I'm Back

"SO YOU CAME BACK!?? GREAT! THIS IS JUST GREAT!"

Joaquin charged up an enormous amount of Spiritual Pressure which dwarfed Albrecht's. In an instance, he could feel the power gap between him and the Arrancar before him. His instincts told him to defend, as he then raised his blade and focused all his powers in Blut.

Joaquin used Sonido and instantly appeared in front of Albrecht. The disappearance of his Spiritual Pressure confused him, which created an opening for Joaquin. He extended his hand out, creating a Lariat which hit Albrecht in the neck. he then swung it, sending Albrecht flying as his Blut Vene was destroyed in an instant.

Something was off. It should've at least been able to survive one or two direct hits, but it shattered too easily.

Albrecht crashed through a wall as he coughed up some blood. Joaquin then appeared over him before punching him in the gut. His body hit the ground creating a massive crater.

"IS THIS ALL YOU HAVE?"

Joaquin then picked him up by the leg, before throwing him into the sky with one hand, and smacking him back into the ground. He repeated this several times, while Albrecht fell in and out of unconsciousness each time.

His body was getting weaker rapidly, and he couldn't gather Reishi properly. Something was interfering with all of his abilities.

He had felt an uneasy feeling ever since coming into Hueco Mundo. He couldn't tell what it was, but now that he was being hit by it directly, he finally realized it. Reiatsu poisoning. Every time he was hit by Joaquin's spiritual pressure, a little piece sneaked into his body. But that was more than enough to destroy his immune system.

The second he got hit, all hopes of fighting back had been lost.

His body was battered and beaten. Blood poured from his head while his breathing weakened. His vision grew blurry, but he could see the monster standing tall and proud in front of him, relishing in the moment.

"Your weak, your body is not fit for fighting. Yet you still hold onto that sword. Foolish, but impressive guts. I'm going to savour eating you, and once I do, I'll evolve and finish of this camp."

Albrecht was ready to give up, but if he did, then Joaquin would certainly get too strong. The future he hoped for would disappear, and even if he gave up now, they would all die. There was only one thing he could do.

He quickly got back up, and swung his blade at Joaquin's neck. The Arrancar knew it was of no threat as the blade didn't even scratch it.

"You still fight?"

"I... have nothing. Most of my memories don't belong to me, and even my own body isn't my own... but I won't allow you, to take away the freedom of these people!"

He tried to strike again but his body finally gave in as he collapsed. His heartbeat was finally fading, and the light in his eyes had died. 

"Welp! Time to eat!"

Joaquin was about to grab onto him for the last time, but then he felt a blade pierce through his chest. It turned back only to see Harribel standing behind him.

"You were so driven mad by hunger, you completely forgot about me."

Harribel slashed her blade through the rest of his body, causing enormous amounts of blood to spill out of him. He fell to the floor, as he felt a sudden weakness surge through him. The draw back from using Last Resort had also hit him too.

"NO! NO! NO! I'LL EAT HIM, AND GET PAYBACK FOR THIS!"

He extended a hand out towards Albrecht's dying body, but then he and Harribel all of sudden got an eerie feeling. The primal urge to run away, without looking back spread through them.

Harribel quickly grabbed Albrecht and kept a good distance away from Joaquin who was the centre of the feeling, while he shouted at her to come back for him.

"WAIT! BRING HIM BACK! PLEASE! HE'S MY ONLY CHANCE!"

A giant shadow all of a sudden appeared over him which was rectangular in size. The two began to sweat intensely as they witnessed something they shouldn't have. Harribel had seen it only once before while this was Joaquin's first time.

A purple gate, dressed in two golden skeletons. A special door reserved only for sinners. The gates of hell.

It slowly opened up as Joaquin screamed from underneath. A massive arm holding a large Zanpakutō emerged as it instantly pierced through his chest. The arm slowly returned back into the gate, carrying Joaquin who was still impaled.

"WAIT! PLEASE! I'M SORRY, SO HELP ME! I WON'T HARM ANYONE EVER AGAIN! HECK, I'LL EVEN BOW DOWN LIKE A DOG, AND BECOME A SLAVE TO THOSE CHILDREN! DON'T LET ME GO!"

Eventually he was dragged down to hell, and the gates slammed shut. What happened to him would remain unknown, but it was certain it wouldn't be pretty.

The battle between the Tres Bestia and the hollow army wasn't one sided. The semi large hollow army wasn't that big of a challenge to the Tres Bestia, however the army of Arrancar clones that Rudbornn limitlessly produced became an issue.

However after sensing Joaquin's demise he quickly retreated.

This was a victory for the Harribel's Arrancar camp.

5 days later--

Albrecht woke up once again in the same tent like once before. He was feeling much better, and the poison in his body had long left him. Unfortunately his clothes weren't in such a good condition, but there was conveniently a clean pair of white clothes, resembling the Arrancar's next to it.

He quickly put it on before exiting.

Once he arrived back to the main camp, he was surprised to see Nelliel arguing with the usually passive Roka over something. They were a card game he had never seen before.

"YOU CAN'T STACK +2 CARDS ON A +4 THEY'RE NOT EVEN MATCHING!", Roka shouted.

"SO YOU CAN STACK A GREEN 6 ON A RED 6, BUT NOT A +2 ON A +4?? I CALL BS!", Nelliel counterd.

"THAT'S A HORRIBLE COMPARISON, THEY'RE NOT EVEN IN THE RULE BOOK!"

The two immediately noticed that Albrecht was awake, and become very soft and welcoming.

"So your awake! Wanna play? I'll teach you???"

"No thanks."

He didn't want to get involved in that argument. He asked where Harribel was, and was directed further up the destroyed castle. After sometime walking, he eventually found place where a bunch of Arrancar children were playing. They were throwing Bala at each other. Harribel was overwatching them from up high, but Albrecht eventually joined her.

"What happened? I was defiantly dying. And everyone is.. fine?"

"The army backed off after Joaquin died and I had a friend form the living world fix you up. You probably shouldn't leave for a couple days or so, until you fully recover."

Albrecht then softly smiled as he said, "I think im actually going to stay. If you'll let me that is."

She was surprised, but I guess it was foreseeable since he came back willingly.

"Might I ask? Why the change of mind?"

"I was chasing after the wrong thing all this time. I think what I really needed is right here. I realized this, so I came back."

Harribel laughed while Albrecht's face turned red. She wasn't making fun of him which was what she thought, but she was just glad he came back. A stray Bala then hit Albrecht in the head that one of the children threw.

"If your going to be living here, you need to learn how to get along with them first."

He simply sighed as he jumped down to play with them.