Meanwhile, as the situation grew increasingly chaotic, the ranking video continued, with Hitsugaya and Luppi's battle ongoing.
Clang!
Metal clashed as Daiguren Hyōrinmaru's ice-encased blade blocked Luppi's octopus-like tendrils, cold air raging.
"Arrancar, I've figured out your abilities. Your piercing attacks can't touch me anymore," Hitsugaya said confidently, ice wings flapping.
"Hmph, don't get cocky! This fight's just started!" Luppi snarled, her eyes venomous.
After an initial sneak attack using her tendrils' advantage, all her subsequent moves were dodged.
She was clearly losing ground.
"No, you're mistaken," Hitsugaya said, gripping his blade tighter, pouring reiatsu into Hyōrinmaru.
"Huh? Something's off!" Luppi's face paled, instinctively retracting her tendrils, sensing a dire threat.
But—
"Too late! The moment you braced for defense, your fate was sealed!" Wielding his ice blade, Hitsugaya swung Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, unleashing a torrent of chilling reiatsu skyward.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The sky turned white, moisture condensing rapidly, forming a frozen apocalyptic scene.
"Thousand-Year Ice Prison!"
Before Luppi could react, the cold air coalesced, using atmospheric moisture to form massive ice pillars.
"Damn it! No escape!" Luppi gritted her teeth, realizing all paths were blocked by ice.
Worse, her prideful tendrils, now a liability due to their size, became conduits for the cold, freezing rapidly.
"Damn… damn it!"
"I'm an Espada! How could I lose to a kid like you?!" Her grotesque face froze mid-sentence, encased in ice.
As the pillars fully formed, Luppi's massive Resurrección body was sealed in the Thousand-Year Ice Prison, her fate uncertain.
---
10th Division
"Captain, amazing! You took her down effortlessly!"
Rangiku Matsumoto cheered, her golden curls bouncing, genuinely thrilled for Hitsugaya like a proud older sister.
"Rangiku, I told you—Hyōrinmaru is one of the Soul Society's most promising Zanpakutō! Clear now?" Hitsugaya puffed up proudly, his chin nearly skyward.
As a young genius, being ranked and showcasing Hyōrinmaru's power thrilled him.
Sobering up, Rangiku hesitated, "But honestly, this '6th Espada' doesn't even seem Adjuchas-level. Compared to Captain Kuchiki's feat, it lacks some weight…"
Her implication was clear—based on this fight, Hitsugaya ranking above Byakuya seemed unjustified.
"Uh…" Hitsugaya froze, sighing reluctantly. "You're right, Rangiku. As much as I hate to admit it, this fight doesn't outshine Kuchiki's."
Though Daiguren Hyōrinmaru's visual spectacle—freezing the skies—was superior, Byakuya's opponent was Adjuchas-level, far above Luppi's Gillian-level strength.
Byakuya's feat was stronger.
Sensing his disappointment, Rangiku patted his shoulder. "Don't be discouraged, Captain! The ranking's not over. You might have more dazzling moments!"
Her words lifted his spirits.
"Exactly! The ranking's not done. I'll keep shining!" Hitsugaya clenched his fist, eyes reigniting with determination.
---
Urahara Shop
"Hyōrinmaru's Bankai, huh? It's only been a decade, yet little Tōshirō's grown this much. My eye for talent was spot-on!"
Isshin Kurosaki grinned warmly at Hitsugaya's ice-winged figure.
An hour ago, after his call with Urahara, he'd rushed to the shop, arriving just in time for the third ranking.
As the former 10th Division captain who guided Hitsugaya, seeing his protégé shine filled him with pride.
"Isshin, this Hitsugaya kid seems gifted. Your eye for talent's not bad!" Urahara teased.
"Of course!" Isshin puffed out his chest. "With his potential, given time, he'll surpass everyone!"
"That said…" Urahara countered, "this fight alone isn't convincing enough to rank above me or Kuchiki. He'd need to defeat an Adjuchas or even Vasto Lorde to justify it."
He, like Hitsugaya, questioned the ranking's logic.
"Uh…" Isshin scratched his head, about to respond when—
Whoosh!
The blackened screen, post-Luppi's defeat, switched to a new scene.
Snow fell heavily in Karakura Town's city center, clouds darkening the sky, cold currents swirling.
"Arrancar…"
Still in Bankai, Hitsugaya's expression was grave as he stared ahead, saying, "With your level of power, you're only ranked third?!"
The camera panned, locking onto his opponent.
The next moment revealed a striking figure—
The 3rd Espada, Tier Harribel!
---
Hueco Mundo
"That's… Harribel?!"
The lifeless Las Noches erupted, the Arrancar shouting with anticipation:
"Finally! A top-four Espada!"
"Time for us to strike back!"
"Lady Harribel, crush him!"
----------------------------------------
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