That sickle-like hook originated from Mayuri Kurotsuchi, extending from his modified ear.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi initially didn't want to save Soi Fon, but then she thought, since Soi Fon had already given up on living, it wouldn't be bad to persuade her to be her experimental subject!
Besides, this girl has lost her hands and feet; I can regenerate them for her, then add some ingredients, and ultimately uncover the secrets of the nobility and the Stealth Force...
Thinking of this, Mayuri Kurotsuchi said, "There's a price for saving you. You have to be my experimental subject for a few days, Captain Soi Fon. If Captain-level subject is just blasted into dust like this, I will absolutely not forgive myself."
"Don't worry, after the collaboration is complete, I won't care if you want to die or where you go to die, hahaha..."
As it turns out, people's smiles don't disappear when they're grieving; they find a way to reach others' faces and mock you... Mayuri Kurotsuchi's laughter sounded so grating to Soi Fon, but she remained silent.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was originally keeping a close watch on the situation and preparing to collect the bodies of the two Espada, suddenly received a message from Nemu Kurotsuchi saying that the Captain-Commander wanted to see him.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi had just replied that he would go later when the Captain-Commander arrived beside him, staring at the two Espada fighting each other, just like him...
The battlefield between Picaro and Baraggan began to slowly shift, pushing ever closer to the massive ruins of Las Noches. The three 'Devouring Fruits' released by Picaro were even more terrifying than 'Death Breath'.
The 'Death Breath' at least turned into dust, but everything the 'Devouring Fruit' touched disappeared, only to be transformed into Reishi that nourished Picaro.
Baraggan's 'Death Breath' is also formed from Reiryoku. Although it is terrifying, it can be digested by the 'Devouring Fruit'.
However, it was ultimately 'the Death Breath,' and its coverage was far too vast, many times larger than the reach of the mere three 'Devouring Fruits.' It could easily bypass the 'Devouring Fruits' and attack Picaro. The two of them dodged and weaved, locked in a stalemate...
After only a few glances, Yama-jii judged that these two Espada would be difficult to kill, perhaps even more difficult than the one who used Cero. He estimated that his Shikai flames would be blocked by their abilities.
Therefore, he said to Mayuri Kurotsuchi, "Check if Nangong Ling is really dead. There's a lot of his Reiatsu residue here. Can you find out?"
"Of course I can investigate. Give me some time... Nemu, go and collect some of Nangong Ling's Reiatsu." After replying, Mayuri Kurotsuchi contacted her adjutant, instructing her to collect any remaining traces of Ling's Reiatsu.
At this moment, the Garganta in the sky finally closed and restored itself completely. Mayuri Kurotsuchi also knew that it was difficult to determine a winner between the two Espada, and even if a winner was determined, it was estimated that it would be difficult for him to leave behind a body for research, given their abilities. So he gave up chasing after Picaro and Baraggan.
While Ulquiorra was analyzing the situation, he reshaped his body. After waiting for his new body to be recharged with Reiryoku, he went to deal with Kyōraku. However, after several searches, he was unable to find him.
"He should be around here..."
Bang bang bang...
Ulquiorra raised his hand, and more than a dozen Bala rained down on the ground, once again raising a cloud of dust, but he still couldn't force Kyōraku out.
"Alright, Nangong's fate is unknown, let's go check if Starrk is dead or not!"
Ulquiorra rushed to the spot where Starrk had fallen. He had just witnessed a charred figure fall, and he recognized it as Starrk.
Unfortunately, after getting closer and searching repeatedly, he still couldn't see his body. For a moment, Ulquiorra was at a loss, not knowing what to do.
Just as Ulquiorra's Reiatsu revived, Nanao Ise finally broke through the collapsed castle wall and found Kyōraku.
She used 'Kyokkō' to refract the light, hiding Kyōraku with her, and also eliminating the traces of their Reiatsu. Without her Zanpakuto, she was quite adept at fighting using Kidō.
