Chapter 645 Beam: You're Taking My Spot, Huh?

Although Harribel looked more human than her three subordinates, she still had many shark-like features.

The lines of the bone armor on her lower body clearly resembled a shark's belly, and the protrusions on both sides of her mask looked like shark gills.

"You want to die, don't you?"

Beam snarled.

But although his words were tough, he couldn't help feeling annoyed inside.

'Damn it, what was with that woman?'

'If she joined the team, wouldn't her role completely overlap with mine?'

'She wouldn't threaten my position on the team, would she?'

Makoto patted Beam's shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

But honestly, he hadn't thought about this issue before coming here.

Now that he saw her, Harribel and Beam's abilities did overlap significantly... they were both shark-type Hollows and both skilled in water-based attacks.

At that moment, on the high platform, Baraggan, seated on his skeletal throne, finally spoke, his voice echoing slowly across the empty plaza: "Don't make me say it again, Harribel."

With that, Baraggan raised his right hand, which was nothing but bone, and made an inviting gesture.

"Become my subordinate."

As he spoke, the two crimson pupils in Baraggan's hollow eye sockets subtly shifted to the side.

Just a moment ago, he had sensed an extremely massive Reiatsu outside Las Noches.

The quality and density of that Reiatsu were undoubtedly at the Vasto Lorde level.

He just didn't know whether that Vasto Lorde had come to defect or to cause trouble.

To prevent the worst-case scenario, he needed to bring Harribel under his command as quickly as possible.

Admittedly, the scene was quite imposing.

On the stage was the recognized strongest in Hueco Mundo. Below the stage was a seemingly endless army of Adjuchas.

An ordinary Hollow might have had weak knees.

However, Harribel's emerald eyes, uncovered by her mask, remained cold as ever. "I've said it many times too... I refuse."

If it weren't for her three companions... Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun... being captured as hostages, she wouldn't have even bothered coming to this godforsaken place.

Although he had been rejected more than once, this time Baraggan was genuinely furious.

After all, there was now a Vasto Lorde of unknown origin outside, making Baraggan even more irritable than before.

The King of Hueco Mundo slowly rose from his throne.

"Harribel, it seems you're eager to die."

Seeing their master rise, the countless Adjuchas below also began to stir.

All kinds of roars interwove, and the atmosphere in the entire plaza instantly became extremely tense.

"You three, protect yourselves."

Harribel reminded her three companions without looking back.

Emilou Apache, whose form resembled a white deer, lowered her head, her voice full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Harribel-sama..."

Mila Rose, who looked like a white lion, and Sun-Sun, who resembled a giant serpent, also hung their heads in shame, not daring to look at Harribel's back.

If they hadn't been careless and captured by Baraggan's men as hostages, Harribel wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place to rescue them.

Harribel gently waved her left hand, signaling them not to worry. Her right hand slowly raised the massive white sword fused with her elbow.

The shape of this sword was extremely similar to the Zanpakuto, [Tiburón], that would appear during her future Resurrección after Arrancarization.

As she raised her sword, Harribel, who usually showed little emotion and had the demeanor of an ice-cold beauty, let the corner of her mouth beneath the mask curl up into a tiny smile.

"You seem quite anxious, Baraggan."

Her voice carried a faint hint of sarcasm. "Worried about that Reiatsu from just now?"

Normally, Harribel wouldn't stoop to such verbal jabs.

But she knew very well that Baraggan's strength was above hers.

And she had to get all three of her companions out alive. She had no choice but to use some unconventional tactics.

Seeing Baraggan remain silent, Harribel knew her words had hit home.

She immediately doubled down, the sarcasm in her voice growing thicker. "What do you think that Vasto Lorde is here for? I certainly don't think it's to pledge allegiance to you. After all, you've ruled Hueco Mundo for over a thousand years, haven't you? Has any Vasto Lorde ever been willing to serve you?"

"Shut up!"

These words undoubtedly hit Baraggan's most sensitive spot.

The King of Hueco Mundo's roar exploded across the plaza.

With a wave of his hand, at least several hundred Adjuchas below moved simultaneously, surging forward like a black tide, all targeting Harribel's three companions behind her.

