The scent of scorched ozone clung to Dean's nostrils as he landed knee-first in Hueco Mundo's moonlit sands. The **STATUS SCREEN** flickered to life with jagged urgency:
**LOCATION: [LAS NOCHES OUTSKIRTS]**
**REIRYOKU CORRUPTION: 68%**
**IMMEDIATE THREATS: [GILLIAN-CLASS HOLLOW x12]**
**BANKAI DURATION: 00:43:22**
Loki materialized mid-retch, spiritual bile steaming against the white dunes. "This realm smells like rotten divinity."
Dean didn't answer. His stolen Bankai thrummed under his skin—Hitsugaya's ice fractals itching along his nerves. The first Hollow's mask split open with a wet crack before his conscious mind registered the swing.
**COMBAT LOG:**
**HOLLOW ELIMINATED: [GILLIAN-CLASS]**
**REIRYOKU ABSORBED: +150 UNITS**
**WARNING: [ESPADA SIGNATURE DETECTED]**
Sand exploded. Grimmjow's blue reiatsu cratered the dune where Dean stood half a second prior. The **STATUS SCREEN** scrambled:
**ULQUIORRA CIFFER: [REIATSU READING FAILED]**
**TIER: [CUATRO ESPADA]**
**RECOMMENDED STRATEGY: [SONIDO EVASION]**
Too late. Ulquiorra's black energy spear grazed Dean's shoulder—a wound that shouldn't bleed but did, thick spiritual plasma soaking his sleeve. The **STATUS SCREEN** pulsed crimson:
**HP: 91% → 67%**
**BANKAI INTEGRITY: 73%**
Loki's dagger found Grimmjow's ribs. The Espada backhanded him through three sandstone pillars. "Annoying god."
Dean's stolen zanpakuto met Ulquiorra's cero mid-swing. Ice met annihilation—the shockwave hurled him backward into Loki's stumbling form. The **STATUS SCREEN** updated:
**TERRAIN ADVANTAGE: [NEGATED]**
**SP COST FOR RETREAT: [3000]**
Dean spat blood. "Change of plans."