Chapter 298: Show Me Yours

Aizen felt very disappointed in Masaki Seino.

With just one move, H'el used the impact force gathered from Hado #1: Sho to strike Seino's guard, shaking his sword hand and dispersing Hainawa, causing his hand to split and bleed.

If he didn't lack better talent, Aizen wouldn't have chosen someone like Masaki Seino.

In Aizen's eyes, Masaki Seino had nothing to offer except loyalty.

However, loyalty was something Aizen did not care about.

Whether loyal or not, it made no difference to Aizen.

He was confident in his ability to command his subordinates as needed.

Instead, Aizen valued the abilities of his subordinates more.

For example, H'el in front of him was perfect, flawless.

His skill in controlling Reishi was a splendid addition to Aizen's research.

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

Masaki Seino's face showed an expression of shame. He hadn't expected that he would fare worse than Ichiro Urahana, getting his combat rhythm and technique disrupted by H'el with just one move.

The blood dripping from his hand reminded him that although his spiritual pressure was stronger than H'el's, he was no match for him in battle.

He felt a surge of anger, furious that H'el had embarrassed him in front of Aizen.

"Next, you have no chance, child!"

Masaki Seino's face darkened, his bloodied hand gripping his Asauchi tightly as he raised it before his eyes, chanting, "Bind to death, inescapable—Bound Death Hangman!"

Seino's Asauchi released a burst of white light, transforming into three snake-like gray ropes that twisted toward the sky.

His Shihakusho fluttered, rustling loudly, and his spiritual pressure, now five times stronger, surged like a hurricane, shaking the surrounding leaves.

H'el narrowed his eyes. This was his first time seeing an Asauchi transform into a Zanpakuto.

Masaki Seino, who was about 70 times stronger in spiritual pressure than H'el just moments ago, had now multiplied his strength by five.

In terms of raw spiritual pressure, Seino was now 350 times stronger than H'el.

The power gained from the Shikai was astonishing.

It was on a completely different level from before.

"No matter how refined your technique, it is useless before a Shinigami's Shikai."

Masaki Seino regained his confidence, believing his earlier defeat was merely due to carelessness.

How could an ordinary person possibly match a Shinigami wielding their Shikai?

This overwhelming Shikai power was something no ordinary person could compare to.

Seino walked steadily towards H'el, his oppressive spiritual pressure bearing down like a skyscraper. His sharp gaze focused on H'el as he held the handle of Bound Death Hangman, the three gray ropes twisting and extending, and said coldly, "Bind him, hang him, Bound Death Hangman!"

The three snake-like ropes shot towards H'el, breaking through the air.

'Bang bang bang'

H'el's Asauchi slashed through the ropes with three swift strokes. As his sword clashed with the ropes, a sound seemed to emanate from the blade.

"Call my name..."

A faint sound transmitted from the Asauchi in H'el's hand into his mind.

H'el glanced at his Asauchi.

"Are you kidding me? To deal with this kind of trash, I need you to appear?" H'el suddenly laughed. His Asauchi, infused with his spirit and beliefs, now seemed restless, as if it wanted to manifest itself from his hand.

No one understood himself better than H'el.

From the moment he held the Asauchi, it was imprinted with his spirit and beliefs, making it exclusively his weapon, destined to follow him in the future.

The weapon constantly responded to him, yearning to appear, to meet H'el, to hear H'el call its name, to be needed by H'el.

H'el's response seemed to calm the Asauchi down.

Aizen, observing this from a distance, raised an eyebrow in surprise.

How long had he had Urahana's Asauchi?

And already, the spirit and beliefs he had infused into it were making the Asauchi respond?

This was incredibly fast.

Unless he was someone who understood his own heart better than anyone else, with an extremely clear self-awareness, knowing deeply why he was who he was.

Aizen's eyes, behind his black-framed glasses, began to flash with a dangerous glint.

This meant that the boy in front of him might not be someone he could control.

He was too unique.

More of a genius than Aizen himself.

"If that's all, then let's end this."

H'el's sword glowed with a dark red light under the sunlight, his defensive maneuvers flawless.

Even the power five times stronger than before the Shikai couldn't break through H'el's flashing blade. H'el's techniques of deflection and force application were beyond what could be described as mastery.

It was the most logical arrangement of micro-Reishi, a combination that even a Shinigami in Shikai couldn't penetrate.

Just like ordinary carbon atoms can be arranged microscopically to form either carbon or the hardest diamonds.

It wasn't that Masaki Seino was too weak.

Any Shinigami who can achieve Shikai is given a seat in the Gotei 13 and holds a position above 90% of Soul Society.

However, against H'el, these ordinary physical attacks, relying on Reishi to form solid structures and physical power, were no match for him.

Only strange and unusual abilities could affect H'el.

Masaki Seino was not one of those.

"Is that so? Then let's end this." Masaki Seino still exuded confidence, closing in to within ten meters of H'el, a smirk forming on his composed face.

The Strangler's Noose was a close-combat weapon with multiple attack forms, nearly impossible to escape from its binding.

The three gray ropes, slashed by H'el's blade, grew more treacherous and powerful as Masaki Seino approached.

"Let's end this. Strangler's Abyss." Masaki Seino smirked coldly, stepping into Shunpo towards H'el, brandishing his weapon. The three ropes swirled like a vortex, lifting dead leaves and grass, encircling H'el.

"It's over."

Masaki Seino's smirk widened, watching H'el being ensnared by the Strangler's Abyss.

With H'el's level of Reishi, once bound, escape was impossible.

He was sure of it.

Suddenly.

His smirk froze.

The image of H'el within the Strangler's Abyss, pierced by three ropes, was an illusion.

Masaki Seino's eyes widened, and as his head fell, he heard clapping.

His fallen head saw H'el standing behind him, facing Aizen.

"When…what Shunpo…no sound or trace…cutting off my head."

Masaki Seino's confused eyes stared at H'el's back, as the dead leaves stirred by the ropes scattered and began to fall, covering his headless, bleeding body.

Before darkness claimed him entirely, he heard Aizen's clapping and voice.

"Truly impressive control techniques. In Soul Society, your Hakuda and Zanjutsu skills are the best I've seen," Aizen remarked.

The child before him was indeed the best at manipulating Reishi he had ever encountered.

Without even using Shikai, relying solely on advanced Reishi control techniques, arranging them microscopically to create the sharpest blades, he defeated a Shinigami who had achieved Shikai. It was astonishing.

This was a battle against someone 350 times stronger, an impossible fight in others' eyes.

But he won, and with ease.

Masaki Seino stood no chance.

Unless one could utterly destroy the Reishi structures he formed right from the start, any prolonged battle against him would be futile as he would continually build and adapt his Reishi-based power structures.

And among those capable of such destructive power was Aizen.

"Show me your Shikai. I want to see the extent of your abilities," Aizen said after his praise, curious about what kind of Shikai H'el, with his refined Reishi control, would manifest.

What a brilliant Shikai it must be?

"Why not let me see your Shikai first?" H'el replied calmly, holding his Asauchi.

Aizen was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't expected someone to request to see his Shikai.

Smiling, he slowly drew his Zanpakutō from his waist and said:

"As you wish."

°°°

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