"Then I'll grant you a quick death!"
Grimmjow has earned Baraggan's approval; he no longer intends to torment Grimmjow. Warriors always earn the respect of their opponents.
But just as Grimmjow was about to pounce, another figure suddenly appeared in the arena, and a heavy Reiatsu spread out. Looking at the newcomer carrying a red Greatsword, Grimmjow turned his face away.
'That bastard finally came out of seclusion. I probably won't die now.' Grimmjow breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he really wanted to shout: Why did you arrive so late to save me?
Who are you? Soul Reaper?
Looking at this human-like figure, Baraggan couldn't help but become wary. His first instinct was that the other's Reiatsu was slightly stronger than his own.
"Baraggan Luisenbarn?"
Zero then revealed Baraggan's name, and all the information about this guy in his mind came flooding back: the King of Hueco Mundo, who became Vasto Lorde more than two hundred years ago, whose power was to make everything age Respira.
"You know me? It seems you're in cahoots with this Adjuchas! State your name..."
"There's absolutely no need to give the name of the dying person, don't you agree?"
Baraggan wanted to try a diplomatic approach first, but Zero had already struck first, Shunpo behind him and slashing with his sword.
The Great Axe blocked the Greatsword, the sound of metal clashing rang out. Zero's attack speed slowed down, but the opposing Baraggan, who was clearly not fast, was somehow able to be a little faster than him.
Respira!
A strange aura swept over a wide area. Zero Sword stirred up a sand wave and tried to bury it, but all he saw was the sand grains turning into purer Reishi and disappearing.
"What a terrifying ability!"
Zero quickly withdrew. After a brief exchange, he realized that his current Reiatsu was 3.1, while Baraggan's was estimated to be 3.0. This difference in Reiatsu was simply not enough to suppress Baraggan's abilities.
The initial Reiatsu of the Vasto Lordes should be 2.0. Combined with their strong abilities, they are much stronger than some Captains who do not use Bankai. However, most Captain-level who use Bankai can defeat them.
Kuruyashiki was a powerful Captain-level who defeated Vasto Lorde with just a slight Shikai, which is why it caused such a stir at the time...
This is not yet the era of the Thousand-Year Blood War in the original timeline. That era was one where true powerhouses were everywhere, and several Captains possessed combat strength surpassing that of the First Generation Gotei 13...
According to Zero's estimation, he would need to use his Bankai to defeat Baraggan, provided that no other Vasto Lorde intervene.
Indeed, Yanis sensed a Reiatsu within the surrounding Hollows, which should be the Reiatsu of Vasto Lorde Wonderweiss, a subordinate of Baraggan, possessing sealing power.
If Wonderweiss, he probably won't be able to use his Bankai Shikai. Therefore, Yanis advised Zero not to get too entangled, otherwise the outcome would still be uncertain.
"Although I really want to kill you right now, two of you against so many is a bit too much for me. See you next time! Bakudō 21, Crimson Flame Escape!"
Zero pressed one hand to the ground, and a huge red smoke exploded out. Zero's powerful Reiatsu instantly covered a square kilometer, making it impossible for anyone to see what was happening inside.
Baraggan unleashed Respira, quickly clearing the red mist; Grimmjow, inside the red mist, found himself captured. Sensing it was Zero, he offered no resistance, and in a few blinks, Zero was far from the battlefield.
Boom!
"They escaped? What a pity!"
A rather sharp voice rang out; it belonged to another Vasto Lorde from the Baraggan Group, Wonderweiss Marjera, who, after slightly Sonído his pursuit of Zero, was left behind.
Its body was entirely white in the Moonlight, with slender limbs and larger shoulders and hips. Its chest and abdomen had not yet become the four hollowed-out areas that appeared after the Arrancar Resurrección.
Its head looks very long, but upon closer inspection, it seems to be wearing a crown. There is no mask below the eyes, and golden hair is exposed from the parts not covered by the crown.
Boom!
"Lost them? Hmph, a mere Soul Reaper dares to infiltrate Hueco Mundo? Unforgivable!"
With a Sonído, Baraggan appeared. It was Wonderweiss who had brought reinforcements during the siege of Grimmjow. At that time Baraggan had guessed that Grimmjow's superior was a Vasto Lorde.
Unfortunately, the guess was wrong. That guy was actually Soul Reaper rarely seen in Hueco Mundo, and his strength was not weak either.
"Baraggan, let's go back! That fellow is difficult to deal with. We should send Picaro to find out his location, and then coordinate with Szayelaporro to ambush and kill him. That would be the right choice."
