Saitō sheathed her zanpakuto with a flourish, blood splattering across the ground, leaving a deep crimson streak on the pale desert sand.
The Vasto Lorde's limbs still twitched faintly.
For Hollows of this caliber, even the weakest boasted formidable baseline vitality.
Otherwise, they'd never survive to this stage.
Makoto watched the scene unfold, a quiet awe stirring in his chest.
Sure, Saitō usually came off as a total loose cannon, but when it came to real combat, her strength was top-tier.
She'd survived Unohana's blade, after all.
Too bad her ego couldn't handle praise.
The moment she sheathed her sword, that wicked, cool grin morphed into a goofy, husky-like expression.
She practically bounced over, jabbing a finger at Makoto with shameless bravado.
"Hey! Did you see that?!"
"That's what you call Saitō-sama's strength!"
"Get it?"
"Took that idiot down in three seconds flat, super easy!"
Saitō planted her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest.
"Y-Yes!"
"Saitō-sama's amazing."
Makoto played along, hamming up the flattery with a bootlicker's grin.
Then his face flipped in an instant.
"What are you standing there for? Move back a bit."
"You didn't break that Vasto Lorde's mask, right?"
"I just thought of a use for it!"
"Huh!?"
Saitō wasn't new to people talking big to her, but it still ticked her off.
Just as she opened her mouth to snap back, she paused.
Lifting her head, she saw Makoto dragging Harribel by the Bakudō chains, hauling her forward.
Her body carved a long trench through the pale sand.
Saitō blinked, puzzled. "Hollows besides chopping them up, what else are they good for?"
"Oh, they've got tons of uses."
Makoto's smile oozed mischief.
A faint chill crept up Saitō's spine, her gaze shifting to Harribel with a flicker of pity.
Harribel, catching every word, had already braced herself for the worst after being snagged by Shinigami.
So this was where her life ended?
As that thought sank in, Makoto kicked the massive bone armor over her chest, barking casually, "Hey!"
"Eat that pile over there."
"Eh?!"
Saitō and Harribel gawked in unison, staring at him.
Like they'd just spotted a certified lunatic.
"What are you looking at me for? Eat it!"
Makoto kicked her chest again. "You don't wanna spend your whole life trembling as an Adjuchas, right? Eating a Vasto Lorde oughta give you a solid boost."
"W-What are you up to?"
Harribel, still bound by Bakudō, tensed up, eyeing this Shinigami warily.
What could a Shinigami and a Hollow possibly have to discuss?
In this land, nothing good ever fell from the sky.
Harribel clung to that truth.
But…
She glanced at the Vasto Lorde's corpse.
As Makoto said, a higher-tier Hollow rare as hell in Hueco Mundo was a temptation she couldn't shake.
Utterly irresistible!
Yet it wasn't just Harribel with doubts even Saitō couldn't hold back a shout.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"Makoto, I call you an idiot, but you can't actually be one!"
"If she eats that thing, we'll have a brand-new Vasto Lorde on our hands soon, right?"
Obviously.
Even a scatterbrain like Saitō could see it plain as day.
Makoto, however, countered, "The one who should be confused is me, Saitō!"
"Huh?"
Saitō couldn't wrap her head around it.
So Makoto broke it down for her. "Saitō, don't you think it's downright stupid for us to come all the way from Soul Society to Hueco Mundo, hunting down Hollows one by one like idiots?"
"These are Hollows."
"Born to devour and slaughter each other perfect for infighting."
"If we want to weaken Hueco Mundo, why not let them fight themselves?"
"…"
Saitō blinked.
Wait, that actually sounded… kinda reasonable?
And Makoto was the sharpest mind among them.
That intellectual authority sent Saitō spiraling into thought.
Hollows devoured others to evolve.
Even without time to eat, they'd kill anything that got close.
So… they didn't need to lift a finger?
"Hold up!?"
"Then what's feeding her that corpse got to do with it?"
Saitō somehow flipped the script!
Makoto turned, his gaze on Harribel softening into something almost "kindly."
It gave her the creeps.
"That's why I say you're dense."
Makoto sighed. "They don't fear sacrifice or exhaustion, only dying on the eve of evolution."
"Such prime soldier material, yet no one's ever tapped into it… what a waste."
"Later generations used them so effortlessly."
His last words faded into his gaze, growing ever more intense as he eyed Harribel.
"Hey!"
He called out suddenly.
Harribel flinched.
Makoto crouched with a smile, patting her bone mask gently despite her wary stare.
"How about a deal?"
"W-What deal?"
Harribel's eyes remained guarded.
But hearing she might have something to bargain with, a faint relief flickered inside.
As long… as long as there was a way out…
Who'd choose death now?
Especially for Hollows like her, who'd clawed their way to survival.
The sunk cost was too damn high.
Plus…
Her masked gaze drifted to the Vasto Lorde's dissipating corpse nearby.
A pang of hunger gnawed at her.
She was starving.
Makoto's smile turned sly, but he played it cool like a placement-play gamer pressing down her craving as he continued, "For example, you lure other Hollows for us."
"We kill ten, you get one."
"Once you hit Vasto Lorde and escape the Adjuchas evolution trap, you keep working for us."
"To ensure your loyalty, we'll need a little… leverage."
"…How's that?"
