Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

Baraggan Louisenbairn, the former God-King of Hueco Mundo, was utterly defeated.

His wails echoed through the skies as his dignity as king was ground into the dirt by Akira.

More than the defeat itself, Baraggan couldn't accept that his power — which he had always believed to be unmatched — proved ineffective against a mere Shinigami. Against other Hollows and Shinigami, his power had been absolute, but against Akira, it was less than one-hundredth as effective.

He had proclaimed himself God-King of Hueco Mundo, King of the World. For countless years, he had lived by this belief, dismissing even other Vasto Lordes as beneath his attention.

Then one day, a Shinigami appeared who, while enduring the ravages of his aging power, beat him into complete submission.

With extensive powdered bone fractures, he teetered on death's edge.

Under this torturous devastation, confusion clouded Baraggan's mind.

Had Shinigami truly become this terrifying? If so, what fate awaited the Hollow race?

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Atop the skull throne, a bare-chested figure sat imposingly, his invincible gaze commanding all directions.

Below, the battered Adjuchas prostrated themselves, respectfully welcoming their new king's coronation.

They raised no objections to their new king being a Shinigami. Hueco Mundo had always been a world where the strong ruled — if even their former king Baraggan had fallen to a Shinigami, what more was there to say?

Kneeling down and accepting defeat was the only sensible path.

Although this new king's condition seemed somewhat peculiar.

"Guhahaha, so this is what Yama-jii's daily life is like!" Akira, bearing his decay-damaged body, basked in the Hollows' worshipful gazes as he let out a hearty laugh, "No wonder he wouldn't abdicate to me — being the ruler of a realm is such a wonderful thing. Sōsuke, once we've developed our Six God Outfits, let's go take that old bird Yamamoto's position. I'll make you a Vice-Commander then! My beloved subjects, please rise!"

{T/N: Six God Outfits is a reference to a popular Chinese game called Honor of Kings. These equipment sets are the most suitable for a character and make them as powerful as possible, with different equipment for each character.}

Aizen: "..."

Still acting delirious even when mortally wounded?

He knew Akira had incredible willpower, but wasn't it extreme to brush off injuries that exposed half his bones?

Baraggan, as the King of Hueco Mundo, truly possessed impressive abilities. Even after being weakened by two Kidō spells above #90, he still displayed amazing combat prowess, with time flow near his body slowing incoming attacks.

Moreover, he had wrapped himself in aging power for defense. Most of Akira's injuries came from this — large areas of flesh withered and fell off, revealing white bones beneath. His arms, especially, had almost no intact flesh remaining.

At this rate, after a few more rounds, there would be little difference between the new and old kings of Hueco Mundo — they'd both be skeletal frames.

For any other being, let alone a Shinigami, even a Vasto Lorde of the same level couldn't appear so carefree and unbothered.

"Stop putting on an act." Aizen warned, "If you let these injuries drag on, we'll have to amputate."

Akira waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing, mere fatal wounds mean nothing to your king! By the way, Lord Aizen. Having met your new king, why don't you bow?"

Aizen fell silent.

This guy's condition seemed to be getting worse.

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After issuing a few trivial commands, Akira was forced to treat his injuries. He cast several Kaidō spells, and his fallen flesh began regenerating visibly.

His healing efficiency was only slightly inferior to Unohana's. Knowing he might need to wage war in Hueco Mundo for some time, he had specifically sought her out to master Kaidō techniques.

Though he suffered a few more cuts in the process, the gains proved substantial.

His basic Kaidō reached perfection, and he mastered advanced techniques. Even Unohana herself acknowledged that his healing abilities were second only to hers.

Soul Society's medical practices extended beyond just Kaidō, encompassing specialized fields like wound suturing, drug combinations, and minimally invasive surgery.

But Akira had little interest in these other methods. His Trait Miraculous Healing only enhanced Kaidō, and healing Kidō alone served his needs.

From his place below, Baraggan watched the two figures conversing endlessly on the throne — his throne, now possessed by a Shinigami — with complicated feelings.

As the former king, he should have died heroically alongside his past glory, yet for some inexplicable reason, he had chosen differently. This choice stemmed from the words of another Shinigami: Sōsuke Aizen.

He recalled that moment of complete defeat, when death's shadow had fully enveloped him.

"Baraggan, are you satisfied with who you are now?"

Confusion flickered through his hollow eyes, not understanding why a victorious Shinigami would ask such a question.

Before he could answer, Aizen continued, "Regarding Szayelaporro's research, have you considered going further? Perhaps the defeated should die, but are you willing to become mere dust in Hueco Mundo? Submit to me, and I will grant you greater power and a new world. Perhaps one day, we will prostrate ourselves at your feet, just as you do now."

Had the enemy spoken these words before their battle, Baraggan would have sneered with contempt.

But now, his opponent had proven through action that truly stronger powers existed in this world.

The possibility of going further?

Black soul-fire reignited in his hollow eyes as Baraggan watched the two contrasting figures in the distance, his dormant heart sparking with new life...

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The casualties at Las Noches were minimal — Aizen had carefully controlled his attacks, leaving most Adjuchas with only surface wounds.

To him, these creatures were valuable experimental subjects. He couldn't afford to lose any potential research material.

"Las Noches's submission is just the beginning." He told Akira seriously, "I've assessed the Adjuchas here — most are ordinary specimens. For our research to advance, we need more Hollows, especially Vasto Lorde. Ggio Vega just reported a discovery — they've found a new Vasto Lorde about two thousand kilometers from here, near the Forest of Menos. Its name is—"

BOOM!

