Chapter 134: The Value of a Heart
"Do you still not understand, woman? Lord Aizen requires your power."
Under the chilling, emotionless gaze of Ulquiorra, Shrine Maiden Shion stood frozen, her mind reeling from the shock.
In less than three minutes, half of the once-mighty shinobi contingent had been wiped out before her very eyes, their souls sent to the Yellow Spring. The sheer brutality of the scene defied Shion's comprehension.
Having lived her entire life sheltered within the warm embrace of the Land of Demons, Shion had never witnessed such bloodshed and cruelty. In her world, even a Chūnin was considered a formidable existence.
Yet, Ulquiorra's single, effortless attack had shattered her innocence, revealing the bloody, unforgiving truth of the world.
Shion was rendered speechless, paralyzed by shock and terror as she stared into Ulquiorra's lifeless eyes. She couldn't fathom how any human, no matter how fallen, could possess such an utterly extinct gaze.
But Shion had been mistaken from the very beginning. Ulquiorra was not human. He was an Arrancar—a being that transcended such labels.
"This... how is this possible? What kind of ninjutsu was that?!"
The surviving samurai of the Land of Demons stood aghast, completely stupefied by the scene that had just unfolded. To annihilate hundreds of shinobi in a single strike—even an elite Jōnin might not possess such monstrous power.
"Is he a Kage-level shinobi? But... I can't sense any chakra fluctuation from him at all!"
Countless faces were etched with confusion and dread. They slowly backed away, forming a loose circle around Ulquiorra, their sharp spears glinting coldly under the harsh sun.
Even after losing nearly half their number to Ulquiorra's Cero, hundreds of samurai remained, prepared for a final, desperate struggle. With angry cries, they raised their spears and charged.
"This world... should be governed by supreme power alone. There is no place for a so-called balance between opposing forces."
Facing the charge of hundreds, Ulquiorra remained perfectly calm. He slowly drew his Zanpakutō.
Swish!
A single, horizontal slash. A crescent of pure, condensed Reiatsu swept outward like a pale, deadly moon.
Dozens of the charging samurai felt the world go dark. When their vision cleared, they were met with a horrifying sight: the headless corpses of their comrades standing before them, still poised to attack.
"Gah—!"
The wretched screams of the decapitated samurai were cut short as they lost consciousness. In reality, what they saw in their final moments were their own headless bodies. Ulquiorra's sword was simply too fast, exceeding the speed of their nerve impulses. Their severed heads had flown through the air, granting them a final, macabre glimpse of their own demise.
The bloody slaughter continued. The pointless resistance was costing the Land of Demons dearly.
"Look. In my eyes, your lives are no different from those of ants."
Ulquiorra cast a contemptuous glance at the remaining shinobi and samurai before indifferently sheathing his Zanpakutō. The survivors were nothing but a disorganized mob, trembling under the weight of his invisible spiritual pressure.
Besides, why should he exert his full strength to deal with insects?
"Woman," Ulquiorra's voice was flat, yet it carried an undeniable finality, "if you do not put a stop to this foolishness immediately, you will only bear witness as your so-called 'comrades' fall one by one, wailing in pools of their own blood, lost to regret."
"Are you certain you wish to remain silent?"
There was a magical, compelling power in Ulquiorra's gaze that struck deep into Shion's soul.
The beloved Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons had reached her most powerless moment. Faced with the invincible Ulquiorra, Shion had no choice but to obey.
As Ulquiorra had said, even if the warriors of her land fought with the spirit of a thousand, their resistance would be nothing more than a moth flying into a flame—a suicidal act.
But if she obeyed Ulquiorra's command, she would be taken away. The lineage of the Shrine Maidens would be severed, and the monstrous Sprite would be reborn upon the world.
With every casual flick of Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō, another corpse fell limply to the ground. His hands were gradually stained crimson, marked with bloody patterns. Killing a samurai of the Land of Demons was, to Ulquiorra, as effortless as crushing an ant beneath his heel.
Watching her companions fall one after another, their life forces extinguished, a profound and unprecedented fear dawned in Shion's beautiful eyes. She was afraid, terrified, and a part of her even wished to flee.
In just a few minutes, Shion had experienced a fall from heaven straight into hell. The seemingly impenetrable guard that had surrounded her now seemed like a pathetic joke.
"I... I will go with you," Shion sobbed, her heart breaking with despair as she finally made her choice. "Please... stop the killing."
Kind-hearted by nature, Shion could not bear to see more bloodshed. Though she was a holy maiden, she had always set aside her noble status to live among the common people, earning their deep affection and love.
She did not want this tragedy to continue. With every samurai of her land that fell, her heart grew heavier, shadowed by a deep and gnawing guilt.
"Finally, you show some understanding of the value of 'companionship'," Ulquiorra remarked, his tone devoid of any approval or scorn. "Let us go, woman. My task is to deliver you, safe and sound, to Lord Aizen."
He tucked his hands back into his pockets, not even bothering to keep his Zanpakutō at the ready. This posture, which would have been a fatal flaw in any other combatant, seemed natural and utterly unassailable on him.
Ulquiorra took a single step forward. He merely swept his indifferent gaze across the final few dozen samurai, and they collapsed to the ground, their spirits broken.
There was too much chill in those calm eyes. Especially the deep-seated killing intent hidden within his pupils made everyone feel a fear that penetrated to the very core of their souls.
"Humans. You are so small. Utterly insignificant."
"Whether you are samurai or shinobi, the differences and struggles between you..."
"Will and freedom, plants and beasts, the stars, the sun, the moon... all of it is meaningless. In this world, only power is unique and absolute."
"Anything else... is trivial."
Ulquiorra placed a cold hand on Shion's shoulder. "Let us go. Lord Aizen has waited long enough."
Sonído!
With a mere thought from Ulquiorra, utilizing the high-speed movement technique of the Arrancar, the two figures vanished from the spot in an instant.
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