Tier Harribel stared at the Captain in front of her with mild confusion and slight disdain. He was strong, she could feel that much, but for some reason he didn't give her the same trepidation as that particular man did.
"You are not much of a Captain, are you? I guess that should have been obvious as you are a new one."
Sajin Komamura. The new Captain of the 7th Division was a bonafide Captain-level Shinigami, she acknowledged. But just as how there were ranks between the Espada members, there was a clear Division between the Captains of the Gotei 13.
To her, who had finally understood why Aizen especially warned about that man, someone who brought her down to her knees with just a glance, the Captain in front of her was especially lacking. Resilient and enduring as he was, he was not up to par.
"Your words mean nothing to me, Hollow. As long as I do my duty as a pillar, then that is enough." Sajin said with hollowed breaths, bleeding profusely from different parts of his body.
"Give up, Shinigami. You might keep your life if you do." Harribel said, taking a short second to survey the battlefield before returning her focus to Sajin.
At this point, she was confused and conflicted, more than she had been when the day had started.
At this point, she held no illusion that the only reason the Captain had not killed her was probably because of Lilynette and Starrk. There was no other explanation. That was why she was hesitant in killing Sajin.
Everything at this point was confusing to her.
They came to Hueco Mundo to rescue Lilynette and the Visored and that left not just her, but also her fracción conflicted. Were they now supposed to fight the Shinigami when some of them had gone so far for one of theirs? It was a stewing pot of emotional mess and the one person that had the semblance to an answer was nowhere to be found.
She didn't even know if she agreed with going along with Aizen's plans. She was fine with it when it concerned the freedom of Hollows and the end of the discriminatory killing of their kind but now Starrk and Lilynette had shown that a form of dialogue could be reached in a neutral/passive-aggressive way.
"It is better we stop here for now. Fighting any longer will put your life at risk." She said, sounding dispassionate.
Sajin scoffed derisively. "My life is not something you should concern yourself with, Hollow."
Harribel's eyes furrowed. "I have a name. Tier Harribel." She said in a clipped tone which took aback Sajin for a second.
He made to speak but Harribel cut him off before his first words were voiced. "I know your name, Sajin Komamura."
Sajin took a second and gave her a nod, not bothering to ask how she knew his name, and brandished his Zanpakutō once again.
"You would stubbornly continue a losing fight?" She asked, having no choice but to acknowledge the man's resolve.
"It is my duty, Tier Harribel." Sajin replied grimly.
Harribel sighed and gave a resolute nod. "Very well then."
....
Shunsui knew that he couldn't let Baraggan go on unimpeded any longer just based on how terrifying the Hollow's ability was.
He did not want to think of what would happen if Baraggan faced another Captain. While he didn't necessarily doubt his comrades' strength, he also couldn't deny Baraggan's. It was not outrageous to say that they would likely have to pay a hefty price to kill the Hollow.
"Guess I have to put in the work after all." He sounded unwilling but that didn't stop the smile on his face to slip slightly as he regarded Baraggan with a calculative gaze.
Baraggan sent a wave of Respira his way and due to the close distance between them, and also the fact that the damned skeleton was intent in keeping him in his sights, Shunsui was forced to dissipate the wave of Respira.
The intensity at which Baraggan stared at him after that particular move was a little unnerving that all he could manage was a crooked smile.
"Is this one of your games?" Baraggan asked, surprising Shunsui because bony Hollow had never expressed any interest in his gimmicks.
"Bushōgoma. It's essentially a spinning top game."
Baraggan did not appear fooled. "Mere winds would not dissipate my Respira."
Shunsui's voice fell as he replied. "But I told you before, right? We're playing a children's game so we play by their rules, not ours."
Baraggan brought his hand to his chin and scratched it thoughtfully. "We are playing by the same rules. Then am I to understand that we are both affected equally?"
Shunsui smiled as Baraggan caught on. "You're correct. But a simple warning: we don't decide when the games change."
Baraggan gave a low hum. "Inconsequential. I will trump this trick of yours." Tendrils of Respira shot upwards and crossed over each other to form a net that shot down thinner strings from the intersections of the net.
"Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan."
