Letting the Wolf into the House

Mila Rose was frantic.

Her powerful claws, capable of crushing steel with ease, trembled slightly with agitation.

"Damn lizard..."

Thinking of what had happened yesterday, Mila Rose was filled with both guilt and fury.

Because Harribel had once again refused the King of Hueco Mundo's invitation, many Menos Grande had followed them for a long time after they left Las Noches to demonstrate their loyalty. In the end, a brutal battle had broken out.

To protect her, Harribel had taken the attack of a lizard-like Adjuchas with her body.

An Adjuchas alone naturally could not inflict a fatal wound on Harribel, but the venom carried in its fangs could numb the nerves and weaken her strength.

The battle had turned for the worse. Under the siege, Harribel's injuries had grown increasingly severe. Though she had ultimately fought her way out with everything she had, she could no longer move and had nearly lost consciousness.

"Damn lizard, and that Barragan!"

Mila Rose let out a low roar and continued digging at the ground like a madwoman.

There were many tricks to survival in Hueco Mundo. For example, beneath this boundless white sand, a peculiar kind of stone could occasionally be found. Grinding it up and swallowing it could neutralize most poisons!

Yet despite sniffing around and digging the desert beneath her feet into countless holes, she still found nothing.

Still unwilling to give up, Mila Rose slammed her head against the ground in frustration, then raised her head, intending to search elsewhere.

At that moment, she finally noticed the anomaly she had been ignoring.

In the distance, there seemed to be a Reiatsu watching her!

"Who?" She let out a deep growl, every strand of mane standing on end as she lowered herself into a fighting stance. "Come out!"

After a brief silence, a figure slowly emerged.

"What are you..." Mila Rose bared her fangs and approached him.

In her eyes, the Hollow before her was truly bizarre.

It had the appearance of an amphibian. Its skin lacked the usual scales and was covered only by a layer of mucus. A white triangular mask rested on its head, while its enormous eyes glowed as brightly as lanterns.

"Don't act rashly," Uchiha Yato said calmly. "I don't want trouble. I'll leave right away."

Three tomoe spun rapidly within his scarlet eyes.

"That's it, Yato," Scarlet Eye's voice echoed through his inner world. "Her Adjuchas-level Reiatsu isn't much stronger than yours. Your illusion can make her see a false image, but remember to avoid fighting whenever possible. This illusion will fall apart at the slightest touch."

Outside, Mila Rose gave a muffled response and relaxed.

In a hellhole like Hueco Mundo, where slaughter-crazed maniacs were everywhere, it was rare to encounter a Menos Grande who could communicate.

But his Reiatsu seemed rather weak... Had he only recently evolved into an Adjuchas?

Mila Rose secretly assessed the Menos Grande before her. Then a thought abruptly surfaced in her mind, and she asked without warning, "Your name?"

Mila Rose questioned him from on high. Her Reiatsu was stronger than his, and in Hueco Mundo's world of survival of the fittest, such an attitude was not only acceptable—it was simply the rule.

"Ibuse," Yato replied with a hint of malicious amusement. "Hanzō the Salamander."

"Hmph. What strange names. Salamanders... are they lizards? They look alike."

"They're both cold-blooded animals. You could say they're distant relatives."

"Do salamanders have venom glands too?"

"Yes. Highly venomous ones."

"Oh..." Mila Rose's lion head bobbed as she drew closer. Her massive body carried an oppressive presence. "Come with me somewhere."

Uchiha Yato quietly took half a step back. "I told you, I don't want trouble."

"I'm not trying to do anything to you. It's just that one of my... friends was hurt by lizard venom and is still very weak. And lizards happen to be your distant relatives..."

"That doesn't mean I know how to cure poison." Controlling the body of the salamander Menos Grande illusion, Yato tried his best to appear resolute in his refusal. "I don't want to get involved in your affairs. Don't worry. Once I leave, I'll head east without looking back."

What he did not know was that this cautious attitude only put Mila Rose more at ease.

Not reckless, afraid of death, and even speaking so politely—wasn't this a doctor sent by heaven for Harribel?

"Don't worry. Once this is done, we'll help you find several Adjuchas for you to devour."

Mila Rose coaxed him patiently, then added a trace of threat. "You don't have to come. I won't force you. Just dig out your venom glands and give them to me, then you can leave."

"..."

Do I even have that organ?!

Yato sighed inwardly, knowing that her attitude was extremely firm.

Under normal circumstances, even if he could not defeat her, he could still escape. But he had just fought a Gillian, and neither his Reiatsu nor his soul was at its peak. His speed was only about seventy percent of what it had been at full strength...

It seemed he had no choice but to go.

Seeing the salamander Menos Grande nod, Mila Rose's enormous lion head showed a satisfied expression. "Walk beside me. Don't leave my sight."

"Fine."

With no other choice, Yato followed Mila Rose toward the distance.

The direction they traveled happened to be opposite the area of the combat exercise.

For Soul Reapers, it was extremely difficult to distinguish east, south, west, and north in Hueco Mundo. Everywhere was filled with identical deserts and withered quartz trees, all looking the same.

The two traveled farther and farther until they finally arrived beneath a massive hill.

Boom!

The sound of explosions came from afar. Reiatsu howled past with the gale, carrying a faint scent of blood.

"They caught up after all." Mila Rose swished her tail uneasily and urged Yato onward. "Don't worry. My companions are fighting the enemy. You just need to detoxify her, and then you can leave."

Without waiting for Yato's reply, she rammed aside a huge boulder with her body, revealing a cave behind it.

"Go in. Watch your words and actions, or the consequences... you should understand."

After delivering that final threat, Mila Rose entered first.

Yato followed behind her. Before long, he arrived in a spacious stone chamber.

At the center of the chamber lay a "person" in silence.

She was naturally not human, yet she possessed the graceful curves and form of a human woman.

Her entire body was covered in white keratinous bone armor, leaving only the upper half of her face and her eyes exposed. Her skin was brown, golden hair fell around her, and her emerald eyes resembled cold pools, carrying an innate indifference and aloofness.

She was none other than the future Third Espada, the Vasto Lorde-class super Menos Grande—Tia Harribel!

"Rose..."

Harribel spoke, her voice hoarse and weak from her grave injuries. "Where are Apache and Sung-Sun?"

"They seem to be fighting the pursuers." Mila Rose was overjoyed and gently touched Harribel's toes with her nose. "You can move now?"

Harribel did not answer. She merely turned her head and looked at Yato.

Her emerald eyes held deep confusion and scrutiny.

Her gaze did not fall upon the salamander Menos Grande. It passed through the illusion and focused on the handsome face of the young man.

Just as I thought... Yato sighed inwardly. "The gap in Reiatsu is too great. The three-tomoe illusion has no effect on her."

Add Bookmark

Return to Contents

Report Chapter Error

Share with Friends: