It was definitely not simple Reiatsu suppression, but it didn't appear to be conventional ability restraint either. The confusion etched itself deeply across the features of both Stark and Harribel as they struggled to comprehend what they had just witnessed. Could it truly be an illusion, something akin to Aizen's perfect hypnosis? The possibilities cascaded through their minds, each scenario more unsettling than the last.

Lilinette, who had transformed into a spear spirit, expressed her shock with characteristic bluntness: "This old man is completely useless! He has two opportunities to strike! Nothing but worthless trash!"

Her harsh assessment hung in the air, crude yet undeniably accurate regarding their current predicament. Barragan, the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo, had been rendered effectively impotent against a single opponent. The Segunda Espada's most formidable ability had been neutralized with the casual ease of brushing away an insignificant cobweb.

"Weakness is not necessarily an obstacle to survival, but ignorance invariably leads to destruction!" Uehara Shiroha declared, his voice maintaining perfect calm yet resonating with unmistakable authority.

His combat momentum unfolded with the unstoppable force of a hurricane, his terrifying Reiatsu transforming into a brilliant sword beam that soared majestically into the sky. The radiant energy carved through the atmosphere with surgical precision before piercing directly through Barragan's skeletal form. The attack left a trail of crystalline particles suspended in its wake, shimmering like diamonds against the battlefield's backdrop.

The vaunted power of aging and the self-styled "Lord of Time" now appeared as nothing more than childish pretensions before him. Barragan's authority, constructed over millennia of unchallenged dominance throughout Hueco Mundo, crumbled with the pathetic ease of sand castles before an incoming tide.

In the face of Shunkyō, who had transcended the fundamental forces of time and space themselves, any space-time ability—regardless of how formidable it might appear to lesser entities—was revealed as merely a pale imitation, a delusional approximation of true cosmic authority.

He was the authentic sovereign of temporal and spatial domains, not this hollow skeleton adorned with a meaningless crown. Furthermore, Barragan's aging power represented merely the surface manifestation—just the barest suggestion—of the true power governing time and space. It didn't even approach genuine manipulation of the authentic principles that governed reality's temporal fabric.

Therefore, Uehara Shiroha's Reiatsu could effortlessly crush the breath of aging into worthless slag, like a celestial body obliterating a mere meteor through sheer gravitational dominance.

Of course, the current Reiatsu capacity of this clone remained limited, rendering it impossible to exert the full magnificent potential of Shunkyō. The original body's capabilities dwarfed what this ice construct could manifest in combat.

If it had been an ordinary Zanpakutō, the ice clone would not have possessed its power whatsoever. But for Uehara Shiroha, who commanded the Unlimited Blade Works, the unity between wielder and sword was as fundamental as breathing—a basic operation requiring no conscious thought or deliberate effort.

Now Shunkyō, having surpassed the limitations of even the most powerful Shinigami, had completely merged with his essential nature. The sword was not merely an external tool but an extension of his very being, a physical manifestation of his will transformed into adamantine purpose.

So naturally, his Reiatsu carried within it the fundamental power of time and space. Uehara Shiroha needed only to stimulate this innate ability to produce all manner of extraordinary effects. Ignoring the invasion of the aging aura was as inconsequential as disregarding a gentle drizzle on a sweltering summer day—barely worth acknowledging, let alone concerning himself with.

Over there, facing Uehara Shiroha's devastating slash, Barragan—whose cognitive processes seemed momentarily scrambled like an overheated computational device—failed to react with appropriate immediacy. The skeletal Espada remained caught in a destructive cycle of disbelief and denial, his ancient pride unable to process the reality unfolding before him.

When he finally regained his full faculties, Barragan discovered it was already far too late to evade the incoming attack. His instinctive response was to summon his aura of aging as a defensive measure, but the vivid memory of its complete ineffectiveness flashed through his consciousness like a warning klaxon. This momentary hesitation and uncertainty effectively sealed his fate.

With this fatal delay in response time, Barragan was struck with devastating force. The ancient Hollow was nearly torn asunder by Uehara Shiroha's attack—which had been delivered with such casual indifference that it bordered on insulting.

It was genuinely fortunate that Uehara Shiroha hadn't truly exerted his full strength in this particular strike. Combined with the fact that Barragan's defensive capabilities were not inconsiderable after releasing his Resurrección, the Segunda Espada managed to survive what would have constituted a killing blow for virtually any other opponent. Had Uehara Shiroha attacked with genuine intent to destroy, Barragan would have been reduced to microscopic particles scattered upon the wind.

Witnessing this shocking scene unfold, Harribel felt her heart sink with the leaden weight of inevitability. The brief exchange had provided irrefutable proof that Uehara Shiroha could not be defeated in one-on-one combat under any circumstances. Their only remaining chance lay in coordinated attacks from multiple angles, leveraging their numerical advantage to its fullest extent.

Therefore, Barragan must not be allowed to fall so quickly. If he were eliminated from the battlefield equation, they would inevitably be defeated one by one, methodically picked off like ripened fruits from a vulnerable tree.

With this urgent tactical realization, Harribel did not hesitate for even a fraction of a moment. She seized the brief opening when Uehara Shiroha had just completed his sword strike against Barragan to launch a perfectly timed surprise attack of her own.

