Chapter 113: The Little Expert at Guarding the House.
"W What terrifying spiritual pressure…!"
Inside the camp, Isane was shaken, fine beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
"Are you talking about the enemy, Isane," Retsu Unohana asked calmly, "or Captain Shimiya?"
Her composure stood in sharp contrast to Isane's panic.
"Both are terrifying, okay! But if I had to choose…" Isane swallowed. "Captain Shimiya is a little more terrifying!"
"Indeed." Unohana acknowledged it without hesitation. "The combined Reiatsu of those non Espada Arrancar is certainly impressive, but the fact that Captain Shimiya can suppress it alone means he is clearly superior."
"Suppress, not crush?" Isane frowned. "It looked like their spiritual pressure got blown apart."
"They could have released even more to counter it," Unohana said, "couldn't they?"
"…True." Isane blinked, still confused. "Then why didn't they? They made themselves look pathetic instead."
Considering how brazenly the enemy had announced their arrival with Reiatsu, their arrogance and aggression were obvious. By all logic, they should not have backed off so easily.
After all, Captain Shimiya's spiritual pressure was stronger, but it wasn't so overwhelming that they should have been completely helpless.
"Instinct," Unohana replied.
"In stinct?"
"Just as you were startled, Isane, they were startled too," Unohana explained. "So they reflexively withdrew their Reiatsu to protect themselves. For a moment, they could not pour out more to fight back. Captain Shimiya did it deliberately because he understood that."
As she spoke, Unohana glanced toward the hundreds of practitioners nearby. The Kidō Corps had already returned to steady operation, moving again like well oiled machinery.
"You can see the result," Unohana continued. "The enemy is intimidated, their arrogance has cooled, and since the camp is not being constantly pressured by enemy Reiatsu, the Kidō Corps' efficiency remains stable."
Isane's throat bobbed again.
"But this is only temporary," Unohana added. "Captain Shimiya will likely push the battlefield forward little by little, so it stops affecting the camp."
"That means…" Isane whispered. "He's going to drive them back while fighting?"
"Do you think Captain Shimiya can't?" Unohana's eyes stayed on the young man's back in the sky.
"But there are seven Arrancar," Isane insisted. "And that old man on the throne doesn't look ordinary at all."
"Captain Shimiya is not ordinary either." Unohana's tone remained mild. "By the way, Isane, do you know what 'Reii' is?"
"I remember." Isane forced herself to focus. "It's a ranking based on the concentration of spiritual power within one's spiritual pressure?"
"Yes. Twenty ranks in total. Like the Espada, the smaller the number, the stronger the individual. Once someone reaches the third rank, they can be considered to have captain level Reiatsu, even if they have not mastered Bankai. But a true captain's strength is not limited to that."
Isane's eyes lit with understanding.
"Captain Unohana, you mean Captain Shimiya's Reiatsu, or rather his Reii, might be ranked third, yet his combat ability far exceeds standard captain level?"
As she spoke, Shimiya Takeru's past feats surfaced in her mind, including the record of defeating a Vasto Lorde class Arrancar.
Her doubts dissolved, replaced by solid reassurance.
However.
"You're wrong," Unohana corrected softly.
Isane froze.
"Not just combat ability." Unohana's gaze did not waver. "Captain Shimiya's spiritual pressure itself is above captain level. In my view… even if it is not the highest point of the second rank, it is at the top tier within the second rank."
"?!"
Isane's eyes widened, words catching in her throat.
"Therefore," Unohana concluded, "in terms of spiritual pressure alone, Captain Shimiya can rival, or even surpass, an Arrancar transformed from an upper level Hollow."
"With Captain Shimiya alone, our main camp is also impregnable."
…To Baraggan and his six Fracción, there were no metal walls and no boiling moat.
But in truth, it was no different.
Takeru's naturally emanating spiritual pressure filled the sky like an atmosphere, more imposing than any moat. The presence of that humanoid figure was more solid than any iron wall.