It can only be said that Wonderweiss, who hasn't had his IQ stripped away by Aizen, is still quite clever. I suggest using overwhelming numbers to hunt down Zero.
"No need. Once Picaro locates him, I alone am enough to kill him!"
However, Baraggan was the boss, and he didn't quite agree with the suggestion of an encirclement and kill. The arrogant Baraggan felt that Zero had disrespected him earlier and that he should personally deal with him.
Wonderweiss didn't say anything more after hearing this. This skeleton was indeed quite fond of talent, but he had become too arrogant from being in a high position for too long, and he had also become somewhat unambitious.
Logically speaking, 200 years ago Baraggan was a novice Vasto Lorde, but now, after so much time, he has only improved slightly and become an intermediate Vasto Lorde.
Deep down, Wonderweiss looked down on him a bit, but because his own abilities were restrained and his strength was slightly inferior, he didn't show it much...
As soon as Baraggan and Wonderweiss left, Zero tore open space and appeared. This was the twenty-sixth Bakudō — Kyokkō, used to cover objects so that they could not be seen.
Inside, Zero adjusted his and Grimmjow's Reiatsu fluctuations to the lowest possible level, deceiving the two powerful fighters who were pursuing them.
"Hey, Nangong, why don't you use your ultimate move to take them down? That damn skull, I could easily crush him without using my special abilities."
Grimmjow was indignant. The arrogant man tried to force his Reiryoku into feet to run, but he was really slow. In the end, Zero used Bakudō to tie him up and carry him away quickly.
Zero completely ignored Grimmjow. Even if Baraggan didn't use the Respira, Grimmjow wouldn't be a match for him. The difference in Reiatsu was obvious; after all, he was a veteran Vasto Lorde.
"Take them down? Do you know what kind of ability that Vasto Lorde next to Baraggan has? When its arm consciously touches its opponent, it can seal the opponent's ability, whether it's a Hollow or Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto."
"In other words, if the boss gets even a single touch from him, his Zanpakuto will be sealed. Forget about Bankai, he can't Shikai, understand?"
Zero didn't speak; it was Yanis who spoke up, saying, "Having been Baraggan's grandson for so long, do you think he doesn't want to Baraggan's grandfather?"
That's just how it is. In a one-on-one fight, Zero might be able to take down Baraggan with his 'Unrivaled Body', since Zero's Reiatsu after Bankai is definitely several times higher than Baraggan's current level.
Unfortunately, he also has Wonderweiss next to him, who can seal other people's abilities. The exact limit of his sealing ability is unknown, but as a Vasto Lorde, his sealing ability is definitely not bad.
"Fear is fear, stop talking nonsense. I will definitely take revenge on my own in the future."
After muttering a vague statement, Grimmjow fell silent, indicating that he could carry out his revenge alone in the future.
A month later, Grimmjow had completely restored the limbs he had bitten off. As a Hollow who was not yet Arrancar, he could repair himself by consuming his own kind or by using Breathing Reishi if he was injured or missing something.
After evolving, Yanis no longer devours Hollows through his mouth. He merged with Zero's Zanpakuto, Blood Drink, causing Zero's Shikai ability to change as well, and he can only maintain his Shikai permanently.
The four blood grooves that should have been blank turned black, and the center of the six-pointed star-shaped gauntlet became a small cage containing a black mass that looked like iron. In fact, this was Yanis's core.
When this black core awakens, it will emit a red light, like a beating heart, causing Zero to unleash a massive burst of Reiatsu, equivalent to Hollowfication.
After Yanis attaches himself to the sword, Zero cannot unleash Reiatsu through the blood gauge of his Shikai, but he can plunder some Reiryoku to enhance his own strength when slashing his opponent, and he can also recover from injuries. This is the Power of Plunder Power of Devouring Yanis evolved from the power of devouring.
Upon evolving into the Vasto Lorde-class, Yanis also gained another new ability called 'Homologous Reconstruction'.
By obtaining the other person's blood, Zero can use his powerful Reiatsu to create a body with the exact same combat strength, appearance, abilities, and Reiatsu as the other person.
And Yanis's consciousness will enter that body and control it in battle until the Reiatsu is exhausted or he is killed, at which point he will return to Zero's side.
Of course, the created body is also limited in time, and Yanis cannot replicate characters or Hollows with Reiatsu stronger than zero.
Sacrificing the ability to unleash Reiatsu and the normal state after sealing his Zanpakuto in exchange for more convenient 'plundering' and 'Homologous Reconstruction', Zero thought it was acceptable. After all, if he wanted to unleash Reiatsu now, his Hollowfication could be increased significantly.
