Reinforcements for Rukia

Liu Ziyun stood unharmed, not even a wrinkle on his clothes. His Reiatsu was like an invisible storm, forming an absolute forbidden zone around him—anything that tried to approach would be torn to shreds by that force.

Renji Abarai began to dodge the moment the tentacles attacked. His figure moved swiftly across the battlefield, with Zabimaru behind him like a real snake, nimbly weaving between the tentacles. A flash of red light pierced through the blade, severing several tentacles that tried to coil around him, and dark green liquid gushed from the cuts.

Dondochakka Birstein and Pesche Kadish also began to dodge at the same time. Although Dondochakka was huge, it was surprisingly agile. Its massive body dodged left and right in the attack of the tentacles. Although several new wounds were scratched on its carapace, none of them were fatal.

Pesche was even more agile, its figure darting between its tentacles like a butterfly fluttering among flowers, each movement perfectly avoiding attacks.

Tiruti Sandavichi had retreated to the edge of the battlefield from the very beginning. She stood on a protruding rock, arms crossed, coldly observing everything.

Her gaze lingered on Liu Ziyun the longest. When she saw that he had easily broken Szayelaporro's Resurrección Technique simply by unleashing his Reiatsu, her pupils contracted slightly, and a barely perceptible look of horror flashed in her eyes.

But not everyone can escape this onslaught of tentacles.

Renji Abarai was slightly slow in his dodge, and in that instant, a tentacle had already wrapped around his ankle. Before he could react, more tentacles swarmed up, binding his limbs, torso, and neck. A giant flower bud bloomed before him, then closed, engulfing him entirely.

"Renji!" Pesche exclaimed, trying to rush to its aid, but more tentacles blocked its way.

Szayelaporro Granz let out a triumphant laugh. One of his wings slowly retracted, and at the tip of the wing, the flower bud enveloping Renji Abarai was slowly wriggling, as if digesting something. Then, the bud bloomed again, but this time, what emerged from the bud was not Renji Abarai, but a—doll.

A doll that looks exactly like Renji Abarai.

The doll was about the size of a palm, and its craftsmanship was outrageously exquisite. Its red hair was clearly defined, and the outline of its eyebrows and eyes was exactly the same as Renji Abarai. Even the clothes on its body and the Zanpakuto at its waist were perfectly replicated.

Sárapolo Granz picked up the doll with two fingers, held it up to his eyes, and examined it with the gaze of someone admiring a work of art.

"What a perfect work..." he muttered to himself, a twisted and wicked smile on his lips. "Do you know? When this doll is hurt, the real Renji Abarai will suffer the same hurt."

His fingers gently pinched the doll's arm--

A muffled groan came from the flower bud that enveloped Renji Abarai in the distance.

Szayelaporro Granz's smile widened. His fingers moved to the doll's abdomen and pressed gently—

Another muffled groan escaped, this time even more painful than before.

"So," his voice held a cat-and-mouse-like pleasure, "Are you going to continue attacking? Every time you attack me, I'll squeeze this puppet. The harder you hit him, the faster he'll die. Come on, keep going, let me see just how ruthless you can be."

Pesche Kadische and Dondochakka Bielstan stopped moving at the same time. They stood there, unable to advance or retreat, their faces filled with anger and helplessness. They could fight desperately, they could even die—but they could not gamble with the lives of their companions.

"You..." Pesche gritted his teeth, his voice filled with resentment, "Despicable!"

Szayelaporro Granz laughed loudly, a sharp and piercing laugh that echoed through the empty desert of Hueco Mundo: "Despicable? This is Hueco Mundo, my dear friend. Here, there is only strength and weakness, no despicable. You inferior beings will never understand—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

A hand reached out from behind him, two fingers gently pinching the doll in his hand, and then—

The doll disappeared.

Szayelaporro Granz's smile froze on his face. He looked down at his empty fingers, then looked up at Liu Ziyun, who had somehow appeared behind him. In Liu Ziyun's hand was a puppet—the very puppet used to control Renji Abarai.

"You..." Szayelaporro Granz's voice carried a hint of genuine fear for the first time, "How did you do that?"

Liu Ziyun did not answer. He tucked the doll into his robes, his gaze passing over Szayelaporro's shoulder, fixed on a direction deep within Hueco Mundo. His brow furrowed slightly, for he sensed a familiar Reiatsu descending in an abnormal and worrying manner—

That was Rukia Kuchiki's Reiatsu.

"You guys," his voice was urgent and decisive, "Deal with this freak here and wait for backup."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already vanished from the spot. The speed of his Shunpo was astonishing; he didn't even leave an afterimage, as if he had never appeared at all.

"What..." Renji Abarai's voice came weakly and confusedly from the flower bud, "Support? What support? Where are you going...?"

No one answered him. Liu Ziyun was already gone.

Szayelaporro Granz paused for a moment, then burst into an even more maniacal laugh, "Ha! Did you see that? Did you see that? You've been abandoned! Your leader, your savior, just ran off with you like that! Ha!"

His laughter echoed in the void, sharp and piercing, like the tolling of a death knell.

Renji Abarai, Pesche Kadish, Dondochakka Birstein exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions incredibly complex. They were all thinking the same thing—support? What support? Who would provide support? If you leave, who will support us?

But no one could answer them. They could only face the crazed enemy before them, using their swords and their remaining strength to continue this endless battle.