On the Practical Applications of Kido

Watching Asano Kiyoshi, who was now practically at the end of his rope, Kaname Tōsen frowned slightly and asked Aizen in confusion:

"Lord Aizen, why pay so much attention to a student who has not even graduated? We are at a critical stage of the plan. If something like this happens, the Twelfth Division may very well discover us. And Asano Kiyoshi seems to have some connection to the Captain-Commander as well. Isn't this a little too reckless...?"

Before Kaname Tōsen could finish, Aizen interrupted him. His refined, bespectacled face still bore its unchanging gentle smile, and Asano Kiyoshi's figure was reflected in his Light Brown eyes.

"That child's Zanpakuto is strange. It differs from every Zanpakuto in the history of the Soul Society. Don't you want to see such a Zanpakuto for yourselves? Besides, haven't you noticed that the child's control over Reishi is somewhat unusual?"

Hearing Aizen's words, Gin Ichimaru narrowed his eyes and looked in Asano Kiyoshi's direction. Kaname Tōsen remained silent. He could not see, and he was grateful that he could not. The arm hidden beneath his cloak trembled slightly, and bitterness touched the corners of his mouth as he murmured inwardly, "Justice?"

Looking at the two who had already lost their ability to fight, Asano Kiyoshi forced himself to calm down. He bit down hard on his tongue. The intense pain kept his mind clear, while the thick scent of blood instantly filled his mouth. His palms had gone cold from excessive tension, and the rough sword hilt had rubbed them raw. Bright red blood ran down the handle before slowly dripping to the ground.

Asano Kiyoshi drew his Zanpakuto. Ink-black spiritual pressure surged forth like a world-destroying tidal wave from ancient times, dyeing everything around him in a clean, absolute black!

Blood-red towers emerged from the black earth. White bones embraced one another, weeping, singing praises, and worshipping as they gathered around the youth. His clothes, too, transformed into a black-and-red traditional robe!

The black spiritual pressure swiftly enveloped the Pig-faced Hollow. That ink-black spiritual pressure brought an intrigued smile to Aizen's face. Gin Ichimaru's eyes opened, his galaxy-bright pupils filled with shock. Yet it lasted only an instant. Soon, the faint smile that had remained unchanged for ages returned to his face.

Kaname Tōsen sensed that spiritual pressure. Though shocked, he showed little reaction. What he cared about had never been the magnitude of one's strength, but whether one possessed justice in one's heart.

Gin Ichimaru's surprised voice rang out:

"What terrifying talent. He has only been enrolled for two months, yet he has already mastered such a powerful Shikai. Lord Aizen, this test subject will probably die this time."

Aizen did not turn around. He merely smiled faintly.

"It does not matter. Mass-produced things are meant to measure the dimensions of all things in this world. It has already fulfilled its mission."

Then, the three of them stood above the heavens, quietly watching Asano Kiyoshi battle the Pig-faced Hollow!

Beneath the Gate of the Underworld, Asano Kiyoshi stood surrounded by Scrolls. Watching the Pig-faced Hollow charge at him, fear and madness flickered across his face. He raised an arm slightly, Reishi winding around his fingers as he called out softly:

"Bakudo No. 21—Sekienton."

Asano Kiyoshi's words fell, and thick red mist rose from between him and the Pig-faced Hollow. The crimson fog was filled with chaotic spiritual pressure. While obscuring vision, it also disrupted the Pig-faced Hollow's perception of spiritual pressure. Asano Kiyoshi's voice echoed from all directions within the dense mist:

"Bakudo No. 30—Shitotsu Sansen."

Three extremely glaring flashes suddenly appeared within the thick red mist, followed by the sound of something tearing through the air. Huge beak-shaped beams of light appeared at the Pig-faced Hollow's neck, waist, and right ankle, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The Pig-faced Hollow was slammed directly onto the ground by the sudden attack. Its entire body began to struggle violently, every muscle madly battering the three beams of light. Cracks visibly appeared across the beams under its assault.

Asano Kiyoshi's voice did not pause in the slightest. As his words fell, one Reishi attack after another came crashing down.

"Self-destruct, Rondānini's Black Dog! Leap forth! Burn it all to ashes! Sever your own throat! Bakudo No. 9—Hōrin! This is a Bakudo with the same chant as 'Strike.' Compared to 'Strike,' its binding power on a single body part is more than twice as strong."

Yellow Reishi rapidly assembled and arranged itself in the air. Then, like a venomous snake hunting its prey, it shot straight toward the Pig-faced Hollow, moving so fast that it cut through the air with shrill cries.

The Reishi rope bound the Pig-faced Hollow's other foot. With a pull from Asano Kiyoshi, it dragged the Hollow, which had just begun to rise, back onto the ground.

Seeing the figure crash to the ground, Asano Kiyoshi did not hesitate before chanting once more:

"Hado No. 4—Byakurai!"

As the words fell, pale blue Reishi gathered at Asano Kiyoshi's fingertips, arranged in an extremely unstable and violent pattern. Electric arcs danced wildly around his fingers. Then, a dazzling white beam pierced through the red fog and struck directly beneath the Pig-faced Hollow's Hollow hole, blasting open a bloody wound that smelled of scorched flesh.

After suffering that attack, the Pig-faced Hollow let out a mournful howl. Its entire body collapsed to the ground and lay motionless, as though dead. Even so, Asano Kiyoshi did not lower his guard. He emerged from the red mist with his Zanpakuto in hand, used Shunpo to arrive before the Pig-faced Hollow, and prepared to kill it outright.

But at that moment, the previously motionless Pig-faced Hollow moved again. The muscles across its body bulged wildly as it broke free from the restraints of the two Kido behind it. Its enormous palm swung toward Asano Kiyoshi. Facing that massive hand, Asano Kiyoshi showed little panic. He took a deep breath, and a layer of ink-black light emerged over his body. It was the Kido he had cast upon himself before leaving the red mist:

"Bakudo No. 8—Seki!"

Yet even so, the tremendous force still sent him flying. A series of cracking sounds rang out as the defensive Kido Asano Kiyoshi had used shattered into fragments under that immense power. He himself spat out two mouthfuls of blood. Clearly, his internal organs had suffered severe damage in the previous impact.

However, as he looked at the Pig-faced Hollow with its face wide open, a smile appeared on Asano Kiyoshi's face instead. He wiped away the blood and shouted:

"Bakudo No. 26—Kyokkō! Hado No. 31—Shakkahō!"

The instant Asano Kiyoshi's words fell, the Shakkahō concealed beneath Kyokkō revealed its savage visage and tore toward the wound that Byakurai had just blasted into the Pig-faced Hollow!