As the Ancient Hollow released its final mournful cry and collapsed, the battlefield finally fell silent.
Sombravida exhaled slowly.
The greatest threat had been eliminated.
Everything else was merely division of spoils.
"Impressive, Sombravida-kun."
Szayelaporro folded his wings elegantly, brushing back his pink hair with one hand.
"Even weakened, that Ancient Hollow still carried the presence of antiquity. I did not expect us to bring it down so efficiently."
"As agreed," Sombravida replied calmly, "the body is yours. I've taken Saros. The surviving Adjuchas and below are yours for experimentation."
"Of course. Cooperation requires sincerity."
Barragan said nothing. Territory and numbers mattered more to him than corpses.
Then—
"Lord Sombravida!"
Nel and Harribel arrived at high speed.
Their expressions were tense.
Nel held out Sombravida's faction emblem.
It was glowing blood-red.
Not orange.
Not flashing.
Solid crimson.
Sombravida's pupils narrowed.
He pulled out his own emblem.
Also blood-red.
Highest emergency protocol.
This signal was reserved for one situation only—
An enemy capable of annihilating his entire faction.
His reiatsu instantly sharpened.
"Your Majesty," Sombravida said to Barragan without hesitation, "my territory is under extermination-level attack. I must return."
He moved immediately, splitting the Ancient Hollow's mask and storing his half.
Szayelaporro's eyes flickered.
"Long-distance teleportation… fascinating."
"We'll discuss it later."
Barragan raised a skeletal hand.
"If you cannot handle it—return."
Sombravida nodded once.
Spatial inscriptions unfolded rapidly beneath his feet.
Transporting two additional Vasto-level reiatsu signatures required precision.
The formation activated.
The three vanished.
Hueco Mundo – Western Territory
They emerged inside Sombravida's throne chamber.
The stench of blood filled the air.
Sombravida froze.
The throne hall had been torn apart.
Walls collapsed.
Reiatsu residue still lingered.
But—
No corpses.
His eyes hardened.
When Hollows are devoured, fragments remain.
When purified—
They disintegrate into reishi.
This was purification.
Shinigami.
"Damn it…"
He expanded his sensory field.
Outside the city—
Jekain was retreating with dozens of peak Adjuchas.
Three spiritual pressures followed them leisurely.
Not pursuing desperately.
Hunting.
And—
They were not Hollow reiatsu.
Sombravida's heartbeat slowed.
Calm.
Too calm.
"Tia. Nel. Evacuate survivors to the Garganta route near the cliff. If necessary, open the permanent channel to the Forest."
"Yes!"
Harribel hesitated only a fraction.
"I will secure Apache and the others first."
Sombravida did not argue.
He vanished.
Above the ruined city
Buildings had been reduced to craters.
Cero blast marks everywhere.
Blood soaked into the sand.
But again—
No Hollow corpses.
All purified.
He moved.
Outskirts
Jekain and several elite Adjuchas were fleeing in scattered formation.
Behind them—
Three figures in black shihakushō.
Triangular pursuit formation.
Vice-captain badge visible on the left arm of the leader.
Short brown hair.
Calm smile.
Behind him—
Gin Ichimaru.
Kaname Tōsen.
And at the center—
Sōsuke Aizen.
Sombravida's stomach dropped.
Earlier than expected.
Far earlier.
Aizen should not have entered Hueco Mundo at this stage.
Butterfly effect.
Or—
He had always planned this.
Sombravida concealed his reiatsu to the absolute limit.
Assassination was the only viable option.
If Aizen released Kyōka Suigetsu—
Everything would end.
Distance closed.
100 meters.
Absolute kill radius.
Sombravida detonated his reiatsu.
A concealed Cero fired point-blank at Tōsen's torso.
Simultaneously—
A spatial fracture opened directly in Gin's path.
And Sombravida himself appeared behind Aizen.
Sky-Splitting Slash.
Full power.
The blade carved downward.
Tōsen's chest was pierced cleanly.
He collapsed.
Gin vanished into the spatial fissure.
Aizen—
Was cleaved in two.
The ground split open.
Blood and viscera spilled into the chasm.
Sombravida stared.
Too easy.
Far too easy.
"My King!" Jekain shouted.
Sombravida didn't respond.
"Go! Now!"
He opened a Garganta instantly.
Spatial tremors rippled outward as he forced his subordinates inside.
No hesitation.
All Adjuchas fled through the rift.
The Garganta closed.
Silence.
"Omoshiroi."
A voice behind him.
Calm.
Amused.
Sombravida's spine went cold.
Glass shattered.
The corpse inside the ravine dissolved.
Tōsen's body.
Aizen's severed corpse.
All fractured like broken mirrors.
Illusion.
Complete Hypnosis.
Aizen stood intact several meters behind him.
Gin beside him.
Tōsen uninjured.
Kyōka Suigetsu remained sheathed at Aizen's waist.
He had already released it earlier.
Sombravida realized.
He must have seen the blade—
Even briefly—
During the false execution.
That was enough.
"Excellent control of reiatsu concealment," Aizen said gently.
"And spatial manipulation. Intriguing."
He stepped forward casually.
Unbothered by Sombravida's killing intent.
"I anticipated reinforcements the moment your subordinate activated that signal."
His smile widened slightly.
"You nearly succeeded."
Sombravida's muscles were locked tight.
Do not look at the blade.
Do not focus on the sword.
Kill before release.
If it wasn't already too late.
Aizen continued smoothly:
"My name is Aizen Sōsuke."
He gestured lightly.
"This is Ichimaru Gin. And Tōsen Kaname."
His brown eyes settled on Sombravida.
"And you?"
Sombravida did not break eye contact.
Reiatsu began condensing silently within his core.
Preparing a second assassination attempt.
"Ace Sombravida."
His voice was steady.
But inside—
Every instinct screamed.
He was standing before a nightmare.
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