In that moment, Neliel Tu Odelschwanck felt it with unmistakable clarity.

If the Reiatsu of an ordinary soul were likened to a pervasive stream of water, then the highly condensed Reiatsu of a captain-level Shinigami or a Vasto Lorde was akin to ice forged over years in an environment of minus one hundred degrees Celsius.

A single, gentle tap from that ice could pierce the water's flow, breach the lake's surface, and drive deep into an enemy's core.

But...

The Antelope Knight stood stunned, watching the fingers that caught her full-force lance as effortlessly as plucking a flower.

Or rather, it was the ultra-dense Reishi coating those fingertips, shattering both water and ice with ease, like unyielding steel.

Why was the gap so vast?

Before the girl's mind could unravel this question, Makoto had already struck.

His first punch split the bone lance in two.

His second punch drove deep into the knight's chest.

A mountain-moving force erupted, sending Neliel soaring like a leaf caught in an autumn gust, her body limp and powerless.

[Battle!]

[Exhilarating~!]

[And after the battle, the thrill continues~!]

His zanpakuto distinctive voice echoed in everyone's ears.

Though the heart-stirring combat scene left most onlookers too awed to comment on Makoto-sama's peculiar quirk, they couldn't help but inwardly grumble.

Only Katori, with some effort, lifted her head to gaze at the Antelope Knight soaring backward through the sky, as if sensing something.

"You might have company soon." She remarked abruptly to Harribel beside her.

"Huh?" Harribel blinked, caught off guard.

Like an arrow loosed from a bow, Neliel hurtled far across the desert, spinning like a stone skipping over the sand sea, moving so fast she was nearly invisible, leaving a trail of scattered sand in her wake.

Under the blow's impact, she briefly lost consciousness but quickly awoke, unable to regain control of her body, which stiffened as if her heart had seized. Still, she struggled to stabilize herself.

Just then, a white blur shot forward, matching her speed almost parallel to the ground.

After three hundred years of training, Makoto's Shunpo ranked among the finest in the Soul Society.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Neliel.

He reached out.

Almost simultaneously, the Antelope Knight tensed, halting her spin. Grazing Makoto's wrist, she twisted, thrusting a newly reformed bone lance into the ground.

Her four hooves dug low.

A flicker of surprise passed through Makoto's eyes.

From his knowledge of the original story, the Neliel in the manga shouldn't have had this level of strength.

But then again, three hundred years had passed since he arrived in this world. The "original story" no longer held.

"Huff… huff…!"

Her breaths came heavy, like a bellows with a puncture, buzzing with the faint tremor of resonating organs.

Neliel raised her head, locking eyes with the man before her.

Just like three hundred years ago, that relentless youth who fought despite defeat after defeat.

In those brief three centuries, Neliel had pondered countless times why she, a battle-hardened warrior, remained so fixated on a Shinigami who had turned the tables with strange abilities.

Only now, stepping into Makoto's perspective from that moment, did she begin to understand.

"Even when the gap between you and your enemy is painfully clear…"

"There's still a reason you have to stand before them, isn't there?"

"?" Makoto looked at her, puzzled.

But Neliel's gaze grew ever more resolute. "So, that's what it feels like."

A faint pink heart glimmered in the depths of her eyes.

Whether it was the grudges entangled over three hundred years, the face she couldn't stop recalling, or the unresolved outcome of their past battle…

This fight would settle it all, wouldn't it?

Even if it cost her life.

For some reason, grasping this truth, Neliel's entire body relaxed. She sighed, "This is fine."

With that, she resolutely raised her lance, its tip glowing with verdant Reishi, aimed at the man before her. Taking a deep breath, her resolve solidified.

The next moment, her four hooves launched her into the air.

The Antelope Knight charged fearlessly toward Makoto.

In response, the man took a step forward.

He drew back his fist, stepped, and struck.

With a low, muffled shout,

"Ikkotsu!"

At a speed barely visible, his form streaked across the ground, a blur of light.

Terrifying inertia, paired with tightly condensed Reiatsu, surged to his fist, piercing unhesitatingly into the bone-armored abdomen of the knight.

Their forms crossed.

Neliel's eyes widened abruptly.

An explosive force erupted in the tight space, leaving no room for resistance.

Her consciousness vanished instantly.

Her massive form, under the weight of that single punch, seemed to lose all momentum, freezing mid-charge with her lance still raised.

After a long moment, her softened upper body tipped forward.

With a thud, she collapsed into the waiting arms of Makoto, unconscious.

His Zanpakuto might have countless faults, but today, it had spoken true.

The thrill after battle was real!

…

Meanwhile, at a short distance from the battlefield, Lilynette Gingerbuck raised her flintlock pistol, her cold gaze fixed on the figures before her.

"Baraggan."

"Have you had enough of life, old man, cornering us like this?"

"Or do you really think your pathetic minions can stop me?"

As she spoke, her eyes swept over the other Vasto Lordes trapped alongside her, her voice rising sharply.

"And you lot of idiots!"

"Have you all been bought by him? At least say something!"

The remaining Vasto Lordes frowned instinctively, turning to the petite girl.

But sensing the overwhelming Reiatsu spilling from her, faintly capable of rivaling even Baraggan, they fell silent.

This kid had a sharp tongue but was a monster in her own right.

