In his impotent rage, Baraggan's sole thought now was to utterly crush the enemies before him and thus reforge his dignity as the King of Hueco Mundo.
Just as the boiling black mist surrounding him was about to erupt, Kensei caught Harribel's eye and signaled.
He said, "You can go now."
Harribel, already primed and ready, had compressed the water accumulated within the shark gill patterns on her greatsword to its absolute limit. Without hesitation, without needing to deliberately aim, her trust in Kensei allowed her to pour all her strength into this single strike, swinging her blade with all her fury against Baraggan.
"Irá."
A water thread, compressed to near invisibility, precisely struck Baraggan, following the reality Kensei had selected and fixed.
No extra actions were needed. The moment Harribel attacked, the outcome was already determined.
Baraggan's surrounding black mist stalled for an instant.
The sound of a water blade cutting through bone rang out. At Baraggan's left eye socket, roughly a quarter of its skull, along with a corner of the crown upon its head, was sliced off by Harribel's attack.
Before the bone fragments could even hit the ground, Kensei had already reached out, his five fingers closing as if grasping something in the air.
"Give it here."
Space rippled faintly. The bone fragments, barely detached from Baraggan's body, vanished instantly mid-air, reappearing in the space above Kensei's palm, their cut surfaces perfectly smooth.
This old skeleton's bones still carried undissipated black energy; couldn't touch them directly.
"Whew~" Kensei whistled. "Now I can make bone meal. Maybe even farm with it in Hueco Mundo."
Only upon hearing Kensei's voice did Baraggan snap back from the searing pain. Though the unprecedented pain nearly made him cry out, he forcefully endured it to save face.
Baraggan slowly raised a hand, touching his suddenly empty left eye socket. He now looked especially ridiculous.
He had thought crushing these insects of Hueco Mundo would be easy, yet now he was in this miserable state.
"You... this swarm of ants... how dare you?!"
Unprecedented fury and humiliation caused the black mist around Baraggan to press outward like a flood. The very sand beneath him became a vacuum under this force.
But that was it.
The crown symbolizing his status as King of Hueco Mundo was shattered. His body had suffered irreparable damage. Under this dual blow, besides anger, a hint of retreat had already sprouted in Baraggan's mind.
Gorudo Roikodium continued to control Ikomikidomoe, constantly tearing at the black mist. In the distance, the forces Baraggan had brought were already suffering severe casualties. The Quimera Parca Ayon, summoned by Sung-Sun, Rose, and Apacci, practically dominated that battlefield.
Though Harribel's breathing was unsteady after her strike, water was already gathering on her greatsword once more.
Not to mention Kensei, who had yet to truly exert himself, and Aizen Sōsuke, who seemed like an outsider.
"Your Majesty!"
Baraggan's sole remaining direct subordinates, Findor Calius and Ggio Vega, shouted desperately, disregarding the cost of injury as they rushed to Baraggan's side.
His skeletal face showed no expression, but the distorted black mist around him revealed his mood. Ultimately, reason prevailed over reluctant fury.
"This grudge... I will make you pay for it with the decay of your very souls!"
The venomous words echoed across the battlefield. Baraggan hesitated no longer. His spiritual pressure swept up his remaining subordinates, and like a hurricane, he fled in rout back the way he came.
Seeing Baraggan disappear from view, Gorudo Roikodium, who had been manipulating Ikomikidomoe in constant harassment, also ceased its actions. Szayelaporro's command target was gone; his mission was complete. There was no point in staying.
Ikomikidomoe's body began to shrink, reverting to its strangely shaped Zanpakutō form. Gorudo Roikodium sheathed it on its back and sped away in a certain direction, disappearing into the distance within moments.
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
Kensei raised an eyebrow. The moment Gorudo Roikodium appeared, he had already placed a spatial marker on it.
Whether it was retrieving Ikomikidomoe later or finding the pervert Szayelaporro, it would be a simple matter.
"I'm done here."
Aizen's voice rang out as she re-sheathed Kyōka Suigetsu. The footage she wanted Szayelaporro to see had been completely transmitted back.
In the scene she constructed, Kensei, seizing the moment when Ikomikidomoe and Baraggan were locked in stalemate, used some technique with a tremendous cost to create an opportunity for the exhausted Harribel, allowing her to wound Baraggan.
Ultimately, fearing Ikomikidomoe, Baraggan retreated swiftly after issuing his threats. Meanwhile, Kensei's group was almost all injured, their spiritual pressure depleted, forced to watch helplessly as the experimental subject escaped.
A textbook Pyrrhic victory—both sides battered.
"How is it?"
Kensei released his Bankai, feeling his spiritual pressure mostly depleted. He had to remark that Kūkon was truly insatiable—really drained him.
"Naturally, no problem."
Aizen nodded. The fabricated information transmitted would lead Szayelaporro to an erroneous assessment of their strength, lowering his vigilance. Moreover, the group's apparent "weakness" might induce Szayelaporro into taking more proactive actions.
Harribel released her Resurrección and silently walked to Kensei's side, speaking softly. "Thank you."
If she hadn't met Kensei, she would never have made Baraggan feel such humiliation today.
"Family. Don't mention it." Kensei waved his hand, then looked at Aizen. "Next step? Go directly?"
"Now is when the enemy's vigilance is lowest. In theory, it's the best time to act." Aizen glanced at Kensei. "But can your body hold up?"
"Who are you underestimating?"
Kensei immediately straightened up, proving he was in normal condition.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Yoruichi, having walked over, perked up. "I haven't had my fun yet."
When dealing with Baraggan's forces earlier, most had been eliminated by Sung-Sun and the others' Quimera Parca. To avoid friendly fire, Yoruichi had spent most of the time just watching longingly.
Kensei looked at Apacci and the others, whose faces were brimming with joy after avenging their grievance. "You guys stay here and rest. I'll take Nelliel and the others."
Though Ayon was extremely powerful, it drained the three considerably. Kensei could feel Apacci and the others' spiritual pressure was nearly depleted. He left Harribel here to care for them and handle any cleanup.
Claiming exhaustion from his Bankai usage, Kensei climbed directly onto Nelliel's back, earning an eye-roll from Yoruichi.
"Thanks for the hard work, Kensei."
Nelliel didn't mind; she had carried him before. She hadn't been able to help much in the battle just now, so she was happy to share Kensei's burden now.
"Then let's depart!"
Once comfortably seated, Kensei waved his hand grandly, pointing in the direction of the spatial marker, and Nelliel carried him off at full speed.
"I wonder if our scientist friend will be pleasantly surprised when he sees us."
***
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