Boom!
A chilling hurricane suddenly struck, and he flew backward like a kite with a broken string, completely defenseless.
When he hit the ground, he twitched twice before slowly floating up.
Visibly, his aura had weakened considerably.
But his teeth ground, and his eyes were filled with chilling killing intent.
Baraggan no longer wanted to speak.
Two injuries, two humiliations; even dismembering Yoriichi Tsugikuni a thousand times wouldn't sate his hatred.
Born a King, he had never encountered such a situation.
The first time was excusable, mainly due to his own carelessness.
The second time… Baraggan lowered his gaze and scanned his body; the sight of a large chunk missing, as if gnawed by a beast, made him tremble violently.
Pathetic! Hateful! Shameful!
Mere Shinigami!
Just as Baraggan was about to vent his inner rage, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had already rushed forward, preparing for a quick resolution.
Without his aging ability, Baraggan was no longer a threat; he was merely a seemingly majestic Menos Grande.
And majesty does not enhance strength.
As Aizen's subordinate, as the former King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan should have long anticipated this day.
If he didn't die, the emergence of a new King of Hueco Mundo would be illegitimate.
Seeing this, Baraggan retreated rapidly, gritting his teeth and saying, "You fellow… don't be too arrogant!"
At this moment, Baraggan completely disregarded his demeanor as the King of Hueco Mundo.
He went against his nature and committed his most shameful act: fleeing!
His ability was utterly suppressed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni; if he didn't escape, death would surely await him.
Baraggan found such an end unacceptable.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni's expression was calm.
He pursued him on his own and inflicted a second heavy blow on Baraggan: "What arrogance?"
Boom!
"It's just a battle."
The surging gale crushed Baraggan's bones.
The reishi emitted by Yoriichi completely blocked out the dark "aging" power, rendering Baraggan's death throes utterly ineffective.
Baraggan was extremely resentful.
He was a King, he shouldn't die by this ridiculous "wind"!
Even if he had imagined death before, it should have been a glorious, dazzling scene.
Not dying silently, like an ant, without even the slightest power to resist.
This shouldn't be his end!
He struggled fiercely, but it was futile.
He could only watch as Yoriichi Tsugikuni threw another punch.
Pain instantly surged through his heart, and his aura further withered.
Despair enveloped him.
Baraggan regretted it, no… to be precise, he regretted accepting this mission.
Aizen had never informed him that the enemy would be such an opponent; if he had known earlier, he certainly wouldn't have come.
After all, the reason he submitted to Aizen was to take Aizen's life with his own hands one day.
Alas… all of this would completely turn into an illusion today.
Damn it… this thought flashed through Baraggan's mind.
Then his consciousness completely vanished.
Before he vanished, he seemed to hear Yoriichi Tsugikuni muttering to himself.
But due to the blur of his thoughts, he only heard a few words.
Hell…
...
The black reishi scattered in the air gradually dissipated like dust with Baraggan's death.
Yoriichi gently exhaled, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
He slowly exited his Shunko form; at that moment, the light on his body gradually dimmed.
He was well aware that this form consumed an enormous amount of reishi.
Because it was like directly firing the reishi within his body as Kido.
Every second it lasted was equivalent to casting a mid-level Kido once.
Even with Yoriichi's top-tier reishi, facing such astonishing consumption, he couldn't sustain it for too long.
Perhaps only about ten minutes.
Ten minutes…
He had only spent one minute to defeat Baraggan, which was a pleasant surprise.
Before the battle, Yoriichi had never expected that the Shunko Wind God form would be able to suppress Baraggan's abilities so effectively.
Phew…
Yoriichi slowly surveyed his surroundings; this battlefield was already ravaged, the ground covered with silvery-white holes, as if it had experienced an apocalypse.
But as long as the people were fine, that was all that mattered.
Starrk slowly walked forward at this moment and offered congratulations: "As expected of you."
Yoriichi nodded, his expression calm.
Soon, Baraggan's remains were sent to Hell by him.
The moment they were sent to Hell, Yoriichi suddenly remembered that the number of beings with Third-Class Spiritual Power or higher he had imprisoned so far was almost approaching double digits.
