"As long as I kill you, I will get the reward from my King. My luck is so good."
In the sky, another flying Arrancar swooped down towards Uehara Shiroha and called out, "Kimel, be careful! This Soul Reaper is not ordinary."
"Firth, you worry too much," Kimel replied dismissively. Despite his words, the massive Arrancar—standing over three meters tall with thick limbs—kept his fierce gaze fixed on Uehara Shiroha, making no immediate move to attack.
He planned to join forces with Firth to fight the enemy, just to be thorough. After all, this was a task assigned by Lord Aizen himself, and he had to complete it even if it meant risking his life.
Facing the two Arrancars surrounding him, Uehara Shiroha remained calm and composed. His piercing eyes surveyed his opponents with detached interest. Although these two Arrancars had retained many Hollow characteristics, their level of evolution was far superior to Leo, Rodney, and Jerome. They were obviously more complete Arrancars—stronger, with power at least equivalent to Muguruma Kensei, on par with a senior captain.
However, that was their limit.
In Uehara Shiroha's eyes, these two seemingly aggressive Arrancars were nothing more than domestic animals. Just ants waiting to be crushed beneath his heel.
Kimel and Firth were not ordinary Arrancars, though, and they maintained a sense of vigilance. Especially Kimel—the longer he looked, the more uncomfortable he became with the Soul Reaper's gaze. Something wasn't right.
Somehow, he felt that Shiroha's eyes were particularly dazzling, and strangely familiar. Then it struck him.
Those eyes. When Arrancars looked at humans—those ants—they used that same gaze. It was the look of a butcher examining meat on a chopping block.
Kimel's rage boiled over. He possessed unimaginable strength. How dare this Soul Reaper look at him with such dismissive eyes?
Unable to contain the murderous intent in his heart, Kimel roared and charged toward Uehara Shiroha like an enraged rhinoceros. With his spiritual pressure at full force, he could have shattered mountains.
Uehara Shiroha simply raised his hand. Spiritual pressure crisscrossed through the air, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he instantly knocked away the charging Kimel as if he were nothing more than a torn sack.
At that moment, Firth swooped down from above, drawing his sword in a vicious arc aimed at Uehara Shiroha's head.
Firth prided himself on his unparalleled speed. He could kill targets with lightning precision before they even registered his movement. Earlier, he had observed that Shiroha's flash step didn't seem particularly fast, leading him to believe his opponent was mediocre at best.
What Firth didn't realize was that Uehara Shiroha had merely been toying with them, using less than a tenth of his true speed.
Shiroha lightly dodged the incoming blade, the steel whistling past him as he stepped aside with elegant grace. He spoke calmly, his voice carrying across the battlefield: "Comparing speed with me? You truly have a death wish."
Firth's face contorted with arrogance. "You really don't know the difference between life and death! Today I'll open your eyes and show you what real speed looks like. If you can land even a single hit on me, I'll acknowledge your skill."
After his boast, Firth's figure blurred as he launched himself forward again, slashing at Uehara Shiroha like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
However, Shiroha simply vanished.
Kimel, who had just staggered to his feet, stood dumbfounded.
What happened to me? Why did I fall so easily?
The realization struck him, and his expression morphed into one of shock. He hadn't expected his opponent to knock him aside so effortlessly. It was truly incredible.
As a Hollow, his body was exceptionally powerful, protected by armor-like skin covering every inch. His strength was formidable—his charge like a mountain crashing down, heavy as a thousand pounds of steel.
But even so, he couldn't withstand his opponent's casual strike.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Firth's body suddenly flew sideways, as if struck by an invisible force, and crashed heavily into the ground.
Witnessing this, Kimel's shock deepened. It was clear that this Shinigami had completely outmatched Firth in speed. But how was this possible? Even Firth's sonido couldn't keep up!
Meanwhile, Firth lay on the ground, utterly confused. This Shinigami was inconceivably fast and strong! He hadn't even seen his opponent move, let alone tracked his movements.
Firth's ability allowed him to accelerate his sonido to extraordinary levels, yet even with this advantage, he couldn't match this Shinigami. It defied comprehension. The opponent's speed exceeded the perception limit of his nervous system. What kind of monstrous velocity was this?
A fierce light flashed in Firth's eyes as he activated his ability once more, rising to his feet to continue the fight. This time, his movements were even faster than before, his body more agile as he darted through the air.
Seeing the Arrancar's increased speed, Uehara Shiroha became slightly more serious. While keeping an eye on Kurosaki Ichigo and Suì-Fēng's situations elsewhere, he played with Firth almost leisurely, deflecting attacks with casual waves of his hand. Each strike left Firth more battered and confused than before.
Firth, being beaten thoroughly, was lost in disbelief. This shouldn't be happening! How is this possible? How is this Shinigami so powerful without even drawing his Zanpakutō?
