A throne of bone loomed in the sky, cold and unyielding.
Upon it sat an elderly man, his face stern, his hands resting heavily on the armrests. Within the hollow sockets of his skull-like visage flickered a faint, blood-red glow.
Upon his head rested a crown-like helm. At his waist, a massive golden compass hung like a relic of conquest. His flowing robe swayed with every movement, his entire presence exuding the imperious aura of Hueco Mundo's former ruler.
This was none other than the once-reigning monarch of Hueco Mundo, now the Segunda Espada—Baraggan Louisenbairn.
Behind him stood three Arrancar, their forms grotesque and arrogant in demeanor. While Baraggan still carried the dignity of a king, his chosen Fracción were hideous by comparison.
There was Abirama Redder, whose avian features gave him the look of a deranged bird. Next stood Charlotte Chuhlhourne, whose flamboyant, distorted appearance as a drag queen Hollow was almost unbearable to look at.
Baraggan's deep, withered voice rolled out like thunder:
"The stench of this world… fouler than I imagined. And more revolting still… the smell of Shinigami."
His eyes swept downward, locking onto Kyōraku Shimo.
"Name yourself, Shinigami. Let me bestow upon you the most magnificent of deaths."
The moment his gaze fell on them, Rukia instinctively raised Sode no Shirayuki, her face tense, her reaction driven purely by instinct. The crushing pressure of Baraggan's spiritual pressure bore down like a mountain, threatening to break her resolve.
But then—
Shimo stepped forward, calm and steady.
"Fourth Division Lieutenant, Kyōraku Shimo."
At once, the suffocating weight vanished for Rukia. Blinking in confusion, she stared at Shimo's back.
So… I'm still within his protection.
Yoruichi leaned toward her, golden eyes glinting.
"Leave this battlefield to Shimo. He can handle it."
Though hesitant, Rukia nodded and, with Yoruichi, flash-stepped away, leaving Shimo to face the former emperor alone.
Baraggan narrowed his eye.
"A Lieutenant? Who gave you the courage to stand before me?"
Shimo exhaled softly.
"Once, you were Hueco Mundo's emperor. Now, you're nothing but a discarded cur. What right do you have to bark so loudly in the Human World? In truth, you're just a coward bullying the weak—a worthless tyrant."
A sharp crack resounded as fractures spread across Baraggan's throne. His skeletal hand clenched in rage, his hollow eye glared murderously.
"Good… you insignificant insect. You've succeeded in angering me!"
Shimo shook his head, his tone exasperated.
"If you lack the mental fortitude, don't pick fights you can't finish. And if words alone drive you into a tantrum… what kind of ruler does that make you? Some 'emperor.'"
With only a few words, he had driven Baraggan to the brink of fury. Veins bulged on the old Espada's exposed arm as he snarled:
"Chuhlhourne! Redder! Ggio! Tear that Shinigami to pieces!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
The three Fracción surged forward, their spiritual pressure unmistakably at the level of Lieutenant. Their sonido carried them instantly to Shimo's side, blades raised to strike.
"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen."
In an instant, a transparent barrier unfurled before Shimo, catching all three blades without so much as a tremor. The Fracción's eyes widened in disbelief. Their combined strike hadn't even made him flinch.
Baraggan, however, only narrowed his eye further.
"Interesting… very interesting."
The king's earlier rage seemed little more than a performance. Beneath it lay a patience and insight honed over centuries—a reason why he had survived even under Aizen's heel.
The Fracción withdrew, exchanging grim looks before nodding in unison. They raised their weapons skyward, shouting their release phrases.
"Shine, Queen of the Rosé Palace—Reina de Rosas!"
"Scrape the summit—Águila!"
...
Their cries echoed as they entered Resurrección.
One grew a massive crab claw and armored carapace; another became a red-feathered beast with two pairs of wings; and Chuhlhourne… transformed into a garish parody of beauty, clad in pink and crimson, draped in cape and skirt.
Shimo sighed, rubbing his temple.
"Honestly… I shouldn't have let you release. You're all even uglier like this."
The words cut deeper than steel. Charlotte shrieked in fury, striking a pose as pink spiritual energy gathered between his hands.
"Ugly fool! Behold the ultimate, divine, every-second, dazzling, ultra-powerful, sensual and enchanting—Charlotte Chuhlhourne's Supreme Cero!"
The ridiculously long incantation culminated in a heart-shaped pink Cero. His comrades added their own—red and violet blasts converging into a spiraling wave that bore down upon Shimo.
The sky trembled.
Shimo raised his right hand, calm as ever.
"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō."
A blinding torrent of blue lightning burst from his palm, roaring across the heavens like a thunderstorm unleashed. The three Ceros were swallowed instantly, and the raging beam tore forward without pause, engulfing the Fracción themselves.
Their screams were silenced. When the storm abated, nothing remained. Not even ash.
The sky lay empty, clear as glass.
Baraggan remained unmoved, propping his chin on his hand as if pondering.
"So this is the strength of a Fourth Division Lieutenant? Laughable. Do you understand the price of deceiving a king?"
Shimo shook the faint smoke from his hand, smiling faintly.
"Still clinging to your delusions of royalty, Baraggan? That pride of yours is exactly why you'll never rise again."
Baraggan rose from his throne, towering and terrible, the weight of his spiritual pressure crushing the entire city. Shinigami stationed nearby quaked, their knees buckling. Even Rukia could barely keep herself standing.
Reaching back, Baraggan grasped his throne. With a surge of power, the bone construct twisted and reformed into a massive double-bladed axe, its edges gleaming with lethal cold.
He leveled it toward Shimo, his voice dripping arrogance.
"Pitiful Shinigami… I, Baraggan Louisenbairn, shall grant you death!"
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