A/N: This chapter might get confusing in the middle. It has events from last chapter (published here). I kinda messed up the chapters names in google docs, which led to this. Enjoy extra chapters as my apology. Also, don't skip the trio part. Last chapter version was unedited. I'm not sure if I added stuff later or not.
...
Mila Rose rubbed the back of her neck. "What did Barragan even do to deserve this loyalty?"
She was loyal to Kazuya and everyone because they cared for her just as much as she cared for them. Barragan was a tyrant, a cruel man who razed villages of Hollows to get rid of his boredom.
"You don't know Lord Barragan like I did." He reached to the sky and wrapped his other hand around himself. "Beautiful Charlotte Cuhlhourne's Rose Blanca!"
Massive, thorny bushes erupted from the ground and formed a dome around them. A massive white rose bloomed at the very top, its glowing petals casting a dim glow on the domain below.
A vine wriggled out of the ground and wrapped Mila Rose's ankle. It stopped her from moving.
"No one can sense you here. Not even your mate will see your death, you ignorant skunk."
With eyes seething with fury, Charlotte leaped and slammed down his leg on her. She blocked the kick with her left arm, only to hear a loud, bone-snapping echo reverberate through her — her forearm had a few broken bones from one attack.
Charlotte in his Resurrección possessed greater physical strength than her base form.
She quickly sliced the vine at her ankle and rolled away from a follow-up kick that cratered the earth. Underestimating Charlotte in his Resurrección would leave her a bag of broken bones and flesh.
"Die! Die! Die!"
She barely survived the onslaught of punches and kicks thrown at her, each one chipping away the feeling in her arms. "Argh, this is fun but also humiliating."
After all, her mate was observing her. Seeing her in pain would make him worried, and she had promised herself to never give any stress to her already overburdened mate.
The momentary lapse let a kick slip past her defense and graze her shoulder. She immediately counter-attacked with a punch of her own to create distance between them.
"This is where it ends," she whispered, stabbing her Zanpakutō in the ground. "Devorar, Leona! (Gold Lion General)"
Her Resurrección enveloped her in a golden flash of energy, revealing her released state that remained the same amazonian warrior-like with the regal ferocity of a lion. Despite all her maturity, she was the same blazing lioness with a heart of gold.
She held her bigger and wider black broadsword, baring a feral grin that showed her lion-like fangs. "Begone."
Her Sonído made her disappear with an explosive thrum, her speed too fast for Charlotte's eyes to track. He was too late to react to her broadsword punching through his Hierro and skewering his heart.
Blood sputtered, staining Charlotte's white top. He clutched her sword with trembling fingers. "You crushed my heart like nothing… What a barbaric woman."
She withdrew her sword, letting him fall to his knees. "I changed my mind, Charlotte. Your loyalty—it's beautiful."
Alas, it was placed on the wrong person.
Charlotte revealed a weak smile. "I can die in peace… and join Lord Barragan."
He slumped over, becoming completely still.
Mila Rose let out a sigh. Charlotte had been a fanatic, yes, but she could sense an undying passion in him. Shaking her head, she turned around. With Charlotte dead, there was no Reiatsu enhancing the vines. She easily slashed her way out of the barrier.
Just then, golden threads suddenly converged before her, vaguely forming Kazuya's silhouette. His golden eyes peered into hers. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you. What's this ability supposed to be? Magic?"
"My mini avatars. I can make a few and temporarily possess them. Boredom really makes you think outside of the box."
She raised her brow, looking surprised. "You're everywhere like a god… Good grief, don't ask me to live in some cloud palace if you ever become one."
"Clouds will be better than this desert, you know the place where you spent most of your life."
"But that was in the past. I have higher standards now. You spoiled me with the human world. Now, I can't imagine shifting here permanently."
"You'll never have to." He chuckled. "Anyways, look at me. The real me."
She glanced at the tree, where Kazuya was looking at her. Flame burst from the tree, materializing a giant lion in the sky above it. The lion burst into orbs of flames that launched toward Mila Rose. She just stayed still even as the fire enveloped her. As she had expected, they healed all her injuries and even fixed her broken bones.
"Why are you using wizardry to impress me? I'm already your mate. My heart, body, and soul are already yours."
"Just think of that as your reward for winning."
"My battle wasn't even hard."
"It's the effort that counts," he said before pointing at Charlotte's corpse. "Eat him before his soul disintegrates. You've earned it."
She shook her head. "I'll let someone else have the honor."
