"Hahahahaha! Just a mere Hollow, and you dare to be this arrogant?"
Facing the golden Cero sweeping in like a bursting heavenly river from Harribel, the closest Sternritter member let out a wild laugh.
Cang Du had no intention of dodging. Instead, his eyes flashed with disdain toward Harribel.
"Watch me block it!"
In the next instant, the white sand beneath his feet exploded as he leaped high into the air like an arrow released from a bow.
At the same time, his skin instantly took on a metallic sheen. His entire body turned into an indestructible steel statue, forcefully placing himself in front of the Cero that could annihilate everything, intending to stop it with his flesh.
"Cang Du! Get out of the way! You idiot!"
At the very back of the formation, Jugram Haschwalth's pupils shrank sharply as he shouted.
But it was too late.
Buzz!
There was no violent explosion, only a low-frequency hum that could deafen the soul.
That brilliant golden Cero was like a raging dragon of light piercing through heaven and earth, swallowing Cang Du's proud steel body without the slightest resistance.
A fleeting instant, yet it felt like eternity.
His attempt to block it did have a tiny, almost negligible effect.
The Cero that would have covered the entire Quincy formation shifted just a fraction because of his sacrifice, avoiding detonating at the most crowded spot.
The light faded.
Nothing was left in the air.
"Hey… that's way too much, isn't it?"
Love Aikawa, former captain of the Seventh Division and a member of the Visored, tightened his grip on his spiked club-like Zanpakuto. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
Every Soul Reaper and Quincy saw how Cang Du died.
Along the path of the Cero, there was only a patch of empty void still emitting faint smoke.
That Sternritter who had been shouting earlier didn't even leave behind a fragment of bone. He was completely vaporized into the most basic spirit particles by that single blast.
"That person's spiritual pressure wasn't weak at all. It was even slightly stronger than mine in a pure Hollowfication state. For him to charge in like that, he must've had absolute confidence in his unique defense. But he couldn't even last a second?"
Shinji Hirako's face turned grim, cold sweat seeping from his temple.
So this was the First Espada?
Just a casual attack, and she erased a top-tier captain-level fighter like crushing an ant.
If it had been him who rushed forward just now, would the outcome have been any different?
"That idiot Cang Du, his stupidity ruined His Majesty's perfect pre-battle setup!"
Jugram's face darkened as if it could drip water.
What had been a ten-versus-six advantage instantly became nine-versus-six.
If this kept up, even their numerical advantage would disappear.
As for the Soul Reapers, they weren't even part of his calculations.
From beginning to end, their true opponent had only ever been the Las Noches.
The Soul Reapers being allowed to ally with them was nothing more than His Majesty's mercy.
"Everyone spread out! Divide the battlefield!"
Jugram drew his sword and decisively gave the order, "Don't give them any chance to reduce our numbers!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The moment the command was given, the remaining nine Sternritter stopped holding back and released even more terrifying spiritual pressure.
Massive spirit particle wings spread behind them, and holy halos appeared above their heads.
The Quincy's final form, Vollstandig.
Cang Du's instant death was like a bucket of cold water dumped over these arrogant Quincies.
The enemies before them weren't the weak Hollows from textbooks, but powerful beings capable of taking their lives with ease.
If they didn't go all out now, they might not even get a chance to fight back.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless arrows made of densely packed spirit particles shot out from the nine Vollstandig Quincies.
They poured down like a torrential rain, filling the sky, tearing through space with shrill whistles as they blanketed Harribel and the others in an indiscriminate barrage.
"Heh! Divide the battlefield? Trying to pick us off one by one?"
Facing the rain of arrows, Lilynette showed no sign of panic. Instead, a wild and disdainful smile spread across her face.
She glanced at the lazy-looking man beside her and kicked him, "Hey! Starrk! Stop zoning out! Get to work!"
"Ah! What a pain. Fine, fine. You're the one in charge anyway, so I'll just follow along."
Starrk scratched his messy curly hair and sighed.
