You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

A moment later, the answer was revealed:

Whether it was the Void of Miscellaneous Things or the Great Void, all the wild beasts, at this moment, followed their instinctive awe and gave way, lowering their heads. The entire Void Tide split into a great road in the middle!

In the middle of the road where the Hollows were making way, several tall and strong Hollows were carrying a simple but extremely heavy rock throne. And on that throne that symbolized power was just a human-sized skeleton Hollow!

"Tsk!" Saito clicked his tongue in displeasure. "They're like a persistent ghost!"

Because of the previous attack on her camp, she suspected that there were higher-level Hollows deep within Hueco Mundo. Skilled and daring, she chose to track them down alone... but unexpectedly, she was outmaneuvered.

She was careless in this matter, but it was indeed beyond the realm of common sense:

In the Void, which is as wild as a beast, there are individuals who can use spirit particle technology!

Saito had taken into account the Great Men's perception abilities and used a Kido technique specifically designed to conceal spiritual pressure, but he never expected it to be detected by "technological means".

Then she was led to the Great Hollow's lair, known as "Lost Palace"...

Chapter 167: The Four Heavenly Kings of the Void Return for a Limited Time

“Hmph~

Even after I injured it, it still managed to escape from Las Noches. Though it's a disgusting rat, I must say it's quite tenacious.

Wearing an ancient and magnificent crown on his head, a golden badge resembling an eye pinned to his chest, and dressed in a dignified black robe, he was nothing but a skeleton, yet he did not appear thin or fragile at all; instead, he appeared robust and majestic.

Soul Society and Hueco Mundo are both "afterlife" in the secular sense. Shinigami and Hollows can also be considered "ghosts" and "demons" in a sense, but neither of them fits the image of a "Shinigami" as well as the King of Hollows before us.

The only difference between him and the messenger of the underworld in Western legends is a giant scythe.

In terms of physique, he is far inferior to even a common Void, let alone Adjuchas. At most, he is just a bit taller and more robust than a normal person.

However, the strength of a Hollow is not determined by its size. In fact, the lowest-ranking Hollow, the Gillian, is actually the largest. When it evolves into an Adjuchas, it shrinks in size and transforms into a beast form.

Then, a very small number of Adjuchas have the potential for a second evolution. If the conditions are met, they will shrink again and transform into a "humanoid" form, leaving only some of the Hollow features.

In other words, the closer a Hollow's appearance is to that of a human, the stronger its power (level) will be!

Beyond Adjuchas, humanoid Hollows like the Crowned Skull are generally referred to as—

Vastod!

"You too, you're too persistent, like a stray dog ​​that won't let go!"

Despite being in a completely unfavorable position, Saito, who was immortal, spoke sarcastically without any restraint: "Still putting on such a show... Do you feel accomplished ruling over a bunch of beasts?"

"Insolence! Watch your tone, Death!"

An abomination called out angrily, "No disrespect before His Majesty Barragán!"

As it spoke, it took a step forward, and Saito's eyes instantly turned cold.

"Stop, Slimar."

At this moment, Barragán on the throne chuckled and said, "If you go another ten meters, you will die by this man's blade, and even I cannot stop you."

"What—Your Majesty?"

Adjuchas was taken aback, then turned and gave Saito a deep look.

It instinctively thought that the heavily wounded Grim Reaper in front of it posed no threat, but upon closer examination, it realized that this woman was capable of escaping after fighting the "King" in Hueco Mundo, and that many of her brethren had died at her hands, so she was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Given that Barragán had always held these great primates in awe as if they were gods, this Adjuchas subconsciously trusted the "King's" judgment.

Seeing that Adjuchas was no longer approaching, Saito clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Barragan seemed to be in a good mood. Instead of letting his thousands of spectral minions swarm and overwhelm Saito, he leisurely chatted with others.

"I haven't seen Death for a while."

The scenery of this world remains unchanged, always the same. There's so little to enjoy. I haven't left Las Noches for almost a hundred years... Feel honored, this time we've gone to such lengths just for you, Shinigami,"

In fact, this was all thanks to Szayelaporro—the one who was being tracked down by the immortal Saito.

Like Barragan, Szayelaporro is also a Vasto Lorde, the highest-ranking Hollow, but his main direction of evolution is not combat power, and he does not have a strong desire to fight. Instead, he is very interested in studying things like "perfect life" and "the essence of the world", making him a rare scholar in Hueco Mundo.

