Chapter 25: CHAPTER 25: Argument
Kazuya emerged, seemingly unchanged, except for the absence of his Hollow Mask and his black wings. He had shed all traces of his Hollowesque features.
The most significant change eluded their vision, but the spiritually adept Hollows sensed it with ease.
"How?" Harribel asked, her eyes trembling in shock. "You didn't do it like Mila Rose... you don't feel like a Hollow anymore. You feel like a—"
"A HUMAN!" Mila Rose exclaimed, her voice dripping with incredulity. "What the fuck? Why are you so handsome?"
Sung-Sun stared at him with her sharp, beady eyes, a predatory gleam dancing within them. "What the fuck indeed. To be frank, anyone could imagine a charming face concealed behind Kazuya's mask. Though, he is a little older than I expected."
"Come on. Spill the beans. Why the hell can you do this?"
As per her usual antics, Apacci poked his leg, but this time, her horn pierced through his thigh like a hot knife through butter. Blood gushed out in a crimson torrent, staining her once pristine white horn in its color.
Kazuya gripped her horn and pushed her back with a grunt. "Geez, don't go poking around me in this form. I am weak as fuck."
Miraculously, the wound closed before their eyes, as if time itself had reversed the injury, and the pain dissipated.
'Sweet. I carried over regeneration in this form,' he thought, feeling happy for the unexpected boon.
Kazuya felt the urge to examine his current status, but the Hollow ladies' growing impatience demanded his attention. Harribel's eyes practically pleaded for him to unravel the enigma, while Mila Rose, Apacci, and Sung-Sun appeared shaken by the power of his transformation.
Harribel approached him and observed his body from behind, her gaze lingering on the places where scars had once marred his skin, now faded after he switched his race. "A Hollow turning human… impossible…"
It was well known that dead souls turned into Hollows. A Hollow assuming a human-like form after Arrancar transformation was nothing compared to a Hollow reverting to being human; it defied the norms on so many different levels.
"The proof is before your eyes."
"Since when?"
"From some time ago, actually. And I didn't want to use it. Right now, we don't have a choice." He scanned their surprised faces and folded his arms over his chest. "We're relocating to the human world."
Harribel considered his words, her eyes thoughtful as she looked to the others for their opinions. "Hueco Mundo isn't safe anymore but the Living World is fraught with dangers as well. Shinigami are guarding the world from Hollows like us."
Harribel made a valid point. Shinigami possessed equipment capable of sensing Hollows in an area.
"I don't think it's a good idea either," Apacci said, her voice heavy with concern. She had been in Hueco Mundo all her life. The thought of leaving this realm for enemy territory didn't sit well with her. "Like Harribel said, the human world is being guarded by Shinigami. They will purge us to the afterlife with their Zanpakutō."
Between Hollows and Shinigami, Apacci would rather fight her own kind — the kind she was more familiar with. Shinigami and their Zanpakutō's strange abilities terrified her to the bone.
Mila Rose clenched her broadsword. "I don't want to run away like a cowardly bitch. I'll stand and fight."
The Arrancar form gave her immense confidence in her strength. Her confidence was reasonable, considering she almost brought down one of the top Espada right after her transformation.
Kazuya intently listened to their reasons and turned his gaze to Sung-Sun. "Do you have any words of advice for me?"
"Ara, allow me to stay neutral this time. I'll go with the side who wins this argument."
He took a deep breath. "Sure there are Shinigami in Living World but it's a safe haven compared to Hueco Mundo. Just think about it. We barely survived facing two Espada. What would we do if the rest showed up together with Baraggan? We have zero chance to come out alive. Actual zero."
He would have stayed in Hueco Mundo if his only concern was himself. No matter how many of Baraggan's soldiers appeared, he would have been able to make his escape. However, he wasn't in a position to act selfishly. While Mila Rose and Harribel would valiantly fight Arrancar soldiers, Apacci and Sung-Sun lacked the strength to be of any real use.
If they stayed safe, he could focus on gaining strength in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo respectively. He also had to expand his knowledge to harness more power from his Oppression.
His counterargument brought forth a wave of silence.
"That said, I'm open to other options." He gave Mila Rose a long glance. "Besides engaging in a head-on fight with Baraggan."
Mila Rose dodged his gaze. "Don't target me. I'm just suggesting the easy methods here."
"We shouldn't expect much from her musclehead brain." Sung-Sun took a vicious jab at Mila Rose's intelligence. "Please don't thank me for the compliments. I'm just fulfilling my daily quota of roasting my favorite girl Rose."
