Tier Harribel and her friends

Tier Harribel soon found the source of the immensely powerful Reiatsu—a Hollow about her height, facing a massive Adjuchas.

Its Reiatsu was slightly stronger than hers, though not by much.

It was rare for her to encounter a Hollow this powerful outside Las Noches.

Harribel glanced at her companions, who had been gripped by primal fear and frozen in place.

They had reacted much the same way when she rescued them from the Hollow that had tried to devour them.

"Another Vasto Lorde."

This was the second Vasto Lorde Harribel had encountered in Hueco Mundo. The first was the immensely detestable ruler of Hueco Mundo, whom she had met years before becoming a Vasto Lorde herself.

That ruler was far stronger, and remained so even now.

"Lady Harribel..." Sun-Sun swallowed. Even at this distance, the Hollow's Reiatsu made her tremble all over.

"We should leave before he notices us."

Mila Rose shook her head and stamped the ground. "Ugh, another male. He might come after us. Let's ambush him while he's fighting that Hollow."

Once Mila Rose overcame her fear, her short temper returned.

Her suggestion stood in stark contrast to Sun-Sun's peaceful approach.

"Oh?" Sun-Sun hissed. "That Hollow has long hair, and his face is covered by a mask. How do you know his gender?"

Mila Rose paused, then scratched her head with a claw.

"I don't. I just have a feeling... Bah, look at his build. If that's not a male, I don't know what is!"

Sun-Sun blinked. Mila Rose's intuition might have been right; a Hollow's instincts were as sharp as a beast's.

"Lady Harribel, I suggest we stay out of the fight. We might attract more enemies."

She assumed a calm, serious expression, a stark contrast to how she had looked while teasing Mila Rose.

Harribel nodded and continued watching the fight.

She was not at all surprised when the unknown Vasto Lorde killed the adjuchas with a single Cero.

"W-What? He killed an adjuchas in one hit?!"

Mila Rose, however, had not underestimated his strength.

She had seen Harribel kill adjuchas without breaking a sweat. Encountering a Hollow as strong as Harribel frightened her.

"I told you, Mila Rose," Sun-Sun whispered. "We can't just rush into a fight with him. Let's leave before he notices us."

Sun-Sun nudged Mila Rose's mane with her head, then slithered away.

This time, Mila Rose did as Sun-Sun asked and followed her.

Meanwhile, Harribel watched Cangya reach out to his companion.

Harribel had seen Apache a few times, but had never approached her.

From Harribel's observations at a distance, Apache minded her own business and never went out of her way to attack others.

That made Harribel regard Apache as a friend of sorts.

"Now that she's found someone reliable, I can rest easy."

Harribel took another look at Cangya, who had his back to her and was displaying his wings.

As Apache's companion, he was different from the other Hollows in Hueco Mundo—devouring others was not his goal.

Besides, at their current level, devouring other souls did little to increase their strength.

Honing their innate abilities and making companions was enough to survive in Hueco Mundo.

She longed to grow stronger, but never at the expense of other Hollows.

The male Vasto Lorde suddenly turned in her direction.

Despite the distance between them, she could feel his gaze sizing her up from head to toe.

Harribel looked away from those unfathomable eyes and shook her head.

"There's no point staying here."

Hollows did not dream.

Their consciousnesses merely cycled through their souls' memories—more precisely, the memories of their dominant souls.

These fictitious visions could also be called artificial dreams.

In her false dreams, Harribel often saw a blurry white room, where metal made shrill noises and dazzling lights flashed.

Figures with white heads caused panic with hypnotic whispers.

Then an innocent cry rang out, and reality shattered in an instant, leaving only emptiness.

Wave after wave of an infant's sobs gnawed at Harribel's soul, hollowed out her entrails, and crushed her heart.

A pair of white eyes filled with tears, shedding streams of crimson until that chilling red filled her vision.

Harribel instinctively felt the pain behind every tear.

Harribel opened her eyes on a slope, her left hand braced against her left knee and her right knee bent.

She showed no sign of discomfort, as though she had forgotten everything she had experienced in the false dream.

And indeed she had.

After she awoke, the sympathy and regret that stirred in her heart sank back into the depths of her soul.

She could never truly recall her experiences in her previous life—the life in which she had been a mother.

Harribel suddenly raised her head.

A piercing scream echoed through the dreadful landscape of Hueco Mundo. It seemed to come from far away, bouncing between the nearby hills.

The gray-white sand shifted like waves as Mila Rose and Sun-Sun awoke from their brief slumber.

"Snake bitch, did you hear that?"

"Oh, don't be so vulgar. Yes, I heard it. Someone probably stirred up a group of Menos Grande."

"Could it be that male Hollow?" Mila Rose immediately thought of the frightening Hollow they had encountered. "S-Should we leave?"

"Why would he go provoking Menos Grande? The world doesn't revolve around him." Sun-Sun narrowed her eyes. "Why do you keep bringing him up? Could it be you have a thing for him?"

Mila Rose had always admired strength, and her past had largely made her envious of the strong.

So it was not entirely unfounded to think that Mila Rose might develop feelings for a much stronger Hollow.

"Stop talking nonsense." Mila Rose snorted and turned her head away. "I just think he might have something to do with this. He looks like the type to stir up trouble."

"You must know more about him than we do."

Harribel closed her eyes.

The howls her companions had heard revealed one clear detail—the conflict was closer to them now.

She could also sense Apache's Reiatsu, and that of her winged companion fluctuating as well.

"They can take care of each other."

She ignored the howls, lowered her head, and dozed for a while longer, as though her subconscious longed to relive that nightmare again and again.

A few minutes later, Harribel sprang to her feet.

A chilling wail echoed through the air, and an intense Reiatsu revealed its location. The Reiatsu was still growing stronger.

It was so intense that it nearly suffocated her adjuchas companions.

Then the pressure vanished completely, leaving her group bewildered.

Harribel looked at her friends. "Go back to base. I'll check it out."

Before Sun-Sun or Mila could say a word, Harribel leaped into motion and rushed off.

A boom rang out, and Harribel appeared several meters away.

A succession of sonic booms sounded as she sped toward the source of the anguished howls.

Before she reached her destination, another scream rang out, then died away.

The sight before her left her stunned.

A giant birdlike Hollow screamed, trying to cover its face with its wings.

Black Reiatsu spilled from its entire body, pushing away the surrounding gray sand.

Its Reiatsu surpassed the limits of an Adjuchas, faintly reaching into the realm of a Vasto Lorde.

Its Reiatsu raged for a while, then slowly retreated into its soul.

Vasto Lorde... adjuchas... Gillian.

Its Reiatsu dropped rapidly, then vanished completely.

The Hollow fell to its knees, and a gust of wind scattered its husk into ash.