BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

"Okay... it's incredible..."

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck stood frozen, eyes wide with astonishment at the scene before her.

If Hollows could sweat, the six-headed Menos Grande would be drenched in cold fear. Moments ago, they had been fighting fiercely, but now—defeated in an instant. One attack from Akira had utterly crushed them.

"So the friend I made... is actually a hidden monster!?"

On the other side of the battlefield, Menos Grande—including Charlotte Cuuhlhourne and Abirama Redder—lay sprawled within a massive crater, overwhelmed by agony.

"Damn it... Just one strike... and we're all seriously injured!"****" Charlotte, Baraggan Louisenbairn's chief minister, had encountered powerful Shinigami before. But this—this was on a completely different level. Could a Shinigami even be this strong?

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself up.

"Get up! We must eliminate this threat for His Majesty!"

The remaining Adjuchas-level Menos Grande stirred, rising with difficulty.

"Focus all our strength into a Cero and combine them! If we merge our power, we can match him!"

Though not the strongest Adjuchas, they possessed a secret technique: Fusion Cero. By merging their attacks, they could vastly amplify their destructive force.

Akira narrowed his eyes, sensing their intentions. He understood Adjuchas-level Hollows weren't so easily killed. A single one might be manageable, but six pooling their strength? That was another matter.

"Oh? Still resisting?"

Still, he was undeterred.

"Fine. Let's do it again."

Akira gripped his sword with both hands. From the barren desert of Hueco Mundo, a golden radiance ignited, rising like a dream.

Nelliel was mesmerized. It was breathtaking—almost surreal. But beneath the beauty lurked a terrifying, lethal intent. The light wasn't just light. It was an executioner's blade.

"Integrated Cero!"

Charlotte and the others had finished charging. A massive, swirling Cero—black and red—erupted, roaring toward Akira.

"Watch out!" Nelliel cried out, heart pounding.

But Akira did not waver.

"Ex—calibur!"

Golden energy surged forth, shaped into an immense blade of light, colliding with the monstrous Fusion Cero in midair.

"BOOM!!!"

The explosion was immense, shaking the very sands of Hueco Mundo. Charlotte's technique was formidable—it contained the combined might of six Adjuchas. But even so, the golden radiance of Akira's attack steadily consumed the black-and-red energy, pushing it back with overwhelming force.

Charlotte's eyes widened in sheer horror.

"No—No way! RUN!"

But it was already too late. The golden wave surged forward, swallowing them whole.

"BOOM!"

By the time the dust settled, the six Adjuchas Menos Grande lay motionless in the crater, stripped of all power to resist.

Akira exhaled slowly.

"One more strike."

He had already unleashed his full strength twice. This final attack would be no exception.

Nelliel, watching from the sidelines, could scarcely believe her eyes.

"How much spiritual power does he even have?!"

Akira raised his sword one last time.

"Excalibur!"

The third strike descended.

"BOOM!!!"

This time, there was no clash—only obliteration. A towering pillar of golden light erupted skyward, erasing everything in its wake. When the light faded, the crater had deepened. The six Adjuchas-level Menos Grande? Gone. Not even dust remained.

Nelliel's expression turned complicated.

This Shinigami had just wiped out six Adjuchas with only three swings of his blade. Was such power a blessing—or a calamity for Hueco Mundo?

But Akira wasn't paying attention to her concerns. Instead, he was focused inward, assessing his own strength.

"I went all out with the Sword of Oath of Victory three times just now..." he murmured to himself. "And yet, I barely used half of my spiritual power."

Akira knew exactly how much Reiatsu was behind this attack.

This meant that in the future, he would have no trouble wielding Excalibur—the Sword of Promised Victory—as a light cannon. His entire being was already a humanoid, mobile weapon of destruction!

"Go back, Nel."

Akira sheathed his Zanpakutō and reached out his hand to Neliel Tu Odelschwanck.

Neliel nodded obediently and took his hand, but Akira's expression suddenly changed.

"Be careful! Another immensely powerful Reiatsu is approaching!"

"Huh? I don't feel anything…"

Neliel looked around in surprise. The only things in sight were two massive craters and a forest of white trees.

That white forest contained Hueco Mundo's local fruits, which Neliel sometimes picked. However, she didn't recall any Menos Grande living there.

"Did you unleash that golden light attack just now?"

Under the watchful eyes of Akira and Neliel, a humanoid figure with a white mask stepped out from the white woods.

Neliel's eyes widened in shock—she hadn't sensed his presence at all!

That alone proved that this Arrancar possessed strength comparable to her own at her peak.

"But even so, he still couldn't evade Akira's perception. Akira is really sharp when it comes to detecting Reiatsu…" Neliel secretly glanced at Akira again.

"Yes, I fired that attack. Do you have an issue with it?"

Akira nodded, studying the figure before him. There was something oddly familiar about this Arrancar.

However, the masked figure ignored his words and instead murmured, "It was beautiful. Truly beautiful."

Akira froze. He hadn't expected anyone to describe such a destructive and terrifying attack in such a poetic manner.

But he had to admit—Excalibur's light was indeed magnificent. As Irisviel once described, it was a fierce yet pure radiance, illuminating even the deepest darkness of a war-torn world.

This dazzling sword was the crystallization of every warrior's dream, the embodiment of their prayer for "glory."

"So, I was drawn here," the Arrancar said simply. "I've never seen something so breathtaking and overwhelming."

It was then that Akira finally recognized the figure standing before him.

It was said that when most of a person's senses were lost, the remaining one would heighten, amplifying all related perceptions.

And Akira knew of an Arrancar whose only remaining sense was sight—his vision honed to an unparalleled level, making him perceive beauty with an intensity no one else could match.

"You're… Ulquiorra, aren't you?"