Segunda Etapa

"Listen to yourself. If I wasn't alive, would I be dead?"

Qi Yan stepped out of the Garganta.

Snap!

Qi Yan snapped his fingers, and the Garganta swiftly closed.

Boom! Boom!

At the sight of Qi Yan, the Demon Dragon's enormous body involuntarily took two steps back. It shouted in disbelief:

"Impossible! There's no way you could withstand my Dragon Roar!"

Qi Yan nodded and swept his gaze around at the terrifying devastation left by the Dragon Roar. "Yeah. As expected of a Giant Dragon's Dragon Roar—it's terrifyingly powerful. If it had hit me head-on, I'd definitely have been dead already. But if I can't take it head-on, can't I just dodge?"

When the Demon Dragon had prepared to use Dragon Roar, Qi Yan had swiftly completed his absorption of Ulquiorra. Arrancar like Ulquiorra all possessed a universal skill.

It was—Descorrer.

A skill that tore through space, allowing Arrancar to move freely between the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo.

Qi Yan had used Descorrer to temporarily rip open space and hide within the gap between dimensions. Once the Dragon Roar ended, he returned.

There was one drawback to this move: it was rather slow to activate. Fortunately, the Demon Dragon's Dragon Roar had a long wind-up as well, giving Qi Yan enough time to hide in the spatial gap.

"Alright, let's start round two already. This form consumes a bit too much magic power, and my time is precious."

He had just absorbed Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Yoriichi Tsugikuni's normal state consumed very little, but once he went all out, the consumption was actually terrifying.

Especially those seemingly simple slashes. They were attacks that compressed and condensed magic power to the extreme, and every strike consumed a considerable amount of magic power.

As Qi Yan spoke, he drew his Zanpakutō and chanted the Resurrección command:

"Seal it away! Black Winged Demon!!"

"Buzz——!!"

Black Spiritual Pressure shot into the sky from Qi Yan's body.

The clear, cloudless sky was instantly filled with dark clouds, and the entire world dimmed.

Then, countless black raindrops fell from the heavens.

Everyone present had seen this scene before, but it was still immensely shocking every time.

Soon, the phenomenon faded, and Qi Yan transformed into his First-Stage Resurrección form.

Demon Dragon Alazam gritted its teeth and sneered when it saw Qi Yan's form. "Kid, I've seen this battle form of yours. Your swordsmanship in this form is only average. You're weak, and you're no match for me."

Demon Dragon Alazam tried to provoke Qi Yan. As long as this guy dared to transform into that form, it would fly into the sky again and attack with Dragon Roar, taking advantage of the fact that Qi Yan could not fly.

"Mm, you're right. But have you forgotten something important? If you were at full strength, I definitely wouldn't attack you in this form. But you're seriously wounded right now!"

"And who told you this form is weak? Ulquiorra is the strongest Hollow in my heart. I won't allow you to insult him."

"Still, since you think this form is weak, I'll show you a stronger one."

Qi Yan murmured, "Segunda Etapa!!"

"Buzz——!!!"

An even more terrifying Spiritual Pressure erupted from Qi Yan's body. Blue-black Spiritual Pressure radiated around him, surging outward in waves.

"Waaahhh!!"

Many people raised their arms to shield their eyes.

The clothes on Qi Yan's upper body gradually vanished. Black feathers covered his abdomen, legs, arms, and back, while the rear half of his lower robe split into two, resembling black coattails.

His wings fully unfurled, revealing batlike claws. The horns on his helmet grew longer and sharper, pointing upward. A long black tail grew from behind him, his feet turned into sharp talons, and a black hole appeared in his chest—one could even see the scene behind him through it.

"Th-This... is this... Mister Qi Yan?"

Everyone was somewhat frightened by Qi Yan's transformation.

"Kid, you think transforming makes you my match? Your magic power can't sustain that form for long, can it? Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone back to rest after killing only five Nine-Star Monsters."

After suffering severe injuries, the Demon Dragon's mind seemed to have cleared considerably. It even recalled Qi Yan's performance during the Monster Tide.

Qi Yan nodded. "That's right. With my current magic power, I can only maintain this form for a little over a minute."

The Demon Dragon was instantly overjoyed upon hearing that. "A minute? Hahahahaha!!! Only one minute!! Kid, it looks like you're destined to die here today!! After that minute is up, I'll make you suffer properly. I'll make you beg for death but be unable to die!!"

The Demon Dragon was extremely excited. It hated the human who had slashed it so badly. A mere human had actually made it taste fear—such utter humiliation had to be repaid in full.

"One minute!!"

Upon hearing Qi Yan's words, the humans all fell into despair. Could he really kill the Demon Dragon in one minute? If that minute ended and Qi Yan still failed to kill it, then they were all doomed.

Qi Yan said calmly:

"One minute is enough to deal with you!"

Almost the instant Qi Yan finished speaking—

"Big words..."

Whoosh!

Qi Yan appeared before Demon Dragon Alazam's enormous face.

Qi Yan's body spun at high speed, then he kicked Demon Dragon Alazam in the face.

Boom——!!

After taking that kick from Qi Yan, Demon Dragon Alazam's huge body was sent flying sideways.

"Waaahhh!!"

Qi Yan stomped down hard and beat his wings, flying rapidly toward Demon Dragon Alazam.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Yan caught up. Then he drove a kick downward with all his strength.

Boom——!!

"Waaahhh!!"

Demon Dragon Alazam let out a pained scream as its entire body crashed to the ground, smashing a massive crater into the earth. Qi Yan's strike had landed squarely on its wound.

Before Demon Dragon Alazam could react, Qi Yan grabbed the Demon Dragon's tail with both hands.

"Up you go!!!"

Then he spun with all his strength, swinging the Demon Dragon's body in circles.

"Oooooohhh!!"

Then Qi Yan released his grip, and the Demon Dragon's body flew away.

Boom——!

The Demon Dragon's body smashed into a small mountain, blasting a huge crater into it.

"Waaahhh!!"

The Demon Dragon coughed up blood. Its body had already suffered severe damage, and Qi Yan's relentless physical attacks only worsened its injuries. If not for the Dragon race's formidable vitality, it might already have died.

Seeing Qi Yan rapidly approach, the Demon Dragon opened its mouth and spewed violent dragon breath.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Qi Yan continuously used Sonído, completely evading the dragon breath while advancing at high speed. In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the Demon Dragon again.

"You damned little insect!!"

The Demon Dragon grabbed at Qi Yan, but caught nothing.

Qi Yan appeared behind the Demon Dragon, pointing his index finger at it.

Black energy continuously gathered before his fingertip. "Black Cero!"