Chapter 245: Haori!!
Boom!!!
A Cero tore through the night sky and crashed into the silver desert.
A massive explosion sent clouds of sand billowing into the air.
Amid the swirling dust, a figure was sent flying backward.
Staring at the molten crater before her, Harribel felt exhausted.
All she wanted was a peaceful life, so why was she always being harassed by strange people?
Landing on the ground, her slender shark tail swished back and forth behind her.
Sensing the approaching danger, her expression shifted, and she raised her massive white Bone Sword in front of her chest—
Clang!!!
A long spear struck her Bone Sword, sending blinding sparks flying.
The power of the spear was terrifying; even she, a Vasto Lorde in Resurrección, felt overwhelmed.
"Hmph!"
With a surge of strength, Harribel pushed the spear upward.
Then, leveraging the advantage of her shorter bone sword's maneuverability, she swung it horizontally with force.
But just as the bone sword was about to strike, her opponent flickered and transformed into a streak of green light, retreating dozens of meters away!
Harribel couldn't help but freeze in astonishment.
What kind of speed was this?
Having created distance from Harribel, the enemy slightly shook her arm and adjusted her grip on the spear.
Like Harribel, this was also a Menos Grande.
Its upper body resembled a human form.
An antelope-shaped mask covered its face.
Although the mask already had several cracks, unlike Harribel's, it had not been broken.
However, judging by the curves from the neck down to the abdomen, it appeared to be a female Hollow after becoming an Arrancar.
Below the navel, its form resembled that of a centaur, fully adopting the posture of a quadrupedal animal.
Soft, thick fur covered its body.
In terms of Arrancar hierarchy, her strength was inferior to Harribel's.
But unlike Harribel, her growth had been forged through countless brutal battles.
In a fight, she was naturally not someone Harribel—who had leveled up through less strenuous means—could compare to.
Staring at the antelope knight before her, Harribel frowned slightly.
"Who are you... Are you one of Baraggan's new subordinates?"
"We have no grudge between us. Why are you pursuing me so relentlessly?"
Hearing this, the antelope knight shook her head:
"My name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."
"I am not Baraggan's subordinate. The reason I am pursuing you is because of your act of betrayal."
"Betrayal?"
Harribel was puzzled.
Since her days as an Adjuchas, she had never joined any organization—how could there be any talk of betrayal?
Nelliel spoke calmly, "Harribel, have you formed an alliance with a Shinigami to conspire against Hueco Mundo?"
Harribel instinctively wanted to refute this.
What nonsense—she had always been wandering Hueco Mundo with her three companions. How could she possibly have the capability to conspire against Hueco Mundo?
But the words died on her lips.
An alliance with a Shinigami...
This was something she couldn't easily deny.
Having been saved by Satoru several times, she had developed a very close relationship with him.
If one called it an alliance, it wouldn't be entirely wrong.
After a moment of thought, she replied, "Although I have formed a certain relationship with a Shinigami, I have not conspired against Hueco Mundo."
Nelliel shook her head gently.
"Lies are meaningless."
"Before taking action against you, I investigated... You and the Shinigami joined forces to attack Las Noches, causing the deaths of numerous Adjuchas."
"Without a doubt, this is a betrayal."
"?"
A vein throbbed on Harribel's forehead.
What nonsense... Why had she attacked Las Noches?
Wasn't it because Baraggan Louisenbairn had insisted on making her his subordinate, even going so far as to capture her companions as leverage?
Moreover, if they were talking about alliances with Shinigami, wasn't Baraggan the one who had allied with a Shinigami first?
If you're so against Hollows and Shinigamis being together, why not go after Baraggan first?
In an instant, a torrent of retorts flooded her mind.
But... given her personality, she couldn't possibly unleash a verbal assault like a certain someone.
After a few seconds of silence, she sighed.
"I understand."
"Since you've already made up your mind, there's nothing more for me to say."
"I'll have to defeat you before we can discuss anything else."
With that, she swung her bone sword.
Hearing this, Nelliel nodded.
"For justice, I, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, will defeat you here!"
Raising her lance, she charged toward Harribel on all fours.
A golden and a green Reiatsu, trailing long tails of energy, collided violently.
Waves of Reiatsu rippled outward in all directions.
Wherever the two passed, sand dunes were flattened, and the ground melted.
After dozens of exchanges, Harribel realized with frustration that she was gradually falling behind.
Her full-force attacks were always deftly deflected by her opponent, who then exploited the defensive gaps created when her strength was not yet replenished.
Though her Reiatsu was greater and her power stronger, she was still being suppressed.
If this continued, she would likely lose...
After a moment's thought, she devised a plan.
If a prolonged battle put her at a disadvantage, why not use a decisive move to end it?
With this in mind, she didn't hesitate. With a fierce slash, she forced Nelliel back.
Then, she raised her bone sword, aiming it at her opponent.
A golden sphere of light rapidly spun and condensed at its tip!
The terrifying Reiatsu contained within was enough to make even a vice-captain-level Shinigami flee for their lives.
Yet, Nelliel showed no fear.
Facing Harribel's Cero, she seemed almost relaxed.
Beneath her antelope mask, she slightly parted her lips.
Cero!!
From the tip of Harribel's sword, the golden sphere erupted, unleashing a blazing golden beam that shot straight toward Nelliel!
Watching Nelliel completely enveloped in the Cero's radiance, Harribel let out a slight sigh of relief.
Victory.
Although she hadn't used her full strength to avoid killing, this Cero wasn't something that could be withstood by physical means alone.
She lowered her bone sword, preparing to leave.
But at that moment, she suddenly sensed something and stopped in surprise, turning her gaze toward Nelliel's direction.
Not far away, Nelliel hovered mid-air, opening her mouth.
The golden Cero, seemingly capable of annihilating everything, surged into her mouth from all directions like water being drained from a pool by a pump!
After swallowing the entire Cero, Nelliel paused for a moment to gather her energy.
Then, with a mere opening of her mouth aimed at Harribel, a Cero several times more powerful than the previous one shot toward her!
Caught completely off guard, Harribel found it nearly impossible to evade this time.
Who could have imagined an enemy capable of absorbing their own attack and instantly countering with it?
Not even the original Ultraman would have seen that coming!
Just as a flicker of resolve crossed Harribel's mind, ready to fight to the death, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, positioning himself in front of her.
Under Harribel's astonished gaze, Satoru's white haori fluttered as he stood bathed in the pink glow of the Cero, seeming to emit light himself.
The next moment, blue flames erupted violently from his shoulders and arms.
His stylish white haori was instantly reduced to ashes...