"Is that your last will?"
"What a pity."
Facing dozens of Adjuchas charging their Cero toward him, Yekawa showed no panic beneath his mask. He remained seated calmly upon the throne.
Then, he snapped his fingers lightly.
Clatter!
In an instant, eighty-one dark golden lightning pillars erupted from the main hall of Las Noches, rising toward the sky and surrounding the gathered Adjuchas.
A vast sea of lightning spread outward from the center of the hall, covering everything in its path.
Rumble!
The Hollows who had already condensed their Cero were violently disrupted by the lightning.
The bullfrog-like Hollow, which had begun charging first, suffered the worst fate. Its body exploded under the violent current, and its own Cero detonated inside its mouth.
"Ah!"
"Roar!"
Screams and howls echoed endlessly.
At this moment, Yekawa spread his arms like an artist admiring his masterpiece, quietly savoring the wails of the dying Hollows.
"Lightning Sea Domain."
With his declaration, the lightning surged again, growing even more violent.
Rumble!
Explosions followed one after another.
The massive stone structure of Las Noches collapsed under the bombardment, turning into endless ruins. Even the two enormous pillars closest to the throne were severely damaged.
Only the area surrounding Yekawa remained relatively intact.
This was a formation he had prepared in advance.
Lightning Sea Domain was currently his strongest wide-range killing technique.
Its only drawback was that it required prior deployment. Eighty-one lightning seeds had to be buried beforehand to form the domain.
Originally, Yekawa had planned to infiltrate quietly using Camo and hunt the Hollows one by one.
However, after learning that Aizen was approaching Hueco Mundo, he had no choice but to gamble.
He had to wipe them out in one stroke.
He had to advance as soon as possible.
Clearly, his gamble succeeded.
"Now."
Sensing the rapid dissipation of life force within the domain, Yekawa acted immediately.
"Soul Eater!"
A massive dark golden vortex formed behind him, spinning violently as it devoured the spiritual particles pouring from the battlefield.
"Ah… so exhilarating."
As dozens of Adjuchas perished within the lightning sea, enormous amounts of spiritual power surged into Yekawa's body.
That long-lost sensation of evolution returned.
"More… I need more."
The vortex expanded again, absorbing even more ferociously.
Soon, nearly all the Adjuchas within the domain had been reduced to broken corpses, waiting to be devoured.
Only one remained.
The bullfrog-like Hollow still struggled.
Each time its body was destroyed, it shed the damaged flesh and regenerated anew.
But with every regeneration, its size shrank further.
"I didn't expect you to have Speed Regeneration as well. Too bad. It won't save you."
One by one, the remaining Hollows vanished.
At last, only the bullfrog-like Adjuchas remained, now less than half its original size.
"Emperor Baraggan… will avenge us…"
It struggled to speak within the lightning.
"Just the barking of a defeated dog."
Yekawa remained unmoved.
Once he advanced, Baraggan would no longer be a threat.
Besides, Baraggan was already destined to be Aizen's prey.
A clay Buddha crossing a river could hardly protect itself.
Finally, a thick lightning arc struck the bullfrog Hollow's head.
This time, regeneration failed.
Its charred body collapsed.
It dissolved into pure spiritual particles and was absorbed completely.
With dozens of Adjuchas devoured, Yekawa felt an overwhelming fullness.
He knew.
Evolution had begun.
He dispelled the Lightning Sea Domain.
Then, he roared.
His spiritual pressure surged explosively.
A dark golden pillar of power erupted from the throne of Las Noches and pierced the heavens.
Within the pillar, Yekawa felt his body collapse, rebuild, and transform.
His life form was ascending.
…
Southern outskirts of Las Noches.
Upon a hill, Baraggan Louisenbairn sat upon his white bone throne.
His skeletal hand supported his jaw as he gazed downward indifferently.
Around him gathered numerous Adjuchas.
Below, a humanoid Hollow covered in white keratin looked up calmly.
She had short golden hair, a feminine figure, a massive bone sword fused to her right arm, and a shark-like tail.
Behind her stood a white serpent Hollow, a golden lion Hollow, and a deer Hollow.
She spoke coldly.
"You've come again. What for?"
Baraggan replied lazily.
"How many times must I repeat it, Halibel? I won't allow anyone to cause trouble under my rule."
"I still cannot bring myself to kill you."
"So I offer you two paths."
"The first. Submit to me."
"The second. Disappear."
"My eyes cover all of Hueco Mundo. Where could you possibly flee? Hahahahaha!"
He laughed loudly.
The Adjuchas beside him followed suit.
Their eyes brimmed with mockery.
Suddenly, a gray-black Adjuchas with jagged teeth and fin-shaped arms leapt forward.
It slapped Halibel's shoulder contemptuously.
"Halibel, you're smart. You know there's only one choice."
Before it finished, Halibel swung her bone sword.
Slash!
The Adjuchas's head split open.
"Ah!"
It collapsed screaming.
Baraggan snorted coldly.
"Hmph. You dare injure my subordinate before me. You'd best not regret it."
Yet he did not pursue the matter.
He allowed them to leave.
A strange gleam flickered within his empty eye sockets.
Hidden calculations stirred.
Unnoticed by either side, three figures wearing Captain's haori stood upon a distant hill.
Silently observing everything.