Capítulo 30: Chapter #23 - Beating
Nnoitra thrusted the shaft of his weapon into the ground to halt his momentum and stood up. Neliel, who had appeared right next to Kizuna, kept a cautious distance. Although she was grateful for his help, she didn't understand his intention.
"What do you think you're doing, you damn hound!" Nnoitra shouted, glaring at Kizuna with fury.
Kizuna laughed as he looked at Nnoitra:
"Fulfilling my childish goal. You can't stand the thought of women, no, especially Neliel being stronger than you, can you? Well, I can't stand seeing women, especially one as lovely as Neliel, being viciously harmed before my eyes."
The razor-sharp blades had retracted. He laughed and knocked his fists together thoughtfully, muttering loudly, "Now… I could kill you, but that would cause Aizen-sama to nag. What should I do?" He seemed to be contemplating whether to squash a bug or not.
Naturally, Nnoitra lost it. "Don't mock me, you scum!" He attacked recklessly, but Kizuna kicked him away again, without even needing to put much force, just kicking him with a random kick as if he was kicking a disgusting pest. Neliel watched the absurd situation, struggling to find words.
"How? What? Why?"
Kizuna, guessing the meaning behind her questions, answered as he bounced Nnoitra around like a ball. Each hit sent him flying farther away from Neliel or Kizuna.
"I sent one of my followers to watch Nnoitra and saw he was planning something. That's the 'how.'"
He paused a bit, taking a deep breath, then continued, averting his gaze with an embarrassed expression:
"Okay, I have a childish dream of being involved with all women. What man doesn't love women? Except this freak in front of us. Anyway, because of that, I couldn't just stand by and let an especially sweet Arrancar like you get hurt."
That was all there was to it. After spending time with Harribel, he had kept himself busy with various trainings and had prepared for a conspiracy due to the task given by the system. Thanks to Antonella's presence, he had easily solved everything.
Neliel blinked. Then she gripped her sword more tightly. The answer was utterly ridiculous, but Kizuna's serious demeanor made her think it might be true for a moment. Yet, despite the absurdity, she shook her head and took a serious stance. Of course, she still…
As if he had read Neliel's mind, Kizuna spoke:
"Your Fracción are safe. Or so I assume. I told my people to take care of them. If you think you can't handle this fight, you can withdraw."
Nnoitra might look like a fool confident in his strength, but he was despicable enough to try to get rid of what he couldn't defeat viciously. So, it was never certain what he might do. As Nnoitra approached again, this time Kizuna fluidly dodged the attack and delivered an uppercut from below.
"You're interrupting my conversation, bug."
Nnoitra was sent flying high, and Kizuna disappeared for a moment, reappearing above to deliver another punch that sent Nnoitra crashing to the ground. When Neliel saw the thoroughly battered Nnoitra, she hesitated about punishing him herself.
Kizuna slowly stood between Neliel and Nnoitra.
"Not worth using even 1% of my power. I can defeat him without using my power."
Kizuna had observed Nnoitra during his frequent fights with Neliel. Like himself, Nnoitra had a wild fighting style, but unlike Kizuna, he wasn't getting any smarter, just staying the same. Well, spending a month getting beaten by Harribel -well, fighting her- had helped him reduce his own flaws.
So right now, aside from showing off, he didn't need to use much reiatsu. Of course, if you had power, showing off a bit didn't hurt, right?
Nnoitra, trying to get up from the ground with severe injuries, looked at Kizuna with determination and anger. His eyes, with snake-like pupils, seemed to spit venom.
"This is between her and me. What does it have to do with you?!"
Kizuna stepped forward, gathering his silver reiatsu around him. He gave Nnoitra a dismissive look, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"I'm just having fun. I can't let a weakling like you harm Neliel. Especially not with underhanded methods."
Nnoitra slammed his arms on the ground and got up. His snake-like eyes were filled with determination. Grabbing his massive Zanpakutō, he charged at Kizuna with a bloodthirsty expression.
"If that's the case, then you'll fall, you fool!"
Kizuna found the situation absurd. Could Nnoitra really not know Kizuna's power? Or was he too blinded by rage to understand? Well, it didn't matter. Instead of responding harshly, Kizuna elegantly dodged Nnoitra's attack and delivered a kick that sent him to the ground once more.
