CHAPTER 57-58: Citadel of Dove

Sometime earlier.

Apacci groaned as another group of Gillians skittered away. The Forest of Menos lived up to its haunting reputation — a twisted wilderness filled with towering trees and hordes of Menos, mainly Gillians. Yet, amid this writhing mass of potential prey, Apacci had not yet claimed a single Gillian as her meal.

She vengefully looked at the offender snuggled in Harribel's embrace. The egg pulsed with a Reiatsu that had peaked at the Adjuchas rank, casting an invisible net of fear that sent any approaching Gillians skittering for safety.

"Can this egg just stop for ten minutes?"

Sung-Sun's laughter danced through the darkened forest at her companion's misery. "Fate doesn't wish for you to exceed me."

As if held by invisible strings, Harribel froze in her stride, her eyes instinctively drawn to the towering ceiling shrouded in darkness. "I feel his Reiatsu there. He might be fighting Baraggan."

Apacci widened her eyes. "Let's return."

"Hehehe, I won't allow you to return."

An unexpected voice cut through their conversation, a playful note dancing within its depth. The owner of the voice, a blonde woman, descended gracefully before them, a Hollow mask on her face. Her humanoid silhouette and her colossal Reiatsu, was an undeniable testament to her formidable power — she was a Vasto Lorde.

Harribel stepped in front of everyone, assuming a protective stance. "Who are you?"

"Evanya, the beloved servant of God King." She eyed Cirucci with a predatory gaze. "You all will pay the price of rebelling against the God King. Even the traitor Cirucci Sanderwicci."

Cirucci responded with a growl, her teeth gritting in vexation. "Blast you. I didn't betray Baraggan. My loyalty was never with him."

"That doesn't absolve your sin of turning your back on our God."

Cirucci shot back, "You weren't like this when you proclaimed yourself as the Queen of Hueco Mundo. What did Baraggan do to brainwash you like this?"

Mila Rose gasped. "Queen of Hueco Mundo? This woman?"

With a solemn nod, Cirucci affirmed, "She used to be the strongest female Hollow until recently when Harribel became a Vasto Lorde. She had her own faction full of women who found her inspiring."

"How did she go from that to this bootlicking bitch?"

A shrug was Cirucci's only response. "I don't know."

Evanya scoffed at their exchange. "Lord Baraggan showed me how feeble I was in comparison. He taught me the only way to live and thrive — follow the one with greater power. The same hierarchy applies to you as long as you're a Hollow living in the Hueco Mundo. Respect the Vasto Lorde because we are your gods."

Sharing a quick glance, Mila Rose and Cirucci smirked at Evanya's remark.

"Excuses of a loser," Mila Rose said, laughing. "I'd rather die than follow a pathetic piece of trash. Thankfully, it was Harribel-sama who rescued me. She is a leader worth dying for."

Cirucci giggled. "Kazuya isn't that bad of a leader either. At the very least he isn't stuck-up about power and authority like Baraggan."

Evanya's Reiatsu erupted violently as she heard insults being thrown at her lord. She held her throat, her head twisting stiffly. "This is the fault of simple-minded fools like you, Cirucci. You dwell on the past instead of looking into the future. I'm glad Lord Baraggan didn't expose his ears to your foolish whispers."

"Ara, aren't you stupidly romantic for a Hollow?" Sung-Sun finally opened her mouth, eyes twinkling with mischief. "You are almost on Apacci's level of hopelessness."

Mila Rose quickly hid her laughter behind her hand. "Sung-Sun speaking truth for the first time in her life."

Apacci growled, "I'm not romantic!"

Growing increasingly vexed with their banter, Evanya spread her arms wide, her head tilting upwards towards the cavernous ceiling. Suddenly, a pair of wings, as pristine as newly fallen snow, broke through her back.

The sudden manifestation of wings sent Mila Rose's senses into a frenzy. "What is this?"

"Her ability most likely," Cirucci cautioned, her voice barely a whisper. "I have never seen her ability or heard anything about it. Stay on your toes."

Harribel handed the egg to Mila Rose, her gaze steeled on Evanya. "Take the egg and return to Kazuya with everyone. I'll deal with her."

Beneath her calm exterior, Harribel was a whirlwind of concern. She could feel the fierce battle unfolding above. The urgency to join Kazuya was overwhelming, yet she understood the value Cirucci might offer with her knowledge of Baraggan.

The very notion of Kazuya in danger was driving her crazy.

