Las Noches

[Kuvello]

1 Year and Six Months Later​

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Much had occurred within the last eighteen months, the ripples from the clash of two titans could still be felt. The absolute destruction of La Soberanía, and it's founder remained on the lips of those who lived to see the disaster, or from those who spread it's rumors. Nothing quite like this had happened for centuries, not since the fall of Las Noches and the untimely demise of the God Queen Esmerelda. The echoes of the murmurs cascaded the crystalline landscape.

Fortunately, the timing could not have been any better, as word soon spread of the sudden manifestation of a fortress. A stronghold, resembling that of the former Las Noches. A new safe haven for Hollow, and Arrancar alike under the rule of the "Nuevo Régimen" a duumvirate ruled by Valiosa and Antonio, the chosen wielders of the "All Seeing Eyes" and their Espada or "Arconte" who possessed otherworldly powers.

Lap of the Gods

Located within one of the spires that surrounded the core of Las Noches, Kuvello Placidé, the Primera Espada, would find himself gazing out into the night sky, the chill of the air would brush against his skin, as it ruffled his white haori and hair. Behind him, three members of his Fracción would be seen kneeling as they listened to the words of their Master.
"Thank you for heeding my call for summons, you may notice that we are missing a few members, but fret not. I've assigned them to a mission to eradicate a small dwelling off to the West, seems that the reformation of Las Noches has caused quite a stir, and small rebellious factions have started to form, though such pacifists will soon learn their place."
Kuvello would turn to face the three who dared not gaze upon him, his arms still clasped behind his back, his veridian eyes like spotlights as he scanned them, testing them for weakness or fault. None such sensations bubbled up, as the three before him remained steadfast like statues.
"Chulull Arrurett. Ueloly Cindella. Gilliche Estorbi."

The three fracción would lift their heads as each of their names were spoken.

"You three, as well as Valeria have served me well over the last few centuries, let us continue to work hard. Hm?"

A kind smile would cross across the lower half of the Espada's face, as he canted his head toward them. Signaling for them to be at ease.

"Tch, don't go soft on us now. We've been through too much. Chaaha!"

"Oh Kuvy~. You know just what to say to sound so mature. Such a doll~. We couldn't let you brave the wilderness all this time alone."

"You believed in us when nobody else would, and now you've given us the strength to stand toe to toe with Privaron Espada. Such kindness should not go unnoticed."

The three motioned in unison giving a salute, before rising to their feet and dispersing. Leaving the Espada to his vices as he returned to overlooked the white sands.

Flashes of the events that transpired eighteen months ago, the sensations of Reiatsu from Antonio and the defeated Estarossa still shook him, leaving a vivid memory within his mind. The rage of Valiosa when Antonio released his Zanpakuto ,and the tremors that followed suit. The sting in his chest from Valiosa's display of dominance over the very fabric of reality. The accursed arm that dwelled within him.

Lifting his left hand, and peering down to it, the formation of a single eye with two pupils would manifest within his palm as he clenched his fist, covering it with his right hand. Was this power truly a gift? The Arrancar would shake his head. He'd become far more stronger than he ever thought imaginable, let alone attainable by a single being, and now there were others like him. Other Espada who bore the appendages of this fallen deity. There were times where he wished he could truly test the limitations of his power, however now wasn't the time, nor was it the place.

Stepping down from the exposed balcony, the Primera Espada would enter into his personal living quarters, a mansion of an area, a place fit for a king, and yet all Espada shared a dwelling of similar design.

"On that note, perhaps I should see how the others are faring to the change. Perhaps a short gathering would raise my spirits."

Taking to the door, Kuvello would begin to make his descent into the heart of Las Noches, to the core of La Casíta.
​

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[Itami]

One year and six months ago...

A lone arrancar, prowled the desert sands, looking for prey, he walked the dunes and canyons alone but not truly. Looking for fun, he made other smaller hollow dance from his bala, awe for his prowess, looking for a fight, he sought the strongest among them yet he continued his search.

Grimaldi looked for a purpose.

Hours turned to days, those days turned to weeks. Grimaldi was getting bored, scouring the waste for anything fun to spend his time on. This is when he came across a very interesting being. They called themselves Valiosa. First contact was expected of Grimaldi, he tried to attack them and failed. As if she was able to see through to his very core, his hollow heart cared only for greed. So the being known as Valiosa, gave Grimaldi a sacred gift.