Harribel's pupils shrank beneath her mask at his calm words.
What kind of deal was this?!
Adjuchas don't bow unless it's all-inclusive!
Now the terms were better room, board, evolution, and protection!
This was a freebie!
[Pah!]
[You're just drooling over her Vasto Lorde body!]
[Look at that ass and those boobs!]
[She'll be a total bombshell as a Vasto Lorde!]
[Makoto! Nice job!]
His zanpakuto's childish voice rang out from afar.
Its bratty tone hit Saitō and Harribel's ears at once.
Both froze!
"Deal!"
"No way!"
Harribel and Saitō's voices clashed in unison.
Makoto turned, puzzled, to Saitō. "Huh?"
Saitō met his stare, her expression stalling.
The twin-tailed girl belatedly realized this scheme didn't exactly hurt her.
Her slow brain churned for a counterargument but came up empty.
As for why she wanted to object…?
Saitō wasn't sure.
She just really wanted to argue!
Ass? Boobs? She didn't care about that stuff!
But... aha!
Her single eye lit up, and she bellowed indignantly, "Hey! Makoto!"
"Are you even a Shinigami?!"
"Hollows are our mortal enemies, you get that?! How can you let her off just 'cause she's useful?!"
Her words barely left her mouth before Makoto shot her a deeply odd look.
The young man stared straight at her, deadpanning gravely, "Saitō!"
"You're Saitō Furofushi!"
"Don't spout stubborn crap like Yama-jii!"
"That's not your vibe!"
Saitō collapsed on the spot.
Meanwhile, Harribel's eyes gleamed brighter at his words.
This guy's words seemed to carry real weight.
And…
Harribel glanced at the faint marks on his body.
Scratches from his high-speed brawl with that Vasto Lorde.
A Shinigami who could go toe-to-toe with a Vasto Lorde in hand-to-hand combat.
She'd seen other Shinigami before and knew their main weapon was that thing called a Zanpakutō.
To pull this off, he had to be a standout even among Shinigami, right?
If so, she'd be a fool not to seize this chance!
Dignity? Resolve? In the face of survival and evolution, those were meaningless.
That was the raw truth of Hueco Mundo!
The strong called the shots.
"I… can be your subordinate…" Harribel eyed the half-dissipated corpse, barely holding herself back. "As long as you keep your word!"
"Oh?"
Makoto kept a firm hand on her, smiling gently. "Then let's start building trust with names, shall we?"
"I'm Makoto Fujimiya."
"And you?"
The mermaid hesitated, her raspy, magnetic voice rumbling from beneath her mask. "Tier Harribel."
Makoto's eyes lit up.
Looks like he'd hooked a big one.
He patted her head lightly, his tone soft like he was training a pup. "Well then, seems you'll be a fine subordinate."
"Go ahead."
The moment he spoke, he released the Bakudō binding her.
With a boom, Harribel bolted, lunging straight for the corpse being gnawed at by countless tiny decomposer Hollows.
Her movements were near-feral as she swatted away the weak Reiatsu signatures, seizing the body.
In an instant, the Vasto Lorde's corpse cracked apart like a light source, dissolving into streams of tangible Reishi that flowed into her mouth like water, emitting faint Reiatsu ripples.
If you looked closely, glimmers of light flickered between the seams of her bone armor, a natural sign of her Reiatsu spiking rapidly.
In mere moments, what was left of the Vasto Lorde's body crumbled into fine ash, vanishing like will-o'-wisps.
No evolution yet, though.
Harribel turned to face Makoto and Saitō.
This time, her gaze softened a touch, even losing some of its wariness toward Saitō.
"So… what now?"
Her voice stayed rough, layered with that Hollow echo, a hint of femininity buried in its gruffness, easy to miss unless you listened hard.
Clearly, an Adjuchas in this state wouldn't stir even the quirky tastes of his zanpakuto, which stayed silent.
"Just stick with us."
Makoto's smile was downright warm far gentler than when he spoke to Saitō.
"Hey! I haven't agreed yet!"
Saitō huffed, trying to chime in.
Too bad Makoto brushed her off without a second thought.
"Also, a Vasto Lorde wouldn't hunt you down for no reason, right?" Makoto asked casually. "You got beef with them?"
"If we offed that guy, will more come after you?"
"I… I don't know…" As an Adjuchas, Harribel had enough reason to converse normally and rein in her craving for raw Reishi.
But to prove her worth, she jumped in quick. "I haven't been an Adjuchas long no grudges with other groups."
"As for that Vasto Lorde, it said it was from Las Noches, a crew led by Hueco Mundo's top Vasto Lorde, Baraggan Louisenbairn."
"Word is you need to be a damn strong Adjuchas just to join… and they've got several Vasto Lordes."
"If there's anything special about me…"
Harribel paused, glancing down at her torso, then said, "Adjuchas like me, who can mostly keep a feminine form at this stage, are rare."
"Most are a jumbled mess."
"They… might be interested in my body."
Makoto's gaze turned faintly odd at that.
He lowered his voice, probing, "So, Hollows have those kinds of needs too?"
"No."
Harribel shook her head. "They… seem to be running some weird experiments lately."
"But I only caught a name."
"What name?" Makoto's curiosity piqued.
Harribel's gaze grew heavy. "Something like… Gabriel."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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