Coreal
patreon
[Anime] Ch 278: You're a Soul Too, Aren’t You?
🕑 Added 2025-06-04 16:13:49 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Tōsen looked calmly at Katerea.
He knew his mission.
Help Aizen test the limits of the strange energy inside these people.
So—
"Bankai."
"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi!"
"Mumyō!"
WHUMMMMM—!
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive ellipsoid barrier erupted outward.
In the blink of an eye, Katerea was completely engulfed.
And then she blinked. Her vision… was blurring.
She blinked again. And again.
And then—darkness.
"…?"
Katerea Leviathan froze.
Wait.
Not just her sight.
Her hearing—gone.
Her sense of smell—gone.
Was this because of the barrier?
She quickly pieced things together.
Tōsen rose above her, looking down coldly.
"In this domain," he said flatly, "your sight, hearing, smell, and even your spiritual perception will be completely stripped away."
"You'll have only your sense of touch—to feel pain."
His voice was like a death sentence.
His words confirmed her suspicions.
But then…
"Spiritual perception?"
But she didn't have spiritual pressure.
She used Magic.
Did this still apply to her?
Thinking quickly, she reached out with her magic—
And her expression turned… strange.
Aizen Sōsuke raised an eyebrow. "Already using Bankai…? Good job."
Then he turned to Nelliel with a gentle smile. "Nelliel, would you mind telling me where that energy inside you comes from?"
Nel's expression froze for a second. Then she turned to Aizen, face blank.
"I see," she said coolly. "So now you're interested in the magic in our bodies, huh?"
No wonder he hadn't attacked them immediately—even though they were the ones who destroyed Las Noches. He was gathering intel.
On the sidelines, Starrk and Harribel both had a flash of realization.
Yeah, that was definitely in line with Aizen's way of doing things.
Still, it made it pretty clear that he never really considered them allies.
Not that they minded.
Starrk and Harribel had spent enough time around Aizen to get a read on the kind of man he was.
Well, maybe the more time you spent with him, the less you actually understood.
But one thing was certain:
Aizen Sōsuke didn't care about the Espada or Las Noches.
The only thing he might have been interested in was the treasure trove of knowledge buried beneath its ruins.
"Magic, huh…"
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly, locking onto that particular word Nel had used.
"Magic"—so that's what they called the energy flowing through their bodies.
He committed it to memory, then smiled warmly. "You're right. I'm very interested in that magic of yours."
Even after Nel had exposed his intentions, Aizen didn't flinch or deny it—he simply admitted it with complete honesty.
Or rather, he never intended to hide it in the first place.
"So?" he asked, still smiling as if they were just neighbors chatting over tea. "Mind sharing some interesting information with me?"
There wasn't even the slightest hint of hostility in his tone—as if this was all just a friendly conversation.
Nel: "…"
Wait, seriously?
He's asking an enemy for intel… just like that?
Honestly she was kind of speechless at how shameless Aizen was being right now.
"Are you serious?"
Aizen's lips curved into a small smile, eyes calm and unreadable. "Never underestimate a Shinigami's curiosity."
Faced with a power system unlike anything he'd seen before, Aizen was sure he wasn't the only one interested.
Even Kisuke Urahara wouldn't be able to resist digging deeper.
And if the Soul Society found out? The higher-ups would probably scramble to lock these "peace-threatening anomalies" up as soon as possible.
Hell— even Yamamoto might approve the decision.
Nel stared at Aizen for a moment. After confirming he was serious, she furrowed her brows and shook her head.
"I'm not an Espada anymore," she said firmly.
"So I'll have to decline."
"…Ah," Aizen chuckled helplessly. "I figured as much."
Resting his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, he shook his head. "In the end, the result will be the same. So why not…"
"…make this easier on both of us?"
Shing—
As he spoke, Aizen slowly drew his blade from its sheath.
The moment light reflected off its surface, a chill ran through the air—sharp and unnerving.
"So he's finally making a move…" Starrk muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes at the sight.
At some point, Lilynette was now clinging to his shoulder, peeking out from behind him with a shiver.
She was genuinely terrified of the man who once ruled the Espada.
"Don't worry," Starrk said calmly, trying to reassure her. "For now, we're still useful to him."
Useful, huh?
That actually made her feel less reassured.
She gave Starrk a bitter, almost resentful look that nearly made him laugh out loud.
On the other side of the battlefield—
Seeing Aizen's movements, Nel instantly went on high alert, bracing herself for a fight.
Aizen was strong. Incredibly strong.
But just how strong…?
Even Nel didn't know the full extent.
Because Very few people had ever actually seen him fight.
The only known instance was his clash with Baraggan Louisenbairn.
But even that had ended so quickly that no one could make sense of what had happened.
So really no one had any idea just how powerful Aizen truly was.
That said— She could still make some guesses based on Baraggan and Starrk.
At the very least, he was stronger than both of them.
And for Nel, that already made him a terrifying opponent.
Nel glanced toward Midoriko.
Midoriko stood there with a calm expression, gently holding a wisp of energy in her hand—flickering like ghostly flame.
"You…"
"You're a soul too, aren't you?"
Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the flame in Midoriko's palm.
After a moment of silence, he finally said:
"…What an interesting power."
.
.
.
