The shrill voice fell silent in despair. Aaroniero gradually stiffened, turned gray-white, and crumbled apart.
The 9th Espada, Glotonería, Aaroniero Arruruerie, was dead.
Rukia Kuchiki looked at the dazed Muten Natsu and knew he was hurting.
Before, the battle had kept him occupied. Now that it was over, the grief of reuniting with Kaien Shiba only to part from him again inevitably rose from the depths of his heart.
It churned without end.
That man with the bright, easy smile was truly gone.
Muten Natsu tightened his grip on Myōki. For a moment, he could almost feel the impact of blades clashing during his training with Kaien Shiba.
"Muten..." Rukia Kuchiki called softly.
Right now, Muten Natsu probably needed a hug more than anything.
Rukia Kuchiki took half a step forward.
Only half a step.
"Muten!" Nell launched herself into Muten Natsu's arms. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Muten Natsu caught Nell and gathered his thoughts. "I didn't get the chance to ask earlier. How did you get here?"
"Nell... Nell wants to be like you and find something she has to do no matter what!" Nell wrapped her arms around Muten Natsu's neck. "Nell has something she wants to do too, but she just can't remember what it is..."
Muten Natsu reminded her, "It's dangerous here."
"Nell knows! But... if Nell didn't come this time, Nell might never dare to come again..." Nell's large eyes were filled with confusion. "Nell wants to be with Muten. Being with Muten makes Nell happy!"
Muten Natsu lowered his eyes slightly. "...Me too."
"Muten," Orihime Inoue said as she came closer, "are you hurt? I'll heal you."
"He had plenty of abilities, but he used them too crudely. He couldn't hurt me." Muten Natsu handed Nell to Orihime Inoue. "Orihime, look after her for a while."
"Mm." Orihime Inoue took Nell and watched Muten Natsu walk toward Rukia Kuchiki.
"Rukia..."
Rukia Kuchiki carefully looked him over, afraid he was forcing himself to act fine. "What is it?"
"Thank goodness you were here. Otherwise, I might have hesitated for a long time." Muten Natsu leaned forward and pulled Rukia Kuchiki into his arms. "You made me understand that, when facing Aaroniero after he took Kaien-aniki's form, even a second of hesitation from me would be an insult to Kaien-aniki."
Even with Kaien Shiba's appearance and power, Aaroniero could never be compared to Kaien Shiba.
Rukia Kuchiki instinctively hugged Muten Natsu back, her small body sinking under his weight.
The embrace was so solid that Rukia Kuchiki froze, flustered, her cute face quickly turning red. "You... as long as you understand..."
"Mm..." Muten Natsu's faint voice brushed her ear. "You're the one who made me understand..."
"Don't breathe into my ear..." Rukia Kuchiki's voice softened in a way she could barely control. "You... what's wrong?"
Rukia Kuchiki finally snapped out of the feelings stirred up by the embrace and immediately realized this was not something Muten Natsu would normally do. His current state was clearly wrong.
"I was going to explain properly, but I'm having trouble standing..." Muten Natsu's voice was muffled. "After fusing with the Reishi absorbed by Rin'en Bokukō, I have to use Myōki to adjust it. The process is extremely draining... I'm going to be... very sleepy..."
The loss of strength was minor. The real issue was the mental strain.
Myōki's calculation ability consumed Muten Natsu's energy.
Energy could not be restored with Kaidō. It could only be recovered through sleep.
That was why, after fusing with Rin'en Bokukō, Muten Natsu would become extremely, extremely sleepy.
Maybe this was fine too... Rukia Kuchiki held Muten Natsu and heard his long, steady breathing.
Her gaze softened at once. He was still the same as ever, asleep the moment he dropped.
Orihime Inoue watched the scene while holding Nell, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
Noticing the change in Orihime Inoue's expression, Rukia Kuchiki panicked slightly. "Orihime, come help me. I'm out of strength!"
"Oh!" Orihime Inoue answered and hurried over to help.
Ririn stole a suspicious glance at Rukia Kuchiki, unable to understand what she was thinking.
