Chapter 858: [858] : [BONUS] - A Bunch of Cowards

~ Next Bonus, 100!

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Shin walked across the sands of Hueco Mundo, leaving not a single footprint behind.

’I wonder what Aizen’s attitude towards my arrival is. Is he welcoming me, or does he wish I were dead?’

A playful smile touched Shin’s lips. He was genuinely curious about Aizen’s reaction.

But he could guess. Aizen absolutely wanted him dead. Though Aizen seemed to crave an opponent who could stand on the same level as him—in the original story, his pride led him to train Ichigo, which ultimately led to his downfall—

—Shin knew that if Ichigo hadn’t pulled a miracle out of thin air, Aizen wouldn’t have lost.

But now, Aizen probably just wanted this variable named Shin gone.

"Hollow Reiatsu... so much of it. Did Aizen send all ten Espada to greet me?" Shin stopped and looked ahead.

Soon, a group of Arrancar appeared before him, along with Tōsen and Gin.

"Captain Shin, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to Hueco Mundo? Lord Aizen would rather you die here. You’ve truly walked into the lion’s den."

Gin said to Shin, his face a mask of false sincerity.

"The lion’s den? That’s a funny joke. Isn’t this just an anthill?"

Shin’s arrogance was on full display. With that single sentence, he had offended every Arrancar present. Gin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Such audacity. Gin knew just how powerful the Espada were. If the Soul Society were to go to war with Hueco Mundo now, it would be anyone’s guess who would come out on top.

For Shin to come to Hueco Mundo alone was to challenge the entire realm. Even knowing how strong Shin was, Gin didn’t think he could succeed.

"Such an arrogant Soul Reaper. I’ve never met one so full of himself. Are you ready to die?"

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was the first to lose his temper, glaring at Shin with fury.

"Grind, Pantera."

Grimmjow released his zanpakutō, transforming into his panther-like Resurrección form. In this state, his power increased dramatically.

"Heh, the sixth Espada? You’re not worthy."

Shin chuckled, then raised his own zanpakutō.

"Shoot to Kill, Shinsō!"

"What?"

Gin’s expression finally broke. Even though he knew Shin could use Hyōrinmaru, seeing him wield Shinsō’s ability made his face twist in shock.

A thought suddenly struck Gin. If Shin could copy others’ zanpakutō abilities, what about Aizen’s?

’No wonder Aizen is so wary of him. He might have Kyōka Suigetsu too.’

At that moment, Gin understood Aizen’s fear. Aizen’s greatest trump card was something someone else also possessed.

If asked what Aizen’s greatest trump card was, Gin would have said it was Kyōka Suigetsu, without a doubt.

Aizen didn’t have the Hōgyoku yet, but Kyōka Suigetsu was still a terrifyingly broken ability. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It was a shame that later, after obtaining the Hōgyoku and continuously evolving, Aizen abandoned Kyōka Suigetsu’s power, never even using his Bankai.

"Cough, cough."

Grimmjow looked down at the blades piercing his body, then up at Shin. His torso was riddled with over a dozen holes.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye. That was the speed of Shinsō.

And the one wielding it was Shin, whose strength surpassed Gin’s by an unknown margin. Even in Shikai, the speed of its extension was comparable to Bankai.

"Even I can’t use Shinsō with such power," Gin couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.

If he could wield that kind of strength, he would have more confidence in facing Aizen. The one who possessed such power wasn’t him—it was the unfathomable Shin Uzumaki.

No one could see through Shin. Even Aizen wouldn’t dare claim he fully understood him.

"You were so arrogant just now. Not so arrogant anymore, are you?"

Shin looked down at Grimmjow, who was now lying on the ground. A few others were down as well.

The seventh Espada, Zommari Rureaux, and the tenth Espada, Yammy Llargo, had both been taken down by Shin.

The other Espada hadn’t dared to act yet, so they were still standing.

"Baraggan, you seem to hate my guts. Aren’t you going to make a move?"

Shin’s gaze fell on Baraggan. But when Baraggan met his gaze, he was so terrified that he took several steps back.

"What a disappointment. Is this all you’ve got? It seems Aizen’s subordinates are nothing special. And here I had some expectations for you. What a bunch of cowards."

Seeing that no one dared to move, Shin decided to taunt them, to see if they would act.

But not all the Espada were fools. Even with Shin’s taunts, they wouldn’t act rashly, though they were filled with rage.

"I should warn you. If you don’t make a move, then I will. And I won’t show any mercy."

Shin reminded them.

"Prepare to attack," Tōsen finally spoke. They were here to carry out Lord Aizen’s orders. How could they not act?

"Give it your all. This guy’s strength is immense, no less than Aizen’s—he might even be stronger than Aizen," Baraggan said to his teammates.

Before, Baraggan had never cared about his teammates, but now he had no choice. He had to unite with them to deal with Shin Uzumaki.

"You actually backed down in fear."

Tier Harribel shot Baraggan a look of contempt. She was the third Espada. The original third Espada had been Nelliel, but now that Nelliel had been ambushed by Nnoitra and lost her memory, Harribel had taken her place.

Harribel and Baraggan’s relationship was also not good. In fact, Baraggan’s relationship with the other Espada wasn’t good either, mainly due to his arrogant and ambitious personality. Not everyone liked Baraggan.

"Harribel, what do you mean? Are you looking for a fight with the Great Emperor?" A cold glint flashed in Baraggan’s eyes as he stared at Harribel.

Though Baraggan was indeed very strong, Harribel wasn’t afraid of him. Before Aizen had taken over Hueco Mundo, Baraggan had invited Harribel to submit to him, but she had refused every time.

So they already had a history. Now, they couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Baraggan really wanted to use his great axe to chop Harribel to death.

But he didn’t have the guts. He still had to be wary of Aizen. If he killed Harribel, Aizen would definitely deal with him. Besides, it wouldn’t be that easy to deal with Harribel.

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