When Grimmjow saw the suddenly appearing shadow, he immediately tried to dodge.
But the shadow spread faster than his own reaction speed, making it impossible to avoid.
The next moment, Grimmjow found himself in a space of pure blackness.
"This level of spiritual pressure..." Grimmjow's heart sank.
This man was the strongest Shinigami he had ever seen since becoming a Hollow.
Even though the mountain-like spiritual pressure wasn't directly pressing down on him, it still made him feel a bit suffocated.
"Nelliel, go and test his strength."
After isolating the area with his shadow space, Sora did not make another move.
"Professor, your spiritual pressure is scaring the little panther. He won't be able to fight at his full strength like this!"
Nelliel's words were like pouring oil on a fire, instantly enraging Grimmjow.
"The Panther King's dictionary does not contain the word 'fear'!" Grimmjow's eyes widened in anger. "And I have a name! Don't call me by such a weak title!"
"You don't even have fear? Does your dictionary even have any words in it?"
Nelliel looked sincere, as if she truly believed what she was saying.
The fire of anger in Grimmjow's heart was completely ignited.
He believed the Shinigami said this because she looked down on Hollows, thinking they were just uncivilized beasts.
Grimmjow vanished in an instant.
The next moment, he appeared at Nelliel's side, lunging to bite her neck.
Nelliel's reaction was swift. Pushing off with the tip of her foot, she spun in the air at high speed.
The dancing cloak revealed a bell tucked in her sleeve.
Before the bell could even ring, Nelliel delivered a spinning kick.
She had predicted the panther's attack path and could send him flying before he had a chance to bite her!
Grimmjow felt the terrifying force of the wind and knew he couldn't take it head-on.
Thump—
Grimmjow's figure appeared several meters away. He had used Sonído to dodge Nelliel's kick.
"Not bad, little panther. You're pretty fast!"
Nelliel chuckled lightly.
Nelliel pulled back her hood, undid her cloak, and tossed it aside.
The cloak had the function of concealing her presence and spiritual pressure. It was a very valuable spiritual tool, and she didn't want to damage it.
Underneath, Nelliel was wearing her dōjō uniform.
At the end of each of the two long white sleeves, a small bell was tied with a red string.
Even the knot on her sash had two bells tied to it.
Nelliel was undergoing advanced training in spiritual pressure control.
She could now move about her daily life without making the four bells ring.
However, during a fight, she would get distracted and couldn't keep them silent.
Her application of spiritual pressure had not yet been fully ingrained into her subconscious and muscle memory.
As Nelliel moved, her long, turquoise hair and the ram skull mask on top of her head were revealed.
When Grimmjow saw the ram skull mask, his pupils shrank violently.
This woman wasn't a Shinigami, she was an Arrancar, a Vasto Lorde-class Menos?!
Grimmjow had never seen a post-Arrancar Hollow before.
But from the moment he became a Hollow, he understood where the peak of their evolution lay.
All Hollows who walked the path of evolution fought and devoured for that goal.
Grimmjow was no exception. A Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar was his ultimate goal on the path of evolution.
"A Vasto Lorde Arrancar... consorting with a Shinigami!" Grimmjow felt his own path of evolution might end today, but he was not a Hollow who feared death. "You have no kingly dignity!!!"
Grimmjow believed that a Vasto Lorde Arrancar should be the king among Hollows, and that even Shinigami should be nothing more than their food.
He instantly imagined many scenarios.
This fallen Vasto Lorde was colluding with the Shinigami.
They were specifically here to hunt Menos like him, who had the potential to evolve into a Vasto Lorde!
She wanted to block their path of evolution!
She was destroying the future of Hueco Mundo!
"What is the little panther talking about?"
Nelliel's eyes showed a confusion untainted by worldly knowledge.
She didn't quite understand why the little panther had suddenly become so angry.
A look of determination appeared in Grimmjow's eyes. He would no longer talk to Nelliel; he had to defeat this fallen king.
Grimmjow leaped high into the air, a Cero rapidly forming in his mouth.
However, Nelliel had been watching his every move. The moment he jumped, her blade slashed out.
"Clang—!"
The longsword left its sheath, and a stream of light suddenly shot forth.
Nelliel was a Hollow and couldn't use Shunpo or Kidō, so she couldn't learn moves like the Shunpo Iai or the Four-Sided Shungeki, which required Shunpo's speed to boost their power.
Sora also couldn't teach her the Kidō-based sword techniques he knew.
But iaijutsu techniques like Ryūkō and Senmaioroshi, Nelliel had mastered very well.
A hint of surprise appeared in Grimmjow's eyes. The stream of light was too fast, so fast that he didn't even have time to fire the Cero in his mouth.
Thump—
Grimmjow could only use Sonído again to dodge Nelliel's attack.
Sonído used Garganta to achieve instantaneous movement. Different Hollows had different speeds.
Grimmjow's Sonído was very fast. Within a single breath, he could change positions several times.
This was his innate talent.
It was also the advantage he had relied on to defeat countless strong enemies and get to where he was today!
Thump, thump, thump—
Grimmjow's figure flickered rapidly several times, interfering with Nelliel's spiritual sensory lock.
The Cero in his mouth was still waiting for an opportunity. The moment his opponent showed the slightest weakness, he would deliver a fatal blow.
Nelliel's brow furrowed slightly, and she sheathed her sword again.
This panther's spiritual pressure was weaker than hers, but his Sonído was a fraction faster. She needed to take him seriously.
The panther landed behind Nelliel, and the Cero in its mouth instantly erupted.
Faced with the rapidly approaching Cero, Nelliel had a very simple way to deal with it.
Her innate talent, 'Cero Doble', allowed her to absorb another Hollow's Cero and reflect it.
But before coming to Hueco Mundo, her professor had forbidden her from using Cero Doble and her 'Resurrección'.
She was here to seek a breakthrough.
Only by feeling pressure in a real battle could she fully integrate what she had learned.
"Clang—!"
In an instant, the stream of light collided with the Cero.
The front of the Cero was instantly split in two by the light, scraping past Nelliel and shooting off to either side.
But Grimmjow continued to supply spiritual pressure to his Cero.
The source of the Cero light was endless.
Nelliel also maintained her Ryūkō's blade of spiritual pressure.
As the Cero and the light struggled against each other, they produced a piercing, grating sound.
Zzzzzzzzt—
The two split halves of the Cero landed behind Nelliel and exploded.
Boom, boom—
The violent wind from behind whipped Nelliel's turquoise hair, but her figure remained as firm as a mountain.
The bony muscles on the panther swelled as he wagered all his spiritual pressure.
However, the blade of light from Ryūkō slowly flowed forward through the torrent of energy.
The outcome of this clash was obvious. Nelliel had the upper hand.
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