Slime Soul (Tensura x Bleach Crossover) (Patreon)

Chapter 30: The Number One War Potential

Hueco Mundo

The air remained tense for several moments as both sides silently analyzed one another.

Then Jerome finally lost his patience and moved.

“GRAAAH! Then die!”

Using Hirenkyaku—the Quincy equivalent of Shunpo or Sonido—Jerome shot forward and appeared in front of Tier almost instantly, bringing his massive fist down with enough force to crush her.

Tier didn’t flinch.

She didn’t even move.

Right before the attack could land—

Jerome was suddenly blasted sideways.

“Haah… could you calm down a little?” Starrk sighed as he appeared beside Tier, his discarded cloak fluttering behind him. “There’s no point rushing toward your death.”

Quilge glanced toward the flying Jerome before sneering faintly.

“That was foolish, Jerome. We stand before the former Primera and Tres Espada—Coyote Starrk and Tier Harribel. Crude attacks like that won’t work on opponents of this caliber.”

A second later, another roar echoed across the battlefield as Jerome crashed back beside Quilge, blood running down his forehead where Starrk had struck him.

“Tsk! Then I’ll just hit harder!” Jerome roared.

His body suddenly expanded in size, muscles bulging as he transformed into a gigantic ape-like form.

Then he roared.

The sheer force behind it created a violent shockwave that swept across the battlefield, kicking up sand and rattling the surrounding structures.

Tier and Starrk frowned slightly at the noise, but otherwise remained unmoved as their clothes ruffled.

Jerome’s eyes widened.

“You see?” Quilge said calmly, shaking his head. “These opponents require us to use our full strength.”

Jerome growled in annoyance but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Quilge calmly formed a sword from gathered Reishi.

“Seems we’re finally getting started,” Starrk muttered before glancing sideways at Tier. “Mind if I take the big one?”

“That’s fine,” Tier replied calmly. “But don’t waste time playing around. Kill him quickly. Afterward, watch over the two Arrancar we rescued.”

“…Fine,” Starrk sighed.

A burst of static rang out—

—and he vanished.

The next instant, Jerome was launched into the distance once more with Starrk already pursuing him.

Silence descended again as Tier and Quilge faced one another.

Quilge tilted his head slightly.

“Both of your spiritual powers are far beyond what our records described. You couldn’t have achieved this level of growth on your own.”

A small smirk appeared on his lips.

“Based on that… I can only conclude that the enigma known as Caius Aurelius is somehow responsible.”

Tier’s grip on her sword tightened slightly.

“An unknown being who appeared out of nowhere… yet stole the spotlight of the Winter War by devouring Sōsuke Aizen along with the Hōgyoku.”

His smirk widened further as he noticed her reaction.

“…You talk too much, Quincy,” Tier said coldly. “Prepare to die.”

A torrent of golden spiritual pressure exploded from her body, surging upward and piercing into the heavens.

“Kuhuhuhu… so I am right,” Quilge laughed softly. “In that case, I must do my utmost to capture you alive. His Majesty would be very interested in anything related to the Number One War Potential.”

As he spoke, Quilge removed his right glove.

The moment it came off—

A massive pillar of blue spiritual pressure erupted around him, matching Tier’s own in scale. A glowing Quincy cross formed within the energy.

When the light faded, Quilge’s appearance had completely changed.

Two enormous wings made of blue Reishi extended from his back, while a halo floated above his head.

He resembled the biblical image of an angel.

“Quincy: Vollständig,” Quilge muttered as he looked toward Tier with a smirk. “Well? Are you not going to release your sword, Arrancar?”

“There’s no need,” Tier replied calmly as her hollowed broadsword began glowing with a golden light.

“And I already told you to stop calling me an Arrancar, Quincy. I’m a Death Paladin now.”

“Death Paladin, you say?” Quilge chuckled softly. “Very well. If that is what you wish to call yourself, then this battle won’t take long.”

