Lucius looked rather bored, staring at his opponent. Frankly, he had expected better than... whatever was in front of him.
He wanted a real challenge, not this... dumbass from the weakest squadron ever.
In terms of strength, the squadrons ranked like this if the primary sin were included: Harribel, Belial, Nell, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Yammy, Aaroniero.
Without the primary sin and just the squads themselves, it would go: Harribel, Belial, Nell, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Yammy, and then Aaroniero. Yeah, no matter how you sliced it, he always ended up at the bottom.
They were weak. So goddamn weak.
And this was why Lucius looked down on Voraz—he came from the weakest squad.
And Voraz knew that.
Voraz grinned, his forked tongue flicking out. "Well now, aren't you just radiating superiority?" he mused. "Tell me, Lucius, does it ever get exhausting? Holding your nose that high in the air?"
Lucius didn't respond immediately. Instead, he rolled his shoulders, tilting his head ever so slightly—an unspoken dismissal. His violet eyes barely regarded Voraz, as if the very act of acknowledging him was beneath him.
He had much better shit to do.
Finally, after a beat of silence, he spoke.
"I wonder," he mused aloud, his tone dripping with mocking curiosity. "Of all the sins to be cursed with... why is it that you came from the weakest one?"
Voraz's smirk faltered.
Lucius took a leisurely step forward, the air around him shifting, warping—space itself bending at his mere presence. He was using his power to have that effect. He would win this fight, no biggie.
"Greed," Lucius continued, his voice sounding arrogant. He could do this shit all day. He was used to it—he fed off that prideful shit. "A pitiful thing. You're never satisfied, are you? Always searching, always craving, always taking. No matter how much you devour, it will never be enough."
He lifted his black katana with a flick of his wrist, lazily pointing it toward Voraz.
"How... exhausting."
Voraz's slitted eyes narrowed.
"I could not imagine being like you, being so imperfect that no matter what you do, you are still a mistake."
BZZZT—BOOM!
The two vanished.
A shockwave blasted through the arena as they clashed mid-air, Lucius' blade effortlessly deflecting Voraz's clawed strikes. The serpent-like Arrancar moved like liquid, twisting and coiling around Lucius, looking for openings—but there were none.
This man was like a brick wall.
Lucius weaved between every attack with disdainful ease, his Infinity Field ensuring that Voraz's strikes never quite reached him. The air around him shimmered, distorting reality itself.
Voraz snarled.
Lucius smirked. "What's wrong? Not accustomed to your prey being beyond you?"
"You should be used to that feeling, considering you've been preyed upon your whole life," Lucius said, quite cockily.
He stepped forward—
And Voraz flinched.
Just that—a single movement.
And yet, it mattered.
Lucius' form flickered—
And suddenly, he was behind Voraz.
A whisper at his ear.
"Pathetic."
Voraz twisted, slashing wildly—
But missed.
Lucius was already gone.
It was clear to anyone with a pair of eyes—Lucius was toying with him.
Voraz grit his teeth, frustration flashing across his serpentine features. But then—his eyes darted to Lucius' movements. The way the space around him wavered.
And then—
His lips curled into a smirk. A weakness.
Lucius took another step, violet eyes gleaming with contempt.
And then—
Voraz disappeared.
Lucius' brow twitched.
What was this creature planning to do?
BZZZT—BOOM!
Voraz reappeared—behind him.
And this time—
His claws connected.
SLASH!
Lucius' back jerked forward as blood splattered against the ground.
Lucius looked at his white coat, looking more annoyed than anything. Blood got spilled on it. He wasn't even mad that he was hit—
Just pissed that his drip got messed with.
"Hoh, are you scared?" Voraz mocked, looking at Lucius with contempt.
"My claws are poisoned. Your body should be breaking down now. It's only a matter of seconds before you lose. How does it feel? How does it feel knowing you will lose to me?"
Maybe Voraz was having way too much fun.
"Me... lose... who decided that?" Lucius said, standing on his two feet before looking at the man. He would end this quickly.
Eternal Divide.
Lucius swung.
Not at Voraz. Not at anything in particular. Just through the air.
A silent pulse echoed through the arena.
And then—
A thin violet line appeared across Voraz's body.
A delayed cut.
It took a full second before the reality of it caught up.
Voraz's entire torso split open—a deep, space-warped slash tearing through him.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
Then—
BLOOD EXPLODED FROM HIS BODY.
Voraz screamed in pain as blood came gushing out like there was no tomorrow, yet Lucius did not give a single fuck.
Lucius exhaled softly, twirling his blade before lazily sheathing it.
He walked to Voraz before stepping on his head.
"Remember, when speaking to your superior, you are supposed to bow. A lowly creature like you does not deserve to look me in the eyes."
Was he cocky?
Maybe just a bit.
But hey, he won.
His wound had already healed with high-speed regeneration.
He walked toward the king before giving a polite bow.
A respectful bow.
Once that was done, he left the area, going back to his spot in the stands.
"You wasted too much energy," Nell said, looking at her second-in-command.
"I won. That's all that matters."
Nell internally sighed.
This guy's head was thick.