Gabriel lay back in his chair—this was the semi-final of this little competition.
The winner of this fight would go up against Lilith, and whoever won that match would secure a lot of benefits for their squad. These included, but were not limited to:
A better training facility A better training program More time off
You know, the usual perks.
More importantly, if their captain won, they'd get to increase their squad's numbers significantly.
Meanwhile, Ulquiorra watched the battle unfold with his usual blank stare. He wasn't angry at his lesser sin for fucking up—Zommari wouldn't be punished. He was simply too weak. That was the end of it. Senseless violence wouldn't change anything.
Becoming the Sin of Sloth had been easy enough for Ulquiorra. He'd walked in, beaten the strongest guy there, and—ta-da—now he was a Sin. The guy who had tried before him? Zommari. Unfortunately for him, he was far too weak.
In the six-ish months since Ulquiorra had joined this army, he had gone on more missions than any other Sin. His success rate sat at 80%, still below Nel, who was at an absurd 96%. He had no idea how she did it—something about emotions, apparently. Well, he didn't have those. He operated purely on rationality, yet somehow, he was doing worse.
Still, he was outperforming every other Sin except Nel and Harribel, the latter sitting at 90%.
Huh. The two women were leading the charts. Neat.
Ulquiorra had seen what Gabriel was doing with Hueco Mundo—turning it into an actual kingdom. Peaceful or not, things still happened. The weak still got hurt.
But they weren't devoured.
Strong Hollows were discouraged from eating weaker ones, and with Gabriel removing their hunger, the weak could now live longer.
That didn't mean they could slack off. It just meant they had more time to train and grow stronger.
Gabriel's system was built so that even if he lost 60% of his army in a war, within a year, he'd have recovered it all—and the new soldiers would be stronger and more competent.
Hueco Mundo never lacked souls, after all.
As for the balance of souls? There was no overpopulation issue. Any Hollow not associated with the kingdom was hunted down and used for experiments—sometimes even Plus Souls. Gabriel tended to leave humans alone, though.
His words: "I deal with the dead, not the living."
So, humans were safe.
Ulquiorra's gaze shifted back to the arena as Lucius and Lázaro entered.
Lázaro, being the smart man he was, immediately pulled out his blade. Anything less than his full power, and he'd be getting lubed up.
"Consume and Covet—Desgarra Todo!"
A surge of emerald and black Reishi erupted around Lázaro as his body shifted into its grotesque, ever-devouring form. His grin stretched unnaturally wide, his claws gleamed like obsidian blades, and the endless void in his torso pulsed hungrily.
Lucius, unfazed, merely exhaled, his expression one of supreme confidence. He slowly lifted his black katana, his voice calm yet absolute.
"Exist beyond reach—Aeternus Lapis."
Once that was done, his Infinity Barriers went up.
This man was ready for the fade.
BZZZT—BOOM!
Sonido was getting abused like crazy. Attacks were flying left and right—neither man wanted to be on the receiving end.
Ducking under one of Lucius' Eternal Divide, Lázaro knew he could not afford to get hit. If he did, he'd get cut clean in half. No amount of Hierro could block it.
It was an Eternal Divide—it negated defense. You fucked with that at your own risk.
Lázaro rushed in, throwing a punch straight for Lucius. If he could land it, he could steal something—anything.
Lucius' Eternal Divide rang out again.
Fuck. He was not getting hit by that.
BZZZT—BOOM!
"Seems like you were too slow," Lázaro bragged as he Sonido'd away to safety, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Was I?" Lucius' voice came, his face still dripping with arrogance.
"Well, duh, I'm completely fine—" Lázaro started—
Then his hand hit the ground.
Right next to his head.
Oh. His vision was upside-down.
Lucius gazed down at him coldly.
"This is quite fitting for you. This is your proper form—groveling on the floor, looking up at your superior."
He raised his blade.
He was ready to end this.
Lázaro's body began to regenerate. His severed hand grabbed his head and placed it back where it belonged.
"You are fucking annoying," Lázaro grumbled.
Lucius remained calm.
"Let me show you the vast difference in power between us."
"Shatter the boundaries—Fatum Aeternum."
The moment he spoke, his Shikai activated.
Lázaro blinked.
So, let's get this straight—
Not only did this asshole have a Resurrección, but he also had a Shikai?
...Fun.
More shit for him to steal.
Deciding to switch things up, he began using the speed he had stolen from Zommari.
The second he activated it, Zommari himself felt his movements slow down.
Huh. Looked like Lázaro could access his stolen abilities at any time.
That was bullshit.
BZZZT—BOOM!
Lázaro began blitzing around the battlefield at absurd speeds.
BZZZT—BOOM!
"Such frivolous theatrics," Lucius said calmly, taking in a deep breath.
"They mean nothing when your opponent is simply better."
BZZZT—BOOM!
And just like that—
Lucius appeared right in front of him.
Oh... lord.
A/N how y'all liking Lucius so far?
How much potential does he have?
Which captain can he beat or lose to?
What y'all think of his ability?
Who winning this?(winner get release next week)
Ps this is only the appetizer....yes, appetizers, the real fight start next week with the sin fighting.
Story only ramp up from here.
Only hitting a small break during fullbring arc.