Letting him nourish Apacci or Sung-Sun was better than her; she had passion to grow strong but she'd rather not rely on souls. After all, Harribel had become Vasto Lorde without eating souls. She'd also be able to ascend if she gave her all.
"Well, if you say so. You know where to look if you want a break."
She threw her broadsword over her shoulder. "I love the offer, but I'm here to crush skulls. Point me to the next target."
"Alright."
…
Lisa adjusted her glasses and glanced down the endless corridor. "Goth Madame, it feels like we've been here before."
Cirucci's eye twitched at the jab but said nothing. Instead, she slammed her Zanpakutō's whip-like hilt against the wall. "Which madman designed this place? I want to smash his face like this."
The two had infiltrated Las Noches amidst the war with only one goal in mind — to ensure Szayelaporro died here. Kazuya didn't want the mad scientist to survive and plan a revenge in the shadows. No, Kazuya wanted him dead today. Cirucci had volunteered for the hunt, and Lisa chose to accompany her new friend as backup. Looking at her now one could see the regret in her eyes for accompanying Cirucci.
They were completely lost in Las Noches.
"Menoly, where is it?" Cirucci turned to the blonde Arrancar quietly trailing them—the volunteer guide for this mission. "Don't tell me you're also lost…"
Szayelaporro's previous lab was located in this massive structure, located not too far from Barragan's open court. However, now the whole place was fifty times bigger and more complex. It hadn't even been that long since she joined Kazuya. She couldn't believe Aizen's army had erected this gargantuan dome around Szayelaporro's lab in such a short time.
Menoly rubbed the back of her head. "I thought I knew the way around, but these corridors..."
She wasn't the type to roam and explore as she mostly accompanied Loly. Even if she did, it'd be impossible to memorize these hallways with her intelligence.
Lisa sighed before wiping the sweat forming on Cirucci's face with her scarf. "Ready to consider my suggestion now?"
Her original plan was for Cirucci to pose as one of Aizen's Arrancars to seek directions to Szayelaporro's lab.
Cirucci nodded gratefully but scowled the next second. "There is no soul around here."
Harribel's declaration had sent everyone scurrying. She wasn't even sure if Szayelaporro would stick around after that.
Lisa loudly clicked her tongue. "We did see a few. You were just too proud to ask."
"I didn't know we'd need it." Cirucci dragged a hand down her face. "I honestly expected our guide to be more helpful."
"I'm sorry…" Menoly apologized, lowering her head. "I'm sorry for being useless…"
Cirucci's words came out far harsher than intended, sending Menoly into self-loathing. She just hadn't been herself since she left Las Noches and Loly behind.
Lisa glared at Cirucci, who groaned and rolled her shoulders.
"Shit, that's not what I meant. We should've asked Kazuya to wait while we scouted. He could have delayed the war for like a few hours."
The two took their time to comfort Menoly and make her feel like she wasn't dead weight on the team. They obviously had to lie.
Once everyone was on the same page, Lisa said, "We'll find some Hollow and gently force them to cooperate with us."
A slow, wicked grin spread across Cirucci's face, sending a chill down Lisa's spine. "Torturing men is my specialty. You should've suggested that sooner."
With a renewed enthusiasm, Cirucci roamed the hallways, searching for any poor Hollow. They stumbled upon two short, obese Arrancars identical to each other, except for their hairstyle: one had a short black ponytail and the other had black pigtails.
The two started hopping and chanting around like deranged monkeys.
"Sza-ye-la-porro! Lord Szayelaporro!"
"Call-ing! Calling!"
"There! The-re!"
Lisa patted Cirucci's shoulder. "Excuse me, but what the actual fuck are they?"
"Lumina and Verona," Cirucci said with eyes narrowed like a hawk. "Szayelaporro's little pets… if they're here, he must be close."
Menoly patted their shoulders. "They're telling us to go that way. Did he order them to send people to him?"
"Ciru!"
"Ci!"
"Ciru-ciii!"
"That guy knows we're hunting for him," Lisa said with widened eyes. "He should be focusing on the conflict outside, not three strangers."
"He must have surveillance equipment for keeping an eye on everything. As much as I hate him, he is one of the smartest Hollows alive," Cirucci admitted reluctantly, seeing how the two servants pointed to the wall behind them. "Following them is walking straight into his trap. His experiments make death look like mercy. Still wanna go down there, Lusty Lisa?"
She had seen the tortures Hollows went through in Szayelaporro's lab — it was one of the reasons behind her loyalty to Barragan. Ending up in his lab was the worst fate anyone could suffer.
