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"I thought you said you weren't going to help. What are you doing in the World of the Living?"
Yoruichi asked Shin. He had clearly stated he wouldn't interfere in the Soul Reapers' fight against the Arrancar, yet here he was.
"Two reasons," Shin began. "First, I was worried about Soi Fon. She's gotten a lot stronger, but there are still Arrancar who could pose a real threat to her."
"The other reason is to let Nel have some fun. She was getting a little restless cooped up in the Second Division barracks."
Shin glanced down at Nel, who was clinging tightly to his leg. Ever since they arrived in the World of the Living, she hadn't let go, probably afraid he'd lose her in the crowd.
"Aren't you going to step in? You're still the Second Division's Vice-Captain, you know. Being such a slacker isn't a good look," Shin teased Yoruichi.
Now that Shin was no longer a captain, he was carefree. Yoruichi, on the other hand, couldn't relax so easily.
"Heh, I'd rather not. As long as the threat isn't too severe, I'm staying out of it."
Yoruichi had no intention of jumping in unless absolutely necessary.
"Actually, I think there's another reason you're here," Yoruichi said, her gaze fixed on Shin.
"You came to watch the show, didn't you?"
Though it was a question, Yoruichi's tone made it clear she was certain. Shin's appearance in the World of the Living had an element of voyeurism to it.
"Ahem, I'm hurt! How could I be so shameless? Standing by and not helping is one thing, but to just watch for entertainment? I'd never do something like that."
Shin declared virtuously.
"I have a feeling there's a reason you're not fighting," Yoruichi said, studying him. Her intuition told her there was more to his inaction.
Yoruichi's guess was on the money. Why wasn't Shin fighting? It was because of his agreement with Aizen. He certainly wouldn't break it now.
Of course, if Shin did decide to intervene, it would give Aizen a nasty shock.
"Don't overthink it. It's pointless anyway."
Shin said, seeing her trying to puzzle him out.
"Fine, I'll stop. You're right, there's no point in guessing if you're not going to tell me." Yoruichi finally gave up trying to read his mind.
At that moment, Shin's gaze shifted to two figures clashing in the distance.
"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi."
Soi Fon had released her Shikai, her stance one of lethal determination. Her opponent was the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer.
Ulquiorra's strength was easily in the top three among all the Arrancar. He was the only one capable of a Segunda Etapa.
His Zanpakuto, Murciélago, was also incredibly powerful. Ulquiorra had already released his Resurrección. Against the current Soi Fon, he wouldn't have stood a chance otherwise.
This Soi Fon was far more formidable than her original counterpart.
A rain of black Reiatsu fell from the sky, a side effect of Ulquiorra's Resurrección. With demonic wings unfurled, he looked like a true devil.
He wielded a weapon resembling a lightsaber. In his released state, all of Ulquiorra's abilities were drastically enhanced.
In the original story, even a Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki in Bankai couldn't defeat him.
"With Soi Fon's current strength, forcing him into his Segunda Etapa shouldn't be a problem," Shin commented from a distance.
After his Resurrección, Ulquiorra had become incredibly powerful. He already surpassed the average captain's strength—now, even the leader of the Visored, Shinji Hirako, might not be his match.
But Soi Fon, thanks to Shin's training, was still able to pressure him, leaving countless butterfly-shaped marks on his body.
If she had managed to strike the same spot twice, Ulquiorra would already be dead.
However, quite a few people knew about Soi Fon's Zanpakuto ability now. She had fought Gin Ichimaru in the past, and Gin was aware of her power.
Knowing an opponent's ability made them much easier to deal with. Although Ulquiorra was still on the defensive, if he had fought Soi Fon without any prior knowledge, he likely would have been defeated with ease.
It was precisely because he knew about Soi Fon's Nigeki Kessatsu ability that he was still alive. A two-hit kill was a terrifyingly powerful ability.
Of course, Soi Fon had her weaknesses. For all her deadliness, her raw attack power wasn't particularly high.
Suzumebachi's greatest strength was its two-hit kill—its other attacks lacked punch. Ulquiorra possessed High-Speed Regeneration, so Soi Fon had yet to inflict any significant damage...
"So what does Soi Fon need to do to win?"
Yoruichi asked Shin.
"Soi Fon's weakness is obvious. She's an assassin. She excels against slower, bulkier opponents, but Ulquiorra is a tough match-up."
Ulquiorra's Sonído was also incredibly fast, equivalent to a Soul Reaper's Shunpo. In fact, Sonído was superior to Shunpo, being a spatial ability.
"Winning is simple, actually. If she uses Jakuho Raikoben, she'll definitely win."
Shin said with a smile. The power of Jakuho Raikoben was truly immense, hailed as a one-shot kill.
Of course, if someone managed to block it, it wouldn't be effective. The "one-shot kill" moniker came from its overwhelming power. If it wasn't strong enough to kill the enemy, it wouldn't be a kill shot.
Soi Fon's Zanpakuto wasn't a conceptual weapon. If it were, hitting you once would mean certain death, which would be truly terrifying.
The current Soi Fon wouldn't be drained after a single use of Jakuho Raikoben—she could even use it multiple times without issue.
"Segunda Etapa."
Even with Soi Fon's relatively low attack power, she still forced Ulquiorra to use his second release.
In his Segunda Etapa, the clothes on Ulquiorra's upper body vanished. Black liquid streamed from his eyes, the tear-like marks now split into two lines. His eyes turned green, his pupils resembling those of a Hollowfied Visored.
His abdomen and legs were completely covered in black feathers, and his wings now had bat-like claws. He looked like he had fully transformed into a demon.
Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa was actually quite cool. After this transformation, his combat power increased dramatically once again.
Cero Oscuras. A top-tier Cero shot towards Soi Fon.
The Cero Oscuras was incredibly powerful and could be fired quickly. A moment of carelessness could result in being blasted through. Ulquiorra was a major threat.
Several large buildings were destroyed by his power. The humans in the area panicked. In their eyes, they couldn't see Hollows or Soul Reapers.
So, to them, the buildings were being destroyed for no reason, which terrified them even more. But as residents of Karakura Town, they had grown accustomed to it.
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