Best not to provoke her.

Then there was Baraggan, whose intentions remained unreadable.

Not long after, a lean figure with bat-like wings soared overhead, pausing as if sensing a threat before descending slowly.

Baraggan finally rose from his throne.

The ghostly flames in his skeletal eye sockets flickered and swayed.

"I did not gather you here for no reason."

"You've all heard what my unworthy subordinate mentioned earlier."

"For the peace of Hueco Mundo, and to root out the vermin hiding deep in the desert, I-"

Before he could finish, Lilynette, barely hearing him out, burst into mocking laughter. Crouching, she jeered, "Peace? You old fool! What nonsense are you spouting?"

"When has Hueco Mundo ever been a place for peaceful days?"

"Are you trying to treat us like children?"

"Move aside, bonehead!"

The moment her words landed, Baraggan, his authority challenged repeatedly, raised his hand. With a fierce swing, he unleashed his massive axe, cloaked in black mist, toward the girl.

The black mist slash surged forward, carving a straight line of decay.

Lilynette's expression shifted. Without hesitation, she raised her flintlock, the crisp click of the trigger and flint resounding. Several deep blue Ceros roared forth, meeting the slash head-on.

Boom!

The deafening explosion echoed through the air.

Yet the surrounding Vasto Lordes stood unmoved, watching coldly as if nothing had happened.

As the smoke cleared, Lilynette tilted her head, blowing away the faint haze from her pistol's barrel.

The ghostly flames in Baraggan's eyes flickered.

Where the slash and Ceros met, a scorched crater remained.

A stalemate.

This delicate outcome drew the eyes of the veteran Vasto Lordes, who couldn't help but glance at the girl again.

Baraggan had ruled Hueco Mundo for ten thousand years, earning the title of "King" Through iron and blood. To match him was no small feat.

"Tch." Lilynette spat on the sand, clearly dissatisfied but finally quieting down.

"My point is simple." Baraggan continued, retracting his gaze. "To drag out that wretch Szayelaporro sooner, you'd all do well to join my Las Noches."

"United, no scheme of his could withstand our combined strength."

"And naturally, with your power, I'd grant you fitting positions in Las Noches."

His gaze swept over the gathered Vasto Lordes, seven in total, excluding himself, the "King."

"The Seven Pillars under the King, that shall be your titles henceforth."

"In Las Noches, you'll stand as my equals."

"How does that sound?"

Silence fell over the group.

The first to speak was a Vasto Lorde clad in a layer of chitinous armor.

"Hmph."

"Someone who can't even subdue a single one of us has no right to claim the throne."

His gaze drifted to Lilynette, still toying with her flintlock.

Clearly, Baraggan's attempt at intimidation had failed to impress.

The ghostly flames beneath his skeletal frame flickered, as if ready to erupt.

But as he scanned the others, he noticed their gazes turning subtly hostile.

Was my ambition too grand? Baraggan mused, unregretful. His eyes lingered briefly on the weaker Vasto Lordes.

An opportunity like this was rare. If a melee broke out, he'd at least take the weakest as captives.

Given time, he could sway them to join Las Noches.

Such were the rules of Hueco Mundo, survival of the fittest. Baraggan saw no flaw in his approach, nor did he fear for his safety.

After the first spoke, others followed, one by one.

Surprisingly, Lilynette, who had been relentlessly vocal, didn't immediately scoff at Baraggan's proposal. Instead, she glanced at the others, as if weighing something, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

If they're all Vasto Lordes, maybe no one would be crushed by my Reiatsu, right? she thought instinctively.

As the tension grew, sparks between Baraggan and the others ready to ignite, the bat-winged man who arrived last spoke, his tone cool and detached.

"That plan won't work."

"But if it's just for sharing information, there's another way."

The others turned to him, puzzled.

The chitin-armored Vasto Lorde, who spoke first, frowned slightly, surprised. "These past few centuries, Hueco Mundo's seen quite a few new faces."

"Hey, what's your name?"

The bat-winged man turned, revealing a bone mask covering his face like a visor, exposing only dark teal eyes and tear-like streaks trailing from his cheeks.

"Ulquiorra Cifer."

"And your suggestion?" Baraggan's tone carried a hint of menace, as if to intimidate, though he restrained himself in the charged atmosphere.

Ulquiorra replied calmly, "When I was alive, in my hometown of Oviedo, there was something called a town council court."

"There, people voted to settle minor disputes."

"If we can't agree, why not act under the name of a council for now?"

Baraggan paused. He had long forgotten his human life and had never heard of such a thing.

But voting wasn't hard to grasp, just a matter of numbers.

"A council in Hueco Mundo?" He mused, gazing at the Vasto Lordes before him, perhaps the largest gathering in a millennium. He suppressed the faint displeasure of his authority being questioned.

If he could bring them all into Las Noches…

Playing along for now didn't seem so bad.

And his influence would surely grow immensely!

With that thought, the ghostly flames in Baraggan's eyes burned deeper.

"Very well, it's not impossible."

"But I have one question."

He looked up at the gathered Vasto Lordes, who seemed to sense his intent.

"How can those of differing strengths have equal voting rights?"

"Naturally, votes should be weighed by power!"

As his words fell, a near-tangible black Reiatsu erupted.

The ghostly flames flared!

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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