Clearly, Baraggan knew that what Harribel cared about most were those three weak Adjuchas. Rather than killing Harribel herself, it would be more effective to first eliminate those three burdens.

Making her watch the people most important to her die before her eyes would cause her more pain than simply killing her.

Sun-Sun and the others weren't particularly strong among Adjuchas to begin with. Facing so many opponents of the same level swarming them, they naturally didn't last long.

Just as their figures were about to be completely swallowed by the dense mass of Adjuchas—

"Harribel-sama... please, run..."

At the moment of being overwhelmed, Apache used her last bit of strength to shout.

Admittedly, although these three female Hollows had terrible personalities, their loyalty to Harribel was unquestionable.

At the moment of death, they didn't call for their master to save them. Instead, they told her to flee.

But Harribel had no intention of running. Upon hearing the call, she immediately turned and charged, her form leaving a golden afterimage under the moonlight.

She gripped the massive white sword with both hands and swung it horizontally... berserk golden Reiatsu surged out like a tsunami, scattering the outer ring of Adjuchas.

The wave-like sword energy swept through the plaza, sending the Adjuchas flying like dead leaves.

She swung again and again, each strike accompanied by golden Reiatsu condensed into sword energy. The Adjuchas, which had been so aggressive moments ago, were cut down in droves like paper before the power of a Vasto Lorde.

That's just the sheer gap between a Vasto Lorde and an Adjuchas.

Seeing Harribel kill dozens of his Adjuchas in an instant, Baraggan finally descended the first step from his high platform.

The King of Hueco Mundo raised his right hand. His sharp skeletal index finger lightly pointed under the moonlight, and a jet-black, smoke-like energy poured from his fingertip, spreading silently toward Harribel.

That was his unique ability... Decay.

Anything that touched this black mist would instantly decay, weather away, and return to nothingness.

Just as Harribel was about to pull Sun-Sun and the others out from the pile of Adjuchas corpses, she suddenly sensed the chilling danger behind her.

Her expression changed dramatically. Abandoning the rescue, she swung her sword back with all her might.

Golden sword energy, wrapped in immense Reiatsu, slashed toward the black mist.

But this sword energy, powerful enough to split the entire plaza in two, seemed to vanish into thin air the moment it touched the black mist.

Not only that. The black decay energy spread down the steps, and wherever it passed, the stone steps silently decayed and crumbled. Even the white stone that made up the steps turned into weathered sand in the blink of an eye.

The terror of this power far exceeded Harribel's estimation.

Seeing the decay energy surge toward her like a black tide, Harribel gritted her teeth and made a decisive move... she swung her sword backhanded, hitting her three companions with the flat of the blade.

The three of them flew like broken kites for over half a mile, but at least they were temporarily out of the decay energy's range.

Harribel herself, however, had no time to dodge.

Watching Harribel and Baraggan unleash their abilities one after another, Psykos spoke with the calm analysis of a researcher: "Water and decay, those are their abilities?"

Although Hollows could only awaken their own Zanpakuto after Arrancarization, every evolution could potentially awaken special abilities in advance.

For example, the future Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, had already awakened his devouring ability during his Gillian stage, allowing him to infinitely absorb the abilities of Hollows he killed.

And upon reaching Vasto Lorde level, it was practically guaranteed that they would awaken some unique power.

For example, Harribel's water, Baraggan's decay, and Nel's absorption.

However, compared to the Resurrección state they would achieve after Arrancarization, the current power was significantly reduced.

Using the Shinigami power system as an analogy, it was like the difference between Shikai and Bankai.

Makoto's subordinates who had also obtained Vasto Lorde power had each gained their own special abilities, though most were similar to what they already had.

Yu's infinite firing, Beam's water manipulation, Pochi's heat blast, Psykos's telekinesis.

They already had their own special abilities to begin with. After becoming Vasto Lorde, their existing abilities were mostly enhanced and elevated.

For example, Yu could now fire Cero infinitely, just like the future Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk after his Resurrección. For him, ordinary Cero was no longer a charged ultimate but a basic attack he could spam.

But mentioning this topic reminded Psykos of something else. She sidelong glanced at Makoto beside her.

Psykos suddenly remembered a major detail... after all this time in Hueco Mundo, Makoto had never once shown his Vasto Lorde power in front of anyone.