Chapter 211: "Fear" Incarnate—The Leopard King's Transformation!
CRACK—
Äs Nödt stretched her neck in an extraordinarily grotesque posture, staring at Grimmjow with vicious intent. The joints throughout her body protruded unnaturally, resembling a deformed monstrosity.
"A mere Arrancar dares to injure my noble body?!"
Äs Nödt's eyes rolled wildly within their sockets. She extended her hand, and a blade formed from condensed spirit particles materialized within her grasp, prepared to attack Grimmjow at any moment.
"Perfect timing!"
Witnessing that Äs Nödt no longer fled, Grimmjow smiled coldly and drew the Zanpakutō from his waist.
CLANG!
Within the blink of an eye, both blades collided rapidly. What surprised Grimmjow, however, was that the skeletal woman before him could actually block his attack. Despite her appearance, she possessed strength utterly disproportionate to her frail form.
The instant both engaged in combat, Äs Nödt—wrapped within a slender windbreaker—widened her eyes. Several spike-like light arrows materialized around her body once more.
"That trick again?" Witnessing this scene, Grimmjow's expression grew fierce. His figure leaped directly above Äs Nödt's head.
A sphere of energy radiating Cero's luminescence appeared directly within Grimmjow's right palm.
"Why don't you just lie down already?" Grimmjow sneered, and the azure Cero discharged instantly.
BOOM!
At nearly point-blank range, despite Äs Nödt's bizarre evasive techniques and ability to blend into shadows, she was inevitably struck directly by Grimmjow's Cero.
Following the violent explosion, a cloud of smoke and debris filled the area. Even Grimmjow himself emerged somewhat disheveled.
After leaping beyond the explosion's radius, Grimmjow—gripping his Zanpakutō firmly—turned his head to observe whether Äs Nödt at the explosion's epicenter retained any life signature.
After their series of exchanges, Grimmjow had discovered that the Quincy before him appeared extraordinarily fearful of his Reiatsu. Traditional physical methods couldn't eliminate her whatsoever. Consequently, Grimmjow had employed attack methods infused with spiritual pressure repeatedly.
For Arrancar, no more convenient means of assault existed than Cero.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Äs Nödt's figure gradually materialized. From several meters' distance, Grimmjow observed intently. At this moment, half of Äs Nödt's body had rotted away. The wounds covering that decaying flesh were saturated with Grimmjow's Reiatsu.
As time progressed, the rot consuming her body intensified gradually, as though corroded by some manner of virulent poison.
At this moment, Äs Nödt slowly raised her head. The damage to her physical form caused this pure-blooded Quincy to feel genuine pain within her heart.
Particularly because this body had been bestowed upon her by Yhwach himself, she treasured it tremendously.
However, she hadn't anticipated sustaining injury from a mere Arrancar in the human world. This represented absolute blasphemy against His Majesty!
Äs Nödt's fury intensified. The surrounding structures began shaking continuously as Äs Nödt released her spiritual pressure. Witnessing the tremors growing increasingly severe, Grimmjow's figure flickered, intending to eliminate his opponent directly.
Although he didn't know what other unknown capabilities she possessed, Grimmjow genuinely didn't want to continue fighting such a repulsive adversary.
Suddenly, Grimmjow materialized directly before Äs Nödt. He raised his Zanpakutō-wielding hand, but at that instant, Äs Nödt glared at him viciously.
With merely that single glance, Grimmjow felt his breath suffocate. His heart seemed to cease beating entirely.
What just occurred? The magnificent Lord Grimmjow was actually intimidated by that look?!
Abruptly, a pentagonal ring adorned with multiple spiked protrusions appeared above Äs Nödt's head. Her previously injured body was also restored instantaneously. The speed of regeneration proved even more terrifying than a Menos Grande's High-Speed Regeneration.
You've got to be kidding!
Grimmjow felt profound unease within his heart. He retreated hastily, not halting until both maintained a relatively safe distance.
Even now, Grimmjow continued reminiscing about that sensation of fear he'd just experienced. How long had it been since he'd felt such emotion?
Fifty years? One hundred years? Or perhaps longer?
After he'd become an Adjuchas, he'd possessed only one objective within his heart—to ascend to an even higher level. The sole sensation of fear he could experience was regression to Gillian status.
Whether Aizen previously or even Fiander presently, Grimmjow understood he couldn't match them. Yet he'd never felt afraid. Only this time... This long-absent sense of fear actually made Grimmjow feel somewhat exhilarated!
"What are you smirking about?"
Äs Nödt, having fully manifested her Vollständig, now bled from beneath her eyes. Her upper torso and chest were exposed completely.
Two thorn-like ring-shaped wings constructed from spirit particles appeared upon her back. The stitching marks at her throat extended downward to her lower body's hem.
The spiked mask she'd worn previously had also vanished, revealing neat yet utterly disgusting teeth.
Witnessing Grimmjow—who should have been trapped in a state of fear—lowering his head and sneering, Äs Nödt frowned subconsciously and demanded an answer.
Äs Nödt in her Vollständig state appeared not only increasingly grotesque, but her abilities had amplified tremendously. Any enemy she observed directly would experience the deepest fear residing within their hearts spreading from the depths of their nervous system.
This manner of fear proved unavoidable even if one closed their eyes and refused to look at her.
"Damn creature!" Seeing that Grimmjow refused to respond, Äs Nödt spread both hands wide. Numerous colossal eyeball-covered walls surrounded Grimmjow from empty space.
Äs Nödt had completed her Vollständig's most formidable ability—"The Fear."
Enemies encircled by these giant eye-covered walls would be consumed by the deepest terror residing within their hearts. Eventually, this fear would gradually incinerate their minds until they literally scared themselves to death.
Finally, Äs Nödt witnessed Grimmjow's body beginning to tremble. His hands, his legs, every hair covering his body stood on end.
"Hahahaha! You're still afraid! Even you can feel fear! No one in this world is immune to terror—except the great Majesty!"
Äs Nödt laughed unrestrained. All the humiliation she'd felt being pressured by Grimmjow previously released instantaneously.
A moment later, Grimmjow tremblingly raised his hand and extended it toward Äs Nödt's direction.
Witnessing this scene, Äs Nödt sneered mockingly: "What's this? Do you wish to surrender? Despicable Arrancar—you injured my noble body! I will never forgive you! Simply watch as you're killed by the fear dwelling within your own heart!"
The instant Äs Nödt finished speaking, Grimmjow's trembling voice resonated throughout the space: "Grind him down, Pantera!"
BOOM!
Azure Reiatsu erupted from Grimmjow's body, directly shattering the giant eyeball-covered walls surrounding him. After the violent spiritual pressure dissipated, Grimmjow appeared before Äs Nödt with glazed, predatory eyes.
"Impossible! How could an Arrancar break through my abilities?!"
Äs Nödt felt genuinely shocked witnessing Grimmjow's completed Resurrección. Her previous arrogant posture no longer existed. Instead, she felt frightened by the Arrancar's eyes before her.
Those ferocious eyes that disregarded life entirely—as though violent aura promising to tear her apart in the next instant—emanated from the beast-like Arrancar standing before her.
"Desgarrón!"
Without any hesitation or plans for prolonged combat, Grimmjow—having completed his Resurrección state—directly employed his most devastating technique.
The claws radiating cold luminescence alternated strikes. The entire space filled with enormous blue light trails. These luminous marks brimmed with power, wrapped in the oppressive sensation of rending everything asunder. They directly tore Äs Nödt's body into several fragmented pieces.
"Splatter—"
Blood overflowed from Äs Nödt's body in tremendous quantities. Even torn apart completely, Äs Nödt still attempted reassembling her scattered flesh and blood.
"My body... my body... this is the precious body bestowed upon me by His Majesty... mine... all mine..."
"Forgive me... Your Majesty! Don't reclaim my body..."
Witnessing Äs Nödt—resembling rotting meat—still lingering desperately, Grimmjow opened his palm. Blood-red Cero mixed with his Gran Rey Cero discharged directly.
BOOM!
The turquoise-crimson Cero made the entire structure tremble once more. The devastating Gran Rey Cero directly obliterated Äs Nödt's remaining flesh and blood—even destroying what Yhwach had intended to reclaim through his Auswählen.
After everything returned to dust, Grimmjow—released from his Resurrección state—felt only emptiness within his heart, as though something critical was missing.
