Chapter 143 – 143 ⥤ I Don’t Want to Die, I Want to Live

Scorching flames swept outward with terrifying winds, making the earth crack with thunderous rumbles. Dense fissures, like spiderwebs in shattered glass, spread endlessly toward the horizon.

A charred figure traced a perfect parabola through the sky before crashing violently between the cracks, creating a massive crater. Clouds of dust billowed upward, darkening the heavens.

Witnessing this dramatic scene, Aizen fell silent.

He had considered many possibilities, but never expected that Akira would accurately distinguish friend from foe — could Kyōka Suigetsu truly be ineffective against him?

If even this man could so easily break through complete hypnosis, perhaps he should abandon using his Zanpakutō altogether.

“Sōsuke, how does it feel to be betrayed by your own people?” Akira looked toward Aizen’s direction, grinning.

Looking at that man who was smiling like a mischievous Husky, Aizen deeply furrowed his brows. After a moment’s thought, he reached out and waved his hand in front of him.

Strangely, Akira gave no response. Normally, he would have swatted the hand away.

“You…” Aizen hesitated, “Can you really see me?”

Akira nodded, pointing with his hand, but his gaze remained vacant and unfocused.

“Muramasa has turned many Zanpakutō against us.” Aizen explained briefly, “My Kyōka Suigetsu is among them — her ability is complete hypnosis.”

Though he had explained his Zanpakutō’s ability before, he repeated it to prevent any selective forgetting.

“When you first clashed with Kyōka Suigetsu, you fell under complete hypnosis. Everything your five senses perceive now could be her fabrication.”

Akira nodded, showing no signs of surprise.

Though occasionally slow-witted, he could be quite clever when it mattered. Understanding the situation wasn’t beyond his capabilities.

“I’m very curious how you managed to break through the complete hypnosis.” Aizen asked, his curiosity overwhelming his sense of timing, “If I remember correctly, your Reiatsu should be lower than mine.”

Akira nodded and grinned. At last, here was something Aizen couldn’t comprehend but he understood perfectly.

So this was how it felt to intellectually dominate someone!

Ah, Sōsuke, Sōsuke, your moment of defeat had arrived!

Watching his increasingly smug expression, Aizen’s blood pressure began to rise.

“Tell me quickly!”

“Do you know about danger perception?” Akira asked in return, “In your professional terms, would it be called the sixth sense?”

Without waiting for Aizen to urge him, he continued.

“Since the five senses are deceived and can no longer function, why not rely on the sixth sense? Use the prediction of unknown dangers to make judgments — leave your actions to instinct!”

Though it sounds complicated, it’s actually quite simple.

After realizing he might be under Kyōka Suigetsu’s complete hypnosis, Akira abandoned all external information from his five senses, relying purely on his Trait Danger Instinct to fight.

The method of distinguishing friend from foe was simple: those who triggered danger warnings were enemies, those who didn’t were Aizen.

Danger Instinct doesn’t lie. Just kill everything that poses a danger to oneself.

After hearing the explanation, Aizen fell silent again.

He now seriously doubted whether Akira’s brain was wired differently from normal people.

Everyone has a sixth sense — Kyōka Suigetsu’s inability to affect it was an objective fact.

But in battle, things change in an instant, and even a brief delay could lead to irreversible consequences. Using the sixth sense to judge danger was something normal people simply couldn’t react to.

Moreover, information from the five senses isn’t something you can ignore just by closing your eyes and holding your breath — they constantly influence the brain’s judgment of the external world.

Akira’s behavior was like a deaf and blind person driving on a mountain road at 250 kilometers per hour. Life and death are up to fate, survival depends on heaven’s will.

After understanding the key points, Aizen turned and left.

He no longer wanted to communicate with this brute, fearing he might be assimilated if they continued talking.

“I’m going to deal with Kyōka Suigetsu.”

With those words, he flash-stepped toward where his Zanpakutō Spirit had fallen.

Sensing his sudden departure, Akira reached out his hand, wanting to speak but hesitating.

He’d forgotten to ask which one was Kōga and which was Muramasa. Although he had punched Kyōka Suigetsu flying, she wasn’t completely dead yet, and the complete hypnosis hadn’t been lifted.