He stood there without adopting any offensive or defensive stance, yet it still made one hesitate to take even a single step closer.
"Saying we came to surrender?" Baraggan's voice rang out like a death knell. "Brat, your boastfulness only shows the ignorance of the Shinigami."
He sat upon his skeletal throne, his burly frame like an unyielding mountain. The heaviness of his voice made his Fracción flinch, then glare at Takeru with hatred or cold indifference.
"Guarding the rear alone, your courage is commendable," Baraggan continued, "but you are taking the enemy too lightly. Since that's the case, I will teach you a lesson."
"Charlotte, Flynndr, Chumnao, Ggio, Abirama, Pardoc." His gaze slid past Takeru to the camp behind him. "Destroy that eyesore of a cannon."
As if sensing his subordinates' emotions, Baraggan's tone grew colder.
"Compared to a sky dyed red by fire, I prefer an earth dyed red by the enemy's blood. No matter what it becomes, it will loyally prostrate itself at my feet."
His voice lowered into something almost satisfied.
"So do you understand what needs to be done?"
"We will follow Your Majesty's will and vow to stain the earth with the enemy's blood!"
The Fracción dropped to one knee in unison, shouting at the top of their lungs.
Then they lunged toward the camp.
Takeru watched quietly.
He looked indifferent to their charge.
Then, in the next moment.
Boom!
"Ah!"
"?!"
"What!"
"This…?!"
"…!"
"Hmm!"
The six Fracción were struck as if by an invisible whip, their bodies lacerated, blood spraying as they were hurled backward toward Baraggan.
"We apologize, Your Majesty!" Ggio Vega, injured the least, forced himself steady and dropped to his knee. "We accidentally fell for the enemy's trick!"
"It is nothing," Baraggan said, eyes sharp as he saw through it at once.
"When the enemy ascended into the sky, he laid threads too subtle for the naked eye. When touched, the threads snapped and recoiled. That is why you were injured."
He snorted.
"In the end, it is only a petty trick."
"Threads?" Ggio Vega looked down at the thin, bloody marks across his body. Understanding clicked, and a cruel smile spread across his face.
"Then if we can't get through, we'll destroy them with Cero!"
At his cue, all six fired simultaneously.
Multicolored torrents of destruction lit the air, spectacular enough to stain the desert sky.
Yet something even more striking cut them apart.
Takeru seemed to do nothing, but a silver blue beam materialized before him. It erupted mid flight and shattered the combined Cero in one violent burst.
"Damn it… this never ends!" one of them snarled. "Then we kill him first!"
"Agreed!"
The six reached an instant consensus and flashed in, forming a complete encirclement around Takeru.
"Is this what it feels like to be protected by your king?" Takeru asked mildly. "It's rather ordinary."
"Shut up!" Abirama roared. "Who's protecting you?! This is an encirclement kill, an encirclement kill!"
"But I don't feel any danger at all," Takeru said, genuinely puzzled.
His tone made their humiliation burn even hotter.
"Believe me, you unbeautiful one," Charlotte Coolfon purred, stepping forward with long purple wavy hair and pink skirt armor, striking a graceful pose. "You'll feel it soon enough. Shine, Beautiful Queen of the Palace Rose Garden!"
"Stomp him flat! Giant Elephant Soldier!" Nirgge Pardoc, a green furred giant with an elephant trunk and tusks, bellowed.
"Lop off his head, Air Battle Vulture!" Abirama Redder spread blood red wings, his eagle head lifting high.
"Bite him to pieces, Tiger Fang Swift Wind." Ggio Vega's Tiger Fang Mask sat upon his head, his black striped white outfit snapping in the wind, blades like fangs extending from his sleeves.
"Breathe, Giant Arm Whale!" With a heavy boom, Chumnao landed, transforming into a four armed humanoid whale.
After Resurrección, Chumnao's height rivaled Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō. From his lower jaw to his entire upper body, whale belly textures armored him. Bulky and clumsy, yet visually overwhelming.
