Barragan suddenly lowered his head.
The whirlpool beneath him pulled him in tightly, rendering him immobile.
Damn it!!
Barragan reacted quickly, violently swinging the chains wrapped around his body.
Whoosh—
A strong gust of air swept toward Ingvild Leviathan.
The next moment, a massive axe blade came slashing down toward her!
Ingvild's pupils contracted, and she instinctively raised her arms and shut her eyes.
But...
The pain she expected never came. Instead, she heard a clear metallic echo in her ears.
Ingvild's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She cautiously opened her eyes.
"Huh?"
Ingvild blinked, staring at the massive blue shadow that had blocked the axe. She smiled in surprise. "Leviathan!"
Upon hearing Ingvild speak, Leviathan glanced briefly at Ingvild before quickly looking away.
Sigh…
It really didn't want to look.
How could such a coward be its contractor...
It felt like its life was going to be ruined in her hands...
Still...
As Leviathan's master, she couldn't be underestimated.
Thinking this, Leviathan's gaze turned cold as it glared at Barragan Luisenbarn. It raised its massive hand and struck forward!
"!"
Barragan's pupils shrank sharply. He released all of his spiritual pressure in an instant.
Boom!!
Dark purple flames ignited violently!
Ssshh——
The flames, imbued with the concept of aging, surged fiercely toward Leviathan's shadow.
The sizzling sound of corrosion echoed constantly, like acid eating through metal.
Leviathan's eyes shifted as it looked at its own decaying shadow. A hint of helplessness flickered in its gaze.
With Ingvild's current magic output, it couldn't unleash its full power.
But still...
Could such a small output already hurt it?
Leviathan was silent for a moment before grumbling, "Ingvild, you've been slacking lately!"
"Hurry up and raise your power!"
"Hehe…"
Ingvild blinked, putting on her usual innocent expression.
It shook its head, then warned, "I'm going to increase the pressure."
It was a reminder for Ingvild to release more of her magic.
The next second.
Ingvild could feel the magic in her body surging wildly.
Leviathan's shadow grew clearer and clearer.
The flame carrying the concept of aging began to shrink visibly.
"That thing…"
"What the hell is it?"
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez stared at the towering shadow of Leviathan, dumbfounded.
Starrk fell silent for a moment. His eyes flickered before he muttered, "That's way bigger than any Hollow I've ever seen."
Tier Harribel hesitated, her tone worried. "Will Barragan…"
"…be okay?"
Starrk opened his mouth but had no answer.
He had always been confident in Barragan Luisenbarn's strength.
But now…
He was no longer so sure.
Meanwhile.
While everyone was focused on the battle between Leviathan and Barragan, Nnoitra Gilga quietly took a step back, intending to flee this chaotic battleground.
His thoughts were clear.
Yes, their side had numbers and power.
But...
The people backing Nelliel weren't weak either!
Just Ingvild alone was enough to suppress Barragan, possibly even overwhelm him.
So...
Who knew what other monsters might be hiding?
Plus…
Nelliel had become stronger!
As satisfying as that ambush had been back then, he never imagined retribution would come so soon.
But...
Just as he was preparing to use Sonído to escape, Nelliel appeared in front of him.
She looked at him coldly and asked, "Where do you think you're going?"
Nnoitra Gilga: "!"
So fast!!
A chill shot down his spine as he instinctively drew his Zanpakutō and slashed at her!
Clang—
A sharp sound rang out.
A green barrier emerged, stopping his Zanpakutō dead in its tracks.
But Nnoitra reacted fast, retreating quickly using ringed footwork to gain distance.
That attack had been just a feint—his real aim was to escape!
There was no way he could defeat the current Nelliel!
That was the thought running through his mind when...
Nelliel's icy face appeared before him once more.
"!!"
Nnoitra froze.
He realized...
He wasn't getting away.
"We never finished our business," Nelliel said coldly.
"Wait!"
Nnoitra raised his hand, trying to stall for time, but...
Nelliel didn't give him the chance.
"Praise, Capricorn Knight!"
The moment her words fell.
Something in Nelliel changed dramatically!
Her slim Zanpakutō transformed into a massive spear!
The twin horns on her skull mask extended and curved back, segmented like antlers.
White armor formed over her collarbone, shoulders, elbows, and hands, and her arms were wrapped in black gloves.
Her most striking feature now resembled a satyr, or a knight of the wild.
Buzz—
Without pause, emerald green light shimmered across her massive spear.
Nnoitra gritted his teeth. "Nelliel, are you seriously going to kill us all?!"
"Oh…"
Nelliel sneered. What a joke.
"The moment you ambushed me, you should've known you'd die by my hand!"
As the words fell—
The huge spear in her hand came crashing down with full force!
"!"
Nnoitra's pupils shrank, and he quickly raised his Zanpakutō. "Pray, Santa Teresa."
A crescent-shaped horn sprouted from his head, a cross-shaped yellow pattern formed on his face, and a fanged eyepatch-like mask appeared at his hollow hole.
Six amputated arms grew from his back, each gripping a dual-edged sickle.
Without hesitation, Nnoitra entered his strongest form!
Facing the now stronger Nelliel, he didn't dare to hold back!
He crossed his sickles, forming a tight defense.
The next second.
The glowing tip of Nelliel's spear struck his sickles with overwhelming force!
Boom.
(To be continued.)
***
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