Chapter 399: Is This the Seireitei?!
"Aizen..."
Looking at the figure that appeared beside him, Shinji Hirako couldn't help but click his tongue.
Aizen smiled:
"Captain Hirako, your loyal vice-captain has stepped forward in your time of crisis. You should be grateful, or at least offer some encouragement. How can you act this way?"
"I'm so grateful to you..."
Hirako gritted his teeth.
Aizen nodded with satisfaction, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm squeezed through clenched teeth.
Looking at the green-haired girl hovering in the air not far away, he adjusted his glasses.
"A Schrift with lightning attributes, quite a practical ability."
At that moment, Candice snapped back to reality.
Just now, when Aizen suddenly appeared, she felt an intense sense of fear, like a rabbit facing some terrifying beast slowly emerging from the darkness, its eyes glowing red.
However, upon clearly seeing Aizen's appearance, she breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't even have a white Captain's Haori, so he seemed like just a second-rate character.
Whatever, who cares about his rank? Even if he truly had some ability, it wouldn't matter much in the face of her invincible lightning power!
Schrift, T!
Thunderbolt!
The moment she activated the power of her Schrift, cyan-green electricity surged around her body. With a crackling sound, she tore through space and appeared right in front of Aizen!
Spreading her hands, she revealed a smile.
This man was already a dead man.
As long as her 100,000 volts struck him, even a captain would have no choice but to die!
What was laughable was that this guy still hadn't drawn his Zanpakutō.
In the face of her speed, he wouldn't even have a chance to strike before dying. How pitiful!
With a triumphant smile, she pressed her lightning-wrapped hand toward Aizen's face—
The next second, the smile on Candice's face suddenly froze.
She was stunned at first, then she realized with shock that she had actually stopped!
Even though she was just one step away from killing Aizen, she couldn't advance an inch!
Every part of her body was still under her control; she was certain she could perform any movement she wanted right now.
But these movements simply couldn't manifest in the real world.
What was even more terrifying was that when she charged forward, she had been mid-air.
Now that she had stopped, she should have been pulled down by gravity and fallen to the ground.
Yet she remained suspended in mid-air, completely motionless, as if frozen in a still frame...
What kind of sorcery was this?!
Looking at the bespectacled man before her, Candice's eyes filled with terror.
Not far away, Shinji Hirako watched this scene with a sense of disbelief.
Aizen stood calmly in front of Candice, his right arm half-raised, pointing toward the green-haired girl from a distance.
On his arm, black lines coiled, forming a mysterious pattern.
Looking at Candice, who was completely unable to move, Aizen nodded slightly, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.
"Although I cannot approve of his actions, this power is indeed formidable."
He pulled up the sleeve of his Shinigami Uniform, revealing an arm completely covered in black patterns.
Through surgery, he had transplanted the Right Arm of the Soul King, extracted from Jūshirō Ukitake, into his own right arm.
The infinite spiritual power of the Hōgyoku, combined with his own immense Reiatsu, formed the strongest support system.
The Right Arm of the Soul King was the ultimate weapon!
The Soul King's arms—the left arm governed "advancement," while the right arm governed "stillness."
This stillness was not merely spatial immobilization but completely halting something on a conceptual level.
The reason Jūshirō Ukitake had been able to live for hundreds of years despite organ failure was because the Right Arm of the Soul King had kept his internal organs in a state of stillness from his childhood.
Thus, Ukitake preserved his life but remained perpetually sickly.
In truth, his illness had never been cured; it was merely sustained by the power of stillness.
Having effortlessly restrained Candice, Aizen approached her.
Watching Aizen walk up to her, the Quincy girl's eyes filled with despair.
She wanted to ask Aizen what he intended to do, but she couldn't open her mouth.
Looking into her eyes, Aizen seemed to guess her thoughts.
He explained gently:
"Quincies are precious experimental materials and should not be wasted."
"However... you might not have to become a test subject."
"Some unreliable fellow would likely be quite interested in you."
As he spoke, he tapped Candice's forehead with a finger.
The latter lost consciousness without even a chance to struggle.
Her soul had also been "frozen" by Aizen.
Whether in terms of spiritual power, Reiatsu, or mastery of rules, there was a world of difference between her and Aizen.
