Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Tick-tock!
Due to the sudden failure of his Bankai, Zero was only able to block some of the attacks from the spirit Picaro, but he was also stabbed. In an instant, more than a dozen small wounds appeared on his body, and blood flowed from the wounds and dripped from the air to the ground.
"You really put a lot of effort into this! It must have taken you quite a while to make this sealing stamp!"
Zero understood and spoke to the great scientist of Hueco Mundo.
"Haha, it's only been a month or two, not a long time. The only problem is that you showed your Bankai but didn't kill me!"
Szayelaporro was ecstatic; the more he thought about how he could use science to outwit these arrogant and brainless bastards, the happier he became.
Szayelaporro was a little late, but he had actually arrived; he was just making preparations in secret, installing his newly developed device.
The device consists of four strange pillars that appear on the ground, constantly releasing blue Reishi to form a large sealed space that envelops Zero and the other two.
Within this large space with Negación properties, Zero's Bankai will be ineffective; however, the four pillars are constantly dissipating, indicating that they are consumables.
Due to the extremely limited time available, and the need to both integrate Picaro and conduct research, Szayelaporro could only develop this consumable item, which lasted approximately five minutes.
This space not only seals Zero's Bankai, but also isolates his Reiatsu from the outside world, and his line of sight is also blocked.
Because of the spatial properties of the Negación inside, this sealed space is incredibly sturdy. Even with Baraggan's aging abilities, it would probably take several minutes to completely break through it...
"It looks like there's a time limit. Do you think you can manage in such a short time?"
Zero immediately spotted the device's weakness. The time limit was about five minutes; it remained to be seen whether he could withstand it.
"Five minutes is enough time for me to turn you into a laboratory Specimens."
"Wrong, it's meant to be made into a kite! Hahaha..."
Szayelaporro grinned maliciously as he sprayed a stream of purple liquid, while Picaro charged forward with his liberated spirit minions.
Picaro's main body wielded two Reishi swords to fight Zero, while smaller Picaro ambushed Zero from the surrounding area, constantly causing Zero to burst into blood.
Each of the diminutive spirit Picaro swung its sword with the force of Vice-Captain... A single attack might not be enough to harm Zero, who possessed immense Reiatsu, but five of them simultaneously striking the same spot would still injure Zero.
Szayelaporro's massive wings swept in, but Zero dodged with a single Sonído. Baraggan's great Great Axe, imbued with the power of death, cleaved down from the sky, and the skull opened its mouth wide, roaring "Die!"
Zero currently doesn't have Bankai, so if he gets hit by an axe, he'll die.
"Bakudo #81: Dankū!"
Zero blocked Baraggan's Great Axe with a spatial barrier, and then white barriers appeared all around Baraggan, above and below him, trapping him inside. This was the true Dankū.
Pfft!
"Ugh!"
"Haha, I bled you so much! That was fun, so much fun..."
The pain caused Zero to look away, and it was the main body, Picaro, who slashed through Zero's stomach with a single sword strike. Picaro went even crazier, as if his original innocence had been distorted.
"Yeah?"
Zero didn't care about the wounds at all. He Sonído, grabbed a small Reishi Picaro, and killed it with a single sword strike. Then came the second, the third... until the sixth one, when the main body Picaro finally came to block Zero.
Zero and Picaro, locked in a stalemate, sparks flying as their blades clashed. "Is it still fun now?"
Faced with Zero's question, the real Picaro gritted his teeth. He could no longer sense the whereabouts of the several slain Picaro spirits and could not revive them through special Reiatsu.
Zero's injuries have mostly healed, thanks to Yanis's ability 'Plunder', which not only allows him to plunder Reishi when he injures an opponent, but also to plunder Reishi from the opponent's skills, thus repairing his own injuries.
While the battle raged within the sealed space, the battlefield outside was also filled with constant fighting. Grimmjow was stopped by four strange Modified Menos Grande Hollows working together to prevent him from destroying the two spaces on the other side.
However, just when they thought the plan was going smoothly, a Greatsword was thrown from inside the wall, with Chains attached to the end of the hilt. This sword pierced the space that was restricting Ulquiorra.
The Reiatsu that should have been sealed by space reappeared, so powerful that the Adjuchas could not perceive it; they were no longer in the same dimension.
Even someone as skilled as Grimmjow could clearly see the figure with red wings, but when he used his Pesquisa to search for it, there was nothing there.
"Sorry, I was careless."
"It's alright, then let's begin the slaughter!"
"Yes!"
Ulquiorra, who emerged from the space, has already Resurrección, indicating that he was attempting to break through the space, but was unable to overcome the spatial device that was specifically designed to target him.
At this moment, two figures, one red and one black, streaked across the sky and began to appear like ghosts across the battlefield, completely pushing the tide of victory toward the Blood Panther Group.
Inside the sealed space.
"It used the Reiryoku of the spirit Picaro to heal its injuries? That's quite an ability!"
Szayelaporro's eyes seemed to see everything, and he was filled with curiosity about everything about Zero. The combination of Soul Reaper and Hollow could unleash such power, which was beyond his comprehension.
Szayelaporro could understand Ulquiorra Arrancar, as it was simply due to his excessive power. When the mask fell off, he sealed away some of his power, which then formed into a blade.
