Chapter 241 – 241 ⥤ Are You Willing to Submit to Aizen?

Akira narrowed his eyes at the elegant man before him.

8th Kenpachi, Sōya Azashiro.

His overwhelming presence far surpassed that of his adopted senior brother’s copy.

His Bankai, Urozakuro, possessed the ability to “merge” with all matter and living things, assimilating and controlling whatever it “merged” with. Its influence now encompassed all of Seireitei.

Though it had taken the original Sōya considerable time to achieve this feat, the meticulous puppet master behind the scenes — who had even outmaneuvered Aizen and his group — might have already calculated Urozakuro’s capabilities into their plans.

“I just never expected…” Akira stroked his chin thoughtfully, “That person would create a copy of you. If I recall correctly, this idea of copying Captains originated from your Project Spearhead. What does this mean? The student surpassing the master? Like me and Yama-jii?”

Jūshirō: “…”

Though merely a copy construct, he found himself speechless at such brazen remarks. A thousand retorts crossed his mind, yet he couldn’t settle on which to voice first.

Akira’s use of “that person” wasn’t intentional — he simply couldn’t remember the name. Just another insignificant background character, not worth the mental space.

Sōya smiled, appearing as he had before his imprisonment in Muken, his once-gloomy expression gone.

His personality had softened since Akira had allowed him to reunite with his last remaining family member, no longer as extreme as in the original timeline.

“Kagerōza Inaba executed this perfectly. I must admit that Project Spearhead found its true evolution through him. After all… I merely provided the concept.”

Akira furrowed his brow.

Something about this familiar manner of speaking unsettled him. It was as if the being before him wasn’t a construct at all, but the real Sōya.

“Have you noticed?” His lips curved into a smile, “Consider this a small diversion from my monotonous existence. I happened to learn of Kagerōza’s plan. The construct he created shared such perfect spiritual compatibility with me that fusion was nearly instantaneous. I emerged from Muken hoping to meet an old friend. Please accept this token of my respect.”

As his words faded, he activated the Reishi fused within the air, triggering an immediate violent disturbance in the atmosphere.

A glowing blade of Reishi appeared out of nowhere, cleanly piercing through Jūshirō’s kidney beside him. Whose eyes widened, his face showing bewilderment.

“You two can catch up all you want, but why stab me?”

“You… you’ve betrayed that person…”

Jūshirō attempted to counterattack, his Zanpakutō instantly achieving Shikai, its twin blades crossing like leaping koi.

In the next moment, the ground transformed into surging waves, rising layer upon layer to dozens of meters high — like two giant hands closing around him.

His powerful Reiatsu withstood the assault — attacks of this level weren’t enough to kill Jūshirō.

But then endless earth pressed down again, while countless Reishi blades manifested within, piercing through his outer Reiatsu shield.

Caught off guard, Reigai Jūshirō perished.

In his final moment, a saying surfaced in his mind: One takes on the color of one’s company.

Sōya Azashiro was no longer the elegant gentleman of old. His closeness to a certain someone had transformed him into someone cunning and malicious, capable of any evil — someone beyond ordinary moral constraints.

Akira watched with amusement, showing no intention to intervene. To him, they were merely rebellious traitors.

Though Sōya seemed to have been replaced by the one from Muken, who knew if Kagerōza had left any countermeasures within him?

Never underestimate a scientist — this point had been proven countless times with Aizen.

After finishing off Jūshirō, Sōya turned to face Akira, his lips curving upward as the surrounding Reishi danced wildly, as if welcoming their king.

“I once entrusted the name of Kenpachi to you.” He said calmly, “But the inheritance of Kenpachi requires defeating the previous generation. Now that you’ve grown up, let’s have our destined battle.”

Akira grinned, “So you’re saying we need to fight?”

Sōya nodded.

His life in Muken had been quite leisurely — chatting with his sister, secretly observing interesting events in Seireitei.

But one thing he couldn’t let go of was the inheritance of the Kenpachi name.

His previous decision had been too hasty. Only when his sister reminded him did he realize the title of Kenpachi wasn’t an honor for a young man, but a burden. For a long time, he had felt guilty.

Fortunately, Akira hadn’t suffered any disasters because of it. Now that he had become a genuine Captain of the 11th Division, it was time to bring this matter to a proper conclusion.

“Why waste more words then?” A fierce grin spread across Akira’s face, “I’ve been holding back for a long time.”

As he spoke, he pulled off the tattered cloth covering him, revealing his standard battle stance. Black flames blazed up, instantly distorting the surrounding air with intense heat.

Seeing this, Sōya’s expression changed slightly.

In Muken, he had observed this guy’s battles more than once, always shocked by the speed of his progress. But only when experiencing it firsthand could one truly sense that soul-shaking terror.

This damn guy couldn’t even be called human anymore!

A single punch fell, accompanied by a thunderous “ORA”, and Sōya exploded into countless particles of Reishi.

The ground split into an abyss-like chasm, launching shattered rocks like bullets that tore through the surrounding buildings.

At a distance, Reishi light gathered, reforming into a new body.

Despite the strike’s terrifying appearance, it couldn’t truly harm Sōya. Having merged with the surrounding Reishi, he had achieved physical immunity — unless the entire Seireitei were destroyed, defeating him would be impossible.

After this initial miss, Akira unleashed several more “ORA” punches, reducing kilometers of the district to rubble.

Witnessing this display of destruction, Sōya’s expression grew complex.

Though he too could achieve such devastation, he could never match this man’s effortlessness. Akira hadn’t even broken a sweat — these attacks were mere casual strikes for him.

