"What!"
Inside the barrier, Ulquiorra's expression changed dramatically.
The Cero had actually been absorbed.
Given Ryūjin Uchiha's strength, Ulquiorra had never expected a single Cero to injure him. Even so, he had not imagined it would be neutralized so effortlessly.
Ryūjin had not even blinked.
Only now did Ulquiorra truly understand why Aizen regarded Ryūjin so highly.
"If Cero won't work..."
Ulquiorra immediately changed tactics.
Spiritual pressure surged into his right hand as a radiant blade of light condensed in his grasp.
It was the Moonlight Sword, the weapon he wielded in his first Resurrección.
Its power was immense. A single strike had once sent Ichigo Kurosaki flying even while he was using Bankai and Hollowification.
Whoosh!
With the Fifth Espada's ability activated, another Ulquiorra appeared beside him, also wielding a Moonlight Sword.
The two charged toward Ryūjin simultaneously.
Ryūjin remained exactly where he stood, carrying himself with absolute confidence.
His Sharingan spun as its ocular power surged.
An upper body Susanoo materialized around him.
This was no ordinary Susanoo.
It consisted of two upper bodies fused back to back.
Each possessed two arms.
Together, they formed a unique Susanoo with two heads and four arms.
Each right hand gripped a majestic tachi.
As the two Ulquiorras closed in, both halves of the Susanoo swung their swords at the same time.
The two tachi seemed capable of cleaving space itself, appearing before Ulquiorra in an instant.
Both Ulquiorras felt death looming over them.
It was as if those blades would split them in two the next moment.
The overwhelming pressure made it difficult to breathe.
In the blink of an eye, the swords descended.
Ulquiorra had no room to evade.
Grinding his teeth, he raised the Moonlight Sword and struck back with all his strength.
Boom!
Boom!
Violent waves of energy erupted.
The Moonlight Sword shattered instantly beneath Ryūjin's tachi.
Without slowing in the slightest, the blade continued downward and slashed across Ulquiorra's chest.
A deep wound, exposing bone, stretched diagonally across his body.
Both Ulquiorras were blasted backward like cannonballs before crashing heavily into the barrier.
The entire barrier shook violently from the impact.
"What is that half-bodied giant?"
Even Aizen was momentarily stunned.
Despite observing from afar, he could still sense the terrifying power contained within the Susanoo.
Watching Ulquiorra in his Resurrección state get overwhelmed so completely was an astonishing sight.
"Ryūjin Uchiha..."
"Just how many abilities are you still hiding?"
"And where exactly is your limit?"
Aizen murmured as he watched the battle unfold.
Despite crushing Ulquiorra with ease, Ryūjin remained dissatisfied.
A considerable portion of Susanoo's power had been absorbed by the barrier.
Its destructive force had been significantly weakened.
Otherwise, Ulquiorra's injuries would have been far worse.
"This barrier is seriously annoying."
Ryūjin frowned slightly.
"That was exactly its purpose."
Ulquiorra slowly rose to his feet.
His horrific wound rapidly healed through High-Speed Regeneration.
As for the clone created by the Fifth Espada, it disappeared the moment Ryūjin knocked it away.
Ryūjin knew it made little difference.
The next time Ulquiorra attacked, another clone would simply appear.
"This barrier continuously weakens your power."
"That is the source of our confidence in fighting you."
Ulquiorra spoke with complete seriousness.
"That's your confidence?"
Ryūjin let out a dismissive laugh.
"Yeah right."
"This barrier was created by Lord Aizen after an entire month of research specifically to trap you."
"You won't be breaking it anytime soon."
Ulquiorra spoke with absolute confidence.
This barrier could not simply be destroyed through brute force.
Any violent attempt to break it would only strengthen the barrier further and increase its suppression.
"Is that so?"
Ryūjin shrugged indifferently.
Then he activated the reward he had obtained from the former King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan.
Death Chant.
Black mist poured from Ryūjin's body and spread across the barrier.
An overwhelming aura of decay engulfed the surroundings.
Wherever the black mist touched, the barrier began disintegrating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Impossible!"
Ulquiorra's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How can this be?!"
Another horrified voice rang out.
The Fifth Espada emerged from the barrier, his face filled with shock.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
The barrier...
Had been destroyed so easily.
Lord Aizen had clearly said that even if Ryūjin possessed a method to break it, it should have taken at least half an hour.
Yet only moments had passed.
"What is that black mist?"
Aizen frowned deeply.
"It destroyed the barrier so easily..."
"This is completely beyond my expectations."
His gaze remained fixed on the black mist.
"It looks exactly like Baraggan's Death Chant."
"No..."
"It's practically identical."
"Ryūjin Uchiha..."
"Have you mastered Baraggan's ability?"
"You truly become more impossible to understand with every encounter."
Under the relentless erosion of Death Chant, the barrier rapidly dissolved.
Soon, Ulquiorra and the Fifth Espada once again stood in the World of the Living.
"Captain Ryūjin!"
"It's Captain Ryūjin!"