"Trap or not, we have to go." Lisa reached out, her fingertips brushing against the golden threads. She could almost imagine Kazuya calling her names with a teasing smirk. "It's not like we can die in his domain."
Cirucci's mouth split with a grin. "Hubby's blessing is just what I needed to confront Szayel."
Lisa strode past the giggling Arrancar pair and observed a faint outline around a section of the wall. She pushed it, revealing a well-lit stairs leading down. "Wow, stairs to a sex dungeon."
"Smut Queen Lisa makes everything about sex," Cirucci said with a shake of her head. "Menoly, stay close to me. We don't know what dangers we'll face down there."
The two followed Lisa's lead and descended the stairs. The witless Arrancars Lumina and Verona scurried after them.
"Lord will be ha-ppy!"
"Happy! Happy!"
"Ugh, these two are annoying," Lisa whispered to Cirucci. "Can I dispose of them?"
They were here to kill Szayelaporro. Killing Lumina and Verona would put them in a better position than letting them live to assist Szayelaporro against them.
Cirucci swung around her whip. The heavy disc at the end of her whip shoved Verona into Lumina before crushing both against the wall. The sheer weight of her disc made them a grotesque mess of blood and flesh.
Menoly sucked in a deep breath. "I-Instakilled…"
"Sun-chan wasn't lying," Lisa whispered, eyes fixed on the carnage. She had always seen Cirucci as the playful yet considerate type, never taking Sung-Sun's word for Cirucci being a high-level sadist.
Today, she realized her friend wasn't messing with her but informing her of the truth.
Cirucci yanked the disc back, which fitted it snugly with the hilt of her whip. "They always got on my nerves.
"Er, Cirucci, how heavy is that disc?"
"Light as a feather."
Lisa's gaze went to the dead Szayelaporro's servants. "Feathers don't crush people like that."
The exasperated response made Cirucci chuckle. "It's nothing to me. To you, it's probably around a few hundred kilos or more. We'll check it when we return."
"Wow… Promise you'll never swing it at me. I don't want to be flatter than this…"
Cirucci looked down at her breasts before puffing them toward Lisa. "Size doesn't matter."
"Then why are you boasting your boobies with a smug face?!" Lisa crossed her arms, her face red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. "Menoly, don't laugh. You're smaller than me."
Menoly, who was holding back a giggle, stopped and stared at Lisa in surprise. "Ugh… I said nothing about you."
Cirucci burst into laughter. "Horny Lisa actually looks cute when she is flustered. I bet Hubby loves teasing you."
"Which woman does your Hubby not tease?"
The question made Cirucci frown. "Harribel. Never seen him messing with her. Like never. He is only lovey-dovey with her."
"Yeah, he is all honey and sugar when he talks to her. I can't even imagine what they do in the sheets."
"Nothing. They haven't fucked."
Lisa's eyes widened. "No way! I don't believe you. Harribel is the sexiest among you, even Apacci is no match for her."
"There is a reason…"
The two started gossiping about Harribel and Kazuya's relationship until Menoly interrupted with her hand raised as though she was a student in a class. "Um… He never teased me."
Cirucci frowned at Menoly. "Never saw him talk to you either."
"Yeah…" Menoly's shoulders slumped as she lowered her head in dejection. "He probably thinks I'm not worthy."
Lisa shook Menoly's shoulder, trying to cheer her up. "He is just too busy managing his harem. Join his harem if you want to be teased. Super effective nine thousand level strategy."
Menoly stepped back and shook her hands in a frenzy. "N-No, I'm good."
"Haha, I was joking." Lisa turned to the stairs. "I might confess to him when we get back."
"Good luck," Cirucci said, patting Lisa's back. "Let's kill Szayel and leave this shithole. I'll leave the rest to Harribel's crew."
"Agreed."
The trio soon reached the end of the stairs and found themselves in a massive hall, where a door led left and the other right. Both doors were labeled with 'No unauthorized access', though from the right Lisa could sense hints of a familiar Reiatsu. The Reiatsu of a Shinigami.
Any Shinigami in Las Noches had to be a part of Aizen's squad.
Lisa's lips curled into an excited grin. "It's a trap made for us three. Alright, split up. You two go left. I'll take the right."
The trope of people splitting and dying became obsolete when death was not on the menu. They could get away with even the dumbest mistakes. Under these circumstances, how could she not take this golden opportunity to stomp a traitor's head?
