Chapter 115: Not even reaching the level of one hand.
Location of the tenth reitō pillar.
Aizen's haori fluttered as he stood atop the pillar, gazing into the night sky.
If Ichigo saw this, he probably wouldn't be able to resist complaining, "Teacher, you really do love standing in high places, no matter when or where."
"Burying the King of the Dead in a Shinigami's coffin. Truly… a beautiful sight."
"Don't you think so, Zommari?"
"Lord Aizen is absolutely right."
The Seventh Espada, Zommari Rureaux, appeared below the stone pillar. He knelt on one knee, head lowered so deeply it went beyond respect and into reverence.
It was as if the pillar itself was sacred and untouchable.
And the one standing atop it even more so.
"Your various pioneering feats are naturally beautiful and exquisite. Whether it is Baraggan or the enemy's general, all existences and all outcomes become shining stars beneath this night sky because of you!"
"All Arrancar should be like Baraggan, willing to die for you."
"It's only a pity he cannot hear your recognition right now and be moved by it. However, I will certainly convey it faithfully in the future, so he may serve you with even greater passion!"
Aizen fell silent for a moment, as if considering it. Then he murmured, "…Indeed. Perhaps he really will ignite with even greater fighting spirit."
"Then I'll trouble you, Zommari. But before that, I need you to handle another important matter."
"Please give your orders!"
Zommari looked up sharply, eyes burning with intensity.
He knew he had chosen correctly. Rather than chasing the enemy, coming to serve at his sovereign's side was the right choice.
"Use your power to help me retrieve something…"
Aizen's gaze was deep as he quietly explained the details.
The wind carried sand across the desert, masking his voice.
But Zommari heard every word clearly and carved it into his mind.
"Understood!"
The moment he answered, he vanished.
Although he was the Seventh Espada, his Sonído speed surpassed even Baraggan's.
He truly was the perfect candidate for errands.
Meanwhile, at the Gotei 13 central command tent.
"Captain Shimiya! Are you hurt anywhere? I'll treat you right away!"
The instant Takeru returned, Isane hurried over with a medicine chest in her arms and a medical bundle on her back.
"I'm fine."
He declined gently, then turned toward Unohana, who was walking over at an unhurried pace.
She spoke first, offering praise without hesitation.
"Even though I expected you to return safely, winning against such a powerful Arrancar group without a single scratch… it feels like even if the Captain Commander took the field himself, it wouldn't be much more than this."
"Captain Unohana, you flatter me."
Takeru looked a little helpless.
"I've improved a lot in the hyperbolic time chamber, but there's still a gap between me and the Captain Commander. Honestly, even asking him to fight me with one hand would be pushing it."
"Don't be misled by the lack of injuries. I consumed a full fifth of my spiritual pressure and had to use a powerful technique comparable to Bankai. I only won by playing it steady."
"If it were the Captain Commander, he might've turned those Arrancar to ash with a single strike. So, I'm still too weak."
"Indeed," Unohana said calmly. "However, at your rate of growth, it's only a matter of time before you can stand as his equal."
"That is the truth."
They spoke as if it were ordinary conversation.
Isane listened beside them, completely dazed.
Without using his Zanpakuto's abilities, relying only on other techniques, spending a fifth of his spiritual pressure, and still annihilating a vanguard led by Upper class Hollow level Arrancar… was that not something to be proud of?
She had seen it with her own eyes.
Even from far away, that pitch black coffin piercing into the clouds was impossible to miss.
The terrifying spiritual pressure fluctuations felt as if they had already surpassed the bounds of captain level.
And yet he still called himself "too weak."
For a moment, Isane, a lieutenant who might not even beat an Arrancar's Fracción, felt like she was no different from an ordinary Shinigami.
When did the world become like this?
"Report!"
A Kidō Corps member suddenly rushed over.
"Someone is requesting backup!"
Takeru, Unohana, and Isane all sobered instantly. Their expressions turned serious, leaving no room for stray thoughts.
A defensive battle with their backs to the pillars came with many advantages, but there were never guarantees. A request for backup was reasonable, but normally they should not be pressured into it.
Because Takeru had already instructed them: if they truly could not hold, retreat. Lives came first.
If the pillar was abandoned and lives were preserved, there was no need to send reinforcements.
So if someone was still calling for backup now, it could only mean one thing.
Even abandoning the pillar would not save them.
That was exactly why Takeru had arranged for medical talent like Unohana and Isane to serve as mobile reinforcements.
Every squad knew this.
And yet, a request had arrived.
Without a doubt, someone had already died, or someone was about to.
"Which squad?" Takeru asked, frowning.
"Squad One!"
"…!"
Takeru and Unohana fell silent.
Isane gasped and covered her mouth.
"Captain Soi Fon and Lieutenant Omaeda?!"
Unohana did not hesitate.
"Captain Unohana."
"I understand. Isane, we're going."
"Yes!"
As Unohana led Isane toward the formation's location, Takeru finally felt a little relief. He turned to the Kidō Corps.
"Continue monitoring every squad closely. Increase detection across the area. Don't miss any abnormal reishi signatures."
"I have a feeling the enemy is being a little too overconfident."
"Yes!"
…A few minutes earlier.
While Takeru and Baraggan clashed, the other battlefields were equally brutal.
For example, Squad One, the first to contact the enemy.
"Huff…!"
Soi Fon's bangs were soaked with sweat. Her frost cold face showed unmistakable exhaustion, and her gaze was as heavy as her breathing.
In contrast, Nelliel, not far away, looked perfectly composed. Her breathing was steady, as if nothing had happened.
But her appearance was no longer the same as at the start.
Her body had transformed into a centaur like form. Her lower half became the body of a mountain goat, four hooves planted on the ground.
The two horns on her skull mask had lengthened into segmented horns that curved backward.
White armor covered her collarbones, shoulders, elbows, and hands. Black long sleeved gloves wrapped her arms.
In her hands was a double headed lance. The thick conical spearhead looked brutally solid, giving the impression it could never be broken.
A dense spiritual pressure, invisible yet undeniable, distorted the entire atmosphere.
As far as the eye could see, not a single grain of dust touched the ground. Everything hovered and churned, trapped in agitation by the pull of her pressure.
Nelliel simply stood there, poised.
And that poise made Soi Fon feel that Nelliel could swing that lance at any moment, pierce the earth, tear through the sky, and shake space itself.
In fact, Nelliel had done it more than once.
After Resurrección, her power had surged to a terrifying level, pressing down on Soi Fon like a mountain.
Yet despite holding the absolute advantage, Nelliel did not immediately press the attack. Instead, she paused and looked toward a distant direction, surprise flickering across her eyes.
"Mr. Baraggan's spiritual pressure… has disappeared."
"Could it be he's been killed?"
Then she looked back at Soi Fon.
"Miss Soi Fon, your companion is truly impressive. To kill Mr. Baraggan before I could defeat you."
"…"
Soi Fon drew a deep breath, forcing her breathing to steady.
"I don't know who this Baraggan is," she said coldly. "I only know the one fighting him has defeated Arrancar more than once."
"Even if you go, you won't escape death."
"That's not surprising."
Nelliel did not take offense. She even nodded, agreeing.
"After all, I am only Number Five. Mr. Baraggan was Number Two, and his abilities were extremely terrifying. Anyone who can deal with him must be stronger than I am."
"But even so, Mr. Baraggan took fairly good care of me. He even tried to teach me chess. He gave up quickly, but I was still grateful."
"I can't watch him be killed and remain indifferent."
Her grip on the lance tightened slightly.
"So, Miss Soi Fon, be prepared. From now on, I won't be able to hold back and simply go through the motions."
"Stop trying to sound mysterious," Soi Fon sneered.
"I'll admit it. My Shikai, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kidō… none of it can do anything to you."
"But don't you dare think you can suppress me with some halfhearted attitude. From what I've seen, you've used at least eighty percent of your strength."
That blunt certainty made Nelliel's eyes widen slightly, as if confirming something.
"Miss Soi Fon, you really are reckless. You're putting yourself in danger just to test my limits, little by little."
"And you just used the paralyzing effect of hornet venom on me, combined with that so called 'Two Hit Kill' ability."
Nelliel's gaze sharpened.
"That means you're hiding a trump card that can kill me in one strike, aren't you?"
"You're waiting for me to use more power before you look for an opening. No, it doesn't have to be all of it. Eighty percent is enough, right?"
Then Nelliel calmly added.
"But so far, I've only used basic combat techniques."
"Forget eighty percent."
"I haven't even used fifty."
Soi Fon's pupils contracted.
"Less than fifty… how is that possible?!"
"Don't believe me?" Nelliel said lightly. "Then I'll shatter your doubts with this."
She pricked her left wrist with the lance tip.
Blood beaded. She swung her arm, and droplets flew.
She drew the blood in, then opened her mouth.
A brilliant flash erupted, more terrifying than any roar.
Purple lightning twisted and spiraled as it tore through the atmosphere and space.
Gran Rey Cero.
Blood as a catalyst.
A power only the Espada could wield.
Those discarded former Espada with three digit numbers did not possess anything like it.
"?!"
The moment Soi Fon felt that Cero, she kicked off the ground and shot into the sky.
Nelliel tilted her chin, the dragon breath like flash sweeping after her.
Boom!
The instant it hit, the explosion was beyond imagination.
Nelliel closed her mouth and stared at the dust flooding the sky.
If Gran Rey Cero struck the ground, such destruction would be expected.
But in midair, and against a small spiritual body, it should have erased it gradually, like washing away dirt.
This result looked more like two equal forces colliding.
And that was exactly what happened.
The dust dispersed in the next second.
Soi Fon hovered there, her appearance changed.
Her captain's haori was gone. She wore only a black long sleeved turtleneck and hakama.
It resembled a Shinigami uniform, or a Punishment Force uniform.
This was a modified outfit from the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, designed to prevent clothing from being destroyed by techniques like Shunkō.
Not only that.
Once Shunkō was activated, the Kidō based spiritual pressure wrapping her body would, like a normal Shinigami uniform, reinforce its defense as spiritual pressure infused it.
It had been rushed to completion in less than a month before the expedition.
But Soi Fon was satisfied.
Losing face once in front of Takeru was enough. She was never letting it happen again.
The clothing, however, was secondary.
The most eye catching thing was the completed Mugen Shunkō.
Hurricane like spiritual pressure churned around her hands.
A single punch carried the force of a natural disaster.
Neutralizing Gran Rey Cero with that was not difficult.
Nelliel recognized the weight of it immediately.
"Just as I thought. You've hidden a truly formidable move."
"But it doesn't seem to be a Shinigami Bankai."
"That means you still have trump cards left. Why not show me everything?"
"Using this Mugen Shunkō is enough to deal with you!"
Soi Fon vanished, appearing above and behind Nelliel. She drove a punch toward the back of Nelliel's head.
Nelliel reacted with terrifying speed, swinging her double headed lance up to block.
Boom!
Their spiritual pressure detonated.
The sand and stone below collapsed, forming a basin hundreds of meters wide.
Behind Nelliel, a wall of dust rose like a tsunami.
Two visible auras crashed against each other, neither yielding.
Then Nelliel's free hand fired a Bala.
Twenty times faster than a Cero.
Soi Fon snapped her head aside, barely dodging a strike that should have been impossible to evade.
She immediately followed with a barrage of alternating punches.
Nelliel leapt backward and, in the same motion, hurled her double headed lance.
It was a move she had not used before.
And a move that defied common sense.
"What?!"
Soi Fon had not expected Nelliel to release her weapon so casually.
Her surprise lasted only an instant.
She crossed her arms and erupted her spiritual pressure to the limit, blasting a roaring hurricane, trying to crush the incoming lance.
But she was the one crushed.
Nelliel's throw looked simple.
In truth, it was her strongest trump card.
That lance pierced straight through the storm Soi Fon gathered, forcing its way toward her palm.
Soi Fon made a split second decision and kicked upward.
Her instep struck hard just beneath the spearhead, finally knocking it off course.
Even so, the impact drove her backward. Between the hurricane's recoil and the lance's force, she was blasted away.
She crashed into distant ruins, several hundred meters away, looking frankly miserable.
"…!"
She did not even have time to catch her breath before danger surged again.
Looking up, she saw Nelliel catch the lance and settle into another throwing stance.
A killing intent sharp enough to cut skin pressed down on her.
She was locked on.
The lance did not have a special ability to hit without fail.
But Nelliel's throwing technique had reached that level.
To an enemy, it was no different from being in a master marksman's sights.
"Sss…"
Pain flared from Soi Fon's instep.
She sat against broken stone, teeth clenched, and whispered the release.
"Bankai…!"
The gold and black gauntlet on her wrist reshaped into a heavy missile launcher.
A flicker of astonishment appeared in Nelliel's eyes.
"So this is Miss Soi Fon's Bankai. Such a strange design, but the danger feels real."
"Then let's have a contest."
"Lanzador de Luz!"
The Antelope Knight finally brought out her full strength.
This time, the power behind the javelin was several times greater, and it spun at high speed.
That thick conical spearhead was made for this.
Once it rotated, even the toughest defense would be twisted apart and drilled through.
"Go. Jakuhō Raikōben!"
Soi Fon fired.
One cold, one hot, two long weapons collided.
Boom!
The shockwave was earth shattering.
The terrain warped and broke. Explosive flames, thick smoke, and violent air currents formed a highly destructive blast that spread in all directions.
"Ugh…!"
Soi Fon rolled behind a broken wall and layered multiple Bakudō barriers.
She held for only three to five seconds before everything shattered and her small body was blown away.
Fortunately, with Kidō based spiritual pressure still protecting her, she stabilized after tumbling.
Her Bankai deactivated, reverting to a short blade in an asauchi like form.
Then a figure appeared behind her with almost no warning.
Nelliel.
She had exited Resurrección and swung her long sword.
Slash!
Soi Fon sensed it, but exhaustion made her body heavy. She could not fully dodge, only reduce the depth.
Even so, a ten centimeter gash tore across her, grotesque and vivid.
"I didn't expect Miss Soi Fon's Bankai to be as terrifying as I thought," Nelliel said evenly.
"It destroyed my Lanzador de Luz and forced me out of Resurrección."
"But I achieved my goal."
"After all your powerful moves and the pressure I applied earlier, you no longer have the strength to fight back."
Nelliel caught Soi Fon's roundhouse kick, seized her ankle, and flung her away. Before Soi Fon could land, Nelliel fired a Cero.
"Damn it…!"
Nelliel's style was too direct, too overpowering.
With the gap in overall strength, it felt like Soi Fon was being countered in every category.
She barely dispersed the Cero with a hurricane, but the blast obscured her vision and she lost Nelliel's position.
Since she was already being driven back uncontrollably, it was easy to predict the follow up.
Thump.
With that strange sound, Nelliel appeared behind her again and swung without hesitation.
This time she aimed for the back of the neck.
If it connected, Soi Fon's head would fall.
At the critical moment, the hurricanes around Soi Fon's wrists vanished.
She backflipped to evade, landed on Nelliel's forearm, and drove her reverse held short blade toward Nelliel's eye socket like a venomous fang.
Nelliel's heart tightened. She tilted her head to dodge.
But the blade still scraped her tattooed face, throwing sparks.
"Although my aspect is Despair, that doesn't mean I'm weak in defense," Nelliel thought.
"Not as good as Nnoitra's, but Hierro like this is enough to withstand her current attack."
Even so, sparks flew near her eye, and she blinked despite herself.
And in that instant, Soi Fon landed.
She twisted her waist before her back hit the ground and slammed her left palm straight into Nelliel's chest.
"?!"
Nelliel immediately noticed the ball of wind cradled in Soi Fon's palm.
It was a condensed version of the hurricanes that had wrapped her earlier.
Another fatal blow.
But Soi Fon chose the heart.
When the white Las Noches uniform tore open, exposing the hollow hole where Nelliel's heart should be, Soi Fon's expression froze.
The ball of wind plunged into the empty hole.
A trace of pity flashed through Nelliel's eyes.
"As expected. Someone like you, who disregards the lives of subordinates, will be abandoned by the battlefield sooner or later."
In the slowed world of that instant, Soi Fon saw the pity and seemed to understand the thought behind it.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a cold, elegant smile.
"?"
Nelliel frowned, confused.
Then the power erupting from her chest, from inside the hollow hole, made her understand.
The ball of wind did not pass through.
It detonated inside her.
A hurricane burst outward, swallowing Nelliel's body and forming a massive tornado.
Soi Fon was flung away like debris. She rolled across the sand, then looked up, eyes locked on the sight.
Nelliel was dragged into the air, pulled and shredded for a full ten seconds.
Then she fell like a ragdoll, covered in countless small wounds.
It looked excessive, but the true damage was internal.
Spiritual pressure forced in through the hollow hole churned her organs, muscles, and bones, everything inside her, like a blender and a cutter at once.
For most Espada, even with Super Regeneration, this kind of damage would only allow them to linger a little longer.
"Whew…"
Soi Fon pushed herself up, gripping her sword, limping toward Nelliel.
"Are you here to finish me? Then hurry up… before I turn to ashes."
"I would usually do that," Soi Fon replied. "But this time is different."
"Instead of a finishing blow, I want to say a few words."
"?"
"That move just now is called Mugen Shunkō."
"As you saw, it condenses high density spiritual pressure hurricanes into a small ball of wind, then drives it into the enemy's body to destroy them completely."
"It's… impressive," Nelliel said quietly.
"That's not the point."
Soi Fon shook her head, voice cold.
"You said your sword carries bonds, and that I couldn't endure that weight."
"But what I'm telling you is this."
"The things carried by this technique are far heavier than whatever you're carrying."
"It's the kind of weight you absolutely cannot bear."
"That's why you're the one who will lose to me."
"I'm not as great as you think, and I don't want to lead anyone through despair."
"But I don't mind sacrificing myself for someone."
"When I decide to do that, it's enough to crush that helpless despair."
"Mere convictions, mere bonds… in the face of obsession like this, they'll be pierced full of holes."
"Just like you are now."
Nelliel stared blankly for a moment.
"…I didn't expect Miss Soi Fon to be so gentle."
"That has nothing to do with you."
"Ahaha…"
Soi Fon's chill made Nelliel laugh bitterly.
"It seems I won't dispel your ill will anytime soon."
"Then… we'll talk next time."
She exhaled a long sigh, and her body slowly dissolved into reishi and scattered.
"Next time?" Soi Fon muttered, confusion flickering. "You weren't killed by a Zanpakutō, but by my Shunkō."
"You'll either return to the world, or go to Hell."
"Can someone like you… even go to Hell?"
Her thoughts tangled on Nelliel's final words.
In the end, she shook her head, swallowed a pill prepared by the Fourth Division, and rushed back toward the reitō pillar.
From a distance, she saw Omaeda facing two Arrancar.
Nelliel's spiritual pressure had vanished. That should have shaken her subordinates.
Now was the perfect chance to bring them down.
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Suddenly, a tyrannical spiritual pressure rolled in, accompanied by a malicious voice.
"Ah, ah. I can't believe that bastard woman Nelliel was killed just like that, and by another woman who's clearly weaker than her."
"This is why females shouldn't be on the battlefield. They can lose even a guaranteed victory."
"Does someone like that deserve to step on my head?"
Soi Fon's expression tightened. She turned sharply.
Before she could even see the speaker, a bright flash of blade light filled her vision.
Boom!
"Captain?!"
Omaeda stared in horror as his captain was launched away, slammed into the stone pillar, and slid down.
Her right arm, the one holding her blade, hung limply. It was obviously dislocated.
Not far away stood the Arrancar responsible, carrying a giant scythe.
"Who… is that?!" Omaeda shouted.
"Nnoitra Gilga," Pesche said in a low voice. "Seventh among the Espada. Lady Nelliel's sworn enemy."
"He was thoroughly beaten just yesterday. I didn't think he'd survive the gag order, and recover to peak condition so quickly."
"He's a monster."
"Eh, eh, eh?! Another Espada? Why are they all coming our way?" Omaeda's body trembled, whether from fear or rage.
"Captain just fought one Espada, and now another? A gauntlet match like this is just bullying!"
Pesche grimaced.
"Anyway, it has nothing to do with us anymore. Lady Nelliel is dead, so Dondochakka and I should retreat. If we die too, that would be a problem."
"Dondochakka, let's go!"
"Oh!"
Nelliel's Fracción bolted, not giving Omaeda any chance to beg them for help.
"Damn it… I have to call for backup!"
Cold sweat poured down Omaeda's face. Behind his back, he pressed the send button on his denreishinki.
Soi Fon stood, leaning against the pillar. She grabbed her arm, yanked hard, and reset the dislocation with a sharp pull.
Then she glared at Nnoitra.
Nnoitra sensed her refusal to break.
"…Unlike the rational Nelliel, you're the opposite. A paranoid fanatic," he said with a crooked grin.
"Ha. I don't hate people who get so drunk on their own righteousness that they can't climb out, so…"
"So you're not going to kill us?" Omaeda blurted, eyes lighting up.
Nnoitra's grin widened into something feral.
"So I'll slaughter you quickly and cleanly. As thanks for killing Nelliel, and for letting me vent my frustration."
"What kind of thanks is that?!"
Omaeda immediately looked to Soi Fon.
"C Captain, what do we do now?! Run?!"
"Are you joking?" Soi Fon snapped. "You've been fighting for a long time and you've burned your stamina. And I'm in worse shape than you."
"Even if you carried me, where would we run?"
"I already requested backup!" Omaeda said desperately.
"What?! You called for help without my permission…"
Soi Fon clicked her tongue.
"Fine. We're past that now."
"Focus on stalling. You go first."
"Captain, what are you saying?! I'll be chopped into eight pieces!"
"Useless. If you won't go, I'll do it myself."
She shot Omaeda a cutting glare.
"But Captain, in your current state…!"
"Are you two discussing tactics?" Nnoitra laughed, lowering his scythe.
"It looks like you don't plan on being sensible and dying quietly."
"So I won't be polite."
He vanished.
"Omaeda, move!"
Soi Fon kicked Omaeda away and raised her sword, instincts screaming.
As she predicted, the attack came from the front.
But the force was overwhelming.
The scythe pressed down onto her blade, pinning her entire body against the stone pillar.
Crack.
Her short sword began to fracture.
Soi Fon's arms shook. Even with everything she had, she could only barely stop the blade from creeping closer, little by little.
"Is he planning to cut through the blade, me, and the pillar in one strike…?" she thought grimly.
"He's only Seventh. How is he this strong too…!"
"Oooooh! Get the hell off her!"
Omaeda swung his iron flail at Nnoitra.
Nnoitra didn't even flinch. He laughed arrogantly.
"Hahaha. A Shinigami lieutenant is only at this level."
"I'm honestly too lazy to kill trash like you. Killing any number of weaklings won't prove I'm the strongest."
"That is indeed true."
A calm female voice cut in.
"?!"
All three froze.
Nnoitra's smile thinned as he glanced sideways.
One woman stepped out from behind the pillar.
No, two.
"Who are you…?" Nnoitra asked, eyes narrowing.
"Captain of the Fourth Division, Retsu Unohana."
Unohana answered evenly, having been delivered by forbidden Kidō.
"Captain Unohana?!"
Omaeda's face crumpled.
He was almost moved to tears.
No, he was already crying.
Soi Fon, on the other hand, looked unwilling, but relief still slipped through.
She didn't want to spend a precious backup request, but she'd take any help.
She didn't care if she died. What she feared was the enemy destroying the pillar and delaying the entire plan.
"Fourth Division?" Nnoitra mused, gaze sweeping over them. "The medical ones, huh."
"Then what did you just say?"
"I said it's true," Unohana replied. "Killing any number of weaklings won't make you stronger, and it won't make you the strongest. Is there a problem?"
"…No problem," Nnoitra said slowly, malice thickening. "Not a single problem."
"But unlike that fat pig, you two are females."
"What do you mean?" Unohana asked, still calm.
Beside her, Isane felt a chill rise up her spine for no clear reason.
"It means you have no right to step onto the battlefield," Nnoitra snarled, "and even less right to get in my way."
"If you insist on doing so, then whether you've lost the ability to fight, or you're a medic, I'll slaughter you without mercy!"
As he spoke, he pushed harder.
The cracks on Soi Fon's blade spread.
Once it shattered, she would be cut apart, and the stone pillar with her.
Unohana slowly drew the sword from behind her waist.
"I apologize," she said softly. "Even though I'm a noncombatant, I can't stand by and watch my comrade be killed."
"Oh?" Nnoitra's grin returned. "So you want to fight me?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Unohana's eyes lowered, voice still gentle.
"Just as you said."
"I will slaughter you without mercy."
Psh!
The instant the words fell, Unohana moved.
No one saw how she crossed the distance.
But what happened next was unmistakable.
Her blade descended like a bright moon.
Under Nnoitra's widening eyes, the untraceable arc cut from his forehead down through chest and abdomen, slicing straight through his armor hard skin.
A thin line appeared.
Then blood erupted.
Droplets splashed onto Unohana's face.
"You… Pray, Santa Teresa…!"
Nnoitra yanked his scythe back and swept it to force her away, trying to start his Resurrección immediately.
But before he could finish the release, Unohana was already there again.
Her sword slipped past his guard like a swimming fish and pierced his throat, skewering it.
At the same time, she stepped forward and drifted past him, feather light, pulling the long blade with her.
To Soi Fon, Omaeda, and Isane, that swordsmanship was impossibly fast.
It was like a soft arc of cold light circling Nnoitra's neck.
"Bastard…" Nnoitra rasped.
His body froze, as if his brain's commands could no longer reach his limbs.
His expression twisted into something monstrous.
"Killing any number of weaklings won't make you stronger," Unohana said quietly.
"But setting slaughter aside, and learning from others, can make up for countless shortcomings."
"This strike of mine was learned from someone else."
"Unfortunately…"
Her voice never rose.
"I can't even reach the level of one of his hands."
She lowered her gaze and calmly sheathed her sword behind her.
Click.
The moment the blade settled into its scabbard, Nnoitra's head slid free.
Blood blasted upward like a fountain.
A rain of blood poured down over the battlefield.
.....
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