"Could I have fallen into Lord Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu? Am I simply hallucinating?"
"Who could possibly unleash such an attack? What kind of monster are we facing?"
"Are you serious? That power obscuring the sky was actually Reiatsu? That's impossible!"
"It seems to be coming from a Shinigami. Are all Shinigami this terrifying?"
"This is divine punishment!"
"Divine punishment? Perhaps you're right..."
Feeling the overwhelming spiritual pressure washing over her, Tier Harribel—not particularly talkative under normal circumstances—grew even more withdrawn.
Before Aizen's arrival in Hueco Mundo, the Hollows had never believed in any concept of gods.
Even if deities truly existed somewhere in the universe, Hueco Mundo and its Hollow inhabitants had clearly been abandoned by them.
This realm knew only killing, bloodshed, and fear. No salvation or hope existed here—certainly no benevolent gods watching over them.
But when Aizen arrived, everything changed. Suddenly, there were gods.
This extraordinarily powerful Shinigami had brought the Hōgyoku, which offered both hope and light to their dark world.
The process of Arrancarization allowed countless Hollows to escape the terrifying cycle of degeneration while simultaneously granting them unprecedented power.
For these transformed beings, such power could only be described as divine!
But today, facing the pillar of light that pierced the sky and the golden sun that seemed to pass judgment on the sins of Hueco Mundo, Harribel found herself deeply confused.
If they were to consider this power—spreading throughout Hueco Mundo and intimidating all living creatures—as belonging to an existence on the same level as themselves, it wouldn't merely be arrogance or overestimation of their capabilities. It would be pure delusion.
Anyone with even minimal intelligence could recognize that this power operated on an entirely different tier than their own.
Confronted with such overwhelming might, even someone with Harribel's unwavering conviction couldn't help but experience moments of doubt.
But soon enough, she shook her head and reaffirmed her faith.
They had no path of retreat available to them.
Regardless of the challenges ahead, Aizen had brought hope to Hueco Mundo and to all Arrancar.
So whether they ultimately triumphed or failed, they could only follow Aizen to the very end.
Even if it meant facing such a terrifying enemy, she would not back down.
Because Harribel genuinely yearned for the arrival of a world without needless sacrifice—exactly as Aizen had promised.
Like Harribel, when the attack first manifested, the Primera Espada Starrk and the Segunda Espada Baraggan used their considerable Reiatsu to shield their respective fracción.
Because of their immense power and considerable distance from Uehara Shiroha—and because they weren't primary targets of his focused attack—they managed to preserve most of their strength.
Even Yammy, once ranked Tenth Espada, protected his canine companion.
The innocent-looking dog Hollow was actually his loyal fracción.
The man and dog shared a surprisingly close bond, seemingly dependent on each other despite Yammy's brutish nature.
The Espada of Hueco Mundo were, in many ways, just workers. Though they wore pristine white uniforms and resided in the palatial Las Noches, these privileges were all granted by Aizen.
For Yammy, even being able to keep a pet represented a luxury.
The Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra, remained isolated in another dimension.
Furthermore, he had no fracción to protect.
While most Espada remained numb with shock, the uniquely powerful Primera Espada Starrk and the historically significant Segunda Espada Baraggan began forming their own assessments of the situation.
In Coyote Starrk's quarters, his fracción Lilynette—having escaped the worst of the devastating spiritual pressure—shouted at her master:
"Starrk, snap out of it! How do you expect to defeat someone like that if you remain so listless? Didn't you feel that Reiatsu? This is no ordinary enemy we're facing!"
As Starrk's fracción and spiritual other half, she complemented him in fundamental ways.
Their complementary nature extended beyond gender to encompass personality as well.
Where Starrk appeared perpetually exhausted, his demeanor lazy and detached, as though nothing in existence could possibly matter to him—
Lilynette radiated energy and enthusiasm, competitive by nature and eager to prove herself.
The two existed in perfect opposition yet harmonious balance.
Starrk complained with a sigh, "Why should I confront someone of such overwhelming strength? This isn't a conflict we should be involved in."
Despite these words, doubt lingered in his heart:
"Aizen allowed such a formidable opponent to enter Hueco Mundo without issuing any warnings. This is highly irregular."
Unlike the other Espada, Starrk—possessing nearly unrivaled power himself—could better comprehend the true horror of the attack they had just witnessed.
In his assessment, all Espada—himself included—would likely perish if they became enemies of this mysterious attacker!
Moreover, Starrk had experienced soul fragmentation, which had significantly reduced his former strength.
Even at the peak of his power, he recognized no realistic possibility of victory against such an opponent.
The mere thought of standing against someone of such overwhelming might filled Starrk's heart with pessimism and despair.
If given any choice in the matter, he would prefer not to become this person's enemy.
For Starrk, the ultimate outcome of this war held little importance.
He cared nothing for the fate of worlds, harbored no inherent hostility toward Shinigami, and possessed no ambition for greater power.
He simply wished to avoid the crushing solitude that had defined his existence.
As a Vasto Lorde with unparalleled Hollow abilities, Starrk's strength had always separated him from others.
His Reiatsu had been so overwhelming that any Hollow approaching him instantly perished.
From the moment of his birth, he had known only isolation and loneliness.
The pain of this solitude had driven Starrk to split his very soul, creating his current fracción, Lilynette.
Then Aizen discovered him, offering membership among the Espada.
From that moment forward, he had companions and no longer faced the world alone.
For this, he felt genuine gratitude toward Aizen.
Previously, Starrk had trusted Aizen's assurances completely.
He believed that he and his fellow Hollow-born comrades genuinely mattered to their leader.
But now, facing such a formidable adversary, Aizen's silence spoke volumes.
Though the Espada possessed considerable power, they clearly lacked even the qualifications to serve as effective cannon fodder against whoever commanded such overwhelming Reiatsu.
Aizen's indifference to this fact—his failure to issue even basic warnings—revealed that the lord of Las Noches cared little for their survival.
A sense of foreboding settled heavily over Starrk.
He worried deeply about the future awaiting the Espada.
Seeing that Starrk had grown even more despondent after her "encouragement," Lilynette became increasingly frustrated.
The two argued briefly, but with no better options presenting themselves, they could only continue following Aizen's lead—just like the other trembling Espada.
They truly had no choice.
"I never suspected that the Shinigami possessed such formidable power beyond Aizen himself," Baraggan mused within his palace chambers, falling into deep contemplation.
He recalled the ancient Hollow whose immense form had once blotted out the sun for three and a half days.
That being had invited Baraggan to invade Soul Society and assault the Soul King Palace directly, but Baraggan had declined.
He had been content to remain in Hueco Mundo as its self-proclaimed king.
Nevertheless, Baraggan would never forget the confident demeanor of that ancient Hollow.
Later, he learned that this powerful entity had indeed breached Soul Society, defeated Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and even launched an assault on the Soul King Palace—after which, nothing more was heard.
This history had tempered Baraggan's ambitions regarding Soul Society.
On one hand, he lacked grand ambitions beyond ruling Hueco Mundo; on the other, he understood that the Shinigami possessed formidable resources that shouldn't be underestimated.
But he never expected that while he made no move against the Shinigami, they would eventually come to challenge him.
When he had been contentedly sipping his wine and enjoying his status as emperor of Hueco Mundo, Aizen had appeared at his doorstep and stripped away everything.
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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