Kuoh Academy, main gate.
Grimmjow slipped through the barrier gap onto the field, eyeing the rogue mages around. "Tch. Just small fry."
"Bunch of useless trash cluttering the place."
"Harsh critique," Wapor said, stepping from a magic array. "But to me, you're no different from that trash~"
"The hell you say?!" Grimmjow snarled, his killing intent surging.
Wapor shrugged, purple flames circling her.
Their auras clashed, tension spiking.
A new teleportation array appeared, and Katerea emerged. "What're you two doing? Infighting now?"
"You got lucky, woman," Grimmjow sneered, turning to Katerea. "Everyone's here. How long you dragging this?"
"Wait a bit. I've got words for those damned Demon Lords."
"Such a pain," Grimmjow grumbled.
The Old Demon Faction loved wasting time on nonsense.
For the first time, Grimmjow realized the value of a good leader.
Compared to Aizen's calculated moves, Katerea's stupidity made him want to punch someone.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the main building.
A window on the top floor opened.
A figure in crimson armor flew out, radiating terrifying power.
"That's… the Red Dragon Emperor?" Katerea spotted Roy, her face twisting with hatred.
Before she could speak, Roy raised a hand to the sky.
A tidal wave of mana surged, hundreds of magic arrays blooming overhead.
Crimson lightning crashed, targeting the plaza's enemies.
"Haha! Now that's fun!" Grimmjow grinned.
The lightning's menacing aura was palpable.
A casual strike like that—Roy's strength was undeniable.
Dodging the first wave, Grimmjow pulled a glass vial from his pocket. "Yo, Ulquiorra."
"Time to use this, right?"
"Indeed," Ulquiorra said, producing an identical vial.
Inside, a black snake writhed.
A gift from Aizen, sourced from Ophis, given before their mission.
Popping the vials, they swallowed the snakes, their auras skyrocketing.
Both drew weapons, activating Resurrección.
"Rip him apart, Pantera!"
"Enclose, Murciélago."
Boom! Boom!
Amid the crimson lightning sea, two earth-shaking auras erupted.
Black and white figures pierced the storm, attacking Roy from both sides.
"Too slow," Roy said, activating Inherent Time Control, hitting 30x speed.
The world slowed. He locked onto Ulquiorra, who reached him first.
A boom rang out—half of Ulquiorra's body shattered, his remains blasted away.
Grimmjow, a step behind, pupils shrank, slamming on the brakes to retreat.
But Roy's gaze landed on him, fist swinging through the air.
Boom!
A monstrous wind pressure, shaped like a tiger, engulfed Grimmjow.
No resistance possible, he was smashed into the ground.
"No way!" Grimmjow coughed blood, disbelief on his face.
The Ophis snake boosted his power tenfold, maybe more.
With Resurrección, he could face a Demon Lord.
Yet, he couldn't even get near Roy.
Dodging another lightning strike with a roll, Grimmjow aimed a finger skyward, spiritual pressure surging. "If you're so tough, take this!"
A roar, and a Cero Gran Rey tore through the lightning sea toward Roy.
Simultaneously, Ulquiorra, healed via High-Speed Regeneration, reappeared.
Activating Segunda Etapa, his aura swelled further, firing another Cero Gran Rey.
"Interesting," Roy said, drawing Gram and slashing.
Like a hot knife through butter, the Ceros were sliced apart.
Instead of counterattacking, Roy looked up.
"Hey~ Red Dragon Emperor, long time no see," Wapor said, emerging from a teleportation array, entering Balance Breaker.
Countless purple flames surged, forming a massive Yamata no Orochi in the sky.
Unlike last time, this Orochi was colossal—over a kilometer tall, blotting out the sun like an apocalyptic beast.
"You took a snake too, huh?" Roy noted.
"Obviously. How else would I dare challenge a monster like you?" Wapor smirked, snapping her fingers to cast teleportation magic.
Hundreds of arrays appeared on the ground, flooding the field with more rogue mages and Old Demon Faction devils.
Katerea joined, water dragons circling her. "Red Dragon Emperor! You killed Creuserey! Today, you pay!"
"You lot? Not enough," Roy laughed, activating Boost.
"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"
Mechanical chants echoed, hundreds of magic arrays spawning above and below.
A torrent of mana crashed down.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"What the hell's this mess?" Azazel, setting barriers, froze, jaw dropping at Roy.
He was supposed to stall, not solo the enemy army.
"This the Red Dragon Emperor's true power? Way beyond the rumors," Azazel muttered.
"No, this isn't Roy's full strength," Sazeks cut in.
Azazel blinked, skeptical. "For real? You're not joking, Sazeks?"
"Dead serious," Sazeks said, eyeing the plaza.
To drain Roy's mana, Wapor and Katerea kept summoning minions.
But they missed something: every new devil or mage was instantly obliterated.
