Zaraki Kenpachi's body radiated a golden spiritual pressure, his immense power slicing through the air as he charged into the darkness. His body was covered in wounds, twisted unnaturally as if bones had been broken and joints dislocated. Yet, he continued to grin widely, as if intent on burning his own life away—turning blood and flesh into sheer force, and transforming everything he had into a blade for killing his enemy!
The moment the darkness struck down with its palm, Zaraki had already landed on it, jumping once more as golden light shot forth like a sharp arrow toward the darkness! Suddenly, Zaraki plunged his knife into Yammy's arm, rushing forward, blade in hand!
Blood spurted from every step he took, black flames burned his body, healing his wounds as they scorched him! But Zaraki's goal was not just to open a bloody hole in the fanged arm—his true target was above: the head! Running along the arm, he leapt again as he reached the shoulder, soaring straight up into the sky! Bloodthirsty excitement filled his face...
Boom!
A fist slammed down from the opposite side—the other hand of the beast struck, swatting Zaraki Kenpachi like a fly! Zaraki's body shot backward, crashing into the ground like a bullet. The monster opened its mouth, an instant Cero condensing inside, then exploding at the fallen Zaraki with a bang!
But the instant the Cero was unleashed, the heavens and earth froze; the beast's head, the Cero itself—all turned into blocks of ice! The darkness burned with black flames that froze and melted in cycles.
"I saw everything!"
The fanged, sheep-headed monster said, "Don't think you can hide!"
"I have three heads!"
With another swing, it shot down the scattered cherry blossoms.
No matter where the attack came from, it could be clearly seen! Suddenly, it fired another punch—this time, far from Kuchiki Byakuya, but red light burst from its fist. A Bala!
Boom!
Though far weaker than a Cero, the Bala's speed was incredible! Byakuya couldn't even react, struck instantly by the Bala that came only from Yammy's fist... Even a single finger was much larger than Byakuya's entire body!
The Bala wrapped Byakuya completely, and with a thunderous roar, a giant crater several hundred meters across opened in the ground!
After the deafening noise, a pit over 10 meters deep remained—Byakuya's body nowhere to be seen.
"Byakuya!"
Hitsugaya shouted despite himself, but in that moment, Yammy's other hand already had him in its grip!
"Ugh..."
Even as Hitsugaya Toshiro struggled, it felt as if every bone in his body was being crushed. In his current state, his touch could freeze anything, but Yammy's body was shielded in layers of black flame. The black flames purified Hitsugaya's ice, blocking most of his power. Yet, with the gap in their strengths, even a fraction of Yammy's force was devastating for Hitsugaya.
As Hitsugaya was about to be crushed to pieces, a powerful force suddenly tore him free!
His entire right arm fell away, Hitsugaya included.
"Zaraki!"
Hitsugaya saw Zaraki rise again to cut him free, unable to suppress his excitement. But the next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His body could no longer withstand the strain—his severely injured body and prolonged exertion left him exhausted, both physically and mentally. He lost control, his body shrinking!
In the next instant, he reverted from his adult form to his former young self!
"But..." Hitsugaya clutched his chest, knees trembling, collapsing to the ground.
No, it's over...
Hitsugaya could only give a bitter smile. He had hoped to keep fighting longer, but it seemed he'd reached his limit. Zaraki was still standing, but it didn't matter.
Before, the three of them had fought this monster together; with any one of them missing, fighting Yammy again would be nearly impossible. Now with Byakuya down, Zaraki alone—no matter how strong—could not win!
As Hitsugaya suspected, Kenpachi was powerful enough to wound Yammy, even managing to sever an arm or hand. But Yammy, shrouded in black flames, could swiftly regenerate.
So he attacked Zaraki Kenpachi again!
With another thunderous bang, Yammy slammed his palm down—Zaraki Kenpachi was smashed into the ground, the giant handprint left behind.
In this moment, all three captains had fallen!
Yammy looked around at the chaos, the ruins, his masterpiece of destruction—then let out a mighty roar!
"Only death awaits you—don't think you can win!"
His roar was so forceful, it kicked up a hurricane, blowing everything before him away!
…
"What are we going to do about this giant?"
Far off, the girls of the Bambies looked on at Yammy's enormous form, swallowing nervously.
He was just too... big!
