A Knight's Declaration

Upon hearing this, Nelliel couldn't help but gasp. This was no longer just ordinary High-Speed Regeneration. Having witnessed Ulquiorra's recovery speed, she knew that this far exceeded the scope of High-Speed Regeneration. As long as his head wasn't blown off and he still had enough Spiritual Pressure, he could be considered immortal!

Nelliel replied, "No need. There's no point in fighting between us, so I refuse to continue!"

"That's not up to you. As long as I have a reason to fight, that's enough," Ulquiorra said.

Why?

You don't need to know.

Seeing that the two were about to fight again, Ye Yang Shunpo between them, saying, "Alright, Ul, you can step back now. There's no need to continue fighting."

Ulquiorra then stepped aside, "Yes, Lord Ye Yang!"

Nelliel looked at the person who had suddenly appeared before her with a strange expression. She hadn't noticed him at all before. No, she should say she had seen him but hadn't paid attention. He had been there the whole time, but he acted completely like an ordinary person. However, it was clear that she had misjudged him. Judging by his speed just now, he was probably even faster than Ulquiorra.

Nelliel asked, "Who are you?"

Ye Yang directly introduced himself as "Ye Yang Shihoin".

"Ye Yang Shihoin? You don't have a mask or Hollow Hole, so you're not a Hollow. You must be a Shinigami!"

"That's right"

"Was killing them your idea too?" she asked.

Ye Yang did not deny it. "Yes, I ordered Ulquiorra to kill them."

"Why? Is it justified for Shinigami to kill Hollows? They have never harmed ordinary humans, nor have any Shinigami died at their hands. Why do you want to kill them? They are merely a group of weaklings driven by instinct. There is no need for you to exterminate them all." Nelliel frowned slightly. In her mind, there was no deep-seated hatred between Hollows and Shinigami, nor was it a matter of life and death. She had never understood the hatred between them.

"Nothing more. They just want to eat me. Am I not allowed to fight back? There's no such logic in this world," Ye Yang said calmly. He felt that Nelliel was too idealistic and naive. It was truly the Miracle that a Hollow could reach the Vasto Lorde Ye Yang in Hueco Mundo.

That's why Ye Yang patiently explained to her, wanting to see her reaction. Sure enough, Nelliel looked troubled when she heard this reason. Indeed, what Ye Yang said made perfect sense, and she couldn't find any reason to refute Ye Yang.

"But... even so, they pose no threat to you, do they? In that case, why not spare their lives?" At this point, Nelliel's tone was no longer as firm as before.

Ye Yang chuckled, "Then who would spare my life? What if I weren't stronger than them today? Would they have let me go? I'm afraid I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now."

Nelliel speechless. Driven by instinct, they would never let go of the food in front of them, especially a Grim Reaper. In their eyes, the Grim Reaper's spirit was even more delicious.

Seeing this, Ye Yang continued, "Besides, they haven't slaughtered humans and Shinigami simply because they haven't had the chance. Shinigami and Hollows are enemies to begin with, so how could I let my enemies go unchecked?"

Nelliel looked at Ulquiorra and said, "What about him? Didn't you get along quite well with him?"

"Ul and I are just business partners. I did him a favor, and he did me a favor. It's that simple. I don't have any intention of being enemies with Death or Void, but I can distinguish between enemies and enemies." Ye Yang smiled as he looked at her, waiting to see what else she would say.

This time, Nelliel was completely speechless. Even someone as kind as her couldn't avoid killing in Hueco Mundo; she wouldn't let any Hollow that wanted to devour her go. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to evolve to the Vasto Lorde level.

A conflict arose within Nelliel; she murmured softly, "Was my vow all wrong? Shouldn't the weak be protected?"

Ye Yang chuckled, "I don't know what your oath is, but I do know the difference between allies and enemies. Weak? In this dog-eat-dog Shikai, only by constantly becoming stronger can you survive. If you were to rely solely on yourself to protect others, countless people would have died in the chaos. How many people are there in this world? Can you protect them all?"

Her face immediately paled, and she began to doubt her own beliefs. Ye Yang simply watched her silently without saying anything more. He knew that she needed to figure this out on her own, otherwise she would never make any further breakthroughs in her studies.

A hush fell over the scene. From the moment Ye Yang first saw this Hollow, he knew she was different from the other Menos Grande. There was a special feeling about her; unlike the other Menos Grande who only knew how to kill and devour, and whose only Isshin was how to evolve.

