Nelliel tilted her head and looked up at the sky, her round eyes widening.
She subconsciously clutched Midoriko's pant leg and said in a trembling voice, "Midoriko, that's the bad guy!"
Hearing this, Midoriko raised her brows, a glint of realization flashing in her eyes.
No wonder...
This guy gave her such an unpleasant feeling.
On the white sand, Pesche Guatiche slowly pulled his face out of the ground, his mind still spinning.
Clearly, the slap from Midoriko had rattled him.
But...
He shook his head forcefully to snap out of it, then looked up.
A yellow-haired figure entered his vision.
That figure...
It was one of Nnoitra's subordinates, the one who had been searching for Lady Nelliel.
Pesche's pupils shrank sharply. "Tesra Lindocruz!"
He stiffened, staring warily at Tesra. "How did you get here?!"
Tesra glanced at him with his single eye and sneered. "How did I come?"
"Obviously..."
"You brought me here."
Pesche's eyes widened. "Impossible!"
If Tesra had followed him here, why hadn't he sensed any spiritual pressure?
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
If Tesra reported to Nnoitra that Lady Nelliel was here...
Just thinking about that bloodthirsty lunatic made Pesche tremble.
He couldn't let Lady Nelliel fall into Nnoitra's hands.
Resolving himself, Pesche shouted, "Lady Nelliel, I'll hold him off! Go meet up with Dondechakka!"
With that, he charged straight at Tesra without hesitation.
Bang!
Tesra calmly caught Pesche's punch. His gaze remained indifferent, completely unfazed as he kept his eye locked on Nelliel.
"To think the former Number 3 would end up like this. No wonder Master Nnoitra couldn't find her."
A sharp light flashed in his eye. "Perfect. This is my chance to earn some merit."
"Damn it!" Pesche growled. "Even if I die, I won't let you take Lady Nelliel!"
Without retreating, Pesche charged again.
Tesra looked down on him with disdain. "You couldn't beat me before. Now that you've left Las Noches, the gap has only grown wider."
Buzz—
A purple Cero gathered at Tesra's chest, larger and brighter than Pesche's.
In the blink of an eye, the blast collided with Pesche's own Cero.
Boom!!
A sharp explosion echoed through the air.
Tesra's Cero completely overwhelmed Pesche's, pushing it back inch by inch.
Pesche gritted his teeth and refused to back down, pouring all his spiritual pressure into maintaining it.
Behind him... was Lady Nelliel.
"Nelliel..."
She stared blankly at Pesche's back, her body trembling slightly.
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, she groaned and clutched her head, as if hit by a wave of dizziness.
Flickers of blurry images began to flash through her mind.
Midoriko gently patted her head, then turned to look at Pesche and muttered, "Didn't expect that..."
"He's pretty loyal."
Still—
"There's no need to be that heroic."
She could tell Pesche intended to sacrifice himself.
"Leave it to me."
Kikyo stepped forward, drew her bow, and aimed it directly at Tesra.
Buzz—
A burst of holy light surged along the arrow.
"Demon-Breaking Arrow," she whispered.
The arrow shot forward in an instant, slicing through the sky with a sound that drowned out even the Cero.
The fierce cyclone burst through the purple beam and struck head-on.
Buzz—
In a flash, the holy light consumed the entire Cero and turned it bright white.
Tesra's casual expression froze. His eye widened in alarm.
Chi chi—
A burning sensation filled his chest.
The next second—
The sacred arrow blasted into his chest with a thud.
"Gaaaaah!!"
Tesra's eye bulged. Purifying power surged through him, causing his body to spasm violently.
Moments later—
His mouth hung open, drool spilling from the corners. His gaze turned lifeless.
Then he fell backward onto the sand with a thud, unmoving.
Kikyo calmly lowered her bow. "Doesn't seem very strong."
This was the first humanoid Hollow they had encountered besides Nelliel.
They had expected it to be more troublesome.
But...
He wasn't much different from the others they'd fought.
Midoriko stroked her chin and casually guessed, "He probably had the strength of a High-Class Devil."
Beside her, Nelliel blinked, clearly confused.
The bad guy...
Was defeated by Kikyo?
Amazing.
Nelliel's eyes sparkled as she looked at Kikyo, the shrine maiden in red and white, with awe.
Overhead, Pesche scratched his head.
Wait...
What just happened?
He had been prepared to die buying time for Lady Nelliel...
But...
Did he survive?
What exactly had that human woman done?
Just one arrow...
Pesche glanced at Kikyo with lingering fear. Recalling the earlier confrontation, he began to tremble.
He'd been to the gates of death and come back.
Thankfully...
It seemed Lady Nelliel had a good relationship with these people?
Pesche's heart grew uneasy.
Nearby, Miko poked Tesra's limp body with a stick. "He seems alive. Should we turn him into a Soul Pearl?"
A High-Class Devil-level soul would provide a solid stat boost.
Thinking of this, Miko looked at Kikyo expectantly.
Kikyo smiled. "Up to you."
"Then I won't hold back!"
Miko beamed, then extended her hand. "Spirit Devour!"
Buzz—
A vortex began to form in her palm.
The next second, Tesra's body started to contort.
The sharp pain yanked him back from unconsciousness.
"Gahhhh—!"
He gritted his teeth in agony, his body twisting violently.
"What... what are you doing?!"
His voice trembled. He struggled to speak, trying to resist. But...
The Demon-Breaking Arrow that had struck him was infused with the purest purification power. His strength had been completely drained.
Miko's face remained blank as she continued the technique.
She was already very practiced.
At first, she had felt uncomfortable using Spirit Devour.
But now...
She was used to it.
Amid Tesra's screams.
Soon, a purple Soul Pearl formed in Miko's palm.
She took a deep breath, then absorbed it.
"...Whew."
After a while.
Having fully absorbed Tesra's soul, a glint shone in Miko's golden eyes.
Ever since coming to Hueco Mundo, she had been feasting on delicious spiritual energy every day.
Her growth in ability had been tremendous.
She wondered...
Should she ask Lynn to update her status?
Not far away.
Watching Tesra be reduced to a Soul Pearl, Pesche gulped hard.
These people...
Were they really human?
Midoriko glanced around, and after confirming there were no more threats, turned her attention to Pesche.
Seeing this, Pesche's entire body stiffened.
What... what now?
"Tell me about Nelliel."
(To be continued.)