Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami-Chapter 295 ⥤ Oh No, My Head Is Itchy!

"Shiba?" Aizen furrowed his brow, contemplating this name.

Reflecting on what the person had said earlier, a startling possibility occurred to him.

"Shiba — one of the Five Noble Founding Families?" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

The man paused, surprise flickering across his face.

"I never expected that after a million years, anyone would still remember me." He scratched his head, displaying none of a powerful figure's dignity, instead resembling the bewildered person beside him, "How fares the Shiba family? And what of the Soul King? Does he remain sealed within the 'Spiral of Contradictions'? I noticed the Soul King's presence in Hell recently — was that your doing? My apologies, but being sealed by the other four has left me ignorant of the outside world."

Akira grinned and answered directly, "The Shiba family remains one of the Five Noble Houses. As for the Soul King, circumstances led to his complete liberation. The lynchpin of the Sangai is now his son, a Quincy named Yhwach."

Shiba nodded thoughtfully.

Watching his reaction, Aizen narrowed his eyes. He now grasped what would pose the greatest obstacle in resolving Hell's problems.

The Five Noble Founding Families — ancient beings from a million years ago who had used the Soul King to divide the Sangai — had somehow fallen into Hell themselves.

This Shiba ancestor's demeanor suggested no hostility toward them. His speech and personality eerily mirrored those of the 10th Division Captain, Isshin Shiba.

Could genetic inheritance truly be so powerful?

The Daireishokairō records indicated that Shiba's views had diverged from the other four, though the specifics remained unclear.

Lost in thought, he noticed Akira and Shiba studying each other, their faces showing mutual appreciation — kindred spirits who had met too late.

"What should I call you?"

"Well, I'm the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, the new Emperor of the Wandenreich, current God-King of Hueco Mundo, Grand Priest of the Sakahone Shrine, CEO of Technology Development Corporation, Supreme Lord of the Har..."

Akira recited his titles like a menu, listing various relevant and irrelevant positions while the other watched with admiration.

"Akira Kisaragi." Shiba nodded, committing the name to memory.

"We've come to Hell to resolve the conflict between our worlds once and for all. Senior, surely you understand — if Hell continues consuming the Sangai's Reishi, catastrophe will follow."

Shiba sighed helplessly, "Though I wish to help, I'm not in control of myself right now. You'll have to manage on your own."

Under Aizen's unsurprised gaze, the other raised his long sword. Black phosphorescent energy spiraled around the blade as an eerie aura spread outward. Below, the sea of phosphorescence heaved massive waves, layer upon layer rising as if to devour Hell itself.

{T/N: The correct term for this phosphorescence is Jigoku no Rinki (Hellish Phosphorous Air), but I won't keep correcting it. Just know that's what it is and it's a common thing in the Hell Verse.}

In an instant, Shiba vanished, materializing before Akira with sword raised high. His eyes had gone completely white as he stared ahead fixedly, bringing down his blade without hesitation.

"Bring it on!" Akira grinned fiercely, pulling his Zanpakutō from thin air to meet the attack head-on.

BOOM!!

Their blades collided, and an ink-black sphere of light exploded outward, engulfing a hundred-kilometer radius. The aftershock transformed into massive waves, destroying everything in their path like a storm tearing through dried twigs.

Both Hell's landscape and the remaining Togabito who had survived the previous battle were reduced to fine Reishi and absorbed into Hell itself.

Aizen flash-stepped to the side, content to observe quietly without interfering.

Neither he nor Akira truly understood Hell's depths. Though they had visited multiple times, they had barely scratched the surface of this realm that paralleled the Sangai. There was no way to know if beings as powerful as the Soul King or Yhwach might exist here.

For safety's sake, it was better to maintain his guard from the sidelines.

Most importantly, his senses told him that while Shiba was indeed powerful, his strength had clear limits. Compared to a certain someone who had transcended beyond the human soul species, he was little more than a punching bag.