Menoly furrowed her brows. "It's not a good—"
Cirucci nudged Menoly, stopping her warning mid-way. "Let Smut Queen have her fun. She's been stuck in the Human World for who knows how long."
Though reluctant, Menoly complied with Cirucci's request.
…
A few more rooms down the halls, Cirucci and Menoly followed the path.
Click!
The floor panel beneath them let out an ominous sound, and a square section of the floor fell in the shaft below.
Already wary of traps, Cirucci quickly created a Reishi platform beneath her feet and climbed back up, followed by Menoly.
Click!
It was only the start of their troubles as the floor they stepped on was also a trap. The next section also collapsed, so did the one after. They leaped from one falling block to the next until the whole chamber had collapsed. The two found a grip on the wall. Even with their superhuman eyes, they couldn't see the depths of darkness below them.
Cirucci's eyes suddenly widened. "That's his Reiatsu coming from below."
"Wait—"
Cirucci plunged into the darkness before Menoly could stop her. The blonde Arrancar had no choice but to follow after Cirucci.
The moment they landed on the ground, four massive bulbs lit up, dispelling the darkness around them.
"Hahaha, you idiots fell for it." Laughter echoed from a gateway as Szayelaporro emerged with wide open arms and a condescending grin. "Cirucci Sanderwicci, Menoly Mallia, I hereby welcome you to Las Noches's one and only torture chamber for traitors."
The mad scientist had a special party prepared for Menoly and Cirucci.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lisa followed the corridors and ended up in a room stacked full of giant pods, each filled with a faintly glowing violet liquid. Inside the pods, humanoid figures floated in suspended animation — they were Szayelaporro's attempts to create Arrancars through experiments rather than Hōgyoku. She had ended up in Szayelaporro's storage area.
At the far end of the room stood a tall figure, his back turned to her, as he examined the largest and most sophisticated pod in the room. Broad shoulders clad in a Shihakushō uniform with rolled up sleeves. His dark brown hair, tied neatly into thin braids, extended down to his shoulders.
Lisa's hand tightened around her Zanpakutō. She had seen the silhouette multiple times during her time in Gotei 13. It was the silhouette of Aizen's accomplice.
Kaname Tōsen.
He turned to face her, his featureless visor obscuring his pupil-less eyes. "What brings an exiled Shinigami in the middle of a conflict? Have you allied yourself with Hollows after birthing a Hollow within your soul?"
Lisa's eyes narrowed. "I allied with people who happened to share the same goal as me — exterminating that filth Aizen from this world. Celebrate while you can because Cazador and Visored are coming for you and your master."
Kaname Tōsen's head tilted slightly as if in contemplation. "So it's vengeance behind the facade of justice."
"Don't talk about justice," Lisa said, drawing her Zanpakutō and pointing the blade at him. "You turned your back on the people who trusted you and became Aizen's pawn."
Her anger turned off her profanity filter.
Tōsen's expression remained the same, but his Reiatsu flared with an intensity that matched Lisa's own. "I turned my back on a system that perpetuated injustice. My actions serve a higher purpose, one you can't hope to understand with your limited intelligence."
The world took away his friend, and the killer, Tokinada Tsunayashiro, wasn't so much as touched for a murder. The murder of his own wife. Such a Soul Society needed reformation from the very roots. And only his master was capable of such a feat.
"I don't give a fuck about your injustice or your higher purpose. You and Aizen betrayed us, and you both will pay for it."
"You wield your anger as a blade, but it blinds you." Tōsen shook his head as if disappointed by her actions. "Blinding you to the true evil… that is the Vasto Lorde who stands in Lord Aizen's way."
"Nobody can be more blind than you, Kaname Tōsen."
Lisa stepped forward, disappearing with Shunpo, and slashing Tōsen in the chest.
He drew his Zanpakutō swiftly and blocked her strike. "Perhaps Hollowification only brought up the evil buried deep in your soul."
"I don't need your lectures. All I want is your head, cut off from your cold corpse."
Fueled by purest of hatred, she slashed again, twisting her body into a sharp spin. Steel howled when their blades clashed again, sending sparks dancing. The whirlwind of impact pushed him back a step.
Her braided ponytail whipped through the air as she pivoted on one hand, spinning her legs in a deadly arc. A feat she couldn't have accomplished in her maid dress. Fortunately, she had changed into a comfy long sleeve sailor uniform with a teal miniskirt before coming to Hueco Mundo.
