What happened next was completely beyond Ulquiorra's expectations.
The Lanza streaked forward like it had pierced distance itself—straight at Shimo's brow.
But in that moment, Shimo extended his hand… and caught the spearhead.
The deep green light halted less than three inches from Shimo's forehead.
Ulquiorra's sure-kill strike… achieved only this.
"So this is your 'judgment'?" Shimo said with a smile.
Then—
His spiritual pressure erupted at full force.
A crushing power far beyond Ulquiorra's Second Resurrección descended upon the barrier.
The moment Ulquiorra felt it, he froze.
His expression locked. His pupils shrank.
It felt like staring into an endless abyss—
and within that abyss, a pair of icy, emotionless eyes froze his soul solid.
Crack… crack…
A faint, brittle sound came from above.
Ulquiorra stiffly turned his head toward the sky.
Under that terrifying spiritual pressure, the Hollow Soul Barrier was no longer able to endure—it had begun to fracture.
CRACK!
Another sharp snap sounded—this time from Ulquiorra's hand.
Even without looking, he knew:
The Lanza—condensed from extreme compression of his spiritual power—had broken.
BOOM!
A violent explosion burst from Shimo's palm.
But under Shimo's overwhelming pressure, the blazing detonation couldn't harm him in the slightest.
At this point, Ulquiorra had completely abandoned hope of survival.
And yet, his eyes still showed almost no emotion.
The moment Aizen sent them out, Ulquiorra had already sensed this end coming.
"Your attack is over," Shimo said flatly.
He opened his fist. Fine fragments of the spear sifted down like dust.
Even after such a violent explosion, a trace of powder still remained.
"My turn."
He raised his palm toward Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra knew what the result would be—
but he had no intention of accepting it passively.
Resistance mattered.
It was the last struggle against fate.
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!"
Black "puzzle pieces" gathered in front of Ulquiorra, sealing him inside the darkness.
As the black swallowed everything, Ulquiorra's wings wrapped around him like a cocoon.
Crunch!
Shimo clenched his right hand—
And countless shadow blades pierced through the Kurohitsugi.
When the black walls dispersed, Ulquiorra fell out—battered and torn, no longer resembling a demon.
His wings were riddled with holes. The horns atop his head were shattered.
White bone and black feathers crisscrossed his ruined body.
"…Hm?"
Shimo looked genuinely surprised.
"I didn't expect you to survive."
Ulquiorra looked at Shimo. The black tear-streak markings on his face twitched faintly—like silent weeping.
"Your power… exceeds what I can understand.
"The beginning of this war was a mistake.
"No… that decision was a mistake only for Hueco Mundo."
Ulquiorra thought of many things. He began to glimpse parts of Aizen's intentions.
Understanding that much, he no longer clung to anything.
End this tasteless farce.
The last of Ulquiorra's emotions vanished.
Just as the death-aspect he represented—
Nothingness filled his eyes.
Shimo stepped forward and stared at him calmly for a moment.
Then he said:
"With your death… I declare war on Aizen."
Shimo raised his hand. Black spiritual power spread from his palm—
Then a pressure so terrifying it felt absolute surged up from beneath his feet.
In an instant, a colossal dragon-shaped torrent of reishi rose hundreds of meters into the sky!
"Hadō #99: Goryūtenmetsu!"
A deafening dragon roar shook all of Hueco Mundo.
The sheer rumble and pressure made even the Shinigami watching from far away feel their hearts skip.
Dense black spiritual power flowed like a raging current beneath Shimo, sending the white sand into a furious storm.
Five colossal dragons stared down upon Ulquiorra with absolute oppression—
Even having abandoned everything, Ulquiorra couldn't help feeling an indescribable awe before that might.
"Goodbye, Ulquiorra Cifer."
As Shimo spoke his final farewell, the dragons plunged.
BOOOOOOM!!
A violent tearing roar split the air.
Ultimate blackness swallowed Ulquiorra whole.
Under the extreme shredding force of Shimo's spiritual pressure, his demon-like body turned to sand—vanishing in an instant.
Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer—dead.
Unlike some of the Espada who had already lost a split soul in the Human World, Ulquiorra—like Yammy, Zommari, and Szayelaporro—had now lost his life completely.
---
After the battle, Shimo walked toward the Hueco Mundo expedition force.
The sand was soft, so his steps made almost no sound.
An unnatural silence fell.
The Shinigami were stunned by the terrifying strength Shimo had displayed. For a long time, no one knew what to say.
At last, Byakuya broke the silence.
"…Shimo."
As he spoke, Byakuya was shocked to find his throat unexpectedly dry and hoarse—like he hadn't drunk water in weeks.
"We… may not be able to continue the Hueco Mundo campaign."
Byakuya said it with visible embarrassment.
From how this battle had gone, their so-called "captains" had clearly become dead weight—slowing Shimo down.
And the frustration was suffocating.
Since when did a captain of the Gotei 13 become someone else's burden?
The desire to become stronger surged inside him.
Mayuri—somehow already back to normal—spoke up as well, though his spiritual power was weak and he clearly couldn't keep fighting.
"My suggestion is we return and regroup."
"Then we gather our strength again and purge Hueco Mundo."
Shimo calmly swept his eyes over them.
Then he said, as if stating the simplest fact in the world:
"The battles ahead… leave them to me."
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