"What was that?" the green-haired girl asked curiously.
"I don't know, but the look in that bug's eyes disgusted me a little," the middle-aged man replied lazily. "So I crushed it with my Reiatsu. It shouldn't be a problem, right?!"
The green-haired girl jumped up and smacked him hard on the head, her face full of disdain. "Idiot, what if it was an enemy trap?"
"Whatever. Enemy or friend, just bring me something new. I'm dying of boredom here. You're the only one who talks to me every day." The middle-aged man scratched his head, looking completely slack and lethargic.
"We clearly sensed a strong fluctuation of Reiatsu, but the moment we got close, it vanished. We aren't being played, are we?"
Hearing this, the green-haired girl kicked him hard in the calf, then immediately clutched her own foot, crying out in pain as her delicate features scrunched up.
"Idiot, it's all because you're too slow."
"Alright, let's go check out the place where the Reiatsu erupted earlier. We might find something."
However, just as the two were about to leave, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out.
"Oh? Are you planning to run away?"
"Before you leave, shouldn't you explain your previous offensive behavior?"
On the silver sea of sand, a figure completely out of place with the aesthetic of Hueco Mundo had appeared at some unknown point.
Wearing a white haori over a black Shihakushō, a harmless smile graced his handsome face, making him look like an inexperienced, socially awkward boy next door.
But the moment he sensed the newcomer's aura, the laziness on the middle-aged man's face vanished, replaced by an expression of extreme solemnity.
For the first time ever, he actually felt pressure from a stranger.
Since the moment his consciousness was born, this was the first time he had ever experienced such a feeling. Having wandered Hueco Mundo for countless years, he had never once felt a trace of danger.
On the contrary, whether it was a Menos Grande or a normal Hollow, they would instinctively choose to flee the moment they sensed his Reiatsu or aura.
Because those Hollows smelled death.
Right now, the situation was exactly the same.
"A Soul Reaper?"
Watching the approaching figure, a barely noticeable trace of vigilance flashed through his grayish-blue eyes. The middle-aged man quietly rested his right hand on the green-haired girl's head.
Seeing this gesture, Naraku Sora grinned, confirming he hadn't found the wrong people.
"Genuine and guaranteed."
The green-haired girl tilted her head curiously. Although she had seen Soul Reapers more than once, this was the first time she had seen one as unconventional as Naraku Sora.
'A rare existence. He can actually withstand this guy's emitted Reiatsu.'
'And he doesn't seem the least bit uncomfortable.'
"Hey, my name is Lilynette, and this guy is Starrk. We sensed Reiatsu erupting from that direction, so we came all the way... Mmph!"
Before she could finish, Lilynette's mouth was forcefully covered by Starrk, who smoothly pulled her behind him.
'This idiot, hasn't she realized that the Soul Reaper in front of us is the owner of that Reiatsu from earlier?'
'The other party has already used words like "offensive behavior," clearly indicating he came with ill intentions.'
'Furthermore, Soul Reapers and Hollows are natural enemies. Whenever they meet, it is bound to be a fight to the death.'
'Showing goodwill at a time like this is simply too stupid.'
"I apologize, Mr. Soul Reaper. I don't quite understand what you mean by 'offensive behavior,' but we have no intention of making an enemy out of you. If possible..."
Before Starrk could finish, Naraku Sora interrupted with a smile.
"That Spirit-Recording Bug took a lot of effort to create, and it's worth a staggering one hundred billion Kan."
"If you two can't come up with the appropriate compensation, then pay with your bodies."
Starrk: "?"
Having lived for so long, this was the first time he had ever heard someone lusting after his body.
"So that bug from earlier was your property, Mr. Soul Reaper. I'm truly sorry. Is there really no room for negotiation? Like changing the compensation requirement or something?"
Seeing that the other party remained completely unmoved, Starrk sighed helplessly and placed his right hand on Lilynette's head.
The situation was already crystal clear. If he didn't want to sell his body, he had to kill the other party first.
What a pity. He had finally met someone completely immune to his Reiatsu.
Even if it was a Soul Reaper.
"What are you waiting for, Starrk? Kill this guy!"
Realizing what was about to happen, Lilynette became exceptionally excited.
After wandering for who knows how many years, this was the first time she had encountered an enemy that made Starrk take things so seriously.
This was even more thrilling than finding a new companion.
It was rare to be able to unleash their full strength without holding back. This time, they definitely had to beat the opponent to their knees!
Thinking of this, Lilynette spread her slender fingers. Light coalesced, instantly transforming into a crescent-shaped longsword. She took a stance, fully prepared for battle.
However, in the next second, the large hand pressing on her head exerted a slight force.
"Hunt him down, Los Lobos."
The moment the words fell, a pillar of azure Reiatsu erupted from the two of them, piercing straight into the sky. It instantly dispersed the gloom of the night, rising like a sun that even the moonlight had to yield to.
