Two days later.
"Nel's gone back to Hueco Mundo… I guess I won't be able to share desserts with you anymore..."
Azashiro Kana looked a little disappointed. She held a snack box in her hands. "I bought some sweets from a newly opened shop, Hexin House!"
The others at the dojo all had different tastes. Only she and Nel were obsessed with desserts.
Now that Nel was gone, there was no one to share them with.
"Thanks, Kana~" Nel happily accepted the farewell gift. When she opened the box, she was shocked to find it was actually a Reishi Pocket, filled to the brim with all kinds of sweets.
"Hehe, actually, everyone chipped in to get them!" Kana scratched her cheek. "Yoruichi even dug out a box from her family vault with a preservation Kidō seal on it."
Yoruichi's home had all kinds of strange spiritual tools. This dessert box, which combined freshness preservation and high capacity, was something she pulled from their vault.
"Take these mandarin wines too," said Komamura, setting down several jars.
He had just returned from Inuyama and brought back some mandarin wine that could only be bought there.
"You mentioned before that you really liked the Shiba Clan's mochi. I brought you some—it's in the snack box," Isshin said with a grin.
Even though the Shiba Clan had fallen on hard times, they still owned some businesses, and Shiba Mochi remained one of their signature treats.
The others had also picked up various confections from different shops and packed them into the dessert box.
"Thank you, everyone!" Nel said gratefully.
Since Nel would be staying in Hueco Mundo for a long time, all of Nanatsuki's disciples had returned to the dojo to see her off.
"You need to be careful in Hueco Mundo. There are still many powerful beings there," Yoruichi warned as she handed over a map. "This is the latest Grand Hollow Territory Exploration Map. It marks newly discovered dangerous zones and known territories of powerful Hollows. Avoid those areas if possible."
"Thanks, Yoruichi!"
Nel was touched. Her senior brothers and sisters had all come to send her off.
"If you run into anything you can't handle, use the Onmitsukidō's Denreishinki to contact me! I'll come with backup!" Yoruichi patted Nel on the shoulder.
The Onmitsukidō's Denreishinki had a dedicated encrypted channel. Only the Department of Research and Development could potentially intercept it. Other squads couldn't access that private frequency.
Shinigami Denreishinki worked more like radios—anyone tuned to the right frequency could exchange messages.
"Bwaah~ I'm so lucky!!!" Nel had tears in her eyes. Ever since joining Nanatsuki's dojo, she'd had some lingering doubts about coming to Soul Society—but she never expected to gain so many companions.
"Shinigami and Hollows aren't always enemies. Not all Hollows are mindless."
Tōsen Kaname watched the joyful scene and recalled things he'd recently learned at the Academy.
The odds of encountering a Hollow in Rukongai were nearly zero. Back when he lived there, he had never seen one.
All his knowledge of Hollows came from rumors.
He learned from souls who had come from the World of the Living that Hollows were terrifying monsters who devoured spirits.
At the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy, everything he read or was taught only deepened that impression.
But Nel, who he met at the dojo, completely shattered that image.
It left Tōsen deeply conflicted.
After bidding everyone farewell, Nanatsuki and Nel once again headed to Hueco Mundo.
As soon as they stepped out of the Senkaimon, they felt two Reiatsu signatures clashing violently.
There was a battle ahead.
One of the spiritual pressures was very familiar to Nanatsuki.
It was Harribel's Reiatsu!
"Harribel's fighting!"
Nel's eyes sharpened. She could feel Harribel's energy fluctuating and weakening.
She was on the losing side!
The two sped forward and arrived above the battlefield.
Harribel was locked in combat with a red-skinned shark Hollow.
Both Nanatsuki and Nel found this Hollow's appearance familiar.
"Sensei, over there—it's the Blackshark King!"
Nel pointed to the right. Blackshark King Real was fighting the Beast-Hollow Trio.
Two of them were already down, and the last, the Deer Hollow, was barely holding on.
"The Hollow fighting Harribel must be an ally called by Blackshark King."
Nanatsuki quickly assessed the situation. "You handle the Blackshark King. I'll take care of Harribel's side."
"Okay!"
The moment the words left their mouths, the two vanished.
The Blackshark King grabbed the limp Snake-Tail and swung it like a whip, slamming the Deer Hollow to the ground.
He stomped on the deer's leg.
Crack.
It snapped cleanly.
"Aaagh!!" the Deer Hollow screamed in agony.
"Hah~ Scream all you want. Let's see who saves you this time?" the Blackshark King sneered. "Even if Queen Jaws is strong, she's no match for my brother. He's a powerful Vasto Lorde!"
After losing to Harribel, the Blackshark King had stewed in frustration before calling on his older brother—the Redshark King—for revenge.
Just then, he heard a thudding sound behind him.
Thump. Nel appeared behind him, her eyes blazing with fury.
Harribel's allies were her allies. This Hollow dared to hurt her friend?
Nel spun midair, her right leg wrapped in wind, and kicked with full force at the Blackshark King.
The shark sensed danger, but he could only raise his arm in time.
Nel's kick struck his right arm, twisting and breaking it instantly.
Her momentum didn't stop. The kick carried through and smashed into his neck.
Crack. The Blackshark King was sent flying, crashing into a rocky hill.
"Why is this guy attacking you again?!" Nel growled.
"He lost to Lady Harribel last time and couldn't take it, so he brought help..." The Deer Hollow breathed a sigh of relief. With Harribel's teacher and Nel here, the two shark brothers couldn't make waves now.
The Blackshark King was embedded in the stone.
His head bent at a 90-degree angle, almost touching his shoulder.
Nel had kicked with all the power her current form could muster. He couldn't defend against it.
Her strength snapped his arm and neck simultaneously.
