"Roll, Moyueun!"
With the release phrase spoken, the Zanpakutō in Yushima Ōko's hand immediately transformed into a strange long blade whose center was a hollow ring, with two blades extending from either side in opposite directions.
Then Yushima stepped atop the massive black coffin he himself had conjured and, looking down at the dark monolith beneath him, chanted loudly:
"Carriage of thunder, gap of spinning wheel, this thing has light, divide into six!
Bakudō no. 61: Rikujōkōrō (Six-Rod Light Prison)!"
As his voice fell, six panels of light appeared around the coffin and shot toward the position where Charlotte Chuhlhourne had originally stood.
"A person trapped inside Hadō no. 90: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin) can't move at all until they break it from within, so don't treat Black Coffin as just an offensive Hadō. In a sense, it's also an extremely powerful Bakudō."
That had been one of Higashino Shuuichi's insights on Hadō when he had taught Yushima Kidō in the past, and Yushima had remembered it—and now was applying it in real combat.
How much effect this high-level Hadō he'd only just learned would actually have on that Arrancar, Yushima didn't know. He assumed it couldn't be very good. Silent incantation was, after all, a bit of a shortcut; while the resulting spell was stronger than a completely chantless casting, it still didn't match the full incantation.
Facing an Arrancar whose spiritual pressure was in no way weaker—possibly even stronger—than his own, the effectiveness of his Hadō would definitely be limited, according to the "spiritual power combat theory" Shuuichi-sama had once laid out.
So Yushima Ōko was trying to add one more layer of insurance for himself.
But because of that brief moment he'd wasted celebrating beside Higashino Shuuichi, his timing ended up a heartbeat too slow.
Before those six light panels could pierce into the black coffin, the gigantic box was already shredded from within by Charlotte Chuhlhourne.
Golden light burst out through the cracks of the pitch-black coffin.
"This dark, tiny, useless little coffin could never hold the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne!
Behold the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne's ultimate, holy, exquisite, charming, super-powerful, seductively sensual Cero! "
The coffin exploded. Terrifying spiritual pressure poured out, compressed into a beam like a silver river, and surged upward toward Yushima Ōko.
"That Shinigami won't be able to block Charlotte Chuhlhourne's Cero! He's the chief fracción of Espada No. 2, Baraggan!"
Seeing that terrifying Cero, Harribel looked anxiously up at Yushima and called out to Higashino Shuuichi.
It was strange. The man was clearly a Shinigami, yet Harribel couldn't help worrying for him.
Was it simply because Mila had been saved by the man at her side, so she naturally assumed the Shinigami following him was also "one of his people"?
But Higashino showed not the slightest trace of concern at her warning. "It's fine. Relax~"
Just as he said, although a flash of panic crossed Yushima Ōko's heart at the sudden, powerful Cero, he very quickly recalled the ability analysis Shuuichi-sama had once given him.
If it was a Cero made purely of condensed spiritual pressure, then he was fine.
Yushima gripped the center of his transformed Zanpakutō with both hands, bringing the hollow ring to face the incoming Cero. The blade began to spin on its own axis, and as it rotated, the originally black-and-gold ring-face gradually shifted toward a deep crimson.
"Taikō Shigure (Receding Crimson Shower)!"
He hadn't even finished shouting the name when he and his spinning Zanpakutō were swallowed whole by Charlotte Chuhlhourne's Cero.
"How unfortunate, Shinigami. Before the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne, all your struggling is in vain~"
Charlotte laughed arrogantly.
In Hueco Mundo, even some lower-ranked Espada couldn't take this fully named Cero of his, let alone some nobody Shinigami in a standard uniform who wasn't even a captain.
"Hm." Harribel bit down lightly on her lip as she watched. "I can still fight. If I pour everything I have into it, I should at least be able to withstand two Cero…"
She, too, subconsciously forgot what Higashino Shuuichi had just said to her. In her mind, to take down Charlotte Chuhlhourne, they would need every ounce of power they still had.
She only regretted that she had already been gravely wounded by Baraggan. Otherwise, a mere Charlotte Chuhlhourne would never have been enough to corner them like this.