Every time he sent a being in, he could feel a subtle emotion emanating from Hell—joy.
At first, Yoriichi didn't know why.
But later, as he continuously learned and delved deeper into the abilities of his Zanpakuto, he finally understood that these prisoners should be of great use in stabilizing Hell.
The more powerful individuals there were in Hell, the more stable Hell's management of prisoners would become.
This phenomenon was neither good nor bad, because no matter what happened in Hell, it had nothing to do with the Three Realms.
But if too many powerful individuals entered…
Another thought immediately arose in Yoriichi's mind: some people shouldn't be imprisoned in Hell.
They were merely affected by their overly strong spiritual power.
And his Zanpakuto possessed purification abilities; although he wasn't sure if it could purify Hell's reishi, still…
He would try it in the future; it could also be another way to explore his Zanpakuto's abilities.
Currently, being in Hueco Mundo, it was better to be cautious.
Thinking of this, Yoriichi immediately reined in all his thoughts, turned to signal to Starrk, and then walked towards the Kido barrier.
Of course, Yoriichi hadn't forgotten the Fraccion that Baraggan had brought with him.
As for the Arrancar who came with Baraggan, because they were too dispersed, even if they followed closely and found Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he annihilated them one by one.
Thirty Arrancar Menos Grande did not cause any stir; they only made their team more united.
Some time later, Nelliel successfully transformed into a Vasto Lorde.
Like a complete metamorphosis, she became a tall, green-haired beauty whose aura was so powerful that even Harribel was far inferior.
After all, Harribel had not yet become an Arrancar; although her aura was also strong, there was still a gap compared to Nelliel.
However, after coming out of the barrier, Yoriichi keenly noticed that Harribel's mask had also shattered a little due to the battle.
Although it was only a very small piece, it was indeed broken, revealing a corner of her tan chin.
In other words, Harribel had successfully touched the edge of transformation.
She only needed time to mature before she could become an Arrancar on her own.
Everyone, including the few of them, was very satisfied with this, as the team's strength had increased; those Adjuchas were not even mentioned for now.
Currently, the only one in the team who hadn't become an Arrancar was Harribel.
Kisuke Urahara had another idea stemming from this situation.
Of course, this idea could not be realized in Hueco Mundo for now; it would have to wait until they left.
...
...
After an unknown period, the machine on Kisuke Urahara's person beeped.
The sound was particularly abrupt in the silent air.
He reached out and took it off, looking at the display on the machine, and found that the mission time limit had expired.
His gaze swept over the team, his eyes showing a hint of weariness, yet also the satisfaction of completing the mission.
He said to Yoriichi Tsugikuni:
"Yoriichi, that's enough. Our mission is complete. It's time to go back."
"We've found the person, and we've eliminated nearly fifty of Aizen's Arrancar these past few days."
"Although I don't know how many Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo he has brought under his control, based on Aizen's performance over the past few months, it probably won't exceed two hundred."
"Adding the previous ones, we've eliminated about half of his forces; that number is sufficient."
Yoriichi turned and looked at him: "Go back now? What about Las Noches?"
Kisuke Urahara slightly raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a confident smile:
"The vicinity of Las Noches is already being monitored by the machines I set up, so there's no need to worry that Aizen will leave there, nor do you need to worry that the machines will be affected by Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu."
"The urgent task is to report the situation here to Soul Society, and at the same time, inform Captain-Commander Yamamoto about the existence of these Menos Grande."
"While we certainly have the ability to break through Las Noches, it's meaningless; Aizen can leave Hueco Mundo at any time."
"He has already been defeated by you once; it's impossible for him not to prepare for a second time."
While Kisuke Urahara's words had some merit, Yoriichi had a slight disagreement.
He was about to speak.
Starrk suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Yoriichi, and Kisuke, I've had a question I've wanted to ask."
"Why exactly did that Aizen you mentioned betray Soul Society and ally himself with Menos Grande?"
"Also, what ability did he master to allow Menos Grande to become Arrancar so easily?"
Starrk had never understood these two questions.
At this point, he rubbed his forehead and added,
"Also, you said he was once defeated by Yoriichi, so he should harbor considerable hatred for Yoriichi, right?"
