"What?!"
Harribel's eyes widened in shock. The motion she had been about to make—the release of Hirviendo—froze completely in place. She couldn't move. Not even an inch.
Spiritual pressure!
In the next moment, her spiritual pressure erupted to its limit, surging like a tangible storm.
Yet, her body remained completely unresponsive.
Standing before her, Szayelaporro adjusted his glasses with an air of mockery.
"It's useless, Harribel. This isn't some low-level Bakudō used by Shinigami, something that can be broken through with brute force alone."
"What the hell did you do?!" Harribel glared at him, her voice filled with fury.
Szayelaporro showed no change in expression. With the arrogance of a victor, he spread his arms slightly, his tone carrying a hint of excitement.
"A toxin. A neurotoxin I specifically designed to target Vasto Lorde-class Hollows."
He paused, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear, his voice turning almost feverish with enthusiasm.
"This is a power beyond the crude savagery you beasts rely on to fight. A force far greater than mere Hollow evolution—the power of science."
Even as he spoke, Harribel's spiritual pressure flared violently as she tried to force herself into motion. Her voice was sharp with anger. "Bastard… When did you poison me? I never even touched you!"
"Touched me?"
Szayelaporro scoffed.
"This is why I hesitate to consider you so-called Vasto Lorde my peers. You still haven't figured it out?"
Could it be…?!
Harribel's pupils narrowed slightly as realization dawned on her.
If there was anything she had inhaled without noticing, there was only one possibility—the blood mist.
The haze that had formed from the slaughter of the Adjuchas, their blood splattering across the battlefield, gradually diffusing into the air as an almost imperceptible fog.
"Ah… You've figured it out, haven't you?"
Szayelaporro sneered.
"The neurotoxin was hidden within the blood of those Adjuchas. The more you killed, the more you inhaled. And once a sufficient amount accumulated in your system… your body lost all ability to move."
As he spoke, he stepped closer to Harribel, his voice dripping with sadistic amusement.
"So, Harribel, tell me—how does it feel? Now that you're completely in my hands, I can study you, dissect you, or even consume you. The possibilities are endless."
Yet, to Szayelaporro's surprise, there was no fear in Harribel's gaze. Only rage.
A moment later, he understood why.
"Ah, my mistake," he mused. "I nearly forgot—the belief you hold dear is sacrifice, isn't it? So, when it comes to your own life, you're indifferent?"
The next instant, the pink tendrils suspending Mila yanked her closer, constricting visibly.
"Ahh—!"
Even in her unconscious state, Mila let out a pained groan.
Harribel's expression flickered. The moment she heard her subordinate's suffering, something in her eyes shifted—and Szayelaporro's smirk deepened.
With a snap of his fingers, a group of Adjuchas appeared behind him, dragging and tossing two figures forward.
Sung-Sun! Apacci!
Harribel's gaze turned murderous. Her voice was laced with deadly intent.
"Szayelaporro… you'd better kill me while you can. Because if you don't, I swear I'll destroy you."
"Oh?"
Szayelaporro lifted a foot and casually stomped down on Sung-Sun's back.
Crack—crack, crack!
A sickening series of bone-snapping sounds filled the air. Sung-Sun's spiritual pressure, once stable, plummeted sharply.
"You… bastard!!!"
Harribel was not one for words, but at this moment, her spiritual pressure flared so violently that it radiated despair and fury in equal measure.
Szayelaporro, however, seemed to savor the sight. His face twisted into one of perverse delight, as if torturing a fellow Vasto Lorde brought him a rare kind of pleasure.
After a moment, he lazily lifted his foot, wiping the bloodied sole of his shoe against the sand as though disgusted by the filth. Then, he brushed a hand through his hair and said,
"This is just an appetizer. If you don't agree to my conditions, I have countless ways to make your dear subordinates wish for death."
Harribel's eyes narrowed. "Conditions? What conditions?"
Szayelaporro blinked, looking briefly surprised. "Oh? Did I forget to tell you?"
Her glare darkened.
"Ahem~" Szayelaporro cleared his throat, then callously kicked Sung-Sun and Apacci aside before stepping directly in front of Harribel. He licked his lips.
"Tell me, what do you think I value most about you? Your Vasto Lorde body? No, of course not."
His voice grew heated with obsession.
"It's Arrancar transformation. I want to understand the process of Hollow evolution. To control it. Do you understand now?"
Harribel's expression shifted. Realization struck her instantly.
"…Your target is Asura Gensei?"
Szayelaporro's eyes gleamed with raw hunger.
"Exactly. My condition is simple—help me control Asura Gensei, or make him give up the secrets of Arrancar transformation willingly."
"…Keep dreaming." Harribel's voice was firm, absolute. "I will never betray Asura Gensei."
Szayelaporro's expression darkened slightly. The pink tendrils coiled around Mila tightened further, forcing her unconscious face mere inches from Harribel's own.
"You've only known Asura Gensei for a few days. Are you truly saying he means more to you than the subordinates who have fought by your side for so long?"
Harribel's gaze softened momentarily as she looked at Mila, an unmistakable pain flickering through her eyes. Then, she simply closed them and answered.
"Give up on your delusions. I would never betray one I treasure… to save another."
When she reopened her eyes, they had regained their usual calm.
"Your best option is to kill me, Szayelaporro. Because if you think I will help you control Asura Gensei, you're wasting your time."
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