Bleach [110-111] (Patreon)

Chapter 110: Kyōraku Shunsui's Katen Kyōkotsu; The BOSS Returns

Baraggan did not stop Ise Nanao from escaping.

To him, a small fry like Ise Nanao wasn't worth the effort to chase and kill.

"Your subordinate will be killed by me."

Baraggan simply stated, "This is the gap between our forces—not just our individual strengths, but the strength of our subordinates as well."

"Nanao won't be killed that easily." Kyōraku Shunsui knew Baraggan had underlings, but they weren't far from the temporary base. As long as Nanao bought a little time, someone would naturally come to assist her.

In comparison, the battlefield here was far more terrifying.

This guy is strong!

Especially his unique power—the destructive force was utterly terrifying. If Nanao had stayed here, she'd probably be trapped on the outskirts and end up dead or severely injured!

Even he would have to use his true strength to deal with this guy.

"Aren't you going to make a move?"

Baraggan looked at the motionless Kyōraku Shunsui and said, "Or are you hesitating because you don't understand my power?"

"Not at all." Shunsui casually adjusted his hat brim and said lightly, "I was just thinking, if I don't move and you don't move, we can drag this out longer."

"Even though this is Hueco Mundo, dragging it out should be more advantageous for me, right?"

Indeed, although this was Hueco Mundo, it wasn't too far from the Shinigami's temporary base, and the abnormal reishi here would easily be detected by the captains at the temporary base.

In other words, if the battle continued, Kyōraku Shunsui's reinforcements would arrive soon!

A flash of cold indifference, even disdain, appeared in Baraggan's eyes as he condensed a purple death energy in his hand.

"If dragging it out can bring reinforcements... then I'll kill you first..."

"Then, I'll kill the Shinigami who come to support you. It's that simple."

At that moment, an extremely powerful reishi erupted from Baraggan's body, so strong that it made Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes widen involuntarily!

Boom!

With the massive explosion of reishi, Baraggan's body began to change.

He had previously looked like an old man, but now he transformed into a massive skeleton wearing a crown and black robes, somewhat resembling the mythical depiction of a Shinigami.

He pointed at Kyōraku Shunsui with his pale finger, completing his Resurrección.

"Arrogante."

"This... what is this?" Kyōraku Shunsui forced a smile. "Do you Arrancar have such killer moves?"

However, he received no answer—only Baraggan suddenly appearing behind him!

Baraggan reached out, seemingly trying to touch Kyōraku Shunsui's body.

With his power, a single light touch would cause Kyōraku Shunsui's body to fall into a state of decay.

But Kyōraku Shunsui's Shunpo proficiency was extremely high; before Baraggan could touch him, he vanished from his spot.

In an instant, he appeared in Baraggan's previous position.

It was as if the two had swapped places. Kyōraku Shunsui looked at the surprised Baraggan and said, "It seems your strength doesn't match your boasts, Arrancar."

"..." Baraggan fell silent, and upon hearing Kyōraku Shunsui's words, a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

He hated Shinigami, especially that look in their eyes! That look that didn't take him seriously at all!

"I see... Although you're just a Shinigami, your strength is indeed impressive."

Baraggan's killing intent surged, and in the next moment, a massive amount of death energy spread from his body.

"Respira."

That purple death energy caused everything around it to decay rapidly—even the reishi sand, which was made of reishi itself, seemed to rot quickly under this power!

So fast!

Kyōraku Shunsui watched the approaching death breath, feeling both surprised and relieved.

Thank goodness he was the one targeted; if it were another captain, they probably couldn't handle this Arrancar at all!

In terms of speed alone, there were probably very few in the entire Seireitei who could dodge this death energy!

And earlier, when he suddenly appeared, Kyōraku Shunsui even felt his body go numb, as if trapped in a special paralyzed state, making his reactions and speed extremely sluggish.

The opponent not only had extraordinary speed but could also slow him down—such an enemy... was truly terrifying for a Shinigami!

