~ Next Bonus, 300!
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After his full power-up, Ulquiorra was indeed overwhelming Soi Fon. Even with her considerable strength, she was outmatched by his Segunda Etapa.
"If this continues, Soi Fon will likely lose," Yoruichi commented, watching the battle.
Even with her Bankai, Jakuho Raikoben, she might not win. Ulquiorra was so fast that she might not be able to land a hit.
"No, I think Soi Fon has a very good chance of winning."
Shin smiled and said to Yoruichi, who gave him a puzzled look. Although she was rooting for Soi Fon, she could see the state of the battle.
In Bankai, Soi Fon's destructive power was immense, but her other attributes weren't as impressive. Her speed, for example, was severely limited. Jakuho Raikoben was simply too heavy.
"Soi Fon, use your Bankai. I'll help you manage the collateral damage."
Shin's voice reached Soi Fon's ears.
Soi Fon, who had been engaged in a high-speed chase with Ulquiorra, felt her eyes light up, and she completely let loose.
Why hadn't she used her Bankai before? It wasn't because of the side effects of Jakuho Raikoben, but because she was afraid of the immense damage it would cause.
She didn't want to destroy the surroundings and harm too many humans.
Now, with Shin's words, Soi Fon could go all out. She released the Strength of a Hundred Seal, and the terrifying spiritual pressure she had been suppressing was now fully unleashed.
A thick armor of spiritual pressure formed around her body. Even a direct hit from a Gran Rey Cero might not break through her defense.
"Bankai, Jakuho Raikoben."
Her once small and nimble Zanpakuto suddenly became massive, like a giant missile launcher.
Without hesitation, Soi Fon fired a shot at Ulquiorra, simultaneously using chains of spiritual pressure to bind him, preventing his escape.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The blast hit Ulquiorra, blowing off half his body. A Soul Reaper would have been killed instantly.
But Ulquiorra was not a Soul Reaper—he was a Hollow. As long as his head wasn't destroyed, even if half his body was blown off, he could use High-Speed Regeneration to recover.
After regenerating, Ulquiorra quickly retreated, his face pale—not that it wasn't already.
He glanced at Soi Fon and quickly backed away, choosing to flee.
"Damn it! He actually got away."
Soi Fon was annoyed that he had escaped, but she also knew it wouldn't have been easy to finish him off if he had stayed.
Even the terrifying power of Jakuho Raikoben hadn't killed him in one shot, which showed just how monstrous he was.
"Next time we meet, I won't let you off so easily."
Soi Fon threatened fiercely, then walked over to Shin.
The other Arrancar had also been repelled by the Soul Reapers, though not completely defeated. It was as if they had deliberately retreated.
"Using the Arrancar to stall for time, huh?" Shin's eyes flickered. He roughly understood Aizen's plan. The Hogyoku wasn't complete yet.
To protect it, Aizen was willing to use his subordinates as cannon fodder. Aizen didn't particularly care about his underlings.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have executed his subordinates in the original story. Even the loyal Tier Harribel had almost died at his hands.
The villains in Bleach had a habit of killing their own people. It was a bad habit, but both Aizen and Yhwach seemed unable to break it.
"Come on, Nel. Let's go have some fun," Shin said to the little girl.
"What about me?"
Soi Fon asked, seeing Shin leave with Yoruichi and Nel. Was she supposed to follow them? Although she wanted to, she had other matters to attend to.
She had to report the Arrancar situation to her superiors. So, she could only return to the Seireitei in frustration.
"I think I saw that guy Shin over there."
In the distance, Kyoraku Shunsui glanced in Shin's direction. Shin had actually left the Soul Society. Was he worried about them?
It seemed Shin wasn't completely indifferent. If they were in real danger, Shin would probably step in to save them.
That was what Kyoraku thought. In reality, Shin's purpose in coming to the World of the Living was not to help them. He had no intention of helping.
Shin was simply taking Nel out to play. If Kyoraku knew there was a little Arrancar with Shin, he would probably report him.
But Kyoraku didn't see Nel—or rather, he saw her from behind and didn't pay her much mind.
After the battle, the captains returned to the Soul Society.
As for Shin, he found the protagonist, Orihime Inoue. He wasn't interested in her as a person, but in her ability.
Her ability was likely a form of Fullbring. Even Aizen had been impressed by it. In the original story, when Ichigo's Zanpakuto was broken, he had Orihime repair it.
The Rejection of All Events—it could specify, reject, and negate any and all events that had already occurred, restoring anything to its state before the event happened. It was an ability that infringed upon the domain of God.
But this was all speculation. It was unclear if it was really that broken, that it could be considered a conceptual power.
After all, her performance in the original story was pretty lackluster.
Orihime was particularly surprised that Shin had sought her out. Of course, she knew who he was—her good friend, Rukia Kuchiki, called him "teacher."
Utterly bewildered, Orihime watched Shin leave. She didn't know what he wanted from her.
He just had her demonstrate her power, then turned and left. It was very strange to her.
But as a natural airhead, Orihime didn't dwell on it. She soon put the matter out of her mind. She had a lot on her plate recently—the frequency of Hollow attacks in the World of the Living had increased significantly.
"Why did you ask that little girl to show you her power?" Yoruichi asked Shin curiously.
"No reason, just a bit curious," Shin said, shaking his head slightly. He didn't tell Yoruichi his purpose, mainly because he hadn't figured out Orihime's power himself.
Fullbring was actually quite interesting. It seemed all Fullbringers possessed abilities that were almost conceptual in nature. The other Fullbringers were quite strong.
"So secretive. Fine, don't tell me. Nel, let's go. We're not following him anymore."
Yoruichi reached out to take Nel's hand, wanting to lead her away, but Nel mercilessly refused. Compared to Yoruichi, Nel preferred to follow Shin.
Though she wasn't averse to Yoruichi now, Shin was the person she was familiar with and close to. She still didn't trust Yoruichi.
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