Chapter 178
After the left arms of the three women who seemed to lack strong fighting power merged, a strange reaction occurred. Their arms combined and transformed into a massive monster.
The creature had the horns and hooves of a deer, the tail of a snake, and the body of a lion, exuding an oppressive aura. Its towering frame stretched dozens of meters high, surpassing the size of most buildings in the World of the Living.
Emilou Apacci, Franceska Mila Rose, and Cyan Sung-Sun had once seemed weak within Hueco Mundo.
By the law of Hueco Mundo, the strong devoured the weak, and their survival should have been unlikely. Yet Harribel had done the opposite-she had saved them and accepted them as her comrades. Harribel's choice had been questioned before. Apacci had even asked her why she would defy Hueco Mundo's law.
Harribel's answer was firm-she would not gain strength through the sacrifice of others, not the sacrifice of her enemies and never the sacrifice of her own companions.
But in Hueco Mundo's unending cycle of predation, if one refused to devour and grow stronger, how could one survive against those who did?
Harribel's response had been clear: when united as women, they wielded an invincible power.
Yuon-the result of their fusion-was proof of their combined strength and their means of survival in Hueco Mundo.
The massive form of Yuon let out a roaring cry, and the spiritual pressure that erupted from it shook Hinamori Momo to her core. It felt as if she stood on the edge of an endless void.
At that moment, Kira Izuru, Hisagi Shūhei, and Tetsuzaemon Iba rushed to assist. Yet even united, the three vice-captains could not withstand Yuon's overwhelming strength.
With a single strike, Hisagi was smashed directly in the chest and coughed up blood as he was hurled through several buildings in a chain of explosions before crashing into the ground, unable to rise again.
The overwhelming disparity in strength was undeniable. Not long after, Kira and Iba too were struck down. Even Abarai Renji, who had unleashed his Bankai, was only able to hold out for several exchanges before his stamina gave out and he collapsed in defeat.
Apacci bared her teeth in a grin as she looked at Hinamori.
"Hmph, it seems there is no man here to save you this time. Prepare to die."
Hinamori trembled as her eyes swept over the fallen vice-captains.
"How... how can they be so strong?" she whispered. Despair welled inside her as she realized even Renji with his Bankai had been defeated.
Her training, her resolve, everything she had prepared-it all collapsed in one moment against the overwhelming might before her. How could she even dream of opposing Aizen when she could not even withstand this?
As Yuon's fist descended, everything in its path splintered and shattered under the crushing weight of its power.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni shifted his cane as though he was ready to intervene-but then his eyes widened slightly as he felt something.
Before Yuon's massive fist could land, a hand appeared to stop it.
That hand looked almost fragile before the giant form of Yuon, yet it effortlessly held back the crushing strike.
"Oh my... it seems there has been quite the fight in the real world," a calm voice stated.
Hideki Yuta stepped out of the black garganta, followed by Kuchiki Rukia, Matsumoto Rangiku, and Shihōin Yoruichi.
"Yu... Captain Yuta!" Hinamori gasped with relief. Her eyes widened further as she realized he had blocked Yuon's overwhelming strike with only one hand.
Yamamoto's stern gaze rested on Yuta.
"So the boy finally decided to move. Had he not, I would have." Though his words were sharp, his hand brushed thoughtfully through his beard as a faint smile tugged at his stern expression.
Sasakibe Chōjirō, standing behind him, was stunned. It had been years since he had seen his captain smile like that. Clearly, Hideki Yuta had earned Yamamoto's esteem.
Yuta faced Yuon without concern and glanced briefly at the three who had created it.
"The fusion you three women achieved is strong," he said evenly. "But that is all it is."
Apacci sneered with open disdain.
"Who the hell are you to talk so arrogantly?"
Sung-Sun covered her mouth delicately with her sleeve as she spoke with mocking amusement.
"This young man is handsome... why not become our pet instead of fighting us? We would take very good care of you."
Mila Rose's expression hardened as she kept her eyes fixed on Yuta.
"Be careful. He's not ordinary."
She too was stunned as she recalled his effortless defense against Yuon's strike.
To block their combined might without even drawing his Zanpakutō-what kind of strength was that? Even a Shinigami's body alone could not reach this level. Only with Shikai and Bankai could they normally rival such monsters. Yet Yuta had done so without either.
Could he be a monster in human form?
Yuta smiled slightly, though his expression carried an edge of coldness. He clenched his fist lightly, and in that moment Yuon's massive fist burst apart in an explosion of flesh and blood.
The force raced upward, shattering through the length of Yuon's entire arm until nothing remained.
Apacci froze, her bravado cracking.
"This... how is this possible?" she stammered.
"How could Yuon be destroyed by a Shinigami?"
Since learning the fusion technique, they had been undefeated across Hueco Mundo. No opponent had ever forced Yuon down-until now.
And yet this slender boy had crushed their monster's enormous arm with his bare hand as though it were nothing.
What kind of difference in power was this? Yuon had easily overwhelmed vice-captains, and Renji with his Bankai, but Yuta had crushed Yuon itself.
If he used Shikai... if he used Bankai-how terrifying would that power become?
Apacci's heart quivered as her confidence cracked.
Sung-Sun drew in a sharp breath behind her sleeve, unable to disguise her unease at the sight.
Ruthless strength revealed itself in this boy who stood unfazed against what they believed to be invincible.Chapter 177
"You underestimate me!"
The beast-fanged female Arrancar's voice rose in anger, her expression pale with fury.
"It is I who should show my true strength!"
"Now witness the true form of Tora no Kiba Hayate!"
"Tora no Kiba Hayate: Ődachi!"
