Chapter 374: BSUS Chapter 377: God Has Already Taken a Step

As for the use of knowing this? Hirako reached out his left hand and made a grasping motion over his face. A white mask resembling a samurai helmet covered his features, and an intense killing intent washed over Grimmjow.

He needed to finish off the guy in front of him as quickly as possible and return early to protect Inoue Orihime.

“A Cero? A Shinigami actually used a Cero!” Yukio muttered to the empty air, keeping his voice low, though he made no attempt to hide his astonishment. “I originally thought you Shinigami just became like Hollows, but looking at it now, you’re basically Hollows yourselves!”

Through Roka’s special neural network, Yukio’s voice simultaneously echoed in the minds of Ginjō, Tsukishima, Hiroe, and the others. Riruka even complained a bit, expressing her disgust.

Hiroe hadn’t looked in that direction since Hirako lured Grimmjow away. He shared Hirako’s viewpoint: if no one attacked Ichigo when he was wide open, it could only mean that Ichigo was not the Espada’s shared target.

But was Inoue Orihime still Aizen’s target? It seemed there were no other possible targets besides her.

Furthermore, looking at the overall situation, there were feints at Chad’s location, as well as in Ichigo’s direction. Even Ishida, the least likely target, had an Espada right at his doorstep. Only Inoue Orihime, who was still at Hirako’s base, remained unharassed.

It appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging. From this perspective, Inoue should indeed be the true objective of the Espada’s invasion. However, the more Hiroe thought in this direction, the stranger he felt. It was just too obvious.

In truth, Aizen might not have realized that his goal had already been discovered. In his past life, Aizen had used this exact method to divide Urahara and Hirako’s attention, so it made sense for him to use even more Espada to pin him down now.

Yet, Hiroe still felt it was a bit too simple. His current position was the closest to all the battlefields. If an Arrancar launched a surprise attack by opening a Garganta, he could rush over to stop it immediately.

And as for hiding their tracks to sneak up on the target—setting aside his exceptionally sharp Reiatsu perception—Karakura Town currently had Roka’s expanded neural network, as well as Ginjō and the others keeping watch from various locations.

It should be noted that none of these countermeasures would be affected by Kyōka Suigetsu. Even if Aizen came in person, he wouldn’t be able to silently approach any of them, let alone take someone away under such heavy protection.

If he couldn’t even take a single person, let alone anything larger, did that mean Aizen was doomed to fail this time?

But sometimes, there was just that one person who could swagger right through multiple lines of defense and accomplish feats that defied all logic.

Just as Zommari had said, *’Mortals always believe they have touched God, completely unaware that God has already taken a step.’*

Those who held gods in their hearts always spoke with a bit of exaggeration. The one who could defy logic wasn’t necessarily a god; they were still an entity that could be examined through common sense. It was just that they possessed certain unique traits, and these traits happened to be the loopholes in the logic established by people.

Therefore, it all boiled down to the fact that there was no such thing as strict perfection in this world. No matter how airtight a defense was, it was only because no one had discovered its flaw yet. Once that flaw was found, it became the most vulnerable weak point.

The abandoned warehouse was protected by a pale yellow barrier. Unlike the barrier Ushōda Hachigen had previously used to conceal their presence, this one was an eye-catching, impenetrable fortress, whether day or night. What it guarded was Inoue Orihime, the person most likely to be targeted.

A ripple suddenly appeared out of thin air on the barrier. The originally calm air seemed to twist together before shattering into white fragments.

“The barrier has been broken!”

Underground, Ushōda Hachigen suddenly cried out, his wide eyes filled with disbelief. Not only had he set up a barrier that allowed exit but prevented entry, he was also actively maintaining Hadō #58, Kakushitsuijaku.

Setting aside how someone could instantly break his barrier without him sensing even a trace of Reiatsu, the mere fact that the enemy could approach this place silently was already inconceivable enough.

“How is that possible! Could it be that guy, Aizen?!” Aikawa Love also understood the implications. Without sensing any spatial fluctuations or enemy Reiatsu, there seemed to be no other explanation besides Aizen’s Kyōka Suigetsu.

“Don’t overthink it!”

Before Ushōda could finish speaking, a loud crash erupted overhead. A massive hole was smashed through the rock layer above, and a dark figure slammed heavily onto the ground. But before the two could get a clear look, the intruder was obscured by falling rubble and dust.

A burly figure stepped out from the shifting sands. It was a man dressed in white robes, standing nearly three meters tall.

The man carried a giant sword on his back that was almost as tall as he was, but the most striking feature was his stone-like gray eyes. They gave off the feeling that just being stared at by them meant there was no escape.

Now, those eyes bypassed Ushōda and Aikawa Love, locking onto Inoue Orihime. Let alone Inoue Orihime, even Aikawa Love and Ushōda felt their hairs stand on end.

The man suddenly took a step forward. Like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, just looking at him made one feel as if they were about to be devoured. He didn’t use any footwork like Sonído, making him appear slow, yet it felt as though he had crossed the distance and arrived right in front of them in a single stride.

“You guys go first!”

Aikawa Love shouted a warning. A mask with two sharp horns instantly covered his face. Drawing the Zanpakutō from his back with both hands, he bore down on the man with a berserk Reiatsu.

That thick, exaggeratedly large giant sword was also drawn. The lower half of the man’s face was obscured by a helmet-like mask, making his expression unreadable. But judging from his unchanging eyes, wielding such a massive sword was an effortless task for him.

His drawing speed was incredibly fast—so fast that by the time Love raised his hands, the man had already brought the giant sword to his chest, gripping the hilt with both hands and swatting it diagonally upward.

Yes, he didn’t slash; he swatted with the broad, thick flat of the blade!

Aikawa Love felt as though his blade had struck a mountain—a colossal peak that was charging madly toward him, ready to sever rivers and shatter cities in its path!

Inoue only heard a sharp *clang* beside her ear, and Aikawa Love’s figure vanished from her sight.

A violent gale erupted. The terrifying wind pressure alone made it impossible for her to open her eyes. A continuous, muffled rumbling echoed like thunder, and the ground trembled and collapsed rhythmically, making her feel as if she were in the midst of the apocalypse.

Forcing her eyes open just a crack, she saw Ushōda’s fallen figure. The man resting the giant sword on his shoulder was the architect of this doomsday!

The wind howled madly around him, and the earth crumbled beneath his feet. His gray eyes reflected nothing; they held only an inexplicable, unyielding resolve.

“To strike a woman is truly an ugly act, and it will undoubtedly be my greatest disgrace.”

Finally, this man—whether god or demon—stood before her. From this moment on, Inoue knew her fate was no longer her own.

“But loyalty is my foremost principle. Therefore, forgive me, woman.”