A cloud of sand rose beneath the feet of Tier Harribel and the others.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez turned around to look at the collapsed building, falling into silence.
A few seconds later.
He locked eyes with the culprit.
"Nnoitra Gilga!!"
Grimmjow's voice trembled slightly. "What the hell did you do!!"
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Nnoitra spat out the sand in his mouth as he shoved aside the rubble that had landed on him, glaring back at Grimmjow with clear hostility.
"When did it become your place to lecture me, Sixth Seat?"
Hearing that, Grimmjow gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at him.
What's wrong with being the Sixth Seat?!
"Sooner or later, I'll make you the Sixth Seat!"
Nnoitra sneered as if he'd just heard the world's funniest joke.
"If you think you can, then come try it!"
"Bastard!!"
Grimmjow's spiritual pressure suddenly erupted.
But—
Snap!
A heavy hand pressed down hard on Grimmjow's shoulder.
His movements were immediately forced to stop.
Grimmjow turned back, visibly displeased. "Starrk, don't get in my way!"
Coyote Starrk replied helplessly, "Seriously… What a pain."
"Normally, I wouldn't bother. But don't forget, our enemies haven't even shown up yet."
"Fighting among ourselves now…"
Starrk paused, then added more seriously, "You might end up dead."
"And besides…"
"If Aizen finds out, things won't end well for you, right?"
"Tch…"
Hearing Aizen's name, Grimmjow clicked his tongue in frustration and turned away. Though he didn't say anything more, he suppressed his inner urge to attack.
Nnoitra, who had been sitting on the ruins, also went quiet. He even started feeling a bit anxious as he looked at the crumbled remains beneath him.
Not only had the Kyonyaku base been destroyed, but the buildings were reduced to rubble…
Nnoitra didn't even want to imagine what would happen if Aizen found out.
Suddenly—
A cold snort rang out.
Starrk raised an eyebrow and turned toward the source of the voice.
A burly figure stood there, wearing a white coat lined with black fur around the collar, exuding an aged yet oppressive aura.
Baraggan Louisenbairn…
This guy again…
What now?
Starrk already felt a headache coming.
As expected, the next second.
Baraggan let out a sneer and said mockingly, "Aizen really trained you mutts well. Look how scared you all are!"
The moment he said that, all eyes at the table turned toward him.
Facing their unfriendly stares, Baraggan showed no fear.
With his arms crossed and eyes blazing, he slowly swept his gaze over everyone and said, "What? Did I say anything wrong?"
Starrk: "…"
He felt even more tired now.
The conflict between Grimmjow and Nnoitra had just been de-escalated, and now Baraggan decided to go on a full-scale provocation.
But—
Baraggan had always been like this.
Although he was also one of the Ten Espada, he looked down on every single one of them equally.
He'd even said more than once that he was ashamed to be associated with them.
Tier Harribel frowned slightly. Her voice turned cold. "Baraggan, don't forget—you're also serving Lord Aizen."
"Hmph!"
That only made Baraggan angrier.
"I'm not the same as you!"
He clenched his skeletal fists tightly and said coldly, "One day, I'll take back everything Aizen stole from me!"
"Okay~ I wish you luck with that."
Starrk replied half-heartedly before continuing, "But for now, oh great former King of Hueco Mundo, can we focus on the invading enemies first?"
Baraggan glanced at him, his pupils flashing coldly.
This guy…
He doesn't take me seriously at all!
I'd love nothing more than to make him taste death!!
But—
Baraggan's eyes narrowed again.
Although Aizen never spelled it out directly…
Everyone knew.
The rankings of the Ten Espada reflected their power.
So—
The former king of Hueco Mundo was only ranked second among them. That said everything.
Starrk…
Was very strong.
Although Baraggan had countless complaints about Aizen, there was one thing Aizen once said that he silently agreed with:
"In battles between Soul Reapers, it all comes down to spiritual pressure."
His own aging ability was powerful—virtually undefeatable in most cases.
But—
Against Starrk, whose spiritual pressure far surpassed his own, his aging ability wouldn't be able to overwhelm him at all.
Tch!
Where the hell did Aizen find this monster?
Still—
Becoming First Seat…
That was his next goal!
If he couldn't even become number one, how could he hope to challenge Aizen and reclaim his former glory?
With that thought, Baraggan stopped talking.
Power ruled over all.
He lived by the law of the strong—only power earned respect.
He wasn't like Nnoitra and the others who barked and howled in front of the strong.
From the bottom of his heart, Baraggan looked down on people like Nnoitra who were beneath him.
Seeing that Baraggan had finally quieted down, Starrk breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Even though he was the First Seat, he had no intention of managing this group.
Too much hassle!
Every single one of the Ten Espada was a problem child!
And Starrk… was a naturally lazy man.
In the end.
As long as it was Aizen's command, they'd all obey.
Even a rebel like Baraggan would follow orders obediently—until the day he gained the strength to overthrow Aizen.
Now that Baraggan had gone quiet, the other Espada simply frowned but said nothing.
The tension between them was temporarily suppressed by Starrk.
All eyes turned toward the direction Nnoitra had flown in from earlier.
Over there…
An intense spiritual pressure was quickly approaching.
Before anyone could speak—
Nnoitra, still standing atop the ruins, suddenly looked up. His bloodshot eyes widened. His expression twisted into a snarl of rage.
"Nelliel!!"
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)