A Pitiful Man  

Unfortunately for Nnoitra, his prayers went unanswered. Harribel successfully completed her transformation into an Arrancar.

Her white exoskeleton shed away, revealing tanned skin and long, flowing blonde hair. A white, jagged mask covered her face from her nose down, extending down her neck and chest like a garment. A Zanpakutō hung at her waist. From its sheath, it appeared to be a broadsword. But when Harribel drew it, Nnoitra realized that the blade was hollow, lacking a solid core.

Only after becoming an Arrancar did Harribel truly understand the vast difference between ordinary Hollows and those who had undergone Hollowfication.

No matter how strong a Hollow might be, it was still a Hollow. Even Vasto Lordes, the apex of Hollow evolution, possessed only a crude understanding of reiatsu manipulation. Their most powerful attack was the Cero. Beyond that, their only other offensive options were their unique abilities.

But abilities were unpredictable. Some weak Hollows possessed incredibly potent powers, while some high-level Hollows had unremarkable abilities.

However, after becoming Arrancar, their Shinigami heritage granted them a far greater mastery over reiatsu, allowing them to develop a wide array of powerful techniques. Their heightened sensitivity to spatial distortions also enabled them to achieve high-speed movement through a technique called Sonído.

Whoosh!

With a mere thought, Harribel appeared before Nnoitra, waving her Zanpakutō and slashing down.

Boom!

Nnoitra crossed his four scythes, blocking Harribel's strike. However, the force of the impact sent him skidding across the desert sand, carving two deep trenches in his wake.

One might assume that Harribel's hollow blade would lack power. However, her true form was that of a shark, known for its immense strength. While Harribel's future fighting style would revolve around her mastery of water, in her newly transformed state, close combat was still her most effective option.

And so it proved.

Not only was Harribel's reiatsu superior, but her physical strength dwarfed Nnoitra. Even in her base Arrancar form, she could easily overpower him.

Ailin watched the battle unfold, unfazed by the disparity in their abilities. Harribel's had only just completed her transformation and hadn't yet mastered her newfound power or developed her own techniques. But her increased reiatsu and enhanced reiatsu control were more than enough to defeat Nnoitra.

If she released her Zanpakutō, Nnoitra would likely be obliterated. However, Harribel's needed an opponent like Nnoitra to help her adjust to her enhanced strength.

Of course, she was also reassured by the fact that she had seen Ailin approach Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun, using the Hōgyoku to help them undergo Hollowfication.

...

Powerful Hollows were rare in Hueco Mundo, and female Hollows were even rarer.

In the million-year history of Hueco Mundo, as far as Ailin knew, only two Vasto Lordes had ever reached the very pinnacle of power. One was Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the former 3rd Espada. The other was Tier Harribel, who was currently battling Nnoitra.

Unfortunately, Nnoitra had a terrible relationship with both Nelliel and Harribel.

Ailin chuckled as he observed Nnoitra's beating.

Nnoitra Gilga, the 5th Espada, represented the aspect of "Despair."

It wasn't simply "despair" but the "despair" of understanding the harsh realities of the world and one's own powerlessness to change them.

Nnoitra embodied the concept of "survival of the fittest," the unchanging law of Hueco Mundo for millions of years. From the moment he gained self-awareness and began his evolution, he knew that if he couldn't become the "strongest," he would eventually die at the hands of someone more powerful.

But Nnoitra also knew that he was destined to fail in his quest for ultimate strength. Lacking the potential to become the "strongest," he was fated to become a stepping stone for others.

This realization filled him with despair, driving him to focus on enhancing his Hierro during his evolution. As a result, even as an Adjuchas, his Hierro surpassed that of all other Hollows. After becoming an Arrancar, he became the Espada with the strongest defense.

However, this only plunged Nnoitra deeper into despair. Even with the strongest defense, he was still not the "strongest." The strongest defense could only become a more durable target against a more powerful attack.

Nnoitra became the 5th Espada. The five Espada below him were no match for him, as if they belonged to a different class altogether. However, he was utterly outmatched by the four Espada above him. It was as if Nnoitra alone divided the Espada into two distinct tiers.

Resigned to his fate, Nnoitra embraced his despair, becoming a battle-crazed maniac. He desired to die fighting, but only against an opponent stronger than himself.

After accepting his "despair," two individuals shattered his worldview.

The first was Tier Harribel.

Nnoitra had once encountered Harribel and been defeated. But Harribel had spared his life, neither killing nor devouring him. It was the first time Nnoitra questioned his own beliefs.

The second was Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the former 3rd Espada.

Nelliel was a Vasto Lorde who possessed a human-like compassion. After Aizen used the Hōgyoku to transform her into an Arrancar, she became the 3rd Espada. To Nelliel, the strong had a duty to protect the weak.

Her philosophy directly contradicted Nnoitra's acceptance of his "despair" and the law of "survival of the fittest." It was inevitable that they would clash.

Moreover, Nnoitra harbored a deep-seated hatred for female Hollows, stemming from his humiliation at being spared by another powerful female Hollow.

He repeatedly challenged Nelliel, believing that according to his "despair," she should kill him, using him as a stepping stone on her path to greater power. However, despite being defeated every time, Nelliel always spared his life.

She even called him a "pitiful man."

Those words shattered Nnoitra's fragile ego.

He conspired with Szayelaporro Granz to ambush Nelliel and break her mask. However, as he raised his Zanpakutō, images of Nelliel sparing him flashed in his mind. In the end, Nnoitra, who worshipped the law of "survival of the fittest," violated his own principles. He didn't kill Nelliel but instead cast her out of Las Noches, stripped of her power.

Unfortunately, despite successfully ambushing Nelliel and removing her from Las Noches, Nnoitra failed to advance to a higher rank among the Espada.

Through Ailin's machinations, he was forced to search for a replacement Espada.

Now, with Tier Harribel transformed into an Arrancar with Ailin's aid, the power dynamic between her and Nnoitra had reversed.

Tier Harribel represented the aspect of "Sacrifice." She was a powerful female Hollow who, like Nelliel, would willingly give her life to protect the weak.

Both "protecting the weak" and "sacrificing for the weak" stood in contrast to Nnoitra's "despair" and his belief in the law of "survival of the fittest."

In the end, Nnoitra's "despair" was crushed by Harribel. However, he still failed to achieve his desire to die at the hands of the "strongest."

Although Harribel had nearly been killed by Nnoitra, she had sworn allegiance to Aizen, the master of Las Noches. She would never harm a fellow subordinate.

Although the timing and location of Aizen's appearance made Harribel suspect she had been manipulated, she couldn't deny that she was now his subordinate. Dwelling on the past was pointless.

Moreover, someone who could so easily grant her such immense power was undoubtedly far stronger than her. Rebelling would only lead to a meaningless sacrifice.

After defeating Nnoitra, Harribel, accompanied by her newly transformed Fracción—Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun—traveled to Las Noches, becoming the new 3rd Espada.

Upon seeing Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun as Arrancar, Nnoitra realized that Aizen had likely been present all along and had played a role in their transformations. But even knowing this, he was powerless to do anything.

It seemed that his position as the 5th Espada was set in stone.

Lying on the ground, Nnoitra once again questioned his beliefs. Survival of the fittest was the immutable law of Hueco Mundo. Yet, since joining Aizen, his "despair" had been repeatedly challenged.

The existence of these two female Hollows had ignited a flicker of "hope" within him.

Had he been ensnared by Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu?

Why was he doubting the very foundation of Hueco Mundo?