Under Moyu's control, the black wind twisted into a roaring tornado that collided head-on with Ulquiorra's dark green thunder. The clash of black and emerald birthed a crushing pressure that tore across Hueco Mundo, centered at the point of impact above Las Noches.
The arc-shaped shockwave spread outward like a scythe, splitting the sky and shaking the desert below. The oppressive force crushed the palace walls, splintered the towers, and drove the white sands into sudden collapse.
Arrancar subordinates staggered out from the collapsing fortress, their eyes widening in terror as they beheld the seething light above.
"How… how is this possible?"
"Is this truly the power of a Shinigami?"
"C-can Lord Ulquiorra endure this?"
Panic spread like fire. Some whispered escape, swearing Hueco Mundo was vast enough to hide in so long as Ulquiorra survived. Others abandoned resistance altogether, Aizen's commands and Ulquiorra's orders vanishing from memory as survival became their only thought. At this moment, flight was no longer betrayal—it was instinct.
Even from afar, despair and suffocation pressed against their throats. None dared imagine what kind of weight Ulquiorra, standing at the very heart of the collision, was enduring.
A thunderous boom tore through the desert. The arcing shockwave swallowed Las Noches entirely. Ulquiorra did not even raise a hand to defend himself. His expression remained flat, his emerald eyes devoid of ripple or emotion as the aftermath consumed him.
The palace buckled and fell. The black wind gnawed at Ulquiorra's thunder, shredding it apart and annihilating his reiatsu piece by piece. Within breaths, the outcome was decided. The storm swallowed the heavens, clouds buried and dissolved in the spiraling maw. The roar thundered through Hueco Mundo, echoing for what felt like an eternity.
At last, the black tornado thinned, and silence fell. Where once stood Las Noches remained only a wasteland of shattered white dunes. The fortress was gone, buried beneath ruin and dust.
Amid the drifting haze, Ulquiorra still stood. Untouched, unmoving, uninjured.
Moyu landed lightly, studying him with a calm gaze before murmuring, "Why struggle?"
He walked past without slowing. As their shoulders brushed, a faint breeze stirred. Cracks spider-webbed across Ulquiorra's form. His body fractured like a weathered statue, splintering into dust that scattered across the sky of Hueco Mundo.
From the feet upward, his existence unraveled. The dim gleam in his dark green pupils dulled to lifelessness. For Aizen's orders, he had given his utmost. Beyond this point lay only nothingness.
In his fading vision, he glimpsed emptiness, death itself.
"Farewell, Ulquiorra."
Those were the final words he heard. The next moment, he was gone, erased to nothing.
At the ruins' edge, a black Senkaimon gate split open. Shinigami in black uniforms filed out. Their faces froze at the sight of the wasteland where Las Noches had stood.
"What… what happened here?"
Nie Yinmeng crouched, pressing her slender hand against the white sand, feeling the remnants of the battlefield. After a pause, she rose and spoke evenly without looking back.
"The battle is over. Mr. Moyu's reiatsu blankets the entire palace. There is no trace of Arrancar spiritual pressure."
She turned north. "We move. Meet with him there."
Without hesitation, she stepped forward. The others exchanged uneasy glances, the shock mirrored in each of their faces. None could grasp how Moyu alone had reduced the vast Las Noches to ruin. Awe mixed with fear—reverence born of overwhelming strength.
A white haori stirred among them. Byakuya Kuchiki gazed upon the devastation with quiet resignation. His voice was low, tinged with helplessness.
"This man… why does he refuse to inherit the family? He outshines me in every way."
The squad pressed on and soon reached the northern edge, where Moyu awaited. He turned at their sudden arrival, his brows rising faintly before he flickered forward with Shunpo. In the blink of an eye, he stood before them, his speed so absolute it drew a silent ache to their teeth. Even among captains, such movement was unparalleled.
"Mr. Moyu."
"Moyu…"
The voices carried no inflection, cold as ever, leaving Moyu speechless. Trusting support from these two frigid companions was a cruel joke. Thankfully, the others compensated with awestruck admiration. In Soul Society, strength commanded loyalty, and Moyu's spotless haori, unblemished despite the scale of battle, spoke louder than any boast.
"The battle of Las Noches…" Byakuya began, only to be cut off.
"It's over," Moyu replied simply.
The words silenced any further question. No one doubted him. From anyone else, suspicion might have lingered. From Captain Moyu, none remained.
Around them, nothing but ruin stretched to the horizon, the once-grand fortress of Hueco Mundo erased as though it had never existed.
Moyu's eyes narrowed slightly as he addressed them. "The Espada left to guard Las Noches has been eliminated. The remaining Arrancar fled. But in the northern ruins, I discovered something unusual—something tied, perhaps, to the Royal Palace."
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