Clutching his chest, Grimmjow's expression grew solemn. He made no movements until Shawlong Koufang's voice emerged from the structure's lower level. Only then did Grimmjow conclude this contemplative state.
"Lord Grimmjow, I've discovered something I believe might interest you!"
Realizing Grimmjow's battle had concluded, Shawlong Koufang appeared immediately and reported the results of his surrounding investigation.
"Something? Lead the way, Shawlong!"
Grimmjow spoke in subdued tones. Clearly, the battle just concluded hadn't provided him any satisfaction whatsoever.
"Follow me, Lord Grimmjow!"
Following Shawlong Koufang's lead, both leaped from the top-floor loft to the ground level. They returned to the original room's location.
The room's layout remained exactly identical to the little girl's house from before—except the colors here consisted entirely of black and white backgrounds.
Both still proceeded from the entrance to the second floor, arriving at the same bedroom. However, after pushing open the bedroom door, what came into view no longer resembled Ryoko's mother lying upon the bed. Instead, they witnessed a child's dismembered remains.
These remains had been packed into larger glass vessels. Using the unique spiritual power lingering within these remains, a strange barrier had been arranged throughout this bedroom.
"This is..."
Despite the hypothesis forming within his mind, Grimmjow still hesitated to speak.
"From this subordinate's perspective, I fear this represents the medium connecting this shadow realm to the actual world."
Shawlong Koufang entered the room and observed the child's remains within the glass containers. Crouching down, he analyzed: "The bone age appears close to the little girl who guided us here previously—probably from the same period."
"The Quincy needed to create a concealed location here. Using an earthbound spirit possessing spiritual power to construct a new dimensional space likely represented the optimal choice."
"So... the Quincy killed the little girl's mother before her eyes, confused her memories, and trapped her within the house above. By utilizing the remains containing spirit particles and the earthbound spirit's characteristics, they could create this Shadow Sanctuary?"
Grimmjow calmly analyzed what had transpired before them. Such methods weren't uncommon within Hueco Mundo.
"Precisely. However, what the Quincy didn't anticipate was that the little girl's worry regarding her mother's obsession would break through the house binding her. As an earthbound spirit, she attempted venturing into the outside world."
"But her memories remained confused. Within her consciousness, her mother was merely sick. Consequently, she sold flowers on the street. However, being already a spirit body, she naturally couldn't be seen by ordinary humans. That's why she claimed those humans ignored her."
After Shawlong Koufang finished speaking, Grimmjow remained silent. After all, subsequent events didn't require the other party's repetition.
Because what happened afterward—when Grimmjow and Shawlong Koufang had traveled to this world—the little girl had approached them asking whether they needed to purchase flowers.
Following brief silence, Grimmjow felt the veins across his forehead pulsing faintly. "Destroy this place, Shawlong Koufang. I feel disgusted!"
After speaking, Grimmjow departed from the bedroom without looking back.
Several minutes later, a massive explosion occurred within a hidden residential area of Karakura Town. The surrounding crowds fled in terror.
Amidst thick smoke and debris, the previously lifeless residential area was reduced to complete ruins by this violent detonation.
In the sky above, Grimmjow—having changed back into his human-world clothing—gazed down at the panicking crowds below. After a prolonged moment, he snorted coldly. "Humans... truly fragile creatures!"
"Let's depart, Shawlong!"
Grimmjow, with both hands thrust into his pockets, stepped into the Garganta opening behind him while speaking. Shawlong Koufang also took one final, penetrating look at the house—now belching black smoke after being destroyed by his own hand—before following Grimmjow into the dimensional rift.
Within Shawlong Koufang's perception, Lord Grimmjow who'd departed from the shadow realm appeared somehow changed. Perhaps the Quincy's strange ability had awakened something within Grimmjow.
Or perhaps some encounter had caused subtle fluctuations within Grimmjow's heart. Regardless, this represented positive development, Lord Grimmjow!
"Hey! Shawlong, why are you spacing out? If you don't enter soon, just remain in this world permanently!"
Seeing that Shawlong Koufang hadn't entered the Garganta for considerable duration, Grimmjow shouted impatiently from within.
"My apologies, Lord Grimmjow! This subordinate is coming immediately!"
At this moment, within Soul Society—in the Seireitei, beneath the shadows—a man leaning upon a throne slowly opened his eyes.