Boom! Boom!!!
Two massive explosions erupted almost simultaneously as two shockwaves, one large and one small, tore through the ruins of Las Noches.
Dark mists of 'aging,' high-pressure water jets, and a spear of lightning surged toward Makiya from different directions. The unstable energies converged at a single point, triggering a colossal explosion as they clashed and neutralized one another.
Rumble...
After a brief second of silence on the battlefield, a blinding white light suddenly flashed, momentarily outshining the surrounding walls of bright red fire. A massive gale swept across the area with destructive force, causing the fiery barriers to flicker and sway.
In contrast, Grimmjow, who was being pummeled into the sand by Yammy, was much less noticeable.
"Do you want to die, you bastard!" Grimmjow let out a roar. After blocking several of Yammy's strikes with his hardened elbows, he found a split second to breathe, his claws glowing with a blue-white light.
"Desgarrón!"
Two massive blue light trails tore from his claws, striking Yammy's broad, dark-brown chest with a lightning speed that produced a bone-chilling grinding sound.
Ultimately, Grimmjow's claws proved superior. Six deep gashes were carved into Yammy's chest, and blood sprayed out.
"Is that all?" Grimmjow took the opportunity to leap out of the sand pit, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His leopard-like eyes remained fixed on Yammy. Despite his dismissive words, he could feel Yammy's threat level rising, indicating the other's strength was rapidly increasing.
Dressed in his white uniform, Yammy looked down at the wounds on his chest and smiled dismissively. Without any apparent movement on his part, dark red flames suddenly erupted from the wounds. The bleeding stopped instantly, and the gashes began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"What?" Grimmjow's eyes widened. He knew Yammy's abilities all too well. There were only so many top-tier powerhouses in Hueco Mundo, and he had fought Yammy before. He was certain the man had no regenerative abilities; usually, he had to rely on his body to heal slowly or find a Menos with healing powers.
'Did he gain high-speed regeneration?' Ulquiorra observed the fight out of the corner of his eye, attempting to analyze the effects of the enemy's power through the changes in Yammy.
"To acknowledge a Soul Reaper as master so easily... you are a disgrace to us all," Baraggan snorted coldly. He had always viewed himself as the King of Hueco Mundo; theoretically, all Hollows were his subjects. Seeing Yammy submit to a strange Soul Reaper right in front of him felt like a personal betrayal.
The fact that Hueco Mundo had such a traitor made him feel terrible; it was incredibly irritating.
Thump!
A red shadow flashed past. Before anyone could react, the red light struck Grimmjow's face, exploding into a burst of fire on his head.
"How do you like the taste of my Bala? Die! Die! Die!!!"
Yammy swung a fist the size of a basketball, red energy saturating its surface. As he punched, a red sphere of energy tore through the air and slammed into Grimmjow.
Bala was an attack technique similar to Cero in execution. While its power was far inferior to a Cero, its speed was twenty times faster.
Yammy swung his arms like a machine gun. Red orbs of light rained down on Grimmjow, and the continuous explosions caused the ground to cave in.
"You damn oversized oaf, are you just tickling me!" Grimmjow roared. His body moved with the agility of a panther, his explosive power pushing through the shockwaves as he dodged the rain-like Bala attacks.
Though he mocked the attacks, Grimmjow knew the high-speed Balas were formidable. They were incredibly painful, and if he kept getting hit, even the strongest Hierro wouldn't hold up for long.
The two Menos were locked in combat—one a tank with a machine gun, the other a high-attack, low-defense glass cannon. The battle reached a fever pitch instantly, and the sound of rumbling echoed through Las Noches.
"It seems the modifications were quite effective." Makiya stepped out from the massive cloud of dust. Behind him, the fine white sand had completely collapsed into a crater nearly a hundred meters deep. The bottom layer was crystalline; the white sand had vitrified under the impact of high-density energy.
"Several Menos, don't resist evolution. Your future selves will thank you for today." Makiya raised a single hand high above his head. "Join the glorious evolution."
A dense, visible surge of killing intent billowed from Makiya's body, instantly enveloping him. An invisible wave spread from beneath his feet, covering the entirety of Las Noches.
Murderous Wave!
This was one of the core skills of the Asura class from the world of Dungeon & Fighter. In the game, it was a unique buff that dealt continuous fixed damage to enemies within range and reduced their defense.
Using this skill in reality, Makiya's intense killing intent enveloped Baraggan and the other two Menos. The visual effect was even more impressive than in the game.
Wisps of invisible killing intent cowed all things. The formless power blanketed the entire battlefield, leaving fine scratches on the ground and sending pebbles flying wherever it passed.
