_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Of course.
It wasn't just Aizen watching.
Far away in Hueco Mundo, the Espada who had just seen the previous battle broke into another round of collective mockery.
"Seriously? That's it?"
"Looks like the Captains' Bankai aren't nearly as impressive as the rumors claimed." Starrk, the Primera, stared at the darkened screen with a hint of disappointment in his sleepy eyes.
For the longest time, he'd been looking forward to one thing: seeing all the different Shinigami Bankai for himself.
After all, stories said a Captain's Bankai was a force that could stand shoulder to shoulder with an Arrancar's Resurrección.
But now…
Those rumors were clearly blown way out of proportion.
Sure, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi created a visually dazzling blade-space. No denying that.
But as far as power goes? Pretty underwhelming. Honestly, it didn't even match the force of one casual Cero from him.
If something like that could make it onto a ranking list, then the rankings were seriously inflated.
Beside him, Lilynette—sharing the same soul—snorted with open contempt. "Tch. And here I thought Shinigami Captains were something special. Turns out they're just overhyped scrubs."
She had nothing but respect for Urahara Kisuke. A fully chanted Hado #91 had left a deep impression on her.
But Byakuya Kuchiki?
From what she'd just watched of his fight with Ichigo, there wasn't a single highlight. If she were forced to compliment something, maybe the pink cherry blossoms looked nice for sightseeing.
"No kidding. Shinigami are trash. They were never worthy of being called our enemies." Grimmjow's mocking laugh rang out from the side.
Hands in his pockets, sky-blue hair tousled, he flashed a feral grin full of disdain.
Sure, the previous ranking had shaken him a little—Urahara's strength had been shocking enough to dent his pride for a moment.
But after watching this fight?
Grimmjow's confidence came roaring back.
Bankai? Garbage.
Shinigami Captains? Useless.
In the eyes of the Panther King, even if Bankai came in multiple forms, Byakuya was still nothing but trash—not even worthy of polishing his boots.
"Exactly. This Byakuya guy must've taken a backdoor to get on the rankings. With that pathetic level of strength, he has no right to be featured at all." Nnoitra sneered.
If even that kind of weakling could make the rankings, then he, Nnoitra Gilga, should definitely be top ten.
"Hmph… looks like even after hundreds of years, Shinigami haven't improved at all. Still the same pitiful ants." With arms folded, Barragan spoke with regal arrogance.
Centuries ago, he had already clashed with Shinigami who attempted to invade Hueco Mundo. With his aging powers, the skeletal king had crushed the intruders without effort.
And clearly, nothing had changed.
A worm is always a worm—groveling on the ground, unable to ever lift its head.
But…
Among all of them, only Ulquiorra remained silent.
His green eyes watched the screen without expression, but his brow furrowed.
Strange.
If the Captains' strength really stops at this level… then what exactly is Lord Aizen wary of?
Byakuya's power wasn't even close to any Espada's. If the entire Arrancar army attacked at full strength, wiping out the Gotei 13 shouldn't be difficult.
So why had Aizen been holding back for so many years?
What was he concerned about?
But just as the Fourth Espada tried to puzzle it out, the previously frozen screen flickered back to life.
Only this time, the scene had changed.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"
"How dare a Shinigami wound me like this! Unforgivable!!" A furious roar blasted out from the screen.
Then they saw him—
A figure, drenched head to toe in blood, staggering in a miserable state.
"…What the—"
The once noisy Las Noches instantly fell silent.
Every Espada stared blankly at the image, eyes widening in disbelief.
On the screen, a pumpkin-shaped body with dozens of tightly shut eyes was slashed open, blood pouring from every wound. It was horrifying to look at.
Rank 7 Espada—Zommari Rureaux—was pale, battered, barely standing. His spiritual pressure was flickering, obviously heavily injured.
And the one standing opposite him—
The same man who had just been mocked minutes ago.
Byakuya Kuchiki.
"What happened? How did Zommari get beaten this badly?!"
Szayelaporro's eyelid twitched violently as he stared in disbelief.
The battle footage had skipped the earlier parts, but the bloodied tip of Senbonzakura made it clear: Byakuya was the one who had done this.
"You've gotta be kidding me. Zommari looks like he's about to die…" Harribel murmured, jaw dropping.
Not far away—
"This is fake! It has to be fake!" Zommari himself went pale. "That garbage Shinigami could never push me to this point!"
Among the Espada, Zommari was one of the quiet ones and admired Aizen the most. Even after the last round of mockery, he hadn't joined in.
But watching himself appear like this—bloodied, miserable, humiliated?
That broke him instantly.
"Wait…"
"Look around the scene!"
A Fracción suddenly pointed at the screen, voice shaking. "The battlefield… that's Las Noches! This is happening in Hueco Mundo!"
"What?!"
The inner palace exploded into chaos.
The Arrancar rushed closer, eyes fixed on the screen.
Seconds later, as the familiar white desert and shattered towers came into view, fear washed over them.
There was no mistake.
These were all unique features of Hueco Mundo.
Which meant the battle was happening right outside Las Noches.
"No way…" Nnoitra's smug expression collapsed. His face twisted in disbelief. "How could Shinigami possibly invade Las Noches?!"
Las Noches was the fortress of the Arrancar—the sacred ground of all Hollows.
Weak Shinigami? Traveling all the way here?
How would they even dare?
Ulquiorra's gaze trembled slightly. Even he was rattled.
Just minutes ago he had wondered why Aizen didn't simply crush the Gotei 13 with the Espada alone.
But now the screen slapped that idea to pieces.
Zommari was clearly overwhelmed, on the brink of being cut down at any moment.
"Damn it! Why is it always the Espada getting hurt?! What gives those trash Shinigami the right to stand above us?!" Yammy punched the wall in frustration.
Last ranking, he had been unlucky enough to become the background joke, earning endless mockery from the others.
And now?
One after another…
It was Zommari's turn.
At this rate, were all the Espada cursed to be the butt of the joke?
"..."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________