"Sit back."
Aiyan stood in front of Baraggan, holding the Ama no Murakumo, the tip of the sword pointed directly at the King of Hueco Mundo.
Snap.
Baraggan's face was extremely ugly, but he could clearly feel the burning edge of the sword pressing against the bone of his throat.
In the end, under the threat of the Ama no Murakumo, he had no choice but to sit back down on the throne.
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty!"
This scene stunned all the Adjuchas present.
Especially the shark-like Adjuchas who had just attacked Harribel and been struck down by her blade.
The throne was the same.
The figure upon it was the same.
It was still Baraggan.
But when they looked once more at the skeletal figure sitting upon the throne, and then at the crown on his head, the eyes of all the Adjuchas changed.
No longer was there awe.
No longer worship.
Or rather, their gazes hadn't changed—the reverence remained—but it was no longer directed at Baraggan.
Now, all their eyes had shifted to Aiyan.
Yes.
This was Hueco Mundo — a world that revered only power.
In just an instant, after witnessing Aiyan suppressing the master of Las Noches again and again, the first reaction of the Menos Grande was not outrage—but fear.
Awe.
"Look."
"I only need to move this hand forward a little…"
"And your time will be over."
"Tell me—would you call that a miracle?"
After Baraggan sat down again, Aiyan looked down at the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo.
Throne?
Authority?
Things like that, in front of his power, were no more than dust in the wind.
"Shinigami… bah!"
Baraggan's face grew even more unsightly, but with the Ama no Murakumo resting at his neck, he didn't dare move at all.
After reigning supreme for countless years—
He had become arrogant, accustomed to looking down on all of Hueco Mundo from above.
And that was exactly why, when Aiyan's blade pressed against his throat, he didn't even have the courage to fight back.
Of course—
Even if he did…
He lacked the capital to fight a bloody battle.
"I'll only say this once."
"Listen carefully. I won't repeat myself."
"My name is—Aiyan Sōsuke."
Aiyan cut off Baraggan's retort, then swept his gaze over the Adjuchas around them, who were still stunned, still not fully recovered:
"The King of Hueco Mundo—I've seen him."
"But that's all he is."
"As for your so-called world…"
"Take your crown—and disappear with it."
As soon as the words fell—
Within Las Noches, the bodies of every Adjuchas suddenly ignited in black flames.
It was Amaterasu!
"Ahhh—!"
Instantly, amidst sharp but fleeting screams, Adjuchas after Adjuchas were devoured by the flames of Amaterasu, one after another turning into spirit particles and vanishing into the palace.
"Shinigami—how dare you!"
Baraggan roared in fury upon seeing the scene before him.
It wasn't that he truly cared about the life and death of his subordinates.
This was Hueco Mundo—where Menos Grande were plentiful. Even if all the Adjuchas here were destroyed, there would be more soon enough.
What enraged him was Aiyan's audacity.
He had slaughtered Baraggan's subordinates—right in front of him—without hesitation.
He didn't place Baraggan in his eyes at all.
"…Huh?"
Aiyan, hearing this, was just about to dispose of the other party—
"A-Aiy… Lord Aiyan…"
But with just one glance, Baraggan felt like he had plummeted into an abyss, a bone-deep chill seizing his limbs.
He instantly lost control of his tongue, his body stiffening involuntarily, and cried out Aiyan's name with a trembling voice.
And of course—
He used an honorific.
Hiss—
Suddenly—
Baraggan felt a burning sensation spread across his forehead.
He twitched, and looked upward from the corner of his eye—only to discover that the crown atop his skull had been completely incinerated by the black flames of Amaterasu, just like the Adjuchas before him.
Not even a trace of gold remained.
Realizing this, his heart filled with both rage and dread.
This kind of power—
Even if he wanted to slaughter all those Adjuchas, it would still take time.
But Aiyan?
With a single glance, the entirety of Las Noches was subdued.
Including himself.
The King of Hueco Mundo—Baraggan Louisenbairn.
Clang—
Aiyan suddenly withdrew the Ama no Murakumo.
Up on the throne—
The moment Baraggan saw the vanishing of that golden lightsaber, his killing intent ignited, and the death aura within him surged forward—
"Bakudō Forbidden Technique · Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Aiyan turned away to leave, but in the very instant his back faced Baraggan—
Golden chains burst into being, binding Baraggan's limbs.
Together with the throne beneath him, he was suspended mid-air before the grand palace of Las Noches.
"You want to bind me?!"
"I am Emperor Baraggan, the wielder of the strongest death aura in the world!"
Faced with this heavy binding, Baraggan only grew more enraged—
But in the very next moment, his entire body froze.
Reiatsu?
No response.
Death aura?
Like a stone tossed into the sea.
Yes.
The moment the Bakudō: Adamantine Sealing Chains pierced into his body, all of Baraggan's powers had been utterly sealed.
Completely imprisoned.
"What must I do…"
"To obtain this kind of power?"
After watching it all unfold, Harribel finally opened her mouth and asked softly.
"You said you pursue power."
"If this is your ideal, I can give it to you."
"This palace of Las Noches beneath your feet…"
"This land of Hueco Mundo itself…"
"I can give it all to you."
"As long as you follow me, and keep up with my pace—you won't have to sacrifice."
"This is your ideal."
"So let's begin right here—at Las Noches."
"Do you want to see it?"
Aiyan looked at Harribel as she walked slowly toward him.
"Aiyan… my lord…"
At his words, Harribel's body trembled slightly.
Then, she slowly knelt before Aiyan.
"I do."
Just two words—
But they carried ironclad determination and deep longing.
"Walk forward."
Aiyan's gaze shifted to the place where Baraggan's throne had once stood.
Hearing this, Harribel rose and stepped forward without hesitation.
At this moment—
She obeyed Aiyan completely.
To see a world without sacrifice—even if only for a moment—she would be willing to give everything for the man standing before her.
Even her own life.
Boom—
Aiyan raised his hand.
With a light tap on the air—
A new throne rose from the ground where Baraggan's had once been.
"You—!"
"Aiyan, what is the meaning of this?!"
Suspended in mid-air, Baraggan was stunned for a moment—then he erupted completely.
He had been bound and humiliated.
Hung like a prisoner.
His throne was replaced.
And the very woman he had just scorned—
Now walked toward that throne.
This scene—
It was more painful than death.
"You still don't understand?"
"Baraggan."
"Your time is over."
"There is no longer a throne in Hueco Mundo that will seat you."
"Depart—with your crown, your subordinates, and your throne."
Aiyan's words—
Were like a hammer to the skull.
Each syllable struck Baraggan's mind, leaving it blank.
"No hesitation."
"No doubt."
Aiyan no longer looked at Baraggan, but turned his gaze to Harribel, who stood in front of the brand-new throne, her face still dazed:
"Sit."
...
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