BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

A powerful bolt of lightning shot from Akira's hand, crashing into Baraggan Louisenbairn's body-protected Respira.

Boom!

The impact erupted into a massive explosion at point-blank range, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Baraggan, the King of Hueco Mundo, was blasted back hundreds of meters, his form thrown violently through the air.

Though his injuries were not severe, the repeated setbacks had pushed him to the brink of fury.

"Bastard! This king will definitely kill you! Kill you!"

For a being of his status, such humiliation was intolerable. His skeletal fingers extended, aiming at Akira as an ominous, swirling black energy began to condense at his fingertips.

"Gran Rey Cero!"

This was no ordinary Cero—it was an enhanced version wielded only by the most powerful Arrancar. Its destructive force was exponentially greater, capable of distorting space itself.

Yet Akira remained composed, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.

"So, you want a battle of raw power against me, a wielder of the Thunder Fruit? How amusing."

As he spoke, arcs of lightning crackled around him, forming two distinct entities.

"30 Million Volts: Thunder Beast!"

"30 Million Volts: Thunderbird!"

A massive beast and a thunderous bird of pure electricity roared to life, surging forward to intercept the Gran Rey Cero.

BOOM!

The resulting explosion shook the sky, a dazzling spectacle of black and blue energy intertwining in midair. Both combatants were forced back by the sheer force, sent flying thousands of meters apart.

But the battle was far from over.

Lightning raged in the sky, intertwined with the dark tendrils of destruction, illuminating the battlefield with flashes of chaos.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The deafening sound of explosions merged into one continuous cacophony.

Akira narrowed his eyes, channeling even greater power.

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

Baraggan, refusing to be outdone, unleashed his most powerful attack.

"Respira!"

His deadly ability, the power of time-based decay, surged forward like an unstoppable wave, threatening to reduce all it touched to dust.

The sky was torn apart as the two forces clashed in an earth-shattering collision. When the dust finally settled, a massive, abyss-like crater stretched between them.

Baraggan's skeletal visage twisted in frustration.

"Damn it! Even with my strongest Cero, I still can't suppress him?!"

His fury turned to dread as he looked up—Akira had already closed the distance, standing nearby with a monstrous charge of electricity in his grasp.

"Raigo…"

A colossal thundercloud formed in the sky, swirling with destructive energy. Then, in an instant, a massive sphere of lightning plummeted from above.

"RAIGO ELNARDO!"

Baraggan's eyes widened in horror as the enormous lightning bomb descended upon him.

"BOOOOOOM—!!!"

The explosion was cataclysmic. Blue lightning consumed everything, ripping through the battlefield with terrifying force. In mere moments, an island-sized void appeared in the desert, the surrounding sand pouring in but unable to fill the bottomless pit.

A heavy silence followed.

Akira exhaled, slightly fatigued from the attack.

"Did that finish him?"

Extending his senses, he detected a faint, fragmented Reiatsu hidden within the chaos.

Baraggan had survived—but barely. Half of his skeletal body had been obliterated. His once-mighty form was reduced to a pathetic shadow of itself.

"I… I was forced to flee by a mere Shinigami?!"

His remaining eye burned with resentment, but he knew the truth: he no longer had the strength to continue this battle.

Even with Hierro and High-Speed Regeneration, the repeated lightning strikes had drained his immense Reiatsu reserves. And now, even his once-limitless regeneration was faltering.

But before he could retreat further, Akira's voice rang out, dripping with amusement.

"Hiding underground like a rat? How disgraceful."

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the sand, forcing Baraggan out of his refuge.

"Damn it! I suppressed my Reiatsu to the lowest level—how did he still find me?!"

His pride as the King of Hueco Mundo had been completely shattered. Without another word, he turned and fled.

Akira's smirk widened.

"You think you can escape?"

He prepared to activate his magnetic field teleportation, but Baraggan had anticipated this, continuously shifting his position to avoid being locked onto.

For the first time, the former Espada was no longer fighting to win.

He was fighting to survive.

It could only be said that this was a battle befitting a seasoned Vasto Lorde, a veteran of countless clashes. In an instant, Akira utilized Shunpo to close the distance.

He moved with precision, teleporting within the unaffected zones of the surrounding electric field. With his mastery of Shunpo, he was able to match even Baraggan Louisenbairn's top speed!

When Baraggan glanced back, a rare emotion flickered across his face—shock, perhaps even fear.

How could Akira not only keep up with him but relentlessly pursue him? Lightning crackled through the air, countless arcs lashing out at the retreating Espada. Forced into a corner, Baraggan had no choice but to retaliate, unleashing explosive waves of Respira in a desperate attempt to slow his pursuer.

At their blistering speeds, they covered tens of thousands of meters in an instant, their path leaving behind scorched sand and a fiery wake that carved through the vast desert of Hueco Mundo.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In the distance, Ulquiorra Cifer and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, who had withdrawn several kilometers away, came to an abrupt halt.

They had not stopped because they believed they were safe—no, quite the opposite. The shockwaves of destruction were growing ever closer, the sheer force of the battle impossible to ignore.

"What's going on?" Nelliel muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Is there a new enemy?"

A cold unease crept into her heart. Since when did Hueco Mundo have so many beings of this caliber?!

"…It's coming," Ulquiorra said flatly.

Even without heightened senses, the oncoming explosion of flames and energy was impossible to miss. It was approaching at a speed far beyond their own.

Both immediately tensed, preparing for battle—but as the figures came into view, it became clear that their presence was of no consequence to the combatants. In the blink of an eye, the two figures had already passed them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The deafening explosions finally began to fade into the distance. Ulquiorra and Nelliel, momentarily stunned, instinctively suppressed their Reiatsu.

After a brief silence, Nelliel hesitated before asking, "Did you see who was fighting just now? It seemed like…"

Ulquiorra's gaze remained fixed ahead. "Akira and Baraggan."

"…Yeah," Nelliel nodded slowly. "I thought so, too, but… I kept feeling like…"

Ulquiorra didn't need her to finish the thought.

"Akira is chasing Baraggan."

Nelliel: "…"

Sure enough—no mistake.

Wait… what?

Her mind reeled. She knew Akira was strong, but this—this was something else entirely.

Wasn't this a bit too absurd?

Chasing the King of Hueco Mundo across the sands like a mere prey?

Unbelievable.