Chapter 26: Jealousy


    <i><span style="font-weight:400">Tap. Tap. Tap.</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Footsteps echoed through the cave as their newest ally, Ciri, emerged from the shadowed depths, her long tail trailing on the ground like a serpent. She couldn''t find rest with the chatter swirling around the cave, so she came out to greet her new teammates.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ciri''s eyes widened upon seeing Kazuya''s human form. "It can''t be—Kazuya? How did you be a human?"


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s one of my abilities.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya''s vague response hung in the air as he transformed back into his Hollow form. With a deft flick of his wrist, he tore through the fabric of space using his Descorrer ability. The ck fissure expanded, its gaping maw akin to a ravenous beast, unveiling an infinite, abyssal void.


    <span style="font-weight:400">(A/N: Garganta changed to Descorrer.)


    <span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya''s face contorted with unease as he gazed into the boundless expanse connecting all realms in this world. “What am I looking at?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">M Rose nudged his rib, her voice tinged with apprehension. “Are you sure you want to go there?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I haven’t been there.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Me neither.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Api and Sung-Sun confessed their ignorance of Garganta and its hidden dangers. They never had any desire to explore the Living World and incur the wrath of Seireitei’s Shinigami.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya turned to Harribel, the oldest and wisest among them. “Do you have any experience with this?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Harribel shook her head, her golden hair softly bouncing to her movement. "I can pave the path for you. You won''t be harmed that way"


    <span style="font-weight:400">He immediately rejected her offer, sensing her willingness to sacrifice herself for his cause. She was a truly admirable mother figure. One he couldn’t handle in the current situation.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Left with no choice, Kazuya walked over to the lovely goth girl and gently gripped her shoulders. Ciri didn''t appear as beautiful in her current battered condition. "Ciri~, help out your friend, will you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ciri felt a shiver running up her spine. His sweet, pleasing voice may as well be the whispers of a demon.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Fuck,” Ciri cursed under her breath, regretting being curious about their talk in her absence. “Where do you want to go?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">As an Espada, she had been to the Living World numerous times. Instead of lying, she decided to help him out. She had to show her worth as an ally, otherwise, he would deem her useless and cast her aside. She couldn’t let it happen under any circumstances.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Her survival hinged upon him, after all.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Unaware of her inner turmoil, he answered, “The Living World.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“To unt your new form?” Ciri''s brow arched, her face etched with skepticism. “Give me some time. I don’t have the required Reiryoku to reach there…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya closed the Garganta and patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Rest as much as you want. Call me when you’re ready.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ciri departed to her resting ce without wasting another second.


    <span style="font-weight:400">M Rose suddenly snaked her arm around his shoulder and yanked him into a yful headlock. "Harribel-sama, I''m borrowing him for a moment."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Without waiting for any response, M Rose dragged Kazuya away from the group, herughter echoing through the cave.


    <span style="font-weight:400">…


    <span style="font-weight:400">Once M Rose left, the others exchanged curious nces, a mixture of bemusement and intrigue ying across their faces.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Api poked Sung-Sun with her horn, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Where did she take him? What do you think will happen?"


    <span style="font-weight:400">"What do you think?" Sung-Sun replied, her tone full of teasing. “I’ll let you guess.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“She''ll probably ask him to fight,” Api guessed, recalling M Rose''s eagerness for swinging her sword. “What do you say?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">"Not out of the question, considering the musclehead Rose. However," Sung-Sun trailed off, her voiceced with suspense, drawing Harribel''s curiosity. "Have you not noticed M Rose giving him those lingering nces? This private meeting might lead to a deeper, intimate bond between them."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Sung-Sun partially believed in her words. But she still said her piece to rile up Api and Harribel, who seemed to be brewing different kinds of rtionships with Kazuya.


    <span style="font-weight:400">"Ridiculous. He wouldn''t—" Api paused, her mind shing back to Kazuya''s undisguised admiration for M Rose''s new form. She gritted her teeth, frustration evident in her eyes. "Fuck, good for them, I guess."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Sung-Sun could tell the underlying meaning of Api’s goodwill. "You can''t me him for being drawn to M Rose. She is beautiful and loyal beyond words."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Sung-Sun poured oil on the burning mes of jealousy, anticipating the oue to be chaotic and entertaining.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Api nodded quietly and stumbled back to her section of the cave.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ara, when did Harribel-sama leave?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn''t notice Harribel quietly slipping out of the cave to follow Kazuya and M Rose.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Sung-Sun looked at the cave’s entrance. “This is getting interesting.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">…


    <span style="font-weight:400">Api yearned for sleep after relentlessly unleashing Cero Rays upon Dordoni, but the tempest in her heart raged on, guing her with restless tossing and turning.


    <span style="font-weight:400">"Goddamn Kazuya…" she grumbled, her voice heavy with frustration. "I met you first… I rescued you. Why would you go to her…?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She felt like a child whose prized toy had been snatched away, but she couldn''tsh out at anyone. It wasn''t her fault Kazuya stopped giving her much attention. In her mind, M Rose and Harribel were to me. They possessed something shecked, a quality that ensnared Kazuya and held him captive.


    <span style="font-weight:400">A humanoid body closer to Kazuya’s own.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Api mmed her head into the soft sand in a fit of exasperation. "I can''t… fuck, why am I ming my friends?"


    <span style="font-weight:400">She caught herself before the darkness of her emotions could drag her down further. Rising from her resting position, she ventured out of the cave, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The walk did indeed rejuvenate her, sweeping away the clouds of negativity. As she wandered, a shadow flitted across her path. Raising her head, she saw a horde of Gillians moving in eerie unison, their ghostly glide sending shivers down her spine.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Curiously, they didn''t regard her as prey, as though something else took precedence over a powerful Adjuchas. Intrigued, she sprinted after them, soon discovering the source of their hunger — a fresh Arrancar corpse brimming with Reiatsu.


    <i><span style="font-weight:400">‘These thieves are stealing Kazuya’s Game. How dare they?!’</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward, her Reiatsu surging to its limits, which wasn’t much after using everything on Cero. She couldn’t overpower thebined Reiatsu of a dozen odd Menos Grande. "Get away, now!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The Gillians encircled themselves in their own Reiatsu, repelling Api''s razor-sharp energy. One by one, they twisted their necks in her direction, their long noses pointing at her like swords.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Kiii.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Kiiiii.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Keeee.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Vicious screeches left their mouths as they drifted to Api, their giant forms towering over her rtively small dear form.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Undaunted, Api charged a small Cero at the tip of her horn. “Don’t force me to kill you losers.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">In response, the Gillians opened their maws wide, conjuring a Cero farrger than Api''s. Even so, she refused to back down. She couldn''t let these lowly Gillians steal Kazuya''s hard-earned prize. This particr corpse, an Arrancar, offered the only chance to strengthen Kazuya among all the Hollows they had found. She would fight tooth and nail to keep it here.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Fine, I’ll kill you all.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Fueled by passion and recklessness, Api hurled herself against the dozen Gillians, even though her Reiryoku barely reached a quarter of its maximum capacity.