Muten Natsu had always treated Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue like children, so his feelings had never moved forward. Ririn had already more or less figured out Muten Natsu's side of things.
But what about Rukia Kuchiki?
Her feelings for Muten Natsu could not be more obvious, yet she showed no rejection or resistance toward Orihime Inoue, who also liked Muten Natsu.
It was not just what had happened now. Even when it came to sleeping, Rukia Kuchiki insisted on bringing Orihime Inoue along.
Things like this had happened more than once.
This was not simply a matter of being generous. Ririn even suspected that Rukia Kuchiki had some strange preference. Otherwise, why would she keep pushing Muten Natsu into Orihime Inoue's arms every day?
Was it because Orihime Inoue was her good friend, so even Muten Natsu had to be shared with Orihime Inoue?
Ririn had always felt there had to be some reason behind it... but now was not the time to think about that.
Ririn looked into the distance. An ominous aura was rising. The Gates of Hell were opening.
What needed serious thought was not the state of their feelings, but the crisis that might destroy the world.
Things were going relatively smoothly on Hueco Mundo's side. She wondered how things were going in the World of the Living.
"Sting All Enemies to Death: Suzumebachi!" Suì-Fēng stood in the air, blood dripping from her finger blade. "Sorry. My ability is a two-hit kill, but you probably only felt one hit."
Ggio Vega, Baraggan's Fracción, already in Resurrección, had not even finished turning his head before the black butterfly pattern of Hōmonka bloomed on his chest and erased him completely.
On the other side, Marechiyo Ōmaeda had also dealt with another Arrancar.
With that, all six Fracción brought by Baraggan had fallen.
Thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed across the sky. The old man who had been sitting on the skeletal throne finally stood. "That boy... to die so meaninglessly!"
"Meaninglessly?" Suì-Fēng laughed softly. "Challenging a Captain while bearing the number No. 26 was foolish to begin with. He only paid the price for it."
"What I meant..." Baraggan glanced toward the direction where his Fracción had died, "was the Espada."
Clang!
Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru struck the hollow short blade in Harribel's hand, producing a crisp ring.
The blonde, blue-eyed Harribel's braids flew up as she put strength into her wrist and forced Tōshirō Hitsugaya back.
"Just now..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya steadied himself. "Your Reiatsu became chaotic. What happened?"
"A troublesome Espada died." Harribel reached up and unzipped her short jacket. "That works out. Now I can focus on the fight."
Her full, rounded figure pushed impatiently against the opened jacket, fully revealing the body that had been hidden beneath.
A broken mask covered her mouth, its stark white teeth looking rather savage. White bone also covered her neck, spreading downward to conceal part of her curves.
Beside the deep brown valley of her chest, a pitch-black number [3] was engraved.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya's eyes trembled as he stared at that number. "With your strength, you're only ranked third..."
"My strength?" Harribel narrowed her eyes slightly, her golden lashes reflecting the sunlight in a hazy gleam. "I don't recall... ever showing you my full strength."
Her figure suddenly blurred. Sensing something wrong, Tōshirō Hitsugaya immediately released his Bankai. "Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
The ice dragon wings that had just formed were shattered in the next instant by the hollow short blade in Harribel's hand.
The flying shards of ice reflected the frowning face of Starrk, the middle-aged man with slightly curled dark brown hair.
"Hey! You idiot, Starrk!" Starrk's Fracción, Lilynette, shouted. "What are you doing?! Aaroniero... he's dead."
"I know..." Starrk drawled. "I know."
"Oh?" Shunsui Kyōraku, who was facing off against Starrk, adjusted his straw hat. "Do you Espada have some special way to communicate?"
"Synchronized Perception... It's one of the 9th Espada's abilities, and also his assignment." Starrk sighed. "All information about the enemies he fought could be transmitted to all of us in real time."
"Pardon the question," Shunsui Kyōraku said, raising an eyebrow, "but who killed him?"
"Muten Natsu, Rukia Kuchiki, and Orihime Inoue. One of us died this fast..." Starrk looked troubled. "I was planning to pretend to fight you for a while until the war ended, but it looks like that won't work anymore."