An artifact of immense power beyond even Grimaldi's comprehension, it is called the Soul King's Saketsu, this being told, Grimaldi.

Upon taking this item, it filled him and gave him reason and purpose. His hollow hole filled with the item as it funneled an unparalleled power into him. He vowed to serve this Arrancar in her Espada, leaving the wondering waste behind to find Las Noches.

Grimaldi was the second of these such blessed Arrancars to join the Palace of Night.

---

The Present...

---

Whatever sort of peace one can be said, to have in Hueco Mundo, whatever task they were doing, the gorgeous full moon of the endless night sky would be altered, the landscape engulfed in an ominous, unwelcome, sickly green tint. followed by the unnatural, creepy, warbling, warping, distorted sound those native to this place are all too familiar with.

it echoed along with a howl, that shook the foundations of Hueco Mundo, shaking sand and dust off edges nearest to the source. This light shot directly into the sky, endlessly expanding until it cascaded many projectiles into the sand away from any known structure or being.
Just as it came, it was gone, a second of fear and unease. What was the cause of such a dramatic display of Cero?

Grimaldi lay on the highest tower of the Espada's. His face looked of boredom and contempt. He had shot a cero from his maw into the sky just to see if it would kill anything on the outside of the palace, the blast's range unknowing and filled with a power that can only be described as truly terrifying.

" This, life is so boring, this world is so boring, I seek amusement, I seek more. I promised that woman my loyalty, and she has given more than any other, i've clawed at a power like this, and now I have it. So why won't she give the order? "

Grimaldi drew another large breath of air into his lungs, his mouth opening as the same ominous warbling sound echoed, his mouth taking a green tint, and another massive blast of cero shot forth. Repeating his same antics as before. Thousands of smaller blasts were sent into the wastes, far away from any structure they held dear. The distant echo of explosions amused Grimaldi, it held him over. Any seeking to find him would know exactly where to look. Grimaldi would continue to do this until stopped.

Top of the Espada Towers
Posting Order: Grimaldi →

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[dem0nzlust]

One Year and Six Months Ago

That unfaithful night still rang deep in her mind even those she had sworn to protect, they were like pests who kept swarming in. She never once cursed her weakness until that moment, and now she spent her days held up in a cave trying to recover. After a while of solitude, she knew if they wished to survive their kind couldn't remain broken apart killing each other for power. This is how they ended up in such a situation in the first place. They were attacked when the hollow races were the most divided with some following the former Queen of Hueco Mundo, some starting their separate factions, and others going along refusing help. Now all that remained were the bones of fallen corpses that riddles the sands, and ruins of structures.

After some time roaming the deserts in hopes of survivors out there, she wondered if she had taken up on the offer from Esmerelda back then if things had turned out differently. The more she adventured out with any other signs of Arrancar, she started to wonder if there were any other survivors or if they all went into hiding. Knelt in the sand she repeatedly clobbered the sand sending tremors that echoed out expressing the pent-up anger those self-righteous shinigami caused. It is there where Kuvello found her not ready to surrender, but her fighting spirit to the point her blood boiled. A sigh of relief escaped her for she came to realize there was still hope for their kind and he won her over not with promises of power she cared little for, or conquest that would end in more losses. This mysterious person Kuvello spoke to her true desire which is the protection to prevent their extinction and make sure the shinigami would not succeed again. Since that eventful encounter, she met other unique individuals who received special gifts, and Ximena happened to be the third granting a unique gift from these benefactors; the lungs of the one who bound the worlds together.

Present Time

The first couple of days after she had the lungs of the Soul King implanted into her, let us say left to strange times with her yawns causing things to come to life and instantly smashed. In time she became adjusted to this newfound power along with the other benefits it granted her, and still to this day she continued to hone her strength. One of the days Ximena decided to have some R&R happened to be the same day when Grimaldi occupied himself with a loud ass explosion from Cero's fired carelessly in the sky. The first explosion warranted her to try to drown it out with a comfort square otherwise known to others as a pillow. However, the subsequent explosions that immediately followed warranted her irritation with a big annoyed sigh escaping her as she tried to drown them out. Finally, after a while, she gave up on the attempts cursing under her breath in hopes of sleeping in for the day.