Before Aizen's freezing power, she, a Sternritter possessing a Schrift, was as powerless as a child.
Having dealt with Candice, Aizen turned his gaze aside.
"Harribel."
Snap!!!
A figure appeared beside him using Sonído, kneeling on one knee:
"Lord Aizen."
With a wave of his hand through the air, Aizen tossed Candice to her:
"Keep her safe. This is the person that fellow wants. Don't lose her."
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Harribel slung Candice over her back and vanished again with Sonído.
Shinji Hirako stood to the side, his face ashen.
Having witnessed the entire scene, his emotions were now incredibly complex.
An enemy he had struggled against, nearly losing to, hadn't even lasted one round in Aizen's hands.
Just what level of power had this guy reached now?
And... this guy was now openly commanding Arrancar in the Seireitei, really not hiding it anymore.
Ah, forget it. With so many friendly treaties signed between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, why should he dwell on this?
As he was lost in thought, Aizen looked toward him.
"Captain Hirako."
"Uh, yes."
Hirako responded instinctively.
The next second, he nearly slapped himself.
Damn it, not to mention that I used to be Aizen's superior, even now, we're at most equals in rank. Why does it feel like a subordinate facing a leader?
Aizen reached out and tapped a point in the air, and a virtual screen unfolded.
He pointed to several spots on it and smiled slightly:
"Captain Hirako, please go to these positions and use your Bankai to clear out the enemy's foot soldiers."
"Although I don't care about the lives of ordinary squad members, if too many die, Satoru's ability as Captain-Commander will be doubted."
Shinji Hirako twitched at the corner of his eye.
Use my Bankai to clear out foot soldiers?
Are you serious?
Though he really wanted to retort, seeing the black patterns coiled around Aizen's arm, he inexplicably swallowed his words.
After hesitating for two seconds, he nodded.
After memorizing the positions on the screen, he vanished with a Flash Step.
Watching Shinji Hirako's retreating figure, Aizen felt a wave of emotion.
The next moment, he too disappeared from the spot.
...
...
In the shadow of a building, a petite figure was cautiously moving forward.
Judging by her appearance, she was a pitiable young girl.
She had long black hair, with two long strands sticking up on her head, making her look like a cockroach.
As she walked, the girl let out soft, mournful cries:
"Wah... Why did His Majesty make us split up and act separately? It's so scary."
"Candice... Liltotto... Meninas... Where are all of you..."
Suddenly, she stopped.
Footsteps echoed from the street ahead.
Before long, a squad of Shinigami appeared before her.
Seeing the girl in a white uniform, the Shinigami's expressions changed in unison.
The girl, however, brightened up.
She took a few steps back, putting on a timid expression:
"Eek! Don't kill me!"
Seeing the girl like this, the Shinigami remained completely unmoved.
Captain-Commander Mikami had emphasized countless times that once the highest alert was sounded, no mercy was to be shown to any enemy.
Never mind a young girl—even if it were a cute kitten or puppy, as long as they were wearing a Quincy uniform, they'd be cut down all the same!
Several leading Shinigami drew their Zanpakutō and charged straight at the girl!
Watching the Shinigami rushing at her with their blades, the girl curled up the corners of her mouth.
"Die, Quincy!!"
The Shinigami roared as four gleaming blades swung down toward the girl's vital points!
The girl grinned, revealing a bizarre, manic smile, as if she had been looking forward to this moment all along, waiting for the blades to strike her.
But, in that instant, the Shinigami's movements all came to a halt.
"Huh?"
The girl showed a look of astonishment.
The Shinigami turned around angrily, wanting to know who was playing tricks.
They saw a handsome man looking at them with an expression as if he were observing insects.
The man raised one hand, with a Reishi thread tied to each of his fingers.
These threads, like puppet strings, were attached to them from a distance, rendering them unable to move.
Seeing this man, they exclaimed in surprise:
"Vice-Captain Yamada!"
Seinosuke Yamada gave a sharp tug, pulling the Shinigami off their feet and dragging them back.
"What a bunch of fools... Can't you see she's clearly baiting you to attack? Charging forward like idiots at a time like this—with your intelligence, you should join Satoru's squad."
Hearing this, everyone broke out in a cold sweat.
Damn, publicly slandering the Captain-Commander, huh?
