Barragan was clearly intrigued by Sombravida's proposal.
Externally, Respira's decay had always been countered by Rhodes Fores' overwhelming life force and regenerative speed. Flesh rotted—but reformed. Limbs aged—but regenerated. Even partial cranial damage had proven insufficient.
But internally?
Barragan himself could not withstand Respira without the protective field he constantly emitted. If that power were forced past the exterior barrier and detonated inside—
Even a Vasto Lorde might falter.
"Even so," Barragan rumbled, skeletal jaw shifting slightly, "I cannot guarantee his destruction. His regeneration borders on absurd."
"Total annihilation isn't required," Sombravida replied calmly. "Only destabilization."
He stepped forward slightly.
"Sever the body. Separate the head. While his regeneration activates, inject Respira into his internal structure. Then continuously divide the remaining mass. Even if he reforms, he cannot reform infinitely without exposing the true regenerative core."
Barragan's hollow eye sockets fixed on him.
"You believe he has a core?"
"He ignores fatal damage too easily," Sombravida replied. "That implies either distributed regeneration or a movable focal origin. If we divide him into smaller fragments, we force exposure. Once we locate the regeneration origin point—destroy it."
Silence lingered.
Barragan finally nodded once.
"What do you demand?"
"His mask," Sombravida answered immediately. "And half of his Adjuchas-level masks."
Barragan's spiritual pressure shifted subtly.
"You intend to evolve to Vasto Lorde."
"Yes."
Barragan considered the implications carefully.
If Sombravida ascended—
Would he become another rival?
Sombravida anticipated the concern.
"My territory lies far west. Strategically distant. I seek power, not your throne. And Hueco Mundo is vast. Even you cannot rule it alone."
Barragan's aura remained cold.
"You propose alliance."
"Yes. I govern the west. Suppress rebellions. You maintain Las Noches as sovereign. Rhodes Fores falls—and your authority strengthens."
Barragan remained silent for several long breaths.
Then—
"Hmph. Very well."
The skeletal king leaned back upon his throne.
"Serve under my dominion in Las Noches. Govern the western wastes in my name. Crush dissent. And I shall recognize you."
Sombravida bowed slightly.
"Then the alliance stands."
They began discussing Rhodes Fores in detail.
"His territory lies seven days north," Barragan explained. "Approximately four hundred Adjuchas under his command. Mid-level Vasto Lorde. Highly loyal subordinates."
"Four hundred?" Sombravida narrowed his eyes.
"That number has not declined despite repeated assaults."
Sombravida nodded slowly.
"Then his ability likely extends beyond personal regeneration."
Barragan continued.
"He displays no diverse techniques. Only overwhelming life force. And his subordinates regenerate abnormally fast while within his domain."
Sombravida's eyes sharpened.
"A field amplification effect," he muttered. "Either passive aura or distributed vitality reinforcement."
Barragan observed him carefully.
"You analyze quickly for an Adjuchas."
Sombravida ignored the remark.
"We must separate him from his subordinates or bypass the aura. If I embed spatial anchors across the battlefield, I can relocate compressed Respira into selected targets instantly."
Barragan considered.
"If effective, we eliminate his Adjuchas rapidly. Then isolate him."
Sombravida nodded.
"Speed is essential."
Before departing, Sombravida used the opportunity to gather intelligence.
"Besides Rhodes Fores," Sombravida asked, "which other Vasto Lorde remain active?"
Barragan answered slowly.
"In the southwest—Tia. Low-level Vasto Lorde. Few subordinates."
Sombravida recognized the name immediately.
"In the south—Ulquiorra Cifer. Mid-level Vasto Lorde. Solitary. Detached."
Sombravida's eyes flickered.
Ulquiorra.
Important.
"And further west," Barragan continued, "Coyote Starrk. High-level Vasto Lorde. Excessive spiritual pressure. Wanders."
Sombravida nodded calmly.
"I've met him."
Barragan's skull tilted slightly.
"You survived?"
"He did not view me as threat."
"You are fortunate."
