Las Noches, Council Room.
Aizen sat at one end of the long table. The Espada, clad in white uniforms, sat in various postures, while Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru sat formally at Aizen's left and right hands.
"I have summoned everyone here today," Aizen's gentle voice echoed through the empty and vast hall, "to introduce a new... comrade."
His gaze shifted toward the entrance of the hall.
Two ringed-braids draped over her shoulders; a figure wearing a Captain's Haori walked slowly out of the shadows.
A brief silence fell over the hall. Among the Espada present, apart from Starrk, not a single person had detected when Soifon had appeared there.
That figure—!
Ulquiorra, Nelliel, and Szayelaporro widened their eyes simultaneously. Wasn't this that mysterious cloaked person?!
So it was a female; no wonder the figure was so petite.
On the other hand, the newly appointed Espada, Harribel, looked at Soifon with a gaze full of curiosity and recognition. In Hueco Mundo, strong females were already rare, and existences that could be acknowledged by Sōsuke Aizen were even rarer.
"This is my colleague from Soul Society, Captain Soifon." Aizen's voice sounded at the right moment, breaking the silence. "From this day forth, her status in Las Noches is equal to mine..."
"Her orders are my orders."
This sentence was like a dump truck crashing into the surface of a calm lake.
Sounds of shocked inhalations rose one after another, and the temperature in the room seemed to rise by a few degrees. Status equal to Aizen meant her status was even higher than Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru...
Involuntarily, the ten Espada subtly glanced at the two men sitting on the left and right, only to discover that the expressions on their faces were completely unchanged.
"Hmph."
An undisguised cold snort came from one side of the hall. It was the No. 2, Barragan.
This former King of Hueco Mundo was filled with rage, completely unable to accept that the status of a woman, Soifon, would be placed above them. Barragan even suspected that Aizen had placed Soifon in such a high position deliberately to humiliate them.
Barragan, in his human form, stood up slowly. The chair beneath him disintegrated into white sand. The aura of decay and death made the surrounding air become viscous and heavy.
"Aizen..."
"Have you fallen?"
"To actually let a mere woman... sit on equal footing with you?"
Barragan's voice was hoarse, like dry bones grinding together. He admitted he couldn't beat Aizen now, but as the former King of Hueco Mundo, he was not someone Aizen could humiliate like this.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly tightened. The other Espada stopped their movements, their gazes wandering between Barragan, Soifon, and Aizen.
"You are too arrogant, Barragan."
"But I am a democratic man. I wonder, what are your demands?"
Aizen rested his cheek on one hand, maintaining that calm smile.
"If she is to prove she is worthy of this position," Barragan looked provocatively at Soifon, "then let her accept my challenge."
Barragan did not have the guts to attack Aizen. However, he did have some guts to use killing Soifon as a means to humiliate Aizen.
Aizen smiled gently. He looked at Soifon and slightly raised his hand in a gesture. "Captain Soifon, what do you think?"
Without glancing at the provocative old geezer, Soifon simply asked in return, "If Captain Aizen feels that losing a No. 2 is not a problem, I am ready anytime."
After speaking, Soifon turned and walked out the door of the Council Room, flashing with a tap of her toes to the desert grounds beneath the artificial sky canopy.
"Insolence!!"
This utter disregard finally completely ignited Barragan's fury. He stomped violently, shattering several floor tiles, and rushed out of the palace close behind her.
In a short while, the onlookers had all arrived. In a place as boring as Hueco Mundo, there was never a shortage of bloodthirsty spectators when there was a fight to watch.
Barragan stood in mid-air facing Soifon. He raised the axe in his hand and slashed at Soifon, not planning to waste words with her.
"Come! Let this old man see what qualifications you have..."
Before his voice fell, Soifon's figure disappeared.
BOOM—
A heavy whip-kick struck Barragan's back, smashing him into the white desert below, whipping up a wave of sand that soared into the sky.
After a moment, Barragan struggled to stand up from the bottom of the pit. Fine cracks had appeared on his white bone crown skull.
Having just boasted, only to be humiliated by Soifon like this, Barragan was now burning with rage, completely losing his head. After all, this was in front of so many people!
"Shinigami, you... dare to..."
"Rot, Arrogante!"
He slowly raised the giant axe in his hand, and the Reiatsu all over his body began to pour out recklessly. The black mist dispersed; the sandy ground beneath Barragan's feet instantly turned into grayish-white powder. He was now draped in a black long robe, wearing a crown, and holding a double-bladed great axe.
He slowly flew into the sky to be level with Soifon, then spread his five fingers.
"Respira."
Pitch-black mist of aging surged toward Soifon from all directions like a gale.
Since Soifon was unclear whether her Blut Vene could block the conceptual power of aging, she chose a conservative fighting method.
Soifon raised her hand: "Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
A blue pillar of light tore through the black mist, shooting fiercely toward Barragan, but was worn away completely by the black mist several meters away from the opponent.
"Hahaha—!" Barragan let out a hoarse, wild laugh. "Is this the only extent of your power?!"
He felt confident again.
Shing—
Seeing that Kidō was ineffective, Soifon decisively drew the Zanpakutō at her waist.
"Bankai—"
"Jakuho Raikoben!"
Terrifying Reiatsu, like a tangible tsunami, rippled outward with Soifon at the center. The spectating Espada all changed expression and involuntarily retreated.
At the same time, Barragan's laughter came to an abrupt halt. Such powerful Reiatsu...
As the light faded, Soifon held a golden gun-blade in her hand, aimed at the astonished Barragan, and pulled the trigger twice in succession.
"Times have changed, King of Hueco Mundo."
Compressed Reiatsu bullets escaped the chamber, successively piercing through the aura of aging protecting Barragan's front.
Barragan didn't even have time to react; he only felt a blur before his eyes, and that point of light had already struck his skull.
A black Hornet's Crest bloomed, followed by the detonation from the next Reiatsu bullet.
BOOM—!!!
The high temperature generated by the explosion caused the surrounding space to distort, spreading out in all directions. A massive mushroom cloud rose from the spot, the entire white desert ground was flipped over, and even the artificial sky canopy of Las Noches was shattered.
It took a long time for the commotion of the great explosion to subside.
Soifon slowly lowered her arm. The gun-blade dismantled in her hand, turning into Spirit Particles and dissipating.
Dropping from the sky, Soifon arrived next to Aizen and the group of onlookers. The spectating Arrancars all took a vigilant step back.
"Captain Soifon has finished fighting." Aizen turned to look at the nine Espada behind him. "Who approves, who opposes?"
There was utter silence; even a certain blue-haired warmonger quieted down.
"Then... welcome Captain Soifon to our ranks."
As Sōsuke Aizen's voice fell, a long-absent mission panel popped up before Soifon's eyes.
[Mission Triggered: King of Hueco Mundo]
[Mission Completed]
[Reward Obtained: Hollow Poison Immunity, 1st Spiritual Rank Breakthrough]
Good lord, are you afraid I'll be poisoned to death in Hueco Mundo?
Although this mission boss, the King of Hueco Mundo, was a bit anticlimactic, Soifon expressed no objections—give me more.
____
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