Before he could finish, an explosion and crumbling buildings thundered outside Las Noches.

A saber-toothed tiger Adjuchas burst in, panic in his voice.

"My King, there's trouble!"

Akira raised an eyebrow, "Is there a monk with a hairy face and thunder-god mouth outside?"

Ggio Vega's tiger face twisted in confusion as he shook his head, "No, it's an Adjuchas. He's challenging everyone to fights and has already defeated several Hollows."

Akira's fury rose — he'd been king for merely two days, and already someone dared cause trouble.

"Lead the way!"

The human and Hollow rushed to Las Noches's plaza.

They found a figure cutting a path of destruction, leaving fallen Gillians and Adjuchas in his wake, their agonized cries filling the air.

Grimmjow had never felt more alive.

He'd come seeking the Shinigami, but instead found this palace-like structure in Hueco Mundo. Even more surprising was the abundance of Adjuchas gathered here.

Since evolving to an Adjuchas, he'd hunted endlessly for worthy opponents, living for the thrill of battle.

But as he devoured more of his kind, his Reiatsu had grown too powerful — finding equals became nearly impossible. This had been his daily frustration.

Worse still, an Adjuchas needed to keep devouring similar Hollows to avoid regression. Once an Adjuchas fell back to Gillian form, that evolution could never happen again.

But now those worries vanished. He'd found his perfect hunting ground—

Las Noches!

"Looks familiar." Akira watched the white panther wreaking havoc among the Hollows, a thoughtful look crossing his eyes.

Even if this was a "familiar face", they needed to fight first.

Such a miscreant who challenged the king's dignity must be punished — after all, how could he, the mighty new God-King, maintain his position in Hueco Mundo otherwise?

When Akira appeared, Grimmjow noticed his presence. Immediately, his sky-blue pupils blazed with a different light. Intense fighting spirit erupted like a surge as his Reiatsu pressure locked onto the enemy.

"Shinigami!"

A deafening roar echoed through Las Noches. Under the night sky, the slender white panther swatted away an attacking Adjuchas with his backhand. His keen gaze fixed ahead, his slightly curved body coiled like a taut bowstring, ready to strike.

"I followed your Reiatsu here, just to fight you! Cast death aside and let's have an exhilarating battle!"

Hearing this, Akira's eyes lit up — who would have thought a punching bag would deliver itself to his door?

"Very good, such spirit! Come then, let me see just how capable you are!"

As the words fell, the panther charged, streaking across the sky like a beam of light, sharp claws reaching for Akira's throat.

But before the attack could land, Grimmjow's target vanished. As his strike missed, a premonition of death spread through his body like needles.

Where did he go?!

⤫ Tenrin Gōken ⥤ Celestial Strong Fist! ⤬

Just as this thought arose, an unbearable force struck his waist. The several-meter-long panther became a shooting star, trailing Reiatsu across the sky.

BOOM!!

Stone pillars collapsed thunderously, dust clouds exploding and sweeping across the sky.

Grimmjow struggled to rise from the rubble, shaking his dizzy head to regain his senses. When he finally came to, a face with a demon's grin appeared before him.

"Kitten, you don't understand the gap between us at all!" Akira pressed down the beast's claw with one hand, "Even that old bones Bonanza had to bow before me. You're just an Adjuchas who barely qualified to meet me."

Grimmjow didn't want to hear such nonsense. All he wanted was an utterly satisfying battle.

He let out a panther's roar, his blue Reiatsu materializing into light, concentrating in his claws before slashing forward violently. The air split instantly, several savage marks appearing ahead and landing precisely on his enemy's chest.

To Grimmjow's shock, his proud attack only managed to tear the black clothes.

Several white marks appeared on Akira's muscular body, causing someone to let out a maniacal laugh.

"With just this level, you dare challenge me?" He grinned, releasing equal Reiatsu as he gripped Grimmjow's panther claw, power erupting from his grasp.

He yanked the Hollow close, seized him by the nape, and slammed him repeatedly from side to side. Dust clouds exploded skyward with each impact.

The watching Adjuchas stood dumbfounded. They had expected their new king to possess special abilities to defeat old king Baraggan, yet here he was, relying purely on brute force.

The display left a profound psychological impact. The Adjuchas found themselves wondering which of them was truly the Hollow.

After Grimmjow had been pummeled senseless, Akira tossed him aside and stood tall, radiating superiority.

"You're just an Adjuchas now — your limited vision can't distinguish true power. If you ever evolve into a Vasto Lorde, you'll still be like a mayfly gazing at the heavens before me!"

Though Grimmjow couldn't grasp all his words, he understood one thing clearly: he had been thoroughly defeated by someone using less than half their strength.

The gap between him and this Shinigami was beyond measure.

"I lost. Kill me." Grimmjow said lifelessly, his shattered form sprawled across the ground like a broken rug.

Akira raised an eyebrow, "What nonsense is this? You lose one battle and beg your enemy for death? I have a subordinate who loves fighting as much as you do, and even he rarely kills opponents who can't fight back. Though his wisdom pales compared to mine, he occasionally speaks sense. Don't seek death just because you've tasted defeat — admit defeat only when death is certain."

He recalled Zaraki's words and repeated them gravely.

"Surviving defeat means you're fortunate. Instead of giving up, focus on staying alive. Live on, grow stronger, and one day defeat the one who spared you!"

Grimmjow's pupils trembled as he stared at the casual Shinigami before him, his eyes filled with disbelief...

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