The Hollowfication is certainly not as powerful as the Reiatsu generated when the original health bar is pushed to its peak at this level, but it can at least increase the spiritual pressure from 3.1 to 5, which is a significant improvement.
In reality, whether it's Hollowfication or increasing Reiatsu through the Zanpakuto's blood gauge, these enhancements all require zero self-generated Reiryoku. They simply provide an additional point for releasing Reiatsu, resulting in greater explosive power, rather than an increase that comes out of nowhere.
Imagine Reiryoku as water in a reservoir, and your wrist as a sluice gate. Originally, the two sluice gates were flowing at a certain speed, but suddenly a large sluice gate is added, so the flow rate naturally increases dramatically. However, it takes time for the water to be replenished after it has been drained.
Just like the 11-second true man Kurosaki Ichigo in the original timeline fighting against the one-armed Ge Laoliu, during those eleven seconds of Hollowfication, Ichigo unleashed an enormous amount of Reiatsu.
However, after the Hollowfication, the consumption was too great, and he was brutally beaten by Ge Laoliu. This was because he had been training continuously during that period, and his own Reiryoku reserves were too low. Even in his Bankai state, he was beaten so badly that Inoue Nekomamushi... Orihime Inoue almost didn't recognize him.
Maintaining the Shikai in the long run is arguably more beneficial than harmful! After all, most people can't even manage to play like that!
It's been a long time since Zero fought Baraggan and his group—probably five or six years! In Hueco Mundo, time is practically nonexistent.
Even when he went to the World of the Living again to find seasonings, he took a pocket watch with him, but all he did was watch the hour hand go round and round; it was completely meaningless.
Grimmjow is devouring half of Vasto Lorde, which was personally killed by Yammy. It took them several more years to find this Vasto Lorde, which had never appeared in the original timeline.
Half of it was absorbed by Zero during the battle using his Power of Plunder, so Dordoni only got one arm, and his Wind Duke Horns increased by two more.
While enjoying his meal, Grimmjow suddenly emitted a blue Reiatsu, attracting the attention of Zero and Dordoni, who were engaged in battle.
"Is it finally going to evolve? What a garbage talent."
"Um, Lord Nangong, I feel like you're talking about me, but I have no proof..."
Several years have passed since he devoured Yammy. After unleashing his full fury, Yammy managed to crack the mask slightly with his strength. Although he wasn't Arrancar yet, his Reiatsu was far, far stronger than that of Arrancar.
After they consumed Yammy's mask, only Yanis evolved rapidly, while Grimmjow only came extremely close. Dordoni has not shown any signs of evolution yet, only an increase in combat power; perhaps his life is over.
Compared to the original timeline, Grimmjow is far more fortunate now. According to the original timeline, he should have become the leader of the Shawlong Group after hunting down the lone Adjuchas for a period of time.
He spent over a decade or two hunting alone, and then led the Shawlong Group in hunting for over a century, sharing the prey with them.
Ultimately, Shawlong and his group gave up, Grimmjow continued his solitary journey for a long time until he encountered Aizen's plan to recruit Menos Grande...
In the current timeline, within just a few years, Grimmjow ate Yammy, half Vasto Lorde, and many Adjuchas stronger than himself, which led to his current rapid evolution.
Grimmjow had already found a cave and crawled inside, completely unafraid of Zero and Dordoni launching a sneak attack. Since being rescued from Baraggan by Zero several years ago, Grimmjow had become much more composed and had begun to trust his teammates.
The cold and indifferent Hueco Mundo finally began to have a sliver of warmth because of Zero's arrival! Of course, this warmth is probably only something that the Menos Grande deserve.
"Grimmjow has evolved too, and it's time for me to leave as well. When he comes out of Hueco Mundo, I hope to see the King of Hueco Mundo as the Pantera, not the so-called Skull Great Emperor..."
"Yes, when will you be back?"
Zero explained to Dordoni that many Menos Grande who wanted to join their group had been rejected and turned into snacks. Only then did Dordoni show exceptional respect to their leader, Lord Nangong.
Zero should have left long ago. He'd been in Hueco Mundo for far too long, and the vacation granted by Kuruyashiki was long over. It was just that the ever-growing Reiryoku here had captivated him, making him unwilling to leave.
The decision to leave was made five days ago after hunting down a spy for Baraggan. According to reading his memories, Szayelaporro had led an attack on Soul Society two years ago, but retreated.
It is said that this was just a probing attack, and they obtained some data on the high-end combat strength of the Gotei 13.
The informant from Baraggan was killed by Zero and his men after he spotted a lone Vasto Lorde and was on his way back to report.
Then Zero was delayed for a few more days because there was a rare Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande here, and Grimmjow needed to evolve...