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[Anime] Ch 230: To Las Noches
🕑 Added 2025-05-09 18:40:10 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Deep within Hell—
"Nel…"
After spotting Nel on the virtual screen, Lynn instantly recognized who she was.
After all, there weren't many in Hueco Mundo who had the potential to become part of his Familia.
But Nel Tu was definitely one of them.
He'd been thinking about visiting Hueco Mundo sometime soon anyway, maybe to pick up a cute little loli if he was lucky.
And now? One had just walked right into his path.
Lucky him.
But, Lynn narrowed his eyes.
If he remembered correctly, Nel usually stayed near Las Noches, right?
So her showing up now… Did that mean Las Noches was somewhere near Kikyo and the others?
— — —
Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo—
Midoriko gently tried to calm the squirming Nel, who looked like she was ready to bolt. "Relax, we're not here to catch you or anything."
She glanced at the scar on Nel's face, and a flicker of pity flashed in her eyes.
Who the hell hurt this adorable little thing?
Seriously—how could anyone lay a hand on a child?!
Of course, it was mostly because Nel looked like a kid that Midoriko was getting so worked up.
Still, the energy Nel was hiding deep inside her body was no joke.
Midoriko kept her guard up, just in case.
"Huh?"
Hearing Midoriko's words, Nel stopped struggling. She blinked and asked suspiciously, "Really?"
Midoriko nodded seriously. "Really."
In an instant, Nel's eyes sparkled. "Yay! Big sis, you're a good person!"
"...???"
Was she really that quick to trust people?
Midoriko's expression became a little complicated.
Nel, on the other hand, was completely unconcerned. She tugged on the sleeve of Midoriko's shrine maiden outfit and asked curiously, "Big sis, did you come from far away?"
Midoriko snapped out of it and asked gently, like she was talking to a child, "Why do you think that?"
Nel tapped her lip and said as if it were obvious, "Because Nel has never seen big sis before!"
Midoriko: "…"
Nel's face suddenly turned serious as she warned, "Big sis, don't go any further. There are bad guys ahead!"
"Really bad guys!"
She scrunched up her little face, brows knitting tightly.
Bad guys?
Midoriko and the others exchanged glances. One of them asked, "What kind of bad guys?"
"Hmm…"
Nel's face contorted in thought. Then she spread her arms wide and gestured, "They've got two big horns on their head, and they're really tall…"
As she described them, realization dawned on Midoriko and her group.
Humanoid Hollows? That matched the kind of target they were looking for.
"Alright, thanks for the warning." Midoriko crouched down and gently set Nel on the pale sand, patting her small head.
Although it was kind of hard. That skull mask really didn't make for a soft touch.
"So this little one... was probably a humanoid Hollow too?"
"One of the Arrancar, maybe? Just like Lord Lynn mentioned."
Midoriko fell into thought.
— — —
Elsewhere, not far from Las Noches, in a well-hidden spot—
Dondechakka Birstanne and Pesche Guatiche stared at each other in panic.
"N-Nel sama?!"
Realizing what had happened, they scrambled. "Quick! We've got to find her before that bastard Nnoitra Gilga spots her!"
— — —
Meanwhile—
The very same Nel sama, who was absolutely not supposed to be spotted by Nnoitra, was now proudly leading Midoriko and the others straight toward Las Noches!
Her tiny feet padded across the white sand, leaving a trail of cute footprints behind.
Tilting her head, she asked sweetly, "Sister Midoriko, you'll protect Nel, right?"
Midoriko patted her head with a warm smile. "Of course. If any bad guys try to grab you, I'll chase them all off!"
"Mhm!"
Nel nodded hard, then raised her tiny fists and declared seriously, "Chase off the bad guys!"
Seeing her like that, Midoriko's smile softened even more.
Naturally, Nel volunteered to guide the way.
Even though she'd just warned them about the "bad guys up ahead," her eyes were clearly sparkling with excitement when she heard they were moving forward.
That palace— She'd been dying to sneak in and play there!
Of course, Midoriko's team wasn't just charging in blindly.
They still took detours here and there to hunt a few Adjuchas and level up a bit.
As a result, their pace was a little slow.
But with Nel as their guide, finding Hollows to fight was a breeze.
Yup. Totally betraying her own kind.
— — —
In the third layer of Hell.
After taking out the last of the sinners, Soifon finally let out a sigh of relief.
Clap clap clap!
Suddenly—
A sharp, crisp sound of applause echoed around her.
Soifon's muscles tensed instantly.
"Who's there?!"
Then a lazy voice drifted out.
"Well, well. You've really grown stronger over the years, haven't you?"
The second she heard that voice, Soifon's eyes flew open wide. Her pupils shrank, and her body started trembling just a bit.
She stiffly turned her head, not daring to believe it.
A woman with dark skin, wearing a bright orange bodysuit and her hair tied in a long ponytail, stood calmly before her.
"Shihoin Yoruichi!!"
The moment she laid eyes on her, Soifon's fists clenched tightly. Her gaze locked onto her like a hawk, voice shaking with barely concealed fury.
In the blink of an eye, her expression twisted into a snarl.
"Why are you here?!"
Yoruichi's face stayed calm. She shrugged casually, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Then her eyes turned sharp. "Soifon, what are you doing in Hell?"
If they were in the human world—or even the Soul Society—Yoruichi probably would've ignored her presence.
But here? This was Hell.
More importantly…
This was Hell that now belonged to her familia.
Even though she'd been toying with the idea of recruiting Soifon into their Familia, what really worried her was that Soifon's recklessness might piss off someone she shouldn't.
And if that happened, there might not be a chance for redemption.
She had to nip that danger in the bud—now.
Because no matter what— Soifon was someone she'd watched grow up.
She couldn't pretend she didn't care.
"..."
Upon hearing Yoruichi's words, Soifon looked briefly confused.
She replied on instinct, "There was a sudden surge of Hell's miasma that started affecting Soul Society. The Captain-Commander sent me to—"
"Wait!"
Soifon suddenly caught herself, gritting her teeth. "Why am I even telling you this?!"
"Ara~"
Her teasing tone returned. "Still the same cute Soifon, aren't you?"
C-c-c-c-cute?!!
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