Before she could finish speaking, Higashino Shuuichi had already taken a small step forward.
It wasn't far—just enough to put himself between Harribel and her three future fracción, Sung-Sun, Apacci and Mila Rose.
"I did say it, didn't I? You can relax."
Higashino Shuuichi genuinely liked Harribel's attitude, and for that he didn't mind showing her a bit more of his own goodwill.
What a joke. It was only Charlotte Chuhlhourne. If he, Higashino Shuuichi, had already stepped in, did he really need Harribel to fight to her limits?
Where would his face be then?
Did Higashino Shuuichi not care about his dignity in front of his own disciple?
Harribel, however, had no idea what he was thinking. She only stared blankly at the man's back. His figure wasn't large, yet in that moment it felt as though he had blocked out the whole world in front of her,
Leaving her with nothing but a patch of shade.
It was a feeling Harribel had never experienced before.
As a Vasto Lorde, from the moment she gained awareness it had always been her standing before other Hollows. This was the first time a Hollow had ever stood in front of her.
Elsewhere, the battle hadn't paused just because of this small interlude between Higashino and Harribel.
Charlotte Chuhlhourne didn't even have the spare attention to notice any shifts around Higashino and the others, because above him, the Shinigami who, in his mind, should have been either dead or crippled by his Cero was not only completely unharmed, but radiating spiritual pressure even stronger than before.
"How is this possible?! Your change is beyond the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne's comprehension, Shinigami!"
Charlotte gaped up at Yushima.
Yushima, meanwhile, was completely lost in the thrill of his results, unable to extricate himself.
It really was exactly as Shuuichi-sama had said! As long as it was an attack composed purely of spiritual pressure, he could use Taikō Shigure (Receding Crimson Shower) to completely absorb it without suffering even a hint of harm, no matter how much stronger the opponent's spiritual pressure was than his own!
In that moment, Yukshima Ōko felt Higashino Shuuichi's status in his heart soar infinitely.
He even felt that Shuuichi-sama understood his Zanpakutō better than he himself did.
This is Shuuichi-sama…
No wonder the Tsunayashiro clan, the foremost of the Five Great Noble Houses, had swallowed their pride, rescinded his wanted notice, and invited him back to serve as Grand Chief of the Blade-Hunting Corps!
"So you won't answer me? The beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne is getting angry~"
Seeing the Shinigami above not only ignore his question, but also stand there posturing after blocking his Cero without following up with an attack, Charlotte felt deeply offended.
In an instant, countless black thorns burst from the ground, rising up to surround both Charlotte Chuhlhourne and Yushima Ōko. In less than two seconds, they had woven themselves into a massive prison of black brambles.
"Do you see now? This is what you get for underestimating the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne. In this Black Thorn Prison of mine, you won't be able to absorb any Reishi at all~"
Charlotte laughed in smug delight.
Outside, seeing Charlotte unleash Black Thorn Prison, Harribel looked once more at Higashino Shuuichi, her worry returning.
"That Black Thorn Prison is one of Charlotte Chuhlhourne's Resurrección (Release) abilities. Any living being trapped inside it can't replenish their Reishi as long as they remain within. They won't last long.
"And on top of that, Charlotte Chuhlhourne has another technique called the White Rose Sentence. Once the creature inside Black Thorn Prison is fully wrapped by that white rose, they die instantly!"
"Mm. Got it."
Harribel's intention had been to remind Higashino so he could break Black Thorn Prison from the outside and rescue the Shinigami inside.
But from his attitude, it almost looked as though Higashino didn't care at all whether that Shinigami lived or died.
From a Hollow's perspective, that wasn't exactly wrong—but no matter how she looked at it, that Shinigami was clearly this man's companion, wasn't he?
Could it be he really didn't care about his comrades' lives at all?
Had she misunderstood him just now?
Or was he only interested in her and her group?
Harribel suddenly remembered that, leaving Sung-Sun and the others aside, she herself was a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow—prime nourishment in the eyes of most Hollows. Could it be that this man's goal was to devour her?