The next moment, their figures overlapped in light, slowly merging into one.
When the light faded, a petite girl covered in gray-white wolf fur, like a werewolf incarnation, stood in their place.
"Pick us off one by one? Do you think we like fighting as a team?"
With Lilynette in control, she bared her teeth in a wild grin and raised both hands toward the overwhelming rain of arrows.
"Bring it on!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Countless deep-blue Ceros sprayed out like machine-gun fire from her hands.
The deep-blue Ceros and blue-white arrows collided wildly in midair, then annihilated each other.
The sky of Hueco Mundo lit up like daylight in that moment, filled with dazzling yet deadly blue fireworks.
"I'll play with these weak bow users!"
Lilynette laughed arrogantly as she maintained the intense barrage, "The rest of the trash is yours!"
"Lord Rosse's order is to eliminate the Quincies first."
A voice as cold as ice suddenly sounded.
Ulquiorra did not participate in the ranged exchange.
His pale skin looked even colder under the moonlight, and the green tear marks on his face resembled two streaks of blood that had yet to dry.
Whoosh!
There was no fluctuation in space.
One moment he was standing still, and the next he appeared beside a burly Quincy like a ghost.
"Too slow."
Thud!
There was no fancy movement, just a simple hand thrust.
Ulquiorra's pale hand pierced straight through Gerard Valkyrie's muscular body like a hot knife through butter, stabbing through his heart from behind.
It was so fast that it exceeded the speed at which nerves could transmit pain.
By the time Ulquiorra expressionlessly pulled his blood-covered hand out and casually shook off the blood, preparing to hunt his next target, most people present hadn't even realized what had happened.
However—
Crack!
The moment he turned around, a large hand suddenly grabbed his wrist tightly.
"Hey, hey, isn't that a bit rude?"
Gerard's voice came from behind, carrying a chilling hint of amusement, "We just got started. Leaving so soon?"
Ulquiorra remained expressionless. His emotionless green eyes shifted slightly.
The fatal hole in Gerard's chest had already completely healed, without leaving even a scar.
If not for the blood still dripping from his bare chest, it would seem like everything that just happened was an illusion.
Rip!
In the next second, Ulquiorra's arm that had been grabbed was torn off by Gerard.
"Hahahahaha! Yes! This is it! This feeling!"
Thinking Ulquiorra was shocked, Gerard's laughter grew even more unrestrained, "Fear me! Dread me! Miracles grow stronger through fear!"
"I am a warrior chosen by God! A mere Hollow can never kill me!"
But that arrogant laughter lasted only a second before it choked off like a duck with its neck grabbed.
Right before his eyes, the severed arm of Ulquiorra began to wriggle, and in an instant, a completely intact arm regenerated at a speed even more exaggerated than his own.
"So even piercing the heart won't kill you?"
Ulquiorra flexed his newly grown fingers, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather, "In that case, what about your head?"
Whoosh!
A green afterimage flashed.
Gerard's head, still laughing, shot into the sky.
It was so fast that the blood in his neck hadn't even had time to spray out, his body still standing upright.
"AAAAAAAH! Now I'm really angry!"
The head flying in the sky was still roaring.
Golden wings spread behind Gerard like a divine halo. Not only did the headless body not fall, it released even more terrifying spiritual pressure.
Flesh rapidly grew from the severed neck, and in just a breath, a new head had formed.
"Die!"
After reviving, Gerard's body doubled in size. Like an ancient giant, he swung a massive sword and charged at Ulquiorra with a roar.
"Boring."
Ulquiorra spoke those two words flatly.
The next moment, his figure vanished, and when he reappeared, one hand was already pressing down on the giant Gerard's ferocious face.
Boom!
The ground shattered.
Under everyone's horrified gaze, Ulquiorra pressed Gerard's massive body into the sand like pushing a ball, then dragged him across the desert, carving out a terrifying trench thousands of meters long.
Immortality?
Miracles?
Then let him test it.
If once isn't enough, then ten times.
If ten times isn't enough, then a hundred.