"After all, Yoriichi caused his defection."
"But then there's a problem."
"Why, besides Baraggan, were the attackers he dispatched these past few days just ordinary Adjuchas?"
"Does he no longer have any Vasto Lorde under his command?"
Kisuke Urahara was silent for a moment. He had already understood the question Starrk posed the moment he saw the first Arrancar.
But he didn't explain, because he found it somewhat unbelievable.
Now... since Starrk had asked, he had no choice but to answer.
"Because of the Hōgyoku," Kisuke Urahara said with a helpless tone.
"We suspect that Aizen has another Hōgyoku, which can help Shinigami break through the limits of a Shinigami, and also help Hollows break through the limits of a Hollow."
"Like the Arrancar you saw before."
"They were clearly Adjuchas, yet they possessed strength comparable to a Vasto Lorde."
"Aizen might no longer be Aizen; to be precise, he is no longer the Shinigami Aizen. This is why I made the decision to retreat."
"A Shinigami who has already reached the limits of a Shinigami undergoing Hollowfication—his strength is unimaginable."
"Even you, Starrk, would most likely not be his match."
"And in my opinion, there are only two reasons why he isn't sending out Vasto Lorde. One is that he no longer has any Vasto Lorde under him."
"The second is that he is so confident that he can defeat us even without sending out Vasto Lorde."
"He is waiting for us to deliver ourselves to him."
"Sending out Adjuchas is merely to lower our guard."
...
One had to admit, in a confrontation between masters, every move was filled with schemes.
Even such a small matter.
In Kisuke Urahara's mind, there were two interpretations.
Yoriichi leaned more towards the first.
However, given Aizen's arrogance and haughtiness, the second was not entirely impossible.
After all, in the past few months, no one knew what arrangements Aizen had made in Hueco Mundo.
Upon hearing this, Starrk immediately felt troubled.
A Hollowfied Shinigami—no wonder Kisuke Urahara made such a judgment.
In his opinion, Aizen's previous strength was probably on the same level as Yoriichi.
After Hollowfication, if the effect was the same as an Arrancar, then his strength...
Starrk frowned slightly, falling into contemplation.
Then, he slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "I understand. If that's the case, we really shouldn't take risks."
"Yoriichi, you and Kisuke go back first."
"We will help you keep an eye on the vicinity of Las Noches."
"Our current location is still some distance from Las Noches; even if you go back, he probably won't notice."
"As long as you return within a short period, there won't be any problems."
"We will restrict those Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde from reaching Las Noches."
"This way, we can probably reduce the number of Arrancar and prevent them from affecting the ecological balance of Hueco Mundo."
Starrk had this confidence; although he disliked trouble, guarding outside Las Noches and occasionally expelling Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde wasn't too much trouble.
Not to mention the help of Harribel and Nelliel.
Three Vasto Lorde—which one couldn't they expel?
Hmm... I almost forgot Grimmjow. This panther has been following Yoriichi ever since his defeat, wanting to continue challenging him and defeating him.
Considering that Grimmjow's nature, though bloodthirsty, was only so when he couldn't find an opponent, Yoriichi tacitly allowed him to follow.
Because only by following him would Grimmjow not continue to slaughter innocents indiscriminately.
Yoriichi looked deeply at Starrk, and a thought in his mind slightly changed with the appearance of these words.
Indeed, considering everything, what Starrk said was the safest method.
Recalling what he had said to Yamamoto Genryusai earlier, Yoriichi slowly exhaled and nodded, "Thank you for the trouble."
"Not at all," Starrk said with a slight smile. "As long as I can help you, after all, only if you are alive can I find my comrades and leave Hueco Mundo."
"Next time you come, don't forget the reishi Gigai. I want to see if it's really as effective as you say."
"I'll pass; Lilynette has wanted to go to Soul Society for a long time."
"After all, the landscape of Hueco Mundo is too desolate."
He sighed, "Even if it's just once, I want Lilynette to see the outside world."
Upon hearing this, the air became somewhat stagnant.
Finally, Kisuke Urahara broke the strange atmosphere.
"Hahaha, don't worry, we will definitely keep our promise."
