176 CHAPTER 195: The Showdown (I)

Hueco Mundo.

The desolate landscape of Hueco Mundo stretched out before Harribel, the colorless sand and eternal darkness evoking a sense of nostalgia within her. She hadn't been here since she shifted to the Living World except for a brief return to bring Sung-Sun and Apacci home.

To her surprise, she faced Ulquiorra in the same spot where her path first crossed with Kazuya, making her even more nostalgic.

She pulled back her hood, and her golden Reiatsu enveloped her, materializing into her regal spiritual attire. Then she reached behind her, her fingers curling around the hilt of her sword, drawing it slowly from its embellished sheath.

"Will you die like this, or will you use your Resurrección?"

She held no personal grudge against Ulquiorra, but it seemed he had a reason to harm Kazuya — enough of a reason for them to become enemies. While Harribel didn't believe in resorting to violence as a means to solve problems, sometimes it was the only option.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he observed her, perhaps acknowledging that among Hollows, her Reiatsu was one of the strongest he had encountered.

"Still pointless," he finally spoke, raising his finger towards her. "You have diverted me from my mission, trash. For that, I will eliminate you."

The burgeoning energy at his fingertip signaled the impending onslaught. In response, Harribel drew back her right hand and rested her left hand under the sharpened edge of her blade. A golden surge of Reiatsu amassed in the hollow of her sword.

"Cero."

"Aura Azul."

The moment Ulquiorra released his Cero, Harribel thrust her sword forward and unleashed her special technique. A golden wave-like projectile erupted from her blade, clashing with Ulquiorra's Cero in a spectacular explosion. The sky erupted in a kaleidoscope of green and gold, painting the desolate landscape with transient vibrancy.

For a moment, it seemed like a stalemate, until Harribel's golden Reiatsu suddenly broke through the Cero. Although surprised at Harribel overpowering his weakest Cero, he quickly reacted and cut down with a quick swing of his sword.

From the outcome, both could see that their powers were evenly matched. In their current forms, whoever had superior skills or faster regeneration would have the advantage in a fight.

Ulquiorra didn't gamble on Harribel's specialization. He wanted this battle over with, so he could focus on the mission Aizen gave him.

Pointing the blade at Harribel, he whispered, "You aren't utter garbage like others in Las Noches… Imprison, Murcielago (The Great Black-Winged Demon.)"

Harribel was a little surprised at Ulquiorra's eagerness to release his Resurrección. "You want to finish it fast? Makes the two of us…"

A burst of greenish-black Reiatsu erupted from beneath his feet, resembling a colossal lotus. Some of the aura flickered rapidly and rained down around him as if he was shedding his skin, while the rest encased him in a cocoon.

When the rain ceased, Ulquiorra revealed his Resurrección form — he now had large, black bat wings on his back, wild and untamed hair, and remnants of his Hollow mask formed a headpiece over his head, with two massive horns jutting outward to the sides towards the front, giving him a more menacing demon-like appearance.

His attire evolved with him, molding into a form-fitting robe that tapered elegantly downwards.

But the most striking aspect of his Resurrección was the immense power radiating from him. Even Harribel, who stood in front of him, could feel the tremors caused by his overwhelming Reiatsu.

Even an Adjuchas would feel despair from being in his presence.

Yet, her eyes showed no fear, but a look of pity.

"You…" Ulquiorra spoke slowly, raising his chin. "Why are you making that face? Do you find my Resurrección… lacking?"

Something about her expression irked him in the wrong way.

"No," Harribel said, shaking her head. "It's the emptiness in your eyes — you have never experienced true happiness in your life, have you?"

From her perspective, Ulquiorra's expression screamed 'I hate everything equally.' With everything she had in life, she couldn't imagine living like him.

"A hollow preaching about true happiness. Do you not know how pathetic it makes you seem?" Ulquiorra replied with his usual monotonous expression. "I can only assume living with humans gives you the idea that you're 'one' of them… that you can comprehend those things harbored in their 'heart' known as 'feelings'."

"I do have those feelings," she spoke firmly, with conviction, and placed a hand on her chest. "As far as heart goes, I have one right here; it carries all my emotions - my love, my passion... my feelings to protect those I hold dear from harm... they who are my pride."

"Friends and family?" Ulquiorra couldn't help but scoff at the very concept. "My eyes can penetrate everything… The thing you refer to as 'heart' does not exist in Hollow, nor does it exist in Humans. If this eye cannot see something, then that 'something' does not exist."

Harribel shook her head. "Your ignorance, your denial of anything beyond your understanding, it's... pitiable."

If they had met under different circumstances, she could have helped him overcome his nihilistic mindset, but they stood on opposite sides. He was an enemy she had to defeat.

Harribel let go of her Zanpakutō and held it with a reverse grip, pointing its blade towards the ground. "Hunt, Tiburón (Supernal Shark Empress)."

A tide of Reiatsu washed over the area as a surge of water gushed out from the space behind her and enveloped her in a cocoon shaped like a heart. The very form of her transformation mocked Ulquiorra's beliefs about the existence of a 'heart'.

"Foolish..." he whispered. "Your Resurrección is garbage like you."

Harribel cut out of the water cocoon, revealing her thinly clad Resurrección form. "My heart and your nihilistic beliefs… let's see which one cuts sharper."

Ulquiorra conjured a green javelin of pure energy in his clenched right fist. "Don't falter then. I'll show you that you're wrong."

The confrontation, initially sparked by random circumstance, had now evolved into an intensely personal duel.

...

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