"You figured it out at a glance? There are guys like you in Hueco Mundo who succeed through their brains. I thought everyone ruled by force!"
Zero glanced meaningfully at Baraggan, who had finally broken free from the Bakudō; the 'Dankū' had been Respira corrupted by him.
While conversing with Szayelaporro, Picaro attacked like a mad dog. Zero forcefully pushed aside the real Picaro and then killed two more spirit Picaro that tried to sneak up on him.
"I'm going to kill you. I'll turn you into a kite and make you stand shoulder to shoulder with the moon."
Picaro's true form is that of a furious child, even more enraged than Obito when he saw Rin being killed.
His eyes widened, veins bulging on his forehead, and then he raised his hands, conjuring a dark energy sphere the size of a basketball.
The spirit Picaro also raised their hands, each condensing a sphere the size of a golf ball, and then all gathered around the original Picaro.
Zero only had time to unleash a Cero on Picaro, who was charging up, but because the charging time was insufficient, Szayelaporro coldly refuted it with a Cero of equal strength.
As the entire space was filled with the explosive energy, Zero was forced back by Baraggan's Death Great Axe.
"Bakudō #61: The Six-Rod Light Prison!"
Zero dared not get too close to Baraggan, and the space was rather small, making it somewhat uncomfortable for him. He could only rely on the Kidō to deal with Baraggan.
After being trapped, Baraggan did not unleash the Respira at full power, fearing that he might accidentally age the entire sealed space to the point where it could not withstand the intensity of the battle, thus shattering it and allowing Zero to escape.
More than five minutes have passed; the restriction will be lifted soon.
Picaro's ultimate move has been completed. This is an upgraded version of "Coco Paradise," called "Devouring Fruit." After absorbing the small sphere formed by the spirit, its diameter reaches about two meters.
The moment the black sphere took shape, the Reishi in the entire space became so thin that the two Vasto Lorde could hardly breathe.
Baraggan had just released a bit of Respira Respira's Six-Rod Light Prison when not only did the Kidō disappear, but even Respira was actively absorbed and devoured by the sphere.
"Another space-related ability? Humph!"
Baraggan saw the problem, but this black sphere clearly belonged to a more advanced spatial ability, breaking down all the matter it devoured into Reishi, including his own abilities.
The 'Devouring Fruit' was thrown towards Zero, and the entire sealed space began to shake because of its presence.
After a few dodges, he discovered that the sphere hadn't been shaken off at all, but was still tracking him, and the spirit Picaro began to harass him, preventing him from dodging.
Left with no other choice, Zero could only slash at the crumbling space with his sword, hoping to break it apart, but its stability still withstood Zero's strike.
Because of this sword strike, Zero was slung around by more than ten spirit Picaro, each extending a portion of their Reiatsu to form Chains that bound him.
"You damn bastard, let me go!"
The 'Devouring Fruit' flew towards him, and Zero's eyes widened in utter terror. He roared and began to slowly shift his body.
However, he clearly couldn't dodge it, and his entire body from the abdomen down was engulfed by the 'Devouring Fruit'.
After the 'Devouring Fruit' had completely flown past, Zero's lower body had completely disappeared. The pain caused him to scream incessantly, but no matter how much he screamed, no blood flowed from the wound.
Compared to Zero's pained screams, Picaro burst into laughter. "Haha, I'll eat you, hahaha, eating you isn't so bad!"
"Hey, wait, don't completely destroy his body, he's excellent Research Material."
When the black ball flips again, about to devour Zero's upper body, Szayelaporro tries to stop Picaro.
However, Picaro wouldn't listen and continued to 'Devouring Fruit,' so annoyed Szayelaporro decided to forcibly stop him.
He casually released a blue Reishi light from his fingertip at Picaro. Picaro, who was like a mad dog, was hit and his whole body shuddered. Then he actually fainted, and his Resurrección was instantly deactivated.
This is what Szayelaporro meant by "insurance controllable." He placed something in Picaro's body that could calm Picaro down or make him faint and fall into a deep sleep, something only he could control.
The unconscious Picaro fell from the sky to the ground, but no one caught him.
"Hahaha, the Research Material is mine now..."
Szayelaporro excitedly ran towards Zero's severed body, but a dark purple Respira suddenly blocked his way, preventing him from going any further.
He turned to look at Baraggan, his delight turning to indifference. "Baraggan, this was our agreement beforehand; the Research Materials are mine."
"I keep my word, but you must let him die first. I won't feel at ease until he's completely dead."
Baraggan said this, because although Zero had deactivated his Hollowfication and his Reiatsu had begun to rapidly decrease to its lowest point, he had not yet died.
"Really? Hehe, I'm so sorry, I thought Baraggan had changed his mind!"
Upon hearing this, Szayelaporro smiled again. Since it wasn't about stealing material, that made things easier.
If Baraggan really didn't want the material, he could have simply Respira the Soul Reaper away with a single blow, leaving not a single hair behind.
"Don't worry, I'll get right to it..."
Szayelaporro, overjoyed, was about to turn and head towards Zero when the scene before him caused his pupils to shrink in terror... because the Soul Reaper was dripping blood all over his body, including the uninjured parts, as if an ice cream were about to melt.
Zero, forcing an awkward smile, said, "Did you enjoy playing against me?"