New Digs

Hisashi nodded thoughtfully. "I guess that decides things then. We will join Las Noches, but stick together and be prepared to defect if necessary." he confirmed.

They all nodded in agreement.

They spent a few days going over their plans together and preparing for the move to Las Noches. At least there wasn't that much to given that until recently almost none of them had been humanoid nor had any possessions of their own to take with them which sped up "packing" a lot.

The more important thing they did was to perform some further testing and exercises to make sure both Sung-Sun and Nelliel were in top shape. Though things would probably go just fine when they joined the Arrancar it was best to be safe rather than sorry. After all plenty of the Arrancar wouldn't be that friendly. First and foremost Grimmjow who should also be there currently.

They decided to take the more leisurely way to travel there by using BawaBawa as a form of transport. He didn't even mind everyone riding on him, was just happy to be of use to them for once. He couldn't really help much with actual combat just being a regular Hollow unlike the rest, but at least he could be of use in them this way by providing them with comfortable travel.

Since she could no longer hang from nor sit on his shoulders Nelliel instead decided to use his lap or sometimes even body as a pillow instead while they travelled. He wasn't sure why considering most of his body was pretty hard and not that comfortable with only the parts where his skin was exposed being soft to the touch. The rest felt closer to some kind of armour.

Whenever they ran into Hollows on the way since everyone had become a Vasto Lorde Hisashi just eliminated them quickly by himself so he could gain the experience and absorb their spirit power. Harribel still wasn't thrilled, but after experiencing the threat of the Arrancar she just accepted that he had to do that to grow. Her only expectation was that he couldn't attack any Hollows that didn't attack them first. Hisashi decided it was a fair enough compromise if it kept Harribel from becoming mad with him so he readily agreed.

Despite BawaBawa's speed it still took a couple of weeks to make it to Las Noches. Harribel had made sure their hideout was far from Barragan's after the last encounter they had had with him and Hueco Mundo was a very large place.

Finally when they passed over one of the countless white dunes they had passed they saw a giant structure in the distance. A huge building tall enough to house skyscrapers and large enough to fit an entire city topped with a dome. It was surrounded by similarly tall towers that flared at the base equally spaced around its circumference. All of it was constructed of the same even white material as if every nook and cranny had been meticulously stucco'd until every surface was smooth white giving it a cold clinical look. It stood out among the near endless nothingness that the white desert surface of Hueco Mundo presented.

Due to how massive the structure was despite being able to see it, it still took them a while to reach the entrance.

He decided to review his status before entering the den of vipers that was Las Noches.

=Notification Summary=

[Mission Completed - Heal Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck]

[Active Skill - Karinzanjutsu gained]

[Karinzanjutsu]

[An ancient sword technique that combines swordsmanship and the control of the "Black Flames of Bloodlust" which unlike regular fire can turn physical. The flames can be used for offensive techniques, either for their destructive properties or to reinforce the users weapon. Common forms used for the flames outside of enhancing one's attacks are chains to bind or a shield to protect.]

[+4,556,370 XP from Hollow]

[+223,300 Spirit Power from Hollow]

[+205,436 Spirit Power from Spiritual Energy Absorption]

[+12 Levels]

[+12 Stat points]

=Status Panel=

[Name: Saito Hisashi]

[Soul Age: 58 -> 59]

[Race: Hollow]

[Rank: Vasto Lorde]

[Level: 260 -> 272]

[XP: 8,310/371,280]

=Stats:=

[Strength: 325]

[Dexterity: 656]

[Constitution: 175]

[Intelligence: 250]

[Spirit Power: 3,906,413 -> 4,335,149]

[Available Stat Points: 0 -> 12]

=Passive Skills:=

[Spiritual Energy Absorption]

[Ultra-Speed Regeneration]

[Acidic Touch]

[Silencioso]

=Active Skills:=

[Soul-Body Separation]

[Spirit Power Concealment]

[Illusory Aura]

[Blut]

[Energy Blade]

[Transcribe]

[Hachigyō Sōgai]

[Cero]

[Kūmon]

[Negación]

[Skill Infusion]

[Sonído]

[Karinzanjutsu]

Karinzanjutsu had been his reward for healing Nelliel. He hadn't been entirely sure about it, but it was actually a rather useful technique for him considering he was a swordsman and used multiple swords. It would not only enhance his swordsmanship itself, but also extend his range of abilities he could use during fights. He could use it as a form of crowd control and also to protect himself both of which were more than worth it. It wasn't like he wouldn't have wanted to heal her anyway.

Even if the system was kind enough to give him the full knowledge of all techniques using the Karinzanjutsu ability, just like with the other abilities granted by the system it would still take quite some practice and real combat experience to fully integrate it with his combat style. Until he did he wouldn't be able to bring out the full potential of the abilities.

At least switching back to being the only one consuming Hollow had helped maintain some growth even against the ever slowing levelling up. He wasn't sure if there was a level cap, but even if there wasn't at a certain point it was bound to crawl to a halt simply due to the world eventually being unable to produce enough spiritual beings to consume to continue growing. It was already taking him weeks to gain a single level. Soon enough he knew it would be months and eventually decades might pass without a single level up.

-X-X-X-

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Writing Soundtrack: Ice Nine Kills - Various Tracks