In the end, he couldn't land a single hit. So the clown was me all along?
While Firth questioned his entire existence, Kimel stood paralyzed with fear, cold sweat pouring down his body. The two moved so quickly that he couldn't follow their battle at all, yet what little he could see left him utterly shocked.
Truthfully, Kimel had never seen Firth so thoroughly humiliated. What terrified him most was that throughout the entire exchange, the Shinigami moved with effortless grace, as if he considered them nothing more than a minor nuisance—barely worth his attention.
Kimel looked at Uehara Shiroha, who remained calm and composed, his eyes betraying fear and shock as thoughts raced through his mind:
"I heard before that the Fourth Espada Paid and the Sixth Espada Neros died at the hands of this Shinigami. I didn't think much of it at the time. How could a mere Shinigami defeat two Espadas simultaneously? Now I see that I was wrong. How could two Espadas ever hope to defeat such a monster..."
Kimel clenched the Zanpakutō in his hand, preparing to use his ultimate technique. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't even see the two combatants' movements clearly, let alone intervene effectively.
He and Firth had mastered the most complete Arrancar power, and they could only turn the tide by releasing their Zanpakutō. Although Paid and Neros were their predecessors, they had never mastered such power.
Therefore, Kimel and Firth still had fighting spirit left.
"Damn it, how is this possible?!" Although Firth didn't want to believe it, the facts were undeniable. In terms of speed, he was completely outmatched.
Shocked and furious, Firth leapt into the air. He raised the flame-patterned Zanpakutō in his hand and shouted: "Arde y Eleva, Ala Roja!" (Burn and Soar, Red Wing!)
Suddenly, gusts of cold wind swept across the battlefield, and dark clouds gathered overhead. The strange and heavy spiritual pressure transformed into red flames that enveloped Firth's entire body.
When his Resurrección was complete, Firth had returned to peak condition. The injuries on his body vanished, and his spiritual pressure surged to several times its previous strength. Magnificent wings spread from his back, streaked with crimson lines like burning flames.
Feeling the powerful spiritual energy surging through his body, Firth laughed maniacally:
"This must be the first time you've witnessed an Arrancar's Resurrección. Unlike your Zanpakutō release, our Resurrección is a complete unleashing of our true power. An Arrancar's Zanpakutō is merely the vessel containing our Hollow abilities. What you saw before was my incomplete form—this is the real me! I am now five times stronger than before! Well? Are you shocked by my true power?"
After releasing his Ala Roja, his strength had increased dramatically.
Firth instantly felt his confidence return.
"I am indeed surprised," Uehara Shiroha replied with the detached amusement of someone watching a street performance. "I'm surprised that your Resurrección is so pathetically weak. I purposely waited and didn't kill you instantly, just to witness your ultimate strength. And this is the result?"
These two Arrancars were clearly special, with unique talents. However, neither their innate abilities nor their Resurrección forms could stand against Uehara Shiroha.
An ant that's five times stronger is still an ant. He had no interest in such weaklings that he could crush at will. In comparison, the opponents facing Kurosaki Ichigo and Suì-Fēng, with their potential, were far more intriguing.
"Stop looking down on us! Burn him, Ala Roja!" As Firth flapped his crimson wings, streams of scorching flames swept toward Uehara Shiroha. The air around them became unbearably hot in an instant.
The opponent hasn't even released his Zanpakutō, Firth thought. There's no reason for us to lose.
Simultaneously, Kimel also activated his Resurrección.
In an instant, his spiritual pressure and body size increased dramatically. Two black bone spears, resembling massive fangs, erupted from his chest. The spears gleamed with cold, hard light, as if they were indestructible.
Immediately, he unleashed a powerful wave of spiritual pressure, his enormous body transforming into a black tornado that threatened to consume everything in its path: "¡Estrangúlalo, Colmillo Sombrío!" (Strangle him, Shadow Fang!)
For a moment, flames and hurricane-force winds enveloped Uehara Shiroha. The terrifying spiritual pressure and power of their released Zanpakutō were so formidable that they rivaled the Bankai of a Shinigami captain.
Facing the two ferocious Arrancars, Uehara Shiroha stood motionless. Then his figure blurred, and in an instant, he executed two perfect sword strikes:
"You may die beneath my blade with honor. It's not that you're particularly strong—I'm simply kind-hearted enough to give you a dignified end."
"You..." Firth was so enraged he couldn't speak.
When he finally gathered his thoughts to launch a fierce counterattack, a flash of steel cut through the air.
Uehara Shiroha, who had seemed far away just moments before, had somehow closed the distance without anyone noticing. He made a subtle gesture as he retracted his blade.
Firth tried to speak, but no words came. His eyes reflected the god-like figure before him and the dazzling edge of the sword.