"Captain Ryūjin is out!"
Excited voices immediately reached Ryūjin's ears.
Turning around, he saw Unohana Retsu and members of the Fourth Division.
The moment such a strange barrier appeared over Karakura Town, they had rushed over to investigate.
It did not take long for them to realize Captain Ryūjin was likely trapped inside fighting an enemy.
Every member had been visibly anxious.
Only after seeing him emerge safely did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Captain Ryūjin, are you alright?"
Unohana Retsu asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Captain Unohana."
Ryūjin answered with a relaxed smile.
Seeing that he was unharmed, everyone shifted their attention toward Ulquiorra and the Fifth Espada.
The instant they sensed their spiritual pressure, they collectively gasped.
"Such... terrifying spiritual pressure..."
"It's suffocating."
"Compared to them, an Adjuchas is nothing."
"Just standing here makes my body shake."
Every member of the Fourth Division turned pale.
Some could not stop themselves from trembling.
The pressure released by the two Arrancar was simply beyond anything they had ever experienced.
None of them had imagined a Hollow could possess such overwhelming spiritual pressure.
"Step back."
"These aren't ordinary Hollows."
"They're Arrancar specially modified by Aizen."
Ryūjin spoke evenly.
"What? Aizen?!"
The faces of everyone present changed.
Within Soul Society, Aizen's name had become taboo.
For months, no one had dared bring it up.
He had seemingly vanished without making another move.
Yet now, his return had come in such terrifying fashion.
"Everyone, retreat!"
Unohana made her decision immediately.
Even she felt tremendous pressure from the two Arrancar.
The ordinary members of the Fourth Division stood no chance.
Only Captain Ryūjin could confront opponents of this level.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Unohana quickly led everyone to a safe distance.
From beginning to end, neither Ulquiorra nor the Fifth Espada spared them a single glance.
Their mission had always been Ryūjin Uchiha.
Nothing else mattered.
"Ryūjin Uchiha."
"Our battle alone is enough to destroy an entire city."
"Is that really what you want?"
"Do you intend to let Karakura Town be reduced to rubble?"
The Fifth Espada sneered.
"Destroy the city?"
Ryūjin smiled dismissively.
Then he raised one hand.
A tremendous gravitational force instantly locked onto the Fifth Espada.
Unable to resist, he was dragged helplessly toward Ryūjin.
"Ulquiorra!"
His face turned pale as he desperately called for help.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Ulquiorra condensed another Moonlight Sword and rushed toward Ryūjin.
Ryūjin simply raised his other hand.
A massive black rectangular coffin suddenly materialized around Ulquiorra.
It was Hadō Number 90, Kurohitsugi.
The technique did more than imprison its target.
Thousands of blades formed inside the coffin, relentlessly piercing and tearing apart everything trapped within.
Ulquiorra was sealed away instantly.
Meanwhile, the Fifth Espada was pulled directly into Ryūjin's grasp.
Chii!
Desperate before death, the Fifth Espada fired a point blank Cero at Ryūjin.
"Captain Ryūjin, watch out!"
The Fourth Division members cried out in alarm.
At such close range, avoiding a Cero was impossible.
Ryūjin did not even bother dodging.
He caught the Cero with one hand.
Then...
He crushed it.
The Fifth Espada's Cero was nowhere near Ulquiorra's level.
The difference was overwhelming.
"You... you..."
Cold sweat poured down the Fifth Espada's face.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Crushing a Cero with bare hands...
Was this monster even human?
"Captain Ryūjin actually crushed a Cero..."
"Gulp..."
The members of the Fourth Division stood frozen in disbelief.
None of them could believe what they had just witnessed.
Crackle!
Violent bolts of lightning suddenly erupted from Ryūjin's hand and surged into the Fifth Espada's body.
It was Hadō Number 63, Raikōhō.
After mastering Incantation Abandonment, Ryūjin could cast Kidō instantly with a single thought.
For an ordinary Shinigami, defeating an Espada with a Level 63 Hadō would have been impossible.
For Ryūjin...
It was effortless.
Under the devastating lightning, the Fifth Espada was completely obliterated.
Nothing remained but dust.
Ryūjin then glanced indifferently toward the nearby Kurohitsugi.
With a casual wave of his hand, the Black Coffin disappeared.
Thud.
Ulquiorra's lifeless body dropped onto the ground.
Moments later, it dissolved into reishi and vanished.
He had died.
Ryūjin had eliminated him with a single Hadō.
Ulquiorra never even had the chance to release Segunda Etapa.
"Ulquiorra... died just like that?"
"My Fourth Espada..."
"Defeated by a single Hadō?"
Even witnessing it personally, Aizen found the outcome difficult to accept.
That was the Fourth Espada.
Yet he could not survive even one Hadō.
It had not even been cast with an incantation, meaning its power had been significantly reduced.
If that was the result...
Then how long could the First Espada possibly last against Ryūjin?
The Espada he had painstakingly created...
Were utterly insignificant before Ryūjin.
Aizen felt a genuine sense of defeat.