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Inside Las Noches.
Because of Harribel's arrival, the suffocating, dead-silent atmosphere flipped instantly.
On the steps to the left, Sung-Sung pumped her fist, eyes shining with excitement."Ha! Finally! I knew this moment would come! I told you, Harribel-sama was bound to step in sooner or later!"
As Harribel's Fracción, her expectations were naturally sky-high.
After all…
Harribel wasn't some lightweight like Loly.
She was one of the very few Vasto Lorde in all of Hueco Mundo—hollows at the very peak of evolution.
"Hmph…"
Her gaze locked onto Hitsugaya.Sung-Sung grinned, showing her fangs, and taunted with a chilly tone:
"Shinigami, just you wait. That fancy ice power you're so proud of is going to look pathetic in front of Harribel-sama."
Excited.
Fired up.
And not just the three Fracción—other Arrancar began to buzz with anticipation too.
Even the Espada.
"Hmm…"
"So the kid's opponent jumped straight from Gillian-level all the way to Vasto Lorde? Bit of a leap, isn't it?"At the topmost steps, Baraggan narrowed his eyes, surprised by how quickly the situation escalated.
By this point in the video, even his arrogance couldn't deny its authenticity.
The pressure felt real. The fights felt real. Every moment practically screamed that these events truly happened.
Which was why, the moment Harribel appeared, the skeletal king felt even more puzzled.
Was that immature little ice brat really going to grow strong enough to fight a Vasto Lorde?
But judging from the first battle, the boy didn't seem all that strong.
He wasn't the only one thinking this.
Not far away, leaning his tall frame against his scythe, Nnoitra scowled."What the hell? Another woman? This is getting annoying."
Even as he complained, a flicker of unease flashed in his eyes.
No matter how much he hated women, Nnoitra still feared Harribel deep down. Which only made him more curious:
"Don't tell me that white-haired brat can actually beat Harribel?"
Across the room, surrounded by her Fracción, Harribel stood.Her figure—every bit as striking as Rangiku's—looked even more imposing with her arms folded.
She stared at the screen, calm but focused.
Her teal eyes narrowed with confidence as she murmured:
"I should be able to crush him without much trouble."
Elsewhere.
Squad 5's underground chamber.
"My, my… look at that. Isn't this Karakura Town? Never thought Harribel would end up fighting Hitsugaya here. These scenes really go beyond anything I imagined."Gin spoke lightly, almost playfully, but his half-opened eyes couldn't hide the shock in them.
A Vasto Lorde.A captain-class shinigami.And Karakura Town.
With all three appearing together, even someone as slippery as Ichimaru Gin couldn't maintain his usual fake calm.
In that sharp mind of his, a single word surfaced—war.
Yes.
After watching so many battles play out, Gin had already picked up on the hints.
It was obvious that sometime in the near future, the Arrancar and the Shinigami would repeatedly clash—whether in the human world or in Hueco Mundo.
But what he didn't expect was…
Even Harribel was involved.
If a Vasto Lorde appeared… did that mean the conflict between them was escalating into an all-out war?
Aizen's eyes flickered.For once, a ripple cut across his normally frozen calm.
"Gin, you're right. This is… a bit surprising."
Surprised—and maybe even uneasy.
Yes.
Seeing Hitsugaya and Harribel face off, Aizen felt something he hadn't felt in nearly a century.
For the first time, the man who controlled everything from the shadows…felt the situation slipping from his grasp.Just a little.But enough to unsettle him.
A warning.A bad omen.
And for the very first time… Aizen's composure wavered.
"Captain Aizen, compared to Harribel showing up, something else just occurred to me." Gin took a deep breath.
"What is it?"Aizen frowned slightly.
"If… the result ends up like before—if Harribel loses—what then?"
"...!"
Aizen's pupils tightened.
He hadn't even considered that possibility.
After all, in his mind, Hitsugaya was talented—sure—and his Hyōrinmaru was the strongest ice-type zanpakutō. His future was promising.
But…
Potential wasn't the same as strength.
Geniuses were only impressive if they lived up to their promise.
And in the world of the shinigami, real growth took years—decades.
Meaning…
With Hitsugaya's current level, it should take at least ten more years before he could fight someone like Harribel on equal footing.
"It's fine. Let's keep watching."
Aizen's momentary lapse faded as he returned to his usual cold confidence.
"As the third-ranked Espada, Harribel won't disappoint."
…
As if on cue, the footage resumed.
"This level of power? I don't remember ever showing you my limits."
Her voice was hollow and low, like the ocean right before a tsunami—terrifying in its calm.
Harribel lifted her hand and slowly tugged down the collar covering her face, revealing the number 3 carved beneath her collarbone.
And then—
"Sonído."
She moved so fast the camera struggled to keep up.
Blonde hair flashed across Hitsugaya's vision before he could react.A massive golden slash filled his view in an instant.
"Crap—"
Too late.
The golden wave tore through the air, descending from above and slamming into Hitsugaya.
Clang!
Even bracing Hyōten Hyakkasō across his body wasn't enough.
The difference in spiritual pressure and the downward momentum smashed him straight into the ground.
"Ugh—!"
Hitsugaya let out a pained grunt as he was sent flying, plowing through a dozen buildings and carving a long, black trench across the ground before crashing into a pile of rubble.
Watching this, Aizen finally relaxed.
He nodded with satisfaction.
"Gin, looks like you were overthinking it."
"The Espada finally managed to save face for once."
"..."
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