Barragan then added,
"In the central wastes, a mad Vasto Lorde conducts experiments. Szayelaporro Granz."
Sombravida's interest sharpened immediately.
"Alive?"
"Yes. Curious individual. Potentially useful."
Sombravida filed that away carefully.
Szayelaporro was far more valuable alive than dead.
Days later—
Sombravida and Barragan advanced north.
The terrain changed.
Desert sands hardened into frost-covered plains. Quartzified fir-like formations rose from frozen ground. The region possessed unusual stability compared to standard Hueco Mundo wasteland.
Barragan did not hesitate.
His reiatsu surged outward.
Respira expanded.
Black miasma of accelerated decay spread across the battlefield.
He then shifted technique—
Gran Caída.
Respira dispersed into countless fine particles, descending like a rain of death.
Where it touched—
Quartz trees aged and collapsed into dust.
Lesser Hollows disintegrated instantly upon contact.
Sombravida followed behind carefully, maintaining distance while placing spatial markers along retreat vectors.
Never trust a king fully.
Finally—
A second massive reiatsu erupted from the frozen mountains.
"You rotting skeleton!"
Rhodes Fores emerged.
A humanoid Vasto Lorde bearing a phoenix-like mask, elongated feathered plating across shoulders and back. Gold-red spiritual pressure radiated intensely.
He was not physically enormous—just over two meters—but the density of his reiatsu was unmistakably Vasto Lorde-class.
He lifted a hand.
Crimson-gold spiritual pressure flared upward.
Barragan's descending Respira particles evaporated mid-air, displaced by opposing life energy.
They clashed instantly.
No words wasted.
Barragan swung his massive axe.
Respira surged.
Rhodes countered with explosive vitality.
Meanwhile—
Barragan's nearly eight hundred Adjuchas clashed with Rhodes' four hundred.
Yet something was wrong.
Sombravida observed carefully from concealment.
Rhodes' subordinates were regenerating far faster than normal Adjuchas.
Severed limbs reattached.
Pierced torsos reformed within minutes.
The battle reached stalemate despite numerical disadvantage.
Sombravida's suspicion solidified.
Aura reinforcement.
He began moving silently across the battlefield, avoiding direct engagement.
He reached the periphery of the Vasto Lorde clash.
Barragan and Rhodes collided violently.
Respira eroded.
Life force flared.
Sombravida seized a moment of distraction—
He launched a fully condensed, concealment-wrapped Cero at Rhodes' flank.
Simultaneously—
Spatial displacement.
He appeared behind Rhodes.
Sky-Splitting Greatsword swept horizontally across the lower back.
The strike landed cleanly.
Rhodes staggered.
But—
Within seconds—
The wound regenerated completely.
Mid-level Vasto Lorde regeneration was extraordinary.
"Rat!" Rhodes roared, turning with claw extended.
Barragan exploited the opening instantly, axe descending.
Rhodes was forced to reengage Barragan.
Sombravida retreated immediately.
Mission objective was not damage.
It was anchor placement.
His spatial imprint had embedded within Rhodes' regenerating tissue.
Internalized.
Now inseparable without removing a portion of flesh.
Sombravida returned to Barragan's rear.
"It's done."
Barragan's aura intensified.
"Begin."
Barragan condensed Respira to higher density.
Sombravida extended his right hand.
He formed layered spatial containment fields around compressed Respira.
First layer—decayed instantly.
Second—cracked.
Third—fractured.
He continued layering.
By the sixth compression—
The inner mass stabilized briefly.
Sombravida launched the compressed spatial fragments—
Directly through the internal anchor point inside Rhodes Fores.
A split second later—
The containment shattered.
Respira erupted inside his torso.
"What—?!"
Rhodes' life force surged desperately inward.
Internal organ regeneration activated—
But internal regeneration was slower than external limb recovery.
Decay began eating through from within.
Barragan capitalized instantly.
He appeared in front of Rhodes—
Massive axe raised—
And brought it down in a crushing arc.
The blade split Rhodes Fores cleanly in two.
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