"Even faster than Beld. In terms of pure speed, it can rival the Sonído of a Vasto Lorde."
From within a hollowed-out tree, Szayelaporro watched his creations clash with Kōe. Through the spirit-recording bugs planted on their bodies, he meticulously logged every piece of combat data the Shinigami produced.
The aforementioned Beld was the Adjuchas covered in small holes that Kōe had nearly cleaved in half moments ago. By sacrificing the sheer density of its Reiatsu, its speed had been pushed to the absolute limit of an Adjuchas-class Menos—an extreme agility-type modification of his own design.
"And what of his Reiatsu intensity in that split second?" Szayelaporro stared at the surveillance scroll before him with rapt fascination. Just how would this Shinigami handle a Cero fired at point-blank range?
Back in the forest, a white arc of a blade shot skyward, standing firm before Kōe like a solitary, unyielding reef in a raging rapid. It cleanly split the incoming scarlet wave of the Cero right down the middle.
As the Cero parted, the instigator of the attack finally entered Kōe's line of sight: a massive Adjuchas with a protruding forehead shaped like a cannon barrel.
A spherical orb of light began to condense at the tip of its forehead. Clearly, it was preparing to fire another Cero.
However, Kōe had no intention of entertaining it just yet. As far as he was concerned, that nameless frog Hollow was the primary target that needed to be eliminated.
Closing the distance with a single Shunpo, Kōe held his Zanpakutō in a reverse grip at his waist. The moment he arrived, the blade lashed out, carrying enough momentum to execute the enemy in a single, decisive strike.
Suddenly, the ground violently trembled. A colossal arm erupted from the earth, acting as a fleshy shield between Kōe and his target. It seemed this was a Menos Szayelaporro had specifically stationed to protect Fugo.
Kōe hadn't sensed the Reiatsu of this subterranean Adjuchas at all prior to its emergence. Even now, at point-blank range, he still couldn't feel a thing.
Either this creature's Reiryoku control rivaled his own, or it simply possessed virtually no Reiryoku to begin with. Regardless of the truth, Kōe's objective remained unchanged: a one-hit kill!
"[Hadō #78・Zankarō]!"
A tangible, white ring of energy materialized along the arc of Kōe's swinging Zanpakutō. The spinning blade-wheel seemingly cleaved the very space itself in two. The colossal arm that had breached the earth, Fugo—whose body had swelled up like a grotesque balloon—and the towering trees surrounding them were all perfectly bisected along the exact same line.
The deafening clamor that had echoed through the forest finally ceased, and the chaotic fluctuations of Reiryoku began to settle. The remaining two Hollows—including the Dalmatian-like creature that had fled earlier—now had absolutely nowhere to hide from Kōe's perception.
*'No, make that three,'* Kōe corrected himself. There was still the subterranean Adjuchas whose arm he had just severed. It was furiously shoving aside the boulders above its head, letting out a deep, drawn-out roar that could have been born of either agony or pure rage.
Kōe was now fairly certain that the behemoth beneath his feet possessed negligible Reiatsu. Aside from its exceptionally sturdy hide, it posed no real threat.
Using the creature's massive, shifting body as a springboard, Kōe launched himself straight toward the rear Adjuchas that was busy charging another Cero. Whether it was blocking cannonballs or dodging them, both were thankless, exhausting chores. He certainly had no intention of intimidating this beast into submission.
He knew without a doubt that these Adjuchas were merely pawns sent by Szayelaporro to test him. If the Arrancar truly wanted him dead right this second, wouldn't it have been far more efficient to show up in person alongside these five highly specialized Hollows?
*'A combat style entirely reliant on data collection?'* Kōe mused. *'Typical scientist. They're all cut from the same cloth.'*
With a single, fluid slash, Kōe executed the lumbering artillery Hollow. It was exactly as he had deduced: these Adjuchas possessed extreme advantages, but their flaws were equally glaring. Take this walking cannon, for instance. Any lieutenant-class Shinigami—provided they weren't instantly vaporized by its Cero—could effortlessly run circles around a brute that took a full three seconds just to turn its head.
