A howling hurricane tore across the earth. Under Kensei Muguruma's deliberate control, every building around them was flattened in an instant except for the area where Mashiro Kuna stood.
Grayish-black tracks wrapped around his arms, their extensions connecting behind his back. Kensei Muguruma clenched the bladed knuckle dusters in both hands and drove a punch into the charging Wonderweiss.
"Ah...?" Wonderweiss stiffened, then reached toward Kensei Muguruma in confusion.
Bam!
Kensei Muguruma's punch shattered Wonderweiss's arm.
Bam!
Another punch caved in his chest.
Bam!
A punch struck him square in the face.
Bam!
Then his abdomen.
Bam!
His legs.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
A storm of iron fists slammed into Wonderweiss one after another. The tremendous force pierced through his body, leaving blurred fist-shaped marks in the air behind him.
Yet Wonderweiss seemed pinned in place before Kensei Muguruma, forced to endure it all.
"My Bankai lets me pour the explosive power of my Shikai into my fists. And as for how much I can pour in..." Kensei Muguruma clenched his fist. "The answer is infinite!"
Bam!
The final punch landed, sending Wonderweiss flying backward into a tall building.
The next instant, terrifying power erupted from within him. Blue-green light burst out of his body and flared violently.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The exploding hurricane swept up the blue-green radiance, and the overlapping forces gathered into a terrifying blast that erupted all at once.
Kensei Muguruma let out a long breath and looked toward Hachigen Ushōda.
Hachigen Ushōda had healing abilities. He could help treat Mashiro Kuna.
And now that the 2nd Espada had been dealt with...
A terrifying Reiatsu surged into the sky. A decaying aura roared outward, completely dispersing the battered Shijū Saimon.
"How... is that possible?" Hachigen Ushōda's eyes widened. "No... it can't be..."
Even Suzumebachi Jakuhō Raikōben, unleashed at full power while the 2nd Espada was bound within Shijū Saimon, had failed to finish him?
Whoosh!
A double-bladed black axe with crimson edges swept across, and the 2nd Espada, Baraggan, appeared before them in an entirely new form.
The robe that had once wrapped his body now hung open, revealing a blood-red interior and stark white ribs. Between the ribs floated pitch-black orbs. Golden wings extended from his hipbones, wrapping around his legs beneath the restraint of crisscrossing golden chains.
The golden eye that had once hung from his chest had now fused with the golden crown on Baraggan's head. Four fangs extended beside his ears, spewing red flames that formed shapes like mammoth tusks.
Blood-red flames surged from the hem of his clothes and rose upward.
"At last..." Baraggan met their stunned gazes. "The time has come."
"What... is that?" Marechiyo Ōmaeda shuddered as another overwhelming Reiatsu appeared.
Shunsui Kyōraku forced out a bitter smile. "Now this is trouble."
Starrk's final explosion had been tremendously powerful. Even though Shunsui Kyōraku dodged in time, half his body had still been injured by the blast.
Just as he was about to finish off the remaining Blue Wolf, it suddenly released a Reiatsu far beyond anything from before.
The Blue Wolf stood upright, taking on Starrk's outline.
Two Hollow Holes appeared in its chest and abdomen, each with a pitch-black orb floating inside.
The twin guns reappeared in Starrk's hands, though their shape had changed greatly from before.
Each gun now had two muzzles, and the grips were twice as long.
Their number had also changed.
Besides the two guns in his hands, two more were mounted on Starrk's lower legs.
His hair had grown much longer and was tied into a low ponytail. At the tips, flames burned with black inner fire and deep blue outer fire.
The whites of Starrk's eyes had been swallowed by darkness. His crimson pupils stood vertically, and eerie blue fire burned in the socket of his left eye.
The black magazines from before had vanished, replaced by ribbon-like chains of rectangular light plates.
"Hey, hey..." Shunsui Kyōraku sensed that terrifying Reiatsu. "No one told me something like this could happen."
Bang!
Starrk raised his hand and fired, shooting through Shunsui Kyōraku's shoulder. "Welcome back... Starrk."
"I should be the one saying welcome back," the gun said in a cute girl's voice. "Lilynette."
He was... that fast.
Shunsui Kyōraku fell helplessly, his gaze searching for Lisa Yadōmaru.
