A year later, after devouring another Adjuchas nest, Reno threw back his head and roared with laughter. In that time, he had become notorious throughout Hueco Mundo for his relentless slaughter of Adjuchas. However, this was simply the law of the land: every Adjuchas had to devour others of its kind to evolve. Reno was just particularly thorough about it.
"Pesche! How many Adjuchas has Reno devoured now?" Dondochakka asked absentmindedly, as he often did, to Pesche, who had lost count of how many times he'd been asked.
"Probably over a thousand by now..." Pesche mumbled. "A few every day... Only a Gillian monster like Reno could devour so many and still not evolve into an Adjuchas..."
"Yeah, we only needed to devour a thousand Gillians to evolve back then," Dondochakka marveled. "Reno needs a thousand Adjuchas! Imagine how powerful he'll be when he finally becomes one..."
Dondochakka clicked his tongue in awe.
"Hehe! Reno-nii is the strongest!" Nelliel chimed in with a cheerful smile.
"Hmph! Finally found you..."
In the distance, an Arrancar spotted Reno and his eyes flashed with predatory glee.
"Heh heh... After devouring one more Adjuchas, I'll evolve into an Adjuchas myself! Then I can finally go to the Soul Society!"
Reno stopped laughing and chuckled inwardly. Every cell in his body pulsed with anticipation, signaling his imminent evolution.
I wonder how much my combat abilities will improve after evolving?
Reno mused. With my Resurrección, I should reach the Vasto Lorde level, equivalent to a Soul Reaper Captain!
"Reno-nii!"
Nelliel's cheerful cry echoed from afar as she leaped into Reno's arms.
"Heh heh! Nelliel! How's it going? Reno-nii is amazing, right?" Reno chuckled, hugging Nelliel affectionately.
The thought of leaving Nelliel to go to the Soul Society tugged at Reno's heart. I'll definitely come back someday, he reassured himself. Then I'll help Nelliel regain her adult form, and only then can I make her my woman!
"Mm-hmm! Reno-nii is the best!"
Nelliel immediately snuggled comfortably into Reno's arms, giggling sweetly.
"Hmph~ You certainly made me work to find you, Demon!"
Just as Reno and Nelliel were basking in their reunion, an arrogant voice suddenly boomed from above. Reno's reputation as the "Demon" stemmed from his slaughter of countless Adjuchas. Accompanying the voice was a colossal Reiatsu, so immense that even the sand began to levitate.
"Ah... It's the Ninth Espada, Dongdongkadi-sama!"
In the distance, Pesche and Dondochakka, who had noticed the Arrancar holes above Reno and Nelliel's heads, immediately cried out in alarm.
"Oh no! Nelliel will be discovered!" Dondochakka fretted.
"Who are you?" Sensing the unprecedentedly massive Reiatsu, Reno immediately looked up, his expression grave.
A single horn protruded from the man's purple hair, and a quarter of his mask clung to the left side of his face. He wore the trembling attire of Las Noches, appearing to be a middle-aged man.
"Dongdongkadi? The Ninth Espada?"
As soon as Reno recognized the figure, his heart sank with dread. Dongdongkadi, the Ninth Espada, was the predecessor to Yaroniro Erueruieri in the original story! Reno had learned this from Nelliel's two Fracción. Of course, in their eyes, Dongdongkadi was simply the Ninth Espada, not the former Ninth Espada.
"Me? I am Dongdongkadi, the Ninth Espada of Las Noches! You must address me as Dongdongkadi-sama!" Dongdongkadi sneered down at Reno, barely glancing at Nelliel in his arms.
"Hmph~ Just someone else's lapdog! What's there to be so arrogant about?" Reno retorted disdainfully. Dongdongkadi's haughty demeanor immediately rubbed him the wrong way.
"You bastard! Who are you calling a lapdog?" Dongdongkadi roared, his face contorting with fury. If Aizen-sama hadn't ordered Reno's recruitment, Dongdongkadi would have killed him on the spot for that insult! How dare he be treated this way in Hueco Mundo?
"R-Reno-nii! Don't provoke Dongdongkadi-sama... We'll be killed..."
Nelliel, nestled in Reno's arms, clutched his Shinigami robes tightly and whispered fearfully, "What do you want with me?"
Seeing Nelliel's fear, Reno reluctantly refrained from provoking Dongdongkadi further. However, addressing him as "Lord" was out of the question.
"Hmph~ Lord Aizen wishes to see you. Come along quietly!" Dongdongkadi sneered, relieved that Reno had stopped resisting.
