In our world, nothing has any meaning.
To exist in this world has no meaning either.
Meaningless beings like us ponder this world—and even knowing this place exists is meaningless.
Through his observations during battle, and his initial experience in the Human World…
Ulquiorra's green pupils tightened as he looked at Shimo. The calm that never seemed to leave his face finally wavered.
"Kyōraku Shimo…"
Before he could finish, a crushing pressure of spiritual power came crashing down on him, swallowing him in suffocating oppression.
In an instant, a feral grimace surfaced on Ulquiorra's face.
Yet even under Shimo's crushing pressure, he still forced out his words, broken but clear:
"It… doesn't… matter…"
"This… battle… was unavoidable."
"It was already… like that… in the Human World."
"From you… I learned again… what true despair is."
As he spoke, dark green spiritual pressure surged from him like an ocean rising under a thunderstorm.
A massive shockwave erupted, blasting the white sand beneath his feet. Wings of black spread open—vast enough to blot out the sky—and an endless sandstorm roared into being!
Rustle—!
Some of the captains actually showed signs of discomfort under the pressure.
After fighting the Espada, they were already badly injured. Another clash at this level could worsen their condition.
"Hana-ne, take the wounded to the side and treat them," Shimo said without looking back.
For Ulquiorra, Shimo had decided to grant a death as brilliant as a shooting star—
a flash that cleaves the heavens and leaves a dazzling trail behind.
Yoruichi and Unohana moved beneath the barrier, gathering the wounded and carrying them far from the battlefield, then applying Kaido to treat them.
Kenpachi Zaraki, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi—it seemed that aside from Unohana and Shimo, every captain was severely injured.
Even the Visored had taken losses: at the very end, Szayelaporro chose to self-destruct, and the one at the front—Kensei Muguruma—took the full hit.
His body was scorched black, carved with wounds like wind blades. He looked like he didn't have long left.
Shinji Hirako and Love Aikawa were injured too, but still capable of fighting. They stayed alert, guarding against any new enemy.
Nel wasn't interested in any of that. She stood at the edge of the battlefield, staring anxiously toward the center.
From her expression alone, it was obvious—
if she could, she would've taken Shimo's place.
Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure after Second Resurrección was strong, rapidly approaching Shimo's level… but for Nel, once a former Third Espada, it was still within a range she could accept.
"Shimo…"
Nel clasped her hands to her chest, pressing them lightly—almost like a prayer.
Threads of dark green, tangible spiritual power drifted through the air.
Black wings spread and covered the sky.
Dark liquid seeped from Ulquiorra's eyes like tears, staining his cheeks.
His Hollow hole expanded, the markings extending until they covered his abdomen.
His arms and lower body sprouted black feathers; a tail-whip snapped behind him with a ripping sound through the air.
At this moment, Ulquiorra looked less like a person and more like a true demon.
Yet after reaching Second Resurrección, his expression returned to that original calm.
Perhaps he had accepted reality. Or perhaps he had already seen how this war would end.
Ulquiorra no longer cared about any future.
"Kyōraku Shimo… let's begin."
He raised his right index finger. Dark green spiritual power danced at the fingertip, shining with a heat that seemed to scorch the air itself.
Cero Oscuras.
The next moment, a roaring beam blasted from his fingertip. Space itself trembled faintly as a brilliant black column speared through the entire barrier.
Those treating wounds stared, stunned.
"So he really was hiding a lot…" someone murmured.
Unohana's gaze stayed calm. She didn't look worried.
Byakuya forced a bitter smile.
"He was hiding his strength… but Captain Unohana, weren't you as well?"
"Even now, you still haven't used your Bankai."
Unohana smiled gently and explained softly:
"Because I believe in Shimo-kun's strength, I chose to remain at Shikai."
"Saving my strength lets me respond if something unexpected happens… and handle any nuisance that doesn't warrant Shimo-kun's attention."
Byakuya fell silent. That impassive, mask-like calm returned to his face.
Still… talking with Unohana now felt strangely off.
"Shimo-kun" had practically become her catchphrase.
What happened?
Byakuya, having experience in these matters, sensed something faintly unusual.
He decided that when they returned, he'd check the Kuchiki vaults for something suitable as a gift.
And immediately got a headache.
There were too many valuable items. How was he supposed to choose?
...
Facing the incoming Cero Oscuras, Shimo frowned slightly.
He didn't dodge. He didn't even bother with Kidō.
To Ulquiorra's shock, Shimo simply raised his arm and struck it head-on—
BOOM!
With Hierro reinforcing him, he used only his palm to smash the Cero away!
Sand erupted. A crater hundreds of meters wide was blown into the desert.
"Is that what you're relying on?" Shimo asked coolly.
Ulquiorra's brow furrowed—his emotions showing rare fluctuations.
He spread his hands apart. Deep green spirit particles gathered before his Hollow hole and compressed into a spear.
Lanza del Relámpago!
Ulquiorra raised it, gripping it at the center.
His wings beat, whipping up a violent gale—
And in the next instant, he was already at Shimo's side.
The lightning spear locked onto Shimo's forehead with overwhelming pressure.
"Accept judgment!"
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