Under the moonlight, the stench of blood hung heavy, and even the air around them seemed to have turned viscous.
Nel stared at Asano Kiyoshi, who had suddenly appeared before her. First, surprise flashed across her face, then a mist of tears clouded her eyes.
She looked at Asano Kiyoshi, her voice choked with emotion:
"L-Little Kiyoshi..."
Hearing Nel's words, Asano Kiyoshi tilted his head slightly and spoke to her gently:
"Nel, leave with Bawabawa first. Wait for me to come find you. Be good."
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Nel to answer, Asano Kiyoshi drew a long blade from the Blood-colored Hell beside him and slashed viciously at Nnoitra!
Seeing the blade right before his eyes, Nnoitra had originally had no intention of paying it any mind. After all, according to his probing nerves, it was merely an utterly ordinary strike. With that Shinigami's physical strength, even if he stood there and let him cut him, it would not amount to much.
His eyes held only Neliel Tu. Yet just as he reached out to grab her, that ink-black longsword was already pressed against his throat.
A terror and chill rising from the depths of his heart instantly engulfed Nnoitra. Nnoitra had always trusted his instincts. During his countless battles in Hueco Mundo, the crises he had survived by relying on instinct were beyond counting. This power, so close to a creature's natural instincts, had never been anything less than incredibly accurate.
Thus, Nnoitra flashed away at once, abandoning Neliel Tu, whom he had nearly grabbed by the eye, and choosing to evade Asano Kiyoshi's slash.
And the facts proved that his choice had been extremely correct.
Several streams of blood slid down the Black Sword, while uncontrollable astonishment filled Nnoitra's face.
Feeling the faint