"Funny. I was thinking the same thing." Shunsui Kyōraku swept his gaze across the battlefield. "Based on my judgment, among the three of you, that girl should be ranked third, and that old gentleman should be first. If I held you back, the second, I would have considered my mission complete."
"Hold back the second? With your strength, maybe you really could." Starrk removed the glove from his left hand. "But sorry. I'm the first."
On the back of his left hand was the black number [1].
The 1st Espada, Coyote Starrk.
"I see. That's a shame..." Shunsui Kyōraku drew the other blade at his waist. "If you're the First, then I'll have no choice but to fight to kill."
"Hey!" Lilynette glared at Jūshirō Ukitake. "They've already started fighting over there. Are you just going to sit around?"
"Mm. Kyōraku is enough."
Lilynette warned him, "Starrk is really strong. That old guy might die!"
Jūshirō Ukitake smiled brightly. "Don't worry! Kyōraku is really strong too!"
"Fine, I don't care anymore. He really will die, so don't regret it later!"
"Thank you. You're very kind." Jūshirō Ukitake nodded. "I'll pray that doesn't happen."
"..." Lilynette irritably scratched her head. "Fine. Then let's start too."
"How could I do that?" The smiling Jūshirō Ukitake immediately became serious. "You're still only a child. You shouldn't be on a battlefield."
"What? I'm a child?" Lilynette almost thought she had misheard him. "You jerk! How would an Arrancar even have an age..."
"That still won't do. No means no!" Jūshirō Ukitake shook his head firmly. "To me, you're a child, and a girl at that. I can't fight you. You received the message from the dead Espada just now too, didn't you? Death is frightening. Children shouldn't have to bear it. If you insist on staying, I'll do everything I can to send you home. You should be at home playing shuttlecock!"
"Heh... hehe..." Lilynette laughed from sheer anger. "Fine, I get it. Since you're looking down on me that much... I'll just have to force you to fight!"
Lilynette drew the Zanpakutō from her back and slashed down.
Jūshirō Ukitake blocked it easily.
Like he was watching a child throw a tantrum, Jūshirō Ukitake frowned slightly, helplessness in his eyes.
That expression made Lilynette even angrier. "Aaaaaaah!"
She furiously slashed again and again, but the Zanpakutō in Jūshirō Ukitake's hand did not so much as tremble.
Seeing her Zanpakutō was useless, Lilynette kicked out at him.
"Bakudō #8..." A faint light shone on the back of Jūshirō Ukitake's hand. "Seki!"
A burst of impact erupted, sending Lilynette flying.
The air exploded beneath Lilynette's feet as she stabilized herself. Reishi gathered at her left eye, then suddenly burst out as a green flash.
The violent torrent of Reishi came roaring toward him... then stopped short.
"I've seen hundreds of kinds of Cero by now." Jūshirō Ukitake did not even use his Zanpakutō. He simply raised one hand and scattered the Cero. "So I can say this with confidence. Your Cero is still immature. Its power isn't even on the level of a Menos. A Cero like the one just now can be canceled out with my bare hand."
"I don't want to be too harsh. You should go back." Jūshirō Ukitake spoke earnestly. "I can't fight you."
"Is that really okay, white-haired uncle..." Lilynette glared at him in frustration. "The battle here might be fine, but over in Hueco Mundo, those people don't have it so easy!"
"What did you say?"
"Three Espada came to the World of the Living, seven stayed in Hueco Mundo, and now one is dead..."
Jūshirō Ukitake asked, "Then what is ten minus three minus one?"
"Ten minus three..." Lilynette unconsciously counted on her fingers. "That leaves six. Who's doing math with you?!"
"Congratulations, you got it right." Jūshirō Ukitake took a piece of candy from his pocket. "Want some candy?"
"Who wants candy?! And why are you carrying candy around with you?!" Lilynette shouted her warning. "I'm saying that six Espada now know Muten Natsu's location, and they're probably hunting him down right now. How can you be so relaxed?"
"I was a little worried at first, but if it's six Espada..." Jūshirō Ukitake's gaze became steady. "Those four Captains will be enough."