Chapter 407: BSUS Chapter 410: Sorry, I Really Couldn't Hold It In

Something was wrong. Sung-Sun didn’t know Baraggan perfectly, but she still knew a bit about the former King of Hueco Mundo.

The Baraggan in front of her emitted a familiar Reiatsu; his appearance and tone were exactly as she remembered. Anyone who had seen him would think this was the real Baraggan.

However, there was one thing about him that was completely unlike Baraggan. With the power of Lord Chōzuka and Aizen, making the former King of Hueco Mundo bow his head wasn’t impossible, but cooperating with a mere Shiba Kaien…

Was it because he was a junior Lord Chōzuka cared about, someone who could become his weakness?

Or was it to sever Lord Chōzuka’s connection with Soul Society through him?

Both possibilities might serve as reasons to support his actions, but if the other party was truly Baraggan, a single reason would be enough to veto any possibility of cooperating with Kaien.

How could a mere ant stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a king!

The person before them was not the real Baraggan, and even if he was, he definitely harbored ill intentions!

“Danger, don’t go over there!” Sung-Sun warned loudly, but it seemed a bit too late. Kaien appeared to have truly believed Aaroniero’s rhetoric and was already standing right in front of him.

Yes, it was already too late. Aaroniero’s hollow eye sockets seemed to bloom with a gleam of excitement. With a flip of his right hand, the longsword he had been holding at some unknown point suddenly transformed into a pitch-black, double-bladed giant axe.

“How truly foolish, brat!”

Facing the axe blade that almost occupied his entire field of vision, Kaien revealed a smile that said he had expected this all along. Leaning backward, his right hand swiftly drew his Zanpakutō.

“Surge, water and sky, Nejibana!”

The spear fell into his grasp. The butt of the spear planted straight into the ground, and the tip pressed against the axe blade. Kaien’s body leaned back at a precarious angle, achieving a delicate balance in that instant.

Aaroniero didn’t quite like this balance. Twisting the giant axe in his hand, he actually knocked Kaien’s Nejibana away. His freed left hand reached straight for Kaien’s chest, as if intending to crush the man before him in a single grip.

Just as Kaien raised his hand to block, he heard a shout from behind: “Get back!”

The next second, Sung-Sun seemed to float right over his head. With a flick of her sleeve, she revealed her short sai, sweeping it horizontally against the giant axe Aaroniero had just steadied.

Aaroniero’s figure paused for a moment, but his reaching left hand lost none of its momentum. His perfectly straight fingertips were about to touch Kaien’s chest when Jackie arrived just in time, delivering a precise sweeping kick to his wrist.

“Human!”

Aaroniero gritted his teeth. Pushing with his right hand, he deflected Sung-Sun, then swung his giant axe horizontally, his target shifting to the newly-steadied Jackie.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have underestimated Kaien too much. Kaien had already prepared himself mentally when he approached earlier. The enemy’s swift and ferocious offensive was somewhat unexpected, but he wasn’t entirely without a means to resist.

That was true even in a rush, let alone when Sung-Sun and Jackie had bought him a considerable amount of time. If he stood by and did nothing while Jackie faced the enemy’s attack alone, he would probably be so ashamed he’d commit seppuku.

Without even turning his head, he reached his right hand back. The butt of Nejibana fell perfectly into his palm. Without any visible movement of his hand, the spear seemed to come alive, sliding forward gently on its own so its master could grip it right in the center effortlessly.

Jackie seemed to hear the sound of splashing water by her ear. The sound grew louder and louder, eventually turning into the roar of crashing waves surging up from beside her!

She only caught a faint glimpse of a spear’s shadow before a curtain of water intercepted the incoming giant axe.

Her relief lasted less than a second. A streak of black, like a suddenly sprouting stone spike, tore through the water curtain. No matter how the torrential currents washed over it, they couldn’t wash away its sharp edge. That giant axe could probably cleave a mountain in two, let alone this powerless stream of water.

“Duck!”