And now, the death energy spreading from Baraggan was abnormally terrifying, not only possessing powerful aging properties but also spreading at an incredible speed.

Facing such an enemy, getting close was probably impossible.

In this situation, skills like Sōgyo would likely be ineffective, as they required close-range attacks.

That left only Bankai. If he used Bankai, he should be able to defeat the opponent.

But the problem was, he was just an imaginary body; using Bankai would consume a massive amount of reishi, and without reishi replenishment, he would dissipate.

Not yet, not yet. His goal hadn't been achieved; he couldn't disappear yet!

Thinking this, Kyōraku, who was distancing himself from the death energy, suddenly stopped.

He turned, fiercely swinging his Zanpakutō toward the surging death energy.

This swing wasn't to dispel the death energy, but countless threads emitting white and pink light extended from the blade.

These threads instantly enveloped Baraggan at the center, forming a massive cage.

"Foolish, do you think a Shinigami's abilities won't decay?"

"I didn't expect that, Mr. Arrancar."

After Kyōraku Shunsui finished speaking, he continued, "Matter decays, but what about games that have been passed down?"

"Games?"

"Katen Kyōkotsu. You, as a Menos Grande, probably haven't played this game—it's a bit troublesome."

Shunsui stood outside the birdcage and suddenly transformed into thousands of figures, as if countless shadows split from his body, rotating around Baraggan.

"Only if both sides understand the rules can it be called a game, so in battle, you still have to explain your abilities to your opponent."

As Shunsui spoke, the shadows extending from him seemed to come alive, speaking along with him.

At this moment, it was as if twisted demons and monsters were whispering together: "The game rules are: One child plays the 'ghost,' blindfolded and singing, while others circle around him. After the song ends, everyone stops. If the 'ghost' can guess who's behind them, they win, and the guessed person becomes the 'ghost.'"

"Boring."

Baraggan manipulated the death energy toward the pink and white threads, but as the death energy approached, the woven Katen Kyōkotsu seemed to grow farther away, always maintaining a certain distance from Baraggan.

"Didn't I tell you? Only by completing the game can you escape the 'ghost' role and leave the cage!"

After saying that, Kyōraku Shunsui and the countless shadows sang together once more.

"Kagome, Kagome"

"Katen Kyōkotsu"

"When will you come out?"

"The night before dawn"

"The crane and turtle slip"

"Who's behind you?"

Baraggan was arrogant but not foolish. As the King of Hueco Mundo before Aizen's arrival—before Aizen broke their masks and granted them wisdom and power—he was actually an extremely rare Menos Grande with intelligence.

So, although he outwardly dismissed Kyōraku Shunsui's ability, after seeing that his death breath couldn't break through the Katen Kyōkotsu, he had firmly memorized Kyōraku Shunsui's words.

He knew that while this guy's ability looked scary, as long as he followed the game rules, it would be simple to counter.

So he had been listening to the shadows and Kyōraku Shunsui speak. Although they spoke simultaneously with nearly identical voices and rotated at incredible speed, Baraggan still accurately judged the lyrics sung behind him.

Next, he just needed to say, "Who's behind you?" to break the setup!

However, before he could finish, he heard Kyōraku Shunsui speak first.

"I'm sorry, you can't answer, can you?"

Pfft!

In the next instant, a blade pierced into Baraggan's body!

!

Even Baraggan's hollow eyes filled with shock. He immediately spread his death breath behind him, but that area already contained extremely powerful death energy. Before the new death breath could spread, the blade piercing his body turned to ash!

"..." Kyōraku Shunsui looked at the motionless Baraggan and slightly furrowed his brows. This guy's vitality is really tenacious. No, it's not just tenacity.

This guy's ability could even corrode a Kidō blade; the knife formed by the Katen Kyōkotsu had been corroded before fully piercing his body, so only a tiny portion of the power damaged this Arrancar.

