Facing Uehara Shiroha's ridicule, Szayelaporro Granz calmed down. His golden irises flickered with a chilling light as he sneered:
"Since data and technology are useless, then let's speak with strength. Don't mistake my preference for research as a weakness in combat. I simply prefer solving problems through intellect rather than brute force, but that doesn't mean I lack the ability to fight. Besides, don't forget—your power is still under my suppression."
This time, Szayelaporro had undertaken the operation without informing Aizen.
The previous failures of Peche and Nilu had merely been convenient scapegoats. They were disposable assets used to test the waters, nothing more. Taking such a significant risk, he had no choice but to see his plan through to the end.
The secrets hidden within Uehara Shiroha were far too tempting to ignore.
The power of time and space… It is the most magnificent gem of all.
Even the fearsome aging ability of Barragan Louisenbairn, the former king of Hueco Mundo, paled in comparison to the sheer potential of controlling time and space. That kind of power could overturn the very balance of existence itself.
No matter the cost, Szayelaporro was determined to unlock the mystery of Uehara Shiroha's abilities.
Uehara Shiroha remained unfazed. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he raised a hand, his fingers lightly glowing with an eerie golden shimmer.
"It seems you're very confident in your strength… and in this barrier of yours." His voice was calm, yet laced with amusement.
A subtle pulse of energy radiated from his fingertips, and in an instant, the Mind Stone's power activated.
"Although I must admit, this barrier is rather interesting, I've seen enough of it. So, allow me to trouble you—why don't you go ahead and remove it for me?"
To most beings, abilities that directly targeted the soul were incredibly troublesome. But to Uehara Shiroha, they were little more than trivial inconveniences.
In the world of the Soul Reapers, everything possessed a soul. Be it Shinigami, Arrancar, Quincy, or even the weapons they wielded—everything had a spirit, a will of its own.
And where there were souls, there was energy.
The power of the Mind Stone could manipulate and transform that energy into something far more terrifying than mere spiritual pressure.
Bankai? Meaningless.
Fullbring? Useless.
The Quincy's spiritual weapons? Powerless.
Even the self-aware artifacts, the advanced barriers imbued with personal will—none could stand against the absolute dominion of the Mind Stone.
With his mastery over the gem, Uehara Shiroha had reached a level where he could suppress even Transcendent beings. Compared to that, a mere Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar—no matter how exceptional—stood no chance of resisting its influence.
Szayelaporro, as powerful as he was among the Vasto Lordes, was no exception.
The Mind Stone's power surged, slipping past the defenses of his consciousness like an unseen predator lurking in the dark. Before he could even react, it had already invaded his mind.
Within the depths of Szayelaporro's consciousness, Uehara Shiroha found himself staring at a rebellious-looking young man with unruly blond hair and an arrogant smirk.
The moment the spirit laid eyes on Uehara, his expression shifted into one of wariness before he shouted:
"My name is Yylfordt Granz! If you want a fight, then come at me!"
This spirit—Yylfordt—was none other than Szayelaporro's elder brother.
During his time as a human, Yylfordt had been a commander—a ruthless, bloodthirsty warrior who reveled in battle. His aggression had not faded even in death, as he had become one of Szayelaporro's most violent creations. Through his research, Szayelaporro had developed the secret technique known as "Conception Notification" and extracted Yylfordt's consciousness, giving him form as the Fifteenth Espada.
In the canon timeline, Yylfordt had ventured into the human world under the command of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, seeking to cause trouble for Kurosaki Ichigo. However, his arrogance had led to his downfall—he was ultimately cut down by Abarai Renji's First Bankai, [Hihio Zabimaru], his body left in ruin.
"Interesting." Uehara Shiroha's voice echoed through the consciousness space, calm yet compelling.
"You want a fight? Then fight for control of your own body first. Remove the barrier, and we'll see if you're truly worthy of battle."
There was an undeniable force behind his words, an irresistible temptation laced with the power of the Mind Stone.
And just like that—Yylfordt obeyed.
Back in reality, Szayelaporro's body moved on its own. Without hesitation, his hands lifted, and the intricate spiritual barrier that had suppressed Uehara Shiroha's power… shattered.
The golden glow of the Mind Stone flickered for an instant before fading. The entire process had been seamless, natural, as if Yylfordt himself had chosen to lift the barrier of his own free will.
And the most terrifying part?
Szayelaporro himself remained completely unaware of what had just transpired.
His mind was still focused on his previous sneering response, still mocking Uehara Shiroha when his thoughts abruptly came to a crashing halt.
"Ask me to remove the barrier? Hah! Do you take me for a fool? The hunter does not simply release the prey caught in his tra—"
His words died on his tongue.
His breath hitched. A shiver ran down his spine as his eyes darted around wildly, panic setting in.
"W-What…?"
