Chapter 122: The Eye and the Blade

"……That guy, Aaroniero, was actually taken out."

In another part of the palace, a tall, dark-skinned man in white robes looked back toward the direction he had come from. From there, he felt the disappearance of his comrade's spiritual pressure, but it left no ripple in his calm, indifferent heart.

The death of a companion? It was irrelevant. All he needed to do was finish the tasks left behind by the one who had been slain.

However, it seemed he would have to deal with a major nuisance first.

"Oh my, it’s true, isn't it? Judging by the spiritual pressure, that must be Captain Kuchiki, right? What a cold-blooded fellow."

Indeed, Gin Ichimaru was standing right in front of him.

Having spent time under Aizen's command, Ichimaru was naturally familiar with the basic dossiers of the Espada. He found the absorption ability of someone like Aaroniero quite a headache; after all, the number of souls Aaroniero had devoured was not merely a few or a few hundred. To have so many entities gathered together was quite troublesome.

But the most critical point was Aaroniero's ability to transform into Kaien Shiba.

Faced with the face of a former comrade who was also the head of the Shiba clan—one of the Four Great Noble Houses, albeit a fallen one—the fact that the icy, stoic captain could bring himself to deliver the killing blow… it seemed only he could have done so without a moment’s hesitation in such a situation.

Regardless, encountering Byakuya Kuchiki was surely the greatest misfortune of Aaroniero’s life.

"..."

"That being said, we can't afford to be so leisurely on our end either, Zommari."

Ichimaru shrugged. In truth, among all the Espada, he considered this Zommari the one he got along with best—after all, he either found the others' personalities annoying or they found his own distasteful. Only this taciturn man was someone Ichimaru could tolerate.

But now, it had reached the point where they had to fight.

"Indeed. If it is you, I cannot afford to be so leisurely."

Slowly drawing his sword, Zommari did not choose to evade. Back in the World of the Living, his orders from Aizen were to bring back Yammy and Wonderweiss, and since Luppi was of no concern, he had chosen to avoid combat whenever possible.

Now, it was different.

He was in Hueco Mundo, or rather, a corner of Las Noches, and his mission was to block all intruders from reaching Lord Aizen. Therefore, there was only one thing he could do now.

"I will finish you here."

"That would make me sad, you know."

Compared to Zommari’s murderous intent, Ichimaru seemed as relaxed as ever, showing no sign of wanting to fight, just standing there casually.

"Say what you will..."

Zommari widened his stance, holding his blade horizontally in front of him.

"I will do everything in my power to stop you."

"..."

Without a word, Ichimaru knew exactly what that peculiar stance meant... Was he truly going to face that troublesome ability after all?

"Suppress—"

The blade suddenly curled in a strange fashion, piling up into something resembling an iron ball.

"Bruzeria."

"Poof!"

A mass of white, foam-like substance surged from the curled blade, swallowing Zommari behind it. Finally, as if he had been bathing, the foam slowly receded, revealing Zommari’s released form.

He looked like an old monk sitting cross-legged, but his lower body was a bizarre, pink disc-shaped object. His body was covered in eyes that made one’s skin crawl just to look at, and his previously distinct face had become hideous due to the release—at the very least, Ichimaru did not like the look of Zommari in his released state.

"Now, let us end this quickly."

"Oh my, 'quickly'? I didn't intend to end our meeting so carelessly."

Leaning forward slightly, his right hand moved forward in an almost imperceptible motion. The smile on that annoying face made Zommari feel deeply uneasy.

"Wouldn't that be dreadfully boring?"

"Say what you like. I don't intend to waste any more time."

He extended his hand, aiming his palm at the smiling fox before him. A thin slit in the center of his palm began to squirm.

"Behold—"

"Snap!"

The slit in his palm suddenly split open, and an eye emerged, making one's scalp tingle.

However, at the end of the eye's gaze was merely a white wall; Ichimaru's white figure had already vanished.

"...It is quite troublesome that you are aware of my ability."

Slowly turning his head to look at the silver-haired Shinigami to his right, Zommari narrowed his eyes. If his ability was understood, controlling his opponent would not be so simple.

"We have known each other for so long, after all. I wouldn't want to be controlled by you in your current state."

"That is truly a pity..."

"!"

Slowly moving his shoulder, Zommari said without a trace of emotion, "I didn't just open one eye just now."

"!!"

The eyes that had opened on Zommari's shoulders were strikingly visible. Even Ichimaru, who was familiar with his ability, had not noticed them. No, more than that—did he actually know where I would appear before he even opened those eyes?

"Come."

Ichimaru beckoned with his hand. His own foot, as if hearing a command, slipped out of his control and took a step forward.

"All things that have accepted my Love (Amor)."

"Squelch!"

"!"

"Oh my, this is truly a nuisance."

Hot, bright red liquid suddenly fell from the air, some dripping from the blade in Ichimaru’s hand, but the most flowed from the wound on his leg.

"If I'm controlled by you, it really will be a problem."

"A truly decisive measure."

Without hesitation, he had severed the tendons of the part of himself that had been controlled. Zommari had never seen someone resist his ability in such a way.

"Thanks for the compliment, but..."

Ichimaru dragged his injured leg and took a step toward Zommari, his sword slightly raised. The atmosphere, which had been relatively calm, suddenly became extremely tense.

"Unlike me, you have no idea what my ability is."

"Is it Bankai?"

As one of the Espada, Zommari was naturally aware of the trump card held by captains: Bankai.

Admittedly, he did not know the specific capabilities of Ichimaru's Bankai, but through Aaroniero’s 'synchronized cognition,' he had gained a rough understanding of the level of his Bankai... It had not yet reached a point where he would be left helpless.

"You are well-informed. As for this so-called Bankai, I don't think Captain Aizen has relayed the data on this ability to you yet, so..."

"You have no idea when I used my Bankai."

"Squelch!!"

As Ichimaru’s voice faded, a deep wound suddenly appeared on Zommari’s chest, a massive gash that nearly cleaved him in two!

"It’s over, Zommari Rureaux."