Reiatsu surged into the sky, distorting space and forming a faint black ripple.
"Ugh…!"
Neliel Tu Odelschwanck—still not fully recovered from her fragmented state—was the first to feel the crushing weight of the spiritual pressure. Her weakened body trembled; the sheer intensity seemed to press against her wounds like a physical blade.
But in the next instant, a warm hand rested gently on her shoulder.
A different kind of Reiatsu—one not suffocating, but steady and resolute, like sunlight breaking through winter frost—wrapped around her protectively before surging outward, clashing violently against Baraggan Louisenbairn's oppressive presence.
"You… you're not even worthy to stand before me," came a cold voice.
The words struck like ice, and a ripple of fury passed through the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo.
"Arrogant… unbelievably arrogant!" Baraggan's voice rumbled like crumbling stone. "Know this—no Shinigami, not even a Gotei 13 captain, is more than an insect before my might!"
Yet as he spoke, Akira's Reiatsu erupted like a tidal wave, crashing against Baraggan's own with such force that the ancient Espada let out an involuntary groan.
Baraggan's expression twisted—half in disbelief, half in wounded pride.
"This Reiatsu… Impossible!" He narrowed his eyes at Akira. Reluctantly, he acknowledged it: the Shinigami's spiritual pressure was not beneath his own.
"So… that's how you eliminated Charlotte and the others." His tone darkened. "I admit—your power exceeds that of an ordinary captain. But you—merely a third seat of the Gotei 13—dare to challenge me? That alone is a sin that cannot be forgiven."
His pride burned. Could he allow it to be known that a mere seated officer matched his strength? No—only Akira's blood would cleanse this stain.
Neliel sensed his murderous intent and tensed—but before she could move, a thin beam of crimson light shot past her.
"Cero."
Ulquiorra Cifer had acted without hesitation, his instincts precise as ever. The blast struck Baraggan square in the chest—
—only to dissolve against a wall of swirling Reiatsu. The Segunda Espada hadn't moved; he'd neutralized it with sheer pressure. His face remained impassive, but his voice dropped to a lethal whisper.
"Interesting. But you two—Menos-class hollows turned traitors—are guilty of the same insolence. Allow me to show you what a true Cero looks like."
Above them, the sky split open. A thick, blinding beam of crimson energy descended like divine judgment.
This time, Neliel reacted instantly. She leapt in front of Akira and opened her mouth wide.
"Cero Doble!"
She absorbed Baraggan's Cero, fused it with her own emerald energy, and redirected it back with amplified force.
Baraggan didn't dodge. He simply tilted his head—watching as the blast carved a crater into the desert behind him.
"Oh?" A flicker of genuine curiosity lit his eyes. He studied Neliel, then Ulquiorra. "That exchange… I see now."
He exhaled slowly, his voice losing some of its rage. "I don't know why you stand beside a Shinigami… but your Reiatsu—yours especially, Neliel—bears the mark of near-perfect evolution. You're half a step from Vasto Lorde."
There was something almost… calculating in his tone. With Charlotte and the others gone, fresh strength might yet serve his reign.
"So, why not serve me?" he offered. "I am feeling generous—I will spare your lives. But that Shinigami…" His gaze flicked back to Akira, dark and resolute. "He must die."
"You're dreaming!" Neliel snapped. "If I follow anyone, it'll be Akira!"
Baraggan's face darkened.
"Then I will eliminate this nuisance first. Once he's gone, you'll have no choice but to submit."
"Hah."
Akira let out a short, amused laugh. "If you think you can take me, have you asked the sword in my hand?"
A deep hum resonated through the air. Thousands of shimmering light particles coalesced around his blade—Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory.
Baraggan narrowed his eyes. "No Bankai… yet this reiatsu rivals that of a captain-class Shinigami. What manner of Zanpakutō is this?"
Sensing the mounting pressure, Baraggan wasted no time. Rather than wait, he vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Akira, his scythe already descending.
Akira's pupils contracted. His technique wasn't fully charged—but he had no time to hesitate.
With a swift backhand, he swung Excalibur.
Shhhk!
A blinding rift tore through the desert sky, sand erupting into a storm of glass.
Baraggan leapt back, landing several meters away. His expression remained stoic, but for the first time, a flicker of caution crossed his features.
"This power… it defies the natural order of reiatsu itself."
Akira knew better than to believe he'd gained the upper hand. As Baraggan drew near, time itself seemed to thicken—the air grew heavy, sluggish. Senescencia. Even without his Arrancar form, Baraggan's innate ability to accelerate decay was already warping the battlefield.
"He hasn't undergone Arrancarization yet… but his power already approaches that of a Resurrección?" Akira thought grimly. Baraggan's speed surpassed even Soi Fon's Shunpo—his movements were nearly imperceptible.
Undeniably, this was the strongest foe he'd faced in Hueco Mundo.
"If he sees Excalibur as a threat, he won't let me complete its release. At that speed, even uttering my Zanpakutō's true name could be fatal."
Akira's mind raced. He needed a new approach.
At that moment, Ulquiorra and Neliel—having recovered their footing—launched a coordinated assault. The desert trembled under their combined force. Though both were still Adjuchas-level Hollows, their power far exceeded their class. Against a Vasto Lorde, the odds were dire—but not zero.
Yet Baraggan was no ordinary Vasto Lorde. He was the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo, a being of such dominance that even other Vasto Lordes knelt before him.
With chilling ease, he deflected Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras and shattered Neliel's horn-enhanced strike, his decay aura reducing their attacks to dust mid-swing.
Boom! Boom! The dunes collapsed under the strain of clashing reiatsu.
Watching his allies falter, Akira remained calm.
"Fortunately, Excalibur isn't my only option… at least, not for long."
He'd already survived six Adjuchas-class Hollows today. Now, facing the apex predator of Hueco Mundo, survival seemed impossible.
But Akira had one advantage: patience.
His Survival Reward—a mysterious boon earned through battle—was due to manifest.
And when it did, he was certain: the tide would turn.
With that resolve, he charged forward.
Thus began a battle unlike any Hueco Mundo had ever seen.