder serpents writhed and coiled along the rapier, their terrifying destructive power palpable even from a distance.
"Oh ho…"
Satoru's expression shifted to one of curiosity.
This was the first time he had witnessed Sasakibe's Bankai.
Back in the First Division, he had repeatedly approached Sasakibe, hoping the latter would demonstrate his Bankai to him. He had always wanted to experience firsthand the sheer power of a strike capable of leaving a scar on Yamamoto's forehead.
Yet, Sasakibe always politely declined.
The old man stubbornly believed his sword must be wielded solely for Lord Genryūsai and should not be used casually.
Unexpectedly, the technique he never saw from the real Sasakibe, he now witnessed successfully through this replica.
Satoru grinned.
"Don't rush, don't rush. Take your time to prepare and showcase your ability perfectly."
"I'll wait right here, won't disturb you."
Judging by Sasakibe's entrance, it seemed he had planned this all along, aiming to catch him off guard.
One could only say, a replica is just a replica, with limited integrity.
Hiding beneath corpses to ambush? How could the real old man Sasakibe ever do such a thing?
To play along with the replica Sasakibe's "sneak attack," he simply stood motionless, waiting to be struck.
Seeing Satoru's reaction, the replica Sasakibe's expression darkened.
"Captain Mikami, you are indeed powerful."
"But, underestimating me like this will be one of the biggest regrets of your life."
As he spoke, he fully concentrated the eleven bolts of lightning onto his blade.
He crouched slightly, drawing his sword back in a preparatory stance.
Then, he charged fiercely toward Satoru!
His thrusting sword stabbed straight forward.
His entire being, as if cloaked in overwhelming thunder, became unstoppable!!
"Oh... impressive."
Satoru adopted a serious expression.
Although the wind-up was too long, giving him dozens of ways to interrupt it prematurely, when fully executed, its explosive power was indeed notable.
If struck by this thrust, lightning would instantly ravage the entire body, disrupting the biological electrical functions.
Muscles would lose control, organs would cease to function.
Even thought would be seized by the powerful current, rendering cognitive abilities useless.
It could be said, this was a one-hit kill Bankai.
Unfortunately, all one-hit kills share a very obvious flaw.
That is... as long as you don't get hit, they're meaningless.
Sasakibe roared, thrusting his lightning-imbued sword as he closed in on Satoru.
In the next instant, he would pierce through Satoru's body and claim his life!
This was the consequence of underestimating him, Chōjirō Sasakibe!
With all his body, heart, and soul!
The replica Sasakibe poured everything he had into this single thrust.
At this moment, forget Satoru, even if Yamamoto Shigekuni were here, he would surely meet his end!!
Zaaaap!!!
Trailing golden lightning, Sasakibe charged through the spot where Satoru had been.
"?"
Staring at his blade that had struck nothing but empty air, he fell into deep thought.
Instinctively, he looked behind him.
There, he saw blue light particles coalescing in the air, reforming into Satoru's figure.
Replica Sasakibe: "..."
Under his utterly bewildered gaze, Satoru grinned at him.
Then, raising his hand, he pointed a finger in Sasakibe's direction.
"Hadō #4, Byakurai."
Zaaaap!!!
Silver-blue lightning tore through space, arriving before Sasakibe.
He wanted to dodge, to defend, but found it utterly impossible.
The lightning sword gripped tightly in his hand was still carrying his body forward in an unstoppable charge.
Now, aside from charging ahead, he could do nothing else.
Bzzt!!
A bolt of lightning pierced through the duplicate Sasakibe's forehead and shot out from the back of his skull.
Instantly, he lost all cognitive function, plunging into an endless abyss of darkness.
The golden lightning sword, still carrying his corpse, continued its charge.
It only came to a halt after violently crashing into the Captain-Commander's study, triggering a golden thunderstorm that finally subsided.
On the battlefield, Sasakibe fought fiercely against two duplicate vice-captains while watching this scene with complicated emotions.
Captain Mikami... truly defies human limits.
Beside Satoru, a mass of black shadows writhed and materialized.
Kujō Nozomi peeked out from the shadows, gazing with lingering fear in the direction where Sasakibe had charged.
For a moment there, she had thought she would be buried alongside Satoru.
Who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, the situation where the duplicate Sasakibe held absolute advantage would completely reverse itself.
Satoru and the duplicate Sasakibe had transformed from opponents into comrades sharing life and death bonds.
She looked at the man standing beside her, arms crossed over his chest with a smile on his face, and couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.
She had always lived in fear.
Fear of Inaba Kagerōza, fear of the Vanguard Project, fear of her own origins, fear of the fate awaiting her...
Once Inaba Kagerōza mastered Raiku's full power and awakened her Zanpakutō abilities, merging the two would make Kagerōza the pinnacle warrior of Soul Society.
Coupled with the countless duplicates Kagerōza had created, probably no one in the entire Soul Society could stop him!
But now, she inexplicably felt that if it were this man, he might truly be able to stop Kagerōza!
Meanwhile, the battle between the Gotei 13 and the duplicates was gradually regaining the upper hand.
Despite enduring Reiatsu twice as powerful as their opponents, the Gotei 13 had stubbornly fought back to advantage by capitalizing on the duplicates' frequent mutual sabotage.
Witnessing this, Satoru couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of frustration.
Couldn't these duplicates be even slightly more reliable?
He clicked his tongue in displeasure and prepared to personally intervene, intending to tip the scales in the duplicates' favor.
As long as he was careful, it should be fine.
Just as he was about to make his move, a voice suddenly rang out—
"Hmph, a bunch of useless trash."
"As expected, it was too naive of me to expect you to achieve victory."
"Next, let me, your creator, teach you what true combat really means!"
Hearing this voice, everyone looked up toward the sky.
There, they saw a man with half-yellow, half-green hair, gaunt cheeks, and a gloomy appearance standing proudly.
Seeing this person, Satoru was momentarily stunned.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, his eyes lit up.
Before anyone else could react, he widened his eyes and roared:
"Everyone! This guy is extremely dangerous! Don't get close! Let me handle him!!"
With that, he stomped his foot and rushed eagerly toward Inaba Kagerōza...