The Arrancar's body swelled, muscles bulged beneath her skin, bones crackled audibly, and her height increased by several dozen centimeters. Her form shifted until she resembled a humanoid tiger.
Despite the transformation, Suì-Fēng glanced at her opponent only once before stepping behind her instantly. She shook the blood from Suzumebachi with a delicate flick.
Her voice was cold but steady.
"I'm sorry. Although it is called a two-hit kill, for you, it will only feel like one strike."
The Arrancar's eyes widened, her body covered in cold sweat. "But… damn it!..."
Two enormous black-and-white butterfly marks bloomed upon her skin before overlapping in the air like dark, blossoming flowers. In the next moment, her body was annihilated, collapsing into blood and fragments.
Hovering in the air, Suì-Fēng lowered her head slightly. The two ring-bell braids of her hair swayed in the wind, framing her sharp features. Despite her delicate face and slight frame, she had become the embodiment of a cold executioner. Some might have expected her to act playfully behind a captain, but the one she had once admired, Yoruichi-sama, was no longer with her in that way, and her own captain was long gone.
"Too powerful, Captain!" Omaeda Marechiyo gasped in disbelief. "But Captain, has Suzumebachi been trained to the point where even if the two hits do not land on the exact same spot, it still delivers death?"
Suì-Fēng answered evenly. "They did land on the same spot. From the start, the target was not the surface of the body but the internal organs. Both strikes pierced her lungs."
She turned slightly toward him, her gaze sharp. "This is not what matters right now. Marechiyo, do not waste words, unless you want to risk your own life."
Her eyes narrowed on the man seated high on a throne of bleached bone before them.
"The real battle is about to begin."
The former King of Hueco Mundo, Barragan Luisenbarn, rose from the throne with deliberate weight.
--
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Hitsugaya Tōshirō and Tier Harribel clashed.
With Aizen Sōsuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname not yet moving, the Arrancar forces were left to rely on the top three Espada and their Fracción.
On the side of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and Sasakibe Chōjirō remained withdrawn from direct combat.
Kira Izuru, Hisagi Shūhei, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and Madarame Ikkaku guarded the Four Sided Realm Pillars, staying out of the central fight.
Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō were matched against Primera Espada Coyote Starrk and his Fracción, Lilynette Gingerbuck.
Suì-Fēng and Œmaeda Marechiyo had engaged Segunda Espada Barragan Luisenbarn.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō fought Tia Harribel, the Tercer Espada.
Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane moved quietly across the battlefield, treating Shinigami in need of healing.
Komamura Sajin's strikes cut into enemy lines elsewhere, ensuring that comrades like Madarame Ikkaku had not already fallen earlier.
At that moment, Harribel's three Fracción surrounded a petite Shinigami.
Her expression calm, the Shinigami lifted her Zanpakutō.
"Bloom, Tobiume!"
The blade transformed into a trident-like weapon with several branching prongs.
Flames rose as the release spread across the field.
"Lord Aizen, Hinamori Momo is still alive," Ichimaru Gin observed, eyes narrowing with a sly grin.
"It must have been Yuta who healed her," Aizen Sōsuke replied evenly, his face betraying no surprise.
Gin tilted his head slightly. "Yuta-kun's Kaidō capabilities are impressive. To restore such injuries with ease is remarkable."
--
Harribel's Fracción advanced.
Apacci, with short cropped hair and a horn protruding from her headpiece, picked at her ear dismissively and muttered with impatience. "Oi, can I just sit this one out already?"
Sung-Sun, tall and slender with long hair and sleeves concealing her mouth, turned her gaze slightly, voice muffled by the silk at her lips. "What nonsense are you speaking? Don't drag us down."
Her calm façade carried an undercurrent of quiet menace, her true form that of a serpent hidden beneath elegance.
Miloli-Rose, with dark skin and wild curls, bore a resemblance to Harribel in appearance alone. Her rugged movements contradicted the more cultivated air of her companions. "Tch. Forget the talking. I'll crush her myself if I have to."
Apacci lunged forward recklessly, clashing against Hinamori Momo's Tobiume.
But while exchanging blows, Momo quietly set up her prepared Kidō.
Binding them within Fūjin (Bakudō #62), layering it with the flames of Shakkahō (Hadō #31), and masking it with the light of Kōjutsu Eishō, she detonated the trap with precision.
The sky erupted in fire.
The explosion engulfed the three Arrancar in brilliant light and sound before scattering into smoke.
Momo exhaled shakily, wiping the sweat from her brow in visible relief.
From a distance, Abarai Renji watched with surprise. "That's… incredible. Since when did Hinamori get this strong?"
As the smoke dispersed, the three Fracción emerged injured but unbroken.
Apacci glared angrily, shouting over her shoulder. "Sung-Sun! Mila-Rose! Enough wasting time. We still have to return to Lady Harribel!"
"Don't order me, you idiot," Mila-Rose snapped back, flames crackling as her spirit pressure rose.
"You're the one dragging us down," Sung-Sun added in a quiet mutter, her tone cutting despite its softness.
Despite their arguing, the three released their Resurrección simultaneously.
"Devour her, Cierva Verde!" Antlers sprouted from Apacci's skull.
"Tear her apart, Leona!" Mila-Rose's mane of hair thickened into the form of a lion and a massive blade formed in her grip.
"Constriction, Anaconda!" The three-petal mask fragments on Sung-Sun's head extended backwards into a serpent's hood, her legs flowing into the coiled length of a serpent's tail.
"It looks like we'll finish this together," Mila-Rose muttered grimly.
The three extended their left arms. Apacci tore hers away, Mila-Rose severed hers with her massive blade, and Sung-Sun twisted her own free like a coiling serpent.
The detached limbs fused together in the air and began to form into a singular monstrous being.
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