Chapter 47: Hadō #99. Goryūtenmetsu, Just a Hot Bath

In the vast desert of Hueco Mundo, Uehara Shiroha stood with an unshaken expression, facing four Hollows.

Across from him, the four-armed Hollow—Valdez—locked eyes with him, his gaze cold and wary.

This Shinigami… was dangerous.

Just moments ago, Valdez had felt an overwhelming threat from the man's blade and the searing flames that followed. It was only due to his quick reflexes and the use of Sonído that he had managed to escape in time.

But what troubled him wasn't just the attack itself—it was why he had felt threatened at all.

The Shinigami's spiritual pressure wasn't anything extraordinary. Yet, it had left a wound that refused to heal.

For someone at the pinnacle of Hollow evolution, a Vasto Lorde with top-tier Hierro (steel skin) and super-speed regeneration, this should have been impossible.

Behind him, the three Adjuchas who had once exuded confidence were now visibly shaken.

"Señor Valdez… your arm…" one of them stammered, eyes widening in horror.

"This is impossible! That was just a simple sword strike… How can it do this?" another gasped.

"Why isn't your regeneration working?!"

Valdez lowered his gaze to his abdomen—and his pupils shrank.

One of his lower arms had been reduced to ash.

And even now, it had yet to regenerate.

His expression darkened. What the hell is this power?

He quickly examined himself, only to discover that not only was his regeneration failing, but even his natural abilities had been partially suppressed.

His grip on his remaining weapons tightened. If I had been just a fraction of a second slower back then…

A chill ran down his spine at the thought.

Valdez exhaled, suppressing his unease, and spoke coldly, "Shinigami… I am Valdez, vanguard general of Barragan Louisenbairn, the Lord of Las Noches. By his decree, we have come to eradicate you."

His tone turned sharper. "State your name and speak your last words!"

Uehara Shiroha, however, remained unimpressed. He glanced around, taking in the surroundings before replying with a casual tone,

"So, this is what gives you the confidence to ambush a Captain of the Gotei 13?"

His gaze flickered toward the barely visible barrier surrounding them. "A field that isolates sound, suppresses spiritual pressure… and your own peculiar abilities. And yet… I don't see Szayelaporro Granz anywhere."

His lips curled into a smirk. "What's wrong? Why doesn't he have the guts to show himself?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Suì-Fēng, who had been silent, suddenly tensed.

"Barragan? Szayelaporro?" she muttered, realization dawning in her eyes.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "So you're the remnants of the invasion from a hundred years ago!"

Suì-Fēng had come across these names before—records buried in the archives of the Second Division.

A hundred years ago, a Vasto Lorde claiming allegiance to Barragan had invaded Rukongai—only to be slain by the Seventh Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.

Later, another Vasto Lorde—Szayelaporro—led a new Hollow incursion. But once again, they were driven back by the same Kenpachi.

Not long after, however, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was killed.

And the man who slew him… became the Eighth Kenpachi—Azahiro Soya.

Realizing that they were now facing those same old monsters, Suì-Fēng's urgency to recover her strength intensified.

Elsewhere, In a Hidden Base…

Deep within the desert, inside a hidden research facility, a petite figure with jet-black hair sat before a monitor.

Her delicate fingers lightly tapped the console as she turned toward a man standing beside her.

"Lord Szayelaporro, is this really wise?" she asked softly. "That Shinigami… he doesn't seem like someone we should be cooperating with."

Her golden eyes darkened. "He may bring harm to His Majesty."

Szayelaporro Granz, the scientist among the Hollows, didn't even glance at her. Instead, his lips curled into an amused smirk as he watched the live feed on the screen.

"Loka, you worry too much." His voice was dripping with arrogance. "It doesn't matter who sits on the throne of Las Noches. My only desire is to further my research."

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"And thanks to our informant, I now have the perfect test subjects—two high-quality Shinigami Captains."

He licked his lips. "With their data, my Anti-Membrane Silk Technology will reach perfection."

A shadow crossed his face as he recalled the events of a century past.

Back then, his forces had suffered a crushing defeat.

Not due to a lack of strength—but because of technical flaws in his designs.

He would not make the same mistake again.

Even if it meant working alongside someone with questionable motives, the opportunity was too valuable to pass up.

Suppressing his own urge to step onto the battlefield, Szayelaporro turned and barked an order.

"Granz, don't interfere!"

From the shadows, a deep, guttural chuckle echoed.

Szayelaporro clenched his jaw.

His brother, Yylfordt Granz, had always been obsessed with battle—just as Szayelaporro was obsessed with research.

Both of them had been consumed by their experiments, creating powerful new Hollows—only to be devoured by their own creation.

The two had fused, becoming a Super Vasto Lorde.

Yet, even now, their conflicting ambitions clashed.

And that was a problem Szayelaporro had yet to solve.

Back on the Battlefield

Valdez' expression darkened at Uehara Shiroha's words.

"You dare utter Lord Szayelaporro's name so casually?" His voice dripped with fury.

Though Szayelaporro had not yet officially taken his own path, his status as a Super Vasto Lorde made him a candidate for the feared Espada Zero.

Even among Hollows, he commanded deep respect.

But Uehara Shiroha remained unimpressed.

His gaze flickered toward Valdez' regrown arm. "I see you've recovered. Shall we begin?"

Valdez grinned menacingly.

"You think I was waiting for my arm to heal?"

His eyes gleamed with malice.

"No—I was waiting for you to step into my trap."

With a sharp clap of his hands, a deafening BOOM echoed through the battlefield.

Suddenly, a strange white cocoon-like structure materialized from thin air.

Without warning, it burst open, unleashing a torrent of searing flames.

The inferno twisted and surged, forming five massive fire dragons that roared as they converged toward Uehara Shiroha.

The air itself seemed to burn, the sheer heat distorting the space around them.

Valdez threw back his head and laughed triumphantly.

"Hah! How does it feel, Shinigami?" he sneered. "To be reduced to ashes by your own element?"

He was certain of his victory now.

His own power, combined with Lord Szayelaporro's traps, ensured that these two Shinigami were doomed.

Suì-Fēng's eyes widened in horror.

"No—Shiroha! Move!" she shouted.

She recognized it instantly—this wasn't an ordinary attack.

This was Hado #99—Goryūtenmetsu! (Five Dragons of Annihilation)

A Vasto Lorde—a Hollow—should not have been able to wield such high-level Kido.

But there was no time to dwell on that.

She pushed her battered body forward, desperate to help.

And then—

From within the inferno, a voice rang out.

A voice full of amusement.

"Tch. That's it?"

The flames crackled violently, but they could not drown out his words.

"This?" Uehara Shiroha chuckled.

"This is nothing more than a sauna."

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