With Yamamoto and Shiroha around, how could they lose?
"Well, it seems we can only make a quick decision." Despite his words, Starrk's attacks remained unhurried. His movents were graceful but lacked the killing intent that defined true warriors.
It would be more accurate to say he wasn't suited for combat rather than lacking fighting intent. So the two continued their drawn-out exchange.
The other Arrancars followed a similar pattern. Although the Espada held the advantage, they couldn't transform that edge into victory. On one hand, the shadow of Shiroha affected their morale, making them hesitate during attacks; on the other, compared to the Arrancar who relied primarily on innate talents and physical abilities, the Shinigami possessed a complete power system and stronger fighting spirit.
After all, the Espada only went to war with the Shinigami because of Aizen's orders. If they lost, the worst consequence would be retreating to Hueco Mundo. If the Shinigami lost, everything would be over.
Watching this scene, Aizen frowned slightly. This wasn't what he had anticipated. Had these Arrancar beco frightened after encountering Shiroha? How useless.
anwhile, in Hueco Mundo!
The wounded Yammy continued fighting ferociously. The injuries from his opponents' zanpakutō couldn't imdiately bring him down. He grew braver and stronger as the battle progressed.
After releasing his Resurrección, he displayed amazing recovery and defensive capabilities, and his attack power increased exponentially. Against an ordinary captain, he could have easily crushed them with his strength.
Unfortunately for Yammy, he faced the elite among Shinigami captains, Byakuya Kuchiki, and the monster among captains, Kenpachi Zaraki. Despite his valiant performance, it was futile.
If Byakuya and Kenpachi had any concept of cooperation rather than simply targeting him individually, Yammy would have fallen long ago. With his current injuries, he could barely hold on—his defeat was rely a matter of ti.
The only complication was that Kenpachi had been severely injured previously. Although his wounds had mostly recovered, he had lost considerable physical strength and Reiatsu. Moreover, his healing remained incomplete. After this battle, he wouldn't be able to fight again.
Chad, Uryū, and Rukia found themselves in a similar situation. With their abilities, handling the lower-ranked Arrancar wasn't difficult. The challenge was preserving their strength, and they needed ti to recover. Consequently, they could only watch as Ichigo continued fighting.
At the sa ti, in a secluded room within Las Noches, Aizen's subordinate Loly shivered and complained:
"That damned bitch is still alive. If it weren't for that Reiatsu, I would have sent her to hell! Damn it!" Her voice trembled with rage and fear, her thin fingers digging into her palms.
As a female Arrancar, she typified a bully who targeted only the weak and cowered before the strong. The more submissive others behaved, the more aggressive she beca—and conversely, the more powerful others appeared, the more submissive she beca. Victims like Orihi were born to be tornted by her.
Yet sohow, Orihi had maintained a dignified composure and even earned Lord Aizen's appreciation. Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!
Loly vowed to make her pay the price. She couldn't tolerate being defied by soone she considered beneath her, even if that person had saved her life.
However, despite her burning desire to confront Orihi and reassert her dominance, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her legs refused to move.
The Reiatsu she had felt earlier was terrifying—as if it had split the heavens and threatened to collapse Hueco Mundo itself. Facing such overwhelming spiritual pressure, she'd been rendered as helpless as a puddle of mud. Even now, Loly couldn't escape the nightmare-like sensation.
"I don't want to provoke the Shinigami anymore," noly beside her whispered, trembling. Her normally confident posture was gone, replaced by hunched shoulders and wide, frightened eyes.
In truth, after witnessing Orihi's abilities firsthand and being rescued by her, noly had lost her desire to antagonize the human girl. More importantly, the spiritual attack they'd experienced was too frightening.
Having lived in Hueco Mundo for a long ti, noly was accustod to the law of the jungle and had encountered genuinely powerful beings. The Arrancar were evil spirits that had crawled from the depths of Hell itself.
But the will contained in that Reiatsu had been more terrifying than anything she'd witnessed—even more horrifying than the hell she'd personally experienced. This ti, she was genuinely frightened, her forr arrogance completely shattered.
The older noly was actually more timid than the younger Loly. With just one burst of Reiatsu, their opponent had summoned the presence of Shiroha...
In the original tiline, the two would have taken advantage of Ichigo's distraction to capture Orihi, only to be brutalized by the volatile Yammy. Now, though they remained loyal to Aizen, they dared not leave their hiding place.
The dominance of the strong over the weak was absolute.
In the fifth tower of Las Noches, Ulquiorra and Ichigo engaged in battle. Ichigo wielded Tensa Zangetsu against his opponent, the black blade gleaming with condensed power.
This ti, he wrapped Getsuga Tenshō around his blade to enhance his striking power. Though this sacrificed the advantage of long-range attacks, it ensured he wouldn't be at an imdiate disadvantage. However, without activating his Hollowification, he couldn't utilize the black Getsuga, limiting his offensive capability.
Consequently, after several exchanges, Ulquiorra's erald Reiatsu gained the upper hand. In the next mont, he appeared behind Ichigo and launched a surprise attack.
Before the strike could land, a protective barrier from Orihi's Shun Shun Rikka blocked the inevitable sword. The golden shield humd with energy, standing firm against Ulquiorra's attack.
During this journey to Hueco Mundo, Orihi had endured nurous struggles. But ultimately, she had grown stronger. Now she could better protect her friends.
Looking at the golden barrier before him, Ulquiorra's erald cat-like pupils contracted slightly, revealing a cold light. He turned to Orihi and asked, "Why?"
This woman hadn't taken the opportunity to escape, but instead dared to interfere in their duel. She truly didn't comprehend the concept of self-preservation.
Moreover, couldn't she recognize the obvious disparity in strength? Orihi's intervention had no aning beyond sacrificing her life needlessly. Since everyone would eventually return to death and nothingness, why make such futile struggles?
He couldn't understand it at all.
"What do you an, 'why'? We're friends, so..." Orihi responded, confused by his question. Her gray eyes were determined despite the fear she must have felt.
Ulquiorra replied disdainfully, "Friends? Then why didn't you save him earlier? And what's the purpose of saving him once? Can you continue saving him forever? Why do you persist with such aningless actions?"
The nihilist couldn't comprehend this human woman's reasoning. The tenacious resistance and mutual support between these two humans had begun to challenge his entire worldview.
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