Battle Against the Arrancar (2)

Looking at the expressionless Arrancar before him, Liu Ziyun's lips curled into a half-smile, "Oh? I really have to thank Aizen for his attention, sending the Fourth Espada to deal with me personally. Should I feel honored by this honor?"

Ulquiorra ignored the sarcasm in his words and simply said, "Then, let's not waste any more words. Let me see what you're capable of."

Liu Ziyun, however, did not rush to make a move. He leisurely Zanpakuto over his shoulder, looking nonchalant. "I'm just a logistics staff member of the Fourth Division, specializing in treating people. There's no need for a strong person like you to fight me, is there? How about we both stay here and watch without making a move?"

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment. His gaze lingered on Liu Ziyun for a long time, as if judging the truth of his words. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "Very well. As long as you don't make a move, I won't either. After all..." He paused, a hint of barely perceptible apprehension in his tone, "... I can't guarantee I can defeat you either."

The two remained locked in a stalemate, neither making the first move. Liu Ziyun knew that Ulquiorra was waiting—waiting for him to make a move, waiting for him to reveal a weakness. Ulquiorra also knew that Liu Ziyun was waiting—waiting for the others to determine a winner, waiting for the situation to become clearer.

However, the situation on the battlefield changed far faster than they had anticipated.

Just as Liu Ziyun and Ulquiorra were facing off, Luppi suddenly unleashed her Zanpakuto. Her already numerous tentacles instantly multiplied, surging outwards like a purple wave. Tōshirō Hitsugaya was caught off guard and was struck hard by one of the tentacles, falling to the ground like a meteor and creating a huge crater.

Luppi Antenor's lips curled into a cruel smile as she manipulated her tentacles to engulf Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, and Rangiku Matsumoto. Although the three fought back fiercely, the sheer number and speed of the tentacles made it impossible for them to completely evade them.

Several tentacles simultaneously wrapped around Ikkaku Madarame's arm, lifting him up. More tentacles coiled around Yumichika Ayasegawa and Rangiku Matsumoto, binding them tightly and rendering them unable to move. The tentacles tightened further, and all three showed expressions of pain on their faces.

Luppi Antenor pressed her advantage, manipulating a tentacle into a sharp spike and thrusting it straight at Liu Ziyun —clearly, she wanted to take this opportunity to test the supposedly unfathomable power of this Grim Soul Reaper.

A cold glint flashed in Liu Ziyun's eyes. With a light Life-Taker of his wrist, a sharp blade of light disappeared in a flash, and the tentacle that had stabbed at him was severed, purple liquid gushing from the broken end.

Ulquiorra instantly teleported, blocking Liu Ziyun's path, and coldly stared at him. "You made your move."

Liu Ziyun shrugged, his smile unchanged, "You won't let me make a move, but you're letting your companion attack me instead. Isn't that a bit unfair?"

Ulquiorra paused for a moment, then said, "He won't attack you again."

Liu Ziyun shook his head, his tone still somewhat relentless. "But I'm furious. He's already attacked me, and I'm not happy about it. What should I do?"

Ulquiorra looked at him expressionlessly. "Then you can attack me. I just don't know... if you have the strength to defeat me."

Just then, a scream broke the standoff between the two. Liu Ziyun in the direction of the sound and saw Luppi Antenor manipulating another tentacle into a spike, this time targeting the bound Rangiku Matsumoto. The spike was aimed directly at her chest; if it pierced her, she would surely die.

Liu Ziyun's eyes instantly sharpened. He suddenly started moving, his speed so fast that his trajectory was almost invisible, and rushed straight towards Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra was prepared and swung his sword to block, but the power of Liu Ziyun far exceeded his expectations—with a loud "clang," Ulquiorra was shaken and forced to take several steps back.

Just as the two passed each other, Liu Ziyun flicked his wrist and unleashed a blade of light. The blade of light was like a bolt of lightning, precisely slicing through Luppi Antenor's tentacle that was stabbing at Rangiku Matsumoto in two.

Ulquiorra steadied himself, and a flicker of emotion finally appeared in the coldness in his eyes. He gave Liu Ziyun no further chance to attack, raising his hand to unleash Bala aimed straight at Liu Ziyun's chest.

Liu Ziyun didn't even move a step. He simply raised one hand and muttered, "Hadō #31, Shakkahō."

A burst of crimson flame erupted from his palm, colliding head-on with the incoming Bala. With a deafening roar, both forces were annihilated simultaneously, dissipating into countless specks of light.

Ulquiorra's expression grew even more serious. He raised his hand, and a red light gathered at his fingertips—it was Cero, one of the most powerful ranged attack methods of the Arrancar. The red light grew brighter and brighter, and the surrounding air began to distort, as a destructive power was gathering.

However, Liu Ziyun did not intend to give him the opportunity to complete the attack.

His figure vanished from his spot in an instant, appearing beside Ulquiorra the next. Life-Taker swept past Ulquiorra in a strange arc—

An arm, along with an incomplete Cero, flew into the air. The arm spun a few times in the air before exploding with a bang. The Cero, which was not yet fully formed, went out of control and exploded halfway, turning into a blinding red light.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Whether they were Arrancar or Soul Reaper, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at the scene. Ulquiorra Cifer, the fourth Espada and one of Aizen's strongest warriors—his arm had been severed by Liu Ziyun in a single strike!

Ikkaku Madarame's eyes widened, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg. Rangiku Matsumoto covered her mouth in disbelief. Even the usually composed Tōshirō Hitsugaya showed a shocked expression at this moment.

On the Arrancar's side, Luppi Antenor's smile froze on her face, and Yammy Rialgo even subconsciously took a step back.

Ulquiorra looked down at his severed arm, then looked up at Liu Ziyun. A serious look finally appeared in his green eyes. "You are indeed terrifyingly strong. You were able to cut my arm so easily through my Hierro. However..." A cold smile curved his lips slightly, "This level of skill is useless against me."

Before he finished speaking, a white substance began to ooze from the wound on his severed arm. The substance grew and reorganized rapidly, and in a short time, a completely new arm grew back.