"That's a great idea!" Ishida Sōken's eyes lit up, immediately captivated by Nanatsuki's proposal. It was an exceptionally feasible plan.
"If there are no Quincy villages or settlements, large-scale conflicts will naturally become much harder to spark. As long as you don't go around hunting Hollows too often, the Shinigami won't interfere with you." Nanatsuki smiled gently as he spoke.
He suggested Ishida Sōken first play along with Haschwalth. Then, once the Quincy reached the World of the Living, they could fully integrate into human society—
Disbanded, and scattered.
"I'll go speak to Haschwalth right away. Thank you, Kurosaki!" Ishida nodded repeatedly, full of gratitude.
Nanatsuki watched Ishida's hurried figure vanish in the distance and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Once the Shinigami finished their preparations, they would inevitably launch an assault on the Wandenreich. Any Quincy who remained would be as good as dead. But those who followed Ishida out might just have a chance at survival—blending into the world of humans.
After a moment's thought, Nanatsuki returned to the courtyard and shared the news with his disciples.
Since the Wandenreich was destined to become a battlefield, leaving the girls behind here would no longer be appropriate.
"I just received word. The Sternritter are planning to send another batch of soldiers to the World of the Living," Nanatsuki announced.
"Haschwalth... Is he planning to send more lambs to the slaughter?" Bambietta gritted her teeth. To her, the man who silenced the captives was also the murderer of her family.
By now, Nanatsuki had also revealed some of the truths about Yhwach to his disciples. They knew Haschwalth's 'downsizing' was nothing more than a ritual purge to hasten the King of the Quincies' revival.
"This time, Ishida and I intend for the Quincies to integrate into human society. Without Quincy settlements, Haschwalth will have a hard time sparking another large-scale war," Nanatsuki continued. "He's trying to cull more of them, so staying in the Wandenreich is no longer safe. You're all heading to the World of the Living too."
"Me and Bambi, too?" Liltotto scratched her cheek. "But we're not even soldiers yet..."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get out safely," Nanatsuki reassured her.
"Then I need to pack up!" Liltotto suddenly remembered the supplies in the shop. No way was she leaving those for someone else to snatch.
"I'm spending all my merit points before we go!" Meninas threw her hand up enthusiastically.
"I've still got some left too. Can't let them go to waste," Candice added, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
"Let's go shopping this afternoon then!" Meninas perked up, all fatigue from training gone in an instant. "We're gonna burn through every last point before we leave!"
Meanwhile, Nanatsuki arrived in Hueco Mundo to check in on Nel and Harribel's training progress.
They'd already been living in Hueco Mundo for over twenty years. During that time, Nanatsuki frequently visited to provide guidance—and now, their growth was apparent.
"Sensei's here!"
Nel launched herself at him, her smile bright and radiant, like spring sunlight.
"I heard you've improved a lot. Let's test your progress."
Nanatsuki caught her mid-pounce with practiced ease.
Truth be told, before even arriving in Hueco Mundo, he'd already learned of Nel's progress.
A notification had appeared on his Status Interface:
[Disciple Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck has evolved into a Vasto Lorde. Reward Calculated.]
[Reward Obtained: 100,000 General Ability EXP]
[Reward Obtained: Cero Doble]
Nel had evolved into a Vasto Lorde!
Though she'd been an Arrancar for quite some time, her form hadn't arisen through natural growth. Rather, it was the result of a system-given medicine. At her core, she had still been an Adjuchas-level Hollow.
Hueco Mundo, however, provided the ideal conditions for Hollow evolution. And after staying here long enough, she had finally advanced—becoming a true Vasto Lorde.
Which meant... Nel's power now rivaled that of a Gotei 13 captain.
Nanatsuki had received a flood of rewards following her breakthrough.
The EXP gain alone was comparable to when he helped Yoruichi become a captain.
More importantly, he'd also obtained Nel's signature ability—Cero Doble.
Cero Doble allowed the user to absorb an enemy's Cero into their own mouth, then combine it with their own energy and reflect it back—twice as powerful.
'But… I can't even fire a Cero. Can I still use Cero Doble?' Nanatsuki wondered. He intended to experiment and find out.
He recalled that even little Nel, who couldn't fire a normal Cero, had still managed to use Cero Doble. So perhaps he could too.
"I'm super strong now!" Nel beamed, nuzzling him with her forehead affectionately after the leap.
"Then let me test the fruits of your training." Nanatsuki ruffled her hair.
"Okay!" Nel sprang back and drew her sword. "Declare, Gamuza!"
Countless bruises from past sparring made her wary. Even with her newfound strength, Nel didn't dare be careless before her master. She activated her Resurrección immediately.
Her lower half morphed into the body of an antelope, taking on a half-human, half-beast form. In her right hand, she held a two-to-three-meter-long twin-headed spear.
"Not bad," Nanatsuki nodded with approval. Even among captains, her Reiatsu was formidable.
Now that she had crossed the Vasto Lorde threshold, Nel's power had skyrocketed.
"Here I come!"
All four hooves kicked into motion, and she blitzed past him.
As they crossed paths, the twin-headed spear swept horizontally, wrapped in violent wind currents—
Windchase Lance!
She had taken Nanatsuki's Windchase sword technique and adapted it for her twin-headed spear, making it usable in her current form.
Clang!
Nanatsuki drew his sword in a flash. The swirling wind around the spear—razor-sharp—was cleanly cleaved by the edge honed to its absolute limit. The spear, too, was deflected on impact.
"Whoa! Amazing!"
Nel's voice rang out behind him.
She had halted mid-sprint and was now launching a follow-up strike from his rear.
Her front hooves lifted; her rear ones stomped the sand with force—propelling her into the air.
The broken gale from before had already started to reform at her spear's tips, condensing into a compressed storm.
As she descended, she slammed the spear downward with brute force.
But Nanatsuki's figure vanished in a blur, and the spear struck only sand.
BOOM—
The spear left a crater several meters wide, the sand within completely pulverized into ash under the crushing wind pressure.
"Good move. The power's focused nicely."
Nanatsuki's voice came from behind—he was now riding her like a knight upon his steed.
The fur on her back was soft. Silky. Almost slippery.
"I just came up with it a few days ago..." Nel mumbled, voice a little smaller.
"Why aren't you using a Cero?"
Nanatsuki felt the tension in her back muscles and lightly hopped off.
"Sensei wants to see that, huh..."
Nel steadied her slightly ragged breath, then opened her mouth.
A pink beam fired straight toward him—only to be swallowed whole by Nanatsuki.
Nel blinked, stunned.
She had expected her Cero to be ineffective—maybe even sliced apart—but she hadn't expected him to eat it.
And then Nanatsuki opened his mouth—
—and fired it back at her.
Cero Doble worked!
But a question quickly arose: what if Nel also used Cero Doble to respond?
Wouldn't that create an endless feedback loop?
He looked sharply—just in time to see the pink beam disappear into Nel's mouth again.
She had swallowed it!