Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Nel’s Arrancar Form
(T/N: Hello everyone! here is the first Chapter: Thanks for your support and hope you enjoy it!)
The bolt of lightning clashed with the green light forming at Baraggan’s fingertip.
A terrifying surge of Reiatsu exploded from Baraggan’s finger.
BOOM—
At that very moment, the shadow space outside began rapidly dissipating, alarming the gathered Hollows.
Then came the shockwave of the explosion, sweeping out in an instant.
"It’s Lord Baraggan’s—"
One Menos hadn’t even finished his sentence before being swallowed entirely by the flames.
Other Hollows who had stood too close to the edge of the shadow space were caught in the blast, vanishing before they could react. The rest quickly retreated.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—the Menos used Sonído, each step echoing like drumbeats in the air, rapid and unending.
Moments later, the flames faded.
The Hollows looked up to see Baraggan’s long robe missing one sleeve, the exposed skeletal arm revealed beneath was damaged—his own Cero had destroyed half the finger bones.
Opposite him stood a Shinigami clad in a pitch-black robe, holding a black blade. A fearsome, chilling Reiatsu pulsed from his form, making them all tremble instinctively.
Baraggan’s hollow eye sockets stared hard at the Shinigami. Though no expression could be seen on that bony skull, the Hollows could feel the seething rage.
What they didn’t know was that along with the rage, there was also a hint of shock in Baraggan’s heart.
’So fast!’
That lightning strike had been incredibly swift—and hidden within the blaze. By the time he sensed the danger, it was too late to evade or cancel his charging Cero.
"Shinigami... your technique is the fastest I’ve ever seen."
Baraggan’s voice was cold and heavy.
Nanatsuki didn’t respond to him. Instead, he spoke slowly:
"This is a warning."
"Arrogant!" Baraggan growled, anger flaring at being ignored. Still, as an ancient Menos, he understood at once: the Soul Society had discovered his military mobilization.
"A warning from the Soul Society, is it...?" Baraggan sneered.
"You shouldn’t have targeted the Shinigami stronghold," Nanatsuki said softly.
His words served a dual purpose—warning Baraggan to back off, and protecting Nel’s two subordinates from retaliation. If Baraggan knew he had come to rescue them, Hueco Mundo might seek revenge on Pesche and Dondochakka after he left.
Baraggan was deeply shaken. He hadn’t expected his plan to be discovered so quickly.
The Soul Society’s surveillance of Hueco Mundo far exceeded his expectations.
Though Baraggan believed himself king of Hueco Mundo, he knew full well Las Noches’ power was far beneath the Soul Society’s.
He had no intention of clashing with them outright—for now. His mobilization was merely a way to expand Las Noches’ control, ideally forcing the Shinigami out of the Forest of Menos.
Still, in front of his underlings, he couldn’t show weakness.
"Even if you’re a Shinigami, you cannot invade Las Noches’ territory!"
"My warning is delivered. Farewell, Baraggan... I hope power doesn’t cloud your judgment."
With a smile, Nanatsuki melted into the shadows and disappeared.
"He’s gone!"
"Lord Baraggan! Should we pursue?!"
Baraggan raised his uninjured arm, signaling them to stop.
"Forget it. His abilities are strange. Normal attacks won’t work on him."
"I’ve never seen that Shinigami before... a newly promoted captain in the last few centuries?" Baraggan muttered, unease growing in his heart.
Another powerful new captain had emerged from the Soul Society.
Shinigami had a natural advantage—strong fighters emerged far more often than in Hueco Mundo.
When it came to seated officers and lieutenants, Hueco Mundo had more Adjuchas-level Menos than the Soul Society had seated Shinigami.
But when it came to captain-class fighters, there were far fewer Vasto Lorde than captains in Seireitei.
That was why he didn’t want to start a war.
Elsewhere, Katori Nanatsuki caught up with Aizen Sōsuke and Nel Tu after twenty minutes of high-speed travel.
"Sensei caught up!" Nel said joyfully.
"Of course the Menos of Las Noches couldn’t trouble Sensei," Aizen remarked calmly.
"It’s all good now. None of them followed us." Nanatsuki smiled.
He glanced at a status notification he hadn’t checked yet—after saving Nel’s two subordinates, her favorability level had risen to Close.
"Amazing! Even Baraggan couldn’t do anything to you, Sensei!" Nel beamed at him with starry eyes full of admiration.
Her understanding of the world—Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living—was still shallow.
In her view, Baraggan was the strongest existence in Hueco Mundo. Nanatsuki had just shattered that belief.
In her head, a new hierarchy had formed:
Sensei > Baraggan > Other Menos of Las Noches
In other words, Sensei was the strongest!
"Train hard with me, and you’ll become just as powerful, Nel." Nanatsuki patted her head. The bone mask atop her skull was a bit sharp.
"Nel?"
"Your name’s a bit long. I think this nickname suits you."
"It does sound cute! Call me Nel from now on!"
Watching them interact, Pesche and Dondochakka—who had been wary of Nanatsuki at first—relaxed. His warmth and sincerity quickly put them at ease.
The next day, Nel took Pesche and Dondochakka far from Las Noches to a safer area. After ensuring they wouldn’t be found by other Menos, she left Hueco Mundo with Nanatsuki.
In a remote area of the Fuwai District, a black rift tore open the sky. From it stepped three cloaked figures wearing hooded capes that suppressed Reiatsu.
Nel wore one too, concealing her Hollow Reiatsu to avoid detection by other Shinigami.
