BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

The four immensely powerful beings descended upon Hueco Mundo under the cover of darkness, their battle shaking the very ground as if struck by falling meteorites.

Akira possessed an extraordinarily strong Reiatsu, yet he lacked techniques that could fully harness its power. His true release, Excalibur, required significant time to charge, limiting his immediate combat effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck had yet to recover fully from her injuries and depleted spiritual energy. As a result, Ulquiorra Cifer was the only one still in peak condition, prepared to fight at full strength.

This imbalance gave Baraggan Louisenbairn a distinct advantage. As the battle raged on, he only grew stronger, pressing his dominance with relentless attacks.

"Be careful! Don't touch his black aura!"

Seeing the ominous Respira spreading from Baraggan, Akira immediately warned his allies.

"It's fine. We have High-Speed Regeneration," Nelliel reassured him. "Akira, you're the one who needs to be careful—"

Akira cut her off. "High-Speed Regeneration won't work against him. His ability is aging!"

"If you're touched by his Respira, you'll rapidly deteriorate, growing weaker with every second. Your body won't heal—because there's nothing left to regenerate!"

"What!?"

Nelliel's eyes widened in shock, but it was Baraggan who was even more astonished.

"You! How do you know of this king's ability?!"

Baraggan took pride in demonstrating his overwhelming power, but only the dead ever learned of his true nature. His loyal Fracción would never betray him, and as the former King of Hueco Mundo, he had rarely needed to fight personally. How, then, could this Shinigami possibly understand his power so clearly?

"Ha! Surprised?" Nelliel smirked. "Akira knows everything! He's omniscient!"

Baraggan narrowed his eyes, momentarily unsettled. This Arrancar was too foolish to be lying—but how could anyone possess such knowledge?

Akira seized the moment of hesitation, discreetly forming a psychic message for Ulquiorra to read.

"Hmph. It doesn't matter whether you know my ability or not," Baraggan scoffed. "The outcome remains the same—you will die at the hands of this king!"

As he prepared to strike again, Akira suddenly swung his sword downward.

"Wind King Barrier!"

Whoosh!

A powerful hurricane erupted from nowhere, engulfing the battlefield in a storm of swirling sand and dust.

Baraggan momentarily lost sight of his opponents, but he remained composed.

"Cheap tricks… Your Reiatsu is locked onto me. You can't run, no matter how hard you try."

"I never intended to run," Akira's voice echoed through the storm.

As the dust settled, only Akira remained—Ulquiorra and Nelliel had vanished.

"You let those two Arrancar escape?" Baraggan frowned. "You sacrificed yourself for them? What a foolish decision. Without their help, you'll only die faster."

Akira chuckled darkly. "Who gave you the right to assume that?"

Baraggan hesitated.

Akira's Reiatsu was undeniably immense—at least equal to his own. Could he have underestimated his opponent?

For the first time in ages, the former King of Hueco Mundo felt a flicker of uncertainty.

Looking at it this way, Akira might not be able to take him down single-handedly.

Baraggan never imagined that Akira would completely defy common sense.

There had never been a Shinigami whose Reiatsu alone was heaven-defying, while the rest of their abilities lagged behind. For a moment, Baraggan was caught off guard.

"So that's it… Are you saying they were only a hindrance?"

Baraggan justified the situation to himself, concluding that this aligned with Akira's "arrogant" nature.

"So arrogant… Very well. This king will make you taste despair, and before you die, you will deeply regret your decision!"

Tens of thousands of meters away, Ulquiorra was dragging Nelliel, putting more and more distance between them and the battlefield.

"Hey! Stop! We can't just abandon Akira!"

Nelliel shouted, finally calling him by name, which made Ulquiorra pause for a brief moment.

"He told me to escape with you," Ulquiorra said after some thought. "He said the King of Hueco Mundo's ability is extremely restraining against our kind—Menos Grande."

This was true. One of the biggest reasons Menos Grande were such a threat to Shinigami, despite lacking Zanpakutō abilities, was their High-Speed Regeneration.

This ability effectively granted them multiple lives, making them notoriously difficult to kill. However, Baraggan's Aging ability could nullify this regeneration, allowing him to instantly kill them. He was, in essence, their natural enemy.

"Even so, we can't just leave Akira behind and run away alone!" Nelliel protested anxiously. "He's just like us! If that black miasma touches him, he'll be in serious danger!"

Ulquiorra replied simply, "I don't know what he's thinking. All I know is that he ordered me to take you and flee."

Nelliel found this completely unreasonable. She couldn't understand Ulquiorra's thought process at all.

But there was no fear in his demeanor—it was clear that he wasn't running away out of cowardice. He wasn't using Akira as an excuse to escape.

"You… don't you have your own thoughts?" Nelliel asked, her voice uncertain. "Do you just do whatever Akira tells you without question?"

"Yes."

Ulquiorra's brief, unwavering answer left Nelliel speechless.

What she didn't realize was that Akira had created the smoke as a temporary cover and had sent them away for a reason.

The first reason was simple: with two powerful Menos Grande at his side, the danger he faced against Baraggan was significantly reduced. But that wasn't what he wanted—he needed the challenge to be as difficult as possible.

The second, and far more important reason, was one Akira had complete confidence in.

[Congratulations, Host! You have survived another day! You have earned a lottery reward!]

Seeing the system panel's countdown approach midnight, Akira had hurriedly ordered Ulquiorra and Nelliel to flee, ensuring he would face Baraggan alone—thus increasing his survival difficulty.

And the reward from this risky gamble was beyond his expectations.

Akira had just drawn his strongest reward yet!