— — — — — —
Even though it was just a skeleton, everyone present could clearly sense the fury emanating from that bony face.
Dark purple flames roared and crackled, swirling like a heavy mist. They half-obscured Baraggan Louisenbairn's skeletal visage, giving him an even more menacing and oppressive presence.
Baraggan slowly lifted his gaze and stared coldly at Katerea Leviathan.
BOOM!
A massive pillar of flames suddenly erupted from his body, surging straight toward Katerea like a tidal wave ready to consume everything in its path!
Katerea remained still, arms folded, her expression blank and unbothered.
She glanced at the oncoming firestorm with a slight tilt of her eyes—completely indifferent. She didn't even raise a hand to defend herself.
Just as the inferno was about to swallow her whole, she spoke softly:
"Ingvild."
Ingvild Leviathan flinched. Her eyelashes trembled as she closed her eyes and whispered, "I... I understand."
---
To recall:
[Ingvild Leviathan]
→Rank: High-Class Devil
→Position: Bishop
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: I0 •Agility: I0 •Endurance: I0 •Magic: I0
→Position Skill: Magic Resistance
→Noble Phantasm: [Nereid Kyrie / Poem of Endless Green Sea]
—[Nereid Kyrie]—
•Through singing, commands dragonkin (e.g., suppression, enhancement)
•Sea Manipulation
→Unique Skills: [Sea Serpent Devil]
—[Sea Serpent Devil]—
•Deep Sea Resonance: In water, all stats increase by 50%; magic recovery doubles.Can sense all aquatic flows and predict enemy water-element attacks.
•Spawn of Chaos: When HP drops below 30%, forcibly summons the "Leviathan Phantom."Triggers AoE psychic corruption (inflicts fear/confusion); Converts enemy magic into her own HP.
•Devilization – Sea Hymn Form: Uses a song to control liquid matter (water/blood/venom); Can mold into weapons or barriers. Absolute dominion over sea creatures, including mythical beings like Krakens.
→Development Abilities:
•Sorcery: S
•Summoning: S
---
FWOOOO—
After Ingvild made her move, it was like the air itself shifted.
Everyone suddenly heard the sound of waves crashing, as if a distant ocean had come alive in their ears.
Starrk frowned slightly."...Something's coming."
WHOOSH—
The sound intensified. The air grew moist. Thick, humid pressure spread through the entire Las Noches palace.
And then—a vast, brilliant ocean materialized out of nowhere!
Before Baraggan's flames could reach Katerea, the tidal force of the summoned sea surged forward and snuffed them out in an instant.
Baraggan Louisenbairn: "?!"
That alone was shocking enough—but this wasn't just any water.
His flames carried the concept of aging and decay... and they were just casually drowned?!
And it wasn't over.
The endless ocean didn't stop at extinguishing his attack—it expanded, swallowing the entire interior of Las Noches!
Seeing the rising tide, Starrk and the others immediately unleashed their Reiatsu and took to the air to avoid getting caught in the flood.
Starrk glanced down at the submerged fortress, his face twitching.
"Well... there goes the rest of Las Noches."
Before, only part of the place was destroyed. Now? It was completely underwater.
Still, that wasn't what bothered him most.
What really got his attention... was what just happened.
He stared at the shimmering ocean beneath him, then muttered, stunned: "She just... changed the entire environment...?"
Changing the battlefield wasn't unheard of.
But this was Hueco Mundo.
Filling a place as massive as Las Noches with this much seawater—immediately and effortlessly—was not something just anyone could pull off.
Even he would struggle to manage something like that.
Starrk's eyes shifted to Ingvild Leviathan, who looked like a nervous wreck standing awkwardly above the waves.
He could hardly believe it.
That timid-looking girl... was the one responsible for this overwhelming phenomenon?
Harribel's expression hardened as well. Her voice low and serious, she muttered:
"She's at least on my level."
In fact, their powers seemed very similar. And if she were being honest... Ingvild might even surpass her in terms of command over the ocean.
Instinctively, Harribel's hand moved toward her Zanpakutō.
HUMMMM—
She pursed her lips.
Her sword—Tiburon—was trembling.
Ingvild Leviathan... Yeah, that had to be her name...
Her power wasn't just high—it was terrifyingly high.
After silently evaluating the situation, Harribel shook her head.
"I don't think I could beat her."
Starrk: "Huh?"
He glanced at her in surprise. "You're rating her that highly?"
Harribel gave a quiet nod, her expression grim.
What she didn't know... was that Ingvild Leviathan had next to zero actual combat experience.
Otherwise, there's no way she'd have said that so confidently.
Starrk stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes. He looked down at Baraggan and said, "Better watch your step, old man. Wouldn't want to trip and drown now."
Baraggan Louisenbairn: "…"
He wanted to say something, anything... but the sheer absurdity of what had just happened left him speechless.
