In the distance, the marching of hundreds of hollows could be heard, stampeding across Hueco Mundo. All their classes varied, with random fodder all the way to Adjuchas and even very few Arrancar, with their numbers drastically shrinking between each stage. At the front of the march, was their leader, Rudbornn and a hooded humanoid walking just behind him.
The base of the Arrancar camp, the fallen castle of the failed Soul King was just up ahead. Rudbornn suddenly halted the army as he noticed that there was something approaching them.
5 Arrancar's crashed into the ground in front of the two, acting as the main combative force for the camp.
"The Tres Bestia... The fallen Tres espada... and the leader of the ignorant children. I think you know why I'm here already?"
As the leader, she took charge of the negotiations. Harribel herself stepped forwards towards Rudbornn, locking eyes with his bull mask.
"If your here for that Quincy boy, then I regret to inform you that he's already left Hueco Mundo. If any of you do leave this place, the Soul Reapers won't give you an easy time."
However, Rudbornn said, "You've still broken the rules. Necessary judgment must be passed down. If nothing happens, then it will only create an example for others to break them in the future."
The atmosphere suddenly went quiet, as if there were only moments before the calm of the storm. Rudbornn slowly but silent put his hand on the blade of his Zanpakutō, as well as many of the Arrancar he led.
Before he could even make the first move, a spinning blade was thrown into the crowd of hollows, instantly tearing groups of them into shreds. Rudbornn quickly drew his sword, but his blade was blocked by Mila Rose's Zanpakutō.
He then felt a Bala hit him the chest which blew him back a considerable distance. The Three Tres Bestia then ran straight into the Army of Hollow's massacring them as ran along. Harribel and Nelliel's interference wasn't even necessary.
The hooded Arrancar, quickly sprinted as it tried to run towards the Arrancar's camp, where Roka Paramia and Aura were guarding the children. Before it could get too close, Nelliel used Sonido and appeared right in front of him.
She swung her Zanpakutō at him, but the Arrancar blocked it with his own arm, trapping the sword in his flesh. The Arrancar's hood then fell, revealing the person hidden underneath.
She didn't recognise him at first, but based of his Spiritual Pressure, she quickly figured it out.
"Joaquin? So you broke your mask and became an Arrancar huh? But it still seems quite lacking."
"Surprised? I have you to thank for that after all!"
With his free hand, Joaquin threw a powerful punch but Nelliel caught it while also using Hierro. In return, he opened his mouth, and fired a point blank cero which directly hit Nelliel in the face.
She quickly jumped back taking minimal damage, only for Joaquin to fire another one.
"This is for stealing my food goddamnit!!"
This time Nelliel smirked with confidence as she got to try something she hadn't been able to use in a long while. She opened her mouth and swallowed the entire thing with ease, before spitting it back out with even more power.
This was her signature Cero Doble. An attack which devours the Cero's of other hollows and then returns them with her own power added into it.
Joaquin could only brace himself as the cero hit him directly, while the impact launched him away. By the looks of things, Harribel might not even need to get involved.
From the place that Joaquin landed, a bright red pillar of Spiritual Pressure began to climb into the sky. As it's power grew, waves of energy travelled across Seireitei, all while Joaquin in the centre screamed with rage.
"I didn't want to use this, but you-- YOU! I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET CROSSING PATHS WITH ME! LAST RESORT!"
The pillar of energy suddenly disappeared as Joaquin used Sonido to appear in front of Nelliel. The sudden burst of power, made it so that she could no longer keep track of his movements.
He punched her in the stomach, with power not even her Hierro could fully defend from. She was sent flying across the sands of Hueco Mundo, until her body was only just above the collapsed castle.
Joaquin then appeared above Nel, but this time with both fists, he slammed her body into the ground, right in the middle of the camp.
Hollows are made up of numerous souls, with the number exponentially increasing depending on their current state. Not only that, but depending on certain traits, they would even develop a unique ability. Joaquin's Unique ability was 'Last Resort', a technique which burns the numerous souls in his body, for a temporary but explosive power boost. The consequences however risked him reverting back a stage in evolution.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES, KNOW YOUR PLACE!"
Aura and Roka had already escaped with the children, so they weren't nearby, and Harribel was still catching up. Could she release her Zanpakutō in time? She had no clue, but it was worth the effort.
Joaquin landed back down in front of Nelliel, and was just about to finish her off. But a much weaker Cero hit him in the back of the head. He turned around to see what it was, only to see the Arrancar dog Kukkapūro barking at him.
It could only watch as it's previous owner, his only family die slowly in front of him, but this time he would die trying to save them.
"Stupid dog."
Joaquin pointed a finger at Kukkapūro, and fired a cero only strong enough to kill it in one hit. Kukkapūro thought, if it couldn't withstand this, then how could he protect his family?
Just before the cero could hit it, something suddenly pulled it out of the way.
Joaquin grew a smile while Nelliel, shouted,
"What are you doing back here?? You should've kept away from us!"
Albrecht had returned, but this time he was ready to fight.
--A couple moments earlier
Albrecht was walking through the void of Garganta, with only himself and his thoughts to keep him company.
While staying with the Arrancar's for a short period of time, he felt different. From birth he only knew confusion from Yhwach's shattered memories inside him, from birth he only knew conflict with his own sister, and a Quincy like him. But staying with the Arrancar's was different somehow.
He wanted to go back.
"Why am I chasing after those memories in the first place? No.. NO! Without those memories, I am no one."
At the sight of Albrecht's hesitation, a being residing in the back of his consciousness began to whisper to him. The voice of man he knew very well and could recognise in an instance, spoke.
"You must fight for my sake. Take back what belongs to me, so that we may fix this broken world of lies. That is the sole reason for your existence, and that is the future that must come about."
This choice wasn't his to make. It was his destiny to take back Yhwach's fragments. To eventually become him, and re ignite the war he had lost. He was nothing more than a slave to destiny.
But he didn't want too. If he did so, then what would happen to him? Would he lose control of his body, or would he become Yhwach entirely? He simply didn't know, and it scared him greatly.
"Shut up, shut up! SHUT UP!"
He had no freedom. This was something he didn't want to believe. If that was his purpose, to be a slave to someone else, then he would break free from it no matter what.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this next choice, was defiantly his to make. He quickly turned back around and started sprinting towards Hueco Mundo.