She transformed into a stream of brilliant light, her movements fluid and graceful despite the desperate circumstances. In an instant, she had positioned herself directly above Uehara Shiroha, her fin-shaped blade raised high overhead. With a fierce battle cry that reflected her determination, she brought the weapon down in a devastating arc.

Simultaneously with her primary strike, thousands of water streams materialized around her, each one transforming into fine, densely packed blades of liquid that slashed toward Uehara Shiroha from every conceivable angle. The attack was both aesthetically magnificent and lethally efficient—a shimmering cage of water designed to trap and slice her opponent to ribbons.

Uehara Shiroha had anticipated this counter-offensive, of course. The tactical move was entirely obvious to someone possessing his experience and perceptual acuity.

He raised his ice sword without altering his expression, blocking the onslaught with casual ease. The powerful impact force from his parry dispersed the water blades instantly, sending droplets scattering in all directions like crystal beads, while the cold edge of his weapon intercepted Harribel's white sword with a metallic ring that echoed across the battlefield.

Even before hostilities had commenced, he had thoroughly understood that facing a single opponent was fundamentally different from confronting three simultaneously. Fighting three top-tier powerhouses concurrently would naturally increase the pressure exponentially.

If it had been Aizen occupying this position, victory would have been virtually impossible without immediate recourse to Kyōka Suigetsu's perfect hypnosis. The former captain would have had no alternative but to rely on his Zanpakutō's unique abilities to even the overwhelming odds.

In a one-on-one scenario, Uehara Shiroha could crush any opponent without significant risk, dispatching them with effortless grace and precision. But in a three-against-one situation, theoretically, certain vulnerabilities would become unavoidable.

The fundamental tactical problem was elegantly simple: whenever he moved to attack one opponent, the other two would inevitably seize that opportunity to launch their own coordinated strikes. Being attacked from front and back simultaneously created a perilous situation, but facing coordinated assaults from three directions established a condition of extreme tactical danger.

This was precisely why the strategy of "Three Dogs Killing a Lion" had been so widely recognized throughout history as fundamentally effective. Even the mightiest predator could be brought down when surrounded and harried relentlessly from multiple angles.

Of course, if Uehara Shiroha had been fighting with his original body rather than this clone, the numerical difference would have been utterly meaningless. He could simply have employed his overwhelming strength to crush them all simultaneously. But the current ice clone, with its inherently limited Reiatsu reserves, required a more measured tactical approach.

This ice clone possessed an impressive arsenal of abilities, ranging from the power of stands to overwhelming observation Haki and even aspects of the infinite gems. But utilizing these abilities as primary offensive tools would be somewhat impractical and wasteful—they were optimally suited as auxiliary techniques or for instantly dispatching ordinary captains and vice-captains.

To defeat three thousand-year-old captain-level powerhouses in a three-on-one confrontation, Uehara Shiroha needed to conserve his Reiatsu with maximum efficiency and minimize unnecessary expenditure. Therefore, he currently relied primarily on his most foundational abilities—his transcendent swordsmanship, unparalleled speed, and peerless tactical acumen.

In truth, as long as he could utilize these fundamental skills to their ultimate potential, victory remained absolutely assured. The qualitative difference was simply too vast to overcome with mere numerical superiority.

"I cannot permit your success!" Stark reacted with impressive speed, raising both guns and firing a devastating barrage of concentrated energy at Uehara Shiroha. "Although attacking in this manner might appear somewhat dishonorable," he admitted with characteristic frankness, "your combat capabilities simply exceed conventional parameters. I cannot afford to squander such a tactically advantageous opportunity."

This represented the entire strategic purpose of outnumbering an opponent—creating situations where effective defense became temporarily impossible, forcing them to divide their attention with potentially fatal consequences.

At this critical juncture, Uehara Shiroha had just completed his sword motion to block Harribel's primary attack, and Stark's Infinite Cero followed immediately afterward, denying him any opportunity to breathe or recover his optimal stance.

If it had been any other captain-class combatant facing this perfectly coordinated assault, they would have been overwhelmed instantly, their defenses shattered and their existence threatened.

But for Uehara Shiroha, even Stark's formidable Infinite Cero could be neutralized with basic Reiatsu defensive techniques. The only reason he preferred not to rely on such methods was the limited Reiatsu available to his clone—he remained reluctant to waste precious energy on pure defensive maneuvers when it could be more efficiently utilized elsewhere.

Therefore, Uehara Shiroha launched into an expertly executed Shunpo, his figure blurring into complete invisibility before reappearing safely in the air, having completely evaded the attack without apparent effort.

"I had theorized that speed might constitute your primary weakness," Stark observed with palpable disappointment evident in his tone, "but it appears you are not merely powerful—you're comprehensively balanced across all combat domains."

This man was truly formidable, apparently without discernible weakness or vulnerability. The tactical opportunity Stark had just exploited would have successfully trapped even the notoriously elusive Kyōraku Shunsui. Yet Uehara Shiroha had evaded with such apparent ease that it almost seemed as if he were merely enjoying himself throughout the exchange.