Chapter 24: Chapter 24: A Grand Escape in Hueco Mundo
Chapter 24: A Grand Escape in Hueco Mundo
Inside the rudimentary stone chamber of the cave.
Mila Rose was making her introduction with exuberant enthusiasm:
"Lady Harribel, take a look at this Adjuchas. Doesn’t he look exactly like a lizard? I already asked; he has poison glands too!"
"I’m quite certain he can cure the toxins in your body. As long as you’re no longer weakened, with your constitution, you’ll surely be able to walk again in no time."
"When that happens, why would we need to hide from those sycophantic pursuers?"
"However, I did make him a promise. Once the deed is done, I have to give him a few Adjuchas-class Menos Grande to devour. So, maybe we can just knock those pursuers unconscious..."
"Lady Harribel... why aren’t you saying anything...?"
The energetic lion’s voice trailed off, growing smaller and smaller.
Even someone as thick-skulled as she could tell that the atmosphere had turned completely bizarre.
Harribel retracted her gaze and wearily closed her eyes. It was a long while before she spoke, her tone indifferent:
"Hueco Mundo does not welcome Soul Reapers."
"A Soul Reaper!!?"
Mila Rose’s lion eyes widened to the size of saucers, whipping her head around as if she had just seen a ghost.
Having his true identity exposed, Yato Uchiha stopped maintaining the Genjutsu. With a soft pop, the tall, handsome boy appeared within the stone cave.
"You bastard! Soul Reaper! You actually tricked me!"
Mila Rose bellowed, her lion’s roar vibrating against Yato’s eardrums.
The boy drew his Zanpakuto and, while weathering the impact of the Adjuchas’ Spiritual Pressure, slowly backed toward the cave’s entrance.
"You only have yourself to blame for this," Yato said helplessly.
"I told you I didn’t want to get involved in your business."
"All Soul Reapers deserve to die!"
"So, you want to fight? I’ll entertain you." The boy pointed behind Mila Rose:
"But it looks like that one is about to kick the bucket."
The lion-type Menos abruptly froze and looked back.
In the next instant, her face contorted, her eyes practically tearing at the corners.
Lying on the ground, Harribel had somehow been caught in the deadly grip of a massive maw. Its jagged, razor-sharp teeth had pierced through her skin and flesh, churning her internal organs into a mangled mess.
"You bastard— Aaaaargh!"
Mila Rose instantly went berserk, completely losing her mind as she charged at the massive maw like a lunatic.
Even if I die, I’m taking you down with me, Lady Harribel!
However, right at that moment, a painfully familiar voice sounded by her ear.
"Calm down, Rose."
—It was Harribel.
Though her voice was weak, it clearly hadn’t reached the point of being on death’s door:
"You fell for it again."
The lion Menos froze in place.
The illusion dissolved, and the grotesque maw vanished completely.
The blonde Vasto Lorde was still lying there, perfectly intact.
Mila Rose looked back blankly. Sure enough, the despicable Soul Reaper was nowhere to be seen.
"Lady Harribel, I..." Mila Rose lowered her head in sheer frustration, overwhelmed by anxiety and guilt.
"Your subordinate has disappointed you."
"That appears to be his Zanpakuto’s ability. Is it an illusion type? How very rare." Harribel paused, suddenly hesitating for an inexplicable reason.
"...Never mind."
"My Lady, what did you say?"
"Do not concern yourself with that Soul Reaper. Rose, do you feel it? Sun-Sun and Apache’s Spiritual Pressures are plummeting."
"Dammit! Lady Harribel, it seems those pursuers have reinforcements!"
"Go help them, Rose."
"Huh? But in your current condition, you need someone to stay by your side..."
"This is an order, Franceska Mila Rose." The blonde Menos spoke her subordinate’s full name, her tone leaving absolutely no room for refusal:
"Sun-Sun and Apache won’t be able to hold out for much longer."
"...Yes, Lady Harribel." Unable to dissuade her, Mila Rose softly accepted the order.
However, just as she was leaving the stone chamber, Mila Rose abruptly stopped, her tone exceedingly solemn:
"My Lady. Once, twice, I fell for that Soul Reaper’s illusion techniques. But I swear to you, there will absolutely not be a third time!"