Mila Rose wanted to kill Evanya on her own but the scary look in Harribel's eyes made her flinch. "Yes, Harribel-sama."

"Wait, we're leaving Harribel?" Apacci interjected. "Shouldn't we all fight toge—"

Mila Rose covered Apacci's mouth. "Just come—wait, I sense someone else."

Cirucci felt a familiar Reiatsu nearby. Narrowing her eyes, she saw an orange-haired man smirking from the distance. "Gantenbainne."

"He looks like an Arrancar," said Sung-Sun. "Another Espada?"

"Yes."

Apacci bit Mila Rose's hand, freeing her mouth. "He doesn't look that strong. I can take him on myself… we need to hurry, though. Let's trash him together."

"Don't forget about me!" Evanya suddenly swung her right wing, and four glowing feathers shot out in Apacci's direction.

Harribel intercepted the projectiles with her sword arm, only to feel them impale her skin. The feather ignored her Reiatsu and directly penetrated her sword arm. As she tried to remove the feathers, it vanished, leaving bloody holes in her arm.

Harribel focused her Reiryoku to heal the wounds. The process was painstakingly slow as remnants of Evanya's Reiatsu clung to her wounds. "I have to finish it fast."

"Tier Harribel, cease your interference!" Evanya's voice thundered, already predicting Harribel's resistance to her ability. "As a fellow Vasto Lorde, you should align with me alongside your Vasto Lorde friend… Join the ranks of Espada and Lord Baraggan will let your transgressions slide."

Harribel narrowed her eyes at the tempting peaceful proposal. "Baraggan has too much pride to do that."

"Lord Baraggan said it himself. We have to preserve every one of Vasto Lorde so the Shinigami will never think about invading our Kingdom," Evanya paused and pointed at the Hollows rushing at Gantenbainne. "The Vasto Lorde will live, but they need to die."

"I refuse."

"So that's your final stance," Evanya whispered, her head tilting in an act of defiance. With an air of regality, she began to ascend, her figure floating eerily above the barren ground. Her wings unfurled gloriously. "Rise to your queen... Trampa (Citadel of Dove)."

Without a moment's hesitation, Harribel unleashed a series of Sonído. A blur of speed, she manifested in front of Evanya and slashed viciously at her adversary's chest with her sword arm. Blood erupted in a scarlet geyser as Evanya's chest was brutally torn open. Yet in the face of impending defeat, Evanya's eyes wore a triumphant look. She swung down her wings with a force that rocked the air around them.

The abrupt downstroke released a tempest of glowing feathers, each glistening ominously in the darkness. Like a barrage of ethereal arrows, they rained down upon the unsuspecting group of Mila Rose and others.

Mila Rose, Apacci, and Cirucci barely managed to avoid the devastating attack through the sharp acceleration of Sonído. But Sung-Sun, whose Sonído ability was not as polished, found herself unable to escape the lightning-fast onslaught of deadly feathers.

Harribel immediately reacted with a swift execution of Sonído and threw herself into the path of the incoming projectiles, forming a shield between the deadly feathers and the unshielded Sung-Sun.

…

Cyan Sung-Sun saw Harribel shielding her from the rain of feathers. However, Harribel couldn't completely shield her large body. A couple of feathers snuck through and ruptured her scales.

"Argh."

Her body was wracked with torment as Evanya's Reiatsu surged through her. The pain tore at the very fabric of her soul, inciting involuntary convulsions on the barren ground. Then, in a cruel twist, every sensation ebbed away, her eyelids heavy as the abyss began to draw her in.

"Don't resist." Evanya's voice echoed ominously. "Your consciousness will fall under my control. That is the power of my ability, Trampa (Citadel of Dove). You cannot escape it once you lose control, like a dove forever trapped in a bird cage. A disgusting ability that I haven't used since I submitted my life to Lord Baraggan."

Evanya took a perverse pride in her twisted power, a relic from her days as the 'Self-proclaimed Queen of Hueco Mundo.'

Meanwhile, Tier Harribel was left a bloody mess after taking Evanya's ability headone. Gritting her teeth behind her mask, she cast a glance at Sung-Sun who, despite her anguish, refused to succumb to Evanya's ability.

She pointed her sword arm at Evanya. "I will kill you before it takes effect."

In a flash of Sonído, she was confronting Evanya, whose former wound was already knitting itself back together. Harribel hesitated not a moment as she lashed out, her sword streaking towards Evanya in a deadly arc. Baraggan's servant had pushed her to the brink with the attack on Sung-Sun, igniting her killing intent.

