"It's not without reason that Nelliel looked down on you," Uehara Shiroha continued. "You're just a piece of trash, good for nothing."
In his opinion, Nnoitra was reckless, childish, and couldn't handle defeat. He had no intention of speaking up for Nelliel—he simply looked down on Nnoitra. The man was too despicable.
In terms of both strength and character, Nnoitra was completely outclassed.
Before Uehara Shiroha, the so-called "strongest hierro" was nothing but an ant.
Lying against a broken rock pillar in his final moments, Nnoitra sneered. "Shinigami, you're no different from us! You're just as cruel and cold-blooded! There's no justice or faith in your heart at all!"
He thought of Tōsen, the blind Shinigami. That man always preached about justice and duty while looking down on the Arrancar.
Now it seemed that was all a joke. The facts proved that Shinigami were killers just like them.
Uehara Shiroha responded with indifference. "You're wrong. I'm more cruel and cold-blooded than you. I never forgive! Anyone who offends me or stands in my way will be torn to pieces. This is my justice! This is my belief!"
An Arrancar overthinking these things was almost amusing.
In the extraordinary world, absolute strength was the only thing that mattered—it was everything.
Uehara Shiroha didn't care about anything else, including the duties of the Shinigami or the survival of the Three Realms.
Yet these Arrancar seemed fixated on such concerns.
This was the fundamental issue with Arrancar and high-level Hollows.
The Hollows of Hueco Mundo relied on killing and hunting to gain the right to evolve and survive. Hunting and killing were instincts engraved in their very souls.
However, after becoming Arrancar, those instincts were sealed into their Zanpakutō. They gained more "humanity," along with more thoughts and doubts.
But a beast that once roared and hunted in the jungle loses its wildness once locked in a zoo. And a sword in its scabbard cannot draw blood.
Becoming more human-like wasn't necessarily a good thing—hesitating like Ichigo Kurosaki would only make them weaker.
On one hand, they looked down on Shinigami who were bound by rules. On the other, they themselves had gradually taken on the appearance of Shinigami, their true selves bound by their Zanpakutō.
They refused to face this truth, unwilling to acknowledge their own transformation, completely lacking self-awareness.
Ants were just ants, after all—they didn't even possess this small degree of self-knowledge.
As Uehara Shiroha looked at Nnoitra, his eyes held neither disdain nor anger—only indifference.
That gaze was like a god looking down upon all living beings: ruthless and cold.
The indifference in his pupils matched his unfathomable strength, inspiring fear from the depths of one's heart.
Noticing Uehara Shiroha's eyes that seemed as ancient and unfeeling as millennia of ice, Nnoitra couldn't help but feel a chill in his core.
He drew a ragged breath and said, "You can't win. Aizen and the Espada won't let you go! This is Hueco Mundo! We still have the Hōgyoku!"
He refused to be crushed like a bug.
But beyond empty threats, he could do nothing. Before Uehara Shiroha, he was utterly helpless and powerless—all his strength reduced to meaningless words.
"You're really stubborn," Uehara Shiroha replied, remaining casual and relaxed despite Nnoitra's defiance. "Have you ever wondered why Aizen didn't warn you about me? If I'm guessing correctly, you received no information about me at all, not even about the other Shinigami captains."
"Aizen doesn't lack information—gathering it would be effortless for him. So why didn't he provide any? Because Aizen doesn't treat you Arrancar as people. You were abandoned from the very beginning."
As he spoke, his eyes weren't fixed on Nnoitra but on Las Noches in the distance—more specifically, on the Fifth Tower where Aizen resided.
These words weren't meant for Nnoitra, but for Aizen, for Nelliel, and for Ichigo.
This was indeed a war, but not between Hueco Mundo and Seireitei, nor between Shinigami and Arrancar.
It was a war between Aizen and the world—between mortals and gods!
"So that's how it is, Aizen..." In his final moments, Nnoitra no longer cared about such things.
