Chapter 148

"Mr. Makarov, this is perfectly normal."

"The core members of the Akatsuki organization are few in number, and nearly every one possesses strength capable of standing alone."

After hearing Makarov's words, Aizen Sōjirō paused briefly to think, then smiled: "So even just the reserves of core members—interns—still possess quite formidable power."

"The Mr. Jellal who was on the Tower of Paradise must be of the same strength as an Akatsuki intern."

Without waiting for Makarov to say anything further, Aizen Sōjirō extended his palm and clenched it in midair toward Lin Cheng's direction.

As Aizen Sōjirō moved, six pillars of light instantly appeared in midair, swiftly flying toward Lin Cheng's position and sealing off every possible escape route.

This is Binding Spell Sixty-One: Six Rods of Light Prison.

Once struck, the target is completely immobilized by these six pillars of light, left utterly defenseless.

"No way, no way."

Lin Cheng, watching the Six Rods of Light Prison closing in on him, dramatically said: "Do you really need someone of this caliber to deal with a lowly intern like me?"

"If you're going to play like this, I'm going to call for help."

Lin Cheng certainly had no intention of being trapped in place by Aizen Sōjirō.

Sensing the timing was right, without hesitation, Lin Cheng instantly returned to the Rain Village's territory.

He vanished from everyone's sight, and Aizen Sōjirō's Six Rods of Light Prison, having lost its target, gradually dissipated into midair.

"Mr. Aizen Sōjirō."

"I apologize—it seems our operation has already been discovered by the enemy."

Watching Lin Cheng vanish instantly, Makarov's expression turned grim.

Aizen Sōjirō's retreat had been staged to lure the Stronger Alliance into a surprise attack on the Akatsuki.

But unexpectedly, it was their own side that had been infiltrated.

As a result, the entire ambush and encirclement plan had utterly failed.

"Mr. Makarov, are all the people assembled?"

"If everyone is here, then as long as we execute the plan quickly enough, it's still possible."

Aizen Sōjirō smiled faintly at Makarov's grim expression.

Before Makarov could say another word, Aizen Sōjirō's spiritual pressure surged violently into the sky, and the Bobu Society president's villa shattered instantly.

The clouds overhead were instantly scattered.

In this brief moment, the power Aizen Sōjirō unleashed turned every face in the room pale—this pressure far exceeded anything they had ever experienced, utterly defying their understanding.

Even the two strongest among them, the Heavenly Kings and Top Ten Magic Council members Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin, now wore expressions of profound shock.

How many years had it been since these two, who had stood atop the continent for years and were nearly T1-tier combatants, last felt such crushing pressure?

"Is this… Mr. Aizen Sōjirō's true power?"

"It feels even more terrifying than when he was at the Tower of Paradise."

Overwhelmed by this sudden surge of pressure, Lucy knelt on the ground, her face filled with astonishment.

At this moment, Lucy couldn't move even a single finger.

"Mr. Aizen Sōjirō's strength is truly immense."

"But even with such power, does Mr. Aizen Sōjirō really need us all to help?"

Erza's reaction was far better than most in the crowd.

Dressed in the Celestial Wheel Armor, she knelt painfully, struggling to look toward Aizen Sōjirō's position.

At this moment, the only ones who could still stand before Aizen Sōjirō were Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Everyone else—even Makarov, the Fifth of the Top Ten Magic Council—bent over and collapsed onto the ground.

Of course, Aizen Sōjirō was only exerting this pressure for dramatic effect and emotional impact; if he truly unleashed his full spiritual pressure, even Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin would be unable to stand.

"I'm sorry."

"I now need to unleash all my power to tear open space—I won't be able to protect you all."

Aizen Sōjirō looked at the crowd kneeling before him and gave a sincerely earnest explanation for his actions.

As if he truly intended to unleash his utmost strength to rip open space and locate the Akatsuki's hidden base in the subdimension.

But if you're going to act, act fully.

Aizen Sōjirō still needed to maximize the visual spectacle.

"The Cliff of a Thousand Hands, the Unreachable Dark Hand, the Unseen Heavenly Archer."

"The Path where Light Falls, the Wind that Sparks the Flame, at the Moment of Gathering, Do Not Wander—Follow My Command."

"Light Bullet: Eight Bodies, Nine Threads, Heavenly Scripture, Swift Treasure, Great Wheel—Gray Cannon Tower, Drawn Bow to the Distance." Jiao

A string of words meaningless to Makarov and the others spilled from Aizen Sōjirō's lips.

In this context, spoken by Aizen Sōjirō, these meaningless words sounded extraordinarily powerful.

Moreover, as Aizen Sōjirō continued chanting, he steadily and rhythmically increased the intensity of his unleashed spiritual pressure.

Slowly, Erza too collapsed fully to her knees; even Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin, who had barely managed to stand before Aizen Sōjirō, gradually bent over and knelt on the ground.

Finally, just as Aizen Sōjirō was about to finish his chant, he pushed his spiritual pressure to a level even Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin could not endure.

"The Pure Ground vanishes—Binding Spell Ninety-One: Thousand Hands Radiant Heaven Cannon!"

Aizen Sōjirō solemnly chanted toward the empty air where Lin Cheng had vanished.

Boom!

Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin both collapsed onto the ground.

As Wolfheim and Volodzhenkin fell, blue light flooded every corner of everyone's vision.