"Glacial Wave Sword!"
Ice blades spread along the ground, stacking higher and higher until a massive iceberg instantly formed. Cruel icy spikes covered the mountain, and between the shards, endless lightning flashed with a blue-white light.
"What?"
Harribel was stunned. She felt she had been surprised more today than in the entire first half of her life. Makiya displayed too many abilities; she had never heard of anyone who could master glacial ice and lightning while simultaneously wielding fire.
And by the look of it, he had mastered them exceptionally well.
The iceberg collided with the tsunami. The special vibrations created by spiritual pressure spread rapidly through the tide. The freezing waves expanded, instantly turning the torrent of water into a massive frozen sculpture.
Blue-white lightning coursed across the surface of the ice mountain. Harribel hurriedly pulled her giant sword out of the frozen mass, barely avoiding the encroaching electrical discharge.
Whoosh!
Ulquiorra, in his released state, appeared wielding Lanza del Relampago. They clashed for half a second, Changli and the lightning spear colliding over ten times. Crescent-shaped shockwaves ripped through the already devastated earth.
In the world of combat, nothing is unbreakable except speed, and Ulquiorra knew this well. Every time he revealed a deeper level of his power, his speed increased significantly.
But as the pace of battle quickened, Baraggan was the first to fall behind. Among top-tier powerhouses, he was never skilled in close-quarters combat. His entire strength relied on the power of Senescencia. Even though he tried his best to wrap his black mist around Makiya's feet, the latter simply erupted in bright red flames, and that was it. His black mist was devoured by Makiya, serving as mere fuel.
A deep sense of helplessness washed over Baraggan. In contrast, Harribel's performance was commendable.
"La Gota!"
Massive amounts of water surged from the gill-like patterns on her giant blade. The concentrated, swirling torrent shrieked forward like a cannonball, blasting toward Makiya.
Boom!
A massive crater was blasted into the ground. Makiya and Ulquiorra vanished simultaneously. When they reappeared, they were at the peak of the sky, shrouded by the flames of Changli.
After over a hundred rounds, Ulquiorra flapped his wings breathlessly. His lightning spear severed an arm Makiya had half-cut through. After high-speed regeneration, he gripped the spear with both hands and lunged at Makiya again.
High-intensity combat meant rapid consumption of stamina and energy. The mutual annihilation of spiritual pressure and hollow power with every clash made Ulquiorra's breathing increasingly labored.
"Damn it, how can this Soul Reaper have so much spiritual pressure?!"
Gradually, Ulquiorra's body became covered in tiny wounds. High-speed regeneration required energy, so he ignored the minor cuts to prioritize restoring the limbs Makiya had severed.
Slash!
The long blade pierced through flesh as sword light flashed in Makiya's hand. Ulquiorra's lightning spear snapped upon contact. Having merged with the memories of the Sword God, Makiya found the perfect timing for every swing. Changli danced lightly, and the unique glow of a drawing technique spread through the air.
The sword light sliced through Ulquiorra's arms and legs. Murciélago fell from the sky like a kite with its string cut. Makiya raised his sword high. Under the surge of spiritual pressure, a deep blue crosshair mark appeared on the falling Ulquiorra.
Just as he wondered what this mark was, countless swords of various sizes and types rained down from the sky. Each carried enough energy to sever his limbs. The rain of blades enveloped Ulquiorra like falling meteors, and the earth erupted in continuous explosions.
"Ulquiorra!" Harribel charged toward where he had fallen. His presence had plummeted to its lowest point. The billowing white dust blocked her vision, but as she drew closer, she saw that Ulquiorra's body—save for his head—was bristling with blades of all sizes.
If someone were to weigh Ulquiorra now, his physical body wouldn't even account for half of the total weight compared to the swords impaling him.
The flames of Changli burned on the blade surfaces. The invisible power of the Phoenix Fire Hogyoku flowed through the wounds into Ulquiorra's body, completely triggering the energy previously buried inside him. His energy levels were now at their minimum, meeting the required conditions.
"Damn it! Die!" Harribel roared. Terrifying energy brewed within her as massive amounts of water sprayed from both sides of her giant sword. From the heavy vibrations, it was clear this was the strongest attack she had released since the start of the battle.
"Cascada!"
A massive pillar of water surged from the ground, swirling and condensing like an enraged flood dragon. Carrying ten thousand tons of force, it shrieked toward Makiya suspended in the air.
Although Harribel's move lacked flashy effects, the power within far exceeded Cero Oscuras. The speed of the water column was even faster than a Cero, leaving fine cracks in space as it passed.
At the tip of the pillar, the water spun rapidly into a sharp cone, glinting with a cold light as if to pierce and crush anything in its path.
"Glacial Wave Sword!"
The blade of Changli unleashed frost once more. A rain of ice blades fell from the sky, and boundless cold enveloped the water column created by Cascada. The surface gradually froze with a series of cracking sounds.