Fortunately for her racing thoughts, before Harribel could let them run any further, the distant Black Thorn Prison changed.
"Hatei Kūri (Dominion of Devouring Void)!"
Yushima Ōko's voice drifted out faintly from within the prison. A moment later, in the eyes of Harribel and the others, the Black Thorn Prison that should have been nearly impossible to break from the inside was torn open by Yushima Ōko.
The black brambles that made up the prison shattered and disintegrated as his spinning Zanpakutō swept through them, finally breaking down into purest Reishi and surging into Yushima's body.
I did it, Shuuichi-sama! I really did it!
Inwardly, Yushima Ōko was exultant.
Until now, this ability had existed only as a theoretical concept—a direction Shuuichi-sama had proposed for the next stage of his Zanpakutō's development after analyzing its current abilities and the extent of Yushima's mastery.
To convert anything essentially composed of Reishi in the surrounding environment into pure Reishi and then absorb it.
To that end, Shuuichi-sama had even gone so far as to release his own Zanpakutō right in front of Yushima, demonstrating its ability. With the Zanpakutō named Heisha in its Shikai (Initial Release), he had repeatedly turned his own body into Reishi constructs, performing the process dozens of times for Yushima to see.
Yushima's limited vocabulary couldn't begin to describe what he'd felt then. He only knew that he had to work hard and achieve something, or he'd never be worthy of Shuuichi-sama's care.
Now, at least, Yushima knew he had proven to Shuuichi-sama that he truly had taken his words to heart—and put them into practice.
However, Hatei Kūri (Dominion of Devouring Void) was still far too much of a burden for his current body.
Too much spiritual power rushing into the body too quickly had always had one inevitable consequence—there were countless bloody examples in both past and future.
And Yushima Ōko's body began to fall apart.
Watching his flesh split open with gaping wounds, blood spraying everywhere because it simply couldn't withstand such an influx of Reiryoku, Yushima's mind crumbled even before his body did.
"No… this… this isn't how it's supposed to go! No! Absolutely not! Shuuichi-sama is watching—I can't…"
Even as blood dyed him from head to toe and his vision was drowned in red, Yushima gritted his teeth and stubbornly maintained Hatei Kūri (Dominion of Devouring Void).
He had to defeat Charlotte Chuhlhourne.
There was no way he could fall here.
Then a gentle voice like a spring breeze drifted into his ears and, in an instant, shattered all his defenses and determination.
"You've already done well enough, Ōko. Leave the rest to me~"
A familiar warm hand closed over his on the spinning Moyueun.
A familiar Kaidō (Healing Kidō) washed away his wounds.
A familiar silhouette stood at his side once more…
"I'm sorry, Shuuichi-sama… I failed…"
Yushima Ōko spoke through clenched teeth, tears mixing with blood as they fell from the corners of his eyes.
He had been so sure he could show off. So sure he had the advantage.
So why… why did it end up like this again?
All of a sudden, all the petty revenge he had taken in the past on the Shinigami who had mocked him seemed laughable even to himself.
So after all this time… was he still just a failure?
A large hand gently covered his face, and Yushima's consciousness slipped away.
Bakudō: Hakufuku (White Pacification)—a simple yet practical sleep-inducing Kidō.
To use both Kaidō and Hakufuku (White Pacification), however, Higashino Shuuichi had been forced to drop his Hollowfication.
He really hadn't trained his Hollowfication nearly enough. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to dispel it just to cast a few Kidō.
"Higashino Shuuichi?!"
"A Shinigami captain?!"
The moment his skull mask and bone-white armor faded away to reveal a captain's haori and his own familiar face, both Charlotte Chuhlhourne and Harribel cried out in unison.
But almost immediately, the world narrowed until there were only three of them left—Higashino Shuuichi, the unconscious Yushima Ōko in his arms, and Charlotte Chuhlhourne.
Black Thorn Prison had closed again.
