Powerful and confident, Harribel stood in the air, her cold gaze looking down without a ripple of emotion.
Even after gravely wounding Hitsugaya, she remained unmoved.
To the Shark Empress, the strong defeating the weak was natural, unworthy of celebration.
In contrast, Hitsugaya, despite Hyōrinmaru's protection, bled from a gash on his shoulder, his captain's haori torn, blood soaking the ground.
"Damn… she's too fast. I couldn't react!"
Trapped in the fissure, he panted heavily, his once-pristine face dirtied with dust.
The confidence from his fight with Luppi was gone, replaced by near-suffocating fear.
---
Hueco Mundo
Las Noches erupted in cheers.
The stark contrast between Hitsugaya and Harribel reignited the Arrancar's disdain for Shinigami and boosted their confidence.
"Hmph! So satisfying! Who said Arrancar are inferior? The earlier ones were just too weak!"
Sunsun beamed, dancing with excitement, fully immersed in Harribel's dominance, venting her pent-up frustration.
On the east steps, Yammy frowned at her words. "Sunsun, what's that supposed to mean? You calling me trash too?"
Among the Arrancar, Yammy was the most humiliated, beaten by Urahara in the first ranking and mocked relentlessly.
He'd sulked through the subsequent rankings.
Though Zommari's death was grim, his calmer personality accepted it without rage.
But Yammy?
Luppi's defeat had briefly eased his shame, thinking he wasn't the worst.
Yet, Grimmjow's outburst killed her, leaving Yammy the sole punching bag again.
Sunsun's taunt lit his fuse.
"Hah? Yammy, I didn't name names. Don't assume I meant you!" Sunsun retorted, hiding behind Harribel's authority.
"You…" Yammy stomped, seething.
Only Harribel's presence kept him from tearing Sunsun apart.
But then, the video jumped forward to a new phase.
Boom!
Thunder roared as dark clouds unleashed crackling lightning.
Beneath the sky, Hitsugaya's ice wings glowed white, radiating divine light.
Despite his wounds, his wings swelled with gathered moisture, growing massive.
Each flap unleashed a subzero hurricane.
His aura peaked, awe-inspiring.
"Huh?"
"What did he do? His aura's almost matching Lady Harribel's!"
Sunsun's hairs stood on end, goosebumps covering her skin as the cold seeped into her bones.
"Something's wrong…" Nnoitra's pupils dilated.
Even he, a brute reliant on slashes, felt the terrifying energy brewing in Hitsugaya.
It was like the tremor before an avalanche—subtle, then catastrophic.
Harribel, sensing it deeply, controlled water, a force intertwined with ice.
As moisture gathered toward Hitsugaya, an ominous premonition gripped her.
Sure enough—
"Harribel, is it?"
"My Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru, is the strongest ice-type! It can turn all atmospheric moisture into a weapon!"
Hitsugaya gripped his blade, his resolute eyes glowing in the white light.
His voice dropped to a chilling pitch.
"Weather manipulation is one of Hyōrinmaru's basic abilities, letting me control all moisture in the air!"
His white hair danced, frost coating his body.
His peak reiatsu erupted into a white pillar piercing the sky.
Boom!
The clouds parted, the reiatsu condensing into ice.
With a voice laced with killing intent, he roared:
"Ice Heaven Hundred Flower Burial!"