"I’ve been to the World of the Living... but this is my first time in the Soul Society!" Nel said, wide-eyed with curiosity.
As a Menos, Nel had some ability to manipulate space. Traveling to the World of the Living was easy. But entering the Soul Society was another matter.
The space around the Soul Society was warded by detection barriers—any approaching Hollow would trigger alarms.
But Nanatsuki had visited Hueco Mundo many times over the years and knew how to bypass these wards.
Once back in the Soul Society, he immediately used the Denreishinki to contact Shihōin Yoruichi.
The device chirped cheerfully: "Sensei!"
"Yoruichi, I have some intel for you," Nanatsuki said.
"Wait! Let me find a quiet spot first!" Yoruichi replied hurriedly.
Moments later, her voice returned: "I was just training squad members. What’s the news?"
As Vice-Captain of the 2nd Division, Yoruichi handled training duties, keeping her busier than ever.
"I visited Hueco Mundo and found that Baraggan is recruiting nearby Menos and forming an army. They may be planning to drive out the Shinigami in the Forest of Menos."
Nanatsuki passed her the intel.
Since it was technically illegal to enter Hueco Mundo, he couldn’t report this directly—but he could pass it to Yoruichi so the Onmitsukidō could investigate.
He didn’t trust his warning to stop Baraggan for good. This way, Seireitei would at least be informed.
The Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force would return in a few years. Nanatsuki didn’t want them walking into an ambush and getting wiped out.
That might make Seireitei view Hueco Mundo as too dangerous and launch another expedition.
That would ruin Nanatsuki’s long-term plans: once he became Captain of the 12th Division, he intended to establish a lab in Hueco Mundo to study Hollowfied Shinigami, Shinigamified Hollows... and the Hōgyoku.
"Gathering an army? What’s Baraggan planning?" Yoruichi sounded surprised. "I’ll send people to investigate. Thanks for the intel, Sensei!"
After finishing the report, Nanatsuki had Aizen take the sample of Hollow-infused sand back for analysis. He brought Nel to a secret lab made of sekkiseki.
"Sensei... will I get arrested walking around the Soul Society like this?" Nel asked, clearly worried.
She’d just realized that her form looked nothing like a human soul. Even with the Reiatsu-suppressing cloak, her size and presence were unmistakable.
"I have a gift for you. It’ll give you the power of a Shinigami—and help you evolve into a more complete form."
Nanatsuki took out the Shinigami Reishi Vaccine.
"A thing that makes me evolve?" Nel looked at the glowing blue syringe in his hand.
"Nel, your Hollow hole is on your head, right?" Nanatsuki reached into the eye socket of the antelope skull atop her head.
It was empty inside.
He needed to convince her to accept the vaccine.
They hadn’t known each other long—her favorability level was high, but not enough to ensure deep trust yet.
"It’s on my head..." Nel nodded.
"Hollow holes represent incompleteness. Hollows are incomplete beings—and that incompleteness leads to hunger, the constant urge to devour."
Nanatsuki spoke gently. "But no matter how much they devour, they can never fill that void."
"Because..."
He paused before continuing: "Hollows have a limit."
"To fill the emptiness... you need a new kind of power."
Nel’s innocent eyes glimmered with unclouded light as she nodded. "So... what do I do?"
He gestured to the syringe. "This will allow your body to withstand Shinigami power."
"With it, you’ll fill your emptiness and evolve into a more perfect form."
Nel didn’t hesitate. "Sensei! I want to fill the void!"
"Then let’s begin."
Nanatsuki had studied the instructions carefully. He injected the blue serum into her arm. The liquid quickly spread through her body.
Moments later, her Reiatsu grew chaotic.
"I feel... hot..." Nel said, uneasy.
"Don’t worry. That’s normal." Nanatsuki’s voice was calm. "Next, I’ll inject my own blood and Reiatsu."
"Hmm..."
Tingling sensations spread through Nel’s body, making her too overwhelmed to speak.
Nanatsuki drew a vial of his captain-class Shinigami-infused blood and injected it directly into her artery.
As it merged with the vaccine, her body began reacting.
Blue veins surfaced across her skin—strangely reminiscent of a Quincy’s Blut Vene.
Simultaneously, her body began to change.
Crack—
The bony armor covering her upper torso began to fracture and crumble.
Soon, the armor from her abdomen to her neck had completely disintegrated—only her shoulders still bore remnants of it.
Next, her mask cracked.
She touched her face—and the mask crumbled into powder, falling away.
The massive antelope skull mask that once encased her head was now gone, replaced by only a horned fragment at the crown.
As the fragments fell, a sweet, beautiful face emerged from beneath.
"Mmm..." Nel murmured. The glowing blue veins faded. Her slightly flushed skin turned pale and smooth.
Her features were delicate, like a painting. Gentle brows framed a pair of bright, clear eyes.
"Sensei... my mask..." Nel touched her face in shock.
"This means... I’ve evolved into a Vasto Lorde?!"
She was stunned.
She didn’t understand the fusion of Hollow and Shinigami powers, but she did know this: when a Hollow reached their limit, they could shed their mask and become a Vasto Lorde.
"Your limit is far beyond that. With Shinigami power, you could one day surpass even Baraggan."
Nanatsuki smiled. "Try listening to your inner voice."
Nel closed her eyes—and instinctively tapped into her new power.
Her form began to shift rapidly.
Her half-Hollow, antelope-like body transformed into a full human shape. A long sword appeared in her hand.
She didn’t have time to examine it.
Because suddenly—
"KYAA!!"