Kaien’s voice seemed to possess a kind of magic, making people feel incredibly secure entrusting their lives to him. The more dangerous the situation, the more effective it was.

Jackie immediately bent down and ducked her head. Kaien seemed to trust that she wouldn’t hesitate, so he didn’t hesitate either.

Sweeping Nejibana upward, he raised it over his head. His hands gripping the shaft alternated and flipped rapidly. In the blink of an eye, Nejibana had spun five or six times in his grasp.

The water curtain flying out with Nejibana continuously battered against Aaroniero’s giant axe. It merely splashed into scattered droplets, like moths darting into a flame, but it was effective.

Aaroniero felt the momentum of his strike gradually fading. His other hand quietly gripped the axe handle; he intended to shatter all of this with even greater strength.

Kaien naturally didn’t expect to defeat an Espada with such a method. Before Aaroniero could grip the axe with both hands, Kaien pushed off his toes. The spinning Nejibana wrapped around his body, dropping to his waist, and following the rotation of his body, swung toward his opponent with even greater force.

*Bang!* The spear and the giant axe parted the moment they clashed. Aaroniero remained completely motionless, while Kaien was sent flying backward like a whipped top. He even skidded a considerable distance across the ground before barely managing to steady himself.

In this brief clash alone, he had lost. It wasn’t an insurmountable gap, but the opponent clearly hadn’t used his full strength. The Espada were not so easily dealt with.

Aaroniero didn’t pursue. His hollow eye sockets swept over the three of them one by one. A skull obviously couldn’t make any expressions, but anyone who looked at him could feel the anger radiating from it.

The next moment, that anger unexpectedly vanished into thin air. He opened his mouth slightly, seemingly making a smiling expression, and his tone was full of praise. “Not bad. You haven’t disappointed Lord Chōzuka. You have all passed the test.”

“Aizen is a guy who is extremely adept at manipulating people’s hearts. If you weren’t absolutely loyal to Lord Chōzuka, you would absolutely never be able to win!”

Aaroniero spoke with righteous indignation, as if he and Hiroe had truly planned this together long ago. A hint of slyness flashed in Sung-Sun’s eyes. *Doesn’t this just prove even more that you aren’t the real Baraggan?*

It seemed this posturing fellow in front of them knew how to use his brain, but wasn’t all that good at it. He shouldn’t be as difficult to deal with as Szayelaporro.

But looking at Jackie, she seemed a bit hesitant again. Sung-Sun looked to the other side; Kaien’s face was terrifyingly serious. Was he perhaps blaming Lord Chōzuka?

Right now, she really needed to give these people a reminder, but Lord Chōzuka currently didn’t want the Shinigami side to know about his relationship with the Arrancar side. What should she do?

Sung-Sun maintained her vigilance, secretly reporting the current situation to Hiroe in her heart. Lord Chōzuka valued Shiba Kaien highly; this wasn’t something she could decide on her own.

Over there, Aaroniero seemed to have more to say, but he was interrupted by a sudden laugh from Kaien. Kaien didn’t hide his thoughts, stating directly, “Sorry, those words were just too funny. I really couldn’t hold it in.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“If I believed you, how could I have avoided your sneak attack just now? Of course, it was also a test, and the facts prove that you really don’t have a truthful bone in your body.”

Aaroniero shook his head. “That was just a test. Now…”

“That guy Chōzuka is indeed a bastard who might throw away people’s trust in him at any moment.”

Kaien unceremoniously interrupted Aaroniero. “But that guy can also pick up people’s trust in him again at any time. So, those of us who know him sometimes listen to him, and sometimes we don’t.”

“Testing our loyalty? If he stood in front of me and said something like that, I’d definitely punch him hard, and he knows it.”

“If he really wanted to trick me, an idiot like you would just be dragging him down.”

Kaien raised his spear, pointing it straight at Aaroniero, whose aura was growing increasingly dark. “Don’t use your stupidity to drag down his character—even if he is a bastard himself!”