Evanya nimbly avoided Harribel's furious attack, repositioning herself behind the vulnerable Sung-Sun. Her hand grazed Sung-Sun's scales, her gaze locked with Harribel's as if to declare her control over Sung-Sun's life. "You are wrong, Harribel. My poison has already seeped into her soul. It's only a matter of time she breaks down and becomes my puppet. Right? Be a good girl and tell me where your Vasto Lorde friend is."

She held no intention to harm or kill Harribel. Her aim was straightforward – the acquisition of the Vasto Lorde's location, even if it meant employing her disgusting ability. The life of Adjuchas mattered nothing to her.

"I…" Sung-Sun hissed, refusing to fall under anyone's control. "Won't."

Evanya chuckled at Sung-Sun's tenacity and slapped Sung-Sun. "Stubborn little Adjuchas, surrender your soul to—"

Her words were abruptly cut off as Sung-Sun retaliated with a sudden head-butt before she slammed her head onto the hard ground. Seizing the opportunity, Harribel rushed forward, her sword slicing Evanya's throat open before she drove it mercilessly into Evanya's chest and dragged it upward.

Having divided her focus between regeneration and her unique ability, she lacked the necessary physical prowess to defend against Harribel's fury.

Evanya collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide in shock. With her brain sliced in half, she couldn't regenerate anymore.

Harribel pivoted her attention towards Sung-Sun. Once, twice, thrice — Sung-Sun continuously struck the ground with her head, uncontrollably releasing her own Reiatsu to fight off Evanya's seizing Reiatsu. The power of a Vasto Lorde was beyond Sung-Sun's capability to purge on her own.

She chose her own way of dispelling Evanya's Reiatsu from her body — by taking off her mask and becoming an Arrancar.

Mila Rose abandoned Apacci and Cirucci during their fight, rushing to Sung-Sun's side. "Stop it, Snake. At this rate, you'll shatter your mask."

Yet Sung-Sun didn't stop her single-minded pursuit, prompting Mila Rose to physically intervene. Mila Rose allowed Sung-Sun's head to rest on her shoulder, and she cradled Sung-Sun's scales in her arms.

"Sung-Sun, try to understand. You can't do it without Kazuya."

"Let… me… die."

Her words hung heavy in the air. She would prefer death to a fate of living as an empty vessel, devoid of consciousness.

Mila Rose looked deep into Sung-Sun's nearly shut eyes and gave her face a light slap. "Enough with this drama. You're not dying."

"Sung-Sun," Harribel murmured in a hushed whisper, her words echoing in the somber atmosphere. "Keep fighting… Kazuya is on his way."

"Skull? Oh wait, he is zooming here."

…

The moment Kazuya caught sight of the blood-soaked Harribel, his Reiatsu roared to life, blood rushing to his head. Without wasting any time, he materialized before Gantenbainne and landed a thunderous punch squarely on the Afro-haired man's face. Gantenbainne's head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground, lifeless, the result of a single devastating punch.

Without sparing a glance at the shocked Apacci, Kazuya instantaneously teleported to the other side of the area where Harribel and Mila Rose were cradling the severely injured Sung-Sun.

Out of everyone in the group, Sung-Sun was perhaps the last person Kazuya expected to be the most harmed. She might not have been the strongest, but she was certainly the most intelligent.

Seeing her in this dire state was heartbreaking.

Just then, Yoruichi arrived on the scene, finding the situation quite awkward for any kind of introduction. Unfamiliar with the physiological structure of a Hollow, she felt at a loss to provide any helpful suggestions.

"What happened?" demanded Kazuya as he ran his finger over Sung-Sun's shell-like mask. "If it's wounds, Sung-Sun, eat that guy over there."

"We have no time," Mila Rose urgently stated. "Evanya used her ability to control Snake's consciousness."

"Mind control? No way…"

"There is still a chance if she becomes an Arrancar," Cirucci intervened as she approached Kazuya, clutching his egg in her hands. "When you break your mask, you are reborn and your Reiryoku increases. She might be able to resist Evanya's ability."

Trusting the urgency of the situation, he abruptly pulled back his hand and punched Sung-Sun's Hollow Mask. In an instant, the mask splintered apart, and Sung-Sun was engulfed in a luminescent pink glow.

***

RIP Evanya. You will not be missed.