After Harribel released her Resurrección, her entire appearance transformed. The black robe she wore vanished, replaced by a white, bone-like armor that clung tightly to her body—covering only the few places that absolutely couldn't be exposed. Almost all of her bronze, sun-kissed skin was revealed to the open air, exuding a sense of both mystery and nobility. Her long, golden hair cascaded wildly, adding a fierce, untamed edge to her beauty.
"You're not a Shinigami at all—you're an Arrancar!"
The Quincy who faced her broke out in a cold sweat. Confronted with Harribel's majestic form and the ominous pressure radiating from her, they no longer saw her as a low-level Shinigami to be cut down at will. In their eyes, she had become a fearsome demon queen, brimming with deadly menace.
"When," Harribel replied calmly, her voice utterly steady, "did I ever say I was a Shinigami?"
In her hand, a massive white bone-blade hummed with power, glowing gold as her words fell.
"Cero."
A moment later, she unleashed it.
The golden beam of destruction slammed into the Quincies' defensive formation, ripping a gaping hole through their barrier before swallowing them whole. The impact detonated in a massive, radiant mushroom cloud that shook the ground.
A Cero from a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar—its destructive power far surpassed that of any ordinary Hollow. The Quincies were utterly helpless before it.
The air was thick with the stench of charred flesh. Where once stood a squad of Quincies, only dust remained.
"Cough… cough…"
Amid the devastation, only two Pureblood Quincies were still alive, hacking violently through the smoke.
But before they could even recover, Harribel vanished from the sky and reappeared behind them in an instant.
"Damn it…"
The two instinctively activated Blut Vene.
"Slash."
Her massive blade cut cleanly through their bodies. Blood arced in the air as they were cleaved in half, their faces frozen forever in expressions of pain, confusion, and terror.
"I can't linger here. I need to regroup with Yūshirō and the others."
With cold composure, Harribel flicked the blood from her blade and sheathed it. Not a trace of hesitation showed in her eyes.
"For now… I'll return to Hueco Mundo."
Deciding quickly, she tore open a Garganta and stepped through, planning to contact Szayel Aporro's hidden contingencies there and use them to reconnect with the others.
Elsewhere, chaos unfolded.
"Come on! All of you, come!"
Lilynette, having also released her Resurrección, laughed wildly as she unleashed Ceros from the twin pistols in her hands. Each shot gouged massive craters into the ground.
Normally, a Cero consumed enormous spiritual energy with each blast, but Lilynette fired them recklessly, one after another, without pause. No matter how many she fired, her overwhelming reiryoku never seemed to diminish.
"She's a monster! How can a woman like this even exist?"
Despair filled the Quincies' hearts. What was supposed to be a simple extermination of a weak Shinigami had become a nightmare. To them, Lilynette wasn't a target—she was a Vasto Lorde-level Hollow, a walking calamity.
One Pureblood Quincy, the squad's captain, hid behind a boulder, trembling as he watched his subordinates be slaughtered.
"I'm sorry… this is my fault. But if I survive, I'll avenge you all—someday."
Just as he turned to flee, a cold voice struck his ears.
"Found you~"
The last thing he saw was a pistol gleaming with blue light, and then an explosion that consumed him.
Meanwhile…
"How terrifying! So many of you against little old me… I'm shaking!"
Kurotsuchi Kenpachi muttered mockingly as he stood amidst a sea of corpses, his blade dripping with blood. His tattered uniform was soaked crimson, and a twisted white Hollow mask marked his face.
"Monster…"
A wounded Quincy stared in horror. Kenpachi hadn't even released his Zanpakutō. With raw strength alone, he had slaughtered dozens.
The Quincy's vision blurred—his last sight was his own decapitated body falling away.
Kenpachi wiped the blood from his sword, lifted a finger, and began gathering a scarlet glow.
"Cero."
The beam annihilated the battlefield, reducing the broken corpses to ash.
"Hah! I'll figure out how to meet up with the others later."
He tore off his mask, frowned briefly, then burst into loud, carefree laughter.
Elsewhere, Szayel Aporro and Tsunayashiro Tokinada also demonstrated overwhelming power. Against the Quincies' best, they showed no mercy—the results were one-sided massacres.
In the end, every Quincy squad was wiped out without exception. The members of Yūshirō's group, each victorious, began seeking ways to reunite.
Time moved forward—into the year 1900.
The Gotei 13, after centuries of struggle, had finally stabilized. All thirteen squads now had captains in office—save for the Tenth, whose former captain had perished in battle.
At the Royal Palace's gates, a voluptuous woman with long pink hair and striking beauty embraced Yoruichi Shihōin.
"Remember to give my regards to little Yūshirō~" she said playfully.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Yoruichi replied, wriggling free with a flash step, clearly annoyed.
This woman was Kirio Hikifune, former captain of Squad Twelve—newly promoted to the Royal Guard.
Not long after, Yoruichi formally recommended Urahara Kisuke, her Squad Two third seat, to take Hikifune's place. With unanimous agreement, he became the new captain of Squad Twelve.
But his arrival sparked mixed reactions…
Some welcomed him. Others, like Hiyori Sarugaki, openly resented him.
Still, the flow of time carried forward. Captains new and old—Kyōraku, Ukitake, Unohana, Aikawa, Love, Muguruma Kensei, and others—crossed paths, argued, laughed, and schemed.
Among them moved a man who quietly observed everything: Aizen Sōsuke.
And so, another chapter of Soul Society's history began to unfold.