"Inscribe it upon the water's surface, Stinging Blade Flow Severance." Flynndr Caryas, golden haired and brown skinned, noble in bearing, raised a large and small pair of pincers. The large pincer formed heavy armor that covered half his body, while the smaller pincer was sharp like a gun blade, turning his silhouette aggressively lethal.
The six activated Resurrección almost at the same time.
A storm of reishi tore through the air from every direction. Takeru's hair whipped violently, his clothes snapping loud against the wind.
He turned his head slowly, studying all six with visible interest.
That look made Charlotte and the others particularly displeased.
"What's wrong?" Ggio Vega sneered. "Not taking your hands out of your pockets? Not drawing your Zanpakutō? Don't tell me you've been scared stiff."
At that moment, Abirama roared like a madman, throwing his full body into it.
"Oh oh oh oh oh! Smash you! Kill you! Kick you to death! Oh oh oh oh oh! You guys, and that Shinigami over there, hurry up and raise your fighting spirit with me!"
"Can you drop your bizarre battle ritual when there are this many people watching?" Flynndr said, disgusted, voicing what everyone else was thinking.
Charlotte tilted his head, lashes long, ice blue eyes locked on Takeru.
"What are you staring at? Are you so captivated by my beauty, which surpasses all things in this world, that you forgot you're in battle?"
"Thank you for the reminder." Takeru nodded slightly, then glanced at Ggio.
"And thank you for yours. I suppose I should take my hand out now."
The Arrancar stiffened, momentarily startled by his sudden cooperation.
But they quickly understood they had mistaken it.
This was not humility.
Takeru drew out his right hand and opened his palm toward them.
Several coins lay there, resembling the copper coins circulated in the World of the Living.
"What… are you doing?" Abirama blurted, forgetting his ritual entirely.
Even Charlotte looked briefly stunned, like a normal person for once. The rest were plainly confused.
"These are coins from Soul Society," Takeru said lightly. "It isn't much, but it's my reward for your performance."
The captain's haori, specially tailored before the expedition, had pockets. Not only that, the pockets held far more than they appeared to, allowing him to store personal items like his denreishinki and money.
But the pocket was not used only for storage.
It could also function like a scabbard, letting him activate Yuisen, just as he had earlier when he shattered their composite Cero.
Only, rather than drawing a sword, it was closer to drawing a fist.
A so called Iai Fist.
The fact that he could still use it without wearing his Bankai armor proved how much progress he had made inside the hyperbolic time chamber.
"Performance…?" Their faces darkened.
"Hueco Mundo is too boring." Takeru looked up, then down, then fixed his gaze on Baraggan in the distance.
"So you built yourself a circus to keep close, to ease your tedious, monotonous mood. I'm familiar with the mindset of old men, and I approve."
"You dare call us a circus?!" Charlotte trembled with rage, narcissism flaring.
Takeru showed no pity.
"Whale, eagle, tiger, elephant, flower, crab. Quite a lineup."
He shifted the coins slightly in his palm.
"Be happy. You made me take my hand out of my pocket, and you earned my reward money. What, you won't take it? This is the reward you earned with your own strength. Are you really going to refuse it?"
He lifted his palm a little higher, as if offering alms.
"I specifically took out six coins. Enough for all of you to split evenly."
Their vision went dark with fury. None of them had ever met an opponent who insulted them so openly, so calmly.
"You damned insect!" Chumnao raised a fist the size of a building and swung it down.
Takeru did not even look.
A silver blue beam flashed into existence and pierced straight through Chumnao's face, leaving a perfectly circular hole in his head.
"Since you are a Hollow," Takeru murmured, "I assume you won't mind having one more hole."
Blood soaked the smooth, round edge, perfectly shaped.
Just like a real Hollow Hole.
The giant whale crashed down.
"Chumnao?!" Abirama's voice cracked between shock and rage. He had never imagined a comrade could be taken out in a single strike.
He dared not hesitate.
His hands slammed onto the two markings on his ribs, and blood wings erupted from his back.
"My steel wings can shatter even rock! Let's see you defend against this!"
