Chapter 8: Oppression
<span style="font-weight:400">How would anyone imagine the ability of oppression? The power to overwhelm someone to the point they have no chance to fight back. The power to crush someone under sheer pressure like a bug.
<span style="font-weight:400">The manifestation of Kazuya’s Aspect of Death worked simrly, yet worlds apart from those concepts.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was truly a breathtaking ability.
<span style="font-weight:400">He went out in search of a foe to test its effectiveness. Lo-and-behold, he found four massive Hollows hibernating in an underground cave. They were Menos Grande.
<span style="font-weight:400">Unlike Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, a Menos Grande surpassed the height of an average house in Japan. Each cloaked in ck’ wearing a mask with an extending nose bearing three holes. Despite their giant size, they were considered foot soldiers in Las Noches, as they were below Adjuchas in strength and raw power, and were moremonly known as Gillian.
<span style="font-weight:400">All the Gillians screeched as they sensed the intruders.
<span style="font-weight:400">Api shivered. “They will chew us alive! Let’s run!”
<span style="font-weight:400">She was terrified of four Gillians sting her with their Cero.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya merely smiled and stretched his hand towards the Gillians. “Oppress atmospheric air.”
<span style="font-weight:400">A blue Reiatsu surrounded the intimidating giant Hollows, and the wind howled like a wolf.
<span style="font-weight:400">Atmospheric air was everywhere, just like Reishi in Hueco Mundo. In a wide open world, the air alone weighed over hundred of thousands of pounds. Typically, the internal body pressure canceled the atmospheric air while body tissues absorbed the rest of the force. The Oppression overturned that perfect bnce in favor of pure destruction. A Gillian''s body structure was iparably more resilient than human, but could it survive nearly a ton of pressure from all sides?
<span style="font-weight:400">The answer revealed itself in the form of cracking bones. Flesh ruptured and blood spurted. In an expected turn of events, the four Gillians, towering over four stories, crumbled in balls of grotesque flesh.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Amazing…”
<span style="font-weight:400">The sheer force of his innate ability left him astonished.
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<span style="font-weight:400">[Aspect of Death (Oppression): Oppression crushes all by infallible authority. With the power of oppression, you can heighten any aspect of a physical body, be it your surroundings or a part of your enemy’s body.
<span style="font-weight:400">Reiryoku’s consumption will be increased depending on the resistance faced and yourprehension of the aspect.]
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<span style="font-weight:400">A fitting ability for the man who always lived under the constant oppression of his grandfather, albeit a mental one. He could amplify one aspect of his surroundings as long as it <i><span style="font-weight:400">existed </i><span style="font-weight:400">physically.
<span style="font-weight:400">He could technically raise anyone’s heartbeat and destroy their heart. An instant death that would require immense Reiryoku varying from individual to individual.
<span style="font-weight:400">The ability, however, wasn’t perfect: its energy consumption was its biggest drawback, followed by its conditions. Just one use against Gillians drained his Reiryoku by nearly a quarter. The efficiency would be even worse if he tried to control stronger Hollows. The ability wouldn’t work if his opponent repelled his Reiatsu with a greater concentration of Reiryoku.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘I need to expand my knowledge if I want to fully harness this ability.’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">He regretted skipping physics sses and having some juicy time with his math professor, who happened to be his girlfriend.
<span style="font-weight:400">Api stared at Gillians in horror, an icy shiver clinging to her spine. The iprehensible power left her in awe and terror. The random Hollow she found was a terrifying ughter machine.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What did you do…?” Api whispered, shock refusing to leave her face. “Is this the true ability of a Vasto Lorde?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hmm?” He tilted his head and smiled innocently. “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. And no, not every Vasto Lorde should have something so terrifying.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You little rascal.” Api never wanted to skewer someone with her horns until now. His innocent ridicule truly pissed her off. “I will—” She paused, her eyes darting toward the distant hills, a primal terror overtaking her.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya chuckled. “You sensed it too?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Api slowly nodded at his question. “My senses are vastly superior to other Adjuchas.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her senses may have developed from her cowardly way of life, but she took pride in her achievement. Survival in Hueco Mundo depended on several things. Faster, stronger, and smarter — she had two things better than her counterparts.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Commendable.” The youth, who only thought about his self interests, grinned ear to ear. “They came at the right time. Api, why don’t you hide in some corner and let me deal with them?”
