Upon seeing this figure, Aizen's expression grew considerably more solemn. Compared to their last encounter in Hueco Mundo, the opponent's spiritual pressure seemed to have increased significantly once again.
"A Soul Reaper?"
Arturo Plateado tilted his head, looking with some confusion at the two youths who seemed so out of place in the environment of Hueco Mundo.
Naraku Sora ignored him. His attention was currently entirely fixed on his 'Justice' panel. Just moments ago, when that elbow strike had finished off the hyena-like Adjuchas, the long-awaited rewards had appeared once again.
[Successfully suppressed and killed a Sinful Hollow (Adjuchas). Sin Value: 2042. Participation: 70%!]
[Your Spiritual Pressure has increased!]
[Your comprehension of Hakuda has increased; you have perfectly mastered Sōkotsu!]
[Your Hollow Power has increased. Current progress: 25%!]
A searing heat erupted from the depths of his soul. His surging spiritual pressure crashed against his physical frame like grinding iron, and a scorching wind seemed to rise from nowhere. Suddenly, the fine white sand beneath his feet began to char and blacken.
Beside him, Aizen, who had just arrived via Shunpo, saw this and couldn't help but twitch his eye. For a moment, he found it difficult to comprehend the speed of Naraku Sora's progress. Back at the Academy, the boy had merely been a standout student—certainly a cut above the rest, but still within the realm of logic.
Yet how long had it been since graduation? Not only had his Spiritual Power leapt from the twelfth rank to the fourth, but his combat prowess had kept pace. A typical fourth-rank Soul Reaper couldn't slaughter an Adjuchas as easily as one would a chicken. This guy hadn't even used any special abilities; relying solely on a physical body comparable to a Great Hollow, he had forcibly crushed a fleeing Adjuchas.
What was even more exaggerated was that his spiritual pressure had just ticked up another notch. He was clearly closing in on the third rank.
'Is this guy some secret love child of the Soul King?' Aizen wondered.
Aizen was well aware of his own talent. In the field of spiritual pressure cultivation, it was hard to find anyone in the history of the Soul Society who could stand beside him. But compared to this guy, even Aizen felt a bit of a sting in his heart.
Beyond the spiritual pressure, Naraku Sora's aura seemed even more feral than before. In the Soul Society, such an aura might have seemed out of place, but in a world of survival of the fittest like Hueco Mundo, it felt perfectly harmonious and rational.
Even Arturo Plateado across from them was looking at Naraku with shock and suspicion, as if the person standing before him wasn't a Soul Reaper at all, but a fellow Hollow wearing a Soul Reaper's skin.
"An Arrancar?"
Judging by appearance and spiritual pressure, the youth radiating that scorching aura fit the description of the Soul Reaper race perfectly. So why did he give off the illusion of being a Great Hollow? Even Szayelaporro, who had just died at Arturo's hands, didn't feel as pure as the guy in front of him.
'A mutant of the Soul Reapers?'
Arturo suddenly felt a surge of interest. "An anomalous existence I've never seen before... you possess the scents of both a Soul Reaper and a Hollow, and the two are perfectly fused. I find you very interesting. Tell me your name, boy. I, Arturo, shall permit your'—submission!"
"Submission? What the hell are you—talking about!"
Saint Letter D activated. Naraku Sora grinned savagely, a wisp of vapor escaping from between his teeth. The spiritual pressure hidden deep within erupted in layers, and a scorching aura enveloped his entire body. His momentum reached a peak of sheer brutality.
"Arturo, the only reason we came here was to beat you until you're on your knees!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a terrifying temperature radiated from Naraku's frame, followed immediately by a crimson red symbolizing intense heat. His heart drummed like a war horn, and his blood surged like a tidal wave, fueling every inch of his limbs with raw power in the most violent manner possible.
"Ten trillion eons—Vajrayati!"
In that instant, the savage grin closed the distance. The boiling heat reminded Arturo of something deeply unpleasant.
Step, strike.
The golden lightning of Raikōhō converged upon the blade, causing the sea of sand in Hueco Mundo to tremble and surge like a tide. The perfect fusion of Zanjutsu and Kido caused the power of both to multiply several times over. As the blade fell, golden electric arcs bloomed wildly. The burning lightning condensed into a blinding pillar of light, instantly swallowing Arturo.
Boom!
The blades clashed.
The thin clouds in the sky were blown apart, and the silver sand on the earth shuddered. Everything in the vicinity responded with a roar as a violent shockwave radiated in all directions. Feeling the terrifying strength transmitted through the blade, Arturo's face showed a hint of bewilderment.