But could someone so destructive truly bear the responsibility of protecting Soul Society?

A subtle doubt crept into Sōya’s heart.

In that moment of distraction, Akira’s demon-like grin materialized before him, launching another devastating punch without warning.

Sōya attempted to evade by splitting his Reishi.

Yet in the next instant, the Reishi in the air showed an unexpected moment of delay.

Though brief, this pause proved fatal. For a warrior of Akira’s caliber, even a millisecond’s opening would be seized and exploited to its fullest.

His black flame-wreathed fist pierced through Sōya’s body with overwhelming force, triggering an immediate explosion.

The attack mirrored his previously invented Akashirai (Red Cloud of White Lightning). An immense pressure enveloped the battlefield as flames erupted skyward, painting the heavens with an endless sea of fire clouds.

As the embers and dust settled, a disheveled figure appeared nearby, his elegant demeanor gone as he collapsed heavily to the ground.

“Cough Just now…” Sōya stared at him in bewilderment, “What happened?”

Facing this question, Akira bared his fierce white teeth in a grin.

“Sōsuke once told me there are no invincible abilities in this world, nor invincible people. Every ability has its flaws and drawbacks. Urozakuro is indeed powerful, but long ago, Sōsuke had already stripped it bare and seen through everything.”

{T/N: This is a strange line, considering that Urozakuro (from Sōya) is a female Zanpakutō Spirit…}

Sōya fell into contemplation.

His impression of Aizen ran deep. From their first meeting, that man had given off the sense of hiding unfathomable depths.

Even as a student at the Spirit Arts Academy, Aizen had radiated danger. It felt as if no one could keep secrets from him — as if he could strike you down at any moment.

More telling still was how, despite appearing harmless in daily life, he became extremely cautious with matters concerning himself or Akira. He would set up anti-surveillance barriers and place specific illusions targeting potential observers.

This meant that although Sōya knew many things, he knew nothing of the real Aizen. Everything shown to him had been common knowledge among the Shinigami of Soul Society.

“If it’s him…” Sōya said evenly, “Then it’s not surprising. However, Akira. Are you truly willing to submit to being beneath Aizen?”

Akira’s eyebrow shot up, “What do you mean?”

Sōya drew a deep breath, rose to his feet, and spoke with measured calm, “Your trust in Aizen has reached the point where you’d entrust your life to each other. Because of this, you never question anything he asks of you. In that case…”

He fixed Akira with a penetrating stare, as if trying to pierce through to his deepest thoughts.

“How are you any different from the puppets Aizen creates?”

Akira’s body trembled once, then again, then violently, his eyes widening as if questioning his entire existence.

Seeing this, Sōya’s lips curved into a slight smile. Guiding a lost youth back to the right path made this trip from Muken worth—

BOOM!

Damn!

A brutal fist strike fell, destroying half his body, the shattered Reishi scattering like dying firework embers.

“Heh.” Still in his punching stance, Akira sneered with disdain, “Just a crude attempt at sowing discord. With all my worldly wisdom, how could I fall for my step-son’s petty tricks? And another thing, Sōya Azashiro — you’re too arrogant.”

He spread his hands, his posture radiating an invincible presence as powerful Reiatsu swirled around him, making the air grow heavy.

“In what seemed like an equal conversation, Urozakuro’s ability led you to place yourself above me. This perceived knowledge made you unconsciously arrogant. Perhaps in your eyes, no one in Seireitei has any secrets. But how could a lowly soul corpse like you understand the mysteries of bonds?!”

The instant he finished speaking, he launched another direct punch.

Sōya’s expression shifted as he tried to dodge by activating his ability, but halfway through, that earlier sense of stagnation returned.

The surrounding Reishi had slipped from his control. No matter how he tried to manipulate them, they refused to flow smoothly.

A scorching wind howled forth, consuming his body instantly. The long-forgotten agony made him cry out.

Near death, he finally managed to activate his ability, dragging his broken body away from the flames.

Sōya had intended to transport himself beyond Akira’s reach — perhaps to the distant Hakutōmon. Yet when his movement ended, he was shocked to find himself still among the ruins.

Nearby, a demon-like man grinned maliciously at him.

“Hmph, trying to escape?!”

Sōya raised his hand, “Wait. I still have something to say.”

Akira frowned, “Speak quickly.”

Sōya took a deep breath, “Why did Urozakuro’s ability fail?”

The other man raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“That’s it? You don’t even know your own weakness?”

Sōya shook his head, then nodded. Though aware of the drawback’s existence, he remained unclear about the specific methods to counter it.

“It’s simple.” Akira smiled, “Have you heard of Quincy?”

The pale man’s pupils contracted as realization struck.

When Reishi fused with non-living matter, if the constituent Reishi were destroyed, he would suffer corresponding damage. In simple terms, he excelled at internal conflicts but faltered against external ones.

Against the Wandenreich, those Knights with their mastery of Heilig Pfeil would utterly dominate him. He would stand no chance.

Solutions existed, of course. But since the Wandenreich was now considered a partial ally, he hadn’t pursued further research. He had simply maintained several countermeasure plans with Aizen.

“Alright, question answered.” Akira interlaced his fingers and stretched them forward, “It’s time for you to go.”

Killer Move: Serious Series!

⤫ Maji Naguri ⥤ Serious Punch! ⤬

As his fist fell, the Reishi around Sōya froze in place.

His body shattered under the devastating impact, scattering like clay in the wind…

⤫⤬⤫

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