When power reaches such heights, battles become starkly simple.

Brilliant blade-light erupted through the sea of phosphorescence as the two demon-like figures, wearing matching grins, crossed blades in a dance of countless afterimages.

Their clashing metal pealed like thunder, the sound deafening. Space itself shattered on a massive scale, revealing glimpses of deeper darkness before snapping back to normal.

As the fight progressed, Shiba grew increasingly unsettled. He had assumed this man was merely one of the strongest warriors of a later generation — formidable, but with natural limits.

As one of the Five Founders, empowered by Hell itself, Shiba should have been far stronger than Ichibē Hyōsube, even if he couldn't match the ancient Soul King. By his understanding, with the Soul King sealed and the Founders fallen to Hell, Ichibē — who had received power directly from the Soul King — should have been the strongest being in the Sangai.

Yet Akira's display of power defied all logic.

Initially they had been on the same level, but as the number of clashes increased and time went on, he discovered his opponent's power becoming increasingly terrifying. Every casual sword strike gave the impression of overwhelming force, as if capable of splitting heaven and earth.

"Junior, be careful." Black patterns appeared again on Shiba's body, phosphorescence swirling around him as a massive halo blazed behind him.

His already terrifying Reiatsu surged to new heights.

⤫ Getsuga Tenshō ⥤ Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer! ⤬

In the raging storm of Reishi, Shiba gripped his sword with both hands and swung, unleashing a massive black crescent of sword pressure.

The battlefield shattered instantly. Rolling phosphorescence scattered and surged as countless energy currents swept across Hell's vast expanse. Time itself seemed to freeze — all motion, all thought suspended in that singular moment.

Under the heavens, Akira's figure suddenly stiffened, surprise flashing across his face as a sharp crack echoed from his body.

As the aftershocks subsided, an abyss-like ravine stretched to the horizon, its maw gaping skyward as if ready to devour Hell itself.

"What a pity..." Shiba shook his head and turned to leave.

"What's a pity?"

The sudden voice froze Shiba mid-step. He turned stiffly toward its source.

There stood Akira in his original spot, his Shihakushō split diagonally from left shoulder to right waist, revealing completely unmarked skin beneath.

The full-power strike had only managed to cut his clothes!

Looking at his handiwork, Shiba felt like he'd been screwed by the Soul King.

Where the hell did this monster come from?!

"Now that you've had your fun, it's my turn to enjoy myself." Akira's mouth split into a fierce grin as battle intent erupted from him.

In all the Sangai, no opponent could give him a satisfying fight. Only in a blessed land like Hell could such worthy adversaries be found.

Arms spread wide, his muscles and bones shifted as blood like molten magma coursed through his veins. His overwhelming presence grew until it reached its peak.

Then, before Shiba's shocked gaze, a humming, trembling Zanpakutō shot straight at him, as if ready to pierce through Hell itself.

Without hesitation, Shiba unleashed all his Reiatsu, launching another Getsuga Tenshō. The heavy black crescent blazed like real moonlight, illuminating the path forward in Hell.

BOOM!!

When the Getsuga Tenshō and Kūkan Mukai collided, it cut through like a hot knife through butter. Under Shiba's horrified gaze, his proud technique was completely annihilated. The eerily strange Zanpakutō, its momentum undiminished, maintained its initial speed as it charged straight toward him.

Splat—

Blood sprayed as overwhelming power coursed through his body, carrying him down into the sea of phosphorescent gas and blasting a massive crater thousands of meters deep into the ground. Kūkan Mukai, like a curse, pierced through him and pinned him into the earth.

Akira's figure flashed, appearing before Shiba, and reached out to pull the Zanpakutō from his chest.

"Well done, Kūkan Mukai. As expected of my most reliable other half. My daily kindness to you wasn't wasted."

Shiba: "?"

What did this have to do with the Zanpakutō? Wasn't he just ridiculously strong and using that sword like an arrow?!

