"Clang, clang, clang!"
Ito Makoto swung his blade down with full force while extending his left index finger.
"Hado Number Four, White Lightning!"
A bolt of White Lightning as thick as a thumb shot straight toward Halibel's chest.
At the critical moment, Halibel activated Sonido and slipped backward, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Golden Reiatsu surged around her body. Her aura exploded outward as she raised the massive white sword fused to her right arm and charged again.
Ito Makoto chuckled softly, then used Shunpo to retreat. Halibel's powerful slash struck the stone wall behind him.
"Rumble!"
The wall collapsed, and the cave instantly gave way.
Ito Makoto was the first to rush out of the ruins. Holding his Zanpakuto horizontally, he chanted:
"Chimi Shinra, Moryo Bansho, Shoshin Shosho, Kai Kaji, Annihilation God!"
Dark golden Reiatsu flashed along the blade.
The unremarkable Asauchi instantly transformed into a slender, deep-white bone sword.
At the same time, Halibel burst out of the rubble.
A golden Cero filled with terrifying pressure blasted toward Ito Makoto's face.
"Annihilation God, Style Two, Rift Ban!"
Ito Makoto spun his blade.
A hazy gray mist condensed into a circular barrier and collided head-on with the Cero.
Three figures rushed out from nearby ruins.
"Lady Halibel, we're here to help!"
Before they could approach, the shockwave from the collision blasted them backward.
They were thrown far away like broken leaves.
Halibel glanced at her subordinates, worry flashing through her eyes.
"You three, get away. You will only hinder this battle. I can handle this alone."
Without hesitation, the three Adjuchas retreated.
With her followers gone, Halibel no longer restrained herself.
"Sōken Zan!"
Reiatsu surged into her greatsword.
A golden blade of light, like a fired cannonball, shot toward Ito Makoto.
Ito Makoto immediately thrust his palm forward.
"Hado Number Thirty-One, Shakkahō!"
A crimson fireball erupted from his hand and collided with the golden blade.
"Bang!"
A deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
Smoke and dust rose into the sky as shattered rocks scattered everywhere.
"Cough… cough… As expected, trying to defeat an unreleased Halibel with only Vice-Captain-level strength is still difficult."
When the smoke cleared, Ito Makoto stood with slightly disheveled robes.
His incantation-less Shakkahō had lost the exchange.
"Shinigami, you are strong, but you are not my opponent. You dared harm my comrades. You must already be prepared to die."
Halibel spoke calmly.
Hearing this, Ito Makoto burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Comrades? What a joke. A Vasto Lorde with such childish thinking is truly wasting the body heaven gave you!"
As his laughter faded, his Reiatsu suddenly surged.
A violent spiritual pressure burst outward.
In an instant, it reached Squad Captain level.
Nearby, Yekawa, hidden in the shadows, was secretly shocked.
He had only lent about thirty percent of his Reiatsu, yet the clone had reached Captain-level strength.
His earlier speculation was correct.
When separated by great distance, Reiatsu sharing suffered heavy loss.
Now that both bodies were in Hueco Mundo, there was no loss at all.
As long as they were close, Ito Makoto could borrow fifty percent without waste and unleash power beyond ordinary captains.
However, he had only borrowed thirty percent.
With his own strength added, it was more than enough to defeat unreleased Halibel.
"This… What is this? You were hiding this much power?"
Halibel stared in disbelief.
Ito Makoto did not reply.
He charged forward.
"Annihilation God, Style One, Tremor!"
Their blades clashed.
Instantly, a violent vibration traveled through Halibel's sword and surged into her arms.
With Ito Makoto's Reiatsu amplified, the tremor force multiplied.
"Ah…"
Halibel let out a soft cry.
Her internal organs were violently shaken.
The strange vibrating power spread through her body, making her limbs feel weak.
Ito Makoto pressed his advantage, launching continuous attacks.
Halibel forcibly circulated her Reiatsu, enduring the pain.
With a burst of power, she repelled him.
"Waterfall Severance!"
She raised her greatsword.
A massive torrent of water erupted from the bone blade, roaring forward like a raging river.
Ito Makoto immediately retreated with Shunpo.
The water attack shredded hills like steel blades, flattening everything in its path.
He constantly shifted positions to avoid it.
"That's a ridiculous amount of water…"
Ito Makoto muttered while dodging.
"Hmph."
Halibel finally freed herself from the tremor's influence.
Standing on high ground, she raised her sword toward the sky.
"Jōkai Kōro!"
The water below surged upward.
It transformed into scalding steam that rushed toward Ito Makoto.
White mist filled the sky, carrying terrifying heat.
"Annihilation God, Style Two, Rift Ban!"
Ito Makoto spun his blade.
Dense gray-black mist spread out.
Three interlocking black circles formed instantly and collided with the incoming steam.
"Rumble!"
The vibrating force tore through the mist.
Halibel was blasted backward by the triple Rift Ban.
"Thud!"
She crashed into a rock wall, blood splattering across the stone.
"Damn it…"
Halibel struggled upright, raising her fused sword-arm.
"Gran Rey Cero!"
A brilliant golden beam erupted.
Its power far surpassed ordinary Cero.
Ito Makoto did not dodge.
He grinned and raised his blade.
"Annihilation God, Three Styles, Mustard Net!"
A tiny black dot appeared on the blade.
It rapidly expanded.
In an instant, it became a massive pitch-black net that swallowed the raging Gran Rey Cero whole.