The bolt of lightning instantly collided with the green flash at Baraggan's fingertip.
Terrifying spiritual pressure abruptly exploded from his finger.
BOOM—
At the same time, the Hollows outside noticed the shadow space rapidly dissipating.
Immediately after, a terrifying explosive shockwave swept over them.
"That's Lord Baraggan's..."
Before a Menos could finish his sentence, he was completely consumed by the flames.
Except for a few who were too close to the shadow space and were engulfed by the explosion before they could react, the rest of the Menos quickly retreated.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—
The Sonído used by the Menos produced a continuous, drum-like sound.
A moment later, the flames dissipated.
The Hollows looked over. A sleeve of Baraggan's robe had been blown off, and the skeletal arm revealed by the tattered sleeve had half of its finger bones destroyed by his own Cero.
The Shinigami standing opposite Baraggan was clad in a pitch-black robe, holding a black blade, and faintly exuding a spiritual pressure and aura that made their hearts tremble.
Baraggan's hollow eye sockets stared intently at the Shinigami before him. The Hollows couldn't read any expression from the skull, but they knew he was burning with rage.
What the Hollows didn't know was that besides anger, there was also a hint of astonishment in Baraggan's heart.
Such incredible speed!
The speed of that lightning bolt was too fast, and it was obscured by the flames. By the time he realized the threat, it was too late to dodge or disperse the Cero he was forming.
"Shinigami, your technique is the fastest I have ever seen."
Baraggan's cold voice sounded out.
Sora ignored him and instead said slowly:
"This is a warning."
"Arrogant!" Seeing the Shinigami ignore him, Baraggan was instantly enraged. However, being an ancient Menos, he had some understanding of the Soul Society.
He realized that his assembling of an army had been discovered.
"A warning from the Soul Society..." Baraggan said coldly.
"You shouldn't have set your sights on the Shinigami outpost," Sora said softly.
This statement served two purposes: it warned Baraggan not to target the outpost, and it prevented Baraggan from discovering he was there to save Nelliel's two followers.
Otherwise, after Sora left Hueco Mundo, Las Noches might retaliate against Pesche and Dondochakka.
Baraggan was currently horrified. He hadn't expected his small movements to be detected by the Soul Society so quickly.
The Soul Society's attention to Hueco Mundo far exceeded his imagination!
Although Baraggan considered himself the King of Hueco Mundo, he understood that the strength of Las Noches was far inferior to the Seireitei.
For now, Baraggan had no intention of directly confronting the Soul Society. Assembling an army was to expand Las Noches's sphere of control; it would be even better if he could force the Shinigami out of the Menos Forest.
However, he wouldn't show weakness in front of his subordinates: "Even a Shinigami cannot trespass on the territory of Las Noches!"
"My warning has been delivered. Farewell, Baraggan... I hope you haven't been blinded by power," Sora said with a smile.
Then, Sora's body sank into the shadows and swiftly departed.
The Hollows exclaimed in shock, "He's gone!"
"Lord Baraggan! Should we give chase?!"
Baraggan raised his other, intact arm, stopping his subordinates from pursuing. "Forget it. His ability is very strange. Ordinary methods cannot harm him at all."
"I have never seen this Shinigami before... Is he a captain who was promoted in the last few centuries..." Baraggan watched the receding shadow, his heart sinking.
The Soul Society had another powerful new captain!
Shinigami were uniquely blessed; the probability of strong individuals appearing in the Soul Society was much higher than in Hueco Mundo.
If one only considered the level from seated officers to lieutenants, the number of Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo who could reach that level was far greater than the number of seated officers and lieutenants in the Soul Society.
But when it came to top-tier, captain-class powerhouses, the number of Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo was far lower than the number of captain-class Shinigami.
This was also why he was reluctant to start a war easily.
...
Meanwhile, after traveling for twenty minutes, Katori Sora caught up with Aizen Sōsuke, Nelliel, and the others.
"The Professor has caught up!" Nelliel said with pleasant surprise.
"As expected, the Menos of Las Noches couldn't cause much trouble for the Professor," Aizen Sōsuke said.