If the 1st Espada and 2nd Espada had both revealed new forms, then the 3rd Espada would be the same.
"Lisa..." Shunsui Kyōraku's voice was blurred. "Be... careful..."
"Smash, Haguro Tonbo!" A flat spear-like blade fell into Lisa Yadōmaru's hands, and she gripped her released Zanpakutō with both hands as she charged toward Harribel.
"Chop Cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi" Hiyori Sarugaki swung her saw-shaped greatsword down from the sky.
"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya attacked from the rear flank.
"I have no intention of fighting a pointless battle," Harribel said, controlling the power surging within her. "This power exists for that very reason."
She raised the massive shark-gill-patterned sword in her hand. Golden Reiatsu burst outward, then instantly gathered into a golden vortex that drew the three of them to her at a speed far beyond their control.
Harribel's figure flickered, darting past like a golden shark.
The three of them spat blood almost at the same time, crimson falling like rain.
Within that bewitching rain of blood, Harribel's new form was reflected in their blood-stained eyes.
The massive shark-gill-patterned sword still held its previous shape, but it no longer had its original physical form. Aside from the hilt and shark-gill markings, the body and blade were formed entirely from golden Reiatsu.
Harribel's golden hair had turned white, and black pointed horns rose beside her ears.
Golden Reiatsu replaced her former white armor, binding around her neck and extending in two strips to cover her chest.
Grayish-black dorsal fins stood upright along her back. Grayish-black armor covered both arms, and two grayish-black appendages extended from her waist like fins. Behind her, golden flames flickered along her tail, outlining the shape of a fish tail.
A black orb floated inside the Hollow Hole at her lower abdomen. Her legs were wrapped in black armor, with spread fins along her calves as well.
The whites of her eyes had been swallowed by pitch-black darkness. With blue eyes, Harribel watched the three falling figures and said softly, "Only power strong enough can prevent meaningless sacrifice."
In the blink of an eye, the battle that had turned with the arrival of the Visored turned once again, bringing despair with it.
Enemies who had already been defeated were now unleashing even greater power.
Even Aaroniero, who had been slain by Rukia Kuchiki, had now been reborn with the help of Hell's power.
Completely freed from the test tube, his two fist-sized heads had swollen to the size of normal human heads. Wrapped in flames with red outer fire and black inner fire, they stood atop a stitched-together body made from clearly different skin tones.
His purple right hand resembled an ordinary human hand, while his dark brown left hand was made entirely of tentacles. Its end swelled like an hourglass, and a savage maw lined with sharp teeth held eerie flames within it.
Thick tentacles extended from his waist, half pitch-black and half deep purple, with crimson suckers. As they writhed, the two feet hidden within could be faintly seen.
Chaotic, ominous power surged around him. The surrounding buildings corroded, crackled with lightning, or burst into flames.
The mixed powers inside Aaroniero recklessly acted on everything nearby, twisting and destroying everything within range.
"My power..." "Power this strong..." Two different voices overlapped, carrying the same fear and resentment. "How is this possible..." "How could I be defeated so easily?!"
An enraged roar rang out, and Aaroniero's twisted body collapsed, scattering into the wind.
"I told you twice." Retsu Unohana lowered her hand. "Don't block my way."
Retsu Unohana turned and walked toward the center of Las Noches, where a powerful Reiatsu was rising, impossible to ignore.
"Captain!" Isane Kotetsu spotted Retsu Unohana from afar and called out loudly, quickening her pace as she approached. "I finally found you."
Her panicked heart finally settled. Seeing the gentle smile on Retsu Unohana's face made Isane Kotetsu feel that no problem was impossible to solve.
Earlier, Yachiru Kusajishi had told her to move freely so she would not interfere with Kenpachi Zaraki's battle.
Once the battle ended, if Kenpachi Zaraki was badly injured, Yachiru Kusajishi would bring him to Isane Kotetsu.
And so Isane Kotetsu had followed Retsu Unohana's Reiatsu here.
As far as Isane Kotetsu was concerned, her Captain was not as strong as Kenpachi Zaraki. On top of that, her Zanpakutō was not with her. If she encountered a powerful enemy, she would be in real danger.