He shook his head almost pityingly before the halo above him suddenly began shining brighter.

“Sklaverei.”

The moment he activated it, the surrounding Reishi began violently tearing apart and flowing into him. His wings expanded, growing larger and brighter as he absorbed the surrounding spiritual particles.

“A dangerous technique,” Tier acknowledged calmly, “but unfortunately for you… you already walked into my trap.”

If one looked closely, a faint shimmering barrier could briefly be seen surrounding her body protecting her from the technique before disappearing again.

“Abyssal Tide.”

The moment those words left her lips, Tier snapped her fingers.

A massive torrent of water instantly materialized around Quilge before rapidly compressing into a gigantic sphere that trapped him inside.

Quilge’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Don’t bother trying to absorb it,” Tier explained coldly as she watched him attempt exactly that. “That’s water made out of my magicules, not Reishi.”

The sphere rapidly filled completely.

“Now then… let’s see if your body can withstand the pressure before you run out of oxygen.”

Tier focused.

The water condensed.

In an instant, the pressure inside the sphere increased to a terrifying degree, akin to being crushed beneath fifty thousand meters of ocean pressure, if such depths even existed.

Quilge’s body immediately began to fail.

Despite the glowing blue lines running across his skin, blood started pouring from his mouth, nose, and eyes as the pressure crushed him from every direction.

Even trying to absorb Reishi from outside the prison accomplished little when his body itself was being torn apart. In fact it only prolonged his suffering since he was in a constant state of destruction and regeneration.

During her travels with Caius, Tier had acquired two Extra Skills that made this technique possible.

The first was Water Manipulation, which came naturally to her due to her affinity and natural abilities.

The second—

Gravity Manipulation.

A gift from her master.

By combining those skills with Ranged Barrier, Tier had created what Caius referred to as an Art.

Abyssal Tide.

As she watched Quilge struggle weakly inside the crushing prison, his attempts at resistance growing more desperate by the second, Tier suddenly sensed another spiritual pressure vanish.

Moments later, Starrk appeared beside her looking utterly bored, not a single hair out of place.

“Glad to see you didn’t waste any time,” Tier said instead of greeting him.

Starrk sighed, hands still buried in his pockets.

“The enemy we’re facing this time isn’t one I can afford to underestimate,” he replied calmly. “I already learned that lesson once.”

His gaze drifted toward the swirling water prison where Quilge made one final desperate attempt to escape before finally going still.

“That new technique of yours—or Art, as Caius-sama calls it—is terrifying. I doubt any of our former comrades could survive something like that.”

“That’s only because they lack the resistances we gained after our evolution,” Tier replied calmly. “I still have a long way to go if I wish to be useful to Caius-sama in the future.”

After confirming Quilge was truly dead, Tier released her technique.

The massive sphere of water collapsed into the sands of Hueco Mundo, revealing Quilge Opie’s lifeless body now reverted back to his normal appearance.

“Aah… at least we can head home now,” Starrk muttered with visible relief as he and Tier turned toward the pair of rescued Arrancar, who were still staring at them in stunned disbelief.

“Yes,” Tier nodded softly. “I wonder if Caius-sama has already returned from his trip to Hell…”

Unfortunately—

That was when everything changed.

“It seems I made the correct decision in observing Quilge Opie’s battle. I learned something very interesting today.”

The unfamiliar male voice behind them caused both Tier and Starrk to freeze mid-step not having sensed the intruder.

Slowly turning around, both of them instinctively tightened their grip on their swords—

—and paled slightly.

Standing behind them was the last person they expected to encounter in Hueco Mundo.

A middle-aged man with long black hair, a thick mustache, and clothing almost entirely white save for the black cloak draped over his shoulders.

“…The King of the Quincy. Yhwach,” Tier muttered, a rare hint of tension entering her voice.

Starrk silently mirrored her movements, both of them immediately raising their guard.

Their eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

At the very least—

He appeared to be alone.