His pupils dilated as he took in his surroundings, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
The once-impenetrable barrier that had sealed the battlefield… was gone. The oppressive weight that had shackled Uehara Shiroha's spiritual pressure and Zanpakutō—completely erased.
Szayelaporro's hands trembled slightly as he stared at them in disbelief. Sweat dripped from his forehead as confusion clouded his mind.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What just happened…?
This barrier had been constructed using his most advanced techniques. It was designed so that only he could remove it.
There was no possible way Uehara Shiroha could have broken it.
And yet, in the blink of an eye, it had vanished.
Had he made a mistake? Was this an illusion?
No. This was real.
"I gave the order, and you obeyed it."
Uehara Shiroha's voice was calm, casual—almost mocking. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he studied Szayelaporro's dumbfounded expression.
"That simply means that deep down, in the very depths of your consciousness… you fear me. You don't actually want to be my enemy, do you?"
A slow, taunting smirk stretched across his lips.
"You might not realize it yourself, but subconsciously, you made the smartest choice—to submit. And honestly? There's no shame in wanting to survive. After all… you're a very intelligent man, Szayelaporro."
Indeed, it had been all too easy.
While the Mind Stone's power was overwhelming on its own, the real key to breaking Szayelaporro's will had been the flaw in his very existence—Yylfordt.
Having another consciousness within his body made him vulnerable.
And Uehara Shiroha had taken full advantage of that weakness.
Szayelaporro Granz… had been utterly and completely deceived.
With the restriction of the barrier lifted, Uehara Shiroha felt an immediate sense of relief.
The suppression that had shackled his spiritual pressure was gone, and the energy surging through his body swelled dramatically, like a blade sharpened to its absolute limit. The sheer intensity of his presence bore down on Szayelaporro Granz, making his breath hitch involuntarily.
A cold sweat formed on the Espada's forehead. His fingers trembled ever so slightly.
"Am I… truly afraid?"
The thought flickered through Szayelaporro's mind, unbidden yet undeniable. His heart wavered for a brief moment, but he quickly suppressed his hesitation. He had not survived as an elite Hollow for centuries without the ability to steel himself under pressure. His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists.
He scoffed and suddenly shouted, as if regaining control over himself:
"Yylfordt! Is that you?"
His voice carried a sharp edge, frustration barely concealed beneath it.
"Didn't I promise you a new body? Why are you still interfering? Hmph… as expected, even an Arrancar carries flaws. This only proves that I need to refine my research further—perfect my 'Conception Notification' technique! Only then will I rid myself of these imperfections and become truly complete!"
His desperation to complete his experiments burned stronger than ever. If he could fully refine his research, he could not only cast aside his brother's lingering interference but also seize absolute control over his own body.
Inside the depths of Szayelaporro's consciousness, Yylfordt's laughter echoed with mocking amusement.
"My foolish little brother!"
Yylfordt's voice was sharp, filled with condescension and irritation.
"I'll admit, your little tricks have their uses. Your intelligence, your experiments… they've allowed you to win many battles effortlessly. But have you forgotten where we are?"
His voice grew heavier, laced with a primal, almost savage authority.
"This is Hueco Mundo, and we are Hollows! Here, power is everything! Life, status, authority, even our very existence—all of it is determined by who is stronger! The weak are devoured, and the strong carve their own path forward!"
A pause.
Then, his tone darkened.
"You forgot that simple truth, and that's why you ended up like this!"
Szayelaporro's lips parted slightly, his golden eyes flickering.
"Is strength really… everything?" he murmured to himself.
In all his years, he had sought perfection through science, through intellect. He had always believed that technology could overcome brute force—that superior knowledge was the ultimate power.
But now, as he faced overwhelming might—Uehara Shiroha's unshakable confidence, his sheer, effortless dominance—he felt something stir deep within him.
Perhaps…
Perhaps Yylfordt was right.
His hesitation vanished. His doubts burned away. His fingers curled into fists, and his expression twisted into something darker, more primal.
"Then for the best experimental materials…" His voice grew hoarse, his breath quickening.
"For my research…"
A manic grin stretched across his face.
"And for my own survival—let's make an exception and fight together just this once!"
The moment those words left his lips, his golden pupils burned with a newfound intensity.
Gone was the thin veil of civility he wore as a scientist.
Gone was his refined, composed demeanor.
At this moment, Szayelaporro Granz tore off the mask of reason, shedding the cold, calculated persona he had maintained for centuries. His body trembled—not with fear, but with anticipation.
For the first time in his existence, he fully embraced the raw, unfiltered savagery that lurked beneath his refined intellect.
His golden eyes gleamed with frenzied excitement.
These were not the eyes of Szayelaporro Granz, the Espada.
These were the eyes of Yylfordt.
Or perhaps…
The eyes of both of them—fused into one.
Uehara Shiroha watched the transformation unfold before him, an eyebrow raised in mild amusement.