When Isane Kotetsu sensed a powerful Reiatsu appear near her Captain just now, she had truly been terrified, afraid that being even one step too late would leave her Captain in danger.
Thankfully, Retsu Unohana was safe.
"Captain, are you hurt?"
"No." Retsu Unohana shook her head. "Don't worry."
"That's good... But where did that powerful Reiatsu from earlier go?"
"You were probably too nervous." Retsu Unohana reassured her. "There was no especially powerful Reiatsu."
"I see..." Isane Kotetsu patted her own face, only then remembering the Zanpakutō. "Captain, your Zanpakutō."
"Thank you for bringing it." Retsu Unohana took the Zanpakutō. The blade, curved to an exaggerated degree, slid from its sheath and transformed into Minazuki, shaped like a giant one-eyed ray. "Climb on. We're going to Muten. How are things over there?"
Isane Kotetsu leaped onto Minazuki. "The fighting on Muten's side is still going..."
"Declare—" Facing Nnoitra's threat, Nell released her power once more. "Gamuza!"
Rose-colored Reiatsu surged out, wrapping around Nell.
The knight's lance spun as it broke through the Reiatsu surrounding her, becoming a dazzling ray of light that whipped up a spiraling gale and pierced toward Nnoitra.
"An attack like this..." Nnoitra crossed the blades on both arms before him, meeting the knight's lance head-on. "Won't work anymore!"
The intersecting blades shattered the knight's lance. Nnoitra raised both arms, and two pitch-black streaks flashing with yellow light crossed through the air, sending Nell flying.
Looking at Nell lying helplessly on the ground, Nnoitra's single eye turned cold.
["Why?"] Back then, Nell had questioned him like this. ["There was no order to exterminate these people. Why did you kill them?"]
["What's it to you?"] Nnoitra had never hidden his hatred for Nell. ["No one said I couldn't kill them, did they?"]
["Aizen-sama's order was to find the highest-class Menos Grande,"] Nell reminded him. ["Slaughtering them goes against that objective."]
["Not all of them support Aizen-sama anyway. Anyone who dares oppose him is a rebel, so killing them is for Aizen-sama's sake."] Nnoitra sneered. ["Besides, anyone who dies by my hand couldn't possibly be the highest-class Menos Grande. As far as I'm concerned, I'm carrying out the order. I only killed one or two hundred Hollows. Aren't you overreacting?"]
["Please think carefully before you speak."] Nell's gaze held the same calmness Nnoitra had always hated. ["We were ordinary Hollows once too. We were only lucky enough to evolve."]
["Do you have a problem with me?"] What Nnoitra hated most was that lofty expression of hers. ["Then go ahead and attack, if you think you can beat me."]
["Enough already."] Nell turned away. ["You're already an Espada. Why are you still acting like a child?"]
Nnoitra roared, ["What did you say? Stop right there, you damn woman!"]
And yet that damn woman had saved him.
["Why..."] This time, it was Nnoitra who questioned Nell. ["Why did you save me?"]
["I wasn't saving you. I simply didn't want the Espada to have an empty seat."]
["Nelliel, I've never liked you. You know that perfectly well... So why did you save me?"]
["Because you..."] Nell answered as if it were obvious. ["are weaker than me."]
That was what Nnoitra hated most about Nell.
She pitied people at every turn, sympathizing with them so casually.
She had no idea... that she was trampling on other people's wounds.
"Are you trying to absorb the power of Hell?" Nnoitra noticed the phosphoplasm gathering around Nell. "Delusional!"
Nell tried to absorb the phosphoplasm, but she could not control it at all. Even her half-human, half-ram form vanished in the process, and she returned to the form of a small child.
"This is power Aizen-sama bestowed upon the Espada only after leaving Soul Society. You can't obtain it!" Nnoitra grinned viciously. "Now who's the child, and who's weaker?"
["You save anyone weaker than you?"] Nnoitra had once mocked Nell that way. ["Even Shinigami?"]
["I really have saved Shinigami before. The strongest among them was Muten Natsu, and he was just as weak as you."] A look of reminiscence appeared on Nell's face. ["But he never gave up. He kept fighting to save his companions. I believe... that kind of fight is the right one."]
You said I was like him.
But then you said he was the one who was right...
Then die.