Once or twice, coincidence. Seven, eight times? No way.
"No clue why, but Roy's not focused on Katerea's group," Sazeks said. "He's targeting the endless cannon fodder meant to wear him down."
"What?" Azazel gaped, turning to the plaza.
So did Michael and others, tipped off.
Three minutes later, the room's mood grew complex.
"He's doing this on purpose, right?" someone asked.
"Yup, deliberate," another confirmed.
"Why?"
"Stockpiling souls for a forbidden spell?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
Murmurs filled the room as Michael's group backed Sazeks.
Roy was intentionally doing this.
In high-level fights, collateral damage to fodder was normal.
But wiping them out instantly, for minutes straight? Abnormal.
"No idea what's up. What's he gain from this?" Azazel scratched his head, clueless.
Michael and Gabriel exchanged glances, equally stumped.
"Hold on, Akatsuki's contracts mostly involve sealing spirits and capturing wanted criminals," Serafall said, eyes widening. "Is Roy… enjoying the slaughter?"
"No way… right?" Sazeks faltered.
He'd watched Roy closely, even met him.
Aside from loving training and women, Roy didn't seem like a psycho.
"You've misjudged the Red Dragon Emperor," Vali said, smirking at Sazeks and Azazel. "He's no pacifist like you think."
"He craves battle and slaughter—a real dangerous guy."
"Vali, what're you getting at?" Azazel felt a bad vibe.
"Don't do anything rash. Judge Roy by his actions, not just his vibe."
"Relax, I see it clear," Vali said, entering Balance Breaker, smashing through a wall to join the fray.
Azazel's face fell, black wings flaring to pursue.
But Roy's hyped voice boomed in the room. "Stay put, keep prepping barriers!"
"I'll stall!"
"Stall my ass!" Azazel snapped, watching Roy now fight five-on-one. "That's not stalling—you just wanna brawl!"
"Quit yapping, or I'll smack you too," Roy shot back.
Azazel, helpless, traded looks with Michael and Sazeks. "Now what?"
"…Watch for now," Sazeks said, trusting Roy's judgment.
Meanwhile, in Balance Breaker, Vali joined the assault on Roy.
"Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!"
His halving power targeted Roy.
"Useless against me," Roy said, natural energy surging via Senjutsu, nullifying the effect.
He punched Vali back, unleashing another magic barrage to farm entries on the plaza.
Katerea and Wapor, summoning minions, finally caught on.
"Wait! Wapor!" Katerea yelled. "Stop teleporting! He's baiting us to summon more!"
"Oh? Finally noticed?" Roy chuckled, stepping back. "Too late."
"While toying with you, I reverse-traced your base."
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted, a massive mana beam bursting from Roy.
Air twisted, the ground quaked.
The battlefield's space warped under shocked gazes.
Figures poured from spatial ripples, only to be blasted by magic.
"You weren't going all out?!" Katerea realized, stunned.
"Dammit, you monster!" Wapor cursed.
Twice now!
Last time, with Creuserey, Roy multitasked during their ambush.
This time, she risked Ophis's snake and brought three allies.
Yet Roy still fought distracted, barely acknowledging her.
"Am I worth less than random mages in your eyes?!" Wapor roared, her Yamata no Orochi's eight heads spewing flames.
"Don't sell yourself short," Roy said, slicing the flames and Orochi with Gram. "I'm grateful. Not everyone can summon this many mages to farm."
"You bastard!" Wapor's eyes blazed.
But amid her rage, retreat crept in.
Roy, half-focused, held off four foes.
If he got serious, could they win?
Doubt took root.
Watching Roy juggle space magic, attack spells, and swordplay against Vali's crew, Wapor frowned, shielding her team to flee.
"Same old trick—ditching teammates when it gets rough," Roy noted, catching her move.
Farm more fodder or kill Wapor?
He chose fast. "You slipped away last time. Not today."
Attack and space magic halted, Roy's mana beam morphed into gray fusion energy.
Before anyone reacted, he injected it into the barriers.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The frozen barriers activated, severing the battlefield's space.
Kuoh Academy became an isolated pocket, cut from the outside.
"Crap!" Wapor's face fell, grasping the issue.
Sealed space blocked even expert teleportation mages.
She'd need three minutes to break the seal and escape.
Would Roy give her three minutes?
Facing Roy, now fully serious with soaring aura, Wapor turned to her team. "Katerea, buy me three minutes if you wanna live!"
"Three minutes, and I'll get us out!"
"Leave? Why leave?" Vali cut in, grinning. "A rare shot at a strong foe—running's a waste."
"Idiot! Don't you get it? We can't beat that monster!" Wapor snapped.
"You can't. Don't drag me into it," Vali scoffed, light wings flaring as he faced Roy. "Gotta say, you're way stronger than I expected."
"But I'm thrilled. A true rival should be like this."
"Time to show you my final trump card!"
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