Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu

A huge black cubic barrier appeared out of nowhere, engulfing Jinpeng in an instant.

Several breaths later, the barrier shattered. Blood sprayed from Jinpeng's body, and he crashed to the ground.

"Jinpeng!"

A furious shout came from high above.

Vast Soul Power descended like a tidal wave. A burly figure dived from the sky and landed beside Jinpeng.

It was Du Busi, the Body Sect's leader.

Dressed in a dark green outfit, with short green hair and a striking full beard, he fixed bloodshot eyes on Sōsuke Aizen.

"Who are you? How dare you attack the Body Sect? Do you have a death wish?"

Aizen took a few unhurried steps forward. He smiled and looked Du Busi up and down with interest.

Suddenly, Aizen raised a hand and pressed down on empty air. An eerie, crushing force descended on Du Busi.

Du Busi's body sank, and the ground cracked beneath his feet.

His bones creaked under the pressure. Cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.

Instinctively, Du Busi crossed his arms before him and drove his Soul Power to its limit, yet he still struggled to withstand it.

"Soul Power pressure? No—what kind of power is this?!"

Du Busi was shaken. The pressure resembled Soul Power, but something about it was different.

One thing was certain: it was far stronger than he had imagined.

His expression changed, turning grave.

"Hmph. Interesting. You think I'm afraid of you?!"

With a low roar, he stopped holding back. Nine Soul Rings—two yellow, one purple, three black, and three red—rose and circled his body.

Dark green light surged from within him. His body shot up nearly three zhang, his flesh hardened, and deep green patterns spread across skin that took on the dense, solid look of stone.

He had activated his Martial Soul Avatar and was going all out.

A savage gleam filled Du Busi's eyes as he stared at Aizen.

Poisonous mist churned around his fists as he hurled them at Aizen.

Aizen tapped his foot. Flash Step carried him several zhang sideways, leaving a faint afterimage as the blow struck empty air.

Du Busi's pupils contracted. With his mental power aiding his sight, he locked onto Aizen again.

"Hado #31: Red Flame Cannon!"

Before Du Busi could react, a low chant rang out.

A blazing crimson column erupted from Aizen's fingertip and slammed into Du Busi's massive body.

Caught off guard, Du Busi could only take it head-on. Poisonous patterns flowed across his skin, warding off the burns.

He was about to charge again when Aizen spoke.

"Bakudo #26: Curved Light."

Light concealed his form, and Aizen vanished into the poisonous mist.

Du Busi's enormous body threw punch after punch, sending waves of poison sweeping outward, yet he could not touch so much as the hem of Aizen's clothes.

Aizen emerged from the other side at a leisurely pace, his Zanpakutō lowered at his side. He murmured, "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

Song Que's heart jolted. He spun around and shut his eyes.

Kyoka Suigetsu! That old fox—he didn't do this on purpose, did he?

Aizen noticed Song Que's reaction. The corner of his mouth rose slightly, but he said nothing.

Du Busi watched Aizen release his Shikai, utterly baffled.

He had no idea what had happened, but he did not dwell on it.

With a roar, he rushed Aizen, his fists raining down.

Boom! Aizen flew backward and hit the ground.

"Hahaha! Finally got you!"

"What good are all those fancy tricks? Die, bastard!"

Du Busi roared and pummeled Aizen with his fists and feet, showing no mercy.

Poisonous mist gathered from all sides and enveloped Aizen. Under Du Busi's crushing blows, he seemed unable to fight back.

"Sixth Soul Skill: Hell Poison Dragon Drill!"

Du Busi gathered his deadly poison into a massive dragon and sent it charging at Aizen, intending to finish him in one strike.

"That's enough. Don't actually kill him."

Song Que's voice came from behind him.

Du Busi snorted and ignored him.

But the next instant, the world spun. He heard Vena scream and Long Aotian shout.

"Don't!"

His vision blurred. The person about to be swallowed by the poison dragon was Jinpeng. Du Busi's pupils shrank, and with a startled cry, he immediately redirected the attack.

A soft slash sounded.

Pain shot through Du Busi's chest. Blood sprayed across his face and body.

Then several more slashes came from every direction. They were not fast, yet he felt there was nowhere to dodge.

He stared in disbelief at the growing number of wounds on his body, then slowly collapsed.

"How... how could this happen...?"

As Du Busi fell, his Martial Soul Avatar dissolved on its own.

He looked at Jinpeng, covered in wounds and barely clinging to life. Despair filled his eyes.

Seeing the fighting stop, Long Aotian and Vena hurried over. Each helped one of the injured men up and checked his condition.

"Master, what happened? Are you all right?" Long Aotian asked anxiously.

Du Busi panted without answering, staring blankly around him.

After a long while, he said, "What did I just do...?"

Long Aotian and Vena exchanged a look, each seeing the other's confusion.

"Master, you suddenly went mad. You turned around and kept attacking Elder Jin. We couldn't stop you."

"Thank goodness the poison dragon missed. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

After examining Jinpeng, Vena let out a relieved breath.

"Elder Jin is badly hurt, but he'll be all right."

Du Busi looked toward Aizen, his face grim. "You did this?"

"What did you do to me?"

Aizen smiled but did not answer.

Song Que walked over from behind and said evenly, "Nothing much. Just a little trick. Don't worry about it."

Song Que and Aizen exchanged a glance. After a brief, silent exchange, Song Que nodded to him.

Aizen's spiritual-power double slowly faded away.

Du Busi frowned at Song Que, wariness and confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Who are you people?"

Song Que's voice was cold. "You were the ones who attacked first, weren't you?"

"Why did you suddenly attack my little brother? Don't tell me it was to take him as a disciple. Is that how you recruit someone?!"

Du Busi frowned and turned to Long Aotian and Vena.

"What exactly happened?"

Vena looked pained. "I'm sorry. Please let me explain."

A short while later, everyone understood what had happened. Silence fell.

Song Que gave a cold laugh and slowly put away his Zanpakutō.

"Utterly ridiculous!"

Du Busi shook his head helplessly and cursed. "That old fool deserved the beating I gave him!"

Then his gaze shifted to Huo Yuhao. He looked him up and down with burning interest, clicking his tongue in wonder.