Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Kaelith closed his eyes.
He channeled his soul assimilation power, merging it into the Zanpakut?.
Originally, the Gikon energy Kirio Hikifune gave him would normally take at least ten days to handle. Under his soul assimilation, he could master it in one go.
Compared to Gikon energy, a Zanpakut? was even simpler.
Both Gikon energy and a Zanpakut? were spiritual powers. Gikon was external, while a Zanpakut? shared the same roots as a Shinigami’s soul.
His soul assimilation power surged forward like a tide along the chains.
In just a few seconds, Rixiang Jimie was fully assimilated.
Preparation complete, Kaelith opened his eyes, looking satisfied.
Under the Zanpakut? spirit’s gaze, he grinned and leaped into the air.
Rushing into midair, he swung both arms. Two short blades, each with a long chain, flew toward the spirit.
Seeing this, the spirit shook her head slightly.
Was he trying to use the ability to change direction mid-flight to confuse her? As the Zanpakut? spirit, no one knew this move better than she did!
With twin blades in hand, she simply charged forward, raising her blades to strike down the incoming weapons.
While Rixiang Jimie could change direction mid-flight, its power was less than when wielded directly in hand. She would first knock these two blades aside to create an opening in Kaelith’s defense, then go straight for Kaelith himself!
With that in mind, she added more force to her strike.
But in the next moment, a flicker of astonishment crossed her eyes.
In utter disbelief, she watched as the two incoming blades suddenly adjusted their angle in midair.
This manipulation was more than just shifting direction. The two blades, flying through the sky, continually adjusted themselves according to her attacks.
When wielded in hand, a blade’s movements were constrained by joints and arm reach. But these two airborne blades had no such limits.
Instinctively, the spirit changed her stance to fight off Kaelith’s thrown weapons. Her posture looked strange—one arm raised, the other lowered, one blade held normally, the other in reverse grip.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Four manifestations of Rixiang Jimie clashed fiercely.
Intense surges of spiritual pressure sent arcs of sword energy flying in all directions. Nearby peaks shuddered under the bombardment, roaring with continuous thunderous blasts. Billowing dust and debris turned the surrounding kilometers into chaos.
Aizen, watching the battle closely, occasionally adjusted his position to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
At the center of the battlefield, the Zanpakut? spirit felt as if she were seeing a ghost.
The two blades Kaelith had thrown lost none of their power. Although airborne, every strike was as heavy as if wielded directly. After so many attacks, their strength hadn’t diminished at all!
How was this possible?
Even she, as the Zanpakut? spirit, couldn’t do such a thing. How was Kaelith managing it?
Sensing her thoughts, Kaelith’s distant laughter rang out:
“Surprised, Rixiang Jimie? Your blade has completely taken on my shape now! The stances and abilities you never developed, I’ve realized them in my hands!”
A vein popped on Rixiang Jimie’s forehead.
Kaelith, you’ve gone too far!
She was about to speak when Kaelith suddenly waved both arms.
A surge of roaring blue flames flowed from his body into the chains.
Then the chains rippled like ocean waves, carrying the blue flames forward. Seeing the rapidly approaching fire, the spirit realized something was wrong.
She wanted to pull back, but the two autonomously fighting blades held her in place.
She could choose to withdraw forcibly at the risk of injury, which wasn’t a bad idea. But lacking her master’s combat instincts, she hesitated.
In that instant of hesitation, the first wave of blue flames rolled over her.
Violent Shunk? energy rushed along the chains, into the blades, then exploded outward from the blade edges—
Boom!!!
A mass of blue-tinged smoke erupted in midair.
The Zanpakut? spirit was blasted out of the smoke, trailing a long plume of dust. She scraped against reishi footholds in the air for some distance before stopping.
Scorch marks now marred her body.
A blade wreathed in blue flames had actually burned her. Ridiculous!
Before she could think more, the two blades emerged from the smoke, hot on her heels. Even more absurd, several new clusters of blue flames were chasing along the chains behind them.
The spirit’s pupils contracted. She hurriedly readied herself for combat again.
In the distance, Kaelith controlled the two blades while laughing:
“Hahaha! This is fun! This is way more interesting than swinging a sword around limply!”
Far away, Aizen watched the battle with mixed feelings.
Don’t be fooled by Kaelith’s playful attitude; these maneuvers weren’t something ordinary people could manage.
Normally, if one could control weapons remotely, they’d follow the patterns of wielding them by hand. Coming up with brand-new maneuvers would be impossible.
But Kaelith was different. Throughout the entire high-speed battle, he never once assumed a conventional stance. If someone were actually holding those two blades, their body would be twisted into a pretzel by now.
To maintain such intense offensive pressure with both blades, while simultaneously experimenting with new tricks—this was incredible.
Usually, he’s too lazy to think about anything, always running to Aizen for help whenever a problem arises. Yet in battle, his mind worked faster than anyone’s.
This guy was… something else.
Aizen gently shook his head and sighed.
Just when Aizen thought Kaelith had shown all his tricks, Kaelith surprised him again.
After tormenting the Zanpakut? spirit with waves of flame, Kaelith’s main body finally couldn’t hold back. He let out a shout and used Ikkotsu-based propulsion, rushing into the fray.
In Shunk? state, he was like a war chariot bristling with turrets.
Every punch he threw unleashed a blue flame pillar stretching hundreds or even thousands of meters.
The entire sky was lit in a sea of blue fire.
Meanwhile, the two manifestations of Rixiang Jimie were like floating turrets, following beside him and striking from tricky angles.
Aizen couldn’t help widening his eyes slightly.
Facing Rixiang Jimie, any defensive move would create a disadvantage.
Kaelith had to constantly abandon his old habits and adopt new methods of fighting.
Even so, just controlling his own body under these conditions would require far more calculation than usual.
Yet he still had the spare capacity to operate two Zanpakut? at once—and quite skillfully at that?
Aizen suddenly wondered if Kaelith had been putting on an act all along in daily life.
With such terrifying reflexes and mental abilities, if he ever bothered studying, wouldn’t he be able to analyze and figure out anything?
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly.
His blood pressure was starting to rise.
"So I have been working hard for nothing?"