'What's going on?! Even a Great Hollow with the same level of spiritual pressure shouldn't possess this kind of strength!'
In that split second of shock, Naraku Sora slammed his Zanpakutō down and stepped forward.
Left hook. Sōkotsu!
Boom!
The attack hit nothing. The previously suppressed Arturo had vanished abruptly. A force that shook the earth exploded across the desert, blowing away layer after layer of white sand, sending it into the sky like waves. Looking at the massive crater punched into the ground, Arturo's eye twitched.
He remembered now. This brat's fighting style was identical to that of Yamamoto Genryūsai, the man who had sealed him before. It was like they were carved from the same mold. On the surface, the spiritual pressure seemed manageable, but the actual combat was fierce and brutal. The outward expression of power and the actual destructive capability were completely mismatched; only by experiencing it firsthand could one feel the true horror of it.
If the boy's spiritual pressure were just a bit stronger, Arturo might have actually slipped up and been floored by that punch. Just like Yamamoto, it simply didn't make any sense.
Naraku Sora stared at him with suspicion. "Are you hacking?"
"?" Arturo's face wore a strange expression, clearly not understanding what the boy was saying.
Naraku Sora took a deep breath, further increasing his wariness of the Arrancar before him. He shouldn't have trusted the treacherous Aizen's words about Arturo being sealed by Old Man Yama two thousand years ago or his strength being diminished by the passage of time. His earlier left-hook Sōkotsu was a fully prepared move, specifically timed for when the opponent was suppressed. Yet, it had been dodged with ease. A strike he was certain would land had proven useless.
'If that's not hacking, what is?'
At this thought, Naraku gripped his Zanpakutō tightly. Since Hakuda wasn't landing, he would use Zanjutsu to break the deadlock and create an opening.
However, Arturo moved faster. Once the enemy proved to be a genuine threat, any thought of recruitment vanished, replaced by a killing intent so thick it was almost tangible. An anomaly like this would surely have delicious spiritual pressure. If he devoured this guy, he could likely compensate for the damage to his soul.
With the hum of Sonído, Arturo vanished from his spot without warning. Even Naraku Sora, who had been monitoring his spiritual pressure fluctuations, failed to spot him. As a result, when the blade shimmering with silver-white light appeared, he was unable to react in time.
Rip—!
With a sound like tearing silk, the Shihakushō—which possessed defensive capabilities comparable to a spiritual pressure shield—was suddenly shredded. A wound opened from his left shoulder all the way down to his abdomen. Flesh split open, and crimson blood sprayed out. Immediately following was an uncontrollable surge of agony reaching deep into his nerves.
The next moment, under Arturo's disbelieving gaze, black spiritual pressure began to seep from the gash in Naraku's chest, weaving through the air like needle and thread. The hideous rift healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Naraku raised his head, and at some point, a fragment of bone had appeared on the youth's forehead. It looked remarkably similar to the fin-shaped mask on Arturo's own cheek.
'What is this?! An Arrancar hiding among the Soul Reapers?'
In Arturo's understanding, the concept of a Visored didn't exist. By any metric, Naraku's current state looked exactly like a Great Hollow that had undergone natural Arrancarization.
As he stood dazed, a brutal smile suddenly leaned in close. The Zanpakutō, wreathed in spiritual pressure, was raised high and slashed straight down. If Hakuda wasn't fast enough, he would use swordplay. The ultimate Zanjutsu could also annihilate the enemy.
"Ghost Swordsmanship: Sōren Sōkatsui!"
Blue explosive flames roared to life, turning into a scorching pillar of fire that dispelled all the darkness on the battlefield. The violent high temperature spread in all directions with reckless abandon. Even Arturo felt the unbearable heat.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal echoed across the wasteland as a hurricane-like explosion erupted! A pillar of light, so bright it was hard to look at, shot into the sky. The perfect fusion of Zanjutsu and Kido was unleashed upon the silver sea of sand. Instantly, the dense, scorching flames swallowed Arturo. His previously indestructible spiritual pressure defense began to peel away bit by bit, like snow under a blazing sun.
The stinging pain of the burn finally reached Arturo's flesh. Despite his powerful Hierro, this long-forgotten pain finally enraged the former King of Hueco Mundo. A massive amount of Reishi gathered, and the atmosphere suddenly became thick and greasy. A staggering pressure fell, making it feel as if they were deep beneath the ocean. Crimson radiance converged, instantly forming a sphere.