"If I'm not mistaken, even among Baraggan's fracción, there aren't many Hollows who actually know me by sight. After all, Aizen-sama's Hōgyoku success rate isn't very high right now. Of all the fracción who once followed Baraggan, you're probably the only one who managed to become an Arrancar and survive to the present, aren't you?"
Within Black Thorn Prison, all outside detection was completely shut out, so Higashino spoke a bit more frankly.
"That's right, Higashino Shuuichi, dear Shinigami-dono. The beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne greets you on behalf of Baraggan-sama~"
Charlotte beamed at him.
"I see. And this beautiful white rose is your way of saying hello?"
Still cradling Yushima Ōko in one arm, Higashino Shuuichi looked at the white roses blooming all around him, slowly tightening in an attempt to encase him, and smiled.
"But of course. Baraggan-sama has always greeted you like this, after all. As Baraggan-sama's chief fracción, the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne obviously has to follow his example~"
Charlotte's smile was dazzling.
In his eyes, Higashino Shuuichi's appearance was a massive surprise.
And the fact that Higashino had willingly stepped into his Black Thorn Prison was an even bigger one.
Charlotte Chuhlhourne refused to believe Higashino possessed the same ability as that Shinigami just now to break down his Black Thorn Prison.
Without that ability, inside this Black Thorn Prison, Higashino Shuuichi could never be his match.
Who would have thought that the long-cherished wish Baraggan had never managed to fulfill would fall into place for him, Charlotte Chuhlhourne, because of such a coincidence?
Ohohoho!
Charlotte could hardly imagine how Baraggan would praise him when he brought the news back.
He looked at the white roses that were about to completely cocoon Higashino Shuuichi and said:
"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for knocking out that green-haired Shinigami in your arms. With him around, you might at least have had a chance to escape!"
"Escape?"
Through the narrow gap between the petals closing in, Higashino Shuuichi glanced at Charlotte Chuhlhourne and laughed out loud.
"Why would I need to escape? I think you've misunderstood why I came in here. I came in… to kill you.
"And not just you. Every Hollow in Hueco Mundo who knows who I used to be—I'll kill them one by one."
At that, the smile finally vanished from Charlotte's face.
The confidence in Higashino's tone made it abundantly clear he wasn't joking.
He really believed he could walk out?
No—this wasn't the time to be puzzling over that. The real issue was that Higashino Shuuichi truly intended to kill Baraggan-sama?
No. Impossible. Beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne had to rush back and tell Baraggan-sama immediately!
Higashino Shuuichi had betrayed them!
If Higashino could have heard his thoughts, Charlotte would have earned himself yet another charge in Higashino's mental ledger. What a double standard—if other Hollows said this sort of thing, fine, but Baraggan?
He wasn't qualified either.
Of course, even without hearing him, it didn't matter. Charlotte Chuhlhourne's life had already reached its end.
"Kidō: Jigoku Shokeikyoku (Hell Execution Aria)."
A low voice echoed from within the nearly sealed white rose.
The world shifted color. Grey washed over everything.
White roses, black brambles and the eyesore that was Charlotte Chuhlhourne—all of it was crushed to dust by a single squeeze from that grey-white skeletal arm steeped in the aura of Hell.
In the distance, having witnessed everything play out, Harribel and the others no longer knew whether they should run or stand where they were and accept their fate.
Rationally speaking, Harribel knew both of the newcomers were Shinigami—and that Shinigami captain who had saved Mila with Bakudō no. 81: Dankū (Splitting Void) radiated a power that sent chills down her spine even from afar. She had a feeling that even at her peak, she would not have been his match. Against an enemy like that, what hope did they have if they didn't run?
But emotionally, Harribel couldn't shake a subtle, inexplicable sense of anticipation. She kept feeling that perhaps that Shinigami captain wouldn't actually take the four of their lives.
In the past, she would have scoffed at the notion. A Shinigami captain sincerely saving a group of Hollows like them? Impossible.
Yet after what had just happened, after that captain had stepped in front of her and said, "You can relax,"
Harribel ultimately chose her feelings.
She stopped Sung-Sun and the others from dragging her away and instead stood there, head held high, waiting for that Shinigami captain to walk toward them.
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