And though this wasn't his Zanpakutō, Shiba could clearly sense volcanic-like rage emanating from the trembling blade.

Just how did this kid usually treat his Zanpakutō?!

"Elder Shiba." Akira grinned, "Now can you tell me what enemies lie ahead?"

Aizen's voice rang out from the side, "None other than the other Founding Ancestors of the Five Noble Houses. Though I'm not certain how they obtained partial authority over Hell, what's undeniable is... if we want to change the current situation and save the world... the Founding Ancestors of the Five Noble Houses will be an insurmountable enemy."

Shiba looked at him with surprise.

He could clearly sense the powerful force emanating from the other's body. Without doubt, here was another transcendent being who had surpassed the limits of a Shinigami.

However, unlike Akira who had just fought with him, this person was clearly more cerebral.

Shiba nodded, confirming Aizen's words.

But as he moved, the black patterns on his body seemed to come alive, transforming into restraining shackles that writhed across his form. His expression turned pained.

"Junior, kill me!"

Akira glanced at Aizen, who nodded at him.

With a clean, swift strike, he unleashed tremendous power that separated Shiba's head from his body. In the next instant, Shiba's body exploded violently, dissolving into countless phosphorescent particles and vanishing before their eyes.

After organizing the collected data, Aizen tore open a passage to Soul Society, and together with Akira, they left Hell.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

"Akira, you've gotten smarter."

In the laboratory, Aizen looked at the husky with a hint of emotion, his face showing traces of satisfaction.

Akira: "?"

Though this guy was praising him, why did it feel somehow insulting?

Before he could protest, Aizen continued, "Knowing to hide your trump cards when facing unknown enemies shows real progress. Thanks to this, false intelligence has been transmitted, making our next moves easier to implement."

Akira first showed a puzzled expression, then his face lit up with sudden understanding.

Aizen: "..."

Sure enough, he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. As expected, Akira's earlier actions had been purely accidental.

The husky he knew was still that simple-minded brute.

"Well, the outcome is good anyway." Aizen explained somewhat helplessly, "Actually, Shiba's condition earlier was rather strange. With your intuition, you should have noticed."

Akira nodded. Though his opponent had shown great strength, it still didn't quite match his status.

"According to my deductions..." Aizen paused, then continued, "Shiba might have been controlled by others. During the recent battle, there were at least thirty-seven anomalies in his body, and even his Reiatsu was in a fluctuating state. As for who was controlling him..."

He frowned, unable to pin down an answer for the moment. He suspected it might be the remaining Founding Ancestors of the Five Noble Houses, but lacked crucial clues to confirm it.

The only certain information was that a million years ago, the Founding Ancestors of the Five Noble Houses had used the Soul King as a sacrifice, borrowing His power to divide the Sangai. The rest was just the Five Noble Houses' praise of their respective ancestors' great achievements — utterly meaningless.

Finally, Aizen said seriously, "We need more specific intelligence to analyze what happened back then."

Hearing this, Akira grinned and said, "Sōsuke, you're overthinking it. Actually, there's a simple solution to this problem. Why don't we just go ask the people involved directly?"

Aizen fell silent, giving him a deep look.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

As the Tenchūren crashed to the ground, two figures emerged.

Akira spread his arms and enveloped the waiting Ōetsu in a warm embrace, accompanied by the sound of bones cracking from the latter's body.

"Ōetsu, long time no see. Have you forged any new Zanpakutō lately?"

Finally wriggling free from Akira's iron grip, Ōetsu stared at him like he was looking at a monster, bared his teeth, and replied irritably, "You're not getting Mera and the others, but I do have Ikomikidomoe if you want it?"

Rather than showing the expected disgust, Akira's eyes lit up, "That might work!"

While the two bantered, Aizen had already made his way to Ichibē's side and thoroughly explained their encounters in Hell and his suspicions.

Hearing this, the monk thoughtfully stroked his beard and said gravely:

"Actually... Your deductions should be correct."

⤫⤬⤫

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