Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

"Hahaha, this is really ridiculous!" Nnoitra laughed wildly and asked, "Then why are you here?"

"To destroy you! What does it have to do with why?" Uehara Shiroha said calmly. "Do you need a reason to crush an ant? Don't keep asking me to answer such boring questions. Your life isn't worth wasting my time on, not even a second."

"You..." Nnoitra wanted to refute, but for some reason, he couldn't speak.

He could see that this guy didn't regard them as beings worthy of consideration, not even as ants. This Shinigami was simply heartless, even more of a monster than they were!

For a moment, Nnoitra was just like those defeated players who hadn't yet accepted their loss. He was inferior in every way, losing in presence and in battle, losing spectacularly!

"Captain Commander Uehara, please take Orihime out of Hueco Mundo first," Ichigo pleaded. "Her ability is crucial and could awaken the Hōgyoku prematurely. No matter what, she must not fall into Aizen's hands. When my injuries heal, I will defeat Aizen myself!"

During his previous conversations with Grimmjow and Orihime, he had learned why Aizen had lured Orihime to Hueco Mundo. In his mind, without the Hōgyoku, there would be no Ōken, no danger, and Karakura Town would be safe.

For this, Ichigo was willing to sacrifice everything. For his family and friends, he would fight to the end.

Uehara Shiroha sighed: "How can you be so naive? You believe everything others tell you. If someone asks you to go to Soul Society, you go there. If someone tells you to become a Hollow, you become a Hollow. If someone invites you to Hueco Mundo, you come running. You've met Aizen before, so why do you still believe what he says? Haven't you been deceived enough? Do you really think the Hōgyoku can't be used without Orihime's power? You underestimate Aizen far too much."

Uehara Shiroha knew that Aizen never told the complete truth. Or rather, he told partial truths that could still deceive you. The highest level of deception was to lie to people with fragments of truth.

For example, Aizen claimed that Orihime's Rejection of Fate could awaken the Hōgyoku prematurely. This was true. If Orihime were willing, she could use her Shun Shun Rikka to fully awaken the Hōgyoku.

Hearing this, everyone would naturally assume that Aizen brought Orihime to Hueco Mundo to use her ability. If you believed this, you'd fall into his trap. Because this was only part of his plan, and not even the main objective.

In fact, Aizen's purpose in luring Orihime to Hueco Mundo was twofold: first, to force Ichigo to fight desperately and stimulate his potential; second, to draw Kenpachi Zaraki and other captains away from Soul Society.

This would divide the battlefield to the greatest extent, preventing him from facing the full strength of the Gotei 13 while simultaneously eliminating troublesome variables.

Of course, it would be even better if he could lure Uehara Shiroha himself to Hueco Mundo. After all, while Kenpachi was just a potential threat, Uehara Shiroha had been secretly applying pressure on Aizen. To draw him away, Aizen had likely prepared numerous contingency plans.

However, Uehara never played by the rules. Without waiting for Aizen to implement his schemes, he had taken the initiative to come to Hueco Mundo himself.

"What he said is true!" Nnoitra looked at Orihime with malicious eyes. "Although she's just a human female, her ability is truly remarkable. That power is effective even on the Hōgyoku. That's why we call her the Princess of Rejection."

He didn't believe that Uehara Shiroha didn't care about the Hōgyoku. No one could resist the temptation of such a treasure, as it could effectively enhance one's strength.

Uehara Shiroha looked at Nnoitra and said: "This is why you're pitiful. Your understanding of the world, power, and wisdom is woefully inadequate."

These fools had probably racked their brains yet never realized that Aizen's real target wasn't Orihime, but Ichigo himself.

If Aizen wanted to evolve perfectly, he needed a complete Hōgyoku and the power of Hollowification. Beyond Orihime, Aizen had other methods to awaken the Hōgyoku prematurely. But the perfect power of Hollowification was possessed only by Ichigo, the unexpected "Soul King Candidate."

The Soul King Candidate bloodline within Ichigo was itself the most precious resource. To some extent, it was even more valuable than the Hōgyoku. After all, bloodline expanded one's upper limits, while the Hōgyoku merely helped reach those limits faster—it couldn't exceed inherent boundaries.

The Visored and Arrancar only used Hollowification to break their existing limitations. The Hōgyoku simply ensured the stable progression of Hollowification.

