91 CHAPTER 96: Another Invite

Nnoitra felt an icy shiver dance down the spine of his soul, prickling his skin in frostbitten excitement. A Hollow so obscenely powerful that his presence felt like the sky itself. He was Nnoitra's golden ticket, the key to unlock strength beyond his imagination, the promise of heart-pounding, adrenaline-laced battles that stirred his battle-hungry spirit. Or perhaps a grim reaper who would send him straight to hell after, of course, a thrilling battle.

Nnoitra threw his head back and cackled. "A new Vasto Lorde. I'm going to take my time killing you—"

His boast was cut short as a vice-like grip squeezed his heart. Kazuya's hands shone with a blue light, invoking the punishing effects of Oppression. Nnoitra suffocated and spasmed. Dancing on the edges of his awareness until the world spun, his eyes blurred and his body went numb. His heart, however, refused to cooperate, each beat crashing like a storm against his chest, the only noise in a world gone quiet.

Summoning every shred of willpower, Nnoitra clung onto the bare threads of his consciousness. If he was to die, he'd do so on his feet, drenched in his own blood and that of his enemy. To perish without a fight, without even a chance to draw his swords, was a demise that injected pure despair into his soul.

Weakening, Nnoitra staggered, reaching out in a futile gesture towards his enemy. "D-Don't… Coward."

The only answer was a smug smile from his enemy as the luminescence in his hands grew brighter. With that, the last vestiges of his world slipped away into the abyss, and Nnoitra succumbed to unconsciousness.

…

Kazuya brushed his shoulders, scattering the dust. To him, Nnoitra was a Vasto Lorde in name only, his Reiatsu barely scraping past Apacci's peak Resurrección form.

This disparity made his Oppression technique an absolute beast. He had completely manipulated every aspect of Nnoitra's body — throttling the blood supply to the heart, thickening his blood, and increasing the weight of his brain fluids. High-level souls that functioned similarly to humans were especially vulnerable to his Aspect of Death.

'I should be above normal captains.'

He mused and turned his attention to the unconscious Nnoitra. With a stomp, he crushed Nnoitra's head, the soft crunch reverberating in the eerie silence.

Nnoitra shared Cirucci's existential crisis as far as he recalled. To cope with despair, Cirucci inflicted pain on others. She had fallen into pure despair when her sole pleasure was taken away. Nnoitra was a lecherous and an amped up version of Cirucci, and even bigger sexist than Mila Rose for his constant arrogance towards women.

'Apacci has another soul to eat. You know what, I'm giving it to Sung-Sun.'

He couldn't be biased towards Apacci all the time. The snake princess also deserved some free soul for being his supportive lover.

A glance towards the cave confirmed that none of the weak Hollows had been harmed. His promise with Harribel had been upheld. As he pivoted on his heel, he noticed Apacci, Sung-Sun, Harribel walking towards him alongside a familiar-looking centaur Hollow that stirred familiarity in his memory.

'Nelliel? Yeah, that's her. She is still an Adjuchas.'

She charged past him into the cave. He could feel the little Hollows surrounding her like a group of children flocking to their mother.

His mind drew the connection between Nnoitra, Nelliel's status as an Adjuchas, and her compassion towards the little Hollows. He realized, without him, Nnoitra would have slaughtered her little companions, triggering a chain of events that would have inevitably led to Nelliel's evolution. It was eerily similar to the series of events that had ignited Harribel's evolution to Vasto Lorde status.

'I took away her chance.'

{Nelliel and Harribel — both #3 Espada became Vasto Lorde in similar situations. Another fascinating connection between them.}

As he pondered, the three women watched him, their curiosity piqued by his silent musings. They'd always wondered about the nature of his Zanpakutō Spirit, whose conversations often consumed his thoughts, and left him visibly lost in a world only he could access.

With a firm grip, Apacci seized his shirt. "I'm eating this knucklehead Vasto Lorde."

She didn't wait for his input and marched towards Nnoitra, her steps mirroring her confidence in his approval. After all, he had always indulged her request for souls, even killing others to give her.

His hand darted out to clasp her wrist. "Apacci, let Sung-Sun have this one."

The world seemed to pause as Apacci slowly turned around with a shadow concealing her expression. "Kazuya, why…? Do you not like me anymore? Am I not worthy anymore?"

Misunderstanding his favoritism for Sung-Sun, her thoughts spiraled into a dark abyss. Every Hollow had a trigger point, a topic that made them passionate, agitated even. For Apacci, it was the prospect of being thrown aside from his life.

Harribel slapped Apacci's back, almost flooring her. "Stop troubling him over nothing."

"Harribel, you—"

Before she could target Harribel, Kazuya pinched her cheeks, making her pale skin red.

"You already had a Vasto Lorde and a couple of Adjuchas before. Let Sung-Sun grow strong. The poor girl is currently the weakest."

"Call me wife," Sung-Sun retorted cheerfully. "Thanks for your gift. I'll cherish every bite~."

She opened her mouth and created a strong suction force that fractured Nnoitra's body into a swirl of particles. Within seconds, Nnoitra was completely gone. Arrancars had a different technique to consume souls that set them apart from animalistic Hollows.

Sung-Sun patted her belly with her oversized sleeve, feeling a little stronger than before. "Yummy."

Nelliel returned from her cave, her towering form making Kazuya feel uncharacteristically short. She stood there, her spear clenched, studying him. She had envisioned him as some enormous, menacing Hollow based on his Reiatsu. His appearance was worlds apart from her imagination.

"Thank you for saving my friends."

Kazuya shook his head. "Harribel has taught me that unnecessary bloodshed results in nothing."

A cough escaped Apacci. She alone had witnessed his ruthless experiments on his enemies. She was the only one who truly knew his evil heart, a secret she shared with none.

Nelliel's eyes sparkled behind her mask. "You're correct. Those little things have done nothing wrong. They simply want to survive out here but every Hollow is out for them… it makes me sick."

Nelliel couldn't even imagine the number of weaker Hollows suffering because of Menos' uncontrollable urges to devour Hollows.

Harribel's face softened as she listened to Nelliel's grievances. She approached Nelliel, her hand reaching out to stroke her back. "I promise there'll come a day your friends can roam Hueco Mundo without fearing for their lives."

Nelliel's eyes widened at Harribel's bold statement. She stepped back and shook her head, dismissing Harribel's dream almost instantly. "Changing the innate, 'gluttonous' instincts of our kind is an impossibility. I'm happy there are people like you in Hueco Mundo who don't fight without a reason."

Harribel could sense Nelliel's skepticism, an entirely justified sentiment considering the current state of Hueco Mundo. "Would you consider joining us?"

The offer caught everyone off-guard.

***

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