Chapter 258: Three Heroes Battle Baraggan
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Watching Aizen raise his sword and then do nothing, Baraggan couldn't help but feel confused.
What happened?
"Aren't you going to release your Zanpakutō?"
"What have you released?"
For a moment, the surroundings fell into complete silence.
Satoru slowly opened his eyes.
Though Kyōka Suigetsu was formidable, it had absolutely no visual effects.
Paired with Aizen's youthful face, it made him appear like someone who had just mastered Shikai but wasn't proficient enough, failing to activate it properly.
Satoru imagined the scene of Aizen failing to activate his Shikai and retreating in shame, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Just then, an Adjuchas not far away burst into laughter.
"Lord Baraggan, I understand now!"
"This guy hasn't mastered his ability at all!"
"His ability activation failed!"
Hearing this, the Menos Grande all showed expressions of sudden realization.
No wonder Aizen's Zanpakutō showed no changes, and they felt no sense of being attacked.
So he had failed publicly, his ability malfunctioning!
The Menos Grande began to mock him relentlessly.
Amid the Hollows' ridicule, Aizen remained completely unperturbed.
Though still young, he had already attained a state of equanimity, unaffected by praise or blame.
Such mockery was like a gentle breeze to him.
The more these Menos Grande laughed now, the more miserably they would die later.
Just as he was about to retreat behind the scenes, he suddenly saw a short sword trailing a long chain fly past him.
Thud!!!
The first Hollow to mock Aizen was instantly pierced through by Risō Jakumetsu.
It looked down in shock at its pierced chest.
"Lord Baraggan, save..."
Before it could finish, blue flames erupted from the blade, engulfing it completely.
The Menos Grande struggled briefly before collapsing, turning into scattered ashes that merged with the desert of Hueco Mundo.
Satoru pulled back, the chain rattling as he retrieved Risō Jakumetsu.
"What level are you at, daring to laugh at the same joke as me?"
After eliminating one, he turned his gaze to the other Hollows.
Instantly, all the Hollows subconsciously stopped laughing.
The vast plaza of Las Noches became even quieter than before.
The soul-fire in Baraggan's eyes flickered slightly.
He hadn't been able to clearly see how Satoru had made that move just now.
Though most of his attention had been on Aizen, it was enough to tell that compared to his fight with Senzaemon, Satoru had grown stronger again!
This guy... is he a monster?
At this rate, given a few hundred more years, wouldn't he be riding on my head?
With this thought, Baraggan became even more determined to eliminate Satoru here and now.
He glanced at his subordinates.
They outnumbered the Shinigami several times over.
But... facing Satoru, these usually arrogant Menos Grande all appeared timid and hesitant.
Baraggan snorted coldly.
He stepped through the air, advancing toward the battlefield.
"This boring farce ends now."
"Satoru, next, I will personally bury you!"
Gripping his great axe, he erupted with a pillar of Reiatsu.
Then, he charged fiercely at Satoru!
"Bring it on!"
"Today, I'll show you that small can have its advantages too!"
Satoru shouted, uttering words of unclear meaning as he gripped Risō Jakumetsu and met the charge.
Nel quickly warned:
"Lord Satoru! Whatever you do, don't let Baraggan's axe blade cut you!"
"Baraggan's axe holds a special power. Once cut, you'll rapidly age from the wound until your entire body is eroded by time and turns to dust!"
Hearing this, Satoru showed a slightly surprised expression.
Isn't this Baraggan's Respira...? He had known about it for a long time.
However, in his impression, Respira could be released outside the body and spread freely.
How did it become something that must be released through a weapon?
After a brief moment of confusion, he showed a look of realization.
I see, that old bastard Baraggan has no sense of honor.
He must have kept his trump card ability hidden, never using it in front of others.
That's why Nel obtained the wrong intelligence.
How cunning, how cunning indeed!
For someone who acts so much like Sōsuke, they deserve to be severely punished with fists!
In mid-air, Baraggan and Satoru were locked in fierce combat.
Because of this, he didn't notice that on the ground battlefield, his subordinates were inexplicably fighting among themselves.
Under the astonished gazes of the Tsunayashiro Shinigami, Baraggan's subordinates had actually formed small groups and started internal conflicts.
As they grew in size, these Hollows kept shouting.
"Damn it, why did the Shinigami suddenly come over here?"
"Bastard, how could I lose to a mere Shinigami!"
While they were still shocked and confused about what was happening, Aizen walked over.