"Aizen?" Reno's heart skipped a beat. Why would Aizen want to see me? He's the ultimate boss in the Soul Reaper world, someone I can't possibly contend with right now!
Though Pesche and the others had revealed that Aizen had secretly taken control of Hueco Mundo even before defecting from the Soul Society, Reno hadn't imagined his actions here would already have caught Aizen's attention.
I still need to go to the Soul Society. I absolutely can't let Aizen see me here right now! Reno thought grimly, tightening his grip on his Zanpakuto.
"Hmph~ What's so special about Aizen? Does he think I'll come running just because he wants to see me? Why doesn't he come find me himself?"
Having resolved not to meet Aizen, Reno immediately feigned ignorance of Aizen's arrogant demand.
"Hmph~ What do you think you are? Do you dare address Aizen-sama by name?" Dongdongkadi glared fiercely at Reno, his eyes widening in fury.
"Aizen-sama? So Aizen is your master, then!" Reno immediately retorted, deliberately provoking Dongdongkadi. Since Reno had no intention of meeting Aizen, a fight with Dongdongkadi was inevitable. He saw no need to hold back his words.
"You bastard! No one has ever dared speak to me like that! Today, you die!" Dongdongkadi roared, his rage erupting. Though Reno's words were true, he would never allow anyone to voice them aloud.
Whoosh! Dongdongkadi vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Reno with his Zanpakuto drawn. He swung the blade down in a furious strike.
Bang! Dongdongkadi's Zanpakuto carved a massive crater where Reno had stood moments before. But Reno had already evaded the attack.
"Hmph~ No wonder you're so arrogant. You've mastered Sonido, after all!"
Dongdongkadi was momentarily surprised that his attack had missed, but he quickly sneered.
"Nelliel! You and Pesche, get out of here!" Reno shouted, dodging to the side and immediately setting Nelliel down.
"Okay! Be careful, Reno-nii!" Nelliel replied anxiously, knowing she would only be a burden if she stayed in his arms.
"Don't worry! Reno-nii has never been afraid of anyone!" Reno declared, raising his Zanpakuto high. A pillar of lightning surged skyward.
"Destroy the living, shatter space-time! Descend, Thunder Emperor!"
"Resurrección release?" Dongdongkadi exclaimed in shock at Reno's sudden burst of power.
"Hmph~ Even after Resurrección, you're barely on my level. I'll play with you a bit today!" Dongdongkadi scoffed, his figure flashing toward Reno once more, completely ignoring Nelliel.
Chirp chirp~ "Thunder Fist!"
The towering pillar of lightning dissipated, and Reno charged at Dongdongkadi. The Thunder Fist, now channeled by Reno, enveloped his entire right arm in Dark Red Lightning, its power several times greater than it had been a year ago!
Boom! A thunderous explosion erupted as Reno and Dongdongkadi were both forced back several steps.
Chirp chirp~ Dongdongkadi stared at the Zanpakuto, wisps of Dark Red Lightning still clinging to its blade. He quickly shook the blade to dispel the lingering lightning, narrowly avoiding paralysis.
"Hmph~ Not bad! You actually have a technique strong enough to clash with me head-on!" Dongdongkadi sneered inwardly before lunging at Reno once more, Zanpakuto raised.
Boom! Boom! Two more thunderous clashes followed in quick succession. Finally, Reno's body couldn't withstand the force, and he was sent flying backward by Dongdongkadi's strike.
"Thunder Burst!"
As he was hurled through the air, a cruel smile curled at the corner of Reno's lips...
Zzzzt! Accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder and lightning, Reno's Coalescing Thunder Burst surged to life. In an instant, a Lightning Orb brimming with violent energy materialized before him.
"Impossible..."
Dongdongkadi's face twisted in shock as he witnessed Reno conjure a Lightning Orb several times more powerful than a Cero.
"Ha ha... Perish! Thunder Burst!"
Ignoring Dongdongkadi's expression, Reno hurled the Thunder Burst at him with savage force.
From Dongdongkadi's initial arrogance, Reno had immediately pegged him as the type who, like Byakuya and others in the original story, looked down on others with haughty disdain. Seizing on Dongdongkadi's underestimation, Reno had unleashed a devastating Thunder Burst from the start.
Zzzzt! The Thunder Burst streaked through the air, leaving a faint sonic boom in its wake. In the blink of an eye, the Lightning Orb filled Dongdongkadi's vision.
Bang! Boom!
A colossal explosion erupted, centered on Dongdongkadi. A ten-meter-wide blast mushroomed outward, crackling with Dark Red Lightning. Dongdongkadi had been struck squarely by Reno's Lightning Orb.
"Hmph... How... how underhanded..."
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