But how could high-speed swirling water be so easily frozen? After a brief pause, the lightning-shining ice mountain shattered. The water column continued its momentum, filled with murderous intent.
In the ruins of a building far away, Urahara was scratching his head in frustration. Only one technical problem remained in the creation of the positioning device, but under current conditions, he couldn't figure out how to solve it.
If he were at the Department of Research and Development, he could have handled such a small matter in minutes with the high-precision instruments there. But here in the middle of nowhere, he lacked the tools, and his progress was stalled.
Suddenly, the prominent bright red fire wall in the distance fluctuated violently. The entire hemispherical fire wall was stretched by an unknown force. From Urahara's perspective, it looked like a fiery red sausage stuck in the earth, pointing toward the sky.
Then the fluctuations grew more intense. The top of the fire wall was breached, and a surging torrent of water shot into the air toward the crescent moon. After reaching a certain height, it lost momentum and fell, raining down on the barren desert.
Urahara scratched his head. Seeing the fire wall return to its hemispherical state, he knew everything was under Makiya's control and there was no need for concern.
Elegant sword light crisscrossed between heaven and earth. Every strike from Changli was heavy and powerful. Surprisingly, the slender blade held the upper hand in the clash against the giant sword.
Harribel's body retreated repeatedly, her impressive chest quivering. However, Makiya's extensive experience as an Erotica veteran allowed him to remain absolutely calm in battle. Even though she fought in an excessively revealing uniform, he remained focused.
Clang!
After parrying Harribel's giant sword, Makiya sheathed his blade once more as his sword intent surged.
Harribel's pupils constricted. Fighting Makiya until now, she had already begun to recognize some of his sword styles. Whenever Makiya assumed this sheathing stance, he would launch an incredibly powerful technique.
Harribel retreated several times as high-temperature steam erupted from the shark gills on both sides of her giant sword, surrounding her in a vortex of vapor.
"Hirviendo!"
The extreme temperature could sublimate solid ice in an instant. This was Harribel's strongest defensive ability. If this couldn't block Makiya's technique, she felt she might as well consider surrendering.
Harribel, who had not yet undergone a natural Arrancar transformation, still possessed a large amount of beastly instinct. Facing an overwhelmingly powerful male enemy, surrendering as a female beast wasn't anything to be ashamed of.
Invisible gusts of wind appeared around Makiya's body, ripples stirred by his sword intent brushing against the air. Changli was swung in an instant and returned to its sheath just as quickly, as if it had never moved.
"Ultimate Sword Art: Space Ripper!"
After a brief pause, an invisible slash exploded on Harribel. The exhausted Great Hollow was completely unable to resist. Spiritual pressure crushed her hollow power, her Hierro shattered, her giant sword snapped, and her bone mask cracked in half. With a shrill cry, Harribel fell from the sky, covered in blood.
Makiya thrust Changli into Harribel's body, continuously pouring his energy into her until she was filled.
"Two left." Makiya glanced at Yammy's side and saw the two Great Hollows were having a grand time, so he decided not to disturb Yammy's fun for now.
He turned his gaze toward the sky. Since the battle began, Baraggan had remained hovering at the very top of the fire wall. He occasionally released Senescencia to support the other two hollows, but he seemed to be holding back.
"Baraggan, now only you and Grimmjow are left. Surely you understand the concept of shared fate? Why didn't you give it your all just now?"
"Heh heh heh, you're asking the obvious, Soul Reaper." Baraggan floated near the fire wall, surrounded by black mist. When his Senescencia touched the flames, the bright red fire was briefly corroded, creating a gap.
"Even though my power doesn't work on you, no one can stop me if I intend to leave!" Baraggan slowly rose higher. "In all these eons, you are the only creature who has made me feel threatened. Mysterious Soul Reaper, state your name. You are worthy of being remembered by me."
"Your performance is quite impressive," Makiya said, facepalming. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the one winning."
He flicked Changli and then raised it over his head. "I have no intention of letting my prey go. Since we've met, you might as well stay!"
"Soul Reaper, you cannot keep me here!" Baraggan's voice was full of confidence. "Though you counter my power, 'Senescencia' makes me invincible. As long as I surround myself with Respira, no matter how strong your sword skills are, you cannot breach aging."
"Is that so?"
Baraggan's defensive power was indeed a riddle, but even the strongest ability had its loopholes. In the original story, the Kido Chief used space kido to breach that defense, which served as the perfect proof.
As it happened, Makiya possessed more than one ability to shatter space.
"Baraggan, I have no interest in keeping a backstabbing subordinate. I'll use this next move to end you. It's only fitting for your status as the King of Hueco Mundo."
As Makiya spoke, a mysterious vibration spread from within him.
"Darkness Wave Eye!"
An invisible domain enveloped Las Noches. Baraggan looked around and found himself inexplicably shrouded in darkness, where even the crescent moon in the sky had vanished.