"Five... five Vasto Lorde-level Menos Grandes..."
"I'm starting to wonder if Nanaya sealed every Vasto Lorde-level Hollow in Hueco Mundo inside his body..."
"The first one controlled yellow sand. The second one had power over blue flames. The third could control water. The fourth one had control over magma..."
"And the third one... I think its name was Isobu. Its defense was insane. It tanked my Bankai head-on and even broke a few of my bones..."
"But the one called Son Goku is the scariest. He controls magma. He melted the yellow sand and made the whole place look like a volcanic crater..."
Outside the barrier, everyone was talking to each other.
And the more they talked, the more hopeless they felt.
Urahara Kisuke, usually calm and clever, looked worn out. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, and his expression was lifeless.
He had been beaten badly by Nanaya while he was in his Four Tails form. Even Nel and Tier Harribel looked exhausted. After days of nonstop fighting, even the Hollows were reaching their limits.
"Thank goodness Captain Unohana Retsu is here..." Hirako Shinji said with relief as he looked at the battlefield inside the barrier and patted his chest.
"Those two are evenly matched!"
Inside the barrier, Nanaya's body was steaming from intense heat as he clashed with Unohana Retsu, who looked more excited than ever.
The two were locked in fierce battle, relying only on their sword skills. The sound of metal striking metal echoed non-stop.
Unohana clearly had the upper hand in swordsmanship.
But Nanaya's healing ability was overwhelming. Even when he was cut, his wounds closed up almost instantly—he was regenerating right before their eyes.
"You know..." Yadoumaru Lisa suddenly spoke up, her expression serious. "Just how many Hollows does Nanaya have inside him?"
The question made everyone go silent.
Normally, a Shinigami might only hold a single Menos Grande in their body at most. That's what they had assumed.
Then the Two-Tailed Nekomata showed up inside Nanaya.
They thought two was the limit.
But then the Three Tails—Isobu—appeared.
Then the Four Tails, Son Goku.
Then the Five Tails, Kokuō.
"Who knows how many more are inside him..." Tier Harribel said through gritted teeth. "I've never seen so many Vasto Lorde-level Hollows before."
Everyone around her shivered.
No one wanted to keep fighting Nanaya.
They knew it could cost them their lives.
As Unohana Retsu fought with more and more excitement and still showed no signs of getting tired, the rest quietly stepped away and left the warehouse.
"Let's take a break somewhere else," someone muttered. "After Captain Unohana's done, it might be our turn next..."
Two days and nights passed.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Karakura Town...
A black crack appeared in the sky.
From it stepped two figures—Nnoitra and Ulquiorra.
They looked around at the busy street filled with humans going about their daily lives.
Nnoitra narrowed his eyes and muttered coldly:
"How could a monster like that come from such weak, ant-like humans?"
To him, the people on the street were so fragile, he could kill everyone here with a single slap.
Human life felt cheaper than insects.
And yet... this species gave birth to a monster like Nanaya.
"Don't do anything unnecessary," Ulquiorra warned, staring at him with a cold gaze. "Lord Aizen gave us one mission—to bring back that woman."
"Nnoitra, you're not planning to fight that guy again, are you?"
"Just bring her back. With her healing powers, there's a good chance your injuries can be treated..."
"Tch," Nnoitra snorted and waved him off.
"I know. You don't need to keep reminding me."
He couldn't help touching his chest, where cracks still ran across it like broken porcelain.
"That bastard..."
He gritted his teeth and muttered Nanaya's name with hatred.
The wounds from their fight in Hueco Mundo hadn't healed—not even with his own fast regeneration.
As the Fifth Espada, his strength had dropped so badly he could barely beat the Ninth Espada, Aaroniero.
If he hadn't helped capture Tier Harribel and weakened the enemy's high-level fighters, Aizen probably would've cast him aside already.
"Let's go. That woman's close to Nanaya, right? I want to see if he dares come to the Kyon Palace to rescue her."
With that, Nnoitra unleashed his spiritual pressure.
