25 CHAPTER 25: Argument

Kazuya emerged, seemingly unchanged, except for the absence of his Hollow Mask and his black wings. He had shed all traces of his Hollowesque features.

The most significant change eluded their vision, but the spiritually adept Hollows sensed it with ease.

"How?" Harribel asked, her eyes trembling in shock. "You didn't do it like Mila Rose... you don't feel like a Hollow anymore. You feel like a—"

"A HUMAN!" Mila Rose exclaimed, her voice dripping with incredulity. "What the fuck? Why are you so handsome?"

Sung-Sun stared at him with her sharp, beady eyes, a predatory gleam dancing within them. "What the fuck indeed. To be frank, anyone could imagine a charming face concealed behind Kazuya's mask. Though, he is a little older than I expected."

"Come on. Spill the beans. Why the hell can you do this?"

As per her usual antics, Apacci poked his leg, but this time, her horn pierced through his thigh like a hot knife through butter. Blood gushed out in a crimson torrent, staining her once pristine white horn in its color.

Kazuya gripped her horn and pushed her back with a grunt. "Geez, don't go poking around me in this form. I am weak as fuck."

Miraculously, the wound closed before their eyes, as if time itself had reversed the injury, and the pain dissipated.

'Sweet. I carried over regeneration in this form,' he thought, feeling happy for the unexpected boon.

Kazuya felt the urge to examine his current status, but the Hollow ladies' growing impatience demanded his attention. Harribel's eyes practically pleaded for him to unravel the enigma, while Mila Rose, Apacci, and Sung-Sun appeared shaken by the power of his transformation.

Harribel approached him and observed his body from behind, her gaze lingering on the places where scars had once marred his skin, now faded after he switched his race. "A Hollow turning human… impossible…"

It was well known that dead souls turned into Hollows. A Hollow assuming a human-like form after Arrancar transformation was nothing compared to a Hollow reverting to being human; it defied the norms on so many different levels.

"The proof is before your eyes."

"Since when?"

"From some time ago, actually. And I didn't want to use it. Right now, we don't have a choice." He scanned their surprised faces and folded his arms over his chest. "We're relocating to the human world."

Harribel considered his words, her eyes thoughtful as she looked to the others for their opinions. "Hueco Mundo isn't safe anymore but the Living World is fraught with dangers as well. Shinigami are guarding the world from Hollows like us."

Harribel made a valid point. Shinigami possessed equipment capable of sensing Hollows in an area.

"I don't think it's a good idea either," Apacci said, her voice heavy with concern. She had been in Hueco Mundo all her life. The thought of leaving this realm for enemy territory didn't sit well with her. "Like Harribel said, the human world is being guarded by Shinigami. They will purge us to the afterlife with their Zanpakutō."

Between Hollows and Shinigami, Apacci would rather fight her own kind — the kind she was more familiar with. Shinigami and their Zanpakutō's strange abilities terrified her to the bone.

Mila Rose clenched her broadsword. "I don't want to run away like a cowardly bitch. I'll stand and fight."

The Arrancar form gave her immense confidence in her strength. Her confidence was reasonable, considering she almost brought down one of the top Espada right after her transformation.

Kazuya intently listened to their reasons and turned his gaze to Sung-Sun. "Do you have any words of advice for me?"

"Ara, allow me to stay neutral this time. I'll go with the side who wins this argument."

He took a deep breath. "Sure there are Shinigami in Living World but it's a safe haven compared to Hueco Mundo. Just think about it. We barely survived facing two Espada. What would we do if the rest showed up together with Baraggan? We have zero chance to come out alive. Actual zero."

He would have stayed in Hueco Mundo if his only concern was himself. No matter how many of Baraggan's soldiers appeared, he would have been able to make his escape. However, he wasn't in a position to act selfishly. While Mila Rose and Harribel would valiantly fight Arrancar soldiers, Apacci and Sung-Sun lacked the strength to be of any real use.

If they stayed safe, he could focus on gaining strength in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo respectively. He also had to expand his knowledge to harness more power from his Oppression.

His counterargument brought forth a wave of silence.

"That said, I'm open to other options." He gave Mila Rose a long glance. "Besides engaging in a head-on fight with Baraggan."

Mila Rose dodged his gaze. "Don't target me. I'm just suggesting the easy methods here."

"We shouldn't expect much from her musclehead brain." Sung-Sun took a vicious jab at Mila Rose's intelligence. "Please don't thank me for the compliments. I'm just fulfilling my daily quota of roasting my favorite girl Rose."

He chuckled at Sung-Sun's lighthearted teasing. "Rose, they have all kinds of clothes in the Living World. I'll buy you a ton."

Mila Rose's eyes gleamed with desire as her heart fluttered for new, shiny clothes. She brandished her Zanpakutō and plunged it into the ground with a resounding thud, her hands resting defiantly on its hilt. "I agree with Kazuya and Harribel-sama. Let's leave for the Living World."

"That was fast!" Apacci retorted. "This cheapskate switched sides for some clothes."

"You're only agreeing with him for the sake of clothes." Sung-Sun playfully lifted Mila Rose's shirt with her sinuous tail, exposing her most intimate area to the world. "This kitten is so easy to read."

Mila Rose yanked down her garment and scratched her thick, wavy hair. "What the hell, Snake? I'm saying this so all of us can survive and become strong away from Baraggan's gaze. Kazuya's proposal has logic. I have to side with him."

She hid her desire to explore the Living World and indulge in experiences she couldn't have as a normal Hollow. They were just side benefits of moving to the Living World.

Sung-Sun chuckled, a knowing glint in her eye. "Yeah, yeah."

"Apacci, only you are against me now." Kazuya squatted down and intimately rubbed her ears. "Come on, my tomboy sweetheart. You'll lose affection points for being stubborn."

"Who even wants your affection points?!"

"I never said they were mine. They could be Harribel's too."

"..." Apacci lowered her head and hit his knee with her hoof. "Promise to buy me clothes when I become an Arrancar."

"Just that? Sure. I'll even get you sexy bikinis so we can have our private pool party."

His offer came off so nice and genuine that Apacci nodded without inquiring a thing about bikinis.

"Given that I hold the majority of votes," he began, his voice laced with a rare solemnity, "I shall take the lead and scout—" He paused, his gaze shifting to the deeper part of the cave. "Our new guest woke up."

***

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