The moment the fangs broke, Shigure's spiritual pressure surged from his body, crushing them completely.
Szayelaporro's gaze still held disbelief.
These two black insects, called "Soul-Crushing Rhinoceus Beetles," were specifically developed by him to target Soul Reapers who lacked Hierro.
In fact, he had previously tested them on his two Arrancar subordinates.
The conclusion was that even Arrancar with Hierro might not withstand their fangs.
So when he came out this time, he brought them along.
When he bent down to pick up his severed hand earlier, he had secretly placed them in the sand, then commanded them to tunnel behind Shigure unnoticed.
All for a surprise attack.
But he never expected that their sharp teeth would break upon touching Shigure's skin.
After a moment, his expression regained some composure. He showed a light smile again:
"Seems like you have some unknown secrets as well."
"A mere Soul Reaper with skin hard enough to make my Crushing Beetles helpless..."
As he spoke, he walked forward slowly with his blade, smiling:
"My luck is really good today... I can encounter two excellent research subjects at once."
"If you had run into that madman Nnoitra before meeting me, you probably wouldn't have kept your corpse intact."
"That would be such a waste... keh keh keh keh..."
Szayelaporro made strange, unpleasant laughter from his throat as he spoke.
Hearing this, Shigure's gaze shifted slightly as he smiled lightly:
"You've got it wrong. Why are you so certain I encountered you first?"
"What?"
Hearing this, Szayelaporro's body suddenly froze. The smile on his face stiffened:
"You... what did you say?"
Shigure's expression remained unchanged as he continued smiling lightly:
"You probably heard my words but can't understand them."
"Then I'll be direct."
"Before coming here, Fifth Espada Nnoitra... has already been killed by me."
"?!"
Szayelaporro's heart jumped violently. His breathing stopped completely. The hand gripping his blade trembled involuntarily.
After staring at Shigure for a moment, his expression slowly changed, then he forced out a smile:
"Im... impossible. You're bluffing, Soul Reaper."
Szayelaporro straightened up again, extending his left hand to adjust his glasses:
"Anyone who's fought Nnoitra couldn't possibly have intact clothing..."
"Soul Reaper, your lie... has been exposed by me."
Szayelaporro spoke with forced composure, but a cold drop of sweat unnaturally slid down his forehead.
Before Shigure could respond, a booming voice suddenly came from above their heads.
"Run quickly!! Szayelaporro!!!"
The moment this voice rang out, Shigure slightly raised his eyes. He naturally recognized it as Yuka Ludwig, the controller of the Moonlight Butterfly labyrinth.
If Shigure could recognize it, so could Szayelaporro.
However, when he heard it, his body shook violently, then he mechanically looked up:
"Newcomer, you... what are you saying..."
"Are you... telling me to run?!"
Clearly, Szayelaporro's pride wouldn't allow him to hear such words.
But Yuka's voice came from the air again:
"That Soul Reaper... is telling the truth..."
"He really... killed Nnoitra Gilga!"
"?!"
Szayelaporro's pupils instantly contracted. His body went completely rigid.
Above, when Yuka spoke these words, his body began trembling involuntarily.
As controller of the Moonlight Butterfly labyrinth, though he couldn't freely control it after the Heart Wall labyrinth was built, he could still clearly see everything happening below.
So he had watched the entire battle between Nnoitra and Shigure from beginning to end.
No. This couldn't even be called a "battle."
This was pure... dimensional crushing!
Before Shigure's unfathomable strength, all of Nnoitra's techniques couldn't affect him at all.
Within just one minute, Nnoitra had used everything he had, but still couldn't escape death.
And Shigure, as a Soul Reaper, probably hadn't even used one-tenth of his power.
Because he never drew his blade from start to finish.
"Anyway, now isn't the time to be stubborn, Szayelaporro!"
"You must! You must find a way... to escape first! Escape from this Soul Reaper!"
"Fighting him will only hasten your death!"
"And your death... won't help Lord Aizen's plan at all! Don't you understand?!!"
Yuka looked down at Szayelaporro with a fierce expression, shouting hysterically.
He originally thought his labyrinth's power would be enough to trap them for a long time, but now he knew Shigure had special methods for determining direction.
If they still chose direct confrontation, it wouldn't help Aizen's plan at all.
That's why he actively spoke up to warn him.
After hearing all this, Szayelaporro's gaze trembled as he looked toward Shigure in shock.
But Shigure's heart stirred—not because of Szayelaporro, but because of Yuka's words.
He had previously suspected that Aizen had no need to actively send Espada to attack them, since these "small fry" couldn't stop Shigure's advance at all.
But later, seeing Aizen's labyrinth, he began to have doubts.
Now, Yuka's words undoubtedly confirmed his earlier suspicions.
Aizen's plan wasn't meaningless.
He deliberately sent these people to obstruct Shigure and the others, buying time for his other plans.
Understanding this, Shigure slightly raised his eyes toward Szayelaporro, saying calmly:
"Looks like it's time for a quick battle."
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