"Let's exchange contact information first, so it's convenient for us to find you next time we enter Hueco Mundo."
As Kisuke Urahara spoke, he pulled out a few items from his backpack and handed them to Starrk, Harribel, and Nelliel.
"These are specially made communicators, and also locators," he explained. "If you encounter danger, you can use them to communicate."
"We in Soul Society can also receive the signal."
"The mission of ambushing outside Las Noches is too dangerous. Although I know those Hollows may not be your opponents, Aizen's presence is a factor."
"If he makes a move... remember one thing: staying alive is the most important thing."
Kisuke Urahara's tone was somewhat serious.
As he was speaking, Grimmjow's impatient voice suddenly interrupted, "Hey, where's mine!"
"Shinigami, don't forget me!"
"I'm also a semi-Arrancar, close to a Vasto Lorde!"
Kisuke Urahara smiled slightly, looking at Grimmjow, and didn't speak. He just held up the device, gently pressed a button, and then naturally put it in his pocket.
Seeing this, Grimmjow's face darkened, and a strong sense of dissatisfaction surged in his heart.
Damn it!
He actually forgot about that.
Although he had claws and could press buttons, where would the device be placed?
Would he hold it in his mouth?
That image was too beautiful to imagine.
Grimmjow could only reluctantly rein in his thoughts, but he was still unhappy.
Why was he a panther and not a humanoid Adjuchas?
This was blatant discrimination!
Creak... the sound of grinding teeth echoed.
Yoriichi glanced over, feeling a little helpless. This panther was good in every way, except his pride was too strong.
He hoped that in his absence, Starrk would teach him what humility and patience were.
After returning, he would see if Kisuke could create a beast-shaped Gigai. If so, perhaps he could bring him to Soul Society and properly discipline him.
Advancing to Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo had the same effect as advancing to Vasto Lorde in Soul Society.
Yoriichi quietly watched everything in front of him.
After some time, Starrk and the two others fully understood how to use the device.
Knowing that there would be no worries later, Kisuke opened a Black Cavity leading to Soul Society and temporarily left with Yoriichi.
...
Soul Society, it was midday.
Because he hadn't seen sunlight for too long, Kisuke Urahara was momentarily dazed by the blinding light that greeted him as soon as he emerged.
He squinted slightly, adapting to the long-awaited light.
Yoriichi landed right after him.
Immediately, the two went to see Yamamoto Genryusai and reported all the events that had occurred these past few days, including the appearance of Arrancar and Baraggan's death.
Upon hearing this, Yamamoto Genryusai's eyes widened slightly.
He felt he had misheard.
No... I asked you to investigate Aizen's arrangements in Hueco Mundo, and you killed Baraggan?
Although it had been a long time since they last met, Yamamoto Genryusai still knew Baraggan's strength.
Ryujin Jakka's Shikai couldn't kill him, because even flames had their day of aging, meaning extinction.
Because of this, Yamamoto Genryusai had let him be.
He had thought that no matter how arrogant Baraggan was, he wouldn't affect Soul Society, but he didn't expect him to have become an Arrancar.
And even after becoming an Arrancar, he was killed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni without even causing an impact...
And it was with Shunko developed by Yoruichi Shihouin... No, the current Yoriichi Tsugikuni's mastery of Shunko had already surpassed Yoruichi Shihouin.
Who developed the later basic forms was anyone's guess.
The feeling it gave Yamamoto Genryusai was like seeing a captain, after a few days' absence, use a newly developed Kido to single-handedly overturn Hueco Mundo—it was absurd.
As expected...
"Cough, cough."
Yamamoto Genryusai coughed twice, while secretly thinking that young people were truly formidable and he was indeed old. He then slightly raised his hand and gestured,
"I have generally understood the situation. Since that is the case, you two may go and rest. The rest will be handled by me."
"Oh, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni, during your absence, your wife has mastered her Zanpakuto's Shikai."
"Considering she is already an upper-class noble, I did not presume to include her in the ranks of Shinigami."
"However, she herself has expressed a desire to join the Fourth Division. You can handle that yourself when you go back."
"I cannot interfere with this matter."