— — — — — —
DUANG!!
The battle axe came crashing down with a howl, but instead of the sickening crunch of steel meeting flesh, the strike was stopped cold with a sharp, ringing clang.
Baraggan Louisenbairn narrowed his eyes.
His twin axes had struck a glowing blue magic circle—yet they couldn't pierce it an inch further.
Baraggan's brows furrowed slightly. He pressed down harder with his arms.
A shrill, grating sound filled the air. But that was it.
Katerea Leviathan cast him a sidelong glance and channeled more power into the magic circle.
BOOM!!
A surge of force exploded from the circle and sent a shockwave straight back!
Baraggan's pupils shrank.
A split second later, he was knocked off balance—and plummeted straight down.
CRASH!!
He slammed into the ground, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
His knees buckled slightly as he looked up toward Katerea Leviathan floating above, his face full of disbelief.
It had only been a brief clash.
But at their level… even a simple exchange was enough to gauge a rough measure of each other's strength.
This woman!
He glanced at Katerea again, then at Starrk—and fell silent.
Sensing Baraggan's gaze, Starrk shrugged casually. "I did warn you."
Baraggan was quiet for a moment. Then, with a grin, he burst into hearty laughter. "To think she's on the same level as you…"
He exhaled slowly and smirked. "But that just makes it even more fun."
As the former King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan had never once feared raising his axe against a powerful foe.
"Rot… Arrogante."
Baraggan spoke in a low chant.
As the words left his mouth, his pristine white uniform ignited in dark purple flames, quickly turning pitch-black.
His decaying flesh crumbled away, revealing a towering skeletal figure standing imposingly in his place.
Atop his skull sat a golden crown, with heavy chains trailing from it and coiling around his massive frame.
A deep, ancient sigh echoed from his mouth.
The purple flames spread rapidly—everything they touched began to wither under the overwhelming concept of aging.
Even ruined buildings nearby decayed rapidly, as if centuries had passed in seconds.
Starrk clicked his tongue. "Going Resurrección already, huh…"
"Guess you're feeling the pressure."
Baraggan gave him a cold glare and let out a grunt.
But… he didn't deny it.
Katerea Leviathan really was a difficult opponent.
And besides, this was Las Noches—his palace.
Even if it now belonged to Aizen, someday, he would take it back.
And yet now, Baraggan glanced at the half-destroyed palace around him, feeling a pang in his chest.
She was destroying his stuff! His precious collection!
Otherwise… Given how much he used to hate Aizen, would he really have stepped up first and started attacking this woman?
If it weren't for Las Noches, he'd be sitting comfortably inside, enjoying the chaos like a spectator at a play.
---
High in the air…
Katerea Leviathan glanced down at the eerie, decay-infused flames.
"What an interesting ability," she murmured, eyes narrowing.
As expected, in other worlds, you really could find the strangest powers imaginable.
Still—Even with that, she had zero interest in personally fighting him.
To her, Baraggan's power—while unique—was still only at the level of an Ultimate-class devil.
Roughly on par with Kokabiel, maybe?
Someone of that caliber wasn't even worth her attention.
But he'd make the perfect sparring partner for Ingvild Leviathan.
At that thought, her eyes lit up. She turned and scanned the area, looking for Ingvild.
And finally—
Katerea stared wordlessly at the sight of Ingvild Leviathan cowering behind Miko Yotsuya.
Expression blank, she yanked Ingvild out from behind Miko and snapped, "You're an Ultimate-class devil!"
"So why are you hiding behind someone who's just a high-class devil?!"
Miko: "…"
Why… does that feel like a dig?
Ingvild shrank back, casting a nervous glance at Baraggan—then immediately looked away, voice trembling.
"A…a walking skeleton…"
Katerea: "…"
Seriously? That's what scares you?
"The Leviathan bloodline is seriously wasted on you…"
Ignoring Ingvild's obvious panic, Katerea dragged her forward and pointed straight at Baraggan.
"He's yours. Take care of him."
"Ehhh?!"
Ingvild froze in place, eyes wide with shock.
Then she started frantically shaking her head.
"No no no no NO!"
Katerea's face remained impassive, her tone brooking no argument.
"Your opinion doesn't matter."
"He's got decent strength—perfect for your training."
"??!"
Ingvild opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Katerea activated a teleportation spell and sent her straight to the battlefield.
"!!!"
Ingvild stumbled as she landed, then looked up in horror at the looming figure of Baraggan.
She waved a tiny, awkward greeting.
"Um… h-hi, Mr. Skeleton, s-sir…"
She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Sure, she'd inherited the blood of Leviathan. But could everyone stop forgetting she was also half-human?!
Before her devil blood awakened, she'd been a normal girl! And after that, she went into a coma—not exactly a lot of battle experience!
Even after joining the Familia, most of her fighting had been against low-level monsters or weak cursed spirits.
She'd never been in a real, high-stakes battle like this!
What do I do, what do I do, what do I DO?!
Ingvild was trembling, her hands clenched together as sweat poured down her forehead. She was panicking, plain and simple.
Meanwhile, Baraggan stared at the young woman Katerea had teleported in front of him.
Even with nothing but a skull, it was like a dark cloud passed over his face.
Was this… supposed to be a joke?
They seriously sent someone like this to fight him?
And on top of that—Training practice?
"…Heh heh heh!"
A low, bone-chilling laugh rattled out of his hollow skull.
The dark purple flames flared to life again.
"You…"
"You really think the former King of Hueco Mundo is some kind of warm-up target?"
.
.
.