So while Val was in the middle of fighting Senjumaru inside her domain—which by now was its own section of the fight—
Harribel could be seen fighting Kirio Hikifune, the latest recruit of Squad Zero, probably the youngest one there too. Ichibe probably pisses oil if we consider how old this old fuck truly is.
Hikifune, meanwhile, was in a bad spot. The whole area they were fighting in was loaded—very loaded. Hm. She felt like she could use her Bankai, as her power was nerfed to such a degree that the realm no longer trembled under the might of her spiritual pressure.
Her hands were still shaking, as if the devil themself had shaken hands with her.
She still remembered that look Gabriel had—to think that he could seal away the power of the Ōken in her veins.
This was...
This was getting ridiculous. The more she fought, the more water came her way, and the more contact she made with the water, the skinnier she got. She was currently in her skinny form right now.
Yes... she was drained that much.
"This is ridiculous," Hikifune muttered, flipping backward as a massive torrent nearly swallowed her whole.
She landed, only for a pillar of water to erupt from beneath her feet.
She barely avoided it, twisting mid-air, landing gracefully on the surface of the water.
Being a scientist, her curiosity had been piqued. A few years ago—maybe like 60 or 70 years ago—while she was still a captain, Hollows were not this strong.
They were mostly mindless, for the most part, and Vasto Lorde-class Hollows were rare. Speaking like you-can-count-them-on-one-hand level rare.
But now, it seemed like Hueco Mundo, in that small time, had given birth to monsters.
What could be the catalyst?
Her gaze landed on Gabriel, who was currently scrapping with Ichibe... him.
Gabriel was the only independent variable in all of this.
Her gaze returned to Harribel, now noticing the light crown she seemed to possess in her release state. Apart from Gabriel, no one else had such a look.
Which probably meant...
Harribel was a queen.
And she was winning this fight.
Hikifune exhaled, tapping her belly, her spiritual pressure flaring—the air around her warped, as if she was stirring reality itself.
"You Arrancar sure have come a long way, huh?" she said, flexing her fingers, feeling the heat of her own Reiatsu simmering through her body. Her body felt like it was being drained of every ounce of energy.
Harribel remained silent, golden eyes piercing through the storm.
"You... may think of it as you please," Harribel said, before swinging her blade once more, causing another tsunami to rush toward the woman.
Hikifune was able to luckily Shunpo away.
This was getting pretty dicey.
Then—
"You seem level-headed, unlike the Hollows I've seen in the past. What compelled you to attack Soul Society?" was the woman's question.
Harribel opened her mouth and said, "Your Soul Reapers hunted our people—humans under our protection—and yet you refused to hand over the culprit. Gabriel gave Soul Society a full month to do so. Yet, because he was a noble from one of the Great Families, Soul Society refused."
Harribel then swung her blade, causing another tsunami to form, as what seemed to be twenty of Hikifune's clones came out of the water. The clones were made with her Reiryoku, meaning they could use any technique she could use.
Hundreds of Soul Reapers drowned in the wave, their spiritual energy drained from their bodies until they became hollow shells. Yes, they were underwater, yet they were drier than an introvert's text messages. {Discord excluded.}
"Due to Soul Society not wishing to continue, this was the price. Sacrificing the lives of thousands of Soul Reapers... to save... one noble... how noble of you."
Hikifune seemed to realize something.
Wait—hold up. This Hollow was the first one to refer to the king by his name, instead of the usual "His Majesty" that everyone else seemed to use.
This meant they were close. And considering the crown, and the way she guided herself and portrayed herself, it wouldn't stun her if this woman was the King's wife.
"Not calling him 'His Majesty,' huh?"
A flicker of something passed in Harribel's gaze.
Kirio grinned.
"So, Gabriel isn't just your king... he's your husband."
Harribel didn't flinch.
Didn't react.
She merely lifted her blade, Segunda Etapa's power radiating from her form.
Then—
She attacked.
And Kirio Hikifune, for the first time in a long time—
Felt herself being devoured.
Knowing if Harribel was the queen didn't matter now. What did matter was the fact that she couldn't use Kido spells, as the more Reiryoku she used, the more got drained—and the stronger her clones became. So this was a losing battle.
A very bad losing battle.
The water did not only drain her Reiryoku, but seemed to be making clones of her, so she was put on the back foot while also being unable to control her power much.
The Ōken in her bones was still shaking... wait what?
A/N IT SHould be abundantly clear what Gabriel is now, he and Sora are like Ying and Yang...since you guys know what Sora is by now, use your big brain, and find out what Gabriel is...the people on webnovel should figure it out faster...not because they are smarter...but like, the second vol literally has the answer, I will be stunned if no one saw it.