"So strong!"
"This pressure…"
"It's clearly stronger than my previous opponent—the Shark Empress herself!"
"Could Captain Kyōraku actually lose this one?"
In the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya Tōshirō's face was grim.
The white hair atop his head rustled in the turbulent air,
his eyes narrowing under the force of the spiritual pressure storm.
Even at his current level,
he could feel the immense weight radiating from Starrk's Resurrección—
a pressure that chilled him to the core.
He couldn't help it—
his instincts were screaming in awe and fear.
Beside him, Matsumoto Rangiku felt it too.
Her voluptuous body trembled beneath her shihakushō,
her movements unconsciously drawing even more attention
as the oppressive air made the entire room quake.
The atmosphere inside the barracks grew suffocating.
With Starrk's release, the tension hit its peak—
a silence heavy enough to crush lungs.
Meanwhile—
Across the entire Soul Society, eyes were glued to the glowing screen.
As the storm of reiatsu settled,
Starrk's new form emerged before the viewers' eyes.
His wavy brown hair fell to his shoulders.
A gray-white fur coat draped across his body,
and in both hands he held long-barreled guns—
sleek, deadly, and radiating power.
He looked every bit the lone wolf hunter.
Even in a half-crouched stance,
he emanated the aura of a king of beasts—
untamed, unyielding, commanding fear by presence alone.
"So strong!"
"Just his aura is shaking the air itself!"
"And those weapons—two guns? I've never seen a weapon like that!"
The entire Soul Society buzzed in astonishment.
Normally, both Shinigami and Hollows favored swords or blades as their weapons.
Only a few carried lances or scythes.
But dual pistols?
Never before.
It was shocking, alien—
and perfectly suited for the unique power of the Primera Espada.
For the first time, everyone truly grasped
why he was ranked number one among the Espada.
"Tch…"
"Now the tables will turn."
"Those Shinigami bastards are finally going to taste defeat."
Behind his black eyepatch, Nnoitra Gilga grinned savagely.
He could hardly contain his excitement,
eager to see Kyōraku Shunsui overwhelmed—
blown apart and humiliated.
After all the previous rankings
that had made Hueco Mundo look weak,
this was the moment to restore the Espada's pride.
And indeed—
The footage did not disappoint.
After releasing his Resurrección, Starrk's strength skyrocketed,
reversing the flow of battle in an instant.
He raised his guns.
Aimed.
The barrels glowed blue—
locking onto Kyōraku's form.
Then, in his calm, cold tone:
"Cero Metralleta—Infinite Cero!"
At once,
blue energy flared at both barrels.
Countless blasts erupted,
each shot faster than sight—
an endless storm of destruction.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Blue light devoured the entire screen.
Each explosion tore the sky apart,
each Cero powerful enough to level a city block.
There were no pauses, no limits.
An infinite barrage.
The sheer visual force stunned everyone watching—
a wave of awe and dread swept through the Gotei 13.
"This is insane!"
"Infinite Cero? Even the name's terrifying!"
"No one could survive that! He'll be vaporized!"
"That Shinigami captain's done for this time!"
And indeed,
within the storm of explosions,
Kyōraku's silhouette vanished—
consumed by blinding light.
His fate—unknown.
The image froze there, suspended in devastation.
"Woooahhh!"
"Lord Starrk is invincible!!"
"The Shinigami captain finally got crushed!"
"Let's see if those Soul Reapers still dare to look down on us now!"
Inside Las Noches, pandemonium erupted.
The Espada and Adjuchas roared in triumph,
their morale soaring higher than ever.
It was pure satisfaction—
a cleansing of all the humiliation
they'd endured during the previous rankings.
At last, a victory for Hueco Mundo.
"Hmph…"
"Unless he uses Bankai—or gets help—
that Shinigami captain has no chance left."
The Skeleton King, Baraggan Louisenbairn,
watched calmly from his throne.
His voice was steady, absolute.
Even though he was no longer ranked first,
Baraggan bore no resentment.
Instead, he acknowledged Starrk's dominance.
To him,
the Primera's strength was beyond question—
the embodiment of power.
And then—
The footage shifted again.
The battlefield jumped ahead in time,
just as Baraggan had predicted.
New reinforcements appeared—
help had arrived.
"Ahh…"
"Though I don't much like fighting alongside Shinigami…"
"As an artist, I can't stand idle before a common enemy."
The camera panned, revealing two new figures—
Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi,
the two Visored captains once exiled a century ago.
Their reiatsu flared violently,
immediately changing the flow of battle.
"Smash it, Tengumaru!"
"Play, Kinshara!"
Flames erupted from Love's weapon.
Golden whip-cords danced through the air under Rose's control.
In an instant—
the one-on-one duel between Shunsui and Starrk
became a two-on-one siege.
The Visoreds struck in unison,
bathing the sky in heat and gold.
But even then—
Starrk held firm.
Even surrounded,
he fought effortlessly,
weaving through their attacks with calm precision.
It was clear—
of all his opponents so far,
only Kyōraku Shunsui had truly pressured him.
The others were merely keeping up.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapters]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]