Kyōraku Shunsui's ability was 'games,' and these games were 'unfair games.' As the ability's user, Kyōraku Shunsui naturally held the advantage.

First, he could explain the ability after using it, gaining a first-mover advantage.

Second, he could freely control the game's progression.

The game rules couldn't be changed, but the process could be manipulated.

In theory, when activating the Katen Kyōkotsu ability, he should give the central 'ghost' time to speak and guess who's behind them. However, Kyōraku Shunsui finished the song and, without waiting for Baraggan to speak, directly judged Baraggan as having failed because he didn't guess!

And the loser of the Katen Kyōkotsu game must accept the punishment for failure.

Different lyrics had different punishments. For example, the punishment for Kyōraku Shunsui's chosen "Who's behind you?" was a backstab on the ghost!

This also fit Kyōraku Shunsui's battle aesthetic. Rather than head-on clashes, he preferred stabbing in the back. Since they were on the battlefield, one shouldn't think of fair fights—ambushes, assassinations, and poisoning were the most efficient ways to kill!

But he had still underestimated Baraggan; this guy's ability was too much of a counter to him!

And now, Baraggan was thoroughly enraged. He hadn't expected that after personally taking action, not only could he not quickly defeat this Shinigami, but his own body had been injured by the Shinigami!

"You... ant!"

The long-forgotten pain made Baraggan furious: "I'll make you die in the most painful way!"

He extended his hand, and in the next moment, white bones extended from his palm, instantly forming a massive battle axe!

The moment the battle axe appeared, the surrounding death breath seemed to grow even denser, and even the nearby reishi became dim.

This guy is serious!

Kyōraku Shunsui knew his earlier attack had enraged this Arrancar, but...

He sensed Nanao's reishi and found that she seemed to be in battle as well.

But it was okay; besides Nanao, there were other lieutenant-level reishi present, so there shouldn't be a problem.

However, they weren't too far from this position now. With this Arrancar's speed, as long as he wasn't distracted, he could reach that battlefield quickly.

It seems...

He had no choice but to use Bankai...

Kyōraku Shunsui felt a bit regretful; he also wanted to take this opportunity to find Lisa.

Kyōraku Shunsui gripped his Zanpakutō tightly; he was already prepared to use Bankai.

However, at that moment, a Garganta appeared behind Baraggan.

The Garganta was like a monster's mouth, and from that deep darkness emerged an Arrancar Menos Grande.

Kyōraku Shunsui's expression turned completely serious because he had seen this Arrancar Menos Grande before.

When the second Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team returned, Shiba Isshin had described this Menos Grande; he was the first Arrancar they discovered in Hueco Mundo!

"Starrk, what are you doing here?"

That's right, the newcomer was Starrk. Seeing him arrive, Baraggan said coldly, "This one is my prey."

Starrk looked somewhat sleepy and said listlessly, "I'm not here to steal your prey; I'm here to save your life."

"What did you say?"

A dangerous aura emanated from Baraggan as he said coldly, "Who do you think you are?"

"Do they have some conflict?" Kyōraku Shunsui noticed the tense atmosphere between them and commented.

"Say whatever you want." Starrk glanced deeply at Kyōraku Shunsui and said, "Weren't you about to use Bankai earlier?"

"...Oh, you noticed." Kyōraku Shunsui placed his right hand on his straw hat and said lightly, "Can you tell me how you knew?"

"It'd be weird to tell you." Starrk said, "Our objective has been achieved; there's no need for you to use Bankai anymore."

"Let's go."

Finally, he said two words to Baraggan: "The boss is back; he already knows about your unauthorized actions."

With that, he ignored Baraggan's reaction and entered the Garganta, returning to Las Noches himself.

Chapter 111: The Leader of the Arrancar, the Shinigamification of Hollows

"Boss..."

Hearing the conversation between Starrk and Baraggan, Kyōraku Shunsui broke out in a cold sweat.

