Cutting the Mask

Tirutī had recovered a substantial portion of her reiatsu, and she used it to clean the blood off herself.

Her silver mane shone with an alluring luster, showing how much effort she had put into her appearance.

Cangya couldn't help taking another look at her: the noble mane, the two drooping wings, and the smooth, dolphin-like tail—all were the result of her damaged Zanpakuto, which left her in a peculiar state, half Resurrección and half Arrancar.

"Wow, you went to all that trouble for me? I'm so touched," he teased, winking playfully.

"A compliment for you, Tirutī, our murderous Goth Girl—you look a lot more normal than before. Nice work."

His remark, which sounded like praise but was actually a jab, earned him a glare from Tirutī that could have killed a dragon.

"Don't change the subject. Are you afraid of failing? The big bastard who defeated two of the strongest Espada is afraid of dying?"

Cangya shrugged. "I'm more afraid of letting everyone down. I believe in their abilities, but without me, they can't survive facing Baraggan."

That was just a polite way of putting it. In truth, he was afraid of dying during Arrancarization.

His life in Hueco Mundo was pretty good.

It would be a tragedy to die just like that. With his luck, it was very likely to happen.

He wasn't a coward. He was just cautious.

Mila Rose frowned. "Then don't fail, Skull. Come on, I'll help you break it with my sword."

Cangya caught her sword halfway through her swing and raised an eyebrow. "Tirutī, let's go."

"Cangya, don't back down. Believe in yourself," Tirutī urged, folding her arms.

"The process is simple. Suppress your wild nature and seal your power in an object. That's the method Szayelaporro gave the Espada."

She definitely had no other intentions, such as wanting to hear him scream in pain.

"Szayelaporro? That mad scientist? He's an Espada?"

Tirutī's heart skipped a beat as she realized mentioning Szayelaporro had been a mistake.

She admitted she was a twisted person who sometimes enjoyed watching others suffer.

But Szayelaporro was a different kind of sadist altogether—a raving lunatic who pushed the boundaries of his experiments without restraint.

The fear he inspired was Tirutī's only motivation for serving Baraggan.

Life held no particular value for her, but she would do anything to avoid becoming a test subject in his horrific laboratory.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Cangya's soothing voice calmed Tirutī a little. "Szayelaporro is Baraggan's court alchemist, the First Espada. How do you know him?"

"Damn it. Tell me the names, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses of the other Espada."

Tirutī gave him the information without hesitation.

Though the Espada were comrades in the broadest sense, their alliance existed only because they had all submitted to Baraggan.

They had none of the solidarity or camaraderie of true soldiers.

Cangya grew more and more surprised as he listened.

How could he not be surprised? He had never imagined that Baraggan's Espada could become as powerful as they had under the influence of Aizen and the Hogyoku.

But the reality was completely different.

Baraggan currently had seven Espada serving him. With Dordoni and Tirutī gone, that left five.

First Espada: Szayelaporro

Second Espada: Luppi Antenor

Third Espada: Dordoni

Fourth Espada: Loly Aivirrne

Fifth Espada: Tirutī

Sixth Espada: Aaroniero

Seventh Espada: Gantenbainne

Cangya was surprised by the current Espada lineup.

Aside from Szayelaporro and Baraggan, he didn't expect to have much trouble defeating the remaining Espada.

Their ranks weren't based on raw power or on an "Aspect of Death," like Aizen's Espada. Instead, they were determined by their usefulness and loyalty to Baraggan.

After fighting Dordoni and Tirutī, two of the strongest Espada, Cangya had overestimated the strength of Baraggan's forces.

"Baraggan is the only troublesome opponent. All right, then let's have a good rest in Japan."

The Hollow women would enjoy a change of scenery, especially Tier Harribel, who disliked killing.

Tirutī watched his thoughtful expression. "What are you thinking about?"

"Tirutī, can you use your tail's ability?"

"Yes. What do you want to do?"

"Use it. I want to cut something. Make the spear as small as possible."

Tirutī raised her tail, formed a pink spear at its tip, and shrank it into a dagger-shaped weapon.

Cangya grabbed her tail and brought the dagger close to his face, feeling vibrating reiatsu radiate from every edge of the blade.

"Rose, take this and cut off a small piece of my mask. Make the cut as small as possible."

Tirutī's spear was the sharpest, most precise weapon available to him.

"Uh." Tirutī couldn't help frowning as she watched him handle her tail.

Mila Rose gripped her tail tightly, making her wince in pain. "Easy."

Mila Rose laughed. "Bear with it, woman."

Cangya closed his eyes, showing unwavering trust in Mila Rose.

She held his chin and carefully cut along the edge of his mask with the dagger.

A small white fragment of the mask fell to the ground.

A sharp pain pierced Cangya's soul, making him twitch.

A moment later, the mask returned to its original size, confirming his hypothesis about Hollow masks.

His regeneration had improved after his fight with Tirutī.

"Amazing," Tirutī whispered, her voice full of awe.

"I've never seen a Hollow regenerate its own mask, let alone regenerate it fast enough to see. Your regeneration is both astonishing and terrifying."

Tirutī's praise reminded Cangya of another Arrancar with similar regenerative abilities—Ulquiorra Cifer.

Their wings and horns looked different, but both closely resembled typical demons.

"Are we related somehow?"

He narrowed his eyes and gestured to Mila Rose. "Go back to your Resurrección form and break my mask. If I lose control, knock me out. I'll recover eventually."

A Hollow mask's toughness depended on the Hollow's reiatsu level.

With his powerful reiatsu, his mask would be difficult to break without a powerful blow.

Mila Rose grinned, showing her fierce lion fangs. "If you lose control, I'll cut off your little brother. Then you'll never be able to mate again."

Knowing how obsessed Cangya was with mating, she threatened to cut off his most precious organ and leave him unable to fulfill his sexual fantasies.

The threat worked. Cangya visibly shuddered.

He had suffered an injury close to his "little brother" before, and those painful memories came flooding back.

"Don't joke about that!"

"Haha." Mila Rose approached him, holding her Zanpakuto. "How do you want me to strike? Horizontally, vertically, or diagonally?"

"Cut down the middle of my face. Don't leave a cut."

Cangya closed his eyes, only to sense three figures approaching him.

"Wait!"

Mila Rose stopped and looked at Tier Harribel and the others. "Skull, they're going to eat you alive."

Tier Harribel folded her arms across her chest and gave him a stern look. "How many more times do I have to tell you? Don't be so reckless."

On the other side, Apache looked angry. "He told me to wait, and then he goes and does something like this himself."

"Ara, I believe he's taking this risk to protect us. But." Sun-Sun narrowed her reptilian eyes. "At least tell us when you make this kind of decision."

They seemed angry that he had recklessly started the process behind their backs, and their anger showed that they cared about him.

It also reminded him of his former lover. Xiaomei was quick to anger, but she had always cared about his safety.