As king, Barragan has absolute confidence in his strength. Even individuals who are also Vastods are among those he recruits, and he will not deliberately suppress those who are rejected.

Szayelaporro had neither the potential nor the ambition to become "king," and accepted Barragán's invitation without any psychological burden, using the resources of Hueco Mundo to advance his research.

He had previously driven the Hollows to attack the expeditionary force camp in order to obtain the body of the Grim Reaper and study this spiritual entity that was completely different from the Hollows.

He just didn't expect Saito to see through the clues and start tracking him... If he was acting alone, he would be in real trouble.

Fortunately, he discovered it in advance using some small props, and with his intentions on the side of the unsuspecting, he easily lured them into the trap—the Palace of the Dead.

That was the palace of Barragán. Although it was not a particularly magnificent palace, it was indeed home to countless miscellaneous creatures and more than a dozen Adjuchas!

If Soul Society were to learn of and want to defeat this force, it would need to deploy at least four or five divisions to be confident of success. From this perspective, Barragan can indeed be called the "King of Hueco Mundo".

Now, this king has taken an interest in Saito, who escaped from his grasp, and has made a rare departure from Hueco Mundo, bringing a group of his men to the expeditionary camp... His intentions are self-evident.

The relationship between Hollows and Shinigami is nothing more than killing and being killed.

"Even if the infected area is cut off in time after being injured by Yu's weapon, it is absolutely impossible to escape from Yu again."

You are destined to fall into the abyss of death, just as irreversible as the flow of time.

Barragan knew that Saito was covering the rear, and that a group of Death Gods were preparing to evacuate from the camp, but he didn't care about those minor figures. From beginning to end, the only ones who could attract his attention were captain-level powerhouses like Saito.

He calmly said, rubbing his head, "With your strength, you should be able to do that, right? It's called Bankai, the Shinigami's... um, I think?"

Yes! Bankai!

"Okay, show it to me. This might be your last chance."

Swastika?

Saito gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a chilling killing intent.

Barragan, displeased, said, "What, are your injuries so severe that you can't even use Bankai?"

"Pretending!"

Saito took a deep breath, leaned on his sword and stood up, then drew the blade and pointed it at his opponent with the unruly air of a ronin.

"My head is right here. Come and take it if you dare!"

"Ah!"

Barragan waved his hand dismissively. Since Saito wasn't going to use his Bankai, he had no interest in finishing off a seriously wounded man.

"Hoohoho!"

"hold head high--!"

The Void surged forth, and countless Void creatures of various shapes roared together, charging towards Saito amidst the cacophony of sounds.

At the same time, the ground cracked open, and tens of thousands of tons of yellow sand fell like a waterfall. One after another, tall Kyrians emerged from the sand, opening the huge mouths on their white bone masks and letting out extremely penetrating roars.

It is worth mentioning that the Achookas stayed with Barragán and showed no intention of attacking together.

This is because Barragan, as a king, values ​​the lives of his subordinates. The number of Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo is not large, so he cannot just throw them away. On the other hand, there are as many Kyrians and Hollows as he wants, and they are not even qualified to become his subjects; at most, they are just cannon fodder.

Saito is already beyond saving, but like a cornered beast, she will fight on. Who knows what amazing moves she might unleash in her dying moments? If she manages to take a few Adjuchas with her, it would be a huge waste.

The safest solution is to use an endless number of Voidwalkers and Kylian to wear her down as much as possible.

Saito saw through Barragan's plan, but she was indeed powerless to challenge the entire Hollow Horde under these circumstances. This included a Vastod whose strength was no less than hers, as well as several Adjuchas... not to mention the mysterious Vastod (Szayelaporro) who had plotted against her, who might also be hiding in the shadows.

"Am I going to die?" Saito looked up at the Hollow rushing towards him like a swarm of ants, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Then let me show you... Collapse, [Feilianhuang]!"

With a low growl, the reserved spiritual pressure was finally released, and the hexagonal tsuba-shaped Zanpakuto in Saito's hands transformed into a nodachi that was somewhere between purple and white, its length even exceeding Saito's own height.

Zheng!

Like a thin thread brushing past, Xu, who had been quietly creeping up from behind, suddenly froze.

Zheng!

Zheng!

Zheng!

