Chapter 40: Nell Tu is at Your Service, My King! |
"Sto-o-o-p!"
A loud cry echoed from the distance, followed by the sound of air being sliced, just as Lilith was swallowing Grimmjow's mangled body.
It was the voice of Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, who had just arrived at the scene of the battle.
Watching Lilith devour and swallow Grimmjow whole, Nelliel became certain that her spiritual pressure—her reiatsu—bore a striking resemblance to that of the Shinigami from the Soul Society.
Nelliel deeply cherished her comrades and fellow travelers; she could not simply stand by while a Shinigami slaughtered a Vasto Lorde just like herself.
She went out of her way to avoid killing even ordinary Hollows, let alone an exceedingly rare Vasto Lorde who possessed the potential to become one of her companions.
The exhausted Grimmjow fought desperately within the maw of the Ten-Tails, refusing to surrender even after being defeated and consumed by his adversary.
Lilith was so focused on suppressing Grimmjow as quickly as possible that it hindered her ability to dodge the lance Nelliel had just hurled.
Yet Lilith ignored the incoming weapon entirely, continuing her diligent efforts to suppress and swallow Grimmjow.
In an instant, Yeruashi appeared directly in front of the partially transformed Lilith, deflecting Nelliel's lance into the sky with a casual wave of his hand.
Once Nelliel's attack was repelled, Lilith completely subdued the weakened Grimmjow and began to rapidly absorb his reishi.
As she consumed Grimmjow's spiritual particles, her body began to twist and distort, gradually assuming the full form of the Ten-Tails.
The milky-white frame of the Ten-Tails began to tremble violently, emitting increasingly powerful and intense bursts of reiatsu—a clear sign that it was undergoing an evolution.
"You..."
Nelliel only noticed Yeruashi, who exuded a very restrained and calm reiatsu, when he abruptly intercepted her lance's flight.
Although she had only thrown the lance to save the fledgling Vasto Lorde, it was still a full-strength strike from a creature of her caliber—and yet, Yeruashi had stopped it with a simple flick of his wrist!
'This Shinigami is incredibly powerful!'
Whoosh
She caught the deflected lance with her right hand and spoke coldly, her eyes fixed on Yeruashi. "What business does a Shinigami of the Soul Society have in Hueco Mundo?"
Nelliel was well aware that it was too late to save the new Vasto Lorde—his reiatsu had vanished completely—but she could not ignore two such powerful Shinigami who posed a threat to the entirety of Hueco Mundo.
"I simply wanted to have a look around," Yeruashi replied calmly.
"You wanted to 'look around' and slaughter a Vasto Lorde in the process?" Nelliel asked, her irritation growing. "There are very few Hollows in all of Hueco Mundo with the potential to reach that level... You are not welcome here! Return to your Soul Society, Shinigami!"
With those words, Nelliel raised her lance and glared at Yeruashi, her posture making it clear she was ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Yeruashi spread his arms in a relaxed gesture and lifted his chin slightly. "How could the world not rejoice at the arrival of its master?" he asked with a faint smile.
"..."
Nelliel exhaled and spoke coldly, as if she had finally unraveled his intentions. "Now I understand... You intend to conquer Hueco Mundo, Shinigami? I will never allow—"
Whoosh!
She lunged straight at Yeruashi with resolve, condensing a massive amount of Vasto Lorde-level reiatsu into the tip of her lance.
The power of a Vasto Lorde could vary greatly, much like the strength of the Gotei 13 Captains.
Having evolved into a Vasto Lorde many years ago, Nelliel naturally possessed far more potent reiatsu than Grimmjow, who had only achieved that state in the heat of his previous battle.
The vast desert sands stretching to the horizon erupted into chaos. Accompanied by a monstrous flash of reiatsu and Nelliel's rapid advance, the terrain churned like the surface of a stormy sea.
'I must drive these Shinigami out of Hueco Mundo!'
However...
Rather than dodging the piercing lunge or even drawing his Zanpakuto, Yeruashi casually raised his right hand and extended his index finger.
He placed the tip of his finger directly in the path of the oncoming lance.
Ping!
The sharp ring of clashing metal filled the air.
Yeruashi stood as immovable as a mountain, blocking the razor-sharp lance with nothing more than the tip of his finger.
Nelliel, in her centaur form, gripped her lance with both hands and thrust forward with all her might, yet she could not shift that seemingly ordinary finger by even a millimeter.
"How..."
"How is this possible?!"
Nelliel cried out in shock, unable to believe what was happening.
A Vasto Lorde was not just the final stage of evolution, but the pinnacle of power among Hollows!
