CHAPTER 463: CHAPTER 463: DIVERSIFIED ABILITIES

After trading a few blows with the Reigai, the captains found themselves overwhelmed, their moods growing increasingly grim.

Aside from a handful aligned with the Aozaki faction—such as Retsu Unohana—the rest of the captains wore heavy, solemn expressions.

They couldn’t afford even a second of carelessness against these enemies.

These Reigai were absurdly strong.

Created by a mad scientist for the sole purpose of war, Kagerōza Inaba had clearly focused on enhancing them for combat during the cloning process.

What forms the foundation of a Shinigami’s combat strength?

Reiatsu.

And in that regard, these clones had been specially augmented—far surpassing the originals.

It was giving the captains a massive headache.

The very thing they prided themselves on—the combat prowess that placed them above ordinary Shinigami—had suddenly become their greatest weakness.

Even the Zanpakutō abilities that usually dazzled and disoriented their enemies were now evenly matched.

When both sides wield the same powers, but one has the advantage in Reiatsu, winning becomes an uphill battle.

...

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Gin Ichimaru had come face-to-face with his own duplicate.

He frowned slightly as he stared at the man before him, who exuded a cold, venomous aura like a serpent.

"You were supposed to be killed by Masatsuki..."

"So that’s it. That guy, Kagerōza Inaba—he moved faster than I thought, already whipped up another one..."

"Not that fast, actually. I was part of the pre-made batch."

The Reigai Gin smiled faintly.

"Can’t be helped... Captain-class units are strategic assets. Naturally, the more the better."

Gin sighed inwardly. These Reigai were truly a pain.

Not only did they possess overwhelming Reiatsu, but they also had the captains’ techniques, tactics—and even mirrored their personalities and habits.

Fighting someone like that... there didn’t seem to be a clear path to victory.

But something felt off.

Why did this copy’s Reiatsu feel about the same as his own?

No... actually, it was even slightly weaker?

Gin Ichimaru asked with a suspicious look,

"If that’s the case, then why not make more and stronger captains?"

"Like Captain Kyōraku of the 8th Division, or Captain Zaraki of the 11th Division."

"If a dozen monsters like Kenpachi Zaraki attacked together, wiping out Seireitei would be a breeze, wouldn’t it?"

"There’s no need to copy every single captain. What’s the point of replicating the weak?"

Reigai Gin Ichimaru shook his head and replied helplessly,

"Replicating captains isn’t as easy as you think."

"Our strength is limited by the materials used to make our bodies."

"Overly powerful Reiatsu can’t sustain prolonged combat. Some people can’t even be replicated at all."

As he spoke, Reigai Gin Ichimaru looked down at a bracelet-like object on the ground.

"Take my Reiatsu, for example—without a device to suppress it, I’d be a one-time-use disposable weapon."

"But once we wear these devices, our power becomes comparable to that of an average captain—about on par with Muguruma Kensei, who’s over there attacking Captain Unohana."

"In that case, since we can’t pursue overwhelming individual strength, we naturally have to seek more possibilities in battle, aiming for a variety of abilities instead."

Reigai Gin Ichimaru shrugged, as if to say this was all beyond his control.

If creating Reigai without limitations were truly possible, Inaba Kagerōza could’ve just made a Yamamoto.

There’d be no need for many—just one would be enough to destroy the world.

Gin Ichimaru didn’t respond, but furrowed his brow.

He was already used to the mistreatment of his senior, Muguruma Kensei.

Under Masatsuki Aozaki’s lead, the others had come to casually treat him as nothing more than a combat unit, without the slightest sense of guilt.

But even so, Gin Ichimaru couldn’t help but frown at this moment and asked doubtfully,

"You’re telling me something this important so casually—is that really okay?"

Reigai Gin Ichimaru smiled slightly and explained,

"Our Master never said we couldn’t answer the questions you ask."

He paused, then added firmly,

"I haven’t done anything... that goes against our Master’s orders."

As he spoke, Reigai Gin Ichimaru’s narrowed eyes opened just a crack, revealing a deep, shadowy gleam.

"Our Master? So you’ve found your own sun too?"

Gin Ichimaru froze for a moment, falling into deep thought.

Reigai Gin Ichimaru sneered with disdain, and said slowly in a mocking tone,

"Sun? Someone like that could never be a sun. I’m just following his orders for now."

With that, he suddenly dropped the sneer, his face turning serious as he shouted,

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Time to fight! I really want to know—between the two of us, who’s truly worthy of standing beneath the sun!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Gin Ichimaru straightened up, his eyes—usually shut—slightly opened, his gaze turning icy cold.

In that instant, the two locked eyes.

The next moment, they each gripped their Shinsō tightly, the sharp tips of their blades pointed directly at each other!

No words were needed. The blades instantly extended in a flash!

At the same time, just like Gin Ichimaru, the other Reigai captains of the Gotei 13—once dead but now revived—also reappeared on the battlefield one by one.

For a moment, intense Reiatsu clashed violently, bursting into dazzling light and unleashing a terrifying shockwave capable of obliterating everything.

...

Not far away, at the crossroads of a main street, Aizen stood silently.

The reason he had set aside his affairs and come here wasn’t idle curiosity—he was acting as insurance.

He calmly watched the intense battle unfold, as if waiting for something.

Unless a situation arose that the captains couldn’t handle, he wouldn’t intervene lightly.

In his mind, the chance of that happening was extremely low.

With that thought, he turned his gaze toward Retsu Unohana, who was being surrounded by a total of thirty Kensei.

It was clear Unohana wasn’t taking the battle seriously—she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Ordinarily, with her strength, she could slice through five Bankai-using Muguruma Kensei-level opponents with ease, one strike each.

Yet right now, they were locked in a drawn-out skirmish.

Aizen knew all too well—Unohana had been influenced by Masatsuki Aozaki and Kenpachi Zaraki, and had learned to suppress her own Reiatsu in battle.

For those who lived for the fight, the thrill didn’t come from effortlessly crushing opponents.

It came from the exhilaration of clashing with an evenly matched foe.

If you can’t expect your opponent to get stronger, the only choice is to weaken yourself.

And this woman, the wife of the Captain-Commander, was without a doubt the one whose Reiatsu came closest to his on this entire battlefield.

Even if she found herself in danger, the curved blade in her hand would be enough to cut through any obstacle.

Suddenly, Aizen frowned slightly, as if realizing something important. He quickly turned to look behind him.

After a few seconds of quiet thought, he turned back again, standing motionless, like a monk lost in meditation.