"Wha—?"
Seeing Satoru not retreat but instead charge straight into his arms, Yasushi Takada's expression twisted in shock.
And when he saw Satoru's fists clenched and thrust forward, all his confusion instantly turned to sheer disbelief.
BOOM!!!!
Under the astonished gazes of Yoruichi and Soi Fon, Yasushi Takada, who had been on the verge of capturing Satoru, was suddenly sent flying backward.
After soaring dozens of meters, he crashed heavily into the wall—
Debris and dust erupted in a rolling cloud!
Satoru stood in place, casually flicking his wrist.
As he did, a surge of spiritual pressure swept through, dispersing the smoke and dust entirely.
Yasushi Takada's figure reappeared in their line of sight.
When Soi Fon got a clear look at his condition, she couldn't help but feel… disbelief.
The massive stone giant lay sprawled in the rubble, limbs splayed.
On his stomach, the rocky armor slowly cracked and fell away.
With the armor gone, a gaping bloody hole, over ten centimeters in diameter, was exposed to the air!
She instinctively glanced at Yoruichi, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
To her surprise, Yoruichi wore an equally stunned expression, her lips slightly parted.
Seeing Yasushi Takada's injury, Satoru showed a somewhat regretful look.
"Old man, you recognize this move?"
As if in response, Yasushi Takada groaned from within the rubble, pushing himself up with one hand against a nearby rock.
"…I've had the honor of witnessing the Head Captain's fist technique once before."
Though he forced his voice to remain steady, the pain was unmistakable.
After all, having a hole punched through his stomach would have killed an ordinary Shinigami outright.
"No wonder."
Satoru's expression turned slightly rueful.
The moment he unleashed Sōkotsu, Yasushi Takada had instantly erupted with spiritual pressure underfoot, retreating at full speed.
Thanks to that, he had managed to mitigate some of the impact.
Otherwise, that single strike might have decided the battle.
Under Satoru's gaze, Yasushi Takada slowly rose to his feet.
The bleeding wound on his stomach was once again covered by the rocky armor.
Watching this, Satoru couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled.
Was that armor sterilized?
Wouldn't direct contact with raw flesh cause an infection?
As he pondered these trivial thoughts, Yasushi Takada spoke again:
"If I recall correctly, you've only been the Head Captain's disciple for a little over a month."
"To master such a technique in such a short time…"
"And that burst of spiritual pressure you unleashed just now…"
"I retract my earlier words. You cannot be simply described as just a 'genius.'"
"Given time, you may surpass even the Head Captain and become the strongest Shinigami."
Satoru shrugged.
"Flattering me won't do you any good."
"Do I look like the kind of guy who cares about titles like that?"
Hearing his words, the two girls behind him couldn't help but admire him.
At his age, being praised so highly by a Captain-level fighter would have gone to most people's heads.
Yet Satoru remained utterly unfazed, earning their genuine admiration.
Under their watchful eyes, Satoru continued:
"With injuries like that, you can't use Bankai anymore."
"At this point, even if I can't deal any more damage, stalling you until reinforcements arrive is more than enough."
"Heh heh heh… Captain Takada, got any more tricks up your sleeve? Feel free to show me."
Yoruichi: "…"
Soi Fon: "…"
Just moments ago, he had seemed like a hero descending from the heavens, but in the blink of an eye, he'd turned into some low-quality early-story minor boss.
Hearing Satoru's words, Yasushi Takada nodded.
"Indeed, you're not wrong."
"Though you used some tricks, up until now, I was truly defeated."
"Given your age, achieving this level is already quite admirable."
Seeing Yasushi Takada still spouting such meaningless drivel, Satoru curled his lip.
However, his biggest task right now was to stall until reinforcements arrived.
So, he was more than happy to keep chatting and wasting time with Yasushi Takada.
But just as he was about to speak, he suddenly froze.
Wait…
Yasushi Takada had just said that up until now, he had been the one losing.
What did that mean?
Staring at Yasushi Takada, a series of images flashed rapidly through his mind.
The sudden attack on Squad 7.
A route that bypassed patrols, leading straight to Squad 2.
A Captain-level assailant…
With Yasushi Takada's strength, there was no need for him to clear a path in advance.
Whether charging in directly or launching a stealth attack, Yasushi Takada was fully capable of either.
In other words… besides him, there were others who had infiltrated Squad 2!
Given that Yasushi Takada had personally targeted Yoruichi, the infiltrators' goal wasn't to assassinate the head of the Shihōin family.
Then… what was their target?
Realizing this, Satoru's expression abruptly changed, and he turned toward the prison gate.
"Yoruichi! Take people to the Maggot's Nest!"
Hearing this, Yoruichi was stunned for a moment before her face paled in horror.
Ignoring the still-bleeding wound on her shoulder, she leapt to her feet.
"Soi Fon, gather everyone who can still move and follow me down!"
Hearing their exchange, Yasushi Takada chuckled softly.
Beneath his rocky armor, his voice was slightly muffled:
"Not bad, figuring out the meaning behind my words so quickly."
"Satoru, you really are impressive."
"However… it's a shame. It's already too late."
As if to confirm his words, an overwhelming spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from the prison behind Yoruichi!
With a deafening crash, the prison gate was blasted open from the inside!
Amid the dust, a figure emerged, flanked by several masked assassins.
At the sight of him, Yoruichi gritted her teeth.
"Rennosuke… Kamikawa!"
From the moment Yasushi Takada attacked the prison, she had known his goal was Kamikawa.
But she never expected that a Captain-level fighter like Yasushi Takada was just a decoy.
The real rescue team had already infiltrated long ago!
Stepping out of the prison gate, Rennosuke grinned.
"Ha, as expected… you actually managed to get me out!"
As he spoke, his gaze first landed on Yasushi Takada standing nearby.
"Yo, Takada, didn't expect you to be the one picking me up!"
Then, he noticed Yasushi Takada's unstable spiritual pressure.
"Huh? You're injured?"
Rennosuke quickly scanned his surroundings.
When he spotted Satoru, his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.
After a brief moment of shock, he was instantly consumed by fury.
"You little rat… what a coincidence!"
"Perfect. To celebrate my return to the world, I'll use your life as the offering!"
Snatching a Zanpakuto from one of his men, Rennosuke charged straight at Satoru!
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