Therefore, Aizen had thoughtfully arranged a series of "bosses" for Ichigo to face, maximizing the potential of his power. To prevent Ichigo from being in real danger, Aizen had even used the Hōgyoku to strengthen Orihime's abilities. That's why, after coming to Hueco Mundo, her Shun Shun Rikka had become stronger.

So far, everything had unfolded according to that manipulative schemer's calculations. Once again, everyone was being played by Aizen.

"You said I was pitiful?" Nnoitra could no longer suppress the murderous intent in his heart. He raised his crescent-shaped weapon and swung it toward Uehara Shiroha.

Facing the massive blade, Uehara Shiroha didn't move. Seeing his apparent defenselessness, Tesla prepared to turn around and launch a sneak attack.

"Ignorance breeds fearlessness," Uehara Shiroha shook his head, shifted his body, and disappeared. When he reappeared, he had escaped the range of the massive weapon. At the same time, a branch had materialized in his hand.

The white branch was nothing special—just an ordinary quartz twig from the Hueco Mundo desert.

Nnoitra swung his blade through empty air, looked at the dodging Uehara Shiroha, and taunted: "After all that big talk, it turns out you can only dodge! And what's that in your hand? Are you trying to make me laugh with your parlor tricks?"

Inwardly, he was actually a bit shocked. He hadn't clearly seen how Uehara Shiroha had evaded his attack. This meant the Shinigami was significantly faster than him.

But since Uehara had chosen to dodge rather than block, it suggested he feared Nnoitra's attack. And even now, Nnoitra still couldn't sense any powerful reiatsu from him. He convinced himself he could win this battle.

Uehara Shiroha waved the branch and said calmly: "This is a divine sword! A divine sword that can destroy your Hierro!"

Hearing this claim, Ichigo, Orihime, and Nnoitra were all surprised and skeptical.

A divine sword? How could that be possible? It was just an ordinary branch, broken off from a nearby quartz tree.

Ichigo and Orihime couldn't understand why Uehara Shiroha would call the branch a divine sword. The two honest souls thought that perhaps they simply lacked experience. Maybe this branch from Hueco Mundo really was something extraordinary.

Nnoitra was not so generous in his assessment.

How could he, a great Hollow of Hueco Mundo, not know what these branches were? This Uehara Shiroha was just being mysterious—maybe this guy was actually nothing special.

Under the dome of Las Noches, Nnoitra, holding his massive crescent blade, laughed wildly:

"Tesla, did you hear that? This guy actually claimed a mere branch is a divine sword. How hilarious! Trying to trick me with such an obvious deception! Who does he think I am? Tesla, why aren't you laughing?"

He frowned and looked at Tesla, who remained motionless, confusion spreading across his face. "What is this guy doing? Just a moment ago, he seemed about to launch a sneak attack on Uehara Shiroha. Why did he suddenly stop moving? Is he scared? What a useless subordinate!"

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your Fracción. He's just dead," Uehara Shiroha's expression became even more casual and indifferent. "Didn't you say that the dead have no names? Well, the dead also don't laugh. The emotions of the dead are always very stable."

What arrogance to challenge someone of his level. It's really no pity to die!

Then, under the shocked gazes of the three onlookers, Tesla's head separated from his body. The subordinate who had just threatened Uehara Shiroha moments before died silently. The death was sudden, straightforward, and absolute.

"..." Looking at the head on the ground, Orihime's eyes widened like saucers, her legs weakened, and her body froze in place.

Ichigo also stared in disbelief, wondering: "What just happened? Was it really the branch?"

Thinking back, he seemed to have vaguely glimpsed a figure flashing in front of Tesla. But he couldn't be certain.

Moreover, even if Uehara Shiroha's speed was truly that fast, how had he cut off Tesla's head? The body of an Arrancar was extremely durable, protected by Hierro. Could Uehara Shiroha really have severed Tesla's head with just a branch? How was that possible?

Witnessing Tesla's peaceful passing, Nnoitra was immediately shaken:

"What did you do?"

Tesla's death was so sudden that Nnoitra felt overwhelmed. He could accept death—it was a natural part of battle. But he couldn't accept it when it came so suddenly, so casually, so effortlessly, and so strangely.

Uehara Shiroha waved the branch in his hand:

"Nothing special. I just used this divine sword to sever his head. Isn't it natural for an ant to end up this way after challenging a dragon? Do you have any objections?"

