"Haa—"
Two rows of white teeth parted, and wisps of white steam escaped from between them. Not a hint of a smile could be seen on the bone-white mask, only an utterly calm, extreme killing intent.
Even though the temperature in the air continued to rise as if there were no limit.
The almost tangible killing intent descended overwhelmingly, seeping into the body through every pore and reaching deep into the internal organs. It was a bone-chilling cold!
Seeing this, Naraku Sora and Aizen exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
They had lost count of how many Hollowfication experiments they had conducted; Aizen had even experienced that state personally.
At that time, in order to obtain all the data, even during the Hollowfication process, he hadn't forgotten to have Szayelaporro use Recording Insects to document the entire event.
Then, they compared it with other Hollowfication experiments to obtain more detailed parameters.
Therefore, no one understood Hollowfication better than Aizen.
However, the current situation was somewhat amiss.
Judging from his behavior, Yamamoto had indeed lost his reason, reduced to a beast driven by instinct.
But unlike other Hollowfied Soul Reapers, he did not exhibit extreme madness; instead, he was incredibly calm.
He was like a cold, calculating killing machine.
Crimson streams of light flowed and surged over Yamamoto's body like magma. The silver sand beneath him emitted a sizzling sound, instantly turning scorched black.
Everyone was intimidated by this posture, unable to recover their senses for a long time.
Ultimately, it was Naraku Sora who broke the silence over the desert. He extended his right hand, aiming straight ahead:
"Hadō #88・Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Lightning Cannon."
In an instant, an explosive roar echoed like rumbling thunder. A deep blue pillar of light, wrapped in crackling arcs of electricity, swept straight ahead.
Wherever it passed, the silver sand was annihilated, leaving a deep, scorched trench across the desert. The tyrannical impact landed exactly where Yamamoto stood.
Boom!!
Earth-shattering shockwaves suddenly erupted.
In a mere moment, the silver sand within a radius of several thousand meters exploded layer by layer, shooting into the sky like ocean waves.
Beneath the endless waves of dust was a deep blue curtain of light formed by violent electrical arcs, completely engulfing Yamamoto's body.
Aizen glanced at Naraku Sora with some surprise.
As a genius with maxed-out talent in Kidō, it was hard to find a Soul Reaper in the entire Soul Society whose Kidō was stronger than his.
Those with higher proficiency didn't have his level of Reiatsu.
Those with stronger Reiatsu didn't have his level of proficiency.
But Naraku Sora was different. Although this guy's Reiatsu was slightly inferior, his mastery over Kidō had reached a level of absolute perfection.
However, what Aizen found bizarre was that the Kidō Naraku Sora excelled at were mostly high-level ones.
His proficiency in low-level, basic Kidō like thrusts and binds was actually quite average.
Normally, a Soul Reaper's sequence of learning Kidō went from low to high, and some high-level Kidō even incorporated knowledge from basic Kidō.
This guy defied common sense as always.
Aizen shook his head, no longer dwelling on this.
The Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Lightning Cannon that Naraku Sora unleashed was no less destructive than if Aizen had cast it himself; in fact, its suppressive force was even slightly stronger.
But even so, it still failed to inflict any injuries on Yamamoto.
After Hollowfication, his already absurd stats had skyrocketed once again.
The pristine white Head Captain's haori turned to ash amidst the surging electrical arcs, bursting into a faint scorch mark on his heavily scarred skin.
But it only lasted for a split second before completely returning to normal.
Previously, due to his advanced age, Yamamoto's physical functions were his biggest shortcoming.
However, with the enhancement of Hollowfication, that shortcoming had been completely rectified.
In the truest sense, he lacked nothing now.
Aizen observed carefully and gave his conclusion:
"Good news. It's only Rapid Regeneration; it hasn't reached the standard of High-Speed Regeneration."
Naraku Sora's eye twitched. "What kind of good news is that?"
"For Old Man Yama, even the most basic Rapid Regeneration is enough to give his strength a qualitative leap."
"Should we still send the Espada in now? I'm afraid they'll be beaten to death by the old man."
Aizen nodded. "Of course. The rampage following Hollowfication will only grow stronger as time passes. The first phase will primarily rely on the Espada."
"If they truly can't hold him off, then you will step in."
Naraku Sora shook his head and sighed. "What I'm worried about is that they might not even survive the first phase."
While the two were conversing, the Espada had already recovered from their shock. Taking advantage of Yamamoto still being pinned down by the Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Lightning Cannon...
...they simultaneously erupted with their full Reiatsu. Brilliant pillars of light dyed the night sky, adding a few distinct colors to the unchanging Hueco Mundo.
"Rot, Arrogante."
"Destroy, Tiburón!"
"Declare, Gamuza!"
"Enclose, Murciélago."
Out of respect for the Head Captain of the Gotei 13, the Espada didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately completing their Resurrección.
Ulquiorra's expression was composed. He spread the five fingers of his right hand, and a distinct bloody gash appeared on his palm. Dark green light coalesced, using his blood as a medium.
Twisted, jagged patterns appeared around the edges of the Cero.
Gran Rey Cero!
Unlike Grimmjow, he did not seek out battles with the strong, nor did he have any material desires. However, Great King Naraku had pointed out the direction of his life.
Allowing his originally empty heart to no longer be lost.
Therefore, no matter what lay ahead, he would unwaveringly execute all of Great King Naraku's commands.
Boom!!
Explosive roars rang out one after another. Stormy waves were kicked up across the desert, and the heavy pressure crushed the silver sand, causing it to emit creaking sounds.
At the same time, almost all the Espada unleashed a Gran Rey Cero.
Targeting Yamamoto as their primary objective, they executed a flawless, omnidirectional bombardment.
They strove to completely suppress him in place, avoiding the outbreak of an even more intense conflict.
Even if they couldn't achieve that goal, they had to drain his spiritual power as much as possible to adequately prepare for the ensuing battle.
However, they still underestimated the sheer terror of a Hollowfied Yamamoto.
Boom!!
A muffled explosion erupted from the area swallowed and submerged by the endless Ceros, sounding like the beating of heavenly drums.
Immediately after, the silver-white desert trembled violently. Countless grains of fine sand soared into the air, connecting the night sky with the earth.
The moonlight and stars in the night sky were obscured by thick, dark clouds, and the density of Reishi in the air skyrocketed drastically.
The next second, the curtain of light formed by the Gran Rey Ceros was forcefully torn apart.
A figure enveloped in scorching heat vanished instantly. The explosive boom of a Sonído echoed like a thunderclap as he instantly charged right in front of Grimmjow.
Staring at the ferocious figure so close at hand, Grimmjow's expression froze. A fear stemming from the deepest depths of his instincts actually surfaced in his eyes.
How long had it been since he felt this emotion?
Even during his time as a Menos Grande, when facing the encirclement of countless of his own kind, he hadn't felt a shred of fear.
Yet, merely looking at those utterly cold, golden pupils before him sent shivers down his spine.
But soon, the fear was suppressed by intense rage. Grimmjow let out a deafening roar, the Reiatsu on his body growing increasingly dazzling as if breaking through his own limits.
"Desgarrón!"
Trails of light extended from his ten fingers, looking as if they would tear space itself apart, and slashed straight down toward his front.
Then, a large hand landed on his chest without any warning.
A terrifying, immense force, accompanied by suffocating wind pressure, instantly poured into Grimmjow's body.
The big cat didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was sent flying backward with a boom. He burst through a series of ring-shaped shockwaves in the air and instantly vanished over the horizon.
"One-shot again, huh."
Naraku Sora shook his head with some pity.
In his eyes, Grimmjow was considered the most hardworking among the Espada. Even the equally belligerent Nnoitra fell far short in comparison.
To satisfy his desire to challenge the strong, and also to increase the foundation of Las Noches, Sora had specifically allowed him to evolve into a Vasto Lorde before undergoing Arrancarification.
This made Grimmjow's strength significantly greater than in the original timeline.
Coupled with the fact that Sora would occasionally engage the big cat in passionate special training to improve his combat skills.
Therefore, Grimmjow's strength had been steadily rising.
Unfortunately, the opponents he encountered since his debut were more ridiculous than the last, resulting in repeated defeats, each more miserable than the previous one.
There was no helping it; that's just how it was when you only played in high-tier matches.
After casually disposing of Grimmjow, Yamamoto's indifferent gaze swept through the crowd, seemingly picking out a suitable opponent.
However, the group of Arrancar Menos Grandes failed to gain Yamamoto's approval. A look of disgust actually surfaced on that otherwise expressionless face.
That was until he saw Naraku Sora standing at the edge of the battlefield.
His golden, slitted pupils immediately burst with intense light, and endless brutality poured out wantonly.
Naraku Sora: "?"
'No way, is this old man sick in the head?'
'He ignores all those people in front of him and specifically targets me?'
'I've only fired off a single Hadō from start to finish. How did that draw all the aggro?'
Aizen clearly noticed this as well and said thoughtfully,
"Perhaps Head Captain Yamamoto is too familiar with your aura, so driven by instinct, he chose you as his target."
Naraku Sora: "..."
Even though Yamamoto had locked onto his sole opponent on the field, the other Espada still dutifully carried out their final containment efforts.
Endless ocean currents surged forth and enveloped Yamamoto, instantly evaporating into massive amounts of white mist.
Facing the strongest fire-type, this was the best Harribel could do even when going all out.
Fortunately, she also realized her own shortcomings and took the initiative to create opportunities for the others.
On the other side, Nelliel condensed her Lanzador Verde to lock onto his front, while Ulquiorra drew out his Lanza del Relámpago with both hands, aiming at his rear.
Under an unspoken mutual understanding, the Espada cooperated flawlessly, bringing out each other's strength to the absolute limit.
Yet even so, the pressure looming over their hearts didn't lessen in the slightest.
The wantonly surging torrent of explosions washed over that demon-like body, temporarily confining him in place and even interrupting his Sonído.
"Respira!"
Baraggan, having transformed into Arrogante, seized the opportunity and unleashed his strongest attack to date.
An endless black tide emerged, carrying the rotting aura that aged all things, completely filling the space ahead.
All matter dissipated in its wake.
Even the dust and sand beneath their feet couldn't escape the fate of disintegration.
However, even this was unable to stop Yamamoto's advance. A towering pillar of fire erupted from the ground, transforming into an endless sea of flames that spread outward, instantly annihilating the surging black tide.
Baraggan's ability was indeed very strong, but aging also had its limits.
Yamamoto clenched his five fingers together, and his fire-wreathed fist punched forward, instantly clearing everything in its path.
Flames surged over it like a tidal wave, paving a scorching path.
His chilling gaze looked into the distance, meeting the eyes of the equally eager Naraku Sora.