Chapter 55: The First Mad Scientist

A captain of the 12th Division? Here?

Yamabuki Haruto barely had time to think before Zenjōji Arihime’s enormous frame blurred. In an instant, that fat mountain of flesh was behind him, a massive hand reaching for his skull.

Such a huge body, yet so fast?!

Haruto’s instincts screamed. He shunpo’d away just as the ground exploded where his head had been.

“Boom!”

Zenjōji’s palm cratered the earth, cracks spiderwebbing outward.

Haruto’s face twisted. What kind of monster is this? His power’s unreal! Why do I keep running into freaks like this in Soul Society?

He forced himself to breathe. Calm down. He’s strong, but he’s a scientist. Probably not much real battle experience. If I fight seriously, I’ve got a chance.

He stepped into the air, reishi crackling under his feet, and raised his Zanpakutō with both hands.

“Flash Flower!”

Steel flashed—Haruto’s blade tore across Zenjōji’s shoulder. Fat burst, blood spraying.

Got him! Haruto’s chest swelled with hope. As I thought, I’m on par with a captain level after all. Against a bookworm like him, I can win!

But Zenjōji only grinned, blood soaking through his robe. “Interesting. Such a fast sword. Now I want to use you as a test subject even more. Don’t run.”

“Go to hell, you creep!” Haruto vanished and reappeared, slashing low at the thigh. If he crippled the leg, Zenjōji’s speed would drop.

Blood burst again. The strike landed true.

Yet Haruto froze. The man hadn’t even tried to dodge.

Wait… is he letting me hit him?

Snarling, Haruto struck a third time, this time driving his sword toward Zenjōji’s chest.

“Puff!”

His Zanpakutō pierced flesh—but only by an inch. Blood spilled, but the blade refused to sink deeper. Beneath the fat, Zenjōji’s body was like steel.

Haruto’s face drained. Zenjōji only laughed.

“You thought you could kill me? Pathetic.” He scratched his ear as though bored, completely ignoring the weapon lodged in his chest.

Haruto cursed, wrenching at his blade. What the hell is he made of?!

Zenjōji’s expression darkened. “Playtime’s over. Die.”

The fat giant’s fist roared down. Even before impact, the compressed wind stole Haruto’s breath.

If this lands, I’m done.

He braced his Zanpakutō in both hands.

“Boom!”

The blow smashed dust and rubble skyward. When the cloud cleared, Haruto still stood, blade straining against the fist. Blood ran from Zenjōji’s knuckles, split open by steel.

Zenjōji chuckled. “Not bad. You’re sturdier than you look.”

Haruto, however, was barely standing. His bones screamed, organs rattled. One more hit like that and he was finished.

“I only used half my strength,” Zenjōji growled, pressing harder. “Let’s see you block my full power.”

The ground beneath Haruto cracked and buckled. His muscles screamed.

Shit, am I going to die crushed by this fat bastard?

But then something stirred inside him. Under the crushing pressure, his reiatsu surged, growing sharper, denser.

Zenjōji blinked. “What… your spiritual pressure is rising?”

Haruto grinned through bloodied teeth. So that’s it. Pressure pushes me higher. I’m really the son of destiny!

He shifted his grip—right hand on the hilt, left bracing the blade—then freed one hand to trace the air.

“Hado #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!”

A torrent of golden-blue lightning roared from his palm, point-blank into Zenjōji’s gut.

The blast hurled the massive man across the village, smashing through half a dozen houses before burying him in rubble.

Haruto collapsed to his knees, gasping, immediately laying healing Kidō across his battered chest. I can beat him. He’s strong, but unskilled. If I keep cutting, make him bleed, he’ll die eventually. The advantage is mine!

For the first time, he felt the confidence of matching a captain head-on. His reiatsu still climbed, brushing captain-class levels.

“Boom!”

Rubble exploded. Zenjōji rose, tattered and grinning, not a scratch on him. The only damage was his shredded clothes.

“Excellent,” he rumbled. “Your reiryoku grows under pressure. Fascinating. Let’s make you even more desperate.”

He pulled a pill from his robe, tossing it into his mouth. Wounds closed instantly, fat quivering as flesh regenerated before Haruto’s eyes.

Haruto’s jaw dropped. Are you kidding me?! His carefully built plan of attrition shattered in an instant.

Zenjōji spread his arms wide, laughing. “Second round begins! Try not to die too quickly!”

And with terrifying speed, the mad scientist charged again.