How could they possibly deal with him?
"I don't want to fight that monster,"
Liltotto said, sitting behind a broken wall. "If you want to fight him, do it yourself."
"You're kidding, right? We're a team! Why should we fall behind?"
Candice shouted.
"Fool, of course we'll fall behind in front of a monster like that,"
Giselle replied. "Anyway, I've nearly gathered all the zombies, and this big guy isn't bad."
"If we could turn him into a zombie, Giselle would be invincible,"
Bambietta said. "What? Aren't you tempted at all?"
"My heart's beating, but fighting that guy is too much trouble. I'll just watch from behind with you."
"Come on, you really can't take it!"
Bambietta clenched her fist, stomping a rock. "How can we back down in the face of difficulty? Taking down this guy should be easy!"
"Wait, someone just passed by."
Liltotto said, "This spiritual pressure is so weak you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention."
"What is it?"
Candice raised an eyebrow. "A dog?"
….
Indeed, as Yammy claimed total victory, a dog appeared on the battlefield.
At this moment, Yammy still retained his giant form, towering like a colossus. The three defeated captains lay at his feet. After a bloody battle, he had finally won.
But just as he was about to kill the captains, a voice came from below.
"Woof, woof!"
The dog sounded pitifully weak, barely able to speak like a real dog.
"Kukkapūro..."
Hitsugaya, fallen into the pit, heard the sound, remembering the weak puppy he'd seen in the Hueco Mundo when he heard that "woof."
At the time, Yammy had been searching for it, or perhaps had cast Kukkapūro out alone.
But unexpectedly, it had returned.
Compared to the Shinigami, Kukkapūro's body was tiny; more than 300 meters from Yammy, the Shinigami looked like worms... Kukkapūro was merely an ant.
Yet, while the Shinigami's voices were drowned out, Kukkapūro's was clear.
At first, its cries seemed weak to Hitsugaya, but Yammy stopped to listen.
"Huh? Kukkapūro?"
Yammy's voice rumbled like thunder, stirring a hurricane with every word.
His body was massive—over 333 meters tall, and though he didn't grow taller, his body swelled like a caterpillar.
He was a giant that seemed insurmountable, the world's most powerful existence—who could stop such a demon? Even the Gotei 13 Captains had failed!
Yet, this terrifying giant, with his invincible body, was stopped by a puppy.
"Woof! Enough!"
Kukkapūro stood before Yammy, barking loudly.
Though its cry was modest, it echoed throughout the palace, halting all three giants in their tracks!
"Stupid dog, what are you doing?"
Yammy glared at Kukkapūro.
"Woof, woof!"
Kukkapūro continued barking.
"This stupid dog, do you really want to stop me?"
Yammy said. "Don't you know what'll happen if you do?"
But Kukkapūro stood his ground, refusing to retreat.
"..."
Yammy stared at the barking Kukkapūro, his face growing increasingly irritated.
"Hmph!"
He lightly blew, sending Kukkapūro flying.
Kukkapūro was the weakest Hollow in Hueco Mundo, how could he stand against Yammy's power?
With that one blow, Kukkapūro was sent flying.
Yammy turned back toward Zaraki Kenpachi. This man had done the most damage; Yammy never forgot. This time, he intended to kill him.
But as he took a step, Yammy suddenly sensed something wrong.
"What... what's happening?"
Yammy's enormous body collapsed, like a building whose foundation had crumbled. He toppled sideways, landing hard on the ground.
Boom!
His massive form crashed down, shaking the entire palace!
The black flames of Yammy's body began to dissipate, and he couldn't help but panic.
"Who... who are you?!"
At that moment, Bambietta Basterbine arrived, followed by the other Quincy. There were five Quincy in total, some looking apathetic as if forced, others annoyed at being unable to fight, and some glowing as if seeing a rare treasure.
Seeing the five Quincy approach, Yammy clenched his fists, as if to crush them—but he couldn't. He found that he no longer had any strength left!
Then Bambietta said,
"Your power is rage, the black flames are flames of anger. They grant immunity to abilities, aid regeneration, but..."
"You are being consumed by your own rage!"
The beast's pupils dilated, "What did you say?!"
"That's why you can't feel it yourself,"
Bambietta sneered. "You're so lost in rage that you don't notice your power has long since exceeded its limits. Ever since you became a caterpillar, every second of your life is being wasted."
