"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Ito Makoto's blade slashed downward, his left hand thrusting forward as he chanted:
"Bakudō 4—Byakurai!"
A bolt of white lightning, no thicker than a thumb, shot toward Halibel's chest.
At the last moment, she vanished with a burst of sonido, narrowly escaping the attack. A surge of golden spiritual pressure erupted from her, crackling through the air as her reiatsu spiked. Her white, jagged blade, seamlessly fused with her arm, gleamed ominously as she launched herself at Makoto once more.
Makoto chuckled, vanishing in an instant. Halibel's blade struck the stone wall behind him.
"Boom!"
The impact shattered the cave's structure, and in moments, the entire cavern began to collapse.
Makoto emerged first, raising his Zanpakutō as he murmured an incantation:
"All evil spirits and monsters walk this world. Gods and saints alike, reduced to dust—Annihilation God!"
Dark-gold spiritual pressure surged along the blade, transforming the once-ordinary katana into a slender, bone-white weapon exuding an ominous aura.
From the wreckage, Halibel burst forth, golden energy crackling in her grasp. She unleashed a devastating Cero, aimed straight at Makoto.
"Annihilation God: Second Form—Crack the Forbidden!"
Makoto pivoted sharply, his blade carving through the air. A swirling gray mist coalesced into a barrier, colliding head-on with the incoming attack.
A violent shockwave rippled outward.
Nearby, three Adjuchas-class Hollows scrambled from the ruins, shouting:
"Lady Halibel! Let us assist you!"
Before they could act, the residual force from the collision sent them sprawling.
Halibel cast them a sharp glance. "Stay back. This fight is mine."
Recognizing her resolve, the three retreated without protest.
With no more distractions, Halibel's aura flared.
"Cascada!"
Spiritual energy gathered along her blade, condensing into a golden arc that shot toward Makoto like a cannon blast.
Unfazed, Makoto raised his palm.
"Hadō 31—Shakkahō!"
A crimson sphere erupted from his hand, colliding with the golden blast.
"Boom!"
The explosion sent a plume of smoke and debris into the air.
Coughing slightly, Makoto emerged from the dust. His uniform was singed, his stance slightly shaken.
"I'll admit it—you're strong. If I were just a vice-captain, this would be a tough fight. But against a non-Arrancar Vasto Lorde… you're still not quite there."
Halibel's expression remained calm. "You underestimate me, Shinigami. If you dare harm my allies, you should already be prepared to die."
Makoto laughed, his voice laced with mockery.
"Allies? How naive. A Vasto Lorde who believes in such things… what a waste of your power."
Halibel's eyes narrowed, but before she could respond, Makoto's spiritual pressure skyrocketed.
From the shadows, a concealed observer stiffened.
"Incredible… His reiatsu just jumped to captain level… and yet, that's only 30% of his true power?"
This unseen figure—Makoto's original body—had long theorized that the clone's reiatsu was diminished when separated from him in Soul Society. Now, within Hueco Mundo, there was no such loss.
As long as Makoto remained close, he could borrow half of his true body's power without any diminishment—making him far deadlier than the average captain.
Yet, even now, he hadn't drawn upon his full strength. He had only borrowed 30%, pushing his power just high enough to reach the level of a seasoned third-seat officer.
And the battle was just beginning.
Confident that he had infused himself with 30% of his original body's spiritual pressure, Makoto Ito was certain he had more than enough power to defeat Halibel.
Halibel's eyes narrowed as she sensed the sudden surge in Makoto's reiatsu. "What's going on? You were holding back this entire time?"
Makoto remained unfazed, lifting his blade with an indifferent expression.
"Annihilation God: First Form—Shock!"
The moment their swords clashed, a strange, forceful vibration rippled through Halibel's body. A powerful shockwave traveled from her blade, spreading to her limbs and bones.
"Ah—!"
She gasped as a crushing force coiled around her organs, squeezing relentlessly. Her arms and legs momentarily weakened under the relentless pulse of Makoto's technique.
Seeing her falter, Makoto wasted no time. He pressed forward, his attacks relentless.
Forced onto the defensive, Halibel gritted her teeth, summoning her spiritual pressure to resist the internal tremors. With a sudden burst of power, she managed to repel Makoto momentarily.
"Cascada!"
Lifting the massive blade fused to her arm, she swung downward. A torrential wave erupted from her weapon, surging like an unstoppable flood.
Makoto, poised to strike again, was forced to retreat as the massive deluge consumed everything in its path. The hills around them were reduced to rubble, carved apart by the sheer pressure of the water.
Dodging the razor-like torrents, he clicked his tongue. "Tch. That's a ridiculous amount of water."
From a safe distance, Halibel steadied herself, the residual shock finally dissipating from her body. She exhaled sharply, then pointed her blade skyward.
"Arrecife!"
The raging water below suddenly transformed, rising into the air as searing-hot steam. A suffocating wave of white mist surged toward Makoto, carrying an overwhelming heat.
As the scorching vapor threatened to engulf him, Makoto's expression remained calm.
"Annihilation God: Second Form—Split the Forbidden!"
With a swift motion, he traced a circle in the air with his blade. A thick, gray-black mist unfurled from its tip, expanding into three interlocking black rings. The ominous energy surged forward, colliding with the boiling steam.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield as the shock force obliterated the rising vapor. The impact sent Halibel flying backward, slamming her into a jagged rock wall.
"Ugh!"
Blood dripped from fresh wounds as she struggled to lift her weapon-bearing arm.
"Damn it…"
Summoning the last of her strength, she raised her blade and gathered her energy.
"Gran Rey Cero!"
A blinding, pure-gold blast erupted from her weapon, far stronger than any Cero she had fired before.
Makoto, however, simply grinned. He made no move to evade.
Instead, he raised his blade, the dark energy coiling around it like a living force.
"Annihilation God: Third Form—Mustard Net!"
A small black dot appeared on his sword's edge. In the blink of an eye, it expanded, unraveling into a massive web of dark energy. The net surged forward, swallowing Halibel's Gran Rey Cero whole—erasing it completely.
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