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"Yo…"
"Luppi, you've got some nerve, huh? You actually think you can take my spot as an Espada?!" Grimmjow roared, veins bulging at his temples.
He might've only been the Sixth Espada,but his pride towered over everyone else's.Half the time he didn't even bother pretending to care about Aizen's orders.
Originally…
Grimmjow had just been quietly watching the drama unfold.
Even though he hated seeing those trash Shinigami getting ranked one after another, he still believed that sooner or later he would show up on that list.
But then—
In the middle of enjoying the show, he suddenly found himself becoming the target of it!
Luppi.
The woman who barely had a presence even among the Arrancar army… was somehow going to replace him in the future?
Impossible.Unacceptable.
He'd kill her before that ever happened.
"A–ah? No! I… I never… said anything like that…"
Barely able to form words, Luppi felt Grimmjow's killing intent crash into her.
Her eyes flew wide open in terror, her voice shaking, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Wait—This had to be a misunderstanding, right?!
I never said I wanted to be an Espada!!!
Even though she was screaming inside, Luppi couldn't get the words out.Grimmjow's predatory stare locked her throat in place. Not a single sound came out.
Cold fear spread through her limbs.
Right then, she felt like the sky was collapsing on her.The omen of death itself hovered over her head.
She knew Grimmjow's temper all too well.
This savage, battle-crazed man lived for fighting and killing. Anyone who dared provoke him would get ripped apart and devoured in the most brutal way imaginable.
"Tch. Playing dumb now?"
Seeing her shaking like a leaf, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes.
He raised his hand, aiming his palm at her. "If you don't start explaining real fast… then go die."
BOOM.
A red glow gathered in his palm.
Violent spiritual pressure swelled outward, filled with pure destruction.
A Cero.
From a short distance away, Szayelaporro watched the scene with refined amusement, lips curling. "Going straight for a Cero to blow Luppi apart? Grimmjow sure doesn't waste time. As expected of the panther king raised on a pile of corpses."
The situation was chaotic, but nothing about it surprised him.If anything, it was perfectly normal.
Hollows didn't have "companions."
Arrancars only gathered here because they submitted to Aizen. This was never a family.
Before Aizen ruled Hueco Mundo, hollows killed and devoured each other daily. Nothing was more natural.
A sharp hum filled the air.
The red light flooded every corner of the palace hall, splashing across Luppi's face—twisted in total despair.
"N–no…"
Her scream cracked with panic.
Luppi fell to her knees, voice trembling and soaked in tears. "Lord Grimmjow, it's a misunderstanding! I never meant to offend you! Please, I'm begging you, spare me!!!"
Her cries echoed through the vast chamber—hollow, pitiful.
But…
Her pleading meant nothing.
Grimmjow didn't even look at her.
"Go die."
The Cero fired.
Luppi's fate was sealed.
"No!!!"
Her face drained of color.The blinding red light grew larger and larger in her eyes—until it swallowed her whole.
When the destructive blast finally faded…
There was nothing left.Not even a body.
Only ash scattered across the floor.
"Trash."
Grimmjow clicked his tongue, finally calming down a little.
As for the other Arrancar—even the top four Espada—they all stayed silent, letting the scene unfold right in front of them.
Meanwhile—
5th Division, Underground Base
"Aizen, the investigation is complete! Not just here—Seireitei and even the entire Soul Society have the same light screens appearing everywhere!"
With a black blindfold over his eyes,Tōsen Kaname handed Aizen a thick pile of reports.
Earlier, on Aizen's orders,he had left the monitoring room for a quick field inspection—and discovered this shocking information.
Hence the current briefing.
"Everywhere, you say?"
Aizen's face stayed unreadable, but a small tremor ran through him.Even he found it hard to believe.
He had assumed the mysterious light screens were created by Kisuke Urahara, meant as some sort of taunt aimed directly at him.
After all—
In the entire world, only that man surpassed him in intelligence and possessed unfathomable scientific skill.
But the report Tōsen brought back…
Completely shattered that theory.
Every inch of Soul Society was under constant surveillance by the Research & Development Bureau. If anything unusual happened, alarms would go off instantly.
Under those circumstances…
Even the Bureau itself couldn't secretly deploy light screens across all of Soul Society in such a short time.
That would provoke mass panic.The old, conservative Head Captain would never allow such disorder.
"Tsk, tsk…"
Gin Ichimaru flashed his fox-like grin, eyes narrowing to slits. "If this intel's accurate, I bet Hueco Mundo's got the same situation right now, huh, Aizen-taichō?"
"Oh? And why do you think that, Gin?"
"Well, as the guy overseeing things in Hueco Mundo, I know the Arrancars pretty well…" Gin propped both hands behind his head, a gleam of mischief in his eyes. "Given Grimmjow's personality, after seeing that footage earlier… he's probably already killed Luppi."
"So…"
"Looks like they're having themselves a nice little civil war."
"..."
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