Seeing the enormous claw about to fully emerge from Hueco Mundo, Raizen Kō raised his hand and unleashed an unincanted Hadō #31 Shakkahō, forcing the two dark blue hands back through the Garganta.
On the other side, the dimensional rift slowly began to close, eventually transforming into a stream of light before vanishing into thin air.
"Those deadweights are finally gone!"
Raizen Kō exhaled slowly, twisting his neck and adjusting his posture until he was in peak condition.
"Crash!"
Before long, the same two massive blue hands, now bearing charred scorch marks from the Shakkahō, forced their way out of Hueco Mundo once again.
A chaotic and violent spiritual pressure poured through the rift like a raging tide, surging directly toward Raizen Kō.
"Hmph!"
Raizen Kō snorted coldly. His own Reiatsu erupted in response, crashing against the foreign pressure in a fierce spiritual clash.
"So you've finally crawled out, huh?"
Now that Raizen Kō was no longer obstructing it, the creature connected to those monstrous hands at last emerged completely.
It was an Arrancar over ten meters tall, with a dark blue body covered in jagged spikes. Its form vaguely resembled a massive ape, though twisted and grotesque beyond anything natural.
"An Adjuchas-class Arrancar… but thankfully, like the previous blob Arrancar, it's incomplete."
Raizen Kō narrowed his eyes as he carefully assessed the creature.
"It seems Aizen hasn't yet refined his half of the Hōgyoku enough to create true, complete Arrancar."
He could clearly sense the level of Reiatsu radiating from the blue ape Arrancar. While it had undoubtedly grown stronger through partial Arrancarization and now stood near the peak of Adjuchas-class Hollows, it was still far below the level of a true Vasto Lorde.
Fortunately, what had appeared was only an incomplete Arrancar.
If a fully perfected Adjuchas-class Arrancar had emerged instead let alone one comparable to even the lower-ranked Espada this clone's current strength would struggle severely.
In that scenario, Raizen Kō would not hesitate to abandon everything and retreat. He had no intention of sacrificing himself for the sake of Shinigami trainees.
The claim that he stayed behind to cover their escape had merely been an excuse.
His true purpose was far simpler
To test the limits of this clone's power.
Although his battle with Madarame Ikkaku had been enjoyable, it was ultimately nothing more than a sparring match. Only a genuine life-or-death confrontation could reveal his true capabilities.
This incomplete Adjuchas Arrancar would serve perfectly as the first true whetstone for his Shikai.
"Come on, you beast. Show me what you're capable of!"
Raizen Kō gripped Annihilation God firmly, staring at the blue ape Arrancar with open disdain.
"ROOOOAR!"
As though sensing the contempt in Raizen Kō's gaze, the creature let out a furious howl. Opening its massive jaws, it began gathering dark blue energy a Cero forming rapidly within its mouth.
Raizen Kō, however, had no intention of giving it the chance to fire.
He swung Annihilation God forward and, just before the blade left his hand, seized the iron chain attached to its hilt.
Instantly, the chain began extending at incredible speed, stretching more than ten meters in the blink of an eye.
Grabbing the end of the chain, Raizen Kō whipped the blade forward like a projectile, embedding it directly into the Arrancar's forehead and forcibly disrupting the forming Cero.
But he didn't stop there.
With a sharp tug, he pulled Annihilation God free.
Then he began spinning the chain violently. The blade whirled through the air like a deadly metallic storm, forming a massive circular arc.
The rapidly rotating sword became a vicious meat grinder, shredding the blue ape Arrancar and carving countless wounds across its body.
"ROOOAR!"
The creature bellowed in agony.
This fighting style already carried a faint resemblance to the techniques of a certain top-tier Shinigami from the original history.
"Annihilation God First Form: Tremor!"
"ROAR!"
A powerful shockwave surged outward from the vibrating blade. The blue ape Arrancar suddenly felt as though its internal organs were being twisted and torn apart by an invisible force.
Overwhelmed by pain, it frantically released its full Reiatsu in an attempt to resist the vibration.
As its spiritual pressure flared, the internal trembling indeed weakened significantly.
"What a shame. If I possessed the spiritual pressure of my main body, that tremor alone would have shattered every organ inside this beast."
Raizen Kō knew this all too well.
His main body already possessed true Squad Captain–class Reiatsu. However, as a mere clone, he lacked the ability to grow rapidly like a Hollow through devouring others. His progress relied solely on personal training and battle experience.
Even so, through relentless combat and cultivation, he had raised this body from Fifth-Grade Spiritual Power to the upper levels of Fourth-Grade roughly equal to a strong Vice-Captain.
But the gap between Vice-Captain level and genuine Captain level was still vast.
After recovering somewhat from the relentless assault of Annihilation God, the blue ape Arrancar went berserk, charging at Raizen Kō like a mad beast.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
It used Sonido repeatedly, desperately attempting to close the distance.
Even while being cut apart by the spinning blade, it pushed forward with reckless abandon.
The creature had realized that only by engaging in close combat could it hope to kill this detestable Shinigami. Otherwise, it would simply be worn down and destroyed.
Seeing the Arrancar so desperately seeking close quarters, Raizen Kō's lips curled into a dangerous smile.
"You want close combat? Fine I'll grant your wish."
With a grin, he shortened the chain of Annihilation God and pulled the blade back into his grasp.
"I will… eat you!"
To Raizen Kō's mild surprise, the blue ape Arrancar opened its filthy mouth and spoke in broken words. Yellow saliva dripped from its jagged teeth, creating a truly nauseating sight.
"Oh? So you can talk?"
Raizen Kō had assumed it had lost the ability to speak due to its incomplete transformation.
"ROAR!"
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The dark Arrancar pounded its chest violently, and in the next instant, invisible gales of foul wind wrapped around both of its massive fists.
"Is that… a crude version of Iron Fist Wind Breaker?"
Raizen Kō's interest was piqued.
He wiped the blade of Annihilation God, causing it to vibrate once more, then dashed forward to meet the charging beast head-on.
"Pfft!"
Empowered by the vibrating force, his sword cut through the Arrancar's supposedly tough Hierro like paper.
A deep, bone-revealing wound was carved across the creature's chest.
The blue ape Arrancar grimaced in agony.
"AAH! I will… eat you!"
Driven further into madness, it launched frenzied punches at Raizen Kō, each blow accompanied by violent gusts of wind.
Raizen Kō met every strike with Annihilation God.
With each clash, another fresh wound appeared on the Arrancar's body. Yet despite being covered in injuries, it continued attacking in a blind rage.
Raizen Kō, meanwhile, also wore a pained expression not from injury, but from sheer disgust.
This creature simply smelled too foul.
"Enough of this."
Finally reaching his limit, Raizen Kō gripped his sword with both hands.
Pure white lightning wrapped around the vibrating blade as he unleashed a decisive finishing strike.
"Thunderclap Slash!"
This was no ordinary Thunderclap Slash.
It was a Thunderclap Slash fused with the vibrating power of Annihilation God.
A brilliant white arc of lightning cleaved straight through the blue ape Arrancar, splitting it cleanly in half.
Immediately afterward, the vibrating force shattered both halves of its corpse into fragments.
With the battle over, Annihilation God reverted from its Shikai state.
Raizen Kō stared at the blood-soaked Asauchi in his hands with open disgust.
After a moment's hesitation, he pinched his nose and reluctantly sheathed it.
"Thankfully, this is only a temporary sword issued by the Spiritual Arts Academy…"