<span style="font-weight:400">The neers didn’t bother hiding their Reiatsu, which surpassed Api’s Reiatsu by a small margin.
<span style="font-weight:400">Api didn’t obey his order, standing rooted to her position. “The hell do you think you’re talking to? I’m not some weenie coward. Watch my Cero rip them to shreds!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her Reiryoku fully recovered after eating the Hollow; she could destroy weaker Hollows with her Cero rays, even if she was no match for a male Adjuchas.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You are finally showing some backbone,” Kazuya whispered and gently rubbed her Hollow mask. “I love it when you show sucy determination.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Grrrrr. Don''t treat me like a pet.”
<span style="font-weight:400">The enemies showed up soon. A humanoid lizard-like Hollow standing over two meters, a gargantuan monkey-like Hollow with a white mask, and another one in the form of a giant crow towering over hispanions.
<span style="font-weight:400">Three Adjuchas with hostile intentions appeared before him. It was only natural for him to treat them like dolls in a dollhouse.
<span style="font-weight:400">“A white puny goat and a deer,” the monkey said in a sharp voice. “They match the image of two Hollows killing my subordinates around this ce.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Let’s crush them and go back to Lord Baraggan.”
<span style="font-weight:400">The crow nodded at the words of his fellow indirect subordinates of the undisputed king of Hueco Mundo. They had let out their Hollows subordinates to evolve in the wild, only to be killed by neers.
<span style="font-weight:400">Appaci’s response — a crispy beam of Cero Ray that scorched the monkey’s fur around his chest, leaving a bloody mess. “You pathetic monkey, I am a reindeer. Kazuya also has wings. He is no goat. Open your damn eyes before spitting bullshit.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Goddamn.” Kazuya beamed a smile at the furious Hollows while patting Api’s head. “That’s not a friendly way to approach our guests, now is that? Hey you three, why don’t we sit down in my cave and chat about your life troubles? I’m an A-grade listener. A professional therapist.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“The heck are you saying?” Api retorted. “They are mad now!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You dare to mock me, a retainer of Lord Barragan’s court?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You will pay for this.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Death to the sinner!!!”
<span style="font-weight:400">The Hollows roared with rage and charged at him. He vanished in a blink of an eye, leaving a sonic boom. He reappeared momentster several meters away with his Sonído technique. He left the Hollows in the dust with his speed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No need to be so mad. Geez.” He raised his hand from Api’s head and released the full pressure of his Vasto Lorde-ss Reiatsu. “You guys should die but that’s not what I want. You’ll be part of something great. Be happy that you died for a great cause~.”
<span style="font-weight:400">The Hollows felt as if the sky copsed as their very souls shivered in terror. His Reiatsu was ripping their souls.
<span style="font-weight:400">“A V-Vasto Lorde?!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Curse our luck. What is a Vasto Lorde doing here?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Fuck!!!”
<span style="font-weight:400">The realization came far toote; their deaths were written in stone the moment they approached him with malicious intent.
<span style="font-weight:400">Api, who was behind Kazuya, merely felt a fraction of his oppressive Reiatsu. Even that left her shaken to her core.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Vasto Lorde are crazy strong.’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">How great would it be to have such power? She could say goodbye to her run and hide life and live the way Kazuya mentioned without fearing the inevitable “end.” A desire not so different from envy flooded her chest.
<span style="font-weight:400">s, she was one of those Adjuchas-ss who barely received any strength increase even after consuming an Adjuchas-ss Hollow — to put it simply; shecked the potential to be a Vasto Lorde.
<span style="font-weight:400">Backing down on a promise irked her. She gritted her teeth. “Screw Vasto Lorde. I’m bing the strongest Arrancar.”