Until he's completely killed and reduced to dust.
"Hey, hey, can you all stop looking at me?"
On the other side of the battlefield, Askin Nakk Le Vaar spread his hands helplessly under Jugram's piercing gaze, looking lazy and unwilling, "That expressionless Hollow is way too strong, isn't he? Not only can he treat Gerard's head like a ball, but with that speed, if my ability doesn't hit, going there is just asking to die. I don't want to die young."
He might be lazy, but he wasn't blind.
From what the opponent had shown, it practically countered him completely.
"I'll go help Gerard."
Lille Barro, wearing a fur coat and carrying a sniper rifle, sighed. His figure flashed, turning into a streak of light as he headed toward Ulquiorra's battlefield.
"According to the intel, that emotionless Hollow is only No.5. The two of us, His Majesty's guards, will deal with him quickly, then support the others."
"Love! Rojuro! Stop watching and go support!"
Shinji Hirako naturally saw the situation and immediately called out to his companions.
"No problem! Leave it to me!"
"On it!"
The two Visored captains didn't waste a word. Activating their Hollowfication, they charged toward the battlefield beyond the thousand-meter trench like arrows released from a bow, Zanpakuto in hand.
They knew they weren't strong enough, but they were already prepared to die.
"Now then, which of you will be my opponent?"
Neliel stepped forward, walking on air like a green rose blooming in the desert.
She slowly drew the two uniquely shaped blades at her waist. Both had the smooth, warm texture of fine jade.
They weren't her Zanpakuto.
Among the top five Espada, all five types of power had already fully merged, and nearly all of them had chosen to base their strength on the power of the pirate world granted by Rosse.
That was a fruit ability directly birthed from the power of a world, far superior to ordinary Devil Fruits.
The two blades in her hands were forged from the horns she shed after completing her fusion of power.
As she stepped in front of the Quincies and Soul Reapers, her beyond-captain-level spiritual pressure spread like a gentle yet deadly tide, silently enveloping everyone below.
"Don't worry, it won't take long."
Her voice was soft, like soothing a child to sleep. "I'll try to make it hurt as little as possible. You can rest here in this white sand."
"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk, such a beautiful lady… you look easy to bully~"
A flippant voice suddenly rang out.
Askin appeared in front of Neliel like a hyena smelling blood.
It was rare to meet an opponent who didn't look so violent, he didn't want to miss this seemingly easy target.
"How about I take good care of you?"
Before he finished speaking, Neliel smiled faintly. There was no charm in that smile, only a warrior's calm.
The next second—
Slice!
Without any warning, the twin horn blades traced two perfect green arcs through the air.
The smile on Askin's face hadn't even faded before his body was cleanly cut into eight neat pieces, like cheese sliced by a hot knife.
But no blood splattered.
Those severed pieces turned into purple poisonous mist and dissipated into the air in an instant.
"Hey, hey, starting off this brutal? No need to go for a sneak attack like that, right?"
A thousand meters away, on a sand dune, Askin's figure reappeared in a sorry state.
He patted his chest, looking shaken, but a deep trace of wariness flashed in his eyes.
Good thing he was cautious. The moment he approached, he had adjusted the lethal dose of spirit particles in his body to create a poisonous decoy.
Otherwise, that strike would've turned him into sashimi!
"But…"
Askin's lips curled slightly, revealing white teeth, "Even if you're fast, as long as you got close to me, your body already inhaled my poison. By now, your limbs should be starting to go numb, right? My ability is—"
"Thanks for the reminder."
Neliel's voice suddenly exploded right beside his ear.
"But your poison doesn't work on me."
Askin's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
'How is that possible?'
Once his poison was inhaled, it immediately altered the lethal threshold inside the opponent's body. Even the other royal guards would lose mobility for a short time.
Unless her spirit particle strength was so high that she could directly ignore that rule.
'But… how could that be?'
Buzz!
The twin blades came down with a shriek that tore through the air.
This strike was impossible to evade. It was about to split Askin's head open like a watermelon.
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