Meanwhile, as Neliel stood by Kizuna, her eyes reflected mixed emotions. She was grateful to him but still didn't fully understand his motives. Come on, who would believe such a ridiculous motive?
"I don't understand why you're helping me."
Hearing Neliel's question, Kizuna turned his eyes to her. His smile changed slightly, becoming more serious.
"I told you, I have a weakness for women. And I can't let a beautiful Arrancar like you get hurt."
Seeing Nnoitra attacking again, he blocked it, but this time he realized it was just an illusion. He felt an attack from behind at the last moment, thanks to Neliel's warning.
Dodging the incoming attack by ducking, he swept his legs on the ground without seeing, causing Nnoitra to fall. At that moment, Neliel placed her sword at Nnoitra's neck. Her eyes glinted with revenge, but she hesitated due to her own ideology.
Nnoitra, trembling as he looked at her, felt the closeness of death more clearly than ever during his encounters with Neliel.
"Kill... Kill me." He said. The defeated had no right to live. He had failed to win even through cheating.
Seeing Neliel's hesitation, Kizuna sighed and nodded slightly. He extended three blades from his fingers and gently pushed them away. "Your Fracción are safe for now. I understand you want revenge. But there's no need to go against your beliefs."
Then, as Kizuna pulled Neliel's blade away, he pressed his foot against Nnoitra's chest: "If you ever try to harm Neliel again, I will kill you for real. Understood?"
Nnoitra struggled to speak while gasping for breath: "Kill… me… you bastard…"
Kizuna pressed his foot down a bit more and said: "Don't push your luck."
Kizuna pulled his foot back and, after ensuring Nnoitra was not moving, turned to Neliel, saying, "This ends here," and added, "You should be more careful from now on."
Neliel sighed. She showed a moment of hesitation before sheathing her sword. The news that her Fracción, her beloved comrades, were safe had alleviated her desire for revenge. Nnoitra's pathetic state made this even more acceptable.
Still, when she looked at Kizuna, she was slightly puzzled. As she observed his intriguing features, she thought his instincts were quite strange. Reflecting such a basic instinct as lust in this protective manner… It was nothing but interesting.
"Thank you… Kizuna."
Despite thinking she should show respect, given that a figure of commander-like status had come to her aid, Kizuna always proved he wasn't that kind of person. Smiling, he waved his hand.
"You're welcome. You're welcome. It's no big deal. Ha ha!"
He paused a bit, thinking about what to say. His heart was pounding with excitement in front of this green-haired beauty, and his earlier attempts to act cool had vanished.
At that moment, a cold voice from the ground served as a reminder: "Master, you forgot to invite her."
Neliel was momentarily surprised but then realized it was the famous "Kizuna's Mole." It had been a natural topic of conversation for a while. Saying it had become as popular as Kizuna wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Kizuna remembered thanks to her and nodded approvingly.
"I almost forgot. Good reminder, Antonella." After that, Kizuna offered Neliel: "You might be in more danger right now. If you want, you and your Fracción can stay at my mansion. There probably isn't a safer place in Las Noches right now."
His statement might have sounded arrogant, but Neliel knew he wasn't really arrogant. Anyone who knew about the dozens of guards and the bizarre army in his Fracción would know how secure his place was right now.
Still, Neliel couldn't immediately trust these sudden developments. She thought of refusing, and Kizuna noticed this, but before he could speak, Antonella's calm voice was heard:
"Even though my master is a pervert and loudly declares his fondness for women, he isn't malicious. He won't do anything without consent. So, rest assured. When you join, you'll undoubtedly feel like you're part of a family."
Antonella's voice, as usual, carried little emotion, but her words were clear and direct. The objective presentation of her master caused Kizuna's face to take on a strange expression for a moment. He recalled his encounter with Loly.
Antonella's voice, as usual, carried little emotion, but her words were clear and direct. Her objective presentation of her master caused Kizuna's face to momentarily take on a weird expression. He remembered his encounter with Loly. Well... that was consensual too, he supposed...
Neliel attributed his slight change in expression to Antonella's critique of her master, but Antonella's assessment made her chuckle slightly.
"Alright, alright. In that case, I won't refuse the invitation." She paused a bit, then added seriously, "But no inappropriate behavior."
Kizuna, feeling quite humbled, could only say, "I'm not that kind of man. Don't worry."
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