Retracting the Reishi threads, Seinosuke Yamada revealed a smile perfectly suited for provoking hatred.
"Hmm... Neither your appearance nor your Reiatsu resemble that of a veteran powerhouse who has lived since a thousand years ago."
"You're a weak rookie who just became a knight within the last century, aren't you?"
Hearing this, the girl showed an eerie smile:
"Oh my, judging someone's strength by their appearance—is this the Shinigami's way of doing things?"
"Hmph, of course not. Appearance is merely an auxiliary means."
"I simply judged from your appearance that you weren't someone who had already become a Sternritter a hundred years ago."
"As for my evaluation of you being a weakling, that came from my personal observation."
The girl frowned.
Why was this guy emphasizing a hundred years ago?
A hundred years ago... her identity...
A few seconds later, as if suddenly realizing something, she showed a shocked expression:
"Could it be... you learned from Bambi...?"
"Bingo~"
Seinosuke Yamada snapped his fingers with a laugh.
"Bambietta Basterbine, after being captured by that guy Satoru, suffered all sorts of inhuman torture~"
"Only after being forced to give birth to over a dozen children did she finally yield, telling us all the intelligence about the Wandenreich~~"
As he spoke, he burst into loud laughter.
The next moment, the girl with the cockroach hairstyle, her face darkening, charged forward furiously!
Success.
A flicker of mockery passed through Seinosuke's eyes.
The moment he saw this "girl," he knew that using women as a point of hatred could easily provoke the other's anger.
As a professional doctor, he could easily determine from the pelvic shape that the other's true identity was male.
A man, disguised as a woman, speaking in a female voice, with behavior and mannerisms all like a young girl... In this world without LGBT benefits, such behavior undoubtedly indicated someone with gender identity disorder.
For such a person, showing humiliation and contempt toward women would be a hundred times more effective than using this tactic on an actual woman!
He adopted a serious gaze, carefully observing the "girl's" method of attack.
In a fit of rage, the other's movements were entirely instinctive, with no attempt at concealment.
Seinosuke could see at a glance that this guy's actions were intended to inflict self-injury.
From earlier, when this guy led the Shinigami to look at her, Seinosuke suspected his ability might be related to reflecting damage.
Now it seemed the other could achieve the same effect through self-harm.
So, what was the true nature of the ability?
Inflicting the same damage on the enemy through self-harm?
Or perhaps...
Seinosuke narrowed his eyes, grinning widely.
"Your movements are too obvious. Aiming the spirit blade at the carotid artery clearly shows you want your blood to spray out."
"In other words... I must avoid this guy's blood!"
The moment he made this judgment, he flashed aside, dodging.
Almost simultaneously, the cockroach-headed crossdresser pierced his own carotid artery. A spurt of blood gushed out, shooting past where Seinosuke had just been and splattering on the ground.
"Ahhh, you bastard, don't you dare dodge!"
The cockroach-headed crossdresser shouted in anger.
Seinosuke laughed heartily:
"Sorry, I have no interest in listening to men."
Upon hearing this, the cockroach-headed crossdresser's face darkened even further.
He instinctively reached for the Quincy emblem at his waist.
But immediately afterward, she realized that the other party did not wear a white haori and was not a captain, so theoretically, they should not be able to use Bankai.
Never mind. At this point, although unwilling to use that ability, there was no choice but to force it.
After all, her determination to kill this guy was now boiling and burning!
Under Seinosuke's astonished gaze, the cockroach-headed figure suddenly spread its arms wide.
With that motion, a massive purple cross-shaped pillar of light shot into the sky!
Like an apostle self-destructing, the enormous pillar of light was clearly visible across half of the Seireitei!
Seeing this giant cross, Quincies scattered throughout the Seireitei showed expressions of surprise.
"That guy Giselle... actually used that move so soon?"
Within the pillar of light, the cross-dresser's figure reappeared.
His current condition was even worse than before.
Just moments ago, he had unleashed the Quincy's ultimate form—Vollständig.
Even for a Sternritter, activating Vollständig was an arduous task.
To reduce the strain, most knights would absorb surrounding Reishi when activating Vollständig.
But just now, when he absorbed the ambient Reishi, to Komamura's surprise, he discovered that this Reishi actually contained Hollow spiritual power!
Is this the Seireitei?
This is Hueco Mundo!!