Rods of pale light shot towards the tendrils and clashed against them with impossible accuracy, though they did little in slowing them down they gave Shunsui enough time to dodge.
"I see."
Baraggan turned in shock to see Shunsui standing behind him while his blade dug into Baraggan's robe.
"Black."
Baraggan tried dodging in the time he had but by the time he took a step, the damage was already done.
A clear crack appeared from under his hidden ribs to his skull which made the Primera Espada stumble in pain, unable to believe what had happened.
"Irooni." Shunsui said. "You pick a color and strike it. The more of that color you have on you the greater the damage on your opponent."
He stared down Baraggan without any of the former joviality in his expressions. "Come on, pick a color and let's get this over with. We're old men, we can't spend all day playing games."
Baraggan ran a hand over the cracks and looked at Shunsui, anger clear in his hollow eyes along with a hint of caution, and practically forced what he considered words of humiliation out of his lips. "Black."
He rushed at Shunsui who couldn't help but click his tongue, knowing that Baraggan had fully caught on. It might have seemed redundant how he was telling his enemy the trait of his Zanpakutō but that was intentional on his part for reasons other than the games they played.
The more his opponents focused on the games, the more advantages he gained. Unless he spoke it, only he knew when the games change and by limiting or oversimplifying how he described the games, he baited and directed his opponents next actions.
Take Irooni for example, if Baraggan had gone with his usual arrogance and had attacked without specifying the color, Shunsui would have little to no damage from the attack. But by choosing black which was the former's predominant color, he maximized the damage Shunsui would take and then some.
In the face of the attack, instead of Shunsui to retreat or dodge as he used to do, he rushed towards Baraggan instead and limited his avenue to attack.
"There's no time field around you in this form." Shunsui stated as if reciting a memo. "But that is not all. That miasma of yours, you are now vulnerable to it, aren't you?"
It was something he had noticed after studying Baraggan and the way he used his abilities. Unlike before where Baraggan cared little about his defense due to his time-dilation field and disintegrating touch.
But now Baraggan was more focused in keeping a comfortable distance between them at all times.
It would have been better and a lot easier for Baraggan to pick the color white as Shunsui had a cloak of it wrapped around his body but Baraggan wisely didn't give that white was almost nonexistent on his body except for his bones, if those counted.
Case in point was when Baraggan had the chance to hit Shunsui on his chest which was covered by the black shihakushō, Shunsui retreated, letting Baraggan strike him at the tip of his white haori which he quickly cut off.
Their fight had landed them on barren ground and without taking a second to rest, Shunsui pressed on with the next attack by calling out his color.
"Black."
Respira covered Baraggan's axe and he swung it unerringly towards the approaching Shunsui, only for Shunsui to sink into the ground and rise from Baraggan's shadow and striking him from behind.
"Insufferable vermin!" Baraggan roared and a wave of Respira covered him and washed over the ground around him like a racing flood, forcing Shunsui to retreat far to a safe distance.
"Now!" He whispered to himself and rushed towards Baraggan as soon as the flood of Respira started receding and the moment a part of Baraggan became visible he swung his blade that was now coated in yellow lightning Kidō.
"Impudence!" Baraggan sensed him coming and swung his axe that was now spewing dark miasma that easily dispersed the lightning around Shunsui's blade and dug deep into the ashen faced Captain's shoulder.
"Savor your futile end—"
"Game over." From his shadow another Shunsui stood and stabbed him clean through. Looking ahead of him, the Shunsui who was withering away from the rot proofed into sparks of fading lightning.
"Hadō #78: Zangerin."
Yellow lightning tore through Baraggan's bony torso and slammed into Baraggan's axe like lightning to a rod. Except this rod was releasing deathly rot and soon ate away at the lightning which immediately exploded, bathing the immediate vicinity with fire, lightning, and gluttonous rot… including Baraggan's body.
"Who do you think you were fighting?" Shunsui asked, standing above Baraggan and looking down with cold eyes at the slowly dying Espada. "I am a Shinigami. 8th Captain of the Gotei 13. Your death was all but assured."
He watched as the Hollow's own rot ate away at him until there was nothing left.
Baraggan, the Primera Espada, died to his own folly.