None of it mattered anymore.
He recalled his first encounter with Uehara Shiroha. Even then, he'd had a premonition that he couldn't defeat him.
Perhaps from the beginning, he'd known he had no chance of victory.
In that moment, he'd felt an uncontrollable fear. Every pore in his body and his survival instinct had warned him to stay away from this dangerous man.
This wasn't a reaction to Reiatsu—it was spiritual oppression, coming from the depths of his soul and primal instincts.
Such fear only emerges when lower creatures encounter higher ones.
Nnoitra simply refused to admit he was weak, refused to admit he was afraid, refused to admit that Uehara Shiroha belonged to a higher order of being.
So he used anger and aggression to suppress the fear in his heart, believing he had overcome it.
However, before absolute power, everything else was meaningless.
It turned out that even as an Arrancar, he couldn't change the fact that he was weak.
The light in Nnoitra's eyes gradually dissipated, leaving only emptiness.
Witnessing Nnoitra's death, Orihime felt a pang of reluctance. Even for an enemy, even for an Arrancar, she didn't want to see someone die before her eyes.
She had treated enemies with kindness before, returning good for evil.
Ichigo was similar. When facing monstrous Hollows, he could decisively cut them down. But killing human-shaped Arrancar was truly difficult for him.
Of course, Uehara Shiroha's overwhelming strength had opened Ichigo's eyes and made him feel inadequate by comparison.
Uehara Shiroha saw through Ichigo's thoughts clearly, but he found them understandable.
In essence, Ichigo was just an ordinary person—an honest man, through and through.
Though unpleasant to acknowledge, it was true: throughout several conflicts, Ichigo had played the reluctant hero, always thrust into the role of savior.
Whenever crisis threatened the world, everyone thought the same thing: "Let's go to Karakura Town and get Ichigo."
Time and again, Ichigo would arrive as scheduled, swinging Zangetsu to slice through whatever threat presented itself.
Despite possessing some of the most devastating attack capabilities in the Soul Society, his mind remained fixated solely on protection.
Despite his immense strength, he was perpetually treated as a sacrificial lamb.
Various powerful entities sought to manipulate Ichigo, eager to harness his power for their own ends. Ichigo's character played a decisive role in making this possible.
His weaknesses were too obvious, and there were too many things he couldn't bring himself to abandon—too many things he would sacrifice himself for.
These major adversaries never viewed this "hero" as a true opponent or enemy—merely as a pawn to be played.
Of course, in the end, they paid the price when they were shattered one by one by his Getsuga Tenshō.
Uehara Shiroha didn't particularly care about Ichigo's mercy. When the time came to act, Ichigo never hesitated.
One needed only to look at what happened to Sōsuke Aizen and Yhwach in his Soul King form.
Moreover, while both Ichigo and Orihime might have pitied Nnoitra, neither had attempted to stop Shiroha from killing him or tried to save the Espada's life.
The two were genuinely grateful to Uehara Shiroha for saving them.
This kind of "merciful" attitude that still recognized practical realities wasn't particularly annoying.
Facing the pair who kept bowing in thanks, Uehara Shiroha waved his hand dismissively, then fixed Ichigo with a burning gaze.
"You clearly have tremendous power hidden inside you. Why didn't you use it just now? You're still holding back even when your life is at stake—are you planning to use it in your coffin?"
Compared to the spirited warrior who had stormed the Soul Society, Ichigo's performance in Hueco Mundo seemed lackluster.
There were multiple reasons for this.
On one hand, Ichigo was trying to avoid confronting both this war and the Hollow power dwelling within him. He didn't want to face these realities.
None of this was what Ichigo had wanted.
This revealed that despite his overflowing talent, Ichigo remained immature in virtually every respect—mentally, in fighting spirit, in experience, and so on.
On the other hand, the Substitute Shinigami Badge was limiting him.
This item had originally been designed to restrict the first Substitute Shinigami, Kūgo Ginjō.
Although the badge granted its holder legal identity and allowed transformation into Shinigami form, it simultaneously restricted their Reiatsu.
More significantly, the badge functioned as a monitoring device, tracking the holder's movements and actions.
The Soul Society had deliberately concealed this information from both Substitute Shinigami.
Ginjō and Ichigo were being monitored without their knowledge.
The Soul Society couldn't allow individuals with captain-level spiritual pressure to act freely in the World of the Living. Hence, the badge was necessary to track their location and limit their power.
The Substitute Badge appeared to be an identification credential, but in reality, it served as a power limiter and locator.
Should circumstances change, the Soul Society could quickly pinpoint the Substitute Shinigami's position and either capture or eliminate them.
Ginjō had been deceived by this very item.
Through the Substitute Badge, the Tsunayashiro family had tracked the first Substitute Shinigami's whereabouts and ruthlessly plotted against him.
After slaughtering all the Fullbringers, the Tsunayashiro family had shifted the blame to Ginjō.
The first Substitute Shinigami had been betrayed and lost nearly everything, left only with the word "despair" carved into his experience.
Even now, Ginjō continued to evade the Soul Society's pursuit.
Like Ginjō before him, Ichigo was constrained by the Substitute Badge, his Reiatsu weakened.
But while this might be a problem for others, it wasn't truly the core issue for Ichigo.
If he simply acknowledged himself and embraced his own power, the Substitute Badge wouldn't be enough to limit his Shinigami abilities.
Because he remained conflicted and hesitant, his strength had become unstable—far weaker than when he had invaded the Soul Society.
Uehara Shiroha had no interest in the meaningless inner turmoil plaguing Ichigo's heart.
He cared only about the young man's strength.
He needed Ichigo to adjust his mindset, awaken to his potential, and fulfill his role in eliminating those adversaries that stood in their way.
This would allow Shiroha to proceed steadily and comfortably—a true blessing.
This was why Uehara Shiroha questioned Ichigo's behavior.
Hearing Shiroha's pointed questioning, Ichigo fell silent.
If possible, he too wanted to fight at full strength.
But this remained an impossible luxury, as the monster in his heart continuously whispered in his ear.
Ichigo didn't dare relax for even a moment.
Beside him, Orihime also looked uncomfortable.
She understood Ichigo's situation.
She didn't want Ichigo to use that terrifying power.
She simply hoped Ichigo could remain safe—that everyone could remain safe.
Of course, this was mere wishful thinking.
In the extraordinary world, only power could achieve peace. Everything else was empty talk.
Looking at the two silent figures, Uehara Shiroha remained undeterred. He grasped the sword at his waist with his right hand and spoke calmly:
"In that case, I'll give you a demonstration! Listen carefully, Ichigo Kurosaki—in this world, power is everything! The reason you're so hesitant and uneasy is simply because your power isn't sufficient! If your power were strong enough, all fear and anxiety would vanish. Watch closely—true power means crushing everything!"
With those words, he drew Shunkyō and silently activated his Bankai.
Under the influence of Unlimited Blade Works, the power of Bankai Shunkyō was elevated to its extreme.
Unimaginable Reiatsu, accompanied by brilliant light, bloomed from the cold, snow-white blade of Shunkyō! The majestic spiritual pressure was as vast as the ocean and as heavy as a mountain!
The blinding light resembled a supernova explosion, illuminating everything while simultaneously threatening to destroy it all!
Under this radiance, ripples appeared in the fabric of time and space.
The normally untouchable dimensions of time and space seemed to transform into malleable bubbles that could be manipulated at will.
The ripples and light expanded rapidly, first covering the area where the group stood, then spreading to engulf all of Las Noches!
Simultaneously, the Garganta was torn open, and four passages appeared above Hueco Mundo!
And somewhere in the distance, Uryū Ishida and Rukia Kuchiki were already hanging by a thread, their lives in imminent danger!
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New Fanfic
Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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