Apacci trudged back into the shadowy cave, the weight of stress pressing her down. Her gloominess was well-founded. She had devoured every bit of Dordoni, absorbing his flesh to enhance her Reiryoku. Yet, despite her efforts, the Vasto Lorde Class remained a distant dream. A realm far away from her reach.
"Should I break my mask?" she pondered, recalling the surge of power that such a simple act could unleash. But she knew, too, that great strength came with great risk. She was inextricably drawn to the possibility ever since witnessing the awe-inspiring might of Mila Rose.
'I promised Kazuya to be patient… but I also promised to become the strongest Arrancar.'
While eager to fulfill her promise, she had no choice but to slow down. Her gaze fell upon Kazuya, who lay nestled against Cyan Sung-Sun's giant snake form. Sung-Sun's scaled tail draped over him like a protective shield, yet he seemed to find comfort in its embrace, sleeping soundly beneath it as if it were a makeshift quilt. One could say he was having the time of life surrounded by cuddly pets.
'How dare he sleep with her after making that deal with me? Did he goad her into a deal?'
She seethed with jealousy.
Sung-Sun lifted her head and hissed. "The deer triumphantly returns after devouring an eagle. Yet one could not see any signs of happiness on the deer's face. Are these the signs of tragedy to come?"
Apacci growled at Sung-Sun's unnecessary commentary of her actions. "Fuck happiness."
Kazuya stirred, sitting up and gesturing for Apacci to join him. "Come here."
She complied, sinking down and resting her head on his legs, using his thighs as her cushion. "It's my turn to use you."
"Use my body as much as you want," he murmured, a gentle smile gracing his lips. "My dear deer, what's weighing on your heart?"
Kazuya could sense the storm raging within her, as well as her desperate yearning for strength to fill the void in her soul. Sung-Sun's words about the tragedy had not been entirely off the mark; Apacci might very well attempt something reckless in her quest for power. Her Hollow Hole was more than proof of her lust for raw power.
Apacci gritted her teeth. "I am angry at myself. I just want to become strong and kick Baraggan's ass with you… But I can't even get close to Espada with my current strength. This makes me so mad."
Kazuya listened intently to her impassioned outburst, his fingers gently stroking her head. Almost involuntarily, she leaned into his tender touch, finding comfort in his caress.
"Then stop dwelling on it," Sung-Sun advised, her voice cool and collected. "Only fools focus solely on surpassing their adversary's strength. Why not try outwitting your opponent instead? Like Kazuya and his plan for the Living World."
"Running away to a faraway place isn't a smart strategy."
"Then fighting your opponent against stacked odds is smart?" Sung-Sun scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, Apacci. I want to fight with everyone as much as you. You have to cultivate patience, or you'll end up as someone's food."
Apacci's teeth clenched in frustration. She had been using the flee and hide technique for years. However, in the present time, she couldn't shake off the urge to gain more strength, as if her hunger had expanded upon consuming Dordoni.
"Slow it down, ladies," Kazuya interjected, hoping to defuse the escalating tension between Apacci and Sung-Sun. "Apacci, please."
With a resigned sigh, Apacci rested her head on his thigh once more. "I'm sorry, Sung-Sun. I shouldn't have acted mean."
"Ara, friends needn't apologize to one another. If you truly wish to express your gratitude, promise not to die before me... There's nothing more heart-wrenching than losing a friend."
A heavy silence settled upon the group as Sung-Sun's words, tinged with sorrow, hung in the air. No one had anticipated such vulnerability from the typically sharp-tongued and sarcastic Sung-Sun. Then again, she had been preaching the importance of survival to Kazuya for some time now.
He tenderly brushed his fingers across her scales. "I promise to keep everyone alive, even our watcher kitten out there."
"For the last time, stop calling me kitten!"
Mila Rose's yell made the group laugh. Harribel, who was sitting quietly in a corner, cast a warm gaze at the three. She closed her eyes again, returning to the warm-yet-cold embrace of her nightmares.
"Kazuya, I have been curious. How do you think an Adjuchas becomes Vasto Lorde?"
"I am not sure but it has something to do with raising our Reiryoku level and subduing our wild instincts."
"Subduing our wild instincts?" Apacci whispered. "I am not following your words here. And how come you remember so many things despite your amnesia?"
"They're like instinct. Harribel, you remember how you became Vasto Lorde?"
Apacci glanced in Harribel's direction. The bronze-skinned Vasto Lorde leaned against the cave, recollecting distant memories.
"I… don't remember."
Sung-Sun drew close to his ears. "Harribel-sama paused. That means she is lying."
He raised a brow. "Hey, Harribel. Sung-Sun said you're lying."
"Traitor!" Sung-Sun retorted. "You sold me out! I-I trusted you."
"Never trust a guy with a skull mask," he whispered with a grin. "Besides, it's a small price to learn more about our caring leader."
"You act more like a leader than Harribel," Apacci muttered under her breath. "Cocky Skull Demon."
Harribel wordlessly gazed at everyone, studying and calculating something with little emotion in her eyes.
Kazuya turned to his human form and smiled, feigning innocence and cheerfulness one would expect from a child. "Harribel, it's fine if you don't want to share your story… I'll bring it up when I do something to truly earn your trust."
Sometimes life leaves you with no choice but to gaslight your crush into revealing the truth.
Harribel melted seeing his hurt expression. There was simply no way for her to resist spoiling him. "It's nothing special. Are you sure you want to waste time with this?"
Kazuya's expression brightened. "I have nothing else to do until Cirucci recovers. May as well listen to your bedtime story."
"Most Vasto Lorde I know became one after consuming endless souls… but I didn't. My evolution happened when I saw mindless violence and bloodshed." Tracing her sword arm on the wall, she revealed the secret nobody knew. "A village of normal Hollows was desecrated by one cruel Vasto Lorde. A demon with four sword arms massacred the Hollows before my eyes… and I was too weak to stop the demon. I wanted to defeat him even if I had to die fighting him… My irrepressible anger became the fuel of my evolution."
Kazuya's mind raced as he felt a flicker of recognition upon hearing Harribel's tale.
'What are the odds it's Nnoitra?'
While other Hollows might share similar physical traits, the likelihood of encountering a Vasto Lorde with four arms was next to impossible.
"She became Vasto Lorde because of Sacrifice," he whispered. It seemed as if Harribel's evolution relied heavily on her desire to sacrifice — her Aspect of Death. One's indulgence in their Aspect of Death — doing everything to fill one's Hollow Heart — might be the key to advancing to Vasto Lorde from Adjuchas. "Did you kill him or not?"
Harribel shook her head. "When I was ready to deliver a decisive blow, it used its rest of energy to flee. I haven't encountered it since."
"The demon is still out there terrorizing Hollows?" Apacci asked in shock. "Kazuya, you better slaughter that asshole. Don't let it flee."
"I will not fail, Madame. I am not the strongest but I can tweak my body to fly faster than a jet."
Harribel nodded. "That coward preys on weak Hollows. He'll be no match for you…"
***
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