He chuckled at Sung-Sun's lighthearted teasing. "Rose, they have all kinds of clothes in the Living World. I'll buy you a ton."
Mila Rose's eyes gleamed with desire as her heart fluttered for new, shiny clothes. She brandished her Zanpakutō and plunged it into the ground with a resounding thud, her hands resting defiantly on its hilt. "I agree with Kazuya and Harribel-sama. Let's leave for the Living World."
"That was fast!" Apacci retorted. "This cheapskate switched sides for some clothes."
"You're only agreeing with him for the sake of clothes." Sung-Sun playfully lifted Mila Rose's shirt with her sinuous tail, exposing her most intimate area to the world. "This kitten is so easy to read."
Mila Rose yanked down her garment and scratched her thick, wavy hair. "What the hell, Snake? I'm saying this so all of us can survive and become strong away from Baraggan's gaze. Kazuya's proposal has logic. I have to side with him."
She hid her desire to explore the Living World and indulge in experiences she couldn't have as a normal Hollow. They were just side benefits of moving to the Living World.
Sung-Sun chuckled, a knowing glint in her eye. "Yeah, yeah."
"Apacci, only you are against me now." Kazuya squatted down and intimately rubbed her ears. "Come on, my tomboy sweetheart. You'll lose affection points for being stubborn."
"Who even wants your affection points?!"
"I never said they were mine. They could be Harribel's too."
"..." Apacci lowered her head and hit his knee with her hoof. "Promise to buy me clothes when I become an Arrancar."
"Just that? Sure. I'll even get you sexy bikinis so we can have our private pool party."
His offer came off so nice and genuine that Apacci nodded without inquiring a thing about bikinis.
"Given that I hold the majority of votes," he began, his voice laced with a rare solemnity, "I shall take the lead and scout—" He paused, his gaze shifting to the deeper part of the cave. "Our new guest woke up."
***
You can read 20 more chapters by subscribing to my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/GMilfhunter
Chapter 26: CHAPTER 26: Jealousy
Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps echoed through the cave as their newest ally, Cirucci, emerged from the shadowed depths, her long tail trailing on the ground like a serpent. She couldn't find rest with the chatter swirling around the cave, so she came out to greet her new teammates.
Cirucci's eyes widened upon seeing Kazuya's human form. "It can't be—Kazuya? How did you become a human?"
"It's one of my abilities."
Kazuya's vague response hung in the air as he transformed back into his Hollow form. With a deft flick of his wrist, he tore through the fabric of space using his Descorrer ability. The black fissure expanded, its gaping maw akin to a ravenous beast, unveiling an infinite, abyssal void.
(A/N: Garganta changed to Descorrer.)
Kazuya's face contorted with unease as he gazed into the boundless expanse connecting all realms in this world. "What am I looking at?"
Mila Rose nudged his rib, her voice tinged with apprehension. "Are you sure you want to go there?"
"I haven't been there."
"Me neither."
Apacci and Sung-Sun confessed their ignorance of Garganta and its hidden dangers. They never had any desire to explore the Living World and incur the wrath of Seireitei's Shinigami.
Kazuya turned to Harribel, the oldest and wisest among them. "Do you have any experience with this?"
Harribel shook her head, her golden hair softly bouncing to her movement. "I can pave the path for you. You won't be harmed that way"
He immediately rejected her offer, sensing her willingness to sacrifice herself for his cause. She was a truly admirable mother figure. One he couldn't handle in the current situation.
Left with no choice, Kazuya walked over to the lovely goth girl and gently gripped her shoulders. Cirucci didn't appear as beautiful in her current battered condition. "Cirucci~, help out your friend, will you?"
Cirucci felt a shiver running up her spine. His sweet, pleasing voice may as well be the whispers of a demon.
"Fuck," Cirucci cursed under her breath, regretting being curious about their talk in her absence. "Where do you want to go?"
As an Espada, she had been to the Living World numerous times. Instead of lying, she decided to help him out. She had to show her worth as an ally, otherwise, he would deem her useless and cast her aside. She couldn't let it happen under any circumstances.
Her survival hinged upon him, after all.
Unaware of her inner turmoil, he answered, "The Living World."
"To flaunt your new form?" Cirucci's brow arched, her face etched with skepticism. "Give me some time. I don't have the required Reiryoku to reach there…"
Kazuya closed the Garganta and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Rest as much as you want. Call me when you're ready."
