Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Stage Two Shikai! (Bonus Chapter)
Chapter 26: Stage Two Shikai! (Bonus Chapter)
Yato Uchiha had finally witnessed just how savage the inhabitants of Hueco Mundo truly were.
As the small legion of pursuers closed in, the Menos Grande leading the pack roared,
"Harribel, do you still refuse to bow to Lord Baraggan?"
The blonde Vasto Lorde offered no reply. She merely raised her massive broadsword and cast a frigid glare at her adversary.
Without another word, the two sides clashed.
In an instant, a rain of blood drenched the sky, and severed limbs plummeted from above.
Two of the pursuing Adjuchas-class Menos were pulverized by overwhelming force, dying with agonized wails.
Even grievously injured, Harribel remained a Vasto Lorde at her core. As long as she could move, instantly slaying an ordinary Adjuchas was well within her capabilities.
Unfortunately, this was Hueco Mundo. The Menos hungered for evolutionary ascension above all else; their desire to devour superseded reason.
Facing a Vasto Lorde whose combat prowess was barely a fraction of its peak, the prospect of an immediate evolution by consuming her was a temptation the Adjuchas simply could not resist.
"You idiots! Stop clumping together! Flank her!" the lead Adjuchas bellowed, taking command of the skirmish.
Simultaneously, he bounded across the air, launching himself skyward like a coiled spring. Clasping his massive arms together, he brought them down toward Harribel with a vicious smash!
His appearance was strikingly similar to a silverback gorilla. White, chain-like bone structures protruded from his skin, running down his spine to a tail. Standing an imposing thirty meters tall, he resembled a small mountain.
Such immense weight crashing down from that altitude, coupled with his vaunted innate brute strength, resulted in a strike of unfathomable destructive power.
As the leader of the pursuers, he possessed not only intellect but also combat capabilities at the very zenith of the Adjuchas class!
Boom!
A deafening impact, like muffled thunder, echoed across the desert.
Harribel’s slender frame was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball.
She smashed straight through an entire sand dune, plowing a trench hundreds of meters long into the earth.
"Pfft!"
The blonde Menos coughed up a mouthful of blood, but the dire situation afforded her no time to catch her breath. She swung her broadsword once more, violently swatting away several incoming Adjuchas.
How terrifying... Is this the power of a Vasto Lorde? She can barely stand, yet she still maintains this level of combat strength...
In the distance, the gorilla-type Menos landed. A profound sense of dread flashed deep within his eyes as he watched Harribel fight desperately.
His own condition was far from ideal. His all-out clash with Harribel had successfully sent her flying, but in exchange, one of his arms had been severed by her broadsword, blood cascading from the stump like a waterfall.
"However, this is where you end."
Following a sickening squelch, skin, flesh, and bone regenerated with savage speed. In the blink of an eye, the severed arm was completely restored.
—High-Speed Regeneration!
Even among Adjuchas-class Menos, such an ability was exceedingly rare.
He flexed his newly grown arm, calculating his remaining Spiritual Pressure. He slowly bent his knees, preparing to repeat his earlier tactic and launch another aerial assault.
Yet, in the very next moment, the gorilla-type Adjuchas caught sight of something from the corner of his eye.
It was a towering skeleton draped in a voluminous, dark purple robe, leaving only its skull and bony fingers exposed. A golden crown rested upon its head, and its hollow eye sockets resembled abyssal pools, sending shivers down the spine.
"Your Majesty!" Terrified out of his wits, the gorilla-type Menos abandoned all thoughts of Harribel. He turned and threw himself to his knees before the figure.
"To think you would come personally... this lowly one is terrified... Please wait but a moment, and I shall present Harribel’s head to you."
"Such loyalty." The King of Hueco Mundo’s voice was deep and intimidating.
"Come closer."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The gorilla-type Menos prostrated himself, keeping his head bowed low.
He felt Emperor Baraggan’s skeletal fingers gently stroke his head.
"You have done well. After you kill Harribel, I shall bestow her corpse upon you, and..."
Overcome with excitement, the gorilla-type Adjuchas fought the urge to roar in triumph. He pricked up his ears, eager to hear the rest of His Majesty’s decree.
His wish was granted; he heard it loud and clear.
"...Hado #73: Soren Sokatsui."
A violent eruption of flames materialized out of thin air, instantly engulfing the Menos’s thirty-meter-tall frame. The searing heat tore through his bones and nerves, destroying his body faster than his High-Speed Regeneration could repair it.
"You... you’re not His Majesty!" As the flames consumed his life, the gorilla-type Menos unleashed an unimaginable ferocity.
"You’re a Soul Reaper! Die here!"
With his dying breath, he raised his fist and drove it fiercely toward his attacker.
Yato’s brow twitched violently as he sensed the imminent danger. In a flash, he morphed his Zanpakuto into the Uchiha gunbai and raised it defensively.
Although the gunbai couldn’t reflect physical attacks, it still mitigated the brunt of the force.
Even so, Yato clearly heard the sound of his own ribs snapping.
He was sent flying backward. Mid-air, he barely managed to right himself, tensing his muscles as he prepared for the brutal impact of landing.
However, the agonizing crash he expected never came. Instead, he collided with a soft body.
—It was Harribel.
She had dashed over and caught Yato. The two of them tumbled across the sand in a tangled heap.
Even with a cushion, the impact was excruciating for Yato. Seeing stars, he staggered to his feet, suddenly noticing that his surroundings had grown strangely dark.
He looked up, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
The pursuing Adjuchas had tightly encircled them. Their massive, grotesque figures completely blocked out the cold light of the crescent moon, plunging the area into darkness.
The death of their leader and comrade hadn’t deterred them; it had only stoked their savagery.
"Leave, Soul Reaper." Behind him, Harribel leaned heavily on her broadsword, struggling to remain upright.
"Their target is my Vasto Lorde body. It has nothing to do with you. I will unleash an indiscriminate attack to blast open a path. When I do, seize the opportunity and..."
"And what about you?"
"Do not concern yourself with me." The blonde Menos paused, her tone softening almost into a plea.
"Leave, Yato Uchiha. In Hueco Mundo, a grievously injured Menos will be devoured. This is the cycle of power. Just like the wild grass in the World of the Living, no matter what, it will always grow back."
"Huh? Big Sis, if you say things like that, how could I possibly have the nerve to run away on my own?"
The boy shot a sideways glance at Harribel, then jutted his chin toward the charred corpse in the distance.
"What do you think of my fire-based Kido?"
"It is powerful, far exceeding your current level of Spiritual Pressure, but..."
"But it’s not enough. Just as you said, to burn away the wild grass, one must use flames that bring absolute destruction."
Yato gently caressed the tsuba of his Zanpakuto.
Akame, I think our relationship is ready to enter the next stage, don’t you?
His Spiritual Pressure surged violently, vaulting to a new height.
Within his crimson eyes, the three tomoe spun with unprecedented ferocity until they merged, violently dispersing to form a new pattern.
They were a pair of six-pointed Mangekyo Sharingan, red patterns set against a black backdrop!
He closed his eyes, adapting to this newfound power.
In the next moment, a trail of bloody tears slid down his cheeks.
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