"Let me show you what true despair really is."
The moment Baraggan's bony hand grasped the Axe of Death, the previously slow-spreading black mist suddenly turned far more violent. Empowered by his spiritual pressure, the rate of decay multiplied, even affecting several unnamed subordinates still fighting in the distance.
"Sigh. Like I don't have any style myself."
Kensei used Kūkon to teleport Harribel, who had nearly been caught in Baraggan's black mist, to his side. He raised an eyebrow at the old skeleton entering its second phase.
"Just a minor enhancement."
Harribel gripped her greatsword tighter, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Lord Kensei, be careful."
Aizen wasn't concerned about Kensei. She simply used Kyōka Suigetsu to transmit fabricated, realistic images back to Szayelaporro through the modified Hollow mixed in with the horde. In the footage, Kensei and the others were steadily losing ground against the enhanced Baraggan, falling into a massive disadvantage.
Baraggan swung the Axe of Death. Crescent-shaped blade beams carrying the aura of decay tore through Hueco Mundo's sands, heading straight for Kensei. Where they passed, even space itself showed cracks from aging.
The blade beams collided with the spatial barriers created by Kūkon, emitting a corrosive sound like hot oil. Though they still blocked Baraggan's attacks, the barriers dissipated much faster this time.
Satisfied with this advantage, Baraggan laughed wildly. "Submit to the power of the King of Hueco Mundo!"
"At your age, still suffering from chuunibyou? Don't you feel embarrassed?"
Kensei sighed, genuinely concerned for Baraggan's mental state. Facing Baraggan's onslaught, he closed his eyes, channeling his spiritual pressure. When he opened them again, faint silver light flickered within.
"Bankai—"
As his spiritual pressure released, Kensei once again unleashed his Bankai. Countless overlapping, flickering afterimages reflected in his silver pupils. The light wings composed of ever-changing geometric planes slowly unfurled from his back.
"Kūkon: Reflector of the Vast Void."
His Zanpakutō, shattered into fine fragments, orbited him like a milky way. At this moment, Kensei felt both present here and simultaneously existing in countless possible spaces.
"Oh? So this is the power of a Shinigami?"
Baraggan paused momentarily. His skeletal face showed no expression, but his slightly tightened grip on the Axe of Death revealed his wariness.
Aizen glanced at Kensei, a flicker of "this is in the bag" reassurance in her eyes, before continuing to use Kyōka Suigetsu to feed erroneous information to Szayelaporro.
In Kensei's post-Bankai vision, the world was no longer a single trajectory, but a scene composed of countless possibilities. He could see the various trajectories of Baraggan's axe swings, and the tens of thousands of potential outcomes of Harribel's next attack.
Countless spatial branches unfolded before Kensei's eyes. At this moment, he seemed to become the master of this space, able to freely alter outcomes within it.
"Oho, so I'm a little Yhwach."
Kensei looked at the constantly flickering images before him, selecting one and fixing it into reality.
Baraggan prepared to attack again, but felt as if his Axe of Death was no longer in the same space as his hand. The blade beams clearly aimed at Kensei, yet at critical moments, they inexplicably veered off course, or even directly vanished.
Simultaneously, even when Harribel's attacks were met with black mist attempting to decay them, a spatial fissure would abruptly appear, directly transferring Harribel's strikes onto Baraggan's body—even penetrating the layer of black mist covering him!
A highly compressed water jet slammed into the joint of Baraggan's arm, emitting a faint sound of bone cracking.
"What have you done?!"
Baraggan, having not felt pain in a long time, erupted in fury. His empty eye sockets fixed on Kensei.
"I'm not some Fengqiao, why would I explain what happened to you?"
Kensei looked at Baraggan like he was an idiot, suspecting the old king suffered from dementia. Explaining one's ability rules to an enemy wasn't some ironclad law of the Shinigami world. Only someone with a broken brain would willingly abandon the advantage of information asymmetry.
Baraggan's rage intensified. The black mist around him surged more violently, his attacks growing increasingly ferocious.
But under the interference of Kensei's Bankai ability, all of Baraggan's actions were futile. Instead, Kensei was like a cat toying with a mouse, continuously directing Harribel's attacks to strike Baraggan's body, occasionally knocking bone powder from his skeleton.
-----------------
In Szayelaporro's laboratory, he had been watching the battle footage with great interest. Seeing Kensei and the others fall into disadvantage before the suddenly spectacularly powerful Baraggan, his expression darkened.
"Didn't expect that old fossil Baraggan to have hidden some tricks." Szayelaporro narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Kensei. "But he's my precious experimental material. Can't waste him like this."
His gaze shifted to Gorudo Roikodium, who had completed adjustments and emerged from the culture tank.
"Perfect timing." Szayelaporro excitedly licked his lips. "Time to demonstrate what interesting data this completed product will bring me when facing a powerful opponent like Baraggan."
He issued a command to the now somewhat-intelligent Gorudo Roikodium, watching as he instantly vanished from the lab. Fanatical light, the exclusive domain of a researcher, gleamed in his eyes.
-----------------
On the battlefield, Baraggan grew increasingly frenzied as his attacks continually failed. Just as he prepared to release a large-scale Respira at any cost, an unfamiliar figure suddenly descended from the sky.
A genderless child appeared in Baraggan's line of sight. On its back was a strange Zanpakutō wrapped in bandages, the hilt covered, emanating an aura Baraggan found all too familiar.
Gorudo Roikodium turned its neck, its child-like gaze sweeping across the battlefield, finally fixing on Baraggan. Recalling its master Szayelaporro's orders, it drew Ikomikidomoe from its back and spoke softly:
"Entombed Memory, Ikomikidomoe."
The strangely shaped Zanpakutō transformed into Ikomikidomoe, several times larger than even a Menos. Gorudo Roikodium stood atop its head.
"ROAR!"
A colossal roar erupted from Ikomikidomoe's throat. The mere roar spawned tornadoes that swept the area.
"So this is the form you've taken!" Baraggan sensed that familiar aura, his anger escalating further. "Even this broken puppet dares to provoke me!"
Thick black mist erupted from Baraggan's hand, forming a giant palm that slapped towards Gorudo Roikodium. The decaying aura collided with Gorudo Roikodium and the Ikomikidomoe beneath it. They mutually corroded each other, just like their clashes thousands of years ago.
After devouring Baraggan's black mist, Ikomikidomoe released small, winged monsters that constantly harassed Baraggan.
The battle situation instantly became chaotic. Baraggan, already being toyed with by the post-Bankai Kensei, now faced a spoiler whose aging ability had no effect.
Kensei watched Harribel leisurely. "Want to collect some interest first?"
Harribel's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, water accumulated between the shark gill patterns on her greatsword.
"Too bad keeping Baraggan around is still somewhat useful for now. Otherwise, I could become the new ruler of Hueco Mundo today."
Kensei complained lightly. From the vast as the ocean of possibilities, he selected an appropriate outcome and fixed it into reality.
***
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