The Adjuchas sentinel moved quickly through the mountain paths.
Sombravida followed at long range.
As a Vasto Lorde who specialized in stealth and spatial suppression, he did not leak a trace of reiatsu. Still, he kept his distance. A mid-level Vasto Lorde's passive detection range was not something to test recklessly.
Under Hueco Mundo's eternal moonlight, the mountains stood in pale silence. Sparse torches flickered along the slopes.
Ahead—
The mountain face had been cleanly cut in half horizontally, then split vertically, forming a sheer artificial cliff. Below it stood a cave entrance nearly twenty meters wide. Two Adjuchas guards were stationed at the entrance.
Sombravida observed silently.
The cliff had been shaped deliberately.
A blade user.
He stepped through space, bypassing the guards without disturbing the air.
Inside, the structure resembled many Hollow strongholds: the mountain hollowed into layered caverns.
Efficient.
Defensible.
Crude—but effective.
Sombravida did not extend his reiatsu outward to scan. Even a ripple might be noticed by a mid-tier Vasto Lorde.
He relied only on vision and spatial micro-movements.
Hours passed.
He gathered data.
Approximately 170 Adjuchas.
Roughly thirty at peak Adjuchas level.
Five Vasto Lordes currently present.
Combined with the three killed earlier—
Saros originally commanded eight low-tier Vasto Lordes.
Plus himself.
A respectable force.
In the central chamber, Saros was holding council.
Saros Fond sat upon a stone platform.
Humanoid.
Mask shaped like a tapered helm with blue vein-like lines across its surface.
A long blade rested upright beside him, its edge faintly vibrating with compressed reiatsu.
"Kamra's unit was annihilated," Saros stated calmly.
"One survivor returned. Shortly after, his reiatsu vanished entirely."
Murmurs spread among the Vasto Lordes below.
A subordinate stepped forward.
"My lord, the one responsible is Barragan Louisenbairn. The ruler of the eastern wastes."
Another added:
"A century ago, he attempted to demand our submission. We rejected him. Since then, he expanded northward."
"Recently, he eliminated Rod Frost of the northern plateau."
Saros remained still.
"And now he dares strike here."
A Vasto Lorde spoke cautiously.
"Reports indicate two unfamiliar Vasto Lordes now stand beside him."
That drew attention.
Saros' blade hummed faintly.
"Two low-tier Vasto Lordes and Barragan himself."
He exhaled slowly.
"Not insignificant."
From below, a Vasto Lorde stepped forward—mask resembling a hound's elongated snout.
"My lord. Direct confrontation carries risk."
Saros looked down.
"Speak, Doughand."
Doughand bowed.
"Our faction has already lost three Vasto Lordes. If we commit fully against Barragan and suffer further losses, Susbus Oria or Szayelaporro Granz will move."
He paused.
"I propose we approach Barragan under the guise of cooperation."
Murmurs intensified.
Kamlin, Kamra's younger brother, stepped forward angrily.
"Cooperate? They slaughtered our forces!"
Doughand did not flinch.
"We appear to yield temporarily. Offer joint action against Susbus."
Saros' gaze sharpened.
"Explain."
"Barragan seeks expansion. If we assist him in eliminating Susbus' northern hold, we weaken one rival while preserving our core strength."
Kamlin snarled.
"You only say that because you hate Susbus' faction!"
Doughand's voice remained even.
"If we fight Barragan head-on and lose even two more Vasto Lordes, Szayelaporro will dissect what remains of us."
Silence.
That name carried weight.
Saros tapped his blade against stone.
Clang.
"Barragan is arrogant," he said.
"He will not refuse submission if it feeds his pride."
He stood.
"We test him."
He looked at Doughand.
"You will lead the delegation."
"Yes, my lord."
"Appear sincere. But measure their strength carefully."
Doughand bowed and withdrew.
Sombravida, hidden near the cavern wall, observed everything.
He folded his arms.
Feign submission.
Use Barragan to eliminate Susbus.
Then stabilize power.
Strategically sound.
If Barragan were merely territorial.
Sombravida smiled faintly beneath his mask.
They misunderstood the situation entirely.
Barragan did not want negotiation.
He wanted dominion.
And Sombravida—
Wanted consolidation.
The fox.
The scientist.
All three giants were future targets.
The idea of reconciliation was meaningless.
Still—
The bait could be useful.
Sombravida quietly exited the stronghold.
Back at Barragan's encampment, Sombravida relayed everything.
Barragan listened silently.
When Sombravida finished, the Skeleton Emperor scoffed.
"Pretend to submit?"
He gripped his axe.
"They crawl to me after sending assassins?"
Sombravida shrugged.
"Let them."
Barragan turned his hollow eyes toward him.
"You have something in mind."
"Yes."
Sombravida outlined his proposal.
Allow the envoys to approach.
Clash briefly to establish dominance.
Secretly implant spatial marks and traces of Respira within their bodies.
Feign acceptance.
March jointly against Susbus.
Observe Saros' full military strength.
Simultaneously open contact with Szayelaporro.
Barragan was silent for a moment.
"You intend to balance them against each other."
Sombravida nodded.
"If Saros weakens Susbus, we absorb both."
"And Szayelaporro?" Barragan asked.
Sombravida's eyes narrowed.
"He values experimentation. If conflict escalates, he will wait."
"And if he refuses to negotiate?"
Sombravida's voice remained calm.
"Then we withdraw. And eliminate Saros first."
Barragan's skull tilted upward slightly.
Then—
A dry chuckle.
"Very well."
"If we take the central region, the north and south collapse soon after."
He rested his axe over his shoulder.
"I will indulge your scheme."
Three days later—
Five Vasto Lordes approached Barragan's territory.
Doughand stepped forward.
"Your Majesty Barragan. We come under Lord Saros' command to discuss peace."
Barragan laughed coldly.
"You stand beneath my sky and speak of peace?"
Doughand remained composed.
"The clash days ago was a misunderstanding."
Barragan's axe struck the ground.
The shockwave rippled outward.
"Misunderstanding?"
"You slaughter my forces and call it that?"
Doughand lowered his head slightly.
"We seek resolution."
Barragan's hollow eyes burned.
"Take one strike from my subordinate."
"If you live, we speak."
Sombravida stepped forward.
He did not speak.
His reiatsu expanded sharply.
Gold-tinted pressure surged upward, darkening the night.
The air trembled.
Doughand's ears twitched beneath his mask.
The surrounding Vasto Lordes stiffened.
Sombravida raised his hand.
Spiritual pressure condensed.
Not Gran Rey Cero.
Not yet.
A compressed vortex of unstable Cero energy spiraled outward—
Zero-Type Storm.
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