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Although Szayel Aporro's retreat finally allowed Karakura Town to edge back toward normalcy, the process of fully restoring balance was anything but immediate, demanding continued effort from Mikami Saiki, whose responsibilities had multiplied due to the battle's chaotic breadth and scale. The aftermath sprawled across too wide an area for the effects to simply vanish, and while Szayel Aporro might have appeared "weak" in some moments, his title as an Espada—one of the elite warriors of Hueco Mundo—meant that the devastation he caused was significant and widespread, even in defeat.
Despite the scale of destruction, Moyu himself remained unaffected by the concerns of repair and reconstruction, leaving the responsibility to Mikami, who, with confident resolve and a pat to his chest, pledged that Karakura Town would be fully restored within three days' time. Only when those words were spoken and the dust had finally begun to settle did Moyu remember to glance at the system's latest prompt—an alert that had remained buried beneath the urgency of the battle's end.
> Your Hadō #4: Byakurai was elated after defeating the Espada, unlocking its full potential.
Your Hadō #4: Byakurai judged your talent too lacking, autonomously evolved into Tentei Raiden (Heaven-Piercing Thunder)!
The first message was understandable enough, a standard announcement of growth and progression—but the second left him momentarily stunned, his thoughts blank as he tried to process what kind of logic the system was operating under now. He could hardly believe it—was that spell... judging him again? Once more, that spectral incarnation of Byakurai had made its own decision, bypassing him entirely, dismissing his abilities as inadequate, and choosing to transform without his input—arrogant, mocking, and undoubtedly developing a black-hearted personality that could only be described as spiteful.
There was no changing the system's behavior, and Moyu knew better than to waste energy trying to argue with it. He found himself simultaneously in awe of the newly evolved technique and deeply resentful toward it, especially since the price for unlocking its potential had been absurdly steep—Szayel Aporro, an Espada, had almost lost his life in the process.
But before Moyu could linger on those thoughts for too long, a blur of motion streaked through the sky toward him, swift and fluid like an arrow of black lightning. A familiar feline shape closed the distance rapidly, far faster than even most elite Shinigami, and the moment it landed before him, the transformation unfurled to reveal the graceful form of Shihouin Yoruichi.
Her sharp gaze raked over him with a mixture of urgency and concern as she barked out a question that left no room for evasion, demanding to know whether he had been injured. "Moyu! Are you hurt?!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes glowing with a rare intensity.
A faint, amused smile tugged at Moyu's lips as he raised his arms slightly and gave a casual, if somewhat weary, shrug. "For now, I think I'm still in one piece," he replied with ironic ease, as if to reassure her that the worst had passed.
Yoruichi let out a relieved sigh, visibly easing now that she could confirm his physical safety. Her tone, however, remained serious, and the worry in her voice didn't fade as she recounted what had driven her to rush to him so frantically. The moment she had sensed the pressure of a Menos Grande, she had dropped everything and raced to his side—but the closer she'd gotten, the more monstrous and unnatural that spiritual presence had become, as if it were something far beyond an ordinary Hollow.
"That thing you fought… it wasn't just any Menos Grande," she said with narrowed eyes, her instincts honed by centuries of experience. "That Reiatsu... it was warped. Unnatural."
There was no way she could ignore what she had felt. It wasn't simply powerful—it had been abnormally refined, laced with an intelligence and malevolence she recognized only in the most dangerous of enemies. She fixed her gaze on Moyu, waiting for him to explain what exactly had happened.
Letting out a sigh and brushing a hand through his disheveled hair, Moyu met her gaze with a faint smirk and replied, "Yoruichi, haven't you ever heard the saying? Curiosity kills the cat."
The immediate flick of her tail and a scowl accompanied her sharp retort: "Meow! I'm not here to satisfy some childish curiosity—I'm here because I'm worried about you, you idiot."
Holding up both hands in mock surrender, Moyu relented. "Alright, alright," he said with an exhale, before shifting his tone to something more sober. "You're right. That wasn't just any Hollow… it was an Arrancar."
As the words left his mouth, the weight of their implications fell heavily in the silence that followed. "He called himself the 8th Espada," Moyu continued. "Szayel Aporro Granz."
The name hit like a blade, and Yoruichi's pupils contracted sharply, the intensity of her reaction confirming that she understood just how grave the situation had been. An Espada manifesting in the Human World was no small event—on the contrary, it was a harbinger of deep instability.
"This is bad," she muttered, her voice dropping. "If Espada are starting to appear here, then something big is already in motion."
---
Far away in the bleak emptiness of Hueco Mundo, the world remained bathed in sterile light, with endless dunes of white sand stretching toward a warped black sky where shafts of golden light pierced through a dimensional void. From that rift of darkness, a charred figure suddenly plummeted, spiraling downward before crashing violently into the sand where a swarm of Gillians had gathered, their towering silhouettes scattering at the impact.
Two Espada stood nearby, watching the descent with unblinking eyes. The first, towering over two meters, possessed an eyepatch over one eye, unkempt black hair, and a manic grin carved permanently into his face—Nnoitra Gilga. The second, smaller and more composed, had pale skin, neatly cropped black hair, and piercing green eyes that seemed void of all warmth—Ulquiorra Cifer.
Their eyes tracked the smoldering crater left by the fallen figure.
"That Reiatsu… Szayel Aporro," Nnoitra muttered, recognizing the signature despite its tattered state.
Ulquiorra didn't move, his gaze unchanging as he processed the situation.
"He went to the Human World to harvest souls, didn't he?" Nnoitra added, rubbing the back of his neck while sneering. "So what the hell happened that made him activate Negación and run back like a whipped dog?"
The answer wasn't obvious, but the condition of the body—scorched, mangled, and barely clinging to cohesion—made it clear that Szayel Aporro had been pushed far beyond his limit. The two began administering rapid stabilization, allowing Szayel Aporro to absorb nearby Reishi and accelerate his regeneration.
Szayel Aporro's eyes snapped open with a mixture of fury and desperation. Without hesitation, he grabbed one of his own Fracción and consumed the unfortunate subordinate, letting the influx of spiritual matter kick-start the cellular repair process. Strength and coherence returned to his limbs slowly, but his anger blazed uncontrollably, a deep, primal scream escaping his throat.
"Damn it… damn it… DAMN THAT BRAT!" he howled, his composure shattering completely under the weight of his humiliation and pain.
Ulquiorra stood unaffected, his voice flat and methodical as ever. "What happened?" he asked, as if reading from a checklist.
The question briefly sobered Szayel Aporro, and though his fury had not cooled, he became aware enough to register the looming presence of the 4th Espada. His expression twisted with lingering humiliation as he spoke bitterly.
"I went to the Human World. My orders were to collect souls for experimentation—just routine work."
"But then, some young Shinigami appeared," he continued, his voice trembling with the memory. "He looked unremarkable. But his power—there was nothing normal about it."
Szayel Aporro's jaw clenched. "Even after I used Resurrección, I couldn't overcome him. He forced me into retreat."
Despite the indignity, a spark of obsession flashed in his eyes as he pressed a hand to his chest. "But I've memorized his Reiatsu now. The next time we meet… he dies."
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