BOOOOM—!!
The Cero detonated.
Light exploded.
In the deafening blast, a destructive crimson shockwave erupted outward, and countless threads of lightning spilled from the explosion—raining down like judgment itself.
Yammy's head was blown open, and the falling aftershock didn't just shred the clouds—
it ripped into the ground of Zaraki District as well, leaving fresh devastation across the wasteland.
That shocking scene made every pair of eyes on the battlefield light up.
"Look!!!"
"Wrath-Beast Yammy's head—he got blown clean through!!!"
"He poured everything into a killing move… and ended up burying himself!"
"In front of that Giant Wood Golem…"
"Even a so-called unstoppable monster has become a toy to be crushed at will!!!"
In that instant—
the purification squad hiding behind their reiatsu barrier exploded with emotion.
Some were stunned.
Some were exhilarated.
All of them were swept up by the moment.
Even Sasakibe Chōjirō, the overall commander, was the same:
"I never imagined…"
"An Espada-class Arrancar…"
"would be crushed this completely… without even the chance to fight back…"
Sasakibe stood there slack-jawed.
"Just how terrifying is that Giant Wood Golem Bai Chen summoned?!"
His worldview was shattered again.
He'd expected Bai Chen to stomp Yammy from the start—
but he hadn't expected the stomp to be this absolute.
This wasn't strength anymore.
It was the kind of power that felt like it could smash anything.
Calling it "invincible" didn't feel exaggerated at all.
"Is it… over already?!"
Isane froze in place.
The battle ended too fast.
Too easily.
For a moment, her mind couldn't even catch up.
It felt unreal.
And her awe for Bai Chen—and the sheer dominance of a wood-type Zanpakutō—hit the level of worship.
"Ikkaku…"
"Did you see it?!"
"Yammy's partner—that Vasto Lorde Arrancar…"
"He finally stopped looking like a poker-faced statue!"
"He's completely losing it now!!!"
Ikkaku couldn't hide his excitement as he pointed it out.
Ulquiorra's expression was no longer cold arrogance—
his emerald eyes were visibly unsettled.
Because Ulquiorra hadn't expected this either:
Yammy—whom he'd pushed, ordered, and forced into Resurrección—
turned out to be this pathetic.
He barely had time to move after transforming…
and he got flattened in one exchange.
"I finally understand…"
"why even after gathering so much intelligence…"
"Aizen-sama still specifically ordered me to invade Soul Society and test him…"
Ulquiorra spoke quietly, voice heavy.
"Bai Chen and his wood-type Zanpakutō…"
"are truly flawless."
In that moment—
Ulquiorra accepted it.
Watching Yammy collapse into the dust and shockwaves, Ulquiorra's eyes flickered—
and for the first time, words failed him.
That gap in power was too wide.
So wide it forced even a Vasto Lorde Arrancar to admit the truth:
Wood Dragon was on a different level.
"What now…?"
For a brief moment, Ulquiorra hesitated.
He wasn't the type to beg, surrender, or run.
But by the results alone—
this invasion was already a complete failure.
Still, Ulquiorra hadn't released his blade yet.
Shaken doesn't mean broken.
And deep down, he believed—
if he went all out…
if he released…
if he even used Segunda Etapa—
then Black-Winged Great Demon might be able to fight that Giant Wood Golem.
Meanwhile: The 12th Division, Research and Development Institute
"Exactly as I expected…"
"Bai Chen and his wood-type Zanpakutō…"
"To think he erased the weaker Adjuchas Arrancar this quickly…"
In the upper floors of the Research and Development Institute, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's hoarse, delighted laughter echoed.
Unlike other observers—
his monitoring never cut out.
Even without being there, the spikes in data told him everything:
Yammy had just been "reverse-buried" by the Cero sphere.
Mayuri's excitement turned manic.
His grin looked like something out of a nightmare.
"C-Captain…"
Behind him, Akon spoke in a respectful, shaken voice.
"I'm sorry. I was shallow earlier… I was wrong."
Every time Akon saw the screen turn into chaotic, overloaded noise from the numbers—
his pupils practically trembled.
He still couldn't understand how, outside of Ryūjin Jakka,
a Zanpakutō like Wood Dragon could possess such absurd destructive power.
To dominate two Espada-level threats in such a short time—
in the entire Gotei 13…
only the Head Captain should be capable of something like that.
"Akon, just watch…"
"From the data so far…"
"An Adjuchas being crushed is nothing but the appetizer."
Mayuri's voice dropped, hungry with anticipation.
"Don't forget…"
"There's still a Vasto Lorde Arrancar."
"And what comes next…"
"is the real main course."
He licked his lips slowly, almost greedily.
"A Vasto Lorde…"
"The apex predator of Hueco Mundo…"
"He can't possibly crawl back in shame, can he?"
So Mayuri's tone became certain—
as if he was predicting the future:
Ulquiorra would release.
Back to Zaraki District
As the crimson dust finally cleared—
the already shattered earth had gained a new wound:
a gigantic crater, over a hundred meters wide.
Inside it, the heavily injured Wrath-Beast Yammy lay twisted and immobile—
like meat on a chopping block.
Ready to be carved.
"Dying after losing a battle…"
"That's what weaklings deserve…"
Ulquiorra's emerald gaze lingered on Yammy.
For the first time, a hint of something human flashed across his face—
a rare emotion no other Espada ever seemed to show.
Then his expression hardened again.
"Still…"
"Whether it's revenge…"
"or self-preservation…"
"if I'm going back to Hueco Mundo…"
"I'm going back as a victor…"
"not as a runaway."
As he spoke, Ulquiorra reached to his belt and drew his blade from its sheath.
BOOOOM—!!
A fully solid, murderous pressure burst from his hierro body.
The air shook.
The ground hummed.
Ulquiorra gripped the hilt, raised the blade upright before him—
and that posture made it unmistakable:
Aizen's most loyal subordinate…
the Vasto Lorde Arrancar who moved like a silent butler of Las Noches—
was being forced into release.
Atop the Giant Wood Golem, nearly merged with the clouds, Bai Chen sensed it instantly.
His eyes sharpened with battle intent.
"Ulquiorra…"
"So you're going to release your blade."
He narrowed his gaze.
"Among the Espada…"
"You really are the strange one when it comes to 'emotion.'"
Truthfully—
if Ulquiorra abandoned Yammy and chose to flee with all his speed and ability…
in a barren borderland like this,
Bai Chen wasn't fully certain he could stop him.
Ulquiorra might actually escape safely.
Yet Ulquiorra chose to stay.
To not leave Yammy behind.
That decision…
was strange enough to make Bai Chen pause.
But in that brief pause—
Ulquiorra's aura climbed to its peak.
His blade angled forward, pointing toward the sky.
And then—
in a voice flat as death, without the slightest emotional ripple—
Ulquiorra spoke his release command.
The words echoed across the wasteland like a cold verdict:
"Lock the Heavens—Black-Winged Great Demon."
In the next moment—
the legendary being born from darkness,
the apostle of "nothingness,"
was about to descend upon Soul Society in full form.
And with that—
Bai Chen's solo battle against two Espada surged into a level of intensity the battlefield had never seen before.
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