The next moment, a Cero erupted at the point where they clashed. The terrifying impact pierced through the sky, creating the most spectacular sight in Hueco Mundo. The violent aftershocks blew apart the sea of sand within their vision, and countless plumes of smoke and dust filled the air. A grey-white hurricane connected the desert to the sky, its howling reaching the horizon. Visible waves of crimson spiritual pressure radiated outward in all directions.
When the dust settled, a massive crater appeared in the desert. The sand seemed to have vanished into thin air, erased by the full-power Cero. Two charred figures stood in the pit, staring at each other. Almost simultaneously, High-Speed Regeneration activated. New flesh and skin grew beneath the charred layers, and the wounds healed at a visible rate.
However, as a naturally evolved Vasto Lorde Arrancar, Arturo's core ability upon breaking his mask was High-Speed Regeneration; thus, his recovery speed far exceeded Naraku Sora's. Before Naraku had even recovered halfway, Arturo was left with only a bit of charred skin.
"I don't know what kind of species you are, but this is the end."
Hearing the voice from in front of him, Naraku Sora opened his eyes. The dead skin on his face fell away in flakes, looking incredibly gruesome. The silver blade was raised. Facing an apparently certain death, Naraku didn't panic at all. Instead, he grinned. "Why don't you look behind you?"
"A clumsy trick." Arturo's gaze was icy. He didn't care about Aizen behind him at all. One monster like the brat in front of him was already ridiculous enough. No matter how strong the other Soul Reaper kid was, could he possibly be more exaggerated than this guy?
"Hado #90... Kurohitsugi."
The soft chanting of the Kido incantation caused a sense of foreboding to rise in Arturo's heart. Before he could turn around, a profound darkness rose from the ground. An endless torrent of spiritual pressure fell, and pitch-black Reishi condensed into solid iron walls, boxing him in from all sides. Dark patterns appeared on the black coffin, twisting everything around it.
"The crest of turbidness, seeping out. An insolent vessel of madness."
"Boiling, denying, numbing, flickering, obstructing sleep."
After completing the initial containment, the poetic Kido incantation continued.
"The crawling iron princess. The ever-self-mutilating mud doll."
"Unite, repulse, extend forth upon the earth and know your own powerlessness!"
Incantation post-script. Aizen remained expressionless, staring at the black coffin ahead. He had poured almost all of his spiritual pressure into it. Countless blades erupted violently inside the coffin, followed by Arturo's roar of mixed pain and rage.
The next moment, cracks appeared on the surface of the Black Coffin, and a pillar of white-hot spiritual pressure shot into the sky.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of shattering iron walls rang out as countless black fragments exploded in all directions. A scent of blood, too thick to disperse, filled the air. A battered and exhausted figure was revealed to the two of them. Smoldering with arrogant fury, Arturo, unable to accept defeat, had an expression that was dark to the extreme.
He had thought Naraku Sora was the difficult one; he hadn't expected the guy who had been watching from the sidelines to be the truly troublesome one. A fully incanted Black Coffin possessed power that was not at all inferior to the sword of pure destruction from two thousand years ago. A savage aura spread as Arturo's mangled, open wounds healed at extreme speed.
The High-Speed Regeneration returned Arturo to his normal state in an instant, but his diminished spiritual pressure betrayed his current weakness.
"It's a bit forced, but even if it overloads my soul, I will kill you both." Arturo said. "Experience true power."
Under their puzzled gazes, Arturo flipped his wrist, pointing the tip of his blade downward. "Awaken—Unfading King!"
A massive spiritual pressure began to wake. The silver sea of sand trembled violently, and heavy dark clouds gathered above the sky. Rain made of Reishi poured down like a tide. The vast spiritual pressure turned into ripples, spreading endlessly through the storm.
When the pillar of light faded, a new Arturo appeared in their sight. The mask on his cheek had vanished, replaced by hideous horns resembling a crown. Crimson wings sprouted from his back, and a heart-stopping pressure swept over them.
However, the expected look of fear never appeared. Aizen stared intently at the released Arturo, a glint of uncontrollable fanaticism flashing in his eyes.
'A power similar to a Soul Reaper's Bankai? So, a Great Hollow Arrancar has already broken the boundary between the souls of Soul Reapers and Hollows!'
'Isn't this exactly what I've been researching all this time?!'
"Sora, we absolutely cannot let this guy get away!"
As soon as he spoke, Aizen actually took the lead and charged toward Arturo.