Chapter 703 The Only Decent Boss in Shonen Manga

The moment they made contact, the power of the five dragon shadows was reduced by half seemingly out of nowhere.

Not blocked, but 'rewritten' in its very essence.

Then, Ichibe'e counterattacked.

"Ura Hado: Sannodo — Teppusatsu!"

He thrust his oversized palm forward. A berserk wave of Reiatsu erupted from his palm, coalescing into a massive dragon head in mid-air.

The dragon head opened its maw, unleashing a hurricane strong enough to uproot an entire city block.

That hurricane not only completely scattered the remnants of Aizen's Goryutenmetsu, but continued roaring toward Aizen himself, tearing up tiles along the way and turning them to dust in the wind.

Even Aizen himself was forced back step by step.

Ichibe'e pressed the advantage, charging through the storm of Teppusatsu, his blade aimed at Aizen.

His imposing form streaked across the battlefield like a shadow, and he swung his blade three times.

Just before the blade could touch him, Aizen softly chanted that classic release command:

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

The blade cut through empty air... Aizen's body vanished like a mirage. Ichibe'e's blade only struck the ground.

Seeing this, the Shinigami who had lost their Zanpakuto and could only spectate couldn't help but gasp.

Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu... Complete Hypnosis.

'That ability to freely dominate all five senses... truly terrifying.'

'Even the Captain of the Zero Division could only be toyed with?'

But Ichibe'e, whose attack had missed, showed no sign of panic.

Expressionless, he swung his left hand backhandedly.

"Senri Tsutensho!"

The Reiatsu he released instantly coalesced into a giant palm large enough to cover half the sky, slamming fiercely toward his left rear, as if he knew exactly what was waiting for him there.

A dull thud resounded as the Reiatsu Palm collided violently with something.

Everyone looked closely and saw Aizen's figure appearing out of thin air from the previously empty space to his left rear. He had been sent flying by that solid blow.

His body carved a long trench through the stone floor, the edges of his Captain's Haori cracked by the force of the palm.

Gin and Tosen's eyes widened simultaneously.

Even Gin, who had spent over a century as a mole beside Aizen, couldn't hide his shock.

He had never seen Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu broken in a direct confrontation like this.

He had no idea how the opponent had pinpointed Aizen's location.

Ichibe'e withdrew his hand. "A mere party trick."

He had a title that resounded throughout the Soul Society... the Monk Who Calls the Real Name.

He was one of the oldest beings in existence, intimately familiar with the true names and essence of all things in the Soul Society, including, naturally, Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu.

He knew that Complete Hypnosis had one little-known counter: if you touched Kyoka Suigetsu's blade before Aizen released it, you would be permanently immune to its effects.

And just now, when he used Teppusatsu, his Reiatsu had covered the entire battlefield, naturally including Aizen's as-yet-incompletely-released Kyoka Suigetsu.

He had already made contact, and had firmly memorized Aizen's Reiatsu Signature.

From now on, Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis was utterly useless against him.

Ichibe'e swung Ichimonji, now in its naginata form, in a relentless pursuit of Aizen.

Each of his strikes aimed for vital points. The ink-black sword energy left trails that lingered in the air for a long time.

"Is this all you've got?"

Aizen's perpetually composed expression finally lost its smile.

He had to admit that the Zero Division's strength exceeded his expectations.

While using Shunpo to evade Ichibe'e's pursuit, he drew Muramasa, the demonic blade he hadn't planned to use again.

The purplish-red blade cut through the air. All the Zanpakuto's spirits he had been controlling, still lingering at the edges of the battlefield, raised their heads in unison.

Senbonzakura, Hyorinmaru, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o...

All the defected Zanpakuto's spirits, under Muramasa's command, launched a suicide assault on Ichibe'e.

But if even Kyoka Suigetsu couldn't touch this Zero Division's Captain, what could these third-rate Zanpakuto do?

Ichibe'e didn't even need to change his swinging posture. He simply scattered Ichimonji's ink-black sword energy in all directions, and the Zanpakuto's spirits were erased one by one upon contact with the ink.

They weren't even stepping stones to him.

But this was exactly the effect Aizen wanted.

Makoto also noticed the commotion there.

He glanced at Aizen, who was being pushed back by Ichibe'e, and quickly made a judgment.

Ichibe'e's ability was indeed troublesome.

If he had to deal with both him and Yamamoto, the absolute stat monster, in combination, even he couldn't guarantee a sure victory.

He had to take out one of them before they could coordinate effectively.

With that decision made, Makoto stopped holding back.

His battle with Yamamoto instantly escalated to an unprecedented intensity.

Their figures clashed at high speed in the sky. Each collision of the four Black Chainsaws and Zanka no Tachi unleashed shockwaves capable of tearing the sky apart.

After the ultimate clash, Yamamoto poured all his remaining Reiatsu into his blade.

Zanka no Tachi's pitch-black blade glowed with unprecedented intensity, the space around it warping and distorting from the heat.

Yamamoto gripped the blade with both hands and unleashed the strongest strike he could in his current state...

"North: Tenchi Kaijin!!!"

The most berserk form of Zanka no Tachi, concentrating the heat of its blazing flames onto the blade's edge. With one slash, it seemed as if nothing else existed in the world but that single crimson blade.

Wherever that light passed, the air was vaporized. The clouds were split in two. Even the sky over the distant Rukongai was dyed blood-red.

Makoto, in his Resurrección Black Chainsaw form, didn't evade. He charged forward, all four chainsaws screaming with the most shrill roar.

Black Reiatsu and white Hollow power spiraled wildly around the jagged edges, meeting the North: Tenchi Kaijin head-on.

Two forces, each capable of reshaping the world's map, collided in mid-air. The resulting burst of light turned the entire Seireitei into a pure white void.

The shockwave pushed everyone back for miles. Even the Zero Division's members and Vasto Lorde fighting were forced to temporarily halt their battles to steady themselves.

"That's insane!"

Rukia and the others, who had been forced to withdraw from the battle due to the loss of their Zanpakuto, shouted through gritted teeth, bracing themselves.

When the light finally dissipated, the victor was clear.

Makoto's figure appeared behind Yamamoto, his back to the strongest Shinigami of a thousand years.

The four chainsaws on his arms had stopped their screaming.

And Yamamoto knelt on one knee on the scorched, crystallized ground behind him. Zanka no Tachi was embedded in the stone beside him.

The pitch-black color on the blade was visibly fading.

"Soon, Ryujin Jakka will vanish from your life. You'll become an ordinary old man who can't fight."

Makoto's tone was extremely calm. He had never really held any hostility toward the old man.

In this battle, Yamamoto had exhausted all his combat options, and they had all been erased by Pochita's ability.

After this battle, he would lose all his combat abilities.

"Damn... damn brat..."

Yamamoto used his last ounce of strength to keep his hunched body from falling.

Makoto tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Ryujin Jakka, its pitch-black color slowly fading.

"How about it? Help me out. At least I can guarantee your master a peaceful old age."