With a series of flashes, the incredibly long nodachi transformed into an elusive thread that leaped continuously, covering a distance of nearly a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, leaving dozens of ethereal zombies of various shapes and sizes in place.

As the purple-white blade reflected the waning moon in the sky, Saito, after accumulating spiritual pressure, once again used Shunpo to disappear, while the miscellaneous Hollows behind him were either cut in half at the waist or in front of him!

Her Instant Step was already extremely fast, but it became even more astonishing after her Shikai. Not only were the Void Spirits left with no chance of survival, but even the Kyrians and Adjuchas could not catch a glimpse of her.

call!

Passing through these great voids, Saito had no other targets in his eyes and headed straight for the only Vastod on the scene—Bailgain.

"hateful!"

Some speed-type Adjuchas tried to intercept them, but Saito easily broke through them. The two sides didn't even make any contact. The One-Eyed Reaper completely toyed with them and left them behind, advancing straight into the Hollows.

"Interesting... You're not allowed to make a move."

Barragán gave instructions to his subordinate Achukas, and then rose from his throne.

With a wave of his hand, an extremely exaggerated double-edged axe appeared in Barragan's hand. With a simple lift, the broad axe blade blocked Saito's sudden appearance.

Clang!

The nodachi pierced the axe's surface. Saito's pupils contracted, and as if electrocuted, he immediately withdrew his blade and moved away.

Next, Barragan raised his right hand, lifting the execution axe with one arm. An ominous black aura flowed along the blade, and with a casual swing, it created a whooshing sound, leaving behind a trail of condensed black energy, as if a crack had been torn in space.

Saito, as if wary of something, distanced himself from Barragán and insisted on launching a new attack from a different angle.

Her figure then flashed several times in succession, attempting to launch a surprise assassination attack on Barragan. However, the King of Hueco Mundo was no pushover. Although his speed could not match Saito's at this moment, his sensory nerves were extremely sharp, and he was able to react in time each time.

The execution axe, such a heavy weapon, was wielded with ease in his hands. Every swing made Saito want to avoid it at all costs. Even after the eerie black aura wrapped around the giant axe, she tried her best to avoid a direct confrontation.

Each time they missed their target, they would immediately flee, fearing being "caught" by Barragán.

That was the Hueco Mundo King's special ability. He wielded a strange energy that could easily destroy any matter, including the spirits of Shinigami. Anyone or anything he touched or struck by his weapon would age and decay at a visible speed, as if hundreds or thousands of years had passed in an instant!

The most terrifying thing is that this change cannot be stopped by any means!

Saito had only been accidentally brushed against, and his waist was almost completely eroded. He only survived because he made the painful decision to cut off the entire piece of flesh.

"Well!"

After another instant step, a tearing pain shot through his waist, and Saito's body suddenly froze.

Not good!

Saito subconsciously leaned forward, while his whole body turned slightly to the side.

Just then, Barragan suddenly appeared behind her, and a large, skeletal hand reached out to grab her head—

call!

Suppressing the pain, he used Shunpo again. When Saito appeared, a few strands of white hair drifted down and then turned into dust and disappeared. The one-eyed Shinigami watched this scene with lingering fear.

"Have you reached your limit?"

Barragán stared at Saito and shook his head slightly.

"Too fragile... It's rather boring to kill you like this."

Before he could give any orders, the Adjuchas had already surrounded him. This time, they wouldn't let Saito out of their sight again.

As expected, Saito Immortal, whose injuries had worsened, did not escape with the same incredible speed as before. Instead, he found himself surrounded by Adjuchas, unable to find a way to break through.

"In this case……"

Saito Takeshi gritted his teeth, deciding to unleash his "Bankai" first, no matter what!

Although her Bankai is practically suicide in the current environment... she has no other choice but to take as many people down with her!

"swastika--"

At that very moment, she, along with many other Adjuchas and the distant Emperor Barragán, all sensed something.

boom!

A thick bolt of lightning fell from the sky, heading straight for this place, with no indication of its target.

Saito vanished without hesitation, and the Adjuchas did not try to stop him. Instead, they scattered to the side, letting the lightning strike the void and transform into shimmering, ever-changing spiritual light.

They originally thought it was over, but unexpectedly, large patches of dark clouds quickly gathered in the sky, obscuring the crescent moon, and Hueco Mundo was plunged into true darkness and chaos.