Within the watery prison, countless high-pressure water blades spun wildly, emitting an ear-splitting screech.
His aging flames were being pushed back, his bones cracking more and more.
Realizing he was outmatched, Baraggan finally swallowed his pride and roared: "STARRK!!"
"Cero!"
Even before Baraggan called out, Coyote Starrk had already moved.
With a snap of his fingers, a swarm of glowing blue bullets materialized around him
Zzzzt-zzt-zzt
They rained down on Katerea like a thunderstorm.
Each shot carried enough pressure to tear apart even a Gillian-class Hollow.
Katerea crossed her arms in front of her, layer upon layer of deep blue magic circles forming before her.
ROAR!!
A massive sea dragon made entirely of magic burst from the circle, mouth wide open as it devoured every incoming bulletthen surged forward without losing any momentum, crashing toward Starrk!
His pupils shrank. He twisted his body, dodging just in time.
The dragon clipped his shoulder, the sheer force tearing off half his sleeve.
"Starrk!!" Lilynette shouted.
"I'm fine," Starrk said, checking his arm. The usual lazy look on his face was gonereplaced by sharp, focused determination.
Still, he glanced at Baraggan, who was now free from the sea prison and keeping his distance from the water.
Mission accomplished.
All he needed to do was shift Katerea's focus away from Baragganthat was enough.
Baraggan caught his breath, his voice low. "I owe you one."
Now Starrk turned fully toward Katerea Leviathan, his gaze intense.
He took a deep breathhis Reiatsu exploded upward like a storm.
"Give Chase Los Lobos!"
BWOM
An overwhelming force surged out as Starrk's form changed in an instant.
His white uniform morphed into a fur-lined gray coat, twin pistols appearing in his hands. His whole demeanor sharpened like a blade.
On the other side, Tier Harribel unsheathed her Zanpakut.
"DestroyTiburn!"
Golden spiritual energy shot into the sky. Her outfit transformed into an armored swimsuit, and her sword turned into a massive shark-fin weapon.
Katerea licked her lips, eyes flashing with excitement. "Perfect."
Meanwhile, Midoriko still wore her gentle smile, as if nothing intense was happening at all.
She even offered a casual reminder: "Careful now~"
"My power kinda counters yours a bit."
She said it with a cheerful tone, making a little "universe-at-my-fingertips" gesture with her hand.
Yep, just a tiny bit of a counter.
Really just a smidge.
"..."
Harribel eyed Midoriko's hand gesture with a complicated expression.
Why did she have this ominous feeling?
She couldn't shake the unease Midoriko gave her, the strange flutter of instinct warning her something was off.
Tch
Did she pick the wrong opponent?
Harribel hesitated slightly, glancing over at Coyote Starrk. Maybe she could switch?
But, looking at Katerea Leviathan, who had gone full battle mode and was acting borderline unhinged, she quickly shut her mouth.
Yeahshe definitely didn't want to deal with someone like that.
Her gaze shifted toward Baraggan Louisenbairn instead.
Hmm maybe she could trade with him?
Midoriko noticed the shift in Harribel's aura and smiled slightly. "Ready to start?"
"Yeah." Harribel gave a warning, "You better be careful."
For now, she didn't have a bad impression of Midoriko.
But they were on opposite sides, and she had her reasons to fight too.
SoJust like Midoriko had warned her, she was returning the favor.
Even though Midoriko gave off serious "danger alert" vibes
Harribel wasn't some nobody.
She was ranked third among the Espadaher strength spoke for itself.
Her eyes narrowed, and a powerful gust exploded from under her feet.
In the next instant
Her tall figure flickered behind Midoriko like a shadow, and the massive blade carved with shark-gill patterns swung in a wide arc without hesitation!
She was so fast that the smile hadn't even faded from Midoriko's face yet.
ButDuang!
A crisp sound rang out in the air.
Harribel's sword stopped, locked just ten centimeters from Midoriko. It couldn't go any farther.
Harribel's expression tightened. She stared at the invisible barrier in front of her and muttered, "What is this?"
"A barrier," Midoriko said calmly behind her.
A barrier?
Harribel's eyes narrowed. She gripped her sword tighter and poured in more Reiatsu!
Screeeee
The awful screech of power grinding against resistance echoed.
But no matter how hard she pushed the barrier didn't budge.
Realizing brute force wouldn't cut it, she backed off and narrowed her eyes at the shield standing between them.
Breaking it with raw power wasn't going to work.
But she didn't have many finesse techniques in her arsenal.
