Pale white skin, green eyes, and an entirely bone-white body, his face bore deep green tear-like Arrancar markings. Unlike all the other Arrancars, Ulquiorra Cifer already had a fully humanoid body, yet he was not an Arrancar.
He stepped forward slowly, his expression completely emotionless, exuding an extreme coldness.
Once rejected by other Hollows because his entire body was pure white and his five senses were limited to sight, Ulquiorra had now grown into a true Adjuchas-level expert. Even the portion of his face not covered by his mask was almost indistinguishable from a human's, proof that he was already on the verge of stepping into the Vasto Lorde realm.
He simply stood there calmly, yet his presence alone suppressed all the Arrancars present. The restless crowd fell into silence under his pressure.
"Ulquiorra!!"
Coyote Starrk's pupils contracted as he spoke the name in a low voice.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, tension gripping him under the immense pressure.
This was the first time Grimmjow had encountered an opponent of this level!
Even though some of the Arrancars behind Qin Yi had already stepped into the Vasto Lorde domain, they still felt wary of Ulquiorra.
"What are you here for?"
With a hint of curiosity, Ulquiorra asked calmly.
His personality was composed and cold, almost devoid of any emotional fluctuation. His very presence naturally overwhelmed others.
Other beings, Arrancars included, still retained traces of human or animal instincts: gentleness, friendliness, agitation, anger. But Ulquiorra was pure, absolute rationality.
"We've come to take over Las Noches." Qin Yi spoke. "Will you join us, Ulquiorra? I can help you reach the Vasto Lorde level."
That statement made Ulquiorra shift his green gaze toward him. There was a hollow hole in the center of his chest. His slender frame looked frail, but no one dared to underestimate him.
"Oh. So you're their leader."
His green eyes blinked once. Ulquiorra walked toward Qin Yi, observing him carefully before speaking again.
"Your power is unusual. I want to test it."
Qin Yi's crimson eyes narrowed, and a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"What do you…"
Before he could finish, Ulquiorra had already raised his right hand.
Pop!
A cluster of red energy flared like scattered flames. With a faint sound, a highly condensed Reiatsu bullet shot out from his hand, heading straight for Qin Yi.
Bala!
Though weaker than a Cero, its speed was twenty times faster. In an instant, the attack reached Qin Yi's eyes, causing his pupils to shrink sharply. At that very moment, his right hand shot up as well.
Pop!
A black-red Bala burst forth at an even faster speed, colliding violently with the incoming attack.
Boom!
A violent shockwave spread outward in an instant. The Arrancars behind him quickly retreated, their faces filled with shock. Qin Yi's black hair whipped in the aftermath, his clothes fluttering wildly, but he didn't take a single step back.
His blood-red eyes locked onto Ulquiorra, and a feral grin spread across his face.
"That was rather rude of you."
Ulquiorra remained expressionless as he stepped forward.
"What is 'rude'?"
"I don't know why… but when I see you…"
"I feel… excited."
"Fight."
"It's as if every cell in my body is roaring, shouting, fight!"
Those calm words made Qin Yi's crimson eyes narrow sharply.
Then, he smiled.
"As expected of a born battle maniac, Ulquiorra."
"Then let's fight!"
"If you lose, you submit to me!"
Ulquiorra blinked his green eyes and instantly appeared in front of Qin Yi.
"That doesn't matter."
"My sensory nerves tell me that you are an opponent worth fighting."
His calm tone made Qin Yi's heart begin to pound. That utterly indifferent yet quietly overwhelming pressure, it sent chills down one's spine, yet stirred excitement at the same time.
Qin Yi slowly drew the King of Hell from his hand, then suddenly swung it downward at an angle, pointing toward the ground. A deep crack split open across the desert.
"Your strength is worthy of making me act!"
His crimson eyes sharpened as he locked onto Ulquiorra Cifer.
Nearby, the Arrancars had already retreated quickly, all of them staring wide-eyed at the impending battle.
"Ulquiorra is terrifyingly strong, he's a well-known Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo."
"How strong is Boss? Has anyone actually seen it? Is he even a match for Ulquiorra? Should we step in and help? If we rush him together, we can definitely overwhelm him!"
"Grimmjow has seen it, how is it?"
The Arrancars began discussing rapidly among themselves.
"I've seen it, of course." Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez curled his lips into a cold grin.
"But even I don't know how strong he really is. Just watch!"
"This is definitely going to be a spectacular fight!"
The Arrancars grew even more excited, their eyes fixed firmly on the battlefield.
Within Las Noches, another figure slowly stepped out, concealed in the shadows, silently observing the confrontation. Wearing a crown and exuding overwhelming authority, he was the current ruler of Las Noches, Baraggan Louisenbairn.
"Fight!"
Qin Yi raised the King of Hell and pointed it at Ulquiorra.
The latter remained expressionless, his face utterly indifferent.
Whoooosh,
A violent wind swept across the sky. Sand swirled wildly as dark clouds churned overhead.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a violent surge of Reiatsu erupted, spreading an ominous and terrifying pressure.
For ordinary beings, merely sensing such power would cause their bodies to tremble uncontrollably, it was a fear that struck directly at the soul, impossible to resist by any physical means.
"Netherwave!"
Qin Yi's pupils contracted. Stimulated by that overwhelming Reiatsu, he launched his attack instantly.
A black-red sphere shot out with a sharp whistle, rushing toward his opponent.
Ulquiorra's expression didn't change. He merely shifted slightly and stepped forward, effortlessly dodging the Netherwave.
"That's Netherwave! After missing, it splits, and if it pierces you, it explodes instantly!"
Grimmjow explained gravely from a distance.
Previously, he had been nearly defeated by this very move in an instant, without even time to react. And this time, the Reiatsu contained within Qin Yi's Netherwave was even stronger than before.
Sure enough, the moment Grimmjow finished speaking, the Netherwave detonated behind Ulquiorra's head.
Pop!
In an instant, countless thin black-red lines expanded outward, twisting and refracting as they shot viciously toward his back, forming a devastating killing attack.
Qin Yi's gaze turned cold as black-red energy continuously coiled around his Zanpakutō.
Then, within a thousandth of a second, something happened that made everyone's pupils shrink.
Ulquiorra stepped forward,
And instantly became a blur.
From one, he turned into hundreds of afterimages.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The countless black-red threads pierced through the afterimages one by one, brushing past Qin Yi's body and slamming into the desert behind him. Continuous explosions erupted, black-red flames surging dozens of meters high, dyeing the sky itself in dark crimson.
"How is that possible?!"
Grimmjow's pupils shrank in shock.
At the very first explosion, Qin Yi had already taken a step forward, appearing right in front of Ulquiorra and slashing down with his blade.
But what met him,
Was the green-black light already gathering at Ulquiorra's fingertips?
Black Cero!
(End of Chapter)
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