It would be great if such powerful Arrancar had companions, but they were talking about a "Boss"!

This changed everything!

These two Shinigami were already so powerful—who could the Boss be that made them submit?

Could there really be a level above Vasto Lorde?

Was that Boss Kisuke Urahara?

If not, what was their relationship?

Kyōraku Shunsui looked at Baraggan and asked softly, "Are you leaving?"

"Hmph, I'll spare your life this time. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky."

Baraggan snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Although he disliked Aizen, he was well aware that he was no match for Aizen right now.

Starrk said the Boss had come, which naturally meant Aizen had arrived. It wasn't yet time to challenge Aizen.

So Baraggan left.

Hearing Baraggan's tone, Kyōraku Shunsui became even more certain that the Boss's strength was enough to suppress Baraggan; otherwise, he wouldn't have left just like that.

In reality...

Their strengths weren't even on the same level!

With Baraggan's departure, the reishi of the Arrancar intercepting Nanao in the distance also vanished.

Shunsui hurried over and found that besides Nanao, several lieutenants were present.

The Ninth Division's lieutenant and the Eleventh Division's 3rd Seat and 5th Seat were there; their timely arrival had saved Nanao from being pursued.

"Captain!"

Seeing Shunsui arrive, Nanao said excitedly, "Has your battle ended too?"

Shunsui shook his head, then looked toward the base and said softly, "It seems the base isn't peaceful either. Let's hurry back."

Although he couldn't sense it, Shunsui detected that battles were occurring inside the base as well.

"Who's at the base right now?" He asked Hisagi Shūhei, the Ninth Division's lieutenant.

Shūhei quickly replied, "All the captains have gone out scouting; only Captain Kurotsuchi is there now."

Only Mayuri...

But Shunsui wasn't too worried about the base's safety, as he had long sensed Zaraki Kenpachi's reishi. As long as Mayuri Kurotsuchi could stall for a bit, Zaraki Kenpachi and the others would surely arrive.

Sure enough, when Shunsui returned to the base, he saw traces of battle, and Zaraki Kenpachi, Retsu Unohana, and Shiba Isshin had already returned.

After Shunsui returned, Mayuri Kurotsuchi looked at him and said, "What on earth were you all doing?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi said discontentedly, "You encountered Arrancar, so why didn't you capture them? Aren't you the captains of your respective squads? You can't even handle something this minor—the Gotei 13's reputation is crying!"

"I didn't want to capture them, so I didn't. Any problem?" Zaraki Kenpachi said coldly, "Speaking of which, weren't there Hollows attacking earlier? They reached your territory, and you let them escape. That's hard to look at."

"Oh ho ho ho..." Mayuri Kurotsuchi let out a rather eerie laugh, his eyes full of disdain: "Indeed, it's impossible to communicate with you foolish mortals."

"If I hadn't let them go, how could I analyze the destination of the Garganta they opened?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi's laugh grew colder.

"You'd better prepare yourselves. Once I analyze the region connected by their Garganta, it'll be time for a full assault. At least show some spirit—even if you die, make sure to deliver the Arrancar to my lab."

"Kyōraku, how was your battle?" Shiba Isshin somewhat speechlessly skipped over Mayuri Kurotsuchi's words. He knew this guy always talked like that; if you took him seriously, you'd lose.

Anyone who could listen to Mayuri Kurotsuchi for thirty seconds was a true saint.

"The opponent has an 'aging' ability that can corrode everything." Kyōraku Shunsui recalled his battle with Baraggan and couldn't help saying, "If... you encounter him, it's best to avoid him as much as possible."

"His ability and speed are extremely terrifying; he's a very difficult enemy to handle. If another Arrancar hadn't appeared at the end to take him away, I probably would've had to use Bankai to deal with him."

"Moreover... even with Bankai, it's hard to say if I could kill him."