She had poured nearly ninety percent of her true strength into that strike, judging this Shinigami to be a formidable and dangerous foe—yet he had effortlessly blocked her lance with a single finger.
From where...
'Where could such a vast chasm in power have come from?!'
"Hueco Mundo looks just as desolate and lifeless as it did a million years ago," Yeruashi remarked calmly, still holding the lance at bay. "But now it is inhabited by a variety of beings, some of whom are as exceptional and worthy as you."
His voice was steady as he maintained his effortless defense.
Nelliel was a powerful Vasto Lorde who surpassed a standard Gotei 13 Captain. Even with his expanded captain-level reiatsu, Yeruashi shouldn't have been able to block a full-on attack with such exaggerated ease.
He was only able to do so because he was no longer in his soul form...
Indeed.
He was currently using his original physical body.
This was no longer the Lieutenant of the Second Division of the Gotei 13 standing there; it was the creator of Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society—the Hollow King!
Hummmm!
Accompanied by Yeruashi's calm voice, a terrifying pulse of energy erupted from his body and swept out in all directions.
Under the weight of this pulse, the massive waves of sand that had been churning like a stormy sea instantly stilled, plunging the desert into absolute silence.
The sky.
The earth.
Countless reishi particles.
It was as if the entire world trembled in greeting, welcoming its king back after a million years of absence.
Nelliel felt a crushing pressure and a sudden, sharp breathlessness the moment the pulse washed over her.
The powerful Vasto Lorde felt as if the weight of the entire universe had been placed upon her shoulders.
!
Shock and confusion filled Nelliel's eyes as her equine legs and the hands gripping her lance trembled violently. The Vasto Lorde struggled to remain standing on her four legs, and her lance threatened to slip from her sweat-slicked palms at any moment.
Nelliel had long since forgotten the last time she had felt this way.
She hadn't experienced such pressure or full-body tremors since she became a Vasto Lorde—no, not even since she was an Adjuchas!
Such a thing only happened when encountering a being of a vastly superior stage of evolution.
It was as if a massive Gillian could not even hope to stand before an Adjuchas, for the gap between them was simply too wide to bridge.
In the end...
Clatter!
The lance slipped from Nelliel's weak, sweaty hands, and her front pair of trembling equine legs slowly gave way.
She sank to her knees, unable to endure the overwhelming oppression born of their evolutionary difference.
Nelliel struggled to lift her head and look at Yeruashi. To her, it felt as though the entire world had become one with this unassuming figure.
Standing before him was equivalent to facing the entire universe!
"Such power..."
"You... could you be..."
Another shudder wracked Nelliel's body as an incredible realization began to take root in her mind.
As a Vasto Lorde, she had once heard an extraordinary legend that still circulated among the strongest and oldest Hollows today.
The Vasto Lorde were not the true kings and lords who sat at the absolute summit of Hueco Mundo.
For all this time—throughout thousands and tens of thousands of years—the true King had been watching over all of Hueco Mundo from his throne high in the heavens.
Unlike the self-proclaimed king, Baraggan, who occupied Las Noches, this King was the true sovereign—the supreme being who had created Hueco Mundo itself.
Yeruashi lowered his hand and spoke softly as he looked down at the kneeling Nelliel. "So, the legends about me have endured in Hueco Mundo even until today?"
Yeruashi's calm voice boomed in Nelliel's ears like deafening peals of thunder.
She had heard the tales from the eldest Hollows, but she had never met the true king in person.
Even Baraggan, despite claiming to be the ruler of all Hueco Mundo, had never laid eyes on this mythical figure.
But now...
Those vague and doubtful legends had proven true, for the Hollow King himself stood right before her!
Nelliel's sense of suffocation intensified. It was as if a mountain were crushing her whole body, making it impossible to even lift her head.
A moment later, the frightening and insurmountable pressure vanished without a trace.
In the wake of its sudden disappearance, Nelliel's tense muscles went limp. Cold sweat soaked through her clothes, and she gasped for air, her mouth open as she desperately inhaled.
It took nearly a minute for Nelliel to regain a semblance of composure. She slowly lifted her head and looked at Yeruashi, who remained standing calmly before her.
"Whom did you serve?" Yeruashi asked.
"No one..."
Nelliel replied with a trembling voice.
Yeruashi nodded and turned toward Lilith. Standing with his back to Nelliel, he asked quietly, "...And now?"
Nelliel let out a breath and forced herself up onto her feet. Looking at Yeruashi's back, she declared with conviction, "Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck... is at your command, my King!"