Lilynette turned into a streak of light and vanished into Starrk's palm.
Violent air currents centered around the Reiatsu pillar, suddenly whipping up a sky-blotting storm of silver sand.
Looking at the storm before him, Naraku Sora's eyes lit up.
As expected of the Primera Espada. Even after splitting his soul, he still possessed such formidable Reiatsu, surpassing even Szayelaporro.
As the materialized pillar of Reiatsu dissipated, a completely transformed Starrk reappeared in sight.
His worn gray cloak was gone, replaced by a gray fur-collared coat, with wolf-like fur lining the collar, cuffs, and lower legs.
He held an antique-looking flintlock pistol in each hand.
Azure Reiatsu lingered around his body, distorting the surrounding air into warped lines and exuding a heart-palpitating pressure.
Such a dominant display made a certain someone's eyes shine.
Before coming to Hueco Mundo, Aizen had repeatedly warned him, terrified that he would cause some disaster.
This was clearly underestimating his abilities.
Once he beat Starrk and Lilynette to their knees and brought them back to Las Noches as captives, he would see what his adopted son had to say then.
A self-made Arrancar who had undergone soul division.
Looking across the entirety of Hueco Mundo, one couldn't find such excellent experimental subjects.
Not just Aizen, but even a fellow Arrancar like Szayelaporro wouldn't be able to resist this fatal temptation.
"Is there really no room for negotiation?"
Starrk attempted one last persuasion, but Lilynette, now transformed into a flintlock pistol, tried to jump up and smack him on the head.
"You coward, I never should have split you off in the first place!"
"I understand."
Starrk raised the pistol in his right hand, aimed at the figure ahead, and pulled the trigger.
The next second.
Countless Reishi gathered at the muzzle, and an azure beam erupted instantly. It swept across the night sky like a ribbon, dyeing everything nearby in its color.
And then.
It was firmly caught barehanded by a pair of large hands. Under Starrk's astonished gaze, the full-powered Cero was forcibly torn apart.
The violently split Cero brushed past, landing in the desert on both sides and instantly blasting up waves of silver sand.
Starrk was dumbfounded. This was the first time he had ever seen his Cero dismantled in such a manner. This completely violated the rules of combat between Soul Reapers and Hollows.
"Hey, what is this?"
"Power."
Naraku Sora grinned. The moment his words fell, he directly activated Sonído.
Accompanied by the hum of spatial distortion, his figure vanished from the spot.
Starrk's pupils shrank, his worldview shattered once again.
'If I'm not mistaken, the movement technique that Soul Reaper just used was Sonído, right?'
'Since when could Soul Reapers use abilities exclusive to Menos?'
'Is he going to pull out a Cero next?'
While he was still in shock, a ferocious and brutal smile suddenly appeared in his line of sight. A brilliant silver light flashed, and a Zanpakutō slashed down right at his head.
An intense aura of death instantly enveloped Starrk. A bone-chilling cold seeped through his pores, penetrating deep into his internal organs.
At this moment, his Hollow instincts let out a sharp, explosive warning!
Starrk executed the fastest Sonído of his life. Amidst the violent conversion of Reishi, his entire body blurred and distorted.
He barely managed to evade the unpretentious slash, but before he could even turn his head, the shockwave of the impact swept over him.
As if struck in the back by a heavy hammer, Starrk stumbled forward, nearly falling into a sand pit.
'What kind of monster is this?!'
'Just the shockwave alone carries such a powerful impact. If I took a direct hit, wouldn't I be minced into meat paste?'
Starrk took a deep breath, fully realizing the gap between them.
At the same time, he thought of a countermeasure. He immediately burst into a Sonído, putting distance between himself and Naraku Sora.
'Close combat is impossible to win. I'll have to see if I can blast him apart from a distance with Ceros.'
Starrk raised his dual pistols.
The next second, a torrential downpour of Cero beams rained down from the sky, instantly drowning the entire battlefield.
The whole sky was covered by the azure torrent. Space twisted and warped, filled with countless skewed and trembling lines.
Wherever the beams passed, whether it was silver sand or giant boulders, everything was instantly reduced to nothingness.
The terrifying scale of the attack made the ground beneath their feet tremble. Silver sand danced wildly, as if the apocalypse had descended.
Just the shockwaves alone were enough to obliterate the life of an Adjuchas-class Menos.
However, facing such an attack, Naraku Sora showed absolutely no intention of dodging. He stood rigidly in place, as if scared stiff.
Just as Starrk thought the battle was about to end, under his bewildered gaze, a certain someone raised a finger, striking a shooting pose.
Intense unease seized his heart.
The next second.
A crimson torrent, crackling with frantic electrical arcs, erupted from the fingertip. The scorching flames, condensed into an unparalleled beam and mixed with lightning, instantly dyed half the sky blood-red.
Infinite Reload Cero VS Hadō-Fused Cero!