So Harribel held Tiburn with both hands and inhaled deeply.
If subtlety wasn't an option Time to rely on raw power and hope for a miracle!!
Bzzzz
She pointed the sword's tip at Midoriko. A yellow glow began to gather along the blade.
Then she slowly raised it.
Midoriko, unfazed, tilted her head slightly. "Wanna make a bet?"
"Huh?"
Harribel paused mid-motion, frowning in confusion. "What?"
Midoriko smiled. "After this fightif I win, why don't you come over to our side? You can convince others as well."
"??"
Harribel blinked. Her grip faltered for a moment, and her Reiatsu almost slipped.
Was she trying to recruit her and the other Espadas?
Seriously?
Harribel's face twisted into something unreadable. After a moment of silence, she asked hesitantly, "Aren't we supposed to be enemies?"
Midoriko nodded. "Yeah. So what?"
"Our master seems to accept you all, so either join our familia or end up as food for Miko. It's your choicereally."
""
Harribel had no idea what kind of logic Midoriko was operating on.
What the hell did that even mean?
"If you defeat me, I'll accept whatever you decide."
Her voice was steady. If she lost, then she'd be the spoils of warplain and simple.
"Perfect," Midoriko nodded in satisfaction. "Go ahead."
"Uh"
Harribel awkwardly glanced down at her glowing sword, where the fluctuating Reiatsu was now kind of unstable.
She stayed silent for a few seconds. In the end, she didn't switch tacticsshe just poured even more power into it.
A second later
Three misty, energy-laced slashes shot forward, tearing through the air toward Midoriko like they were slicing the fabric of space itself!
BOOM!
The first slash hit the barrier with a sharp crack, vibrating the air.
Bzzzz
The barrier hummed loudly, trembling under the pressure.
Then came the second. Then the third.
CRACK!
Finally, the barrier couldn't take it anymore. It splintered like glass and shattered with a resounding crash!
Harribel let out a quiet breath of relief.
Finally broke through that damn turtle shell.
And even better, the misty energy slashes didn't stop. They kept charging toward Midoriko with deadly force!
Will she dodge?
Harribel watched Midoriko carefully, trying to predict her next move.
But Midoriko didn't move at all.
She simply raised her hand, palm open, and softly murmured: "Aramitama."
BOOM!!!
An overwhelming force erupted from her body!
Brilliant spirit flames exploded around her like a storm, whipping her shrine maiden outfit in the wind!
An immense, terrifying power surged through her, as if she'd just torn off all her restraints.
As the Four-Soul Devil, she had four mode skills: Aramitama (courage, conflict, power), Nigimitama (harmony, mediation, compassion), Sakimitama (wisdom, logic, creativity), and Kushimitama (happiness, love, vitality).
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The misty slashes hit Midoriko dead-on.
But the outcome wasn't what Harribel expected.
It was like those attacks had slammed into an unshakable mountainMidoriko's hand didn't budge an inch.
They didn't even leave a scratch.
Midoriko glanced down at the misty slashes in her hand and calmly said, "Not bad."
"Hm"
"I think Saeko would really like this kind of attack."
Then her hand clenched slightly.
Crack
The eerie creaking of something breaking under pressure filled the air.
Under Midoriko's grip, the energy slashes twisted and deformedthen with a loud pop, they burst into golden-yellow sparkles and vanished.
Harribel: "..."
.
.
.
Let's Inform Lord Aizen
Fragments of spirit energy scattered like dust from Midoriko's palm, vanishing into the wind. She looked up at Tier Harribel with her usual gentle smile.
But right now, to Harribel, that smile felt like a bottomless abysschilling and suffocating.
"Impossible" Harribel's knuckles whitened as she gripped her sword, Tiburn.
Her Ola Azul had just been crushed? By bare hands?
No weapons, no tricksjust her body.
Harribel's expression turned grim.
Still, if she was that strong physically, why bother setting up a barrier beforehand?
Was itA bluff? To throw her off?
Harribel frowned, trying to puzzle it out.
On the other side, Midoriko's golden aura suddenly flared up. Her shrine maiden robe fluttered as though caught in a wind that wasn't there.
She slowly raised her right hand. At her fingertip, a talisman pulsed with blue light.
"My turn," she said softly.
The moment she released it, Harribel's pupils shrank.
That seemingly light, fluttering paper charm sliced through the air like a shrieking arrow, evaporating every trace of spirit energy in its path!
Instinctively, Harribel raised Tiburn to block it
BOOM!!!
