Dang!!
The battle axe came whistling down, but instead of the sound of flesh being split open, a crisp metallic clang rang out.
Baraggan Luisenbarn's eyes narrowed.
The twin axes struck a blue magic circle and could go no further!
Baraggan Luisenbarn frowned slightly and exerted more force with both hands.
Squeak——
A shrill sound echoed through the air.
But...
Nothing changed beyond that.
Katerea Leviathan glanced down calmly and increased the output of her magic into the barrier.
Boom!!
A sudden backlash erupted from the magic circle!
Baraggan Luisenbarn's pupils shrank.
The next instant, his body was knocked downward, crashing hard to the ground!
Boom!!
A violent impact. Dust and rubble flew everywhere.
He bent his knees, raising his head to look at Katerea Leviathan floating in mid-air, his gaze filled with disbelief.
Even though it had only been a brief exchange...
At their level, a short clash was enough to gauge the opponent's overall strength.
This woman...
He glanced at Katerea, then turned to look at Starrk, falling silent.
Starrk met his gaze and shrugged, "I warned you."
Baraggan Luisenbarn stayed quiet for a moment, then let out a laugh, "So she's actually on your level?"
"But..."
He continued in a calm voice, "That makes things more interesting."
As the former King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan had never hesitated to swing his axe at the strong.
"Rot, Skull King."
Baraggan murmured the incantation.
The moment the words left his lips.
His uniform ignited in dark purple flames, the once white attire instantly turning pitch black!
Flesh and blood withered away, leaving only a towering skeleton.
A golden crown sat atop his head, with thick chains extending from it, wrapping tightly around his skeletal form.
"Hmm..."
A deep, long sigh escaped his mouth.
The dark purple flames surged forth, and everything they touched rapidly aged as if subjected to centuries of erosion.
Even the already-destroyed buildings visibly decayed in seconds, collapsing into dust as if a hundred years had passed.
Starrk smacked his lips, "Using your Resurrección already..."
"Looks like you're under a lot of pressure."
Baraggan shot him a glare and snorted coldly.
But...
He didn't deny it.
Faced with someone like Katerea Leviathan, he really was feeling the pressure.
And besides—
Las Noches was his palace.
Even if it now belonged to Aizen...
He would reclaim it one day!
But right now...
Looking at the partially-ruined Las Noches, Baraggan's heart ached.
She had destroyed everything he owned!
Otherwise...
Given his usual disdain for Aizen, would he have willingly shown up here? Let alone attack Katerea?
If it weren't for the damage to Las Noches, he would've been perfectly content sitting on his throne watching the show!
High above—
Katerea Leviathan narrowed her eyes slightly at the aging flames, intrigued. "What an interesting ability."
As expected.
In other worlds, one encountered all kinds of strange and unique powers.
But...
Even so—
Katerea Leviathan had no intention of fighting him herself.
In her eyes—
No matter how unique Baraggan's powers were, he was still only at the strength of a top-tier Ultimate-Class Devil.
Hmm...
Probably around the level of Kokabiel?
Someone like that wasn't worth her attention.
However...
He was perfect training material for Ingvild Leviathan.
With that thought, Katerea's eyes lit up. She turned and began scanning for Ingvild.
Eventually...
Katerea stared expressionlessly at Ingvild Leviathan, who was hiding behind Miko.
Expressionless, she reached behind Miko and pulled Ingvild out, her tone blunt and full of disdain. "You're an Ultimate-Class devil!"
"What are you doing hiding behind a Spirit-Seer Devil like a scared child?!"
Miko: "…"
That... sounded unnecessarily mean?
Ingvild shrank back, cautiously sneaking a peek at Baraggan before quickly turning away.
She whispered, "A living skeleton…"
Katerea: "…"
That's what scares you?
"You've truly disgraced Leviathan's bloodline."
Without giving her any chance to object, Katerea dragged Ingvild forward and pointed at Baraggan.
"You deal with him."
"Huh?"
Ingvild froze in horror at the words, then immediately shook her head violently. "No, no, no!"
Katerea's expression remained flat as she replied in a tone that brooked no refusal, "It's not up for debate."
"He's strong. That makes him perfect for training."
"?"
Ingvild opened her mouth to argue, but before she could say a word, Katerea had already teleported her to the battlefield.
"!"
Ingvild blinked in shock, finding herself standing not far from Baraggan Luisenbarn.
She panicked, waved awkwardly, and greeted timidly.
"U-Umm... hello, Uncle Skeleton…"
She looked like she was about to cry.
Even if she was a devil who inherited Leviathan's bloodline, she also had human blood!
Before her devil powers awakened, she was just an ordinary human girl!
After the awakening, she fell into a deep slumber and never had a chance to engage in real combat!
Even after joining Lynn's Peerage, the only experience she had was fighting minor threats like zombies and cursed spirits!
She had never faced anything remotely like this!!
What do I do? What do I do?
Ingvild clenched her hands nervously. Sweat ran down her forehead. She looked like a mess—like an ant on a scorching pan.
On the other side.
Baraggan looked at the girl sent to fight him and felt as if his skeletal face turned blue with irritation.
What the hell is this?
Was he being looked down on?
She sent this inexperienced girl to deal with him?
And said it was for practice?
"Hehehe..."
A low, chilling chuckle rumbled from his throat.
It sent shivers through the air.
The dark purple flames around him flared even more violently.
"You woman..."
"What do you take me for, the King of Hueco Mundo?"
(To be continued.)
***
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