Masatsuki Aozaki stood quietly, observing as pale red and golden Reiatsu enveloped Nelliel and Harribel. The Reiatsu gradually formed into two towering pillars of light, illuminating the night sky of Hueco Mundo. A hint of anticipation gleamed in Masatsuki's eyes, intrigued by the transformations about to unfold.
The beams initially shone brightly, dimmed momentarily, then flared up once more before slowly fading away, eventually disappearing completely. The Reiatsu had surged twice in succession.
"This is..." Masatsuki murmured, watching intently as the two figures emerged from the dissipating light.
With their Zanpakutō now vanished, both Nelliel and Harribel had undergone significant transformations. Nelliel retained her half-human, half-goat Resurrección form, but her fur had grown denser, her hooves now a grayish-white. Her arms and goat-like lower body were covered in black hair, and the tip of her turquoise tail emitted a faint reddish Reiatsu. The mask fragment that once adorned her head had disappeared, revealing long hair flowing freely in the wind. A pair of sharply curved horns had sprouted from her forehead, and she wielded a lance formed from pale red Reiryoku.
Harribel's transformation exhibited more pronounced beast-like features. The remnants of her Hollow mask had been replaced by angular headguards flanking her face, and her body appeared clad in black-and-yellow armor that seamlessly blended with her skin. A long, sinuous fishtail swayed behind her, and she gripped a massive golden two-handed sword composed of Reiryoku. While her overall form remained humanoid, an intense, primal aura emanated from her, reminiscent of a wild predator on the verge of breaking free.
"Masatsuki, this Resurrección feels entirely different from before. I feel an endless surge of power throughout my body," Nelliel remarked, her eyes alight with excitement as she examined her transformed state. Without hesitation, she dashed toward Masatsuki.
With a resounding boom, Nelliel's powerful leap left a massive crater hundreds of meters deep in the ground. She moved with lightning speed, vanishing from her initial position as if she had teleported. In an instant, she collided with Masatsuki, catching him off guard and propelling them both thousands of meters away.
Considering that Nelliel achieved such astonishing speed through sheer physical strength alone, one could only imagine the terrifying velocity she would reach when employing Sonido.
Masatsuki Aozaki rubbed his aching forehead and reluctantly pulled Nelliel to her feet, smiling wryly.
"You really only use that move on me, huh? Just don't ever try it on your sisters."
Only someone with Masatsuki Aozaki's monstrous durability could tank a hit like that. If Grimmjow, who was off to the side watching and cheering, got hit like that, Nelliel could easily smash him to pieces. Even Starrk, ranked number one among the Espada, if caught off guard by that tackle, wouldn't fare much better than a regular human getting hit by a dump truck—he'd be on his way to the next world in an instant.
"Do you really need Nell to say it again? Nell only likes Masatsuki! Nell will only pounce on Masatsuki!"
Shouting the nickname Masatsuki had given her, Nelliel tightly hugged his waist, nuzzling her small head against him like a spoiled child. Her sharp horns grazed gently under his chin—not painful at all, just a little ticklish.
"Alright, we'll call that the warm-up. Now let's get started for real."
Masatsuki Aozaki's lips curled into a slight smile as he spoke softly. As soon as the words left his mouth, he hugged Nelliel close and vanished like a ghost, reappearing in the blink of an eye back in his original position.
Nelliel obediently nodded, then hurried over to stand beside Harribel. Gripping the hilt of her blade with both hands, she shifted into an attack stance.
"Masatsuki-sama, I'm going in!"
Harribel declared seriously, then charged forward, brandishing her massive golden sword.
Bang!!
A heavy thud echoed through the air.
But the crowd only heard the sound—what they saw left them baffled and confused. They had rushed over excitedly after hearing the news, expecting to witness an intense showdown between three of Hueco Mundo's top fighters.
Sure, the fight had started, but where was the action? Why couldn't they see anything?
The night wind howled past Masatsuki's ears.
He could see every move Harribel and Nelliel made with perfect clarity—he even thought they looked a bit slow.
After some thought, Masatsuki decided to match his strength to theirs for this battle. He suppressed his Reiryoku down to a level comparable to theirs.
Swish—
Out of nowhere, a nearly two-meter-long, ancient-looking great katana appeared in Masatsuki's hands, perfectly intercepting the incoming spear.
The force of the impact numbed his grip, but through sheer will and quick reflexes, he managed to stop his body's momentum. He immediately stepped back to retreat beyond his opponent's range.
With a sudden motion, Masatsuki leapt backward with astounding speed, instantly clearing over ten kilometers.
Right where he'd just been standing, a massive lance slammed into the ground like lightning, sending sand and rocks flying and creating a towering sand wave that blotted out the sky.
Meanwhile, the sound of air being ripped apart rolled through like thunder, one boom after another.
The speed of that strike was insane!
After a brief pause, Masatsuki's body exploded with even more power and speed.
He vanished like a blur, then lunged forward, channeling all his momentum into a fierce thrust of his great katana.
"He dodged it?! That fast?!"
Nelliel's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
Since Masatsuki hadn't used his light-form movement and deliberately slowed down, Nelliel could clearly see his path.
But just seeing it didn't mean she could react—and reacting didn't mean she could dodge.
She still couldn't fully evade the piercing thrust of his blade.
Seeing this, Harribel quickly raised her massive sword, releasing a scorching mist.
Hirviendo!
Aimed at Masatsuki, her blade unleashed a relentless barrage of high-temperature water blasts.
But rather than water, it was more like spiritual pressure shaped to look like water.
These streams, though seemingly ordinary, were actually compressed Reiryoku with blistering heat and destructive force.
By now, Masatsuki had appeared right in front of Nelliel.
Just as he was about to teach the pitiful lady knight a lesson with his great katana, a golden wave of water came surging toward him.
In that split second, instinct overtook thought.
He reacted immediately, stomping hard as his body flickered several meters away.
But before he could regain his footing—an earsplitting roar erupted!!
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake