Zommari's head twisted ninety degrees in a bizarre motion, and the zanpakutō floating before him began folding, transforming into a shape resembling a windmill.
A cloud of dust enveloped his body as purple reiatsu coiled around him.
When the gray matter faded, Zommari's Resurrección form was revealed before Senna.
Black markings covered his face and chin, his lower body had turned into a pink pumpkin-shaped sphere floating above the ground, and dozens upon dozens of eyes had sprouted all over him – at least fifty in total. He pressed his hands together in a solemn pose.
Honestly, his grotesque appearance completely broke Bleach's unspoken rule that the stronger someone was, the cooler they looked. Senna felt her trypophobia flare up just looking at him.
Zommari extended his right hand toward Senna. In its palm, an eye opened, glowing with a purple light.
Senna felt a chill run down her spine and flash-stepped away to avoid his gaze, but she was a moment too late.
A black sun-shaped mark appeared on her left leg.
Zommari smiled. "This is my ability… my love."
Hearing him talk about 'love' made Senna's skin crawl.
But this sun mark was no ordinary marking.
"Anything that receives my love – living or dead – becomes my possession. It will obey me absolutely!"
"All beings are fools. Fools can never make correct judgments or take correct actions. That is why they need a ruler like me, full of love, to guide them."
He looked like a mad cultist preaching his twisted gospel, making Senna feel even more disgusted.
But as creepy as his explanation was, his ability itself was even more terrifying.
He waved his hand lightly, and Senna's marked left leg began moving toward him against her will.
"Not good!" Senna quickly chanted, "Bakudō #4, Hainawa!"
A golden rope bound her own leg, halting its movement.
The control vanished, but her left leg was now immobilized.
Zommari clicked his tongue but wasted no time. He aimed his gaze past Senna – straight at Rukia.
Clearly, he didn't view this as an honorable one-on-one duel.
Senna's eyes widened in horror as she flash-stepped to shield Rukia, but in doing so, her left arm was marked as well.
"Rukia, stay back!" she ordered without turning.
Rukia understood instantly. If she joined the fight, she would only get in Senna's way, so she flash-stepped out of Zommari's line of sight.
Zommari sighed in mild disappointment but quickly smiled again. After all, he had marked Senna's left arm in addition to her leg.
Senna quickly used Bakudō to seal her arm's movement too.
"Oh? Now that you've lost an arm and a leg, how do you intend to fight me? Just with that zanpakutō in your hand?" Zommari sneered.
He clearly believed victory was his.
But Senna gripped her blade tightly and began chanting softly.
"Fall upon the night… Mirokumaru."
A golden monk's staff appeared in her hand as her powerful reiatsu surged forth.
"Releasing your zanpakutō? Do you really think Shikai alone can defeat me?" Zommari scoffed.
Senna glanced at him calmly and swung her staff.
"Let's see."
She stabbed Mirokumaru into the ground, and a powerful gust erupted, trapping Zommari in midair.
Countless winds coiled around him like invisible chains, binding his body tightly.
"I was just testing your ability earlier," Senna said coolly. "It seems each of your eyes can only control one target at a time."
Zommari's expression darkened.
"In that case… why don't you try controlling my wind?"
Senna smirked, her smile sending chills down Zommari's spine.
"Wind is formless, yet it has form. It is the natural enemy of your so-called love."
She pulled Mirokumaru from the ground and pointed it at him.
"Your power is impressive for the Séptima Espada. But unfortunately, it's completely countered by me."
"Shatter everything… Geki."
A massive golden lightning bolt crashed down from the heavens, piercing through Aaroniero's palace and striking Zommari directly.
"BOOM!"
The entire palace was reduced to rubble by the explosion, leaving nothing but debris behind.
This was Senna's strongest Shikai attack, developed from Mirokumaru. Its destructive force was on par with the strongest lightning-based zanpakutō.
However, it required a long charge time. That was why she had kept chatting with Zommari – to stall him.
All her other Shikai techniques were designed solely to buy time for this finishing move. Her single binding spell ensured it would hit perfectly.