“Hoh. It seems you are well informed,” Yhwach stated calmly. “That saves me the trouble of introductions.”

He completely ignored Quilge’s corpse lying nearby, not showing any consideration for his subordinate.

“If you already know who I am, then I will keep this simple.”

Tier and Starrk remained silent, their spiritual pressure steadily rising in preparation for battle.

Taking their silence as permission to continue, Yhwach calmly spoke again, utterly unconcerned by their hostility.

“I dislike unnecessary violence,” he declared blankly. “Submit yourselves to me and join the Wandenreich in the coming war against our mutual enemy, the Shinigami.”

His reddish-brown eyes settled on them both.

“Choose wisely. I will offer this opportunity only once.”

“We refuse.”

The answer came instantly.

Both spoke at the same time as their spiritual pressure surged to its peak.

Yhwach frowned slightly at their immediate rejection before letting out what sounded almost like a disappointed sigh.

Then, without emotion, he formed a black-and-white sword from gathered Reishi.

“Why does everyone always choose violence?” he asked rhetorically.

Despite his words, his face remained completely expressionless.

“Very well. It seems I will have to kill you both.”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

“I cannot allow those who know too much about us to remain alive.”

=====

With Caius at the Same Time

Stepping out of the swirling portal and onto the soft, damp grass, I stretched my body while letting out a content sigh after returning from my journey through Hell.

“Hah… it feels good breathing fresh air again instead of whatever the hell was down there.” I muttered contentedly. “Not that I actually need to breathe anymore, but there’s just something about fresh air that never fails to relax me.”

“At least this trip wasn’t a complete dud like our visit to London,” I added as I slowly made my way toward our home.

Astra had clearly teleported us a bit away from the house on purpose so I could enjoy the walk.

“Indeed. This journey was very rewarding~” Astra replied smugly, making me grin since she didn’t deny my accusation.

“Well, I’m glad at least one of us had fun,” I chuckled. “Wuhuhu, that means our date is getting even closer now~”

“P-Please stop bringing that up already, Caius-sama!” Astra protested in embarrassment. “You’ve teased me enough these past few days!”

Despite her pout, the happiness in her voice was impossible to hide.

“All we need to do now is make sure Ichigo doesn’t slack off and handles the Fullbringers before Tsukishima gets a chance to target his family and then we're good to go.”

“F-Fine… but stop teasing me so much…” Astra muttered, still sounding flustered.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop for now,” I said with a grin.

Then my smile widened further as I both heard and sensed someone rapidly approaching.

Turning toward the house, I spotted a green blur sprinting straight toward me.

“Caaaaiusss~ You’re back!”

A moment later, Nelliel launched herself into my arms and clung to me like a limpet, both arms and legs wrapped around my body while burying her face into my neck.

“Hey, Nel~ Did you miss me?” I asked with a smile as I hugged her back.

Nelliel pulled back slightly before rapidly nodding her head.

“Of course I did, silly!” she laughed happily. “How was your trip? Did you accomplish what you wanted? And what does Hell even look like?”

She immediately started rambling questions one after another, forcing me to carry her since she clearly had no intention of letting go.

“It went well, actually,” I answered calmly as I continued walking toward the house. “And yes, I accomplished what I wanted. As for Hell… I’ll explain later once everyone is gathered. Showing you will probably work better than trying to describe it.”

As we stepped through the front door, I was just about to ask whether Tier and Starrk had returned—

When Astra suddenly spoke with unusual urgency.

“Caius-sama! Harribel and Starrk are in danger!” Astra exclaimed quickly. “They are currently fighting the Quincy King. I strongly advise heading to Hueco Mundo immediately.”

I froze.

My eyes widened slightly in shock.

Since I shared a Soul Corridor with both of them, Astra must have sensed their condition since she liked peeping on what the others were up to from time to time.

That realization alone might have saved their lives.

I would definitely need to reward her later.

‘Yhwach is already in Hueco Mundo!? Damn it… and here I thought things were going smoothly,’ I cursed internally under Thought Acceleration having experienced all of that in an instant.

