Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō
Chapter 397: The Jailer

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: The Jailer

After staring at Masatsuki Aozaki for a few seconds, Yamamoto parted his lips, but before he could say anything, Masatsuki suddenly frowned and looked toward the door of the meeting room.

At some point, the office door had cracked open, and a figure with no detectable Reiatsu appeared there.

"Wow... all the captains of the Gotei 13 are here. Looks like Seireitei’s already aware of what’s going on."

A man slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside, smiling at the group.

His appearance instantly made the atmosphere in the meeting room turn heavy. His body was covered in chain tattoos, half of him shrouded in darkness. One of the chain-eye tattoos encircled his left eye, which was pitch black. His left arm ended in a black skull, and a large circular ring hovered behind his back.

The entire look gave off the aura of some ancient Buddha from a heavenly Buddhist realm.

"Good evening, everyone! Aizen-sama. And you, Masatsuki Aozaki. Long time no see."

The man’s voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a subtle but undeniable pressure.

Masatsuki looked slightly surprised at the sight of him, though inwardly, he was muttering the name of his beloved Kyōka Suigetsu.

Everyone else in the room remained composed. Only Aizen and Retsu Unohana gave the man a brief glance before looking away.

Masatsuki smiled faintly and said in a soft voice, "Long time no see, Szayelaporro. Judging by your appearance, it seems you’ve been doing quite well."

Though there was a faint murderous aura about him, his tone was that of a casual greeting between old acquaintances.

"Isn’t it all thanks to you, Masatsuki Aozaki?!"

The mysterious aura Szayelaporro had been projecting instantly crumbled under Masatsuki’s words. He lost his temper and shouted in frustration.

Glaring at Masatsuki, he pointed at the large ring behind him and growled, "Thanks to you, my Hollow Hole got twisted outside my body. It’s completely ruined the aesthetics!"

He sneered, voice filled with venom. "But after all this time, you don’t seem to have made any progress either!"

Then, in a threatening tone, he added, "When you fall into Hell... I’ll make sure we have plenty of fun down there!"

Masatsuki’s expression darkened at those words.

This bastard used Roka for his experiments, and he hadn’t even gotten around to settling that score yet. Now Szayelaporro had the audacity to show up and talk big right in front of him.

Since his return from Hell, not only had Szayelaporro undergone a complete visual makeover, even the way he carried himself reeked of arrogance.

On the other side, Yamamoto remained still. He gripped his cane tightly in both hands, his eyes fixed intently on Szayelaporro, as if the exchange between him and Masatsuki hadn’t registered at all.

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m the jailer of Hell—Szayelaporro Granz."

Noticing the unusual reactions of those present, Szayelaporro didn’t continue his verbal jousting with Masatsuki.

Instead, like a gentleman, he bowed gracefully to Yamamoto.

"Head Captain, I come on behalf of Hell. We request that you hand Masatsuki Aozaki over to us."

"If not, the blade of Hell will fall and annihilate the Three Worlds."

"Heh..."

Yamamoto let out a scornful chuckle, a sharp glint in his eyes that felt like it could cut straight through one’s soul.

He clenched his cane tightly and replied coldly, "Hand him over to you? Do you take me for a fool?"

He knew full well—even if Masatsuki Aozaki were willing to sacrifice himself, giving him to Hell would spell disaster.

If Masatsuki entered Hell, the gates wouldn’t be able to contain him.

At that point, no one could stop what was coming. The entire world would be dragged into despair.

Whether as a Master or as a guardian of this world—he could not, and would not, compromise.

"Hell, return to where you came from! The Three Realms are no place for you to run wild!"

Yamamoto’s voice thundered with overwhelming authority, reverberating through the air.

With a sudden exertion of force, the wooden cane in his hand turned to ash, revealing the Zanpakutō hidden within.

But before he could even draw it—Masatsuki Aozaki had already moved.

He became light. His speed pushed past its limit, like teleportation. In a flash, he was right in front of Szayelaporro.

Szayelaporro was stunned by the sudden appearance.

He knew Masatsuki Aozaki was strong—after all, back in Hueco Mundo, he had died by this man’s hand.

But after falling into Hell, he had become one of its jailers, empowered by its strength.

His current power was far beyond what he had as a Vasto Lorde.

He had believed the gap between them had narrowed—maybe still slightly inferior, but not by much.

Yet, the moment he stood before this man again, that same crushing sense of helplessness came rushing back!

Szayelaporro instinctively took half a step back, ready to counterattack.

From beneath his feet, a black shadow surged across the ground.

In the blink of an eye, it stretched into jet-black chains that shot toward Masatsuki Aozaki like venomous snakes.

But before the chains could even touch him—Masatsuki had already landed a punch squarely in his chest!

The impact shattered the black chains around Szayelaporro’s body, slamming violently into his chest.

A blinding pain exploded in his chest, ripping a scream from him as he was sent flying.

With a thunderous crash, he smashed into the courtyard like a cannonball, sending up a cloud of dust.

He hit the ground hard, blood pouring from his mouth, his face deathly pale.

That single punch had devastated him—severely wounded, he could barely move.

Szayelaporro lay on the ground, clutching the bleeding wound at his chest, his face twisted in pain and disbelief.

He struggled to turn his head, eyes blazing with fury and confusion as he stared at Masatsuki Aozaki standing before him.

"You bastard... I was acknowledged by Hell... granted its power... how could I still be this much weaker than you...?"

His voice trembled. His life force flickered like a dying flame, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Masatsuki’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile.

"Because... you’re just too weak."

"Even with Hell’s power on your side, you’re still nothing."

He continued,

"I thought the absence of Reiatsu meant you’d become stronger—but turns out, it’s just a different kind of power."

"You... you...!!"

Szayelaporro’s eyes widened in rage, practically breathing fire, but the fury choked his words.

Half a second later, he suddenly let out a bloodstained grin, sharp teeth gleaming red.

"No matter... Masatsuki Aozaki, go ahead and kill me if you want!"

He hissed,

"This isn’t the end—it’s only the beginning! You’ll never escape this endless despair!"

"Endless despair? You mean getting resurrected in Hell again, just to come back and look for me?"

Masatsuki’s smile deepened, a playful glint in his eyes as he crouched to meet Szayelaporro face to face.

Szayelaporro snorted, his eyes burning with fury.

Yes. His heart was consumed by vengeance. Not even death could extinguish it.

He had been so close—just one step away from becoming the perfect, immortal lifeform.

If only he’d managed to use Roka’s Telaraña, the experiment would’ve succeeded!

But it had all been ruined by this man.

If the chance ever came, he would crawl back from Hell again—just to take revenge on Masatsuki Aozaki.