Harribel looked up at the ceiling in exasperation, truly feeling a sense of deep exhaustion.
"Yes. I believe you, Rose."
The lion Menos strode out of the cave, racing toward the distant battlefield.
Inside the stone chamber, only Harribel lay in silence.
A long while later, she suddenly huffed softly at the empty air:
"Come out."
"..."
"Come out." Harribel’s voice carried a profound weariness.
"Rose is already far away. Even if she wanted to turn back, it would be too late."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed from a corner.
The boy’s silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Your subordinate... is she perhaps a little lacking up here...?" Yato pointed at his head, not even having the heart to finish the sentence.
"She’s not stupid. She just loses her sense of reason when it concerns my safety."
"Alright then."
"So, what will you do now? Kill me?"
"I really was just dragged here by your reckless subordinate. I’m actually trying to get back to the Soul Society as soon as possible," Yato waved his hand dismissively.
"The Seireitei’s rules are different from the Quincies. We don’t absolutely have to eradicate you down to the last trace. Besides, you’re a Vasto Lorde? To be honest, even in this situation, I wouldn’t dare get too close."
"You really..."
"Really, it truly is just a coincidence."
Rumble!
Just then, a massive clap of thunder interrupted their conversation.
Yato looked toward the cave entrance, frowning slightly.
In his perception, three Spiritual Pressures were deteriorating rapidly.
Harribel’s jade eyes clouded with melancholy, her beautiful face seemingly coated in a layer of frost.
"Soul Reaper."
"Hmm?"
"Take me away."
"...What did you say?" The shift was so sudden that Yato was left dumbfounded.
"Or, you can kill me instead."
With great effort, she raised an arm, pulling back a corner of the bone armor on her chest, and pointed directly at her heart.
"Use your Zanpakuto. Pierce it in right here, separate the ribs, and shred my heart."
Yato Uchiha stared at her blankly, suddenly realizing what Harribel meant.
"You plan to sacrifice yourself so your subordinates can escape?"
"Correct." Harribel’s voice remained low and hoarse. Even at the most critical juncture, she maintained her calm and restraint.
"Rose, Sun-Sun, and Apache... the three of them intend to sacrifice their lives to hold off the pursuers and buy me time to escape."
"As long as my Spiritual Pressure is here, they will not leave."
"The pursuit of sacrifice inevitably demands a price."
"Therefore, let me become the price of this sacrifice."
Yato’s expression turned extremely serious. He caressed the blade of Akame, stepped forward, and spoke, enunciating every word clearly:
"In the Soul Society, what is advocated is that the subordinate sacrifices for the superior. A Vasto Lorde is an existence that even Captain-class Soul Reapers must respect. Dying for Adjuchas is not something people would ever comprehend."
"Oh, is that so? But I am Tier Harribel." The blonde beauty seemed to smile faintly.
"I am a Hollow, feared by all."
Yato Uchiha was clearly stunned for a moment.
—People who are usually silent and aloof look incredibly beautiful when they smile.
"So, Tier Harribel, is this the kind of sacrifice you revere..."
"You are correct. If I kill you and bring back your bone armor, the Seireitei will reward me handsomely."
"According to regulations, a Soul Reaper who slays a Vasto Lorde will be promoted eight ranks, up to a maximum of Lieutenant, and will be credited with fifty major merits!"
"If they have a family or descendants, they will even be ennobled as a lower noble by Central 46 to highlight their martial valor!"
"So... are you ready?"
Harribel did not speak. She simply closed her eyes in gratification, prepared to welcome the Soul Reaper’s blade.
However, the pain and sacrifice she anticipated never arrived.
Instead, she felt herself being lifted up.
"But it’s a pity that I won’t be getting any of those rewards, because you see, I’m not actually an official Soul Reaper yet."
She smelled the boy’s scent, felt his body heat, and heard his voice laced with amusement:
"We’ve been talking for so long, and I haven’t even introduced myself. How ungentlemanly of me. My apologies."
"Yato Uchiha. 6th-year student at the Shin’o Academy."
He bounced the Vasto Lorde in his arms slightly, adjusting to the extra weight:
"Let’s start our escape, Harribel."
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