"If you cannot control your anger, you will be swept away by it, even your own life—a truly miserable fate."
"That dog was supposed to be your pet. He just came to remind you to return to normal. Listen to him, and maybe you'll have a chance to live."
Meninas said with an innocent face.
"What are you talking about?"
Candice said, "Even if he returns to his original form, we won't let him go. No matter what, he's dead."
"We didn't know about this before, right?"
Liltotto complained. "But now that we know, is it still a problem?"
"!"
Candice blushed and said, "Lily, you guys!"
"Alright, alright, this is a huge haul. Three captains and this big monster—if we turn them into zombies, we'll have a bloodbath."
Giselle's face flushed. "Just thinking about it makes me so happy!"
"Damn..."
The five women's chatter burned in Yammy's mind, but the rising rage was now a fatal poison.
His excessive power had already drained his life, and if his anger surged again, it would only hasten his end!
Once a vast ancient god, now reduced to a true caterpillar—the weakest creature. Who could have imagined?
He lay on the ground, all resistance gone, even to being turned into a so-called zombie by these five women.
The woman with cockroach horns approached, seemingly about to do something.
Just then...
"Woof!"
Kukkapūro, who had been previously overwhelmed by Yammy, returned at this crucial moment!
He barked furiously, "Woof!!"
Suddenly, he leapt in front of Yammy, grinning, blocking the five Quincy!
"..."
Yammy's huge eyes watched as his vision blurred, his strength and life fading away. He quietly said,
"Stupid dog... why did you come back?"
"This dog... truly... his loyalty is admirable."
Bambietta looked at the puppy. "He's so weak, but he keeps standing before the strong."
"His spiritual pressure is just too weak,"
Giselle said in disgust. "Too troublesome to turn into a zombie—just kill him."
"Up to you."
Bambietta created a bow, aiming at Kukkapūro.
Kukkapūro stood before Yammy, roaring fiercely.
"That's enough, let's go."
Liltotto suddenly reached out and grabbed Giselle's shoulder.
"?"
Not just Giselle— the other three looked a bit surprised. Especially the short-tempered Candice, who immediately asked, "What did you say? How can we leave now? The strongest two and the captains are still here!"
"..."
Liltotto didn't answer, just said, "If you don't want to leave, I'll go back first."
With that, she turned and walked straight out of the palace.
"?"
The others were dumbfounded at Liltotto's sudden departure.
"Hey, if you're leaving, at least tell us why?"
Bambietta frowned. As the leader, she had to respect Liltotto's opinion.
"No reason,"
Liltotto said quietly. "If you really want a reason—if you don't want to die, go back."
"?"
This only confused the girls more. If you don't want to die, go back?
What did she mean?
Almost everyone in the palace was gravely wounded. Who else could threaten their lives? Even at their peak, the five had nothing to fear—much less now.
All the Shinigami were heavily injured, most barely breathing. Yammy's face was dead, his fangs nearly buried in the ground. Yet Liltotto said... if you don't want to die, go back?
But she gave no further explanation, opening the sun gate and walking straight through.
"...Hey, wait!"
Seeing Liltotto really leave, the others hesitated, except for Bambietta, who quickly chased after her.
"...What's going on?"
Candice said as she too followed.
In the end, the five women of the bambies squad all entered the sun gate and vanished, leaving Hueco Mundo for the Invisible Empire.
"Hey, Lily."
As they passed through the sun gate, Bambietta asked in a low voice, "Can you tell us now? Is there danger in Hueco Mundo?"
Liltotto turned slightly, revealing cold sweat on her forehead.
That was rare—Liltotto was always calm; it was unusual to see her so anxious.
"Must the weak and the strong always be opposites?"
Liltotto asked.
"?"
The four were puzzled, and Liltotto continued,
"Yammy was the strongest among the Espada, but also the weakest. Likewise, the seemingly weakest Kukkapūro..."
She tilted her head and said softly,
"He's the strongest Arrancar!"
When Giselle tried to attack Kukkapūro, Liltotto suddenly had a terrifying premonition.
It was as if... inside that harmless puppy's body, there was a power capable of destroying the world!
"What?! That puppy?! How could that be?!"
…