Of course, the moment the raging flood rushed toward him, Hitsugaya Tōshirō had already raised an ice wall to block Harribel's incoming deluge.
If he hadn't, he would've become just another drowned soul in this fake Karakura Town!
As the water receded, Hitsugaya sliced open the wall of ice with a swing of Hyōrinmaru.
The giant wings on his back beat fiercely, launching a barrage of ice shards toward Harribel!
But—just like before—these ice shards were no match for Harribel's Burning Current.
Under that heat, the blades simply melted or were absorbed into her attacks.
But this time was different.
Hitsugaya took advantage of her absorbing the water to Shunpo behind her!
As Harribel gathered the surrounding water to herself, Hitsugaya suddenly re-froze the water!
Hyōrinmaru's overwhelming ice power transformed the fluid into countless blades of ice—encircling Harribel completely!
With a shout, Hitsugaya slashed downward with Hyōrinmaru—
A crescent-shaped ice wave sealed Harribel within an icy prison!
But Hitsugaya knew well enough—this level of sealing wouldn't be enough to hold the Tercera Espada for long.
Sure enough, Harribel smiled from within the crystal wall. With a single thrust of her massive blade, she shattered the prison and burst free!
Immediately, the shark-toothed vents on her weapon unleashed a barrage of high-pressure water blasts—"Cero Tiburón!"
Each of these water cannons was strong enough to obliterate a skyscraper!
And what made them even more dangerous—they could be fired limitlessly!
Hitsugaya had no choice but to dodge, using his agility and speed to escape the onslaught.
But the buildings of fake Karakura Town weren't so lucky.
Each blast leveled another structure!
Still, Harribel wasn't aiming to hit him—
She was flooding the battlefield.
Preparing for a finishing blow.
Eventually, she fired a massive golden Cero from her sword—shattering the icy wings on Hitsugaya's back.
Forced to land atop a building, Hitsugaya panted for breath.
He understood—these attacks weren't meant to kill.
They were meant to set the stage for something bigger.
Standing on the rooftop, Hitsugaya weighed his options.
He needed one move—just one—to take her out.
But time wasn't on his side.
Once the city filled completely with her water, his odds of victory dropped to zero.
This was the reality of battle between a Captain and an Espada.
The power to change the battlefield itself—
Not something a Vice-Captain could even dream of matching.
Hitsugaya prepared to unleash his final technique—
But then he saw them.
Below, the wounded Vice-Captains were still receiving treatment on the ground.
Komamura Sajin was standing guard over them...
Hitsugaya clenched his jaw.
If he unleashed his strongest technique here—even Komamura couldn't shield the others from the fallout.
But he had no other choice.
Raising Hyōrinmaru, he pointed it at Harribel.
She wasn't blind—she could see the conflict in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Shinigami? You look like someone who's just given up something important. What have you abandoned?" she asked softly.
Hitsugaya didn't answer.
Instead, he froze the moisture around Harribel—forming countless icy pillars!
"Millennium Ice Prison!"
He had used this once before—against Ichigo, during Hyōrinmaru's betrayal.
Back then, Ichigo had shattered it with a Getsuga Tenshō.
But in truth, this was one of Hyōrinmaru's deadliest techniques.
It had once been enough to defeat the former Sixth Espada, Luppi.
Had Aizen not intervened, Luppi would have been obliterated.
Harribel sensed the danger of the swirling ice around her.
But just before she was fully encased—she unleashed Burning Current once more!
The Millennium Ice Prison had one fatal flaw—
Its casting time was far too long!
Under the high heat of her steam pressure, the pillars melted instantly.
Worse still, using the accumulated water and her surging golden Reiatsu—
Harribel unleashed her strongest technique yet—a massive waterfall blast!
Hitsugaya's heart sank.
If he dodged—then Komamura and the Vice-Captains would be the ones hit.
But if he took the hit—he'd be nearly drained of all his Reiatsu.
Still, there was no hesitation in his heart.
"Ryūsenka!"
Hitsugaya roared and poured half of his remaining spiritual pressure into a single move.
