Aizen gazed at the scene in the distance, his gaze sharpening as his expression instantly grew much more serious.
'Seven Kings of Hueco Mundo?'
'Just what kind of ability is this?'
'Why is there absolutely no discernible difference in their Reiatsu?'
'To split the Reiatsu of six Vasto Lorde Arrancars all at once—could this be Szayelaporro's true strength?'
But soon, Aizen shook his head slightly, denying this hypothesis.
If Szayelaporro truly possessed this level of Reiatsu, he wouldn't have been beaten into such a pathetic state during their battle just now.
In the distance, Szayelaporro's hunched figure slowly straightened up. His originally well-proportioned body had actually become as emaciated as firewood, his skin clinging tightly to his bones.
In terms of appearance alone, he looked even worse than Baraggan beside him.
Seeming to notice Aizen's confusion, or perhaps simply to show off his ability, Szayelaporro restored his usual elegant posture now that the tide had turned, fully displaying the demeanor of a scientist.
He spread his hands wide, like a scholar, and calmly described:
"Surprised, Soul Reaper?"
"Perhaps to you, this scene has surpassed the realm of science and violated the rules of energy conversion, but this is exactly the beauty of science."
"Turning the impossible into the possible, creating miracles, and overturning cognition, just as I am stepping step-by-step toward becoming the perfect lifeform."
"One King of Hueco Mundo might not be a match for the two of you, but what if there are seven?"
"I shouldn't need to explain the simple principle of quantitative change leading to qualitative change to you."
"Enjoy it thoroughly. Not just anyone has the privilege of witnessing such a magnificent moment."
Hearing these words, Aizen couldn't help but furrow his brows.
Although he hadn't fought Baraggan just now, from the residual Reiatsu at the scene and Naraku Sora's condition, he could completely judge his true strength.
If what Szayelaporro said was true, and the cloned individuals possessed the exact same strength as Baraggan, then their best choice was...
*Whoosh!*
The white haori fluttered, caught by the fierce wind and hung on a withered tree at the edge of their vision. It flapped wildly in the howling gale, as if burning with high-spirited battle intent.
Naraku Sora stripped off his upper garment, revealing a lean, muscular physique. The perfect muscle lines highlighted his immense power; just standing there gave off the terrifying illusion of overwhelming strength.
"What are you doing?!"
Aizen turned his head, astonished.
Naraku Sora looked up and grinned.
"Getting ready to fight, of course."
"Did you expect me to avoid his edge?!"
As his words fell, his five fingers shifted and pressed onto the hilt of his sword. The moment he gripped it, with a loud *boom*, a tornado-like pillar of fire suddenly erupted, shooting straight into the sky.
It was a terrifying Reiatsu, scorching hot to the absolute extreme.
The Reiatsu ignited to its absolute limit by Vajrayati!
The pillar of fire instantly incinerated the dark clouds above the zenith, turning the originally pitch-black sky crimson. The bright crescent moon rippled in the sea of fire, looking just like a painted scroll.
"Come, you pink pineapple and Kings of Hueco Mundo."
"Let me witness this so-called science of yours!"
Szayelaporro: "..."
The development of the situation was a bit different from what he had expected.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't they choose to flee the moment they saw the clones?
But what was with this suddenly soaring battle intent?
Why couldn't he see a single trace of fear on this guy's face? Did he think he was just bluffing?
Could he not see the almost tangible Reiatsu?
"Your Majesty Baraggan, I have done everything in my power."
"I leave the rest to you."
"Let these two arrogant fools fall into the nothingness of decay."
Szayelaporro looked at the battle-damaged Baraggan beside him, his mouth twitching as he suddenly understood where Naraku Sora's confidence came from.
To think the King of Hueco Mundo, who boasted of rotting everything in the world, had been beaten into such a state by the other party. It was truly quite pitiful.
The broken bones rapidly regenerated under the cover of purple-black Reiatsu, and even that purple coat grew back.
The long axe blade regained its sharpness, gleaming with a cold light as if it could cut through space itself.
At this moment, Baraggan had completely put away his contempt, turning to treat the Soul Reapers invading Hueco Mundo with a solemn and serious attitude.
The various experiences that had occurred recently were all refreshing the cognition he had accumulated over countless eons.
First, Szayelaporro, a fellow Vasto Lorde, helped him break the boundaries of a Hollow through an ability called science, granting him brand-new power and giving him the illusion of being invincible in the world.
Then came the expansion of Las Noches, where the search parties composed of Adjuchas subjugated everything in their path.
And then, they encountered the Soul Reaper invasion.
What shocked Baraggan was that despite looking quite young, the strength this person displayed far exceeded his understanding.
His previously infallible power of aging achieved absolutely nothing, completely unable to cause effective damage, and instead, he was ruthlessly crushed by the opponent.
'Is this guy really a Soul Reaper?'
Looking at that ferocious evil spirit mask, this question surfaced in Baraggan's heart once again, but he quickly tossed it to the back of his mind.
Whether he was a Soul Reaper or not didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was that the fate of opposing the King of Hueco Mundo was ultimately nothing more than rotting into oblivion.
Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with Szayelaporro's despicable act of cloning him, for the sake of the big picture, Baraggan temporarily suppressed his displeasure and focused entirely on dealing with the enemy.
However, this kind of cloning could also be considered a recognition of his strength.
Whatever, let's fight!
Baraggan raised the handle of the axe in his hand, and the other clones followed suit. A surging Reiatsu, like an overturning ocean, instantly covered the entire battlefield.
The fine white sand trembled uncontrollably, and the air grew increasingly thick.
Naraku Sora stood at the forefront, facing the seven Kings of Hueco Mundo without a trace of fear. His soaring battle intent burned fiercely, just like the crimson Reiatsu dyeing the sky.