A second later, I snapped out of it and quickly set Nelliel back onto the ground.

She blinked in confusion before noticing my serious expression and immediately frowned.

“What’s wrong, Caius?”

“No time to explain. Tier and Starrk are in danger,” I answered quickly.

The next instant, a portal opened beside us.

Without hesitation, I stepped through it.

‘Hang on, you two. I’m coming.’

=====

Hueco Mundo

Stepping out of the portal, I immediately spread my senses as far as possible before teleporting toward the location where I could feel Tier and Starrk fighting someone monstrously strong.

Their spiritual pressures were weak.

Especially Starrk’s.

Which only meant one thing. They were close to death.

That realization awakened a cold fury inside me unlike anything I had felt since Nnoitra nearly killed Nelliel.

Arriving at the battlefield, I instantly activated Thought Acceleration, accelerating my thoughts thousands of times over as I took in the scene before me.

Off to one side lay Tier and Starrk in horrific condition.

Tier was missing one arm along with a large section of her stomach, while Starrk was in even worse shape.

Everything below his stomach was gone.

The Primera looked like he was hanging onto life by a thread.

What confused me though was that both of them were still in their normal forms.

After evolving into a Death Paladin and Death Lord respectively through Monsterization, their old Resurrección forms had ceased to exist, their base forms inheriting that strength instead.

However—

They still possessed another transformation.

A far stronger one they had unlocked alongside Nelliel during our travels. A form many times beyond their original Resurrección.

So why hadn’t they used it?

Even if they still would have lost, they should have at least reduced the damage they suffered.

“It’s possible they avoided using that form because they didn’t want to reveal too much information to the Quincy King,” Astra suggested quietly.

‘Tsk… that does sound like them,’ I thought irritably, masking the worry rising within me. ‘Once this is over, both of them are getting a lecture about prioritizing their lives over hiding information.’

A short distance behind them stood two female Arrancar watching the battle with stunned expressions, but I ignored them for now.

My gaze finally shifted upward toward the Quincy King himself.

For the first time, I saw Yhwach in person.

He floated arrogantly in the air with one hand raised, calmly firing a barrage of massive Heilig Pfeil toward the injured pair below.

The bastard was trying to finish them off.

‘Time to see how strong this fucker really is while his eyes are still sealed,’ I thought coldly.

I released Thought Acceleration.

Then moved.

In the next instant, I appeared directly in front of the incoming storm of arrows and raised my hand.

Beelzebuth activated.

The barrage vanished effortlessly into the void of my devouring Ultimate skill.

I immediately felt Yhwach’s attention lock onto me.

Behind me, I heard both Tier and Starrk gasp weakly in surprise.

“Starrk. Tier. Glad I made it in time,” I said calmly without taking my eyes off the Quincy King. “Hang in there a little bit longer.”

“T-Thanks… boss…” Starrk muttered weakly, relief evident in his voice.

“C-Caius-sama… forgive us for inconveniencing you…” Tier said quietly, shame slipping into her tone.

“None of that,” I replied firmly. “Just stay still for now. I’ll heal you once I finish this.”

“Hoh…” Yhwach observed calmly from above. “You seem rather confident, Caius Aurelius.”

His gaze sharpened slightly as he studied me.

“But perhaps this is fortunate. Come under my command, Caius Aurelius. Soul Society already considers you their enemy.”

I immediately scoffed.

After nearly killing my subordinates, this bastard seriously thought I would join him?

“Fuck off,” I replied coldly as my aura began leaking out in waves, carefully shielding Tier and Starrk from its effects.

“Now prepare to die at my hands, Quincy.”

For the first time, I saw Yhwach’s eyes widen slightly.

Good.

Summoning my sword into my hand, I slowly raised it toward him.

‘I need to end this quickly,’ I thought seriously. ‘Starrk doesn’t have much time left… and I can’t unleash my full power without hurting the others.’