After putting his Kido to the test against Aizen, and spending the past few days developing and training his spiritual body on a deeper level,
Kisaragi Akira had completely mastered Byakurai's properties. He could imbue it into basic attacks like Zanpakuto, Hand-to-hand, Hoho, and Kido.
In short, his attacks now came with a lightning effect.
As a result,
when he used Red Smoke Escape, it was no longer merely a Bakudo. It had become a Hado with tremendous destructive power.
The combination of vast amounts of dust and crackling sparks was unexpectedly effective.
Its power far exceeded that of Hado spells with the same number, and could even rival a full-power Shakkaho.
And because the red smoke covered such a wide area, it could reach a hundred and twenty percent of its potential in certain places.
Like right now.
Explosive Fire Rain radiated scorching heat as it surged through the mountain, reaching the deepest recesses of the darkness.
Crimson light erupted from the cave entrance. It was dazzling, and it burned the nearby trees and undergrowth to ash.
Soon, howls of pain echoed from within the mountain.
Two hulking creatures, each several meters tall and wreathed in flames, charged out of the firelight, setting the nearby forest ablaze with their heat.
Kisaragi Akira watched with a hint of excitement as the giant Hollows tried to put out the flames on their bodies by rolling around.
Their overall build resembled spiders, except the limbs on either side of their bodies were as long as a centipede's.
They combined the most horrifying features of two kinds of insects so perfectly that anyone with a bug phobia would have a complete mental breakdown on the spot.
"You take the left, I'll take the right?"
Kisaragi Akira glanced sideways and asked.
To his surprise, Aizen shook his head, frowning as he said quietly,
"If you want, you can handle them both."
"Just finish it quickly. Don't waste too much time."
Kisaragi Akira was a little surprised. He was about to ask why,
but Aizen continued, "If you miss dinner, you'll have to raid the Shin'o Cafeteria again tonight. Finals are coming up, so try not to get into any more trouble."
Kisaragi Akira was deeply moved. As expected of his kindhearted Sosuke, always thinking of his friend's best interests.
Meeting Aizen had truly been one of the best decisions he had ever made.
"Since you put it that way..."
Kisaragi Akira rolled up his sleeves and drew his Zanpakuto from its sheath. A flash of silver shimmered amid the flames.
"Then let's finish this quickly!"
Lightning erupted beneath his feet, leaving behind a streak of scorching heat as Kisaragi Akira vanished from the spot.
A flicker of surprise crossed Aizen's eyes at the sight.
Had he already fully developed Byakurai's properties?
As expected...
Outside the realm of theory classes, this guy's talent was second to none.
Even I'm no exception.
The giant Hollow's grotesque pupils filled with fear as it stared at the electrified boy who had suddenly appeared before it.
What kind of creature was this?!
Since when had Shinigami started using electricity?
There was no time to think. A fierce, murderous aura rushed toward it, and the pressure of the Reiatsu bearing down on it made the Hollow feel suffocated.
Driven by instinct, the two spider Hollows ignored the flames still burning on them and viciously lashed their charred limbs toward their attacker!
The air split with a whoosh.
Kisaragi Akira stepped in and bent low, his body tensed. A deep, taut twang, like a bowstring pulled tight, seemed to ring through him.
A thunderous impact burst forth the instant his blade fell!
Death Sword Style: Counter Wave!
His Reiatsu surged in shifting layers, transforming into endless waves rushing upstream. His dazzling blade flashed like a heavy thundercloud crashing down!
In an instant, the metallic limbs were severed and shattered. Thick, blood-red fluid burst from the stumps and splattered across the scorched earth.
The limbs kept attacking without pause.
For a spider Hollow with hundreds of limbs, this style of attack was practically expendable. It didn't care how many were cut off.
All they had to do was land a single strike on the boy before them to ensure victory.
Because in their minds, although Shinigami were powerful, they were extremely weak on defense.
Without enough Reiatsu to protect them, even a Lower-level Menos Grande like a Gillian could injure a captain.
But after just a few brief exchanges,
the two giant spider Hollows were stunned to find that their attacks hadn't worked at all. Instead, as their limbs repeatedly came into contact with his Zanpakuto,
their bodies had begun to feel sluggish and numb.
"The effect's pretty good."
Kisaragi Akira casually cut down an incoming limb and nodded in satisfaction.
Byakurai's power was limited, so even against two ordinary Hollows, it had taken some time to numb their bodies.
But this was only the beginning.
Kisaragi Akira was eager to see how powerful he would become after inscribing those high-level Kido spells.
Sosuke, don't let me down!
Whether the two of us can stand above the heavens depends entirely on your efforts.
After testing out Byakurai's properties, Kisaragi Akira was ready to end this very one-sided battle.
As several limbs struck at him, he unleashed Shunpo again, slipping through the gaps between their attacks and heading straight for the head whose compound eyes were filling with terror.
Splurt—
The sound of flesh tearing rang out. Kisaragi Akira planted a foot on the white shell as his Zanpakuto plunged deep into the creature's head.
His Reiatsu erupted, turning its insides into pulp.
The spider Hollow's compound eyes went blank, and its enormous body collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Seeing its companion die, the other one panicked. Ignoring the numbness and burns, it frantically shook the limbs still attached to its body and tried to flee the battlefield.
"Hmph. Trying to run?"
Kisaragi Akira leaped into the air, crackling arcs of lightning coiling around him. With his ferocious nature on full display, he brought his blade crashing down at the fleeing Hollow!
After glancing at Kisaragi Akira effortlessly dominating the two giant Hollows, Aizen stopped paying them any attention.
At his current strength, Kisaragi Akira could toy with Hollows of this caliber however he liked.
He might struggle a little against a Menos Grande like a Gillian.
Aizen spread his Reiatsu to sense the surroundings, trying to find the source of the unease in his heart.
Beyond the reach of his Reiatsu, beneath the branches of towering trees, the hazy light of a Kido spell descended, shrouding several figures in black.
"According to the information provided by the Spiritual Arts Academy..."
"Kisaragi Akira is the strongest of those brats."
"The reason our war failed was entirely because of the Amulets he made."
"Our target is to kill him at any cost. Even if we all die, it'll be worth it!"
Kisaragi Akira split the spider Hollow's skull with a single slash. Red and white matter burst out and scattered, making for a truly revolting sight.
Just as he collected its compound eyes to take back with him, a sudden sense of unease washed over him. Danger Instinct began to shriek in warning!
From the edge of his vision, several figures in black burst out, lunging straight at the boy standing atop the corpse!
Before you continue