"It's alright now. The Menos from Las Noches didn't pursue us," Sora said with a smile.
He glanced at the information he hadn't checked earlier. After helping Nelliel rescue her two followers, her affinity level had already risen to 'Close'.
"So amazing! Even Baraggan of Las Noches couldn't do anything to the Professor!" Nelliel looked at Sora with immense admiration, her eyes shining as if they held starlight.
Nelliel's understanding of the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living was very shallow.
In her worldview, the King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan, was the most powerful existence. Sora's actions had completely refreshed her perspective.
A new inequality had been established in her mind:
Professor > Baraggan > Other Menos of Las Noches.
Therefore, she came to a conclusion—the Professor was the strongest!
"Train well with me, and Nel can become this strong too," Sora said, patting Nelliel's head. The bone mask covering it was a bit rough to the touch.
"Nel?"
"Your name is a bit long. I think this nickname is nice."
"It sounds pretty good. Just call me Nel from now on!"
Pesche and Dondochakka, who were beside them, were initially wary of Katori Sora. But after seeing his interaction with Nelliel, they were quickly won over by his kind and gentle demeanor and felt at ease.
A day later, Nelliel settled Pesche and Dondochakka in a place far from Las Noches to prevent them from being found again after she left with her professor.
After settling them, Nelliel followed her professor and left Hueco Mundo.
...
In the Soul Society, somewhere in the Rukongai, a black rift appeared in the air. After the rift opened, it revealed three figures wearing hooded cloaks.
Nelliel was also wearing a hooded cloak that could block spiritual pressure to prevent other Shinigami from sensing her Hollow fluctuations.
"I've been to the World of the Living, but this is my first time in the Soul Society!" Nelliel was curious about everything there.
As a Menos Grande, Nelliel naturally possessed some ability to manipulate space. It was simple for her to go to the World of the Living, but coming to the Soul Society was not easy.
Protective formulas were set up around the Garganta of the Soul Society. Any approaching Hollow would trigger an alert.
But Sora had been secretly traveling to Hueco Mundo for years and was thoroughly familiar with these protective measures. Bringing Nelliel into the Soul Society was not a difficult task.
Upon returning, Sora immediately took out his Denreishinki and sent a message to Yoruichi Shihōin.
An energetic voice came through the device: "Professor!"
"Yoruichi, I have some intelligence for you," Sora said.
"Wait a minute! I'll find a place with no one around!" Yoruichi quickly said.
A moment later, her voice came through again: "I was just training the squad members, there were a lot of people. What information did you get, Professor?"
As the lieutenant of the 2nd Division, Yoruichi was also responsible for the daily training of the squad members, making her much busier than before.
"I made a trip to Hueco Mundo and found that Baraggan is conscripting Menos Grande near Las Noches and assembling an army. They might be planning to eliminate the Shinigami outpost in the Menos Forest."
Sora passed on the intelligence that Las Noches was gathering an army.
The Seireitei did not permit Shinigami to go to Hueco Mundo without reason. He couldn't directly present this information, but he could give it to Yoruichi and let the Onmitsukidō investigate.
Sora didn't consider his warning to be foolproof. He wasn't sure if it would dissuade Baraggan from targeting the outpost, so he chose to pass the information to the Seireitei through Yoruichi.
The Hueco Mundo expeditionary force was due to return in a few years. Sora didn't want them to be lost at the hands of Las Noches.
That might lead the Seireitei to believe that Hueco Mundo's forces were too strong and continue sending expeditionary forces to attack Las Noches.
This could affect Sora's future plans. After becoming the captain of the 12th Division, he planned to establish a laboratory in Hueco Mundo to research Hollowfied Shinigami, Shinigamified Hollows, and the Hōgyoku.
"Assembling an army? What is Baraggan up to?" Yoruichi was somewhat surprised. "I'll have someone investigate this. Thanks for the intel, Professor!"
After relaying the information, Sora had Aizen Sōsuke go back to process the sand containing Hollow reishi. He then took Nelliel to the residence within the Sekkiseki-built laboratory.
"Professor, will I be captured if I walk around in the Soul Society?" Nelliel said dejectedly.
