"You're my opponent?"
The tall Quincy ran a hand through his bright red mohawk, looking down with clear dissatisfaction at the short Shinigami standing before him.
"You're too small."
The Shinigami he was facing was none other than Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya's turquoise eyes narrowed slightly.
"Really?"
He replied coldly.
"You care that much about other people's height?"
He slowly drew his Zanpakutō.
"If you get killed by someone shorter than you… you'd probably be pretty angry, wouldn't you?"
"Kill me?" the Quincy laughed.
"With my strength… there aren't many Quincy who can defeat me."
He smirked proudly.
"My name is Bazz-B."
"So you're Bazz-B."
Hitsugaya lifted his blade.
"Then allow me to test that confidence."
He raised the sword before him.
"Sit upon the frozen heavens… Hyōrinmaru!"
Spiritual pressure surged.
The sky above Hueco Mundo darkened as massive clouds gathered unnaturally.
Cold wind swept across the battlefield.
Even without Bankai, Hyōrinmaru's release could influence weather and atmospheric Reishi, a sign of its overwhelming elemental authority.
Bazz-B looked up with interest.
"You can even change the sky… not bad."
Hitsugaya swung his blade.
"Ice Dragon Tail!"
A colossal dragon of ice erupted forward, twisting violently toward Bazz-B.
But Bazz-B simply extended his hand.
Heat flared.
The dragon melted instantly upon contact.
"Too weak."
Hitsugaya continued his assault.
"Ice Bird Swarm!"
Countless frozen projectiles rained from the sky.
But intense heat radiated outward from Bazz-B's body.
Before reaching him, every shard melted into steam.
He flicked his finger.
A narrow pillar of flame shot toward Hitsugaya.
"Burner Finger 1."
Hitsugaya reacted instantly.
"Ice Wall Formation!"
A massive glacier rose before him
And melted just as quickly.
Bazz-B shook his head.
"Use Bankai."
"I want to see your real strength."
Hitsugaya understood immediately.
Even his Shikai techniques couldn't force Bazz-B to take the battle seriously.
"…Very well."
He whispered.
"Bankai — Daiguren Hyōrinmaru."
A gigantic ice dragon manifested behind him.
Two immense wings formed on his back.
Ice armor covered his arm.
Three ice flowers floated behind him the visible manifestation of his Bankai's time limit.
"Looks impressive," Bazz-B said casually.
Hitsugaya raised his sword.
"Millennium Ice Prison!"
Pillars of ice erupted from the ground, sealing Bazz-B inside a colossal frozen cage.
For a brief moment
Silence.
Then
BOOM.
Molten heat burst outward.
The ice prison shattered as magma-like flames surged through it.
Bazz-B walked forward unharmed.
"Burner Finger 3."
He extended three fingers.
Endless streams of scorching energy tore through the battlefield.
"I'm disappointed."
"You couldn't even freeze one of my fingers."
Before Hitsugaya could reposition
A beam of fire pierced through his chest.
Bazz-B turned away.
"Boring. That's the end."
Crack.
The "body" shattered into ice.
"…A decoy?"
Bazz-B raised an eyebrow.
Hitsugaya appeared elsewhere.
"Ice Clone."
He lifted his arms.
"Hyōten Hyakkasō."
Hundreds of delicate ice petals began falling from the sky.
"Your ice doesn't work on me," Bazz-B scoffed.
He released intense heat again
But this time, the petals did not melt.
He frowned.
A petal landed on his arm.
He prepared to burn it away
But instantly
Ice flowers began blooming across his body.
One.
Then ten.
Then dozens.
Hitsugaya exhaled slowly.
"When one flower lands… the freezing spreads endlessly."
"When a hundred bloom… the enemy dies."
Bazz-B roared.
A massive explosion of flame shattered the ice.
He emerged in his Vollständig form, wings of condensed heat extending from his back.
A blazing Quincy halo formed above his head.
"I apologize."
He grinned.
"You managed to freeze one finger."
"You're strong enough to force me to this state."
Behind Hitsugaya, the ice flowers began shattering one by one.
"Oh?" Bazz-B smirked.
"Your time limit is up already?"
"You must've just mastered Bankai."
Hitsugaya remained silent.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Who told you… the flowers breaking means my time is over?"
His body began to change.
He grew taller.
His features matured.
Ice armor covered his shoulders like a mantle.
This was Hitsugaya's true completed Bankai state achieved by accelerating the countdown intentionally.
Bazz-B snorted.
"So you just got bigger."
Hitsugaya vanished.
He appeared behind Bazz-B instantly.
Everything he passed froze solid.
Before Bazz-B could react
His entire body was encased in absolute ice.
Crack.
The frozen Quincy shattered into fragments.
Hitsugaya exhaled deeply.
Then he turned toward the battlefield, searching for the next opponent.
Far away
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto watched as captain after captain defeated their enemies.
Kenpachi.
Byakuya.
Soi Fon.
Hitsugaya.
Even Ichimaru Gin, whose presence still stirred complicated emotions within Soul Society.
"More and more of your subordinates are falling," Yamamoto said.
"Are you certain you wish to keep watching?"
Across from him stood Yhwach.
The Quincy king smiled faintly.
"Some have died… yes."
"But none of them were exceptional."
"As I said… before the main course, one must serve appetizers."
He glanced across the battlefield.
"The appetizers are finished."
"Now comes the soup… and the side dishes."
As he spoke
The spiritual pressure across Hueco Mundo began to shift.
A far more dangerous presence was about to enter the battlefield.
And somewhere within that rising storm of Reiatsu
Kurotsuki Renya was preparing to move.
The journey has finally reached its conclusion on PATREON.
this book is officially COMPLETE.
And available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD