[Hueco Mundo's Center]
Under the towering full moon lay an endless expanse of barren land.
And upon this desolate plain stood a massive platform constructed entirely from piled-up stone.
At the platform's center sat a throne made of bone.
Barragan, shaped like a skeletal king, sat idly upon the throne, a slightly broken crown still resting on his head.
This was his palace, one he named Las Noches.
"Ggio, any big happenings in Hueco Mundo lately?", Barragan asked with a hint of boredom.
A long life brought with it a long, unending tedium.
Fortunately, his identity as king had never changed, and he would continue to sit upon the throne of Hueco Mundo's ruler.
Beside him, an Adjuchas resembling a saber-toothed tiger lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty Barragan, Harribel has disappeared recently, but Nelliel still roams within our territory, and we can do nothing about her. Moreover, there's now a mantis Adjuchas in her team."
"Just an Adjuchas, and none of you can deal with it?"
Barragan cast Ggio a glance, 'Just an Adjuchas, and he had to come report it personally?'
"Nirgge, what about that Shinigami? Any new movements from his side?"
Barragan turned his head toward the giant elephant Hollow beside him.
Not long ago, three Shinigami had stormed right up to his throne, and had the audacity to hold a blade to his neck.
Who was he? He was the great King of Hueco Mundo.
But regrettably, even the King of Hueco Mundo had opponents he couldn't defeat.
That man's ability was beyond comprehension, utterly invincible. Barragan had no way to counter it.
Until he found a method to break it, he could only cooperate with the man.
Yes, cooperate.
He was the King of Hueco Mundo, how could he possibly become a subordinate of a Shinigami?
He merely allowed some weaker Adjuchas to be used for experiments, and in return, the Shinigami sent him a group of powerful Arrancar soldiers.
"Your Majesty, they're still tinkering with those so-called Arrancar soldiers. There are nearly a hundred now, but none seem particularly strong. The strongest among them isn't even my equal," Nirgge said mockingly.
He was Barragan's most elite subordinate. Those so-called Adjuchas-turned-Arrancar were no match for him at all.
Thinking they could climb above him just by becoming lab experiments, what a joke.
"Not as strong as you? Fine. But if they can mass-produce Arrancar soldiers, that would still be a considerable boost to our power," Barragan said coolly.
He lent them manpower for experiments; in exchange, they returned powerful soldiers. A fair trade, much like his past cooperation with Szayel Aporro.
"Re–Report!"
Suddenly, a griffin-shaped Hollow dove from the sky, panicked and shouting,
"Your Majesty! That woman Harribel, she's coming with a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow!"
"Oh? Perfect timing. We've got over a hundred Arrancar soldiers, let's see how strong my troops truly are. Since that girl refuses to submit, she won't be leaving this time."
Barragan burst into hearty laughter, not the least bit nervous.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"Abirama, if you have something to say, just say it! What's with that face!"
Ggio glared at Abirama in irritation. With behavior like this, he still dared to compete with him for the role of Barragan's right-hand man?
Keeping such a fool by His Majesty's side would only tarnish their dignity.
"Well... the Arrancar army already went up against them, but they were completely wiped out, they weren't the enemy's match at all. They have Arrancar too, and theirs look... more human than ours," Abirama muttered quietly.
"What? Say that again?", Ggio's eyes bulged wide, and with a single tiger claw, he slapped Abirama to the ground, his expression filled with visible panic.
'That was nearly a hundred-man Arrancar army! Even if His Majesty Barragan himself were surrounded, he'd likely find it troublesome.'
As for him, sure, he was stronger than any single soldier, but if he were caught in that chaos, he'd be melted in an instant.
And now what was he hearing? That such a massive Arrancar army was annihilated in such a short time?
When an Arrancar army mobilized, someone would normally send a report.
But they hadn't received any outgoing report, only Abirama's defeat notice. That could only mean the army had fallen too quickly, faster than any messenger could deliver news. Only Abirama's speed had let him make it back.
"Report! The enemy is attacking! The Arrancar army has gone out to intercept!"
At that moment, the messenger Hollow finally burst into Las Noches to deliver the news.
Hearing this, Nirgge looked shocked too, nervously glancing toward Barragan.
Not long ago, three Shinigami had humiliated them by pressing their heads to the ground. They'd killed every Hollow who'd witnessed it, leaving only him and Ggio alive.
And now, was history about to repeat itself?
"What's the panic for? Since the enemy's target is us, I want to see just how they plan to bring me down," Barragan snorted coldly, utterly calm.
It wasn't as if the attackers were those dreaded Shinigami.
They were Hollows like him, and among Hollows, he was the oldest.
In all Hueco Mundo, there existed no Hollow he could not defeat.
For tens of thousands of years, countless challengers had come, Adjuchas, Vasto Lordes, but none had ever been able to shake him.
Two Vasto Lordes? They couldn't possibly be his match.
Though Ggio and Nirgge were still somewhat tense, seeing their king so unbothered made them relax a little.
Before long, Rosse led Harribel and the others straight to Barragan's throne.
Scanning the barren land before them, Sung-Sun peeked out from behind Rosse's back, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she giggled mockingly.
"My, my, so this is Las Noches? It looks so shabby, it doesn't feel like a palace at all."
"Hmph! Foolish little girl, you know nothing of eternity. Ggio, slap her mouth and teach her her place."
Barragan was immediately enraged, his earlier caution toward Rosse and the others forgotten.
He'd seen self-made Arrancar before, so what? None had survived the test of time, and none could withstand his power of aging.
Two Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar kept silent, yet this mere Hollow with the pressure of an Adjuchas dared to speak so arrogantly before him?
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Ggio lunged forward.
At such a moment, he had long set aside fear of death.
He was Barragan's vassal, anyone who insulted his king must pay in blood.
"Ara-ara, going to slap me? Oh, I'm so scared!"
Sung-Sun let out a string of silvery laughter, and just as Ggio charged in, she didn't rely on Rosse's protection.
Instead, she performed a quick Sonido, flashing right in front of Ggio.
"Cero!"
The Cero she'd been quietly charging in her sleeve blasted straight toward the oncoming Ggio.
Sung-Sun too would offer her strength, for Lord Rosse's ascension to the throne.
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