Opposite Akira, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck had reluctantly finished eating the catfish noodles—though they were not really noodles at all.
"It's delicious… If only I could eat it again," she murmured, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
She glanced at Akira and thought, Since we are friends, I should return the favor…
Nelliel pondered for a moment. Since she could eat food from the human world, perhaps Akira could also consume something from Hueco Mundo—even if it wasn't his usual fare. Though many Hollows in Hueco Mundo survived by preying on their own kind, the desolate realm still bore traces of native flora, remnants of what once might have been life.
With that thought in mind, Nelliel stood and set off to find the rare edible fruits of Hueco Mundo. But the desert stretched endlessly in every direction, its sands shifting like time itself. After flying a great distance—her speed far beyond that of ordinary Hollows—she finally spotted her goal.
"I found it—the fruit of the White Forest! Fortunately, it hasn't withered…" She paused, tilting her head. "I wonder if Akira would like it?"
Humming softly, she reached out to pluck the fruit—when suddenly, her instincts screamed a warning.
BOOM!
A blindingly fast Cero struck the ground where she had just been standing, detonating with enough force to send plumes of sand and fractured stone skyward.
When the dust settled, Nelliel hovered hundreds of meters away, her expression uncharacteristically cold. The fragile fruit tree—already a rarity in this barren land—was now reduced to smoldering ash.
"Who are you!?" she demanded, rare anger glinting in her emerald eyes as she faced the six figures before her—six Adjuchas-class Menos Grande, their reiatsu thick and aggressive.
"Huh? For a Hollow who looks like a lost child, you're pretty fast…" The leader of the group, Charlotte Cuuhlhourne, narrowed her eyes. Her Cero had been aimed to kill, not miss.
Nelliel, despite her immense power, had always kept a low profile. She disliked conflict and avoided unnecessary battles, which meant few in Hueco Mundo recognized her true strength—let alone knew she was once an Espada.
Charlotte crossed her arms and smirked. "Let's cut to the chase. One of our scouts saw you leaving Las Noches with a Shinigami earlier today. Where is he?"
Nelliel's heart clenched. They're after Akira.
Her gaze flicked over the six foes. A full squad of Adjuchas—formidable by most standards—was enough to overwhelm entire regions of Hueco Mundo.
No… Akira hasn't recovered yet. I can't let them find him!
Determined, Nelliel met Charlotte's stare and replied calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Charlotte scoffed. "Fine. We'll find him ourselves. But if you're lying… you'll die right here."
Without another word, Charlotte lunged forward—and behind her, Abirama Redder, Findorr Calius, Choe Neng Poww, Ggio Vega, and Nirgge Parduoc followed in a synchronized assault, their combined reiatsu rippling through the desert like a storm.
Gritting her teeth, Nelliel had no choice but to fight with everything she had.
If they find Akira now, it'll be the end! I have to stop them—here and now!
Even if Akira were fully healed, she wasn't sure his current strength could handle a single Adjuchas, let alone six trained combatants from Aizen's ranks.
Bracing herself, Nelliel released a fraction of her true power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth trembled. Sand vaporized under the force of colliding Ceros, and shockwaves tore through the sky. Cracks spiderwebbed across the dunes as if reality itself groaned under the pressure.
Abirama and the others staggered back, wide-eyed.
"Damn it! How is she this strong!?"
"She's shaped like an Adjuchas—but her reiatsu feels like something else entirely!"
Charlotte gritted her teeth, finally recognizing the truth beneath Nelliel's gentle demeanor. This isn't just another Hollow….
However, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck resisted fiercely. Before her stood six Adjuchas-class Hollows—formidable, relentless, and united in their assault.
"Ugh… The battle earlier drained most of my strength… I can't keep this up much longer…!"
Even the mightiest warrior could fall before overwhelming numbers—especially when already weakened. Nelliel, far from her full power as a former Espada, felt her reiatsu flicker like a dying flame. Her movements grew sluggish, her defenses faltering under the unrelenting barrage.
Charlotte Chuhlhourne and the other Menos-class Hollows pressed their advantage, their combined force slowly but surely overwhelming her. Blow after blow landed, until, at last, she was brought to her knees.
"She's at her limit!"
Nnoitra Gilga's voice cut through the chaos, sharp with cruel triumph. He hadn't joined the fight directly—but his presence loomed like a vulture circling its prey.
Charlotte and the others stared in disbelief. This was Nel Tu Odelschwanck, once a terror of Hueco Mundo. And yet, battered and bleeding, she could barely lift her arm to block another strike.
---
Far from the carnage, dawn broke softly over the horizon, painting the sky in pale gold.
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully survived one full day in Hueco Mundo!]
[Reward unlocked: Spiritual Lottery!]
Akira's eyes snapped open. Without hesitation, he tapped the glowing prompt.
"Come on… that was the worst day of my life. I better get something insane this time."
The ethereal wheel spun, shimmering with latent power, before slowing… and stopping.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: "Peak Reiatsu"!]
"Peak Reiatsu!?"
His breath hitched. He'd never even heard of this tier before.
[Affirmative. "Peak Reiatsu" elevates your spiritual pressure to a level rivalling the top five combatants in Soul Society.]
Akira's mind reeled. Top five?
That meant standing shoulder-to-shoulder with legends: Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander; Aizen in his prime; the enigmatic Royal Guard; perhaps even Ichibē Hyōsube himself. Even discounting those beyond conventional ranking, Soul Society teemed with monsters—Shunsui, Ginjō, Ukitake at full strength…
"How… how is that possible?" he whispered.
Then—it happened.
A tidal wave of reiatsu erupted from his core, not like fire, but like the birth of a star. It didn't just surge—it rewrote his very presence in the spiritual world. The air itself bent around him.
His senses exploded outward.
One kilometer… five… ten…
Twenty…
One hundred kilometers.
Entire districts, vast stretches of desert, hidden caves, distant battles—all laid bare before his awareness like an open map.
"No more hiding. No more weakness," he murmured, fists clenching. "This… this is my power now."
Then—his expression shifted.
"Wait… that reiatsu…"
From over eighty kilometers away, seven immense spiritual signatures clashed like storms. But one—familiar, proud, and now fading fast—stood out above the rest.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.
And she was losing.