It's not that Stark and Harribel wanted to sell out their teammate. Betrayal was never their intention. The cold reality was that Barragan had lost his motivation and now only wished to be a "cowardly lizard," escaping from the battlefield rather than standing his ground.

Since there had never been any true possibility of unity among them from the beginning—each serving Aizen for their own reasons rather than out of genuine loyalty or camaraderie—it seemed more pragmatic to make the most of Barragan's predicament. This way, even a liability could serve some purpose.

They couldn't win this battle in its current configuration anyway, and with no internal cohesion, their defeat was merely a matter of time. In the harsh calculus of survival, sacrifices sometimes became necessary, and Barragan—with his wounded pride and deteriorating resolve—had become the most expendable.

"Why doesn't my power of aging have any effect on you?" Barragan, the former king of Hueco Mundo, raged helplessly as he found himself trapped in a situation with no viable escape.

Even when his aging field was not yet in its released state, it could have a measurable effect on captain-level Shinigami, significantly slowing their movements and reactions. His killing techniques like Respira became exponentially more potent after releasing his Resurrección, earning him the fearsome reputation where "anyone who stands in the way will be killed."

But when facing Uehara Shiroha, both the passive aging field and the active Respira proved completely ineffective—as if they were merely gentle breezes blowing against a mountain. This was beyond incredible; it defied everything Barragan thought he understood about his own powers.

He was profoundly puzzled by this inexplicable immunity, his confusion manifesting as impotent rage. His crown, once the symbol of his absolute authority, now seemed like a mockery atop his skeletal head.

Stark shared these same doubts, his brow furrowing in contemplation as he continued to engage in the uneven battle:

"I was also wondering the same thing," he admitted, firing another barrage of Ceros that Uehara Shiroha effortlessly avoided. "Why do you seem to be immune to our techniques? Logically, the Reiatsu you're expending should not grant such overwhelming superiority. What makes you different?"

By all reasonable expectations, his Infinite Cero should be devastatingly effective against close-combat fighters like Uehara Shiroha. The technique had successfully suppressed Kyōraku Shunsui earlier in their confrontation. If not for the timely intervention of the white-haired captain, Stark believed he could have forced Kyōraku to reveal his Bankai.

Yet these same techniques that had pressured a captain of Kyōraku's caliber were completely ineffective against Uehara Shiroha. It violated every principle of combat that Stark had come to understand throughout his long existence.

Harribel, fighting with unwavering determination despite the increasingly hopeless situation, also frowned in perplexity.

She harbored numerous questions that remained unanswered. Why hadn't Uehara Shiroha utilized his Zanpakutō's special abilities? How was he able to dominate three Espada simultaneously without even releasing his sword or calling upon his Zanpakutō's powers?

The sensation of being thoroughly controlled by an enemy throughout a battle was deeply unsettling—alien to one accustomed to being among the most powerful beings in Hueco Mundo. It filled her with a disquieting combination of shock and confusion, challenging everything she thought she knew about the hierarchy of power.

"It's because of the different levels," Uehara Shiroha explained calmly as he effortlessly parried the coordinated attacks of all three opponents. His movements remained fluid and precise, betraying no hint of exertion despite facing three of Aizen's most powerful warriors simultaneously.

"I've mentioned before that your understanding of Reiatsu is too superficial," he continued. "Although you possess spiritual energy that exceeds that of ordinary captains, from my perspective, you actually comprehend nothing about the true nature of Reiatsu."

The combat dynamics in the world of Bleach, he reflected silently, represented a complex interplay between raw power and specialized abilities. But this equilibrium only functioned on the fundamental assumption that combatants operated within comparable tiers of spiritual energy.

When one fighter completely overwhelmed another in terms of Reiatsu, no ability—regardless of its conceptual potency—could bridge that fundamental gap. This principle was perfectly illustrated when Aizen had incapacitated Grimmjow with nothing more than a glance, his overwhelming spiritual pressure rendering the Espada immobile.

In other words, raw power established the baseline, determining the lower threshold of combat effectiveness, while specialized abilities could potentially raise the upper limit. The advantage of raw power lay in its stability—it rarely fluctuated significantly during battle. Abilities, by contrast, were highly dependent on compatibility, circumstances, and matchups.

This explained why Kyōraku Shunsui, wielding only his Shikai, had struggled somewhat against Stark in his released form. The Espada's Infinite Cero created a powerful zone of denial that severely restricted the effectiveness of Katen Kyōkotsu's abilities.

After all, Katen Kyōkotsu's various Shikai techniques weren't directly lethal in nature, instead relying on their exceptional adaptability and flexibility to create advantageous situations. But ultimately, Kyōraku still depended on landing actual sword strikes to secure victory.

And the Infinite Cero's overwhelming suppressive capability had prevented exactly that, denying the captain any opportunity to close distance. If Ukitake Jūshirō hadn't intervened at the critical moment, Kyōraku Shunsui might well have been pushed to his absolute limit...

During the Thousand-Year Blood War, Kyōraku's abilities had proven more compatible against "X-Axis" Lille Barro, allowing him to achieve superior results. But in terms of overall combat potential, Lille was undoubtedly stronger than Stark—a testament to the importance of compatibility in spiritual combat.

Other examples abounded: Wonderweiss's ability to seal Ryūjin Jakka was exceptionally potent against Yamamoto's fire-based Zanpakutō, but would be essentially useless against Hyōrinmaru or other elementally dissimilar weapons. Against different opponents, Wonderweiss was little more than a "blank slate," his specialized adaptation rendered irrelevant.

Therefore, the combat enhancement provided by specialized abilities was inherently unstable, varying dramatically based on matchups and environmental conditions. Even the surrounding environment could dramatically alter an ability's effectiveness—Hyōrinmaru's ice-based powers, for instance, would be significantly handicapped in an arid environment lacking moisture.

By contrast, raw spiritual power and the fundamental capabilities it enhanced—speed, strength, durability, and sensory acuity—remained consistently reliable factors in determining combat outcomes. These foundational aspects were stable, predictable, and absolute in their contribution to fighting prowess.

This was precisely what allowed Uehara Shiroha to overcome the three Espada despite their numerical advantage and specialized abilities. He relied on the baseline capabilities provided by his superior spiritual energy to exceed even the maximum potential of his opponents' combined strength.

This represented the most stable form of combat superiority—an upright, unbreakable advantage that transcended tricks and techniques. It was why he could confidently engage all three simultaneously, manipulating the flow of battle exactly as he pleased.

Barragan found himself unconvinced by Uehara Shiroha's explanation, his skepticism fueled partly by genuine disbelief and partly by wounded pride. In truth, his defenses—both physical and psychological—had already been thoroughly breached.

No matter what Uehara Shiroha said, Barragan was determined to oppose it on principle alone. His contrarian attitude stemmed not from reasoned disagreement but from the desperate need to maintain some semblance of his rapidly disintegrating dignity.

"You mean to tell me," Barragan snarled, anger radiating from his skeletal form, "that you can be immune to my Respira through the basic power of Reiatsu alone? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even Aizen himself cannot accomplish such a feat! Who do you think you are? A god?"

The vehemence in his voice betrayed his desperation. All the Espada held absolute conviction in Aizen's overwhelming strength—it was the foundation upon which their loyalty, however reluctant, had been built.