She utilized her nimbleness to bounce around him while using a mix of kicks and slashes. Her acrobat sword style was her most prideful accomplishment as every member of Visored struggled against its explosiveness and unpredictability.
But Tōsen, a blind man who used spiritual senses to 'see' the world, parried her furious onslaught without missing a beat.
'I can't fight him head-on.'
Despite only having murder on her mind, she was calm enough to know that her front offense failed miserably. She switched her approach on the fly. Adding feints and Shunpo surprise attacks as she had learned from fighting on the frontlines for decades.
No matter how many tricks she tried, she couldn't break through. His Zanpakutō and elegant footwork made the defense look like a breeze.
She ducked low and swung her leg at his ankle. Tōsen shifted backward a fraction of an inch, evading the attack with perfect timing. She went for a cheeky stab at his crotch but even that was blocked.
"Is defense all you know, Kaname Tōsen?" She knew she sounded like a sore loser but she had to throw that question.
"I don't want to participate in this battle."
"Tch, then I'll use my trump card."
She moved her hand past her face, and her Hollow Mask materialized with a harsh screech. Gripping her sword in both hands, she twirled it above her head. "Smash, Haguro Tombo!"
The Shikai command elongated her sword to an exceptionally long polearm. With her Shikai and Hollow Mask released, she lunged back at him like a hungry beast. The bladed tip whistled toward his face in a flash.
Tōsen tilted his head, letting the blade whizz by calmly. She didn't waste the momentum, transitioning the missed strike into a fluid sweep, only for Tōsen's sword to block the shaft of her polearm.
Lisa's lips curled up. Her blade had barely touched the tip of his ear, fulfilling her long time dream of seeing the traitor bleed. "I'm just warming up." With a bright grin, she drew back her polearm. "Haph!"
Whirling around, she launched a volley of sharp thrusts, mixed in with a few feints. Yet Tōsen met every blow with unflinching calm. His Zanpakutō intercepted or redirected her weapon as if he could feel its movement before it even connected.
Lisa pressed in, trying a diagonal chop into a horizontal slash, Flash Stepping and jumping around to confuse him.
—Tōsen neutralized every single one of her attacks.
Lisa knew the difference between a Vice-Captain was sizable but never expected it to be this huge. Even the forbidden Hollowification couldn't close the valley of a gap. It wasn't about Reiatsu or pure strength. Tōsen had an impeccable read on her.
"Let go of this hatred. It gives away the 'intent' behind your attacks," Tōsen said, parrying her desperate thrusts. "Go back to your exiled group and wait for Lord Aizen to bring in a new age."
The memory of Aizen making an experiment out of her was fresh in her mind. She couldn't give up when Tōsen had presented himself in a place where she could not die.
"We won't let him!"
Tōsen was the first stepping stone to ending Aizen's grand ambitions. She wouldn't leave Hueco Mundo without his head.
Releasing a sharp breath through clenched teeth, Lisa tightened her grip on her polearm and charged back at him. Her Hollowification had a limited duration of three minutes, half of which had been used up. She had to do as much damage while it lasted.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The next minute and half was only about the clang of their weapons and the growls of frustration coming from her. The most helpless minute and half of her life.
A sharp crack echoed as fissures ran across her Hollow Mask before pieces began falling away. Wearing a look of utter shock was the former Vice-Captain Lisa Yadōmaru. The mask faded alongside her hope of getting her revenge on Tōsen.
Her polearm sagged in her hands, but she refused to surrender. With a growl, she lifted her polearm and spurred forward.
Tōsen swiftly stepped aside her desperate attack and struck her head with the hilt of his katana. "I hope you ruminate on this and give up on your revenge, Yadōmaru."
Lisa kneeled on the ground, panting heavily. "You mother…"
"Cry, Suzumushi."
A high-pitched echo in her skull completely incapacitated her. Strength abandoned her entirely, and then she collapsed, knocked unconscious under Suzumushi's special ability.
Tōsen sheathed his Zanpakutō and walked toward the pod. Killing her would be senseless violence, unless she became a major threat to his mission.
He walked up to the pod that contained Aizen's backup plan for Yamamoto. "How do I carry this out of here?"
The sheer number of Vasto Lordes present made the task a lot more difficult. He had to find a Hollow who could open the Garganta for him.
'Grimmjow isn't fighting anyone. Where is he?'
Spreading his senses, Tōsen left the room in the pursuit of Grimmjow's Reiatsu. At the same time, golden threads gathered around Lisa in mass and wrapped her in a cocoon.
...
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