“Whatever.” He waved his hand dismissively, using his Danger Instinct to directly lock onto two presences that harbored malice toward him, “Even if I must shoulder the Seireitei and support my dear Sister Hana with one hand and my beautiful Yoruichi with the other, I, Akira Kisaragi, remain invincible in this world! Kōga Kuchiki, prepare to die!”

⤫ Mugen Murasaki Kaen Bakuha ⥤ Unbounded Purple Flame Burst! ⤬

As the words fell, Kōga watched in bewilderment as a figure wreathed in deep purple flames — like a terrifying demon — charged straight at Muramasa.

Still dazed from his earlier concussion, Muramasa could only stare as a massive fist filled his entire field of vision.

In terror, he instinctively raised his sword to block.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Kaen Hōsha ⥤ Origin Style: Flame Discharge! ⤬

But this was no mere single strike — countless fist shadows crashed down thunderously as Akira, having abandoned his five senses, transformed his attacks into pure instinct. Like a torrential rain, the barrage of fists poured down, engulfing the Spirit.

Muramasa’s eyes widened in horror as he desperately tried to defend.

He wasn’t a Zanpakutō made for combat — while he could handle regular Shinigami, facing a natural fighter like Akira, who had turned combat into pure instinct, his fate was sealed—

Defeat!

Watching Muramasa’s brutal beating, Kōga swallowed hard as fear took root in his heart, growing until it consumed his mind.

⤫ Kūkyō Genso Henkō ⥤ Empty State, Elemental Transformation! ⤬

White lightning crackled through Akira’s body, surging through every nerve and pushing his instinctive reactions to their limit. With his five senses abandoned, his combat consciousness erupted like a long-dormant volcano.

A crystal-clear killing intent, inscribed in his primitive layers, surged forth like a raging tide!

Countless fist shadows filled the space between them, shattering Muramasa’s Reiatsu defense line. His blade splintered to pieces, his spiritual barrier completely annihilated.

The Danger Instinct’s sharp warning grew fainter until it fell silent!

Akira grinned and launched his final punch.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Kūhaku Hakai ⥤ Origin Style: Single Empty Destruction ⤬

A sickening crack of breaking bones echoed as Muramasa’s expression froze in petrified horror.

BOOM!!!

With an explosive blast, Muramasa shot backward like a supersonic jet, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.

From south to north, waves of raw energy burst outward as his body carved a deep trench dozens of meters long, before smashing into a mountain peak in an eruption of dust that blotted out the sky.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Witnessing such a terrifying sight, a disheveled Kyōka Suigetsu let out a mournful cry.

So Akira had been holding back when he struck her earlier.

“Did you see that?” Aizen said softly, “Once he deals with those two, he’ll come help me. Are you ready to face his fists?”

At these words, Kyōka Suigetsu’s eyes filled with grief and anger as she looked at Aizen.

What kind of thing was that to say?

This man had completely forgotten their history together, focused only on how to quickly kill her and go help Akira.

Rather than being beaten to death by that brute’s fists, she’d prefer to die by the blade. Just thinking about becoming an unsightly pile of meat made Kyōka Suigetsu shudder.

Finally, steeling herself under Aizen’s startled gaze, her white-robed figure charged straight into his blade. With a spray of blood, she dissolved into points of light and merged back into the Zanpakutō.

Sensing his soul become whole again, Aizen fell into thought.

This experience would prove valuable for his future research, though it was unfortunate he couldn’t try it a few more times.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

After dealing with Muramasa, Akira followed his sixth sense to appear before Kōga.

“It’s your turn now, Muramasa!”

Kōga: “…”

Looking at Akira’s serious expression, he couldn’t tell if he was joking or toying with him.

One thing was certain — his Reiatsu had completely locked onto him. Escape was impossible. There was only combat!

Kōga rekindled his fighting spirit, determined to kill or defeat Akira quickly to create an opportunity for escape.

If he could just flee this place, with his talent and more harsh training, he would surely make all the Zanpakutō in Soul Society submit to him. When that time came, forget about Ginrei — even Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto would bow before him!