Ye Yang saw a purity in her eyes, a purity that shouldn't appear in the eyes of a Menos Grande. At first, Ye Yang thought he was mistaken, but her subsequent actions confirmed his feeling.

Protecting the weak? How laughable that is in the eyes of the strong! But she really did it! She even fought against Menos Grande of the same level as herself. She was truly protecting them with her own life. What kind of belief supported her? Ye Yang was very curious, so he let Ulquiorra fight her.

But the result once again surprised Ye Yang. He never expected that this seemingly weak Menos Grande could fight Ulquiorra to a draw, and even had a slight advantage. Moreover, Ulquiorra's ultimate move Black Cero, was actually countered in this way. First, it absorbed his Cero, and then combined it with its own Cero to return the power. Such power was not a simple matter of 1+1=2. Even Ulquiorra lost both of his arms, which shows its power.

This made Ye Yang take notice. Ulquiorra had been searching for so long without finding Vasto-class Menos Grande, but right in front of him stood such a powerful and innocent Menos Grande. Ye Yang was not about to let her go, so he decided to take her under his wing.

After Ye Yang's words, Nelliel began to doubt her vow. In reality, Ye Yang was testing how firm her belief was. If she couldn't overcome this hurdle, then Ye Yang would have to find someone else.

Under the silent sky, as time passed, the three of them remained still. Nelliel's eyes changed. When Ye Yang had said those words, her eyes had become clouded, clearly indicating a wavering of her beliefs. But now, the cloudiness in her eyes began to fade, replaced by an expression even more resolute than before.

"No matter what," Nelliel broke the silence, speaking slowly, "My belief will not change. The weak need our protection. Even if I can't protect everyone, I can at least protect those I see and those around me. There will never be any bullying of the weak around me."

As she spoke, a strange look appeared in Nelliel's eyes. "I swear to treat the weak kindly, I swear to bravely fight against violence, I swear to resist all wrongdoing, I swear to fight for the unarmed, I swear to help anyone who asks for my help, I swear to be loyal to my loved ones until death! This is my declaration as a knight!"

Ye Yang immediately unleashed a thick killing intent, the kind of killing intent that comes from experiencing too much slaughter. His Spiritual Pressure pressed down on Nelliel, and even someone as powerful as her was startled. This level of Spiritual Pressure was definitely not something she could withstand. How could there be such terrifying Spiritual Pressure? Nelliel wondered to herself.

Ye Yang's imposing aura left her completely at a loss. At this moment, she felt utterly powerless against him. Nelliel didn't even move, because she felt that if she did, she would surely be killed on the spot!

Ulquiorra, standing to the side, felt the same way. He clearly remembered that although Ye Yang was strong thirty years ago, he didn't have this kind of aura, which made him almost unable to breathe. He never expected that Ye Yang would become even stronger in the past thirty years.

This is also thanks to Ye Yang's thirty years of seclusion. Since he came out of seclusion, he has been able to control his Golden Core at will, and can even unleash an aura that surpasses his own strength. In fact, Ye Yang's strength has not yet reached the point where a Void Realm expert like the Vasto-class Menos Grande cannot resist him. He has only overwhelmed them with his aura, but his strength is not that great.

Ye Yang revealed a dangerous smile, "Even so, you'll remain steadfast? Will you be willing to give your life?"

Although intimidated by Ye Yang's imposing presence, the determination in her eyes remained unwavering, as if nothing could sway her conviction. Her tone reflected the same resolve. "Yes! Even if your strength far surpasses mine, even if it costs me my life, I will uphold my oath! Strength doesn't mean anything!"

Ye Yang continued to increase the pressure. Although her forehead was covered in a fine sweat, her determined gaze remained unchanged. Nothing could shake her resolve. Suddenly, Ye Yang let out a soft sigh, and the pressure in the air vanished without a trace.

Ye Yang withdrew his Spiritual Pressure and returned to his previous appearance as an ordinary person. His aura had completely disappeared, as if the murderous Ye Yang from before had never appeared. He looked at the sky and said nothing more.

Once the pressure disappeared, Nelliel and Ulquiorra breathed a sigh of relief, feeling so weak they almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, their Spiritual Power was sufficient to keep them on their feet.

Ulquiorra felt as if he had just walked through hell. If Ye Yang had made a move, he probably wouldn't have had a chance to escape. Even though the Spiritual Pressure wasn't directed at him, he still felt immense pressure.

Needless to say, Nelliel felt a sense of relief the instant Ye Yang withdrew his Spiritual Pressure...