Looking at the powerful beings who had suddenly intruded into Las Noches, a trace of interest finally appeared on Baraggan's face. He did not care in the slightest about the deaths of his subordinates.
They were merely Adjuchas. Trash like them were a dime a dozen in the boundless Hueco Mundo; they held absolutely no value.
However, such actions undoubtedly offended the majesty of the King of Hueco Mundo.
But considering they might bring a sliver of amusement to his boring life, perhaps he could grant them a quick death.
"Indeed."
"Judging by your appearances, you must be Soul Reapers."
His deep, heavy voice echoed like an evening drum through the silent, empty hall. Baraggan leaned his body slightly forward, a black ripple seemingly flashing through his eyes.
"Fascinating. To think there is actually a Menos Grande who would choose to cooperate with Soul Reapers. What a bizarre sight I have never seen before."
"Whatever, it matters not. I am bored out of my mind anyway."
"If you hadn't shown up today, I was planning to split these Adjuchas into two sides and have them slaughter each other."
"So, allow me to say, 'Welcome.'"
"Welcome to my castle, Las Noches!"
"Next is the welcoming ceremony. Soul Reapers, and you, unknown Vasto Lorde, I hope you enjoy it."
"Charlotte, Findorr, Choe Neng, Ggio, Nirgge, Abirama..."
"Crush these arrogant ants. Dye the floors of Las Noches with their warm, crimson blood."
As soon as his words fell, the hideous-looking Adjuchas leapt into the air. Their chaotic and disorderly Reiatsu erupted instantly as they lunged toward the three people in the center.
Naraku Sora was just about to draw his sword when a figure walked past him.
Nelliel looked seriously at the Adjuchas surrounding them. She raised her right hand and spread her five fingers—
The double-headed lance pinned to a distant stone pillar seemed to answer her call. Trembling violently, it shattered the stone pillar beneath its tip and the corpse of the Adjuchas.
Turning into a streak of light, it knocked away an Adjuchas in its path and landed directly in Nelliel's hand.
"Lord Naraku, please leave the first wave of battle to me."
Nelliel's gaze was exceptionally resolute. This was no meaningless battle; it was both to protect the newly acquainted comrades behind her and to rescue her captured friend.
A single Adjuchas might not be worth mentioning, but when a quantitative change triggered a qualitative one, these intermediate Menos Grande might just be able to punch above their weight and kill a so-called highest-tier Menos Grande—a Vasto Lorde.
Charlotte and the others were already the cream of the crop under Baraggan's command; otherwise, Baraggan wouldn't have remembered their names.
As the capable generals of Las Noches, they were confident that by joining forces in a siege, they could crush an unknown Vasto Lorde head-on.
Tyrannical waves of Reiatsu crashed fiercely against each other, causing the ground beneath their feet to fracture with countless fissures.
Amidst the clash of auras, Nelliel was the first to charge. Her slender goat hooves trampled the earth, leaving deep imprints in her wake.
Like a streak of light, she tore through the night sky.
Then, she slammed ruthlessly into a massive whale with four limbs. A deafening explosion instantly rang out.
Choe Neng Poww's proud Hierro proved completely worthless against Nelliel's charge.
His colossal, mountain-like body was blasted away, crashing through several stone pillars in succession and kicking up a sky full of silver dust.
Seeing this, the other Menos Grande immediately revealed ferocious expressions and unleashed their strongest attacks.
Abirama Redder spread his wings and ascended into the sky. His crimson wings flared open, firing a barrage of feathers that blotted out the sun, leaving deep, axe-like gouges across the ground.
Findorr Calius opened his massive claws, shooting out a high-pressure stream of water capable of severing a Menos Grande's Hierro. The air ahead instantly let out a tearing screech.
And then there was the bizarre-looking Charlotte Chuhlhourne...
Although they had not yet evolved to the Arrancar level, these were powerful techniques based on instinct, serving as the dividing line between elite and ordinary Adjuchas.
Facing the barrage of incoming attacks, Nelliel did not panic in the slightest. Instead, she grew even calmer. Her hooves struck the ground as her agile figure wove through the steel-like feathers and high-pressure water streams.
The dazzling light of her Reiatsu was like a bursting dam, washing away towering peaks and sweeping along countless tumbling boulders.
Closing the distance, her double-headed lance swept out. Its tyrannical, overwhelming power directly shattered Ggio Vega's Reiatsu and his outer Hierro.
Amidst the roaring blast, the saber-toothed tiger-like Adjuchas was sent flying.
A small half of his body exploded in midair, scattering a mist of blood like a blooming firework.
It seemed cruel and bloody, but in reality, she was holding back.
If a certain someone else had made the move, it wouldn't have been just a small half of his body getting blown to bits.
The Adjuchas' attention was entirely drawn by Nelliel. One hideous, terrifying creature after another launched attacks at the antelope girl.
Occasionally, a blind fool would try to bypass her figure to attack the Soul Reapers standing in place.
However, the moment they got close, they were instantly slammed into the ground by an invisible force. Their massive bodies were pinned tightly to the floor, emitting teeth-aching creaks.