"What kind of ability is this now?" Harribel's expression was grim as she retreated repeatedly. Even when she reached the edge of the fire wall, she could still feel the invisible waves washing over her. A sense of impending doom grew in her heart, as if disaster were about to strike at any second.
'Is this also an ability of that sword?' Ulquiorra frowned. Relying on his high-speed regeneration, he didn't rush to dodge. Instead, he stayed put to observe calmly, allowing the invisible blades to pierce his skin.
Wisps of strange energy slipped through the tiny wounds into his skin, quietly integrating into his tissues.
"No... Based on my many years of experience, a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto usually only has one ability, or multiple techniques derived from a single power." Baraggan, now missing an arm, let his Respira mist wrap around his body, attempting to block the invisible killing intent.
However, within the range of Murderous Wave, all living things suffered a mental shock that was impossible to defend against.
Realizing it was useless, Baraggan decisively dispersed the mist to avoid accidentally harming himself.
It was ironic; Baraggan, who claimed to rule over 'aging,' was himself afraid of it. Under the erosion of Respira, Baraggan couldn't hold out for long. While his exterior might withstand it for a time, his internal resistance to aging was no different from any other creature.
In the original story, the Kido Chief Hachigen Ushoda used spatial displacement Kido to teleport his own right hand—which was covered in Respira—into Baraggan's body. This caused the King of Hueco Mundo to be consumed by his own power, his body rotting rapidly from the inside until it vanished into nothingness.
"What a troublesome Soul Reaper." The Lanza del Relámpago in Ulquiorra's hand slowly faded. "This is no time to hold back. Everyone, give it your all."
The massive bat wings on his back vibrated at high speed, then grew even larger amidst the terrifying energy surge. His white uniform was not spared; ink-like liquid flowed from the hole in his chest, staining his lower body black.
A heavy pressure radiated from Ulquiorra, drawing sideways glances from Harribel and Baraggan. They felt as if a massive black sun were hanging over their heads, the crushing weight looming over every living thing.
"Ulquiorra... I didn't expect this kid to be hiding so much." Baraggan remained silent. He felt that the current Ulquiorra had already surpassed him. If the boy had the desire, he could completely usurp the position of King of Hueco Mundo.
'No, what am I thinking? The power of 'aging' is invincible!' Baraggan mentally shook his head.
The whites of Ulquiorra's eyes turned green. His body from the abdomen to the legs, as well as his arms and back, were covered in black feathers. Large black claws grew from his wings, and a long, flexible tail tipped with a white bone spike extended behind him.
"I will take the lead. You two provide support."
Ulquiorra gave a casual command, slowly raising his right hand and pointing his index finger at Makiya. Black-green energy gathered at his fingertip.
"Cero Oscuras!"
A concentrated beam of light, far more powerful than a standard Cero, left a black-green trail in the air. Even space itself seemed to tremble under the massive energy impact, and the ground along its path was further ravaged, leaving a deep trench.
Facing the near-instant Cero Oscuras, Makiya, enveloped in the perception of his Murderous Wave, could clearly track the energy beam's trajectory.
His perception had transcended sight. Within the range of his killing intent, every movement was funneled into his mind; he mastered every rustle of grass and every gust of wind.
"Ultimate Sword Art: Instant Slash!"
Makiya's figure vanished, as if piercing through space itself. The brilliant black-green light couldn't keep up with his speed. When he reappeared, he was already behind Ulquiorra.
Chisato was sheathed, and then an immortal sword intent exploded behind him. The powerful slash instantly shattered the concentrated beam of the Cero Oscuras, and countless brilliant sparks of light erupted across Ulquiorra's body.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After his transformation, Ulquiorra's defense had reached a new level. However, if even Nnoitra, known for his Hierro, couldn't block Makiya's strikes, then Ulquiorra—who was not a specialist in defense—certainly couldn't either.
In an instant, Ulquiorra's limbs were severed, and even the tail behind him was cut into three segments by the invisible sword intent.
His tail was exceptionally sharp and flexible. In the original story, the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki had suffered greatly due to a moment of carelessness. Makiya was naturally on guard.
"What?" The cold, unchanging expression on Ulquiorra's face finally broke. As he was sent flying, he looked on in shock. He hadn't expected to be instantly cut down even after revealing his full power.
'What kind of monster is this Soul Reaper?'
Thud!
A loud noise echoed high in the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Makiya saw torrents of water appear out of nowhere, roaring toward him with the weight of a mountain.
This was Harribel's ability. This woman with the oversized sword was particularly skilled at manipulating water, whether it was large-scale tidal attacks or single-target strikes like high-pressure water bombs; she could perform them with ease.
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