All four wings flapped.
Hundreds of thousands of feathers shot out, swift and heavy as bullets. With carpet bombing density, it could force ground targets into desperation. Even hiding behind obstacles would only end with the body riddled through.
"Even if you don't accept the reward," Takeru said, "I won't take back what I've already taken out."
He flashed.
Appearing beside Abirama, he patted his shoulder once, then vanished again.
He was even more elusive than Sonído.
Takeru was gone.
But the six coins remained, resting on Abirama's shoulder, glittering like fragments of Star Ash.
Then, under Abirama's terrified gaze, an earth shattering explosion detonated.
"Ah!"
The eagle man, covered in blood red fur, was swallowed by an even deeper crimson blast. Hot wind screamed outward, forcing the remaining Arrancar to retreat.
"Why did the coins explode?!" Nirgge Pardoc's eyes bulged.
"It has to be his trick," Flynndr hissed, "or those weren't real coins at all. They were some kind of insanely strong explosive!"
He was right.
With the evolution of his Bankai, Takeru had gained finer control over his own power. He could use Star Ash without relying on his Zanpakutō, but he needed an external object as a catalyst.
So he had transformed the coins into Star Ash and scattered them.
"Damn it! How dare he mock us like this!" Ggio Vega spotted Takeru touching down and snapped.
"Think you're special just because you're a captain?! Tiger Fang Swift Wind Great Sword!"
In an instant, his muscles tripled in size. The blades that had been attached to his hands transformed into massive, clustered claws.
His spiritual pressure surged, subtly surpassing captain level.
This form would keep him from returning to normal for two months.
That was why he usually avoided it.
But there was no time to worry now.
"Ooooh!"
He sprang toward Takeru like a tiger descending a mountain.
The moment he reached Takeru's range, that enlarged body was sliced apart, pieces separating midair as if his momentum had carried him into an invisible guillotine.
"Wha… what?!"
"Remarkable impact," Takeru said calmly, swatting aside the head that flew toward his face as if brushing away a fly. "It let me focus on reinforcing the toughness of the Kidō threads. Then hiding them with Bakudō 26: Kyokkō was enough."
The severed head fell, merging with the scattered body parts on the ground.
"If Yuisen can be used," Takeru continued, "then Shichisen can naturally be used as well."
He glanced at his own hands.
"Since I'm not using an actual sword, but my hands, it's much easier to control."
The current Kidō threads were, in a sense, ever changing.
"This guy…!" Flynndr's face twisted. "He laid invisible threads around himself and waited for people to rush in and die!"
Then Flynndr's expression hardened into a cold laugh.
"Fine. Then I'll cut through both him and the threads together!"
He raised his hand and shattered ninety percent of his mask.
Instead of dropping, his spiritual pressure rose.
The immense power granted by this special ability restored his confidence.
"With ninety percent of my mask removed, I'm at captain level now. Right?"
As he rode that surge of excitement, Takeru appeared in front of him without warning.
To be precise, Takeru walked straight past him.
He did not spare Flynndr even a glance.
There was no hatred, no joy.
Only indifference, as if Flynndr were nothing but a passerby.
In the next moment, blood sprayed from Flynndr's chest. His eyes lost focus, and he fell from the sky.
"Dam…mit…"
"Flynndr?!" Pardoc's shock was so deep he forgot to breathe. He had not even seen what happened.
It looked as if a blade had cleaved across Flynndr's chest.
But Takeru had not drawn a sword.
No, perhaps he did draw it, and no one saw it.
A fleeting flash of blade light filled Pardoc's vision, and the thought struck like lightning.
The elephant type Arrancar dropped toward the earth.
Then darkness swallowed Takeru.
Not shadow, not pure energy.
Countless pitch black thorns.
"Finally," Charlotte's voice drifted out, "you returned to the sky, and finally you fell into my Rosa Blanca."
Charlotte had appeared behind Takeru at some point. Above Takeru's head, a pure white flower began to bloom.
