Chapter 193: Chapter 193: King of Hueco Mundo
(T/N: Third and final Chapter of today! Hope you guys enjoyed the read! and Thanks for the support!!
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"Shinigami!" The pig-headed Menos Grande snapped to awareness—they had encountered an enemy. And not just any enemy—this one was terrifyingly strong. In a single exchange, an Adjuchas-class Menos had already been eliminated.
The pig-headed Menos immediately began gathering energy for a Cero. If he could fire it, Las Noches would surely sense the disturbance.
Splat—
A long blade flashed. The pig-headed Menos’s vision spun violently—his severed body sprayed blood in all directions.
’So fast...’ was the final thought that flickered through his fading mind. The Cero forming in midair dissipated instantly.
Two of Las Noches’ Menos had been killed in the blink of an eye. The remaining Hollows in the escort convoy were stunned—and immediately scattered in panic.
"Pesche! Dondochakka!"
A familiar voice caused the fleeing termite-headed Hollow and the big-headed Hollow to freeze.
"Nelliel’s here?!" Big Head Hollow jumped anxiously in place.
"Run! There’s a terrifying Shinigami here!" Termite Head shouted.
"Don’t worry—this is my teacher. He came here specifically to rescue you." Nelliel smiled warmly.
"What?!"
Termite Head and Big Head were in disbelief. A Shinigami that powerful... was her teacher?
"This place is too close to Las Noches. We’ve already been discovered." Katori Nanatsuki said calmly, his gaze fixed on the sky above Las Noches.
"We’ve been found?!" Nelliel exclaimed. "We should run! I’ve heard there are many powerful Menos in Las Noches!"
"They’re coming," Nanatsuki said, shaking his head. "Sosuke, take Nelliel and the others out of here."
"Understood." Aizen Sōsuke also looked toward the sky above Las Noches and sensed the terrifying Reiatsu approaching. He spoke in a low voice, "I’ll follow the path we came from. Please be careful, Teacher."
Nanatsuki gave a small nod.
Aizen quickly led Nelliel, Pesche, and Dondochakka away.
"Is it really okay to leave Teacher behind like that?" Nelliel asked worriedly.
"Teacher is very strong. He’ll be fine..." Aizen said, though he couldn’t help but recall the overwhelming Reiatsu just now—comparable to that of a Captain-class Shinigami.
On the other side, Nanatsuki watched as a black mist rapidly approached.
But it wasn’t just mist—it was a dense swarm of Hollows.
Moments later, the black mass stopped before Katori Nanatsuki.
Leading them was a Menos clad in a voluminous purple robe, wearing a golden crown. His entire body was skeletal.
Nanatsuki instantly recognized the unmistakable features of the Hollow before him—it was the ruler of Las Noches, Baraggan Louisenbairn.
Baraggan scrutinized the Shinigami before him. Seeing Nanatsuki so calm, he didn’t attack immediately.
A cold voice echoed from the skeleton’s body:
"Shinigami, you’ve trespassed into my territory... and killed my subordinates!"
"So you’re Baraggan, huh? Quite the grand entrance." Nanatsuki smiled. "I heard you were gathering troops to wipe out Shinigami strongholds, so I came to check things out."
"Hueco Mundo belongs to the Hollows! Shinigami have no place here!" Now that the Shinigami had discovered his troop mobilization, Baraggan chose to strike. "Seize him!"
The horde of Hollows surged toward Katori Nanatsuki.
"Bankai—Shosō Eijin!"
Nanatsuki’s Zanpakutō transformed into a black shadow, spreading outward at a speed imperceptible to the eye—instantly engulfing Baraggan.
The next moment, Baraggan was dragged into the Shadow Space.
All the other Menos were forcibly excluded from the space.
"What have you done?!" Baraggan realized the shadow was inescapable—it had pulled him into a strange domain. His subordinates were nowhere to be seen.
"Just creating a fairer battleground—so I don’t get swarmed." Nanatsuki smiled, pulling a black blade from the shadowy floor.
"Whatever it is, it cannot stop decay." Baraggan spread his arms, releasing a cloud of purple-black mist from beneath his cloak.
But when the mist collided with the edges of the Shadow Space, nothing happened.
"Shadows don’t decay," Nanatsuki smiled again. He’d stayed behind partly to test Baraggan’s abilities.
Among the future Espada, Baraggan’s power—based on absolute mechanics—was one of the most troublesome to deal with.
The purple-black mist known as Respira ("Breath of Death") rapidly aged and decayed whatever it touched.
Even the spiritual body of a Shinigami couldn’t withstand Respira’s corrosion, turning into a skeleton in moments.
Nanatsuki wanted to see if shadows could be corroded—and just as he expected, Respira had no effect.
In the next instant, shadows from the ground coiled around Nanatsuki’s body, forming a black cloak.
"You’ve angered me, Shinigami!" Baraggan roared, summoning a green Cero at his fingertip.
"O child of heaven, iron bastion, dragon’s stride, lion’s roar, tiger’s cry, wolf’s charge—sever the heavens and earth before they fall. Bakudō #81: Dankū." Nanatsuki raised his hand, completing the chant before the Cero was fired.
A semi-transparent spiritual barrier formed between him and the green blast.
The Cero exploded against Dankū’s barrier.
BOOM—
The immense Reiatsu shook the entire Shadow Space.
Dankū couldn’t completely absorb the blast. After it shattered, a fearsome shockwave surged toward Nanatsuki.
He quickly retreated to avoid the brunt of the impact.
Nanatsuki frowned. This level of Reiatsu shock—if repeated—could potentially shatter the Shadow Space itself.
Baraggan, after all, was an ancient Menos, and his spiritual pressure was even stronger than Nanatsuki’s.
While Respira couldn’t corrode the Shadow Space, Baraggan could still forcibly break free using his overwhelming Reiatsu—it would just take time.
Killing someone stronger in spiritual pressure within that limited window would be no easy feat.
But Nanatsuki didn’t plan to risk his life fighting Baraggan anyway.
If his strength continued to grow—or if he and Aizen Sōsuke finished researching the Hōgyoku—they’d have a real shot at claiming Las Noches for themselves.
Besides, Nanatsuki now understood the nature of Hell—killing powerful beings only served to strengthen it.
"Shinigami—go repent in Hell!" Baraggan gathered another green blast on his fingertip.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot through the air, striking the forming Cero.
BOOM—
The terrifying Reiatsu exploded right at Baraggan’s fingertip.