With this thought, Kōga launched his attack with a vicious grin.

⤫ Illusion! ⤬

An ability originating from Muramasa’s power, using Reiatsu to affect the enemy’s sense of distance and space.

He watched as Akira stood dazed in place, eyes unfocused and blank.

But just as Kōga raised his blade to deliver a brutal strike, he saw a fist rapidly expanding before his eyes.

Boom!

Kōga flew backward, crashing heavily into tree branches, the impact embedding him within them.

Indigo Reiatsu shot skyward in a pillar of light, dyeing the blue sky an eerie purple. Even without Muramasa’s influence, Kōga possessed genuine Captain-level strength — in terms of raw power, ordinary Captains were no match for him.

Though Akira had shattered his confidence, at the brink of death, Kōga unleashed unprecedented potential. He refused to die.

⤫ Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui ⥤ Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down! ⤬

A hoarse voice rang out from within the Reiatsu pillar as Kidō light bloomed at Kōga’s fingertips. Blue explosive flames erupted, transforming into a dazzling beam that illuminated the heavens.

BOOM!!

A deafening explosion rang out as the air instantly boiled.

⤫ Kusari no Kabe ⥤ Wall of Chains! ⤬

Exquisite chain links ground against each other, throwing off brilliant sparks as they formed a solid shield, blocking the flames and their aftermath.

But suddenly, Akira found his body fixed in place. The battered Kōga appeared behind him.

⤫ Spiritual Threads! ⤬

Their shadows were connected on the ground. Kōga had used Sōren Sōkatsui to distract, then Spiritual Threads to bind.

This was the final moment. Kōga raised his cold Zanpakutō and struck downward without warning, his blade’s pressure tearing through the air!

It cut through a single layer of skin…

Akira paused in surprise, and Kōga’s expression froze.

Damn, was this really a Shinigami?!

Though that strike hadn’t been his full power, it should have easily killed a Gillian.

But against this opponent, it only cut through one layer of skin? Just how thick was his hide?!

In that moment of shock, Akira erupted with Reiatsu, deep purple flames blazing as he used a lightning fire sword to slice through the spiritual threads.

He used Shunpo to instantly close the distance, his dangerous gaze fixed on Kōga.

“It feels pretty good to have my five senses back.” With Kyōka Suigetsu’s “death,” the complete hypnosis had broken, and Akira could see reality clearly again.

The corner of his mouth curled up in the same smile he’d worn when Yamamoto beat him up — an expression holding dignity within its ferocity.

His body tensed slightly as his remaining Reiatsu burst forth, his fists exploding forward like bull horns.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Sōkotsu ⥤ Origin Style: Double Bone! ⤬

BOOM!

Kōga’s pupils contracted as he fearfully watched the shockwave of displaced air, all his Reiatsu forming a shield before him. But the terrifying force instantly shattered the shield, surging entirely into his body!

Swoosh—

In that moment, time seemed to stop.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

The next second, a hurricane erupted from the ground with an ear-splitting howl. Violent winds swept outward in all directions from their epicenter. The earth shook violently as the pale purple pillar of Reiatsu dispersed under the devastating attack.

When the dust settled, Kōga collapsed to his knees. His body was broken beyond repair, as if trampled by a hundred wild bulls. Not a single spot remained unscathed.

And this was with Akira holding back — had he released his Kidō in Sōkotsu, this madman’s fate would have ended then and there.

Aizen flash stepped over, frowning at Kōga’s ruined form before turning to his friend.

At that moment, Akira was casually pulling a set of high-quality court noble’s clothes from his tattered Shihakushō.

Aizen: “…”

Why did this guy always manage to ruin the atmosphere at crucial moments by doing completely inappropriate things?

Was this also some kind of talent?

“How should we deal with him?” Aizen asked with a sigh.

“Hand him over to Yama-jii.” Akira said matter-of-factly, “With the crimes he’s committed, execution is inevitable.”

Aizen nodded without objection.

However, at that moment, Kōga suddenly opened his eyes and raised his head with difficulty.

“I don’t want to die… I have some information…”

⤫⤬⤫

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep