Chapter 105: Fiander Vs Three Captains
"Well now, why does everyone seem so intent on bothering me today?"
Fiander walked with casual confidence directly toward Unohana Retsu, his glacial blue eyes briefly meeting hers before shifting to assess Zaraki Kenpachi with the detached interest of a predator sizing up potential prey. The air around him shimmered with barely contained spiritual pressure, causing frost to form on nearby surfaces despite Hueco Mundo's typically arid climate.
"All familiar faces, I see. This makes things considerably easier—no tedious introductions required," he observed with dark amusement, his voice carrying the cold authority of winter storms.
"Hmm? How strange. I definitely sensed that Kuchiki fellow's reiatsu when you arrived. Why isn't he here with the rest of you?" Fiander folded his arms across his chest, the flowing edges of his black coat swaying hypnotically in the tense atmosphere that had settled over the group like a funeral shroud.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, unable to contain his scientific curiosity any longer, pushed past Zaraki's imposing form and approached Fiander with the eager enthusiasm of a researcher who had discovered a fascinating new specimen.
"No, no, we haven't been properly introduced, though I've certainly heard quite a lot about you," he said with his characteristic unsettling grin stretching across his painted features. "Heh heh heh! Allow me to present myself—I am Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the Twelfth Division and Director of the Research and Development Institute."
With theatrical flourish, Mayuri extended his right hand toward Fiander in an apparent gesture of courtesy, though his golden eyes gleamed with the kind of predatory interest typically reserved for laboratory specimens.
Fiander's response was to glance at the offered hand with mild distaste before turning his attention to Szayelaporro, completely dismissing the captain's attempt at social interaction.
"My apologies, Captain Kurotsuchi, but I make it a policy never to shake hands with men," he replied with casual indifference, walking past the assembled captains as if they were merely obstacles in his path rather than some of Soul Society's most dangerous warriors.
Rather than taking offense at this blatant dismissal, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's grin only widened. The rejection seemed to increase rather than diminish his fascination with this enigmatic Arrancar who dared to treat Gotei 13 captains with such casual contempt.
"Szayelaporro Granz," Fiander called out, his voice carrying across the desert sand with the inexorable force of an avalanche.
The pink-haired scientist felt his entire body freeze as that glacial voice reached his ears. A sense of oppression unlike anything he had ever experienced—more profound than even Aizen Sōsuke's overwhelming presence—pressed down upon his soul like the weight of mountains.
"Tell me," Fiander continued with deceptive calm, "what brings you to my territory?"
"Because... I..." Szayelaporro stammered, his analytical mind racing desperately to formulate some plausible excuse. He was completely unaware that his subconscious had already begun obeying Fiander's implicit commands, responding to an authority that transcended mere rank or position.
"Because of what?" Fiander interrupted with lazy amusement. "Because you came here intending to kill me while you thought I was weakened?"
The direct accusation struck Szayelaporro like a physical blow, cutting through his attempts at deception with surgical precision.
"Even though I may no longer hold an official Espada ranking," Fiander continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than any shout, "that doesn't mean you're entitled to look down on me. It certainly doesn't mean you're my superior in any meaningful way."
"Do you understand me, Szayelaporro Granz?"
The Espada felt his blood accelerate through his veins as primal terror flooded his system. His body began trembling uncontrollably despite his best efforts to maintain composure, every instinct screaming at him to flee from this predator who wore the face of an ally.
'This is impossible! What's happening to me?' his mind raced frantically. 'What has that monster Fiander become? Why am I answering his questions? Why am I terrified? I'm supposed to be stronger than him now!'
Sweat began pouring down Szayelaporro's face as he struggled against the compulsion to meet Fiander's gaze. When he finally managed to raise his eyes, he found himself staring into pupils that held all the warmth and mercy of arctic ice—completely devoid of emotion, humanity, or compassion.
"Setting aside your motivations for coming here," Fiander said with scientific detachment, "perhaps you can explain why I detect the energy signature of 'Dragon's Scar' within your spiritual matrix?"
The question hit Szayelaporro like a thunderbolt. So that mysterious power that had granted him such incredible abilities was called "Dragon's Scar"? The knowledge both thrilled and terrified him—if Fiander possessed more such techniques, the implications were staggering.
'Such precious power wasted on that pathetic fool Pesche!' he thought bitterly. 'These abilities should belong to someone who can properly utilize them! Even if they're your secrets, Fiander, eventually I'll uncover everything and claim it for myself!'
The selfish thoughts helped restore some of his courage, and Szayelaporro suddenly leaped backward to put distance between himself and the terrifying Arrancar. When he spoke again, his voice carried forced bravado designed to mask his lingering fear.
"Why should I answer your questions? What authority do you think you have over me?" he demanded with artificial boldness. "You're nothing but a failure who was defeated by some Shinigami substitute and stripped of your Espada rank! How dare you speak to me with such arrogance!"
The corners of Fiander's mouth twitched upward in a sardonic smile that held no warmth whatsoever, followed by low, mocking laughter that seemed to freeze the very air around them.
"Espada... now there's an amusing concept," he said with dark humor. "How interesting that you should mention that particular hierarchy. You see, when I originally proposed the Espada system to Master Aizen, he wanted me to oversee its management personally. I declined the responsibility because I found the administrative aspects tedious, so the task was transferred to Tōsen Kaname instead."
Szayelaporro's confident expression began to falter as the implications of this revelation sank in.
"That's precisely why I accepted the tenth ranking—not because I lacked power, but because I preferred to avoid the political complications of higher positions. Did you really think your activities were secret?" Fiander continued with cruel amusement.
"All your research, including your theft of Aaroniero Arruruerie's corpse to enhance your own abilities—do you honestly believe Las Noches is unaware of your little experiments? If you truly thought you were operating in secret, then I can only conclude that you're adorably naive!"
Each word struck Szayelaporro like a physical blow, shattering his carefully constructed confidence and exposing the truth he had tried so desperately to hide. In his fury and humiliation, he drew his Zanpakutō with a metallic rasp and pointed it at Fiander with trembling hands.
"Enough of your lies!" he snarled with desperate anger. "I've had quite enough of this conversation! Since you want to know the truth so badly, I'll tell you—yes, I came here to kill you! I want to dissect your secrets and claim your power for myself!"
"You don't have even a trace of reiatsu emanating from your body right now, so I have no idea where you found the courage to face me. If you want to blame someone for what happens next, blame your own foolish arrogance!"
With those words, Szayelaporro lunged forward with his Zanpakutō raised high, completely ignoring the presence of the three Gotei 13 captains who observed the confrontation with professional interest.
CLAP!
Fiander caught the descending blade between his bare fingers as casually as one might catch a falling leaf, stopping the attack completely without showing the slightest sign of effort or strain.
"You... you bastard!" Szayelaporro gasped in disbelief, struggling futilely to free his weapon from that iron grip.
'What just happened? Why didn't I see him move? My Zanpakutō should have cut through him effortlessly!' his mind raced with desperate confusion. 'This is impossible! With my current reiatsu levels, I should be able to kill him easily! Why is this happening?'
No matter how hard he pulled, pushed, or twisted, Szayelaporro found himself completely unable to move his Zanpakutō even a single millimeter. It might as well have been embedded in solid bedrock for all the good his struggles accomplished.
"My, my, Mister Seven," Fiander observed with mock concern, "haven't you been eating properly? You don't seem to have enough strength to properly swing a sword."
His glacial eyes glittered with cruel amusement as he continued. "Since you obviously can't handle such a dangerous weapon, perhaps I should relieve you of the burden."
CRACK!
With minimal effort, Fiander snapped the Zanpakutō's blade in half, the spiritual steel parting like glass before his overwhelming power. Without hesitation, he reversed his grip on the broken weapon and drove it deep into Szayelaporro's chest with surgical precision.
"Gahh..." Szayelaporro stared down in shocked disbelief at the blade protruding from his torso, watching his own blood begin to pool around the wound. The approaching specter of death had never felt so immediate or terrifying.
''This can't be happening! I still have one more technique! I can still activate my Resurrección if I—'
"Ah yes, you were probably thinking about your Gabriel form," Fiander interrupted conversationally, as if reading the dying Arrancar's thoughts. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."
Before Szayelaporro could react, a massive black Cero erupted from Fiander's outstretched palm, engulfing the scientist completely in a torrent of destructive energy. When the blast finally dissipated, nothing remained but a smoking crater nearly one hundred meters long carved into the desert floor.
The three captains stared in stunned silence at the casual display of overwhelming power, each of them recalibrating their assessment of the threat this Arrancar represented.
"Wonderful! Absolutely magnificent!" Kurotsuchi Mayuri suddenly burst into applause, his face lit up with scientific enthusiasm. "I didn't expect to witness such an impressive demonstration so soon after our arrival in Hueco Mundo!"
"Though I must confess some disappointment," he continued with exaggerated melancholy. "I was quite interested in examining that Espada's modifications. Couldn't you have left me a more complete specimen to study?"
"Is that so?" Fiander chuckled softly as he turned to face the three captains, spreading his arms in a gesture of mock welcome. "Well then, shall we proceed to the main event? Are you here to declare war on me?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
Zaraki Kenpachi's response came not in words but in action—his Zanpakutō descended toward Fiander's shoulder with tremendous force, the brutal strike accompanied by the sound of rending air and the promise of devastating impact.
The blade connected with a resounding clang of metal striking an immovable object, sending vibrations up through Zaraki's arms and causing his entire body to shake from the recoil. His weapon hadn't even managed to tear Fiander's clothing, much less inflict any actual damage.
"Captain Zaraki, how reckless of you," Fiander observed with mild disapproval, completely unaffected by the attack that should have cleaved him in half. "Swinging your sword around so carelessly is quite dangerous. You could frighten the local wildlife—though I suppose there aren't many flowers or small animals in this particular wasteland."
As he spoke, Fiander raised his hand with casual elegance, and trails of ice and snow began swirling around his fingers like ethereal serpents responding to their master's will.
"Everyone be careful! Captain Zaraki!" Unohana Retsu called out in warning, her instincts and battle experience both screaming danger as she recognized the supernatural phenomena manifesting around their opponent.
Without hesitation, she extended one hand and began chanting with incredible speed: "Hadō number eighty-eight—Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
The devastating Kidō spell erupted from her outstretched palm as a massive beam of electrical energy, its destructive power sufficient to level entire buildings. But even as the attack roared toward its target, all three captains suspected they were about to discover just how outclassed they truly were.
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