She had just remembered that her form was very different from a human-shaped soul. Even with a cloak that blocked spiritual pressure, she couldn't hide her size.
"I have a gift for you. It can give you the power of a Shinigami and allow you to evolve into a more perfect form." Sora took out the 'Shinigami Reishi Vaccine'.
"Something that can make me evolve?" Nelliel looked quizzically at the blue syringe in her professor's hand.
"Nel, your Hollow hole is on your head, right?" Sora stuck his finger into the eye socket of the antelope skull on Nelliel's head.
There was nothing inside.
Sora needed to persuade Nelliel to use the 'Shinigami Reishi Vaccine'.
He had only just met her. Although her affinity level was not low, her level of trust was far from that of his other disciples.
"It is on my head..." Nelliel nodded.
"A Hollow's hole represents a lack. The form of a Hollow is incomplete, and this incompleteness brings with it an uncontrollable hunger," Sora said slowly. "That is why some Hollows who cannot control their hunger constantly devour other souls, trying to fill their own lack."
"But by simply devouring other souls, a Hollow can never fill what is missing."
"Because..."
Sora paused, then continued, "Hollows have a limit!"
"To fill what is missing, you must introduce another power!"
Nelliel's eyes, untainted by knowledge, shone with a blank light. She nodded茫然地. "Then... what should I do?"
Sora gestured to the 'Shinigami Reishi Vaccine' in his hand. "It can allow your body to withstand the power of a Shinigami."
"This way, you can use the power of a Shinigami to fill your own lack and evolve into a more perfect form!"
Nelliel did not doubt him and nodded repeatedly. "Professor! I want to fill what is missing!"
"Then I'll begin." Sora had already carefully read the instructions for the vaccine. He directly inserted the syringe into Nelliel's arm, and the azure liquid quickly flowed into her body.
A moment later, the spiritual pressure within Nelliel's body became somewhat chaotic.
"It feels a bit hot..." Nelliel said uneasily.
"Don't worry, this is normal," Sora said gently. "Next, I will inject my blood and Shinigami spiritual pressure."
"Mmm..." Nelliel hummed softly.
The tingling sensation spreading through her body left her unable to say more.
Sora took a tube of blood containing the reishi of a captain-class Shinigami from his own arm and injected it into Nelliel's artery.
The Shinigami blood and spiritual pressure flowed into her body and quickly reacted with the vaccine.
Dense blue blood vessels appeared on the surface of Nelliel's skin, looking somewhat like a Quincy activating their Blut Vene.
At the same time, her body's form began to change drastically.
Crack—
The bone armor covering the area above her humanoid torso's abdomen cracked and began to disintegrate.
Soon, the bone armor between her abdomen and neck completely crumbled, leaving only the armor on her shoulders.
Then, the mask on her face also cracked.
She touched her face, and the mask instantly turned to dust and fell away.
Soon, the goat-skull mask that had completely encased her head was reduced to a half-mask with horns on top.
As the fragments slowly fell, a beautiful and sweet female face was gradually revealed.
"Mmm..." Nelliel moaned softly. The veins on her skin, thick with reishi, quickly faded, and her slightly reddish skin gradually turned pale.
Her features were exquisite, her eyebrows like a painting, and beneath her curved willow-like brows was a pair of large, clear, and bright eyes.
"Professor... my mask..." Nelliel touched her face, surprised to find her mask had fallen off.
"This is! Have I evolved into a 'Vasto Lorde'-class Menos?!" Nelliel was utterly shocked.
She didn't understand the combination of Shinigami and Hollow power, but she knew the limit of a Hollow—after reaching a certain limit, they could shed their mask and evolve into a 'Vasto Lorde'.
"Your limit is far beyond this. With the power of a Shinigami, you will have the chance to surpass a 'Vasto Lorde' like Baraggan," Sora said with a smile. "Try to communicate with your inner self."
Nelliel closed her eyes and soon found an instinctual ability. Her form rapidly changed.
Her half-human, half-antelope body transformed into a fully human form, and a long sword appeared in her hand.
Nelliel didn't have time to look at the sword because she noticed she felt chilly all over.
"Eh!!!"
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