Even so, Zommari, being an Espada, possessed immense vitality. Just before the lightning struck, he exploded his reiatsu to escape his bonds, diving into his lower body to avoid instant death.
He survived, but all the eyes covering his body had been burned away, and he emerged covered in blood, staring at Senna in disbelief.
"How… how can a mere Shinigami possess such overwhelming power?! Even without Bankai, you can summon natural phenomena!"
Senna, however, had lost interest in playing around. She needed to finish this quickly and go find Ichigo.
But Zommari wasn't done yet. He revealed his final trump card – the ten eyes on his forehead.
They opened, each glowing menacingly.
Senna showed no intent to dodge. Instead, she smiled faintly.
"Devour it all… Mirokumaru."
Invisible winds wrapped around her body. Zommari's sun marks covered her completely, but he felt no control over her movements at all.
She even released the Bakudō binding her left arm and leg, moving freely.
"Don't tell me… don't tell me you actually believe your love was controlling my body all this time?" she said with a mischievous smile.
"Open your eyes, Zommari. All you ever marked… was my wind armor."
Those words shattered him completely. Enraged, he began marking her repeatedly in a desperate frenzy.
But it was futile.
Senna flash-stepped behind him, holding Mirokumaru in reverse grip, its bladed end resting against his neck.
Zommari snapped.
He shoved her blade aside and roared:
"What right do you Shinigami have to slaughter us Hollows?! Who gave you the authority to decide our lives and deaths?!"
"We eat humans, yes! But who granted you the right to protect them?!"
"Who gave you the right to judge us as evil and cut us down at will?!"
"It's your arrogance… your self-righteous foolishness…!"
Senna stared at him expressionlessly, utterly bored by his rant. With a swift step forward, she plunged Mirokumaru into his chest.
"Such a noisy bastard. When did I ever say I was killing you as a Shinigami? You're simply in the way of me saving someone."
Her words left Zommari speechless. As life faded from him, he could only cry out one last time:
"Aizen-sama… Aizen-sama… banzai…!!!"
His body dissolved into purple reishi smoke and disappeared completely.
Senna clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"What was that guy even here for… comic relief?"
Rukia flash-stepped to her side, and the two girls exchanged a silent nod.
"Let's go."
But before they could move, reinforcements from the Soul Society arrived.
"Rukia!"
That familiar voice made Rukia turn around in joy.
"Niisama!"
Byakuya had arrived, having explained the situation to both Kenpachi and Ichigo on the way. Upon hearing his words, both Rukia and Senna smiled confidently.
With Byakuya came the Fourth Division's lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu, ready to heal any wounded. Yet to her shock, both girls had defeated their Espada opponents unscathed.
Meanwhile, back in Las Noches.
Aizen paid no mind to the fading reiatsu of his fallen Espada. His thoughts drifted back to his days in the Gotei 13, when he was still the Fifth Division's lieutenant under Hirako Shinji.
Back then, he had carried out his Hollowfication experiments right under Shinji's nose, created the Hōgyoku, and recruited Tōsen Kaname as well as that genius youth, Gin Ichimaru.
Urahara Kisuke had been forced to flee to the human world with Shinji and the others because of it.
Aizen shook his head slightly. Perhaps he was getting old, to be reminiscing like this.
But these memories were nothing compared to the importance of completing the Hōgyoku's awakening. And now, with the Gotei 13 and Ichigo's group entering Hueco Mundo, he could weaken both the Soul Society and the human world, creating the King's Key with ease.
Sensing four captain-level reiatsu signatures entering Hueco Mundo, Aizen calmly ordered Tōsen to open a garganta to the human world.
At the same time, he dispatched another Espada to retrieve Orihime and bring her deeper into Las Noches, slowing Ichigo down further.
After all… Ichigo's strike against him back in Soul Society had left a deep impression.
Right now, Ichigo himself was facing an even greater crisis.
"Ara ara, Ichigo~ You seem to be enjoying yourself in Hueco Mundo."
Hearing that voice, Ichigo's head turned stiffly like a machine.
(End of Chapter)
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