Though he hadn't sensed any imminent danger or overwhelming force, he felt his life rapidly slipping away. Against that blade, his defenses and hierro skin were as fragile as paper.
The strike had been faster than light itself. Before he could even register the danger, everything was over.
He could do nothing but let his life dissipate, like clouds in the sky facing a strong wind, or darkness at dawn confronting the rising sun. It became clear that from the very beginning, they had existed in entirely different worlds.
"I'm sorry, Lord Aizen..." Kimel fell to his knees.
A massive bloody hole gaped in his chest where his heart had been reduced to dust. Even now, he couldn't comprehend how his opponent had slain both him and Firth in an instant.
Was the gap between them truly that vast?
None of it mattered anymore.
Uehara Shiroha didn't even spare a glance at the two Arrancars as they began to dissolve into particles of reishi. Instead, he rushed straight toward Suì-Fēng's location.
"Lord Aizen, this is..." Gin Ichimaru's eyes opened slightly, revealing a look of genuine surprise.
He had believed the two Arrancars would pose at least some threat to Uehara Shiroha after releasing their Resurrección. Even if they couldn't harm him, they should have at least delayed his advance.
Instead, in the blink of an eye, the two powerful Arrancars had been utterly defeated.
Without using his Shikai or Bankai, Gin knew he couldn't have dispatched the two Arrancars as effortlessly as Shiroha had.
Contemplating this, he looked up at Aizen and thought to himself:
If it were you, you would probably accomplish the same feat. It seems the strength of true masters is indeed terrifying. I must be more cautious.
Tōsen's expression darkened as he gripped Suzumushi tightly in his right hand.
For a moment, he considered rushing to the World of the Living immediately to eliminate this tremendous threat. The danger Uehara Shiroha represented was too great to ignore.
The opponent was currently unable to use the power of his Zanpakutō—this was their best opportunity to neutralize him. If the three of them acted together, success would be virtually guaranteed.
"As expected of Uehara Shiroha, the Soul Society's greatest prodigy. His growth rate is truly astonishing," Aizen remarked with admiration, seemingly unconcerned by Shiroha's overwhelming strength.
And truthfully, he wasn't concerned.
If Shiroha hadn't possessed at least this level of power, Aizen wouldn't have designed this trap specifically for him.
The entertainment had only just begun.
Compared to Shiroha, who had effortlessly dispatched his enemies, Suì-Fēng found herself in dire straits.
Her delicate face had gone pale, her forehead beaded with cold sweat. Though her eyes still burned with indomitable determination, her body was covered in wounds, and her spiritual pressure had nearly depleted.
The Hollow before her was too bizarre, too powerful.
Most critically, without her Zanpakutō, her attack power had diminished significantly. She couldn't even penetrate the enemy's black armor, let alone inflict any meaningful damage.
While contemplating her next move, Suì-Fēng dodged the fierce punch from the bull-headed Hollow. After landing, she flicked her right wrist, sending a kunai flying toward the Hollow's shoulder.
But the blade didn't even touch the creature's flesh—it failed to penetrate its defenses at all.
Suì-Fēng summoned a burst of spiritual pressure and unlocked the seal on the kunai.
"Boom!"
With a deafening explosion, the spiritual energy sealed within the kunai erupted, transforming into scorching flames and concussive shockwaves.
"Annoying little bug. Die!" The black Hollow ignored the explosion and gathered spiritual energy at the tips of its curved ebony horns.
A massive black Cero targeted Suì-Fēng.
With a thunderous roar, the terrifying Cero—capable of obliterating everything in its path—completely enveloped her position.
The black energy beam blotted out the sky and sun, plunging the world into premature darkness. Its powerful spiritual pressure made the earth and surrounding buildings tremble as if in the throes of a minor earthquake.
Even outside of Hueco Mundo, this Hollow's Cero remained formidable—comparable even to the devastating energy beams of an Espada.
Faced with this overwhelming attack, Suì-Fēng attempted to escape.
But her movements slowed under the crushing weight of the spiritual pressure.
Her heart sank as she realized she could only gather what little spiritual energy remained to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Even if she couldn't defeat this terrible opponent, she had to buy time. If this monstrous Hollow joined forces with the enemies Shiroha was facing, even he would struggle against such a formidable adversary.
Just as she gritted her teeth, preparing to endure the onslaught, a familiar voice cut through the chaos:
"It seems Captain Suì-Fēng needs my assistance once again!"
Uehara Shiroha appeared before her, extending his right hand toward the incoming Cero. A powerful surge of spiritual pressure erupted from his palm, shattering the massive wave-like beam into countless fragments.
When she saw his figure materialize, Suì-Fēng felt a surge of relief. After their previous encounters, the mere sight of his familiar silhouette filled her with a sense of security.
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