Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō novel Chapter 303

Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Choosing the Wrong Path

"You... are really... damned!"

Pernida hissed in a broken voice, its large eye fixed on Masatsuki Aozaki. Its voice sounded like the murmur of a child in a dream, making it hard to decipher.

"How interesting. Your learning ability is quite impressive, but why are you only starting to learn now?"

A slight smile curled Masatsuki’s lips, his gaze flickering with curiosity.

"If you had evolved sooner and become strong enough, you wouldn’t have ended up in my hands, would you?"

His tone carried a trace of regret, as if lamenting Pernida’s wasted potential. Yet, a question arose in his mind.

"Could this learning ability be part of your Schrift?"

"So every time you deactivate your power, your state resets?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity gleaming within them. Masatsuki’s gaze turned greedy—just like the way Mayuri Kurotsuchi had looked at him earlier. He observed Pernida with interest, bombarding it with questions.

But Pernida remained silent. Its massive pupil flickered slightly—perhaps out of disdain to answer, or maybe its limited vocabulary made it incapable of responding to such a complex conversation.

Receiving no reply, Masatsuki could only shake his head in resignation. He let out a small sigh as the greed in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a contemplative expression.

"Pain!"

A voice suddenly rang in Masatsuki’s ears.

Pernida’s eye glared at him, its body trembling as it spoke haltingly:

"A mere Shinigami... truly... deserves death... I will execute you myself..."

Masatsuki’s lips curled into a smirk of disdain.

"...Have you been learning bad habits from Gerard?"

With a sneer, the flames flared up violently, intensifying the fire consuming Pernida.

He scoffed. "You really don’t learn anything good—only the bad."

A little creature like Pernida daring to challenge him? A brat like this needed proper discipline!

"You really don’t learn anything good!"

At that moment, Pernida spoke again.

This time, it perfectly imitated Masatsuki’s tone.

Masatsuki’s smirk deepened.

"Oh? Now you’re mimicking me? Guess you’re not entirely hopeless—you’ve finally realized you should learn from the right people."

He chuckled, eyeing Pernida with curiosity, as if inspecting some rare treasure.

"Relax. I won’t kill you—at least, not yet. But I’m not letting you go either."

Masatsuki licked his lips.

Absorbing the Soul King’s left arm was not something he wanted to rush.

While Kidō was effective against Pernida, it was far from weak. If Pernida activated its Schrift—"C" for Compulsory—then in close combat, it was practically unbeatable.

Any solid object that came into contact with its nerves, whether alive or not, would fall under its control.

Unlike the Soul King’s right arm, which was more accommodating, Pernida was openly hostile toward him.

Absorption would require direct contact, and if he were to be countered during the process, the consequences would be disastrous.

With that thought, Masatsuki casually waved his hand.

The swirling flames surrounding Pernida split open.

A perfect opportunity!

Pernida’s pupil trembled violently as several red nerves shot out from the gap, lunging straight at Masatsuki.

But Masatsuki had anticipated this.

With a sneer, he swung his blade.

The Banshō Senran in his hands erupted into blazing flames, and the scorching fire-forged katana cleaved through the oncoming nerves.

In an instant, the tentacle-like appendages were severed.

A moment later, the vortex of fire sealed shut again, once more trapping Pernida within!

"Despicable... Shinigami!"

Pernida’s eye widened suddenly, as if its very being had been deceived.

It now fully understood—the Shinigami had intentionally exposed a weakness earlier, all to lure it in.

"Thank you for the gift, Pernida."

Masatsuki Aozaki responded with a smile.

"But this isn’t nearly enough. So, please continue to stay here."

"No need to rush. One day, I’ll put an end to your suffering."

...

"The Almighty... what an enviable ability."

In the underground training grounds, Masatsuki Aozaki lay in the hot spring, staring blankly at the white light above, lost in thought.

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