Chapter 212: So This Is Your Ability!
"Satoru, proceed with caution! First, discern his ability!"
Seeing that he couldn't win against the reckless fool, Aizen called out a reminder.
"Don't worry, I'm best at adapting on the fly!"
With that, Satoru grinned widely and spread his arms.
Shadow power, flow into me!
In a flash, he appeared before Senzaemon, his fist—clenched at his waist—bursting forward—
Double, Sōkotsu!
BOOM!!!!
A long shockwave, seemingly stretching into infinite distance, swallowed Senzaemon whole.
Where it passed, structures crumbled, and the sea of sand boiled!
Satoru grinned, his expression turning somewhat ferocious as he looked ahead.
How's that old geezer, Senzaemon, doing?
Amidst the distorted air, Senzaemon's figure emerged.
The old Shinigami's face was icy cold as he quietly stared back at him.
Although a section of his Reiatsu defense layer had been shattered and his body bore several holes from the previous punch, he didn't appear angry.
Satoru snorted with laughter.
"Strike while the iron is hot... old man, time to pay up!"
"Break, Risō Jakumetsu!"
Whoosh.
Twin blades burning with blue flames, trailing long chains, flew toward Senzaemon from two directions.
Simultaneously, Satoru controlled his shadow duplicate to thrust a sword from behind toward Senzaemon's chest.
With multiple attacks converging, no matter how cunning you are, you'll still fall for my tricks!
The next second, Satoru's vision suddenly blurred.
Not far away, Senzaemon stood calmly in midair.
His hands were empty.
His Zanpakutō remained sheathed at his waist, while the shadow duplicate lay dormant within his body, ready to coordinate with his main form for a dual strike.
Satoru: "...?"
Something felt off about this situation.
"Satoru, be careful. Assess your opponent's abilities first."
Aizen spoke up to remind him.
"Oh, right!"
Satoru was momentarily stunned, then nodded.
He snorted and charged toward Senzaemon.
Shadow power, flow through me!
Raising his fist high, he prepared to deliver a dazzling double Sōkotsu strike at Senzaemon.
But just as his fist was halfway through its motion, Senzaemon suddenly drew his blade.
Swish!
The gleaming blade traced a wide semicircle.
A spray of blood blossomed on Satoru's arm.
"Huh?"
Looking at his injured arm, Satoru showed a surprised expression.
His punch was extremely fast and appeared ordinary on the surface.
Normally, few would target his swinging arm for a counterattack.
"Not bad, old man. You've got a good eye."
Satoru didn't hesitate to offer praise.
Senzaemon sneered, "I've seen this move five times already."
"Five times?"
Satoru tilted his head.
As he pondered, Senzaemon suddenly vanished from his spot.
The next moment, a Kurohitsugi erupted from the ground where he had just been, enveloping nothing but empty air.
Watching Aizen, who had somehow appeared beside Satoru, Senzaemon's eyes flashed with disgust.
This seemingly harmless young man fought with utterly ruthless tactics.
Satoru's patterns were easy to decipher, but this "Sōsuke" character was nearly impossible to predict.
The only consistent pattern was that he always struck when your guard was at its weakest.
Over seventy percent of his techniques were "Kurohitsugi"!
Having dodged Aizen's attack, Senzaemon felt pleased.
It seemed his intelligence gathering was nearly complete.
Now, it was time for his domination...
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw Satoru charging toward him.
"Fool! I've already seen through you, and with one arm injured, what can you possibly do?!"
As he spoke, he raised his Zanpakutō, ready to claim the reckless fool's head.
But the next second, his vision suddenly blurred.
For a moment, the Satoru before his eyes transformed into Yamamoto Shigekuni's appearance.
A white, flowing beard whipped wildly in the wind, and his scar-covered old muscles bulged intimidatingly.
"Yamamoto?! How is that possible, how could you..."
Just as Senzaemon cried out in shock, he realized the figure before him had already reverted to Satoru's form.
"?!"
Under his stunned gaze, Satoru laughed heartily as he charged forward, throwing a punch.
It was still the Double Sōkotsu.
But this time, Senzaemon, frightened by the illusion, had forgotten to maintain his Spiritual Pressure Defense Layer.
Satoru's fist easily pierced through his protective Reiatsu, aiming straight for his chest.
At the critical moment, Senzaemon mustered all his strength to twist his body slightly, avoiding a fatal blow.
BOOM!!!!
The fist containing terrifying explosive force struck Senzaemon's chest.
A blue shockwave pierced through the old Shinigami's back, emitting a long trail of energy.
That punch nearly knocked Senzaemon unconscious.
His vision went black for a second before he finally regained his senses.
With a sense of fear, Senzaemon hurriedly activated his Zanpakutō ability again—
"Satoru, be careful. First understand your opponent's ability."
Aizen offered a reminder.
Satoru nodded: "Osu!"
No sooner had he spoken than he suddenly frowned and halted his intended reckless charge.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Satoru's expression, Aizen thought something might be wrong and quickly inquired.
Satoru straightened up and scratched his head.
"I feel inexplicably tired."
"We've only just started fighting, why would I feel this way?"
Hearing this, Aizen raised an eyebrow.
If anyone else had said this, it might have been a misconception.
But... Satoru, this intuition monster, was different.
This guy might have genuinely noticed something.
Aizen looked toward Senzaemon.
The old Shinigami's face was shifting between gloom and uncertainty.
Those cunning eyes were fixed intently on him, paying little attention to Satoru.
To be precise, they weren't fixed on him, but on his Zanpakutō.
None of his past opponents had ever done this.
Suddenly, Satoru showed an expression of realization.
"So that's it, I understand now. This is his Zanpakutō ability!"
At these words, Senzaemon's pupils contracted.
Even Aizen couldn't help but show a somewhat surprised look as he turned to Satoru.
Under both their gazes, Satoru sneered:
"Tsunayashiro, your ability... is to drain the stamina of anyone who has seen your Zanpakutō, right!"
Senzaemon: "..."
Aizen sighed and facepalmed.
Then, drawing his Zanpakutō, he pointed it at Senzaemon.
"Satoru, go. Hit him with your strongest move."
Hearing this, Satoru was momentarily taken aback.
Then, he grinned.
"No problem... leave it to me!