Cirucci departed to her resting place without wasting another second.
Mila Rose suddenly snaked her arm around his shoulder and yanked him into a playful headlock. "Harribel-sama, I'm borrowing him for a moment."
Without waiting for any response, Mila Rose dragged Kazuya away from the group, her laughter echoing through the cave.
…
Once Mila Rose left, the others exchanged curious glances, a mixture of bemusement and intrigue playing across their faces.
Apacci poked Sung-Sun with her horn, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Where did she take him? What do you think will happen?"
"What do you think?" Sung-Sun replied, her tone full of teasing. "I'll let you guess."
"She'll probably ask him to fight," Apacci guessed, recalling Mila Rose's eagerness for swinging her sword. "What do you say?"
"Not out of the question, considering the musclehead Rose. However," Sung-Sun trailed off, her voice laced with suspense, drawing Harribel's curiosity. "Have you not noticed Mila Rose giving him those lingering glances? This private meeting might lead to a deeper, intimate bond between them."
Sung-Sun partially believed in her words. But she still said her piece to rile up Apacci and Harribel, who seemed to be brewing different kinds of relationships with Kazuya.
"Ridiculous. He wouldn't—" Apacci paused, her mind flashing back to Kazuya's undisguised admiration for Mila Rose's new form. She gritted her teeth, frustration evident in her eyes. "Fuck, good for them, I guess."
Sung-Sun could tell the underlying meaning of Apacci's goodwill. "You can't blame him for being drawn to Mila Rose. She is beautiful and loyal beyond words."
Sung-Sun poured oil on the burning flames of jealousy, anticipating the outcome to be chaotic and entertaining.
Apacci nodded quietly and stumbled back to her section of the cave.
"Ara, when did Harribel-sama leave?"
Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Harribel quietly slipping out of the cave to follow Kazuya and Mila Rose.
Sung-Sun looked at the cave's entrance. "This is getting interesting."
…
Apacci yearned for sleep after relentlessly unleashing Cero Rays upon Dordoni, but the tempest in her heart raged on, plaguing her with restless tossing and turning.
"Goddamn Kazuya…" she grumbled, her voice heavy with frustration. "I met you first… I rescued you. Why would you go to her…?"
She felt like a child whose prized toy had been snatched away, but she couldn't lash out at anyone. It wasn't her fault Kazuya stopped giving her much attention. In her mind, Mila Rose and Harribel were to blame. They possessed something she lacked, a quality that ensnared Kazuya and held him captive.
A humanoid body closer to Kazuya's own.
Apacci slammed her head into the soft sand in a fit of exasperation. "I can't… fuck, why am I blaming my friends?"
She caught herself before the darkness of her emotions could drag her down further. Rising from her resting position, she ventured out of the cave, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind.
The walk did indeed rejuvenate her, sweeping away the clouds of negativity. As she wandered, a shadow flitted across her path. Raising her head, she saw a horde of Gillians moving in eerie unison, their ghostly glide sending shivers down her spine.
Curiously, they didn't regard her as prey, as though something else took precedence over a powerful Adjuchas. Intrigued, she sprinted after them, soon discovering the source of their hunger — a fresh Arrancar corpse brimming with Reiatsu.
'These thieves are stealing Kazuya's Game. How dare they?!'
Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward, her Reiatsu surging to its limits, which wasn't much after using everything on Cero. She couldn't overpower the combined Reiatsu of a dozen odd Menos Grande. "Get away, now!"
The Gillians encircled themselves in their own Reiatsu, repelling Apacci's razor-sharp energy. One by one, they twisted their necks in her direction, their long noses pointing at her like swords.
"Kiii."
"Kiiiii."
"Keeee."
Vicious screeches left their mouths as they drifted to Apacci, their giant forms towering over her relatively small dear form.
Undaunted, Apacci charged a small Cero at the tip of her horn. "Don't force me to kill you losers."
In response, the Gillians opened their maws wide, conjuring a Cero far larger than Apacci's. Even so, she refused to back down. She couldn't let these lowly Gillians steal Kazuya's hard-earned prize. This particular corpse, an Arrancar, offered the only chance to strengthen Kazuya among all the Hollows they had found. She would fight tooth and nail to keep it here.
"Fine, I'll kill you all."
Fueled by passion and recklessness, Apacci hurled herself against the dozen Gillians, even though her Reiryoku barely reached a quarter of its maximum capacity.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
7 Power
stone You may also Like
Paragraph comment