Chapter 97: The Awakened Pesche and Dondachaka
The figure in the dark cloak pulled back his hood, revealing a face framed by long strands of dark yellow hair. Piercing gray eyes, set within a slender, bearded countenance adorned with distinct Chinese features, narrowed as a sinister smirk crossed the man's lips. Gripping the massive double-headed axe in his hands, he fixed his gaze upon the towering form of Nnoitra Gilga.
"Nnoitra Gilga," the cloaked man declared, his voice laced with unbridled contempt. "Every single day for the past decade, I've harbored but a single thought - the unwavering desire to end your miserable existence!"
He swung the axe slowly, the lethal glint in his eyes intensifying. "What's the matter, Nnoitra? Don't you recognize me behind this 'blank' expression of yours?" he taunted. "Forget it, take all the time you need to ponder it over."
Without warning, the figure burst forward in a blur of motion, the iron axe sweeping across Nnoitra's back before the Espada could react.
Clang!
The deafening clash of metal echoed through the desolate expanse of Hueco Mundo as the tremendous force from the axe strike caused Nnoitra to shift his stance, gripping the hilt of his enormous sickle with both hands.
"Is this... a joke?" Nnoitra roared, thrusting his weapon skyward in a violent upward sweep that sent a powerful gale scattering the gravel beneath their feet towards the cloaked assailant.
Dondachaka nimbly sidestepped the attack, his gaze raised as he delivered a scathing remark. "Is this truly the vaunted 'strongest steel skin' among the Espada? How utterly amusing!"
Surprisingly, the typically reserved Dondachaka spoke with a razor-sharp edge to his words, his taunts clearly striking a nerve with the infuriated Nnoitra. "Oh, look who suddenly thinks he can run his mouth!" the Espada spat.
Unfazed by the provocation, Nnoitra calmly assessed the situation before launching himself forward, beginning a fierce exchange of blows. The sounds of their clashing weapons reverberated across the desert as Sado, having been rescued, watched the battle unfold in utter disbelief.
When Dondachaka's gaze met Sado's, the young Fullbringer realized this was one of the pair who had consistently accompanied both him and Ishida. The individual with the once-swollen physique and fractured psyche had undergone a startling transformation, his appearance now barely recognizable.
"Weren't you the subordinate of that Nelliel character?" Nnoitra remarked disdainfully, their blades locked in a stalemate. "What, isn't one spared life enough? Do you truly wish for another?"
"I don't care how you've managed to return to your Arrancar state- to me, you presently appear as nothing more than a corpse!" Nnoitra spat, his yellow Reiatsu surging as he pressed the attack. In response, Dondachaka unleashed his own powerful black spiritual pressure, the two forces evenly matched.
"You bastard!" Nnoitra growled, his expression growing stern as he realized his adversary was only marginally weaker in this battle of Reiatsu. Wielding his double-edged sickle with both hands, he launched a relentless assault on Dondachaka.
But the typically reserved Arrancar maintained a serene, almost detached demeanor, as if the unfolding events were merely routine. "Nnoitra Gilga, your arrogance is truly astounding," he stated calmly. "I may have overlooked what you did to me and Pesche, but I absolutely will not stand for what you've done to Lady Nelliel!"
Dondachaka's words seemed to strike a chord within Nnoitra, the Espada's expression contorting with a mix of fury and grudging respect. "Hmph, so you do remember your place, you sniveling worm," he growled. "But don't think for a moment that your pathetic loyalty will save you from my blade!"
With a renewed burst of speed, Nnoitra launched a flurry of strikes, his sickle clashing against Dondachaka's axe in a deafening cacophony. Sado watched in awe as the two Arrancar battled, their Reiatsu clashing like the clash of titans.
Suddenly, Dondachaka's expression shifted, a surge of determination flashing across his features. "Spirit of Words: Flame of Reverse Scale!" he roared, his Reiatsu undergoing a dramatic transformation.
Black flames erupted to envelop Dondachaka's entire figure, the iron axe in his hands dissolving and being replaced by a swirling pool of jet-black fire that encased his form. The pupils of his eyes shifted to a piercing gold, and ten pairs of powerful eyes fixed Nnoitra with an otherworldly intensity.
"Kneel down for me!" Dondachaka bellowed, his flaming fist smashing through Nnoitra's blade and striking the Espada's face with tremendous force. The massive impact, accompanied by the searing black flames, sent Nnoitra hurtling across the desert for hundreds of meters, carving a long mark in the sand.
Dondachaka stood panting heavily, his body shaking with the effort as Nnoitra's subordinate, Tesra, rushed to his fallen master's side. His expression was one of shock and disbelief, having witnessed the usually formidable Nnoitra Gilga defeated by what he had once considered a lesser opponent.
Meanwhile, within the ruins of a distant palace, Pesche and Szayelaporro both sensed the powerful Reiatsu signature that had erupted from Dondachaka's transformation. As the ground quaked beneath them, Szayelaporro remarked with gravity, "This Reiatsu... did Nnoitra actually lose?"
The Octava Espada's brow furrowed, a scowl forming on his features. "Truly a waste of my efforts to support him," he scoffed, before turning his attention back to the figure of Pesche standing before him.
A sinister grin spread across Szayelaporro's face as he eyed Pesche.
"Pesche that's your name, correct?" he purred, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. "The power that Fiander granted you has certainly proven... useful."
Pesche's eyes narrowed, a surge of black Reiatsu erupting violently around him. "I am here for one reason, and one reason only..." he stated coldly, his voice laced with a deep, almost primal fury. "To end your life, Szayelaporro Granz!"
The clash of blades continued to echo across the endless sands of Hueco Mundo, the confrontation between the Arrancar only just beginning to unfold.