Kyōraku Shunsui's Bankai was a powerful rule-type Zanpakutō, but the truly fatal strike was a high-density reishi decapitation. If Baraggan's death breath could corrode even the reishi decapitation under Bankai's erosion, Shunsui would truly have no way to deal with him.

"The most critical thing... isn't these two Arrancar."

Kyōraku Shunsui glanced at Retsu Unohana, then swept his gaze over the other captains, and said softly:

"The most troublesome... is the Arrancar's BOSS."

!

In that instant, the captains' pupils dilated sharply!

Even Retsu Unohana couldn't help but slightly furrow her brows, then show a bit of surprise.

Such powerful Arrancar, and they even had...

A boss?

Shunsui knew these people's thoughts were the same as his, so he continued, "It seems this battle is just the beginning; even greater challenges await us in the future."

"Interesting..." Mayuri Kurotsuchi couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, a dangerous aura emanating from him.

"The master of the Arrancar? Kisuke Urahara... could it be you?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi said this, then let out that slightly eerie laugh.

"But whether it's you or not, you're involved in this, aren't you? What role will you play?"

Although Mayuri Kurotsuchi had been rescued from prison by Kisuke Urahara, he wasn't the type to feel grateful for others' help.

To him, "Kisuke Urahara" was just an obstacle.

Most importantly, many believed Kisuke Urahara's talent surpassed his own, which he could not tolerate.

With that, he turned and returned to his lab, wanting to study the Garganta paths of the earlier attacking Hollows and see where they led.

After Mayuri Kurotsuchi left, Retsu Unohana found the Shinigami and inquired about what had happened there.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was hard to communicate with; all the captains knew that, so they didn't expect him to talk properly with them.

But the Twelfth Division wasn't entirely composed of weirdos; there were normal people too.

Akon, with three small horns on his forehead, said, "There were six Arrancar in the earlier assault. The leader had light blue messy hair and seemed to wield..."

"A Zanpakutō."

"..."

These words shocked the captains once again. Actually, the previously appearing Arrancar—Baraggan and Starrk—were quite unique.

Baraggan held an axe, but he rarely used it, preferring to attack with his death breath. The axe was more like a skill.

Starrk was similar. Starrk's Resurrección distributed power to himself and Lilynette, not to his body and Zanpakutō, so the sword at his waist was actually just an ordinary reishi sword.

In other words, until now, the Gotei 13 truly didn't know that the blades in Arrancar's hands were Zanpakutō.

Even Angra Mainyu's Zanpakutō was placed in the black mud.

Hollows, after breaking their masks, possessed Zanpakutō.

Everyone present was a captain, and except for Zaraki Kenpachi, the others were all sharp-minded.

They immediately thought of the events from nearly a century ago.

At that time, Kisuke Urahara was researching "Shinigami Hollowfication," which resulted in several captains turning into rampaging Hollows. Ultimately, due to the severity of the situation and the truth being exposed, Kisuke Urahara's criminal group was forced to flee Soul Society.

Now...

This could be considered...

"Hollow Shinigamification..."

Seeing the captains fall silent, Akon continued, "I think the captains must be thinking the same. The so-called Arrancar are actually Hollows undergoing Shinigamification—the complete opposite transformation of 'Shinigami Hollowfication'!"

This increased suspicions toward Kisuke Urahara even more!

Since he could Hollowfy Shinigami back then, it was only natural that he could conversely Shinigamify Hollows.

"How bold."

Shiba Isshin couldn't help saying.

He hadn't had much contact with Kisuke Urahara and didn't know what kind of person he was, but from his actions, this man was one of the most notorious criminals in Soul Society history!

Such a person should be locked up in Central Great Underground Prison!

But after saying that, he couldn't help asking:

"So what about Angra Mainyu?"

According to Angra, his Resurrección form was different from other Hollows' Arrancar forms.

"Perhaps Captain Kurotsuchi knows about this," Retsu Unohana said slowly, "Once Captain Kurotsuchi finds the direction guided by the Garganta, we can talk to him."