Charlotte's rugged face was calm, almost melancholic.
"In pitch black thorns that none can see, you will die surrounded by pure white petals in bloom."
"This is both your punishment and your liberation."
He sighed, as if pitying Takeru.
"Even after you insulted me repeatedly, even after you remained unmoved by the most beautiful creation in this world, your dull sensibilities mean you could never discover beauty. In the end, there is only endless pain."
"It fills me with pity for you."
Takeru did not turn around.
"You really don't understand anything at all," he said faintly.
"You…" Charlotte's expression froze. "What did you say?"
Takeru continued as if he were not even in danger.
"The most noble beauty isn't something that grabs people instantly. It isn't a storm, intoxicating and violent. It's a slow infiltration."
"You carry it without realizing, and then you see it again in your dreams."
"After it hides humbly in your heart for a long time, it completely possesses you. Your eyes fill with tears, your heart with longing."
"It goes into the bone. It becomes unforgettable."
He glanced upward, voice steady and dismissive.
"It's not something you declare with words. Your superficial claims and inexplicable confidence cannot be accepted by everyone."
"Therefore, the so called 'most beautiful' does not exist. Those who truly pursue beauty will never stop seeking something better."
Takeru's tone grew colder.
"So you, who call yourself the most beautiful creation, are just a pitiful person immersed in fantasy."
"You…!"
His philosophy was denied at the root.
Something snapped in Charlotte's mind, and the pure white petals bloomed and fell.
And in that instant.
"Since you gave me flowers," Takeru said, "I'll return the favor with a 'flower' of my own."
Blood erupted from Charlotte's chest like a blooming blossom.
"Ugh… guh! This… this is…!"
Charlotte's face twisted in terror. The wound was small, yet his spiritual power and strength felt as if they were being torn away all at once.
Crack.
The forest of black thorns shattered layer by layer.
"Senka." Takeru walked forward as he spoke. "A gift for the first Fracción to fall after holding out until the end."
Charlotte stared at him, collapsing as Takeru's steps seemed to tread across shattered thorns.
"The first… huh?"
What an ironic judgment.
Had they ever threatened him at all?
That unfathomable strength was like the night sky itself.
And that Shinigami.
He was the eternal crescent moon.
Thud.
A faint sound of landing. Dust rose.
Like a small splash of water.
And a ripple spread through Baraggan's heart.
Not because his subordinates had fallen without resistance, but because the posture of the black haired youth strolling back after killing them, then calmly standing before him, awakened unpleasant memories.
"Hmph!"
Baraggan's hand crushed the throne's armrest.
The burly old man wearing a crown rose, casually punching the chair's back into fragments, then drew a magnificent pitch black double edged axe.
Takeru stopped twenty meters away.
For the first time, he pulled out his other hand as well.
"I have received your companions' heads," he said evenly. "Now you may offer your surrender, and I will grant you appropriate treatment."
"Boy!" Baraggan's voice was thick with rage. "How much longer are you going to keep talking big?!"
As he watched Takeru behave as if victory were already decided, those memories sharpened into something hateful.
"Does killing a few fools make you proud?!"
"How could I be?" Takeru smiled faintly. "Even if I defeat you, even if I kill you, I won't be proud. After all…"
His smile deepened by a fraction.
"No matter what I do, I can't make you surrender, can I?"
"?!"
Baraggan's eyes widened.
In the same moment, Takeru appeared beside him and reached out as if to grab him.
"Seeking death… what?!"
Baraggan was about to activate his power to destroy Takeru's hand, only to realize Takeru had no intention of touching him.
A giant silver blue hand materialized out of thin air and seized Baraggan's body.
"Let's fight somewhere else," Takeru said.
He swung his arm.
Using the enormous hand of Susanoo like a throwing motion, he unceremoniously hurled away the second king of Hueco Mundo he had encountered.
Inside the camp, not just Isane, even Retsu Unohana fell silent.
Pushing the enemy back while fighting.
He had done it.
But somehow, it felt… off.
.....
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