Why did someone who looked so weak... unleash such terrifying power?
It didn't make sense.
Unconvinced, he locked his gaze onto Ingvild Leviathan and examined her closely.
"???"
Ingvild blinked in confusion, eyes wide and innocent. She quickly looked away, clearly flustered.
She was... scared.
Baraggan: "..."
Can you please act like a proper powerhouse?!
If you keep doing this...
Won't it make my flames look completely worthless?!
"Hey, Skullhead!" Grimmjow suddenly shouted.
"She clearly didn't underestimate you—look at the monster she sent to deal with you!"
He pointed toward Katerea, grinning smugly.
Baraggan snorted.
Ingvild blinked again, her face full of doubt.
Strong? Her?
Was... was he talking about her?
"Hmph."
Baraggan grunted, but didn't say anything else. He didn't even mention Katerea anymore.
Instead, his attention was fixed squarely on Ingvild.
"If that's how it is…" he muttered in a low voice, "...then I'll take care of you first."
"Eek!"
Ingvild flinched before she could say a word.
Baraggan vanished in an instant.
And the next second—A massive skeletal head appeared right in front of her face.
"!!"
"D-Don't come any closer!! Aaaahhh!!"
Ingvild screamed in sheer panic—her voice like a banshee's wail, echoing through the deep sea.
BOOOOOOOM—
Baraggan's vision spun. His skull trembled violently as an unearthly shriek tore through the air.
Creak... creak...
A horrible screech like grinding bones or an ancient violin came from deep inside his ribcage.
What the hell...?!
Before he could process it, an enormous shadow rose behind Ingvild Leviathan.
It blocked out the entire sky.
The sheer presence of that towering figure made Baraggan momentarily forget the pain in his bones.
"What... is that...?"
The flames in his eye sockets flickered. A primal fear surged through his very soul.
It was like standing before a divine entity straight out of myth—a being that shouldn't exist in this world.
The phantom form of Leviathan glanced at him with cold, indifferent eyes.
Baraggan felt an icy chill shoot through his bones.
His body locked up completely.
He couldn't move—at all.
BOOM!!
In the instant, the sea below him erupted into a massive whirlpool, surging up and dragging him into its depths without warning...
Baraggan Louisenbairn suddenly ducked his head.
A powerful vortex had locked onto him, sucking him in with no room to resist!
"Damn it!!"
Reacting fast, Baraggan snapped his chains with a flick.
Fwsh—
A blast of force rushed straight toward Ingvild Leviathan. The next second—a massive axe blade came crashing down toward her!
Ingvild's pupils shrank. On instinct, she raised her arm and squeezed her eyes shut.
But, the pain she expected never came. Instead, a crisp metallic clong rang in her ears.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she cautiously opened her eyes.
"Eh?"
She blinked in surprise. Standing before her was a shimmering blue silhouette that had intercepted the axe. Her eyes lit up. "Leviathan!"
Leviathan glanced at her, then quickly averted its gaze.
Ugh! What a disgrace…
How did someone this timid end up as its master?
It felt like its entire life was doomed because of her.
But still—As the mighty Leviathan's chosen master, she wasn't someone anyone could just push around.
That thought sent a chill through Leviathan's eyes. It turned its gaze to Baraggan and raised its massive hand, clenching it tightly.
"..."
Baraggan's pupils constricted, and he unleashed his full Reiatsu.
Boom!!
Dark purple flames erupted around him!
Hissssss—
Flames imbued with the concept of "aging" lashed out at Leviathan's projection like an acid storm.
A constant screeching echoed as the flames scorched the illusion.
Leviathan looked down at its own fading form, a hint of helplessness flashing in its eyes.
With Ingvild's current level of magic, it still couldn't go all-out.
But… to think even this meager level of power could hurt it?
Leviathan was silent for a moment before growling in frustration, "Ingvild, you've been slacking lately!"
"You better level up fast!"
"Hehe…" Ingvild blinked, feigning innocence with wide, watery eyes.
Leviathan: "…"
It sighed, shaking its head, then warned, "I'm about to ramp things up."
It was a message to Ingvild: it was going to draw more magic from her.
The very next moment— Ingvild felt a rush as her magic power was siphoned like a flood.
Leviathan's form began to solidify, becoming more and more real.
At the same time, the flames carrying the aging effect weakened.
"What… is that thing?"
Grimmjow stared at the massive projection of Leviathan, utterly dumbfounded.
Starrk was silent for a beat, then murmured with a slight gleam in his eyes, "That thing's bigger than any Hollow I've ever seen."
Harribel hesitated. "Baraggan… will he be okay?"
Starrk opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He'd been pretty confident in Baraggan just a moment ago.
But now… not so much.
Meanwhile—
Noticing everyone's attention was locked on Baraggan's battle, Nnoitra Gilga quietly began backing away, hoping to sneak out of this mess.
.
.
.