They sounded like machinery that hadn't been oiled in ages.
Meanwhile, Naraku Sora looked toward the distant throne. He flashed a grin at Baraggan, who was enjoying the spectacle of slaughter, and vanished from his spot the very next second.
Baraggan's vision blurred, and a fierce, grinning face appeared right in front of him.
"You sure can sit still!"
The wind from the punch howled. Before the elderly man could even react, it slammed violently into his sturdy chest.
A violent hurricane suddenly kicked up. Baraggan's eyes widened. Just as he was about to counterattack, an irresistible, terrifying force transmitted through his body.
The so-called King of Hueco Mundo was sent flying backward along with his throne.
Boom!
On the silver desert at the edge of his vision, countless grains of white sand shot into the sky, rippling outward in overlapping waves in all directions.
The shockwave cleared, revealing a deep crater.
"You damn ant, you deserve a thousand deaths!"
Baraggan walked out from the boundless desert. At this moment, an unparalleled fury bred in his heart, swallowing what little reason he had left.
His pitch-black eyes glared fixedly at the figure slowly walking toward him. His surging, outwardly released Reiatsu almost solidified, and the scorching flames of his Reiatsu distorted the surrounding atmosphere.
It made his figure blur slightly.
"Offending the majesty of the King of Hueco Mundo, shattering the throne of a god... Soul Reaper, you have chosen the path of death!"
His gloomy voice, like a death knell, echoed across the desert. A massive double-edged axe appeared out of thin air. Baraggan raised it high and, without another word, cleaved it down toward the figure in front of him.
Clang—
The sound of clashing metal rang through the sky as countless brilliant sparks flew out.
The moment their attacks collided, a scorching pillar of fire erupted from the ground. The crimson flames completely evaporated the clouds in the sky, enveloping the two figures like an inverted sea of fire.
Baraggan could feel that distorting high temperature the most.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn't actual fire; it was Reiatsu refined to the absolute extreme, manifesting in an incomprehensibly scorching form.
A continuous, majestic power transmitted from the blade of his axe, giving Baraggan the illusion that he couldn't hold on.
No, it wasn't an illusion.
The King of Hueco Mundo widened his eyes, subconsciously looking at the dazzlingly bright sword blade.
Secret Technique・Dragon Flash!
The brilliant sword pressure erupted without warning, blasting entirely into Baraggan's aged face. At such close range, there was simply no time to react.
He let out a low grunt before his burly body was instantly sent flying backward, tracing a perfect parabola in the sky and kicking up a wave of silver sand over ten meters high.
Naraku Sora curled his lips in disdain. "Such a weak god."
Just as Aizen had guessed before they arrived, this current King of Hueco Mundo had successfully evolved to the Arrancar level with the help of some external force.
His body, which should have been a skeleton, had also transformed into the elderly man from Naraku Sora's memories.
But this also meant that Baraggan's core as a Menos Grande was currently in a sealed state.
Coupled with Sora's swift and fierce offensive, he didn't give Baraggan any chance to react.
With the advantage of a surprise first strike, it was only natural that Baraggan was completely suppressed.
When Baraggan walked out of the deep crater, he no longer had the majestic appearance he possessed when sitting on his throne. His aged face was dripping with blood, chunks of flesh having been sheared off.
Blood soaked his purple coat, adding a touch of eeriness to his demeanor.
His extremely cold eyes stared fixedly at Naraku Sora in the distance, his fury nearly burning away his sanity.
"I must admit, you have successfully enraged me."
"Now, the only thing left for me to do is send you, a reckless ant, straight to hell!"
As soon as his words fell, a materialized Reiatsu suddenly erupted from Las Noches in the distance. A massive pillar of light shot straight into the sky, interrupting Baraggan's words.
Both of their gazes were instantly drawn toward it.
"Has that fool Szayelaporro finally decided to come out of his palace?"
Baraggan's face was full of anger. Paired with his blood-drenched appearance, he looked exceptionally hideous.
"Now, you should pray for your comrade."
Hearing this, the corners of Naraku Sora's mouth split into a grin.
"Since when were you under the illusion that he is weaker than me?"
At these words, Baraggan's gaze sharpened. Before he could speak, another pillar of light shot straight into the sky right next to that massive Reiatsu.
It was a Reiatsu that was not the slightest bit weaker than Szayelaporro's—in fact, it was even stronger.
Blood smeared the cracked quartz floor. Szayelaporro walked among the severed limbs and broken arms, his golden pupils landing on the figure ahead of him, a trace of longing appearing on his face.
"What a pleasant surprise."
"To think that such a young Soul Reaper harbors such terrifying Reiatsu within his body. So you are the true trump card invading Las Noches."
"Tell me your name, Soul Reaper."
"I will engrave it on a container and keep you in my laboratory forever."
Aizen gazed calmly ahead. His thumb gently pushed the sword guard, a flash of silver-white light fleeting by, as he said softly,
"You are not worthy of knowing my name, lowly Hollow..."
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