"Go over there and drag the Adjuchas who can no longer fight out of the battlefield. Inject them with this drug and lock them up."
The Tsunayashiro Shinigami fell into deep thought as they looked at the anesthetic Aizen handed them.
So they weren't here to fight, but to clean up the battlefield?
Clang! Clang!
Baraggan swung his giant axe, clashing repeatedly with Satoru's dual swords.
Tremendous Reiatsu continuously assaulted Satoru's body.
As a Hollow who had survived since ancient times, Baraggan's age likely exceeded the combined ages of all currently existing Shinigami in the Soul Society.
His long years had granted him two great strengths.
First, his rich combat experience.
Second, his terrifying, ocean-like vast Reiatsu!
Satoru narrowed his eyes.
Baraggan's Reiatsu felt like a furious sea wind, violently tearing at his face.
The icy seawater mixed within the wind made his skin sting.
Seeing Satoru's reaction, Baraggan grinned.
"Well, Satoru, can you feel my power?!"
"Ah... truly formidable, unstoppable indeed!"
While swinging his dual swords, Satoru took a moment to give Baraggan a thumbs-up.
Though somewhat displeased by this disrespectful attitude, Baraggan felt quite pleased hearing these words of submission.
Just as he was about to speak and offer Satoru a way out to swear allegiance to him, Satoru said:
"Fortunately, I'm quite resourceful. I guessed this battle wouldn't be simple long before coming here."
"So, I brought along a little external assistance~"
External assistance?
Baraggan's heart skipped a beat.
Satoru's external assistance... could it be that person?
An image of Yamamoto Shigekuni in his youth surfaced in his mind.
Black mustache, sharp eyes, bulging muscles, frequently taking off his upper garment.
Most memorable were the raging flames that erupted from his body during battle.
Under Baraggan's somewhat horrified gaze, two figures shot out from the shadows nearby, darting straight into the sky.
Baraggan sharply looked up, following them with his eyes.
He couldn't quite understand why all these enemies could emerge from Las Noches' shadows.
But right now, that wasn't important.
He needed to first determine what kind of reinforcements Satoru had brought!
When he clearly saw the newcomers, Baraggan froze momentarily.
Hovering in mid-air was a tall, lanky, disheveled-looking man.
The man wore a Shinigami Uniform and was curiously looking around.
A green-haired girl stood beside him, her gaze directed this way.
Spotting Baraggan, the girl grinned, revealing small canine teeth with an arrogant expression.
"Oh, so you're Baraggan, right?"
"Starkk, get ready to fight!"
"Yeah... we did agree on it earlier after all."
Starkk nodded, reaching out toward Lilynette—
"Chase him down, Los Lobos!"
As the Reiatsu storm swirled, the familiar fur coat once again draped over his shoulders.
Raising the long pistol that Lilynette had transformed into, Starkk aimed at Baraggan and without another word, fired a Cero!
A Cero as thick as a water vat instantly blasted toward Baraggan!
Rip!!
Baraggan swung his giant axe upward, tracing a black crescent-shaped arc.
Starkk's Cero, upon touching the edge of the axe blade, instantly lost its power and was split in two, flying off to either side and crashing into the white outer walls of Las Noches, exploding into massive clouds of red smoke.
Feeling the power contained within the Cero, Baraggan couldn't help but be shocked.
This Hollow wearing a Shinigami Uniform was incredibly strong!
Judging by appearances, this guy, like himself, was a Vasto Lorde who had broken through the limits.
No... this guy was probably half a step above him.
He had only just begun to break through the limits, with many Hollow characteristics still remaining on his body.
But this guy had completely crossed that threshold, becoming a true transcendent!
Even back in ancient times, the one who single-handedly stormed into the Soul Society and wreaked havoc hadn't achieved this level!
How could such a formidable existence be someone he had never seen or even heard of before?!
In the moment Baraggan was distracted, Starkk had already ended his probing.
He raised his twin guns, and a rain of Ceros crazily smashed down.
Baraggan, after all, wasn't Satoru—he didn't have the dual boosts of strength and agility. Faced with such a dense barrage of Ceros, he was instantly hit several times.
The Ceros he normally wouldn't even bat an eye at now felt like heavy hammers, each strike causing him intense pain.
With an angry roar, he tried to swing his giant axe to attack Starkk from a distance.
But the moment he raised his hand, he saw Satoru grinning widely as he emerged from behind one of the Ceros.