"Good eyes," he murmured.
But in truth, even in this "complete form," Szayelaporro remained nothing more than a minor challenge.
The Mind Stone and Shunkō Bankai were more than enough to subdue him. This battle was nothing more than an opportunity—an advanced training session at best.
As if sensing the disdain in Uehara's eyes, Szayelaporro let out a sharp, unsettling laugh. His entire body tensed, muscles coiling like a beast ready to pounce.
"If it weren't for you," he admitted with an eerie grin, "I wouldn't have been able to reach this state. Only now do I realize—I've always had this power hidden within me."
His breathing grew heavier, his senses sharpening beyond their limits. His nerve probes expanded to their maximum range, capable of detecting the slightest disturbance in the air. His body felt lighter, faster. His spiritual pressure surged higher, overflowing like a dam that had finally burst.
Half of him burned like magma.
The other half froze like ice.
The fusion of the two created an endless, terrifying source of power.
For the first time, Szayelaporro felt truly invincible.
A wave of blood-red spiritual pressure erupted from his body, rocketing into the sky like a beacon of destruction.
The moonlight that bathed Hueco Mundo's desolate landscape turned crimson under its overwhelming force.
The surrounding air warped and trembled.
The walls of the battlefield—built from a special material designed to withstand the force of an Espada—began to crack under the sheer magnitude of his reiatsu.
The killing intent that radiated from him was suffocating, thick and oppressive like an ocean of blood and corpses.
And yet—
Uehara Shiroha did not move.
His expression remained unchanged, his posture relaxed.
With nothing but sheer will, his golden spiritual pressure condensed around him, effortlessly resisting the oppressive force that sought to crush him.
The thousand-year foundation of his captain-level Zanpakutō ensured that he remained unshaken, untouchable.
"Tch. You're really calm, huh?" Szayelaporro muttered, his grin widening.
Without another word, he vanished.
A Sonído so fast that even most Vasto Lorde would have struggled to follow.
In the blink of an eye, he was upon Uehara, his blade slashing downward with terrifying speed.
"DIE!"
His blade carried an immense amount of condensed red reiatsu, the very tip glowing with destructive energy.
Most Hollows—no, most Espada—would be obliterated instantly if they were caught in this strike.
But—
Uehara Shiroha's eyes gleamed gold. His body shifted ever so slightly.
With a single motion, his right arm swung forward—
A golden glow erupted from his blade as his spiritual pressure condensed into a single, perfect slash.
CLANG!
The two swords collided.
Golden and red spiritual pressures intertwined, spiraling violently as they clashed.
A blinding explosion of energy expanded outward, forming a massive sphere of light, half-gold and half-red.
For a brief moment, the two forces seemed equal.
Then—
The red light overwhelmed the golden light.
And the sphere shattered.
"BOOM!"
A massive shockwave erupted, sending red and black energy waves crashing outward.
The battlefield quaked as the explosion tore through the air, obliterating everything in its path.
The once-solid walls of the chamber collapsed as if they were nothing more than brittle paper. The ground split apart, revealing deep fissures that swallowed the sand below.
The very atmosphere trembled.
Across Hueco Mundo, Hollows that felt the distant aftershock shivered instinctively.
At the center of the devastation, where the two swords had clashed, a massive crater now stretched deep into the earth. The sands around it trickled downward, swallowed by the abyss.
Amidst the crumbling palace, only one place remained untouched—the very ground where Uehara Shiroha and Szayelaporro Granz stood.
Szayelaporro's potential had surged beyond what even he had imagined.
With each strike, his power continued to grow, surpassing even the Gran Rey Cero of the Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. And it wasn't just slightly stronger—it was several times more devastating.
Even Szayelaporro himself was astonished by the sheer strength of his own attacks.
For the first time in his existence, he had been pushed into a corner, forced to unleash his full power. But in that moment, a sensation overtook him—one he had not expected.
The joy of battle.
The ecstasy of destruction.
The thrill of overwhelming power coursing through his veins.
But just as he was basking in his newfound strength, his triumph turned to horror.
His golden irises flickered in disbelief as he saw it—
Uehara Shiroha, standing there, completely unscathed.
The attack that should have torn his opponent apart had been received effortlessly.
It was as if his strongest blow had been nothing more than a gentle breeze to the man before him.
Szayelaporro's shock lasted only a fraction of a second before his battle instincts took over. He gritted his teeth and launched another, even fiercer attack.
The next moment—
Both figures vanished.
In an instant, the two reappeared midair, swords clashing violently, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
And then—
They disappeared again.
Their movements were so fast that even the afterimages struggled to catch up.
Spiritual pressure collided with spiritual pressure.
Blade clashed against blade.
It was a bloody, chaotic slaughter—pure, unfiltered combat at its most dangerous.