They captured a few humans and questioned them. Soon, the two Arrancars arrived at Karakura First High School.
Classes were still in session.
"There she is. The orange-haired woman."
Nnoitra spotted Inoue Orihime through a classroom window.
His eyes lit up with excitement, and he clenched his fists.
This woman might be his last chance.
As Nnoitra thought of his next move, he raised his sickle-shaped weapon—shaped like a figure eight—and slashed downward.
With a loud crash, the wall of the school building was split apart and exploded.
Nnoitra didn't want to waste any time. He knew Nanaya could appear at any moment, so he rushed straight at Inoue Orihime, hoping to grab her quickly and escape.
But—
"A Menos Grande!? One I've never seen before?!"
Sado Yasutora and Ishida Uryū's expressions changed. They immediately stepped forward into battle stances without hesitation.
Sado's arms lit up with spiritual energy—his right arm took on the form of a massive giant's arm, while his left turned demonic, one black and one red. The transformation was shocking to see.
Ishida quickly summoned a spiritual bow on his arm and fired off hundreds of arrows within a single second.
"Out of the way. Don't get in mine," Nnoitra snapped impatiently.
Golden spiritual pressure exploded from his body as he swung his weapon at the two defenders.
"Bro—!"
Hundreds of Ishida's blue arrows shattered instantly with one slash.
Ishida's face went pale. "This guy's not just any Hollow... He's an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande! We need to find Nanaya and Pinlai, now!"
After watching some of Nanaya's fights, he understood the level of power these enemies possessed. Trying to hold one off alone wouldn't work for long.
"No," Sado said calmly, tightening his grip on his demonic left arm. He slammed his fist forward and shouted:
"Nanaya is busy suppressing the Hollows inside him, and Ichigo is training with him. They won't be able to help in time."
Nnoitra didn't take the punch seriously at first—but as the attack neared, his eyes widened in shock.
"What the hell is this!?"
Before the fist even made contact, the pressure from the punch—just the wind—was already painful. It made his hardened skin feel like it was tearing apart.
His face twisted in pain. He tried to reinforce his hierro (steel skin) with spiritual energy to block the hit.
But—
BOOM!!!
With a deafening roar, the punch sent Nnoitra flying several hundred meters through the air. He crashed violently into the ground, and demonic patterns erupted across the area where he landed.
"Gah!" Nnoitra coughed up blood, his expression grim. "There's more than one human monster like Nanaya!?"
Clutching his sword with both hands, his Reiatsu began to surge wildly. He shouted:
"Pray, Holy Mantis...!"
"Stop doing pointless things!" Ulquiorra interrupted coldly, stopping Nnoitra before he could use his Resurrección.
"You trying to die here in the Human World?"
If Nanaya showed up now, they'd both be finished.
Nnoitra clenched his jaw. His face twitched with frustration, the veins on his forehead bulging. But in the end, he grit his teeth and lowered his weapon.
Ulquiorra moved in next.
Without a word, he disappeared with a blur and reappeared directly behind Inoue Orihime.
"What?!"
Sado and Ishida's expressions changed in an instant.
Even though both of them had grown stronger—especially Sado, who had unlocked the demon's left arm and could now hold his own against a Shinigami Captain—their speed still couldn't match that of true captains.
"This is Sonído," Nnoitra said with a sneer, appearing next to Ulquiorra as he opened a black garganta crack.
"It's even faster than a Shinigami's Shunpo. If we had the time, we could wipe you out in under a thousand seconds."
As he spoke, both he and Ulquiorra stepped into the black garganta.
Ulquiorra grabbed Orihime and pulled her in with him, completely ignoring the defense from her Shun Shun Rikka.
Sado raised his fist, ready to strike, but hesitated—Orihime was too close to them. He didn't want to risk hitting her.
He could only watch helplessly as the garganta slowly began to close.
Just before the black crack sealed completely, Nnoitra looked back coldly and said:
"If you want her back... tell that guy to come to Las Noches and try."
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