Under Baraggan's furious gaze, Satoru laughed heartily, gripping his twin swords and bringing them down with the force of splitting Mount Hua!
Crack!!
Baraggan's purple robe was torn open, and the ribs beneath, hard as steel, were shattered by Satoru's strike, breaking more than half of them.
On the surface, such damage might seem less severe than on a flesh-and-blood creature, but for Baraggan, broken bones were the most critical injury.
All of his Reiatsu was concentrated in his bones—lose one bone, and his power dropped a notch!
And in the instant he was distracted by Satoru, Starkk keenly seized the opportunity.
A second wave of Cero heavy rain is coming!
Satoru Mikami retracted his twin swords, preparing for a second strike.
At the same time, a sense of vigilance rose in Baraggan's heart.
Another powerful being was targeting his position, ready to use a control technique!
Though he didn't know who it was, their strength was likely no less than Satoru's!
Faced with this triple crisis, Baraggan let out a cold laugh.
He didn't dodge or even make a defensive move—he simply tightened his grip on the giant axe—
"Rot, Respira!!"
Boom!!!
The moment his words fell, a rolling black mist surged out from the center of his body like a spring, spreading rapidly in all directions.
The hundreds of Ceros fired by Starkk, upon touching the black mist, instantly turned into feeble Reishi, dissipating into the air.
The binding spell Aizen had cast from afar, which had just emerged from the air around Baraggan, suddenly snapped and shattered into particles of light.
As for Satoru, the moment he saw the black mist surge forth, he had already flipped backward to evade.
Witnessing this scene, all the Hollows and Shinigami were stunned.
One moment ago, Satoru had called in reinforcements and unleashed immense power, seemingly on the verge of annihilating Baraggan, holding all the advantages.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the tables had turned completely, with king and rook swapping positions!
Nel exclaimed, "Death Breath!"
Harribel widened her eyes in disbelief. "Wasn't it said that Respira could only be used through the axe blade? How can he release it directly into the air?"
Baraggan Louisenbairn laughed maniacally mid-air.
Black smoke continued to pour relentlessly from his body, sweeping across all directions.
Satoru showed no intention of lingering in battle, turning sharply to flee.
Whoosh!
Starkk flashed to his side in an instant, running alongside him.
"Mr. Satoru, think of something!"
As a Hollow who had lived for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years, Starkk had considerable expertise in the art of survival.
The moment Baraggan activated his ability, he judged it to be utterly unblockable.
Since his own attacks were useless anyway, he simply came to find Satoru.
Hearing Starkk's plea, Satoru laughed heartily.
"Foolish! If I had a solution, why would I need to flee?"
"..."
Starkk blinked.
Though the words were spoken with great bravado, they couldn't quite conceal the embarrassing truth.
Whoosh!
Another figure appeared beside Satoru—it was Aizen.
"So this is the Respira you mentioned before... Truly a bizarre ability."
"Accelerating time, causing objects to instantly age and decay—even Reishi is no exception."
"For a mere Hollow to awaken such a marvelous ability..."
Starkk opened his mouth to speak.
He wanted to say that he was also a Hollow.
But after considering that both Aizen and Satoru were Shinigami, and that he was outnumbered, he decided to keep quiet.
Seeing Aizen still calmly analyzing the situation, Lilynette, who had transformed into a pistol, grew frantic.
"Four-Eyes, stop analyzing and tell us what to do!"
Aizen remained expressionless. "Faced with such an unstoppable ability, what can I possibly do?"
"Huh?!"
Lilynette was stunned.
Beside them, Satoru urged earnestly:
"Sōsuke, you wouldn't give up so easily... There's still time. Quickly think of a way to counter him!"
Aizen turned his head to glance at Baraggan, who continued to emit endless black mist.
Then, he looked toward Satoru.
"Hmm, I've thought of a way."
"Ah, excellent! Truly worthy of being my strategist! Speak quickly!"
Aizen smiled and said, "Just turn around, charge over, and cut him down."
Hearing this, Satoru was momentarily stunned.
Lilynette shouted angrily, "What kind of joke is that, Four-Eyes?!"
Aizen didn't respond, merely watching Satoru.
And Satoru seemed to suddenly understand something.
He grinned.
Then, his entire body suddenly halted, flipping over in midair.
Boom!!
Satoru stomped on the air, erupting with a white shockwave ring, and charged back at a speed even faster than when he was fleeing!