The once-grand palace, a symbol of power and authority, collapsed entirely, crumbling into dust and ruin.
Szayelaporro continued his relentless assault, growing stronger with every move, adapting, evolving in the heat of battle.
Yet no matter how much power he unleashed—
Uehara Shiroha remained untouchable.
Not once had his movements faltered.
Not once had he lost control.
Not once had he shown even the slightest sign of exhaustion.
He was flawless.
Szayelaporro's eyes widened as the realization struck him like a hammer to the skull.
This man is… limitless.
His breath grew ragged as his mind raced.
"Have you really been a Shinigami for less than a hundred years?!" Szayelaporro exclaimed in disbelief, his voice edged with desperation.
He was no fool—he had lived for centuries, fought countless battles, studied the strongest warriors in Hueco Mundo. Yet before him stood a man who surpassed everything he thought possible.
"Two hundred years ago, when I invaded Soul Society, I fought against one of your Captains—a man also known as Kenpachi. He was said to be the strongest Shinigami, the very embodiment of battle itself."
His golden pupils trembled as he recalled that battle.
"And yet, even that Kenpachi was nothing compared to you!"
"How? How could you have reached this level in less than a hundred years?!"
Uehara Shiroha let out a small chuckle, his blade glinting under the crimson-hued moonlight.
"Your experience is still too shallow."
With a casual flick of his wrist, he swung his sword forward.
Szayelaporro barely managed to raise his blade in defense, deflecting the strike by mere inches. But even as he parried, a cold realization seeped into his bones—
That strike had been effortless.
Uehara Shiroha wasn't even trying.
"You fail to understand, Szayelaporro."
Uehara's voice was calm, unhurried.
"The world of the Shinigami is filled with monsters beyond your comprehension."
Aizen, who lurked in the shadows, concealing a power far greater than any Espada.
Kenpachi Zaraki, who had once defeated the strongest healer in history as a mere child.
Kurosaki Ichigo, who had been "invincible from the start."
"Compared to them…" Uehara tilted his head slightly, smirking.
"You still have a long way to go."
Szayelaporro's expression twisted into one of frustration, but he quickly suppressed it. He exhaled sharply and smirked, lifting his blade once more.
"Perhaps I underestimated you, Shinigami."
His tone was different now—more composed, more calculating.
"However, through this battle, I've already analyzed your spiritual pressure, movements, techniques, and combat experience."
His eyes gleamed with cold intelligence.
"I've mastered your combat data. Now, I can predict your attacks."
A savage grin spread across his face.
"Your breathing is growing heavier, isn't it? You can't keep up this offensive forever."
He had fused the instincts of a beast with the mind of a scientist. His combat efficiency had reached an entirely new level.
"A fusion of raw power and absolute precision. In this state, there is no reason why I should lose to a mere Shinigami!"
Uehara Shiroha raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? The sky clears after the rain, and now you think you can fly?"
With a casual motion, he swung his blade once more.
The strike was not flashy. It was not accompanied by an overwhelming burst of reiatsu.
But Szayelaporro felt it—
A condensed, refined, lethal blade strike.
The moment their swords met, his eyes widened in shock.
He had blocked the attack. But—
A sharp pain flared in his chest.
Blood sprayed into the air.
He gasped, stumbling back. His Hierro—his supposed impenetrable defense—had been pierced.
Panicking, he released a burst of spiritual pressure and swung his blade wildly, forcing distance between them.
Both warriors retreated.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
A single drop of blood fell from above, reflecting the moon's crimson glow.
Szayelaporro's gaze followed it instinctively.
Then—
The two figures vanished once more.
As he retreated, Szayelaporro's pupils shrank in horror.
His entire focus zeroed in on the blade hurtling toward him.
A single, devastating strike.
His calculations were shattered.
His instincts screamed at him—
DODGE!
With a roar, Szayelaporro twisted his body at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit. Instead, the blade pierced straight through his shoulder.
"Hah!" He let out a manic laugh, blood dripping from his lips.
"You Shinigami have no defense!" he sneered.
"But I have Hierro… and I have super-speed regeneration!"
A twisted smile curled his lips.
"I've won!"
Ignoring the searing pain in his body, he lifted his blade and slashed toward Uehara Shiroha's chest.
Victory was within reach—
And then, his world shattered.
His blade made contact.
And stopped.
It didn't cut through.
It didn't pierce flesh.
It didn't even leave a scratch.
Szayelaporro's breath hitched. His eyes widened in disbelief.
His mind went blank.
The battlefield, the destruction, the blood—all of it faded into the background.
His strongest attack had done nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
A heavy silence filled the air.
Uehara Shiroha tilted his head, looking down at him with mild amusement.
Szayelaporro's grip trembled.
"Impossible…"
At that moment—
The battlefield grew deathly silent.
And the Espada of Perfection finally realized—
He was nothing before this man.
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