The collision between the talisman and her giant blade felt like getting hit by a meteor.
Tiburn let out a tortured groan, and spiderweb cracks spread across its surface.
The sheer force of the impact sent Harribel flying hundreds of meters back. She barely managed to stop herself using her reiatsu.
"Ugh" Harribel dropped to one knee mid-air, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She looked down at her beloved Zanpakuther partner in countless battlesnow gashed with a deep, terrifying fracture.
From afar, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez swallowed hard. "The Tres Espada's Zanpakut almost shattered in one hit?"
Ulquiorra Cifer's emerald eyes flickered with unease. "Strange."
He stared at Midoriko. There was a strange feelinglike something terrible would happen the moment you got too close.
What was she?
Midoriko met Harribel's gaze and said quietly, "I told youmy power has a bit of an advantage against you."
A bit? Harribel looked down at Tiburn, its blade corroded like it had been splashed with acid, and her eye twitched.
"Purification," Midoriko continued. "That's my ability."
Then she added, with a cheerful smile:
"Specificallypurification that targets soul-based beings~"
Every Espada present felt a chill shoot down their spine.
"Targets soul-based beings?" Grimmjow's jaw dropped.
Soul-based?
That's them. That's what they were!
A perfect counter.
ButHow the hell is that just "a bit" of an advantage?!
Grimmjow blinked and mimicked a gesture like a tiny pinch with his fingers, speechless.
"Soul-targeting purification." Harribel stood frozen, stunned by the revelation.
So that's what it was.
She glanced at her broken blade and whispered, "No wonder it turned out like this"
Zanpakuts have souls, too.
"I'm sorry, Tiburn," she murmured apologetically. Then she looked up, eyes sharp again. "But"
"The fight's not over yet. It's not time for you to rest."
Her voice was resolute, her gaze locked firmly onto Midoriko.
Midoriko could tellthis alone wasn't going to make Harribel surrender.
"In that case"
"Aramitama: Night Parade of 100 Demons."
As Midoriko murmured the incantation, countless pale ghostly hands shot out from a magic circle around her. Each hand pulsed with purifying energy, like sharks drawn to blood, all of them reaching toward Harribel!
"Damn it!" Harribel's eyes widened. She ignored her injuries and pushed off with all her strength to retreat.
But the hands were faster.
Within a blink, they were just three meters behind her.
The lead hand brushed her cloakand it disintegrated, burned away to ash by the purifying force.
At the last possible second, Harribel's eyes gleamed with resolve.
She suddenly spun and stabbed Tiburn into the water conjured earlier by Ingvild Leviathan.
"Cascada!"
BOOM
The water exploded upward as spirit energy was forcefully extracted from it, forming dozens of high-pressure water pillars.
They blasted into the swarm of ghostly hands, finally slowing their advance.
Seeing this, Harribel let out a small breath of relief.
If she had been caught by those purifying hands she didn't even want to imagine the result.
ButThis wasn't over yet.
That purification ability
Harribel gritted her teeth. It was worse than Baraggan's decayit was absolute torment for someone like her.
NoNot just for Hollows. Even Shinigami would be terrified of that kind of power.
After allSpirits aren't just Hollows.
Shinigami are spirits too.
How would Aizen handle something like this?
NoNow's not the time to think about Aizen!
Harribel snapped back to focus, using the water pillars as cover. She raised Tiburn high, eyes shining with determination.
Her massive blade shimmered with moisture, the ridges along its surface glowing like shark gills.
Then, like a cannon, a torrent of water blasted out with tremendous speed, piercing through the pillars and shooting straight toward Midoriko!
Midoriko's expression didn't change. She casually tossed out a few talismans in its path.
SPLASH
As soon as the water hit the talismans, it collapsed midair, drizzling down harmlessly.
"Dammit," Harribel muttered, annoyed. "So these little tricks don't work on you, huh"
"If that's all you've got," Midoriko said with a carefree tone, "then this little bet of ours might end sooner than you think~"
She was relaxed.
Even though Harribel was easily at the level of an Ultimate-Class devil in terms of raw magical power
Midoriko had the one thing that trumped everythingInnate soul-based purification.
It was like a cat playing with mice.
Against Hollows or Shinigami, this wasn't just an edgeit was domination.
And besidesMidoriko wasn't the only one here with powers like this.
Thinking of that, she glanced in Yotsuya Miko's direction.
Seeing her busy grinding through some minions, Midoriko didn't bother watching any longer.
