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Harribel lay quietly in the dim cave, her gaze slowly shifting to the handsome man with a smile before her.
Then, she raised her head, gazing at the pitch-black ceiling above.
On either side of her stood a massive Adjuchas—Apacci and Mila Rose.
These two female Menos Grande, several meters tall, surrounded her, their faces full of concern as they asked after her.
But their overly impatient natures were a bit much to handle; their chattering voices echoed in her ears, giving her a splitting headache.
After a period of recuperation, Harribel's Reiatsu had mostly returned to normal, and her regeneration speed had also returned to its usual level.
At this moment, her injuries were almost completely healed.
Her previously shattered skin had re-healed, and a layer of pristine, hard bone armor tightly enveloped her entire body.
The golden-haired beauty, the Valkyrie of Hueco Mundo, Harribel, though she had faced an unprecedented crisis, was fortunately not killed.
After falling unconscious with severe injuries, she was carried by her good sisters to this temporarily dug underground stronghold and received timely treatment.
"You certainly can sleep! You actually lay there for an entire day and night," Aozaki Reiji said with a teasing smile after carefully checking Harribel's physical condition.
"But rest assured, I also have some knowledge of Healing Technique, so your injuries are nothing serious."
Aozaki Reiji's Healing Technique was learned from Unohana, and after many years of diligent practice, his mastery had reached the pinnacle of perfection.
He focused intently, thoroughly examining Harribel from head to toe, inside and out.
Not only that, he even thoughtfully prepared an extremely detailed medical report, with "Harribel" neatly inscribed at the top.
This report was incredibly comprehensive and meticulous, astonishing in its level of detail.
"You're not going to kill us?" Harribel sat up, her emerald eyes looking at Aozaki Reiji's eyes with confusion.
He had shown no mercy when dealing with Las Noches, and he could absolutely kill her easily now.
So… why wasn't this Shinigami acting, and instead treating her so gently and considerately?
She hadn't realized that the man before her might have other intentions towards her.
After all, beneath that white, skin-like bone armor, her entire body was tightly wrapped, and even her face was hidden, only a pair of bright eyes visible.
"I do like fighting, but I wouldn't call myself a bloodthirsty madman. I really don't understand what's wrong with you people, always talking about life and death," Aozaki Reiji said, waving his hand dismissively.
"If you want to thank someone, thank Sung-Sun and the others. They signed a contract of servitude just for me to save you!"
Harribel, her face full of doubt, asked, "Shinigami… You are a Shinigami, right? Why would you help us Hollows?"
Aozaki Reiji quietly gazed at the Vasto Lorde before him.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment; only their breathing was clearly audible.
A moment later, he suddenly broke the silence:
"Believe me, Harribel, I don't care about the identities of Hollow and Shinigami."
His voice was as calm as water, but the conviction it held was impossible to ignore.
Harribel's delicate body trembled, and she widened her eyes, looking at this mysterious man.
She had never imagined that a Shinigami would say such words.
Aozaki Reiji spoke again:
"What I truly care about is you, Harribel! It's you, the person!"
"I need you, Harribel. Are you willing to become my companion and walk alongside me?"
His gaze was fixed on Harribel, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Companion? Walk alongside?" Harribel murmured to herself, momentarily lost in thought.
She truly found it difficult to comprehend why this unfathomably powerful Shinigami would make such an outlandish request.
The war between Shinigami and Hollows had lasted for millions of years, continuing unbroken from the very beginning of the world's creation.
Shinigami and Hollows should be eternal enemies!
But, even the powerful Oswiel had been defeated by him, so how could she possibly be qualified to be his enemy?
Thinking of this, Harribel couldn't help but feel a wave of dejection.
However, deep down, a strange longing arose within her for Aozaki Reiji's proposal.
She had experienced countless bloody battles and was long tired of endless conflict; she disliked fighting from the bottom of her heart.
Not to mention, this handsome man had saved her life, making it even more impossible for her to view him as an enemy!
Harribel leaned quietly against the head of the bed, silently pondering Aozaki Reiji's words repeatedly.
A Shinigami wanting to become companions with a Hollow? This was simply unbelievable!
Yet, for some reason, Aozaki Reiji's sincere eyes lingered in her mind, refusing to fade…
"You have enough time to think; there's no need to rush your decision. I will wait patiently."
Aozaki Reiji's tone was gentle, revealing a hint of warmth, before he turned and lightly leaped onto another stone bed.
Harribel's gaze first fell upon the handsome man beside her, who was already sound asleep.
Then, she swept her eyes over Apacci and Mila Rose, who were playfully frolicking, and Sung-Sun, who had just entered the cave with a smiling face.
This Shinigami seemed to be very kind to them…
Harribel's eyes flickered slightly, as if her heart was caught in some struggle.
...
Time flew by, and a full week had passed in the blink of an eye.
Aozaki Reiji led his companions to the surface.
What lay before them was an boundless ocean of sand, stretching endlessly to the horizon, its end indiscernible even to the furthest gaze.
As Aozaki Reiji had expected, after seven days of careful consideration, Harribel gave him an affirmative answer.
At this moment, Harribel stood respectfully beside Aozaki Reiji, lowering her head as she asked, "Lord Reiji, do you truly have a way for us to increase our strength without having to devour other Hollows?"
This question was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
It removed any hesitation or doubt Harribel had, leading her to become Aozaki Reiji's companion.
She knew that to protect Sung-Sun, Apacci, and Mila Rose, she must possess sufficient power!
Although she disliked using her own power to harm others, what should she do when faced with those who possessed great power and acted recklessly?
Only by strengthening herself could she resist external harm.
However, even though Aozaki Reiji asked her to consider him a companion, Harribel still insisted on addressing him as "Lord."
In this dog-eat-dog world of Hueco Mundo, treating the strong in such a way was the proper expression of reverence.
"There is a way, but I haven't tried it yet," Aozaki Reiji nodded. "And this isn't a good place to try it."
"Then where are we going?" Apacci asked impatiently.
"The Great Hollow Forest."
Seeing everyone looking at him with confused expressions, Aozaki Reiji explained, "That's what you call the Forest of Menos. I plan to build a temporary stronghold there."
Sung-Sun exclaimed, "As expected of Lord Reiji! The Forest of Menos, as the dwelling place of the Gillians, is indeed aptly named the Great Hollow Forest."
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