"Enclose, Black-Winged Demon."
As Ulquiorra's cool voice fell, dark green flames enveloped him out of thin air and surged skyward, yet gave off no heat.
Immediately afterward, a fine drizzle formed from spiritual pressure suddenly began falling from the sky.
"Rain?" Kizaru reached out in puzzlement. The raindrops landed in his hand, only to vanish instantly.
Akainu gazed gravely at the falling droplets and muttered in a low voice, "Dark green rain? Changing the weather-is this a Devil Fruit user's Awakening?"
The rain departed as quickly as it came, stopping again after only a few seconds.
Everything felt unreal, like a fleeting dream.
When Kizaru and Akainu saw Ulquiorra's transformation, both their pupils contracted.
He had a pair of black wings large enough to blot out the sky and wore a white, full-length robe. The half-horned helmet on his head had become two horns, his black fingernails had become long claws, and the two tear streaks on his face seemed slightly deeper.
His face remained just as emotionless, yet he radiated an oppressive presence that made their hearts tremble.
"Now this is going to be troublesome." Kizaru descended from the sky and stood beside Akainu. Looking at the drastically transformed Ulquiorra, he pursed his lips and said, "He even has a Devil Fruit user's Awakening. What an absolute monster."
Although he spoke casually on the surface, his heart was heavy.
A Devil Fruit user's Awakening was a new ability that could only potentially be unlocked after developing their fruit's powers to an extremely advanced level. Very few people across the seas could unlock it, yet this exceedingly young-looking fellow before them had actually awakened.
He had already been difficult enough to deal with before awakening. Now that he had awakened, capturing him with just the two of them was almost impossible.
Not to mention Ye Yang, whose strength was unknown, was also standing nearby-and Ulquiorra obeyed his every command!
Akainu's gaze was grave as well. He had thought that deploying two Admirals together would surely be enough.
Now it seemed they had been too confident.
Seeing their hesitation, Ye Yang immediately grinned and mocked them. "What's wrong? Now that you've seen Ulquiorra's power, you're afraid to attack? You're Marine Admirals, aren't you? Aren't you ashamed of being so timid?"
Grind, grind, grind!
At those words, Akainu's face turned livid with rage. Glaring at Ye Yang through gritted teeth, he snarled, "Criminal, don't think your Awakening means we can't do anything to you. Once I capture you, let's see if you still dare to be so arrogant!"
Kizaru's expression also soured somewhat, but his temperament was far calmer than Akainu's. He merely pursed his lips and said, "Young man, don't speak too soon, or you'll embarrass yourself when you're captured."
Ding! Congratulations, Master, you have gained 5,000 Negative Points! Ding! Congratulations, Master, you have gained 2,000 Negative Points!
The Forbidden Magic Book's two notifications rang out in Ye Yang's mind, making the corners of his mouth lift.
Admirals truly were Admirals. As the Marines' greatest fighting force, getting angry at a casual taunt yielded thousands of Negative Points-far more than those Supernovas and the like.
Unfortunately, Kizaru clearly wasn't all that angry yet and had contributed only 2,000 Negative Points. Akainu, on the other hand, was easy to provoke, contributing 5,000 Negative Points in one go.
Ye Yang tilted his head up slightly, revealing a trace of contempt. "I'll say it again. If you can do it, come and try."
Kizaru kept his eyes fixed on Ye Yang. After a long while, he said quietly to Akainu, "I'll hold off Ulquiorra. Take the opportunity to capture that criminal. As long as we capture him, this battle can end."
He saw it clearly: Ulquiorra was plainly just a subordinate who obeyed Ye Yang's every command. As long as they could capture Ye Yang, they could force Ulquiorra to submit.
Although he didn't know exactly how strong Ye Yang was, this was their only option now. Otherwise, if they kept fighting like this, it was truly hard to say who would win.
"Mm!" Akainu nodded, his expression grim.
Although the method was somewhat dishonorable, to him, any method was acceptable as long as it upheld the justice in his heart and punished these evildoers before him!
With their strategy settled, Kizaru immediately extended his index finger. Light gathered at his fingertip, and with a whoosh, a laser shot toward Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra's expression remained unchanged. He raised the Moonlight Sword in his hand and swung, cleaving the laser apart.
Seeing this, Kizaru turned into a stream of photons and soared high into the sky. His fingers flicked repeatedly, sending lasers bombarding Ulquiorra below like a golden shower of light!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Seeing the sky full of lasers hurtling toward him, Ulquiorra frowned slightly. He swung the Moonlight Sword repeatedly, forming an impenetrable defensive wall before him and scattering every incoming laser.
The laser barrage stopped after only a short while, but Kizaru did not pause in the sky. He formed circles with his thumbs and middle fingers, taking the stance for Yasakani no Magatama.
However, unlike last time, he did not rapidly fire light projectiles. Instead, he seemed to remain suspended high in the sky, gathering power for something.
Ye Yang immediately guessed his purpose. He glanced at Akainu, who was watching hungrily from the other side, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. "Trying to lure Ulquiorra away so you can go after me? Then I'll grant your wish!"
As he finished speaking, an inexplicable gleam suddenly flashed through Ye Yang's eyes. Ulquiorra, who stood before him, shuddered, then instantly returned to normal.
Neither Akainu nor Kizaru noticed that brief disturbance. Both kept their eyes fixed on Ulquiorra.
Standing in front of Ye Yang, Ulquiorra lowered his head slightly, a strange smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Then he pushed off the ground with both feet and hurtled toward Kizaru high in the sky!
Before you continue