In an underground Laboratory somewhere in Las Noches, Szayelaporro stared at the two figures before him and laughed loudly, "Haha, what perfect material! The strongest of the Espada, if Picaro and..."
"This is such a pleasant surprise! It's true, staying away from battle is the best course of action. It's a pity Ulquiorra recovered so quickly... it's time to leave."
Two powerful individuals who weren't quite dead have fallen into Szayelaporro's hands; their fate is unlikely to be good.
"The analysis results are in. Nangong Ling's Reiatsu is dissipating in an orderly manner, at a faster rate than when he was alive. If he were to die, the rate at which his Reiatsu would dissipate would be more than five times the normal rate."
"However, it's only 1.9 times now, which means it's not completely dead, but not quite alive either. I can only draw two conclusions: First, it's dead, but because its power was too immense, the rate of its dissipation is relatively slow, not reaching five times its previous value."
"Secondly, he is not dead, and may even be undergoing a transformation, just like Hollows evolving in Laboratory. Their Reiatsu changes, and the traces of their previous Reiatsu disappear."
"Hehe, either way, it's quite interesting!"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's analysis was very professional. He had observed the transformation of countless Hollows and Shinigami spiritual pressures, so he naturally dared not draw any conclusions. He then let out a strange laugh.
Yama-jii's face was gloomy. If he knew the phrase "laugh your Paralysis," he would definitely have said it to Mayuri Kurotsuchi. At this moment, he was a little annoyed. He should have rushed towards Nangong Ling without regard for anything, instead of fighting with that Espada.
Then there's Aizen. If Aizen hadn't woken up Nangong Ling, he probably would have killed him already. No matter how you look at it, it's Aizen's fault.
Even though Aizen later used his Zanpakuto abilities to help fight Nangong Ling, it couldn't undo the mistakes he made...
Yama-jii's judgment was that Aizen used his Illusion -type ability to help him, otherwise Nangong Ling wouldn't have been able to dodge his attack in advance.
The key issue is that the dodge wasn't executed properly. For such a powerful character, Sonído only move ten meters with a Shunpo is hardly a mistake. Even students from the Shin'ō Academy couldn't possibly only move ten meters with a single instant step.
However, there's no point in dwelling on it; in Yama-jii's eyes, Aizen has already vanished without a trace...
Yama-jii summoned all members together. Everyone who was still alive except for Kenpachi Zaraki appeared. Of the Captain-level who had died, only Aizen so far.
Several Vice-Captains have died: Gin Ichimaru's adjutant Shōtsubaki Sentarō, was killed in battle; Amagai's Vice-Captain, Kibune Riya killed; then there was Omaeda from the Second Division and the Third Seat of Aizen's division.
Sajin Komamura had long been cut down by Nnoitra, but he was only seriously injured... Meanwhile, Nnoitra's body lay quietly to the side...
Nnoitra could have survived, but Unohana saw Sajin Komamura injured and tried to save him using Kidō. However, Nnoitra went completely mad and wanted to kill all the Captain-level.
Nnoitra relentlessly pressured Unohana, even attacking the dying Komamura to force Unohana to act... She sealed her sword from the Soul Reaper, waiting to inherit the name 'Kenpachi,' but she never mentioned sealing her sword from the void.
As Nnoitra had hoped, Unohana drew her longsword and clashed with him. In that instant, a dagger slit his throat, cutting it completely open—even a six-armed mantis couldn't stop it...
Isane Kotetsu looked at Retsu Unohana with admiration in her eyes. She never imagined that a Captain specialized in saving people would have such combat power. An opponent that even Captain Komamura couldn't defeat with his Bankai would be instantly killed.
At the bottom of the Menos Grande Forest, the battle between the two beasts continued, they lost all restraint and unleashed all kinds of attacks.
Kenpachi Zaraki had already used his dual swordsmanship, and Grimmjow was left with a potentially fatal slash. However, he withstood it and responded with an equally Kenpachi Zaraki attack.
The two fought and chased each other all the way, and countless quartz trees were destroyed, until they reached a basin full of giant Mushroom Hollow, where Ulquiorra found them.