The laboratory was vast and silent, filled only with the faint hum of spiritual pressure.
A young man sat upright on the cold floor, his expression clouded with unconscious ignorance. Around him, three figures lingered anxiously.
"Why is it taking so long…" Peixue paced in restless circles, face tightening with unease.
"It seems his injury is deeper than we thought," said Dondochakka, worry flickering in his heavy eyes.
In front of Su Li, Nilu sat with her round cheeks propped up in both hands, brows furrowed into a "八." She stared fixedly at his face, unable to hide the heavy worry brimming in her gaze.
Suddenly, she stood, bent forward, and held her breath against his nose. The faint rhythm of even breathing met her ears, and relief softened her shoulders.
Peixue and Dondochakka exchanged a long glance but said nothing.
Instead, Nilu quietly moved behind Su Li and slipped the white robe from his shoulders. A faint scarlet mark still burned across his back. Her eyes clouded with thought, then lit with sudden resolution.
"Ahhh—"
She opened her mouth wide, thick saliva pooling and dripping slowly down onto the boy's back.
Su Li did not stir.
Soon, his back was covered with a glistening coat of mucus. Only then did Nilu smile in satisfaction, wiped the corners of her lips with a silly grin, and carefully draped the robe back over him.
To Peixue and Dondochakka, the sight drew no protest. For them, Su Li was a benefactor. For Nilu, it was only natural to use her ability to heal him.
Poor Su Li—unaware that the vow he had sworn only hours before had already been broken. What expression would he wear when he awoke?
Time trickled away. The three waited in uneasy silence.
Then, Nilu's ears twitched.
Peixue and Dondochakka froze, their eyes snapping to the entrance.
Da… da… da…
Crisp footsteps echoed in the distance, deliberate, unhurried.
Their hearts clenched. Su Li was still unconscious—no intruder could be allowed near him.
The sound drew closer.
"…Gulp."
All three swallowed, tension coiling in their throats.
And then the figure stepped into view.
"Nnoitra—!"
Peixue and Dondochakka went pale as the truth struck them. The intruder was none other than Espada No. 5—Nnoitra Gilga.
A mortal enemy, standing at their doorstep.
"Oh?" Nnoitra's single eye narrowed, a crooked smile tugging at his mouth. "So the one who killed Szayelaporro was… you three insects?"
His voice carried nothing but scorn.
"Damn it… of all people…" Peixue's face twisted in despair. If it had been lowly guards, or even Szayelaporro's Fracción, they might have resisted. But Nnoitra—this was a different abyss entirely.
"You—! You can't come in here!" Nilu's small voice rang out, trembling, her body shaking despite her defiance. Instinct screamed that the man before her was lethal. His mere presence pulled at her chest like bile rising, the same loathing she had felt when first facing Szayelaporro.
"Oh?" Nnoitra's grin widened, gaze sinking into her. "Nelliel… are you speaking to me?" His words dripped with mockery.
"Nilu! Take Su Li and go!" Peixue shouted, ripping his Zanpakutō free with a sharp shing.
"This guy… this guy…" His hands trembled violently, knuckles white against the hilt.
"No—! There's no escape route!" Dondochakka cried, biting his fingers in panic.
"Damn it… then we fight," Peixue muttered. His voice was low, despair etched across his face. He had hoped to buy time, even if it meant death, so that Nilu and Su Li might survive. But now even that possibility seemed gone.
Yet still, he and Dondochakka exchanged a final look. No words were needed. They understood.
This was the end. And before the end, they would stop his advance.
Both stepped forward in unison, eyes blazing with defiance. A battle not of victory, but of vengeance. A battle of guardianship.
Nilu's chest tightened as she saw their backs. To her, they had always been gentle elder brothers, playful and kind. They had been her world—running, laughing, fleeing together in the endless sands. She had never thought of them as warriors. But now, their blades burned with determination.
"Go to hell!" Peixue roared, Zanpakutō gleaming with pale light.
"Die! Die! Die!" Dondochakka howled, charging beside him.
Nnoitra barely twitched. "Tch. Pathetic."
Boom.
His spiritual pressure erupted skyward, crushing and absolute.
Peixue and Dondochakka froze mid-stride, blood draining from their faces. Knees buckled.
Pata.
Both collapsed heavily to the floor. Their attacks had not even reached him. Against Espada No. 5, their power was nothing.
"Hateful…" they gasped, sweat streaming down as their bodies trembled beneath his Reiatsu.
Nnoitra looked down at them as one looks at insects, his expression dripping with disdain. He raised his long leg and swung it mercilessly.
Boom!
Their bodies slammed into the far wall, stone shattering into twin craters.
"Puahh—!" Blood spewed from their mouths.
"Peixue! Dondochakka!" Nilu screamed, terror flooding her eyes.
"Hmph. Trash that's never been tested." Nnoitra's smirk widened. He turned his gaze to Nilu.
Slowly, he stuck out his tongue. Upon its surface, the number "5" burned black, glistening as golden light swelled at its tip.
Wang Xu's Cero.
The beam detonated from his mouth with thunderous force.
Boom!
A golden torrent of annihilation roared straight for Nilu. Her blood froze, body rooted in dread.
"…"
Peixue staggered out of the rubble, bloodied beyond measure, eyes wide with helplessness. He could do nothing but watch the beam tear forward.
Nilu's mind went blank as the world turned gold. She could not run—Su Li lay just behind her.
Her chest heaved. She could not fight, yet something within screamed to act.
And so, she followed her only instinct.
The next instant—Nilu opened her mouth wide, facing the oncoming Cero.
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