If someone tried to tell him these Adjuchas hadn't been artificially modified, he wouldn't believe it even if they beat him to death.
And he was entirely correct. The Adjuchas Kōe had just slain was named Pavol Joe. In stark contrast to the speed-oriented Beld, Szayelaporro had sacrificed almost all of Pavol's mobility in exchange for a Reiatsu capacity that was utterly exceptional among Adjuchas-class Menos.
Back in the surveillance room, Szayelaporro had already lost interest in the remainder of the battle. The moment Fugo was bisected, the test had effectively concluded. Any fleeting, optimistic hope he harbored of capturing the Shinigami using only these five creations had been thoroughly shattered.
Without the sensory interference to mask their movements, neither Skorn—whose armored hide rivaled that of a Vasto Lorde—nor the hyper-fast Beld could pose any real threat.
Szayelaporro glanced at the data charts to his right, a faint, satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Physical durability, Reiatsu structure... he had successfully gathered all the data he required. That was the true, singular value of those five "masterpieces." Expecting them to actually accomplish his ultimate goal had always been an unrealistic fantasy.
Casting one final glance at Kōe on the surveillance screen, Szayelaporro slowly rose to his feet. He could hardly wait to add this fascinating specimen to his personal collection.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Kōe slowly wrenched his Zanpakutō free from the massive skull beneath his feet.
Including the Dalmatian-like Hollow that had tried to ambush him by hiding behind the boulders this behemoth had thrown, he had successfully slaughtered all five Adjuchas without exception.
The sluggish, uncoordinated feeling in his body had finally faded, but that didn't mean he was back in peak condition. Mental exhaustion couldn't simply be shaken off with a combat warm-up—a fact that became glaringly obvious whenever he cast Kidō.
Still, all things considered, he was in much better shape now than when he had first woken up. The Reiatsu he had expended to dispatch these five Adjuchas hadn't been a complete waste.
By the same token, Szayelaporro had likely obtained whatever intelligence he was after. The only question now was whether the Arrancar would continue sending waves of Adjuchas to whittle him down, or if he planned to show up in person to settle things once and for all.
The answer arrived almost immediately. A jagged tear slowly ripped through the air directly in front of Kōe, opening a Garganta right in his face.
Never one to stand on ceremony, Kōe instantly unleashed a crescent wave of Reiryoku straight into the gaping void. Regardless of what was lurking inside, he figured he'd offer a welcoming gift. If the enemy was too weak to block it, they could just die in the void and save him the trouble.
However, before the Reiryoku slash could even breach the Garganta, it abruptly dissipated into nothingness. It seemed his generous gift wasn't appreciated by their visiting guest.
"My, aren't we impatient? That is hardly any way to treat a guest, Shinigami," a smooth, androgynous voice echoed from within the Garganta. "Though, I suppose this is Hueco Mundo. We are the masters here, yet you seem to lack the proper deference expected of a guest!"
One by one, a procession of Adjuchas stepped out of the Garganta, their faces twisted into malicious, toothy grins. They made no immediate move to attack; instead, they lined up in two neat rows, as if forming an honor guard to welcome someone's arrival.
"A long-overdue meeting, wouldn't you agree? Though judging by your expression, you don't seem particularly thrilled, hehehe," the androgynous voice chuckled again, the sound carrying a theatrical, deeply unsettling cadence.
"I, on the other hand, have been anticipating this for quite some time. At last, we meet face-to-face—you foolish little man who made such a dreadful mess of my beloved laboratory!" The owner of the voice slowly stepped out from the darkness of the void.
"Ah, my apologies. I really should introduce myself first. I will only say this once, so I suggest you commit it to memory. I am Szayelaporro Granz—the name of your future master!"
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