"Ulquiorra!"
Akashi softly repeated the name once, his expression becoming incomparably serious.
From the pale-white figure before him, he could sense a terrifying fluctuation of energy that sent chills through his heart.
Without a doubt, this was an extremely dangerous Expert! Meanwhile, after his great battle against Li Yuanli, he himself had already consumed a tremendous amount of strength and was covered in injuries.
If he fought the person before him now, Akashi had no confidence in victory. He might even be the one placed in danger.
In an instant, Akashi had already reached his judgment.
"Who are you? Why are you saving him?" He asked solemnly.
"By my king's command." Ulquiorra's voice remained calm, only four words leaving his mouth.
"Your king?!" Akashi froze briefly, then his entire body tensed as he realized the man before him belonged to the opposing King.
He glanced toward Li Yuanli, whose consciousness already seemed blurred, his eyes tightly shut, and felt deep regret.
Just one final slash away.
That terrifying Expert could have been killed by his blade.
Akashi retreated several more steps, his gaze flickering uncertainly.
In the sky, the black-and-red crack was rapidly expanding. One figure after another stepped out from within, descending with cold smiles before fiercely protecting Urahara Kisuke and the others who had been surrounded.
Every one of them wore white Arrancar uniforms, Zanpakutō hanging at their waists. Their auras surged powerfully, and their numbers continued increasing.
"They're the army of the opposing King!"
Akashi reacted immediately, his heart growing heavier.
Ulquiorra merely stood calmly before him, expressionless and motionless, like a statue.
For a moment, Akashi made no further moves.
He could sense the crack in the sky constantly expanding, more and more power arriving through it. He understood that the enemy's reinforcements had arrived.
"The Hogyoku is what matters. We're retreating!"
Retreating into the ranks of the Nie Kingdom Shinigami, Akashi gave the order in a low voice.
The purpose of this mission had been the Hogyoku from the very beginning. As long as they obtained that item, the Nie Kingdom would produce even more Shinigami. By then, the strength of their military legions would become unstoppable.
"Yes!"
The Shinigami behind him nodded.
The white-browed Shinigami who had seized the Hogyoku had already handed it over. At this moment, his body continued fluctuating through different stages of life, constantly changing between ages. His heart was filled with anxiety.
The only thing reassuring him was that the chaotic temporal fluctuations seemed to be slowing with time. The power of space-time was gradually dissipating.
"Swish swish swish swish!"
Across the battlefield, one Arrancar after another descended, landing amid the war zone and protecting Kenpachi Zaraki, the Masked Legion, and the others. Their numbers rapidly increased as they quickly clashed with the Shinigami.
"Withdraw!"
After observing the battlefield a while longer and realizing the enemy reinforcements were far from weak, Akashi issued the command.
In an instant, the battlefield shifted. Large numbers of Shinigami retreated, withdrawing from combat.
"Ulquiorra, why didn't you stop them?!" Grimmjow shouted as he strode over.
"The king's order was to rescue them, not to wage war." Ulquiorra answered indifferently, then turned his gaze toward Grimmjow once more.
"And since when did you gain the right to shout at me?"
The moment Grimmjow was stared at by him, his entire body trembled, his scalp going numb.
"If there's a next time, I'll cut off one of your arms."
Those emotionless, utterly calm words instantly tightened Grimmjow's heart, leaving him unable to utter another sentence.
"Phew… did I survive?"
At this moment, Li Yuanli, who had originally been so weak he could barely move, opened his eyes and hesitantly looked at the two of them.
"Take him back to Hueco Mundo."
Ulquiorra strode away without another glance.
Grimmjow curled his lips in dissatisfaction but did not dare argue.
The terror of the other man's strength was something he could not contend against. Although he had been the first person the King subdued, the gap in power between them had always existed.
"Damn it… one day I'll ask the King to help me break through my limits again. Then let's see if you can still act so arrogant in front of me!"
Grinding his teeth, Grimmjow cursed inwardly.
Then he roughly slung Li Yuanli over his shoulder.
"Hey, brat, you're hurting me."
Li Yuanli growled in a low voice.
"Tch!"
Grimmjow spat disdainfully, then shot into the sky.
On Coyote's side, however, things were much more polite.
"Our King sent us to rescue all of you. Please come with us to Hueco Mundo."
He spoke to Urahara Kisuke and the others in a refined and courteous manner.
Seeing the hesitation and vigilance in their eyes, he added another explanation.
"Please rest assured, we are here to help you. Furthermore, Arrancar are blocking the Shinigami on the outer perimeter. They will not be able to enter."
"You king is?"
Urahara Kisuke narrowed his eyes as he slowly sheathed his blade.
He could tell that the people before him truly held no malice. There was no killing intent coming from them.
"Our king's name is not something we may casually speak. That would be disrespectful to him."
Coyote replied with a smile.
"Very well, we'll go with you!"
A gleam flashed through Urahara Kisuke's eyes. He had already seen Li Yuanli being carried away by the blue-haired Arrancar.
The Nie Kingdom Shinigami were retreating at incredible speed, and the Hogyoku had already fallen into Akashi's hands.
"So this is the Hogyoku? The thing capable of transforming us into Shinigami."
Squinting at the glowing Hogyoku in his hand, Akashi could sense the terrifying energy fluctuations emanating from it, yet he had no way of using it.
He led the Shinigami in a rapid withdrawal before concealing themselves throughout the Human World.
"More of the Crimson Flow Army will soon enter this world. The Human World will be the first territory we seize!"
"After that, our King will definitely order the Azure Flow Army and the Purple Flow Army to enter as well."
"Those two are not easy opponents!"
A flicker crossed Akashi's eyes, his expression turning grave.
Among the three armies and all the Great Commanders, he was the weakest.
The Purple Flow Army was the strongest!
"The Human World itself isn't the problem… but that King on the other side doesn't seem easy to deal with either."
Akashi muttered to himself.
From his face-to-face encounter with Ulquiorra earlier, he had already sensed it.
That pale-bodied man seemed to be a native of this very world. Yet he was serving that King. Moreover, the army of tens of thousands of white-clad Arrancar from earlier had apparently already become subordinates under that King's command.
"He's also a terrifying King… In such a short period of time, he actually turned Hueco Mundo into his territory and built an army like this!"
The strength of the Arrancar Legion was absolutely no weaker than his Crimson Flow Army. Their combat power was astonishing.
"It's easy to foresee what comes next…"
"This world is about to become a horrifying battlefield!"
"With our King's madness, he'll probably fight the other side to the death!"
"After all, to him, conquest is the greatest pleasure and the thing he enjoys most!"
At this moment, Akashi had already hidden the Shinigami forces across various locations while pondering deeply within.
He knew the coming war would not be easy.
Neither side was simple to deal with. Although he had never met the opposing King, merely judging from the aura of that King's subordinates, he could already feel the crushing pressure bearing down on him, enough to determine the other side's extraordinary ambition and profound strategic ability.
"Hand the Hogyoku over to Aizen. Convert as many members of the Crimson Flow Army as possible!"
His gaze sharpened as he suddenly looked ahead.
There, a crack abruptly appeared in space.
(End of Chapter)
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