…………………………

While the Shinigami were discussing, Yoshio in Las Noches was also talking with Aizen.

After arranging work in the Human World, Yoshio and Aizen had successively arrived in Hueco Mundo.

The areas they were responsible for didn't involve Kisuke Urahara anyway, so staying there was meaningless.

The two walked along the corridors of Las Noches, with Yoshio following behind Aizen.

"Mr. Urahara is really patient."

Yoshio said, "Even so, he still hasn't shown himself."

Now Aizen was systematically shifting all the blame onto Kisuke Urahara, but so far, it had all been Aizen's initiative, while Kisuke Urahara acted as if he knew nothing about it, making no counterattacks.

"Action begets action." Aizen's expression was unchanged, holding respect for Kisuke Urahara as an opponent. In his mind, among the Gotei 13, only Kisuke Urahara could stand against him.

The others...

Even Genryūsai Yamamoto wasn't worthy of comparison.

To him, such people were far too easy to deal with.

"Accordingly, if I take action, an opportunity might arise, and he is certainly seeking that opportunity."

"Unless it's for a fatal blow, he won't act lightly. Especially for someone at a disadvantage. So, until he finds an opportunity, Kisuke Urahara would rather bear the name of a conspirator than take action."

Yoshio nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, following Aizen had taught him a lot.

In essence, before crossing over, whether it was him or his original self, they were just ordinary people.

After crossing over, Yoshio gained a cheat ability, but that was only an enhancement in power.

He had to admit, following Aizen not only kept him from starving but also taught him many things.

If he could inherit Aizen's mantle, even without cheats, he could likely become a powerhouse.

In these years with Aizen, Yoshio had grown and progressed, just as Aizen said—

No one in this world starts standing in heaven.

Any powerhouse steps from weakness to strength, from the ground to the sky.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the main hall of Las Noches. Aizen walked to the throne that originally belonged to Baraggan and sat down.

Yoshio stood beside Aizen.

Facing them were ten Las Noches Arrancar.

He had originally planned to form the Espada after this incident, but Yoshio realized that wouldn't work.

Because Hollows are disorganized and undisciplined creatures; without giving them some superiors, they could easily cause trouble.

Especially at a time like this, rash actions might attract Shinigami.

Since Aizen had arrived, he decided to formally establish the Espada.

And at this moment, these ten Arrancar also knew Yoshio was about to form the Espada; he had mentioned it before.

Yoshio had already been the 'Espada Commander-in-Chief' prior to this.

"The Espada will be ranked by combat strength."

Since Yoshio was the Espada's commander-in-chief, the 'conferring of ranks' was also his responsibility.

"Espada Zero, Coyote Starrk."

Yoshio glanced at the somewhat listless Starrk. Starrk scratched his hair, seeming to acknowledge Yoshio's words.

"Hmph." Baraggan snorted coldly; he didn't think he was weaker than Starrk, even though Starrk had shown strength far beyond "Resurrección."

He was the King of Hueco Mundo. He was still inferior to a monster like Aizen, but he absolutely didn't think he was on par with other Hollows!

"Primera Espada, Baraggan Louisenbairn."

Although he was the first Espada, essentially 'with Hollows below and Hollows above,' the dissatisfaction in his heart was still strong.

"Segunda Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."

Compared to her original thirteenth Espada position, Nel's rank was higher now because her recruitment had just begun, and many Menos Grande hadn't yet arrived at Las Noches.

Yoshio and the Espada present knew that as more Menos Grande arrived, the Espada positions would eventually be challenged.

Moreover, in his Las Noches lab, there was still Szayelaporro locked up; if he came out, he could definitely claim an Espada spot.

Usually low-key, he was even willing to be Baraggan's subordinate, but once he completed his evolution and achieved his dreamed-of 'perfect life,' it would be time for him to bare his fangs.