"How… could it be… that Vasto Lorde…" were the Blackshark King's last words before he died.
He never imagined that the Vasto Lorde he ran into was allied with Queen Jaws.
Meanwhile…
Harribel's body was overwhelmed by exhaustion.
She was no match for the Redshark King.
Originally, she had planned to leave Stone Forest with her companions in search of a high-Reishi area.
But when she learned her teacher and Nel were coming, she decided to wait here for them instead.
Since Nel had to say her goodbyes and the others needed time to get gifts and take leave, Nanatsuki and Nel arrived two days late.
Harribel and her group, waiting here, ended up being ambushed by the shark brothers.
"You're strong. For an Adjuchas to hold out this long against me? Impressive." The Redshark King grinned, showing sharp fangs. "But too bad—I'm far stronger!"
"I've only used 30% of my power, and you're already done." He raised two fingers as if to emphasize how little effort he'd put in.
Harribel didn't reply. As a Vasto Lorde, he really was overwhelming.
She even felt more pressure from him than from Nel.
Though, she didn't know that Nel had been suppressing her strength in their matches. Without her Resurrección form, her Reiatsu was only slightly higher.
Harribel took a few deep breaths and steadied herself against the wall.
"Oh~ you're still standing?" Redshark King was mildly surprised. "Such willpower. I'm beginning to admire you."
"Swear loyalty to me. Be my blade, and we'll take Las Noches together!" He spread his arms wide. "Baraggan is dead. That place is occupied by the weak. It's time someone strong ruled Hueco Mundo!"
After Baraggan's death, many powerful Hollows outside Las Noches had begun stirring.
The Redshark King, a Vasto Lorde himself, was among them.
If Baraggan were still alive, he wouldn't have bothered. He wouldn't have even helped his brother.
But now, with thoughts of seizing the throne, he wanted to gather Adjuchas-level Hollows for his cause.
Hearing there was a powerful Adjuchas here, he rushed over, planning to recruit her.
"I won't serve you," Harribel said coldly.
"Tch… I gave you a chance…" Redshark King's voice chilled.
Hueco Mundo never lacked Hollows. He didn't need to waste time on one tree.
"Next, I'll use 50% power." His smile faded. "You can still change your mind before I kill you."
The generous Redshark King could forgive any Hollow who submitted.
Harribel's heart sank. She forced herself to stay upright.
Then thunder rumbled in the skies.
From the clear blue sky, a bolt of lightning struck.
Harribel tried to follow it with her eyes, but it was too fast. All she saw was a flash—
—and then it hit the Redshark King.
The explosion of energy and force ripped through the air.
BOOM!!
Harribel was instantly blown back.
Even Nel and the others, far away, felt the shockwave.
Nel flashed forward and caught the flying members of the Beast-Hollow Trio.
Harribel was flung dozens of meters away.
She quickly adjusted her posture and lay flat on the ground.
She lifted her head, her face stunned.
She looked to where the Redshark King had been.
But he was gone.
In his place… was a massive blackened crater.
Her teacher, Katori Nanatsuki, stood half-crouched at its center.
Lightning flickered across Nanatsuki's body, arcs of spiritual pressure swirling and mixing with electricity behind him.
Raikiri: Shunkō – Thunderstride Crossing!
He had just tested a new combination of Hakuda technique "Thunderstride Crossing" with his Shunkō: Raikiri form.
The result was incredible.
Thunderstride Crossing granted near-teleportation speeds, but its range was limited.
Nanatsuki had been too far in the sky to use it directly.
So he entered his Raikiri form and used Thunderstride Crossing to perform a triple-stage acceleration.
That speed made his kick devastating.
Even his own eyes couldn't keep up—he had to lock onto the Redshark King's position beforehand. The kick landed, and he crashed into the earth.
The Redshark King was now one with the sands of Hueco Mundo.
"Huff—this move takes a toll…" Nanatsuki was still crouched.
His right leg had gone numb. He was using Kaidō Self-Regeneration to heal the damage.
That kick had cost him, too.
After a dozen seconds, sensation returned to his leg. He pulled it from the crater floor.
His footwear and pants had been destroyed in the blast.
His bare foot touched the scorched earth, which was hot to the touch.
The sand had fused from the heat and lightning, becoming harder than stone.
He stood still for a moment. His leg had fully healed.
"Sensei!" Nel used Sonído to reach him, still stunned. "That move just now—was that your technique?!"
"I was testing something new. Worked pretty well," Nanatsuki nodded. "Let's check on Harribel. She's not over here yet. Probably injured."
The next moment, they arrived before Harribel.
She was already wounded by the Redshark King and then caught in the blast. She couldn't even stand.
"Sorry. That technique was hard to control. You got caught in it."
Nanatsuki crouched and began healing her with Kaidō.
"Sensei is so strong..." Though Harribel's body was heavy with exhaustion, her spirit soared, her eyes filled with awe.
That unbeatable Vasto Lorde had been killed with one kick.
For the first time, she glimpsed the view from a higher place—and her heart stirred with inspiration.
"Train hard. You can become strong too," Nanatsuki said with a gentle smile.
"That move was amazing. Even the sand melted!" Nel was amazed. "What's it called?"
"Hmm… let's call it Great Thunderfall," Nanatsuki replied. "I used Thunderstride Crossing to accelerate, enhancing the power of my Raikiri attack."
"Raikiri… a Kidō sword technique, huh…" Nel sounded a little regretful. "Too bad I can't learn Kidō—I'd love to use a move like that."
"Hollows have their own advantages," Nanatsuki said with a chuckle. "You can create moves more suited to your kind. Like that new technique you came up with, combining Cero and Reiatsu Blade—it's pretty powerful too."