A giant shield of frost shot into the sky—
And froze the waterfall in midair!
But the cost was great—
His wings shattered, and he plummeted from the sky!
Hitsugaya crashed down—but he didn't give up.
He created a slab of ice beneath him to cushion the fall, then stood up—
Reforming his wings using the moisture in the air!
The other Vice-Captains were safe.
And Harribel had been drawn to a new area of the city.
"Ten-Sōzōrin!"
Hitsugaya raised his blade again.
Dark rain clouds formed above Harribel.
Looking up at the sky, a sense of dread welled up inside her.
Hitsugaya flew high into the air, facing her.
"I really didn't want to use this move... My Bankai isn't complete yet. I can't fully control it. But the ice flowers on my back are fading—so I have no choice."
Harribel thought he meant that once the flowers vanished, his Bankai would end.
But the truth was the opposite.
Once those ice flowers disappeared—Hitsugaya would enter his true Bankai.
Still incomplete, but far more dangerous.
It was said Hyōrinmaru rivaled Ryūjin Jakka for a reason.
His true Bankai would freeze everything within a certain radius—
Living or dead.
Friend or foe.
Anything that existed... would be frozen.
And like Ryūjin Jakka, which burned all indiscriminately, Hyōrinmaru's true form froze all indiscriminately.
That's what it meant to be one of the strongest Zanpakutō in existence.
Harribel looked at Hitsugaya again—her view of him completely changed.
"You may look young... but as a Captain, your strength is undeniable."
She no longer underestimated him.
But it was too late.
Hitsugaya's Reiatsu exploded—tearing through the rain clouds!
Snow began to fall.
Not just ordinary snow—
Snowflakes filled with destructive freezing power!
Harribel's Cascada and Burning Current were useless now.
Wherever the snow touched, it froze solid.
This was part of Hyōrinmaru's true power—
The ability to freeze all creation.
The snow couldn't be stopped.
Harribel slashed at it with her massive sword—
But every time she did, an unbreakable ice flower bloomed on her weapon... or her body.
Once a hundred flowers bloomed—
It was the end.
She couldn't stop it.
The flowers connected heaven and earth, forming a crystal tomb around her.
Harribel, the mighty Vasto Lorde Espada—
Was frozen in place and defeated.
Meanwhile, in another part of the battlefield, Suì-Fēng and Ōmaeda weren't so lucky.
Facing off against Baraggan, the King of Hueco Mundo, they were being pushed to the brink.
He swung his massive axe casually—
Every strike severed entire buildings.
Ōmaeda was drenched in cold sweat.
He knew full well—if even one of those blows landed, he'd be dead.
But that wasn't even Baraggan's true power.
His real ability was Aging—the manipulation of time itself.
Everyone knows how terrifying time-based abilities can be.
He couldn't reverse time, but he could accelerate it around his own body—slowing the movements of others.
Even Suì-Fēng, a master of close combat, found herself completely outmatched.
Ōmaeda, meanwhile, just stood there—watching the "gods fight" like a side character.
Suì-Fēng quickly realized something was wrong.
Her strikes should've connected—but just as they were about to hit, they slowed down unnaturally, as if she had held back on purpose.
Baraggan then used Sonído faster than they could react—
Appearing behind them and lightly tapping Suì-Fēng's shoulder.
That one touch—
began to rot her arm.
She and Ōmaeda quickly leapt back in horror.
Baraggan looked on with a smug grin. "Nothing escapes time and decay. The death I represent... is aging."
No matter what strategy they tried—nothing worked.
And even though Baraggan was already dominating—he still chose to Resurrect.
Maybe it was just how Hollows fought.
Even Ulquiorra had insisted on showing Ichigo his Segunda Etapa.
As if none of them had learned the importance of saving a trump card.
Maybe it was a leftover instinct from when they were beasts...
Even Szayelaporro, the so-called scientist, was someone who Resurrected early.
Only Grimmjow didn't follow this strange Hollow pattern.
(End of Chapter)
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