Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Las Noches
(T/N: Second Chapter!)
"Did the Arrancar from Las Noches come to recruit them?"
"Y-Yes... I heard them say that Lord Baraggan is gathering an army..."
"Baraggan? The master of Las Noches? Why would he be gathering an army?" Nanatsuki frowned.
"Lord Baraggan... I really don’t know..." the armadillo Hollow replied with a trembling voice.
"Pesche and Dondochakka were taken by Arrancar from Las Noches!" Neliel said anxiously. "They’re really weak, if they get involved in something like this, they might die! Sensei, I have to save them!"
"Neliel, do you know why Las Noches is mobilizing its forces?" Nanatsuki asked.
Nanatsuki remembered Pesche and Dondochakka — Neliel’s two subordinates who had remained loyal even after she lost power.
"I’ve heard a bit about it," Neliel nodded. "They discovered a Shinigami outpost in the Forest of Menos. Baraggan wants to assemble an army and wipe it out. I didn’t expect that even places as far as ours would fall within the draft range."
"So it’s to target the expeditionary force..." Nanatsuki narrowed his eyes.
After the incident a few years ago, the Soul Society’s outpost in Hueco Mundo had its defenses significantly upgraded — now it rivaled even the underground prison.
But Baraggan Louisenbairn, the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo and master of Las Noches, was no easy opponent. His ability to decay all things was a natural counter to spirit-particle-based shields. The Shinigami might not be able to withstand a direct assault.
"Which direction did the Arrancar go?" Nanatsuki continued to question the armadillo Hollow.
Feeling Nanatsuki’s grip tighten around its throat, the Hollow hastily pointed with a shaking hand. "It... it was that way..."
"Sensei, Las Noches is in that direction," Neliel confirmed.
Nanatsuki released his grip. The armadillo Hollow collapsed to the ground and immediately dug into the sand, fleeing underground.
"Let’s go search in the direction of Las Noches."
It had already been a few days since Pesche and Dondochakka were taken. By now, the Arrancar escorting them had long since moved beyond Nanatsuki’s spiritual perception. The only option left was to follow their trail toward Las Noches.
"Neliel, once you’ve spent more time with him, you’ll see—Sensei really does care for his disciples," Aizen said with a smile.
"Thank you, Sensei!" Neliel said gratefully, touched that her teacher would help rescue her Hollow companions.
After two days of travel toward Las Noches, Nanatsuki finally picked up traces of Hollow spiritual pressure.
"There are two Adjuchas up ahead, along with a few regular Hollows. It’s possible they have Pesche and Dondochakka with them," Nanatsuki said.
"We’re really close to Las Noches now," Neliel said worriedly. "If we fight here, we might alert Baraggan..."
"Las Noches..." Aizen murmured as he looked toward the white silhouette ahead. "So this is the residence of Hueco Mundo’s ruler."
From where they stood, the outline of Las Noches was faintly visible.
Nanatsuki could already sense Baraggan’s spiritual pressure.
It wasn’t any weaker than his own — in fact, it was the strongest Hollow reiatsu he had encountered yet.
And Baraggan wasn’t the only powerful Hollow in Las Noches. Many high-level Hollows had gathered there.
Nanatsuki even sensed several reiatsu signatures nearing the level of a Shinigami captain.
"We need to act fast. With so many powerful Hollows around, we shouldn’t linger." Nanatsuki said.
The three of them quickly advanced toward the source of the spiritual pressure.
Up ahead, a group of Hollows was en route to Las Noches.
In the center of the group was a tall, skinny Hollow with a mask shaped like a termite’s head — flat horns sprouting from both forehead and chin.
Beside him was a comically disproportionate Hollow with a head almost larger than his body.
Both were bound by thick bone chains.
"There’s Las Noches ahead... What a relief that Neliel didn’t come to save us..." said the big-headed Hollow with a mix of relief and regret.
"She probably didn’t even realize we were taken. Otherwise, she’d have come. Maybe it’s better this way — if she tried, she’d just get captured too," the termite-headed Hollow said, glancing toward the front of the group.
Leading the procession were two Adjuchas-class Hollows — the recruiters sent from Las Noches.
"Stop dawdling! Move it!" shouted a lanky Hollow with an absurdly long neck, cracking a bone whip across the big-headed Hollow’s face.
Smack!
The two bound Hollows stopped chatting and hurried to keep pace.
"They’re such a pain... If we weren’t in a rush, I would’ve eaten these disobedient grunts already," the long-necked Hollow grumbled to his partner.
"This batch is all weaklings. Not even a single Gillian, let alone an Adjuchas. Lord Baraggan’s going to punish us when we get back," replied the wide-bodied, pig-headed Hollow.
"Most of the strong ones in this region have already joined Las Noches. No surprise we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel," said the long-necked one.
"I don’t get it. What’s the point of collecting all these nobodies? Is Lord Baraggan really planning to rely on them to wipe out a Shinigami outpost?" the pig-headed one asked.
"I don’t think he actually plans to attack," said the long-necked Hollow. "He’s just using that as an excuse to gather more Hollows under Las Noches — expanding his power base."
He was clearly more insightful than most Hollows.
"But why not destroy the outpost? Aren’t they our enemies?" the pig-headed Hollow asked in confusion.
"They’re staying in the Forest of Menos. What’s that got to do with us? Lord Baraggan doesn’t want a war with the Shinigami. If he destroys the outpost, Las Noches will never know peace," the long-necked Hollow said.
The Forest of Menos was chaotic and densely populated — not under Las Noches’ direct rule.
Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
"What was that?" the long-necked Hollow exclaimed.
Turning to his partner, he saw a face frozen in shock, as if he had just witnessed something unimaginable.
His own vision began to drop.
The pig-headed Hollow was pointing at him, trembling.
"Y-Your... your head fell off!"
Then, the long-necked Hollow’s world spun wildly as his head rolled with his now-headless body across the sand.
The pig-headed Hollow turned sharply, feeling the terrifying presence behind him.
A mild-looking Shinigami stood there silently.
In his hand, a Zanpakutō dripped with fresh blood.