Crackling arcs of lightning surged across his body, and Kidō Reiatsu continuously brewed, accumulating on his shoulders.
*Crack.*
The withered tree bearing the haori snapped in the howling wind, like a sounding battle horn.
Several figures violently lunged forward at the same time. The moment the muffled sound of Sonído appeared, the blade and axe blades collided, bursting with countless sparks.
After a brief stalemate, terrifying power erupted from the intersection of metal, suddenly spreading in all directions, instantly creating a massive sand pit hundreds of meters in diameter.
Under the erosion of the scorching heat, the sand surface solidified and cracked, spreading countless fissures.
Feeling the terrifying power transmitted from the axe blade, although Baraggan's face showed no change, the shock in his heart had already reached an unparalleled level.
'How does this guy seem even stronger than before?'
Before he had time to determine the source of Naraku Sora's increased strength, one of the clones was directly sent flying by a violently tyrannical slash.
While still in mid-air, the burning, scorching blade rapidly expanded before its hollow eyes until it occupied its entire field of vision.
Then, it cleaved down.
[Secret Technique・Dragon Flash Raikōhō]!
The explosively vibrating arcs of lightning wrapped around the blade, instantly severing the air. The sound of tearing silk echoed across the battlefield.
Like divine punishment, lightning descended!
The clone didn't even have time to unleash its sigh of death before being swallowed by the fanatical light symbolizing destruction.
Tearing through the darkness, golden arcs of lightning bared their fangs and claws, bursting through the air in all directions, ruthlessly whipping the boundless desert sea of sand.
The sound of shattering bones seemed especially faint amidst the echoing thunder, just like the fragile flame of life of that clone.
Amidst the pervasive smoke, a charred and shattered skeleton crashed onto the sand, immediately falling apart, evidently mostly destroyed.
The massive battlefield instantly fell silent.
Szayelaporro's pupils shrank, his face full of disbelief.
Although clones were definitely inferior to the original, the gap shouldn't be too large.
Moreover, when preparing the cloning solution, he had added the corpses of countless Adjuchas, striving to elevate the clones' strength to the absolute limit.
This was the perfect fusion of ability and science, and also his final trump card.
Szayelaporro originally thought there would never be a day he'd need to use it, but reality slapped him hard in the face.
Yet, even with ample preparation, a clone possessing the same level of Reiatsu as Baraggan was still directly finished off by Naraku Sora in a brief clash.
It was simply absurd to the extreme.
Seeing that charred skeleton, Baraggan's mood sank to rock bottom.
After all, it was an entity almost identical to himself, chopped into scrap just like that; it was somewhat psychologically uncomfortable.
The most unacceptable part was that despite being a clone with strength close to his own, and even while attacking as a group, it still met such an end.
The outcome of the battle seemed already decided.
"Soul Reaper!"
Unwilling to sit and wait for death, Baraggan immediately let out a deafening roar. A rolling black tide expanded with him at the center, wantonly rotting the dust and sand below.
The other clones quickly followed suit. The sky-obscuring black tide erupted fiercely, rolling forward and instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.
Even Aizen had to choose to retreat to avoid being corroded by the power of aging.
Facing the rapidly expanding endless black tide, not a single trace of fear could be seen on Naraku Sora's face. On the contrary, a ferocious smile surfaced on his evil spirit mask, and his overlapping voice echoed amidst the black tide.
Watching the ever-approaching black tide, the accumulated Kidō Reiatsu erupted instantly, transforming into scorching flames that merged into the leaping lightning.
[Shunkō・Flame Lightning Hell]!
The perfect fusion of Lightning Release mode and Shunkō revealed its ferocity at this moment.
Lines resembling flowing magma appeared on Naraku Sora's body. The Kidō Reiatsu outlined golden-red marks, with arcs of lightning shuttling between them, and the surrounding atmosphere frequently erupted with sharp noises.
The Lightning Release mode provided powerful defense and reaction speed, while Shunkō injected Kidō Reiatsu into his limbs, erupting with astonishing destructive power.
When the two merged, it was an all-around enhancement of strength, speed, and defense.
A terrifying pillar of fire shot into the sky, erupting with a dazzling radiance that made it impossible to look at directly!
*Boom!!*
The boundless desert trembled madly at this moment, and the unimaginably heavy Reiatsu shook the battlefield.
Black-red lightning flickered and leaped on the blade. The nearby space distorted, making the blade body blur until it was completely invisible.
At the moment the endless black tide was about to touch him, all his power condensed upon it.
Draw the sword, and slash down!
The impact of Reiatsu erupted wantonly, closely followed by an absolute slash on the physical level.
[Rhino Strike・Black Flash]!
In that instant, the explosive sound was deafening.
Immediately, pure destruction transformed into a frenzy, surging straight forward like a world-ending disaster, completely annihilating the endless black tide.
A hurricane howled and swept through, the impact permeating and spreading to the very edge of their vision. Thick waves of sand stacked layer upon layer, transforming into an endless white tide.
The space-distorting sword pressure swallowed the bodies of Baraggan and the clones. Lasting for only an instant, two clones were directly obliterated, and the residual power continued forward wantonly without diminishing.
Disbelief fluctuated in Baraggan's hollow eyes. He subconsciously pushed the clone beside him forward, letting the sound of shattering reach his ears.
But even so, the sword pressure, though having most of its power offset, still landed on his body. His newly recovered bones shattered once again.
A tragic wail resounded across the land of Hueco Mundo.
His entire body flew backward through the smoke, plowing a trench in the barren sand that stretched as far as the eye could see, his Reiatsu aura instantly weakening to the extreme.
As if he might completely dissipate like rotting dust at any moment...
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