He was somewhat disappointed with these Arrancar. In truth, Arrancar strengthened by the Hōgyoku had great potential and remarkable abilities. However, each one possessed psychological flaws, just like Ichigo who had not fully embraced his Hollow nature.

So while these Arrancar appeared fierce and murderous, they all lacked a certain resolve in actual combat. This crucial missing element ensured they would fail at critical moments. This weakness had laid the groundwork for the eventual downfall of the Espada.

Aizen had not yet recognized this problem, let alone solved it. Of course, Aizen was too indifferent to bother addressing such issues. For the master of Las Noches, if tools proved inconvenient, he simply replaced them—there was no need for repairs. After all, Hueco Mundo was vast; if one died, another could easily take its place.

Aizen never anticipated that at the crucial moment, the Espada would collectively fail and prove almost worthless.

"How is this possible?" Nnoitra looked at Uehara Shiroha in shock.

He had thought his attack had been effective and the opponent had been forced to dodge. If that were the case, such speed would be understandable. But if events truly unfolded as Uehara Shiroha claimed—if he had instantly killed Tesla with a mere branch—the implications were entirely different.

Not only had the Shinigami's speed reached an incredible level, but he had also somehow penetrated Tesla's Hierro silently with a simple twig. Such a feat was absolutely impossible! The attack made no sense whatsoever! Nnoitra couldn't comprehend or accept such an assault. It must have been the power of a Zanpakutō!

"Nothing is impossible," Uehara Shiroha pointed the branch at Nnoitra. "You're next, Nnoitra! I will use this divine sword to defeat your so-called strongest Hierro!"

The strongest Hierro, the strongest of the Espada—this Nnoitra truly has no humility whatsoever.

Hearing Uehara Shiroha's declaration, Nnoitra was enraged. He roared, activated his weapon, and swung it in a vicious attack.

But in the next second, he lost sight of Uehara Shiroha. Neither combat intuition, danger perception, nor sensory detection aided him. There was no chill down his spine, no hair standing on end, no overwhelming reiatsu—just silence as Uehara Shiroha appeared behind him.

Under the cold moonlight, Uehara Shiroha landed gracefully, his appearance immaculate, and casually remarked:

"I controlled my strength. It seems the so-called 'strongest Hierro' amounts to just this."

The Quinto Espada was indeed just that—the fifth ranked. Even when Uehara restrained his power, Nnoitra remained vulnerable. For one who had achieved unity with his sword, any defense was futile. The power of his strikes could cut through space and time itself. Mere Hierro was like tofu before his blade.

At this moment, Nnoitra finally reacted. He groaned, widened his eyes, and looked at his left shoulder. The place where his arm had been connected was now empty. At some point, his limb had been severed and now lay on the sand. A buzzing filled his ears as his mind went blank.

Uehara Shiroha had actually cut off his arm with just a branch. The Hierro he had been so proud of had proven completely ineffective. Now he understood that Tesla's death had not been without cause.

However, even now, Nnoitra could not comprehend how Uehara Shiroha had accomplished this feat. Even for a Zanpakutō ability, it shouldn't be so overwhelmingly powerful. He hadn't felt a thing before his arm was severed by a branch—a mere branch! And the information he had was wrong; wasn't this guy an ice-wielder?

Rumors said that Uehara's Zanpakutō could create ice and snow, which had earned him the title of "White Devil." No matter how he looked at it, this ability had nothing to do with cutting. Why was his slash so devastating?

Meanwhile, Orihime had darted to Ichigo's side like a frightened deer. After witnessing these events, she shrank back even further.

Although Captain Commander Uehara was an ally, powerful and reliable, the scene before them was terrifyingly cruel. Unlike Aizen, whose immense reiatsu was overwhelming, Uehara Shiroha's spiritual pressure was almost imperceptible. The incredibly powerful Shinigami before them was like a black hole—unfathomable, like a god.

"So fast!" Ichigo stared straight ahead, marveling inwardly. "I couldn't even see his movements clearly. Captain Commander Uehara is incredibly strong! And that slash..."

In his Bankai with Hollow mask, Ichigo's movement speed and reaction time were extremely quick, and his cutting power was terrifyingly strong. After all, Tensa Zangetsu itself was a Bankai that excelled in both strength and speed.

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