"Maybe I should of fucking gone on that mission to help snuff out the rebellions..."

She reluctantly hopped out of the bed with one big stretch and got properly before she headed out of her room. Around the time she decided to peek her head out of the room, she caught a glimpse of Kuvello headed down for whatever reason. Before boredom overtook her too she decided to trail behind him out of curiosity and currently nothing better else to do.

"Any news on the rebellion quelling front?"​

 

[Kuvello]

---

Descending down further and further into base of the spire, the cascading corridors appeared endless. A truly grandeur spectacle to experience, the very nature of the Stronghold was labyrinthian. If one had the time, as well as the sense of direction they would find a seemingly infinite expanse of rooms, doors, hallways. Las Noches, even before it's reconstruction, was truly the beating heart of Hueco Mundo.

Suddenly Kuvello would find his ears ringing with the howl of a warbling beast, followed by a sudden quake as the fixtures of light began to flicker, and particles of sand and dust fell from the walls. A grimace of annoyance would cross his face. If this had been a rare occurrence, the sound alone would've sent chills down his spine, however he knew this sound all too well now, as well as to expect the sensations of the quakes to follow.

"Seems Grimaldi is up to his ranting again... I should g-"

Turning around upon the staircase, he would find that he would not be alone as the visage of Ximena now filled his vision.

"Any news on the rebellion quelling front?"

Kuvello would take a step back, as his foot took to the step beneath his other. A bead of sweat forming upon his brow as he puts on a brave face hiding the fact that he was taken by surprise. 'Why was she in his Tower? Did she have an issue with directions? Perhaps she was exploring and got lost?' The Primera would clear his throat as he regained a sense of stability and authority, before returning his gaze up to her.

"I've sent Valeria and a few of my Fracción to deal with the threat while Valiosa and Antonio deal with other matters. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear from either of them soo-n"

Before Kuvello was able to complete the formation of his last word, a volley of percussion would echo outside as yet another wave of vibration was sent through the entirety of Las Noches. The visible grimace would return upon his face, as Ximena seemed to also share in the annoyance. A hypothetical thought would cross through his mind, one that he would not voice as it could be taken as a means of betrayal or mutiny.

"Y'know things weren't always so rowdy before- Never mind."

With a single motion of his hand, Kuvello would tap the very fabric of reality as a black singularity began to extend down in a line, before spreading apart like segmented curtains rising from a stage as a miniature Garganta manifested, enabling both he and Ximena to peer into the space where the Segunda Espada lay upon the roof of one of the opposite towers.
The voice of the Primera would speak through the portal as the visage of both he and Ximena would manifest within the Garganta that manifested beside Grimaldi.

"How many times must it be said to not do such things while in Las Noches? If you were farther out in Hueco Mundo, such hobbies of passing the time would be fine."

Kuvello would allow a moment for Ximena to say something if she wished, as well as allow for Grimaldi to give his reasonings, though at the current time, such excuses would fall upon deafened ears, as Kuvello was standing firm on his suggestive command to cease.

"Come, let us gather in the meeting room of La Casíta. There's something I'd like to discuss, perhaps it may be a cure for your boredom?"

Without so much as a passing moment, the Garganta Broadcast would shut, cutting off the connection between the Kuvello and Ximena with Grimaldi. Kuvello's gaze would shift back toward Ximena as he then posed the same suggestion to her, but in the form of a question.

"You'll be joining us, yes?"

Without waiting for her answer, the Primera would tuck his hands into his pockets as he continued to make his way down from the spire into the base of Las Noches.​

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[Elk]

A year and six months ago

The sound of sand being kicked up could be heard, as three hollows could be seen running, their breathing heavy and filled with fear as they continued to run through the sandy sea that was Hueco Mundo’s surface. One had looked back to see nothing, despite the moons light shining down upon the sandy surface they would see nothing, yet still their instincts told them to run and run they did. That was until a Cero had landed on one the left one, obliterating it and causing the sands to sink. The other two had leaped forward with one making it and the other clawing its way up falling sand, a losing battle, and insured its loss as the last sight it saw was a halberd piercing through its skull, before descending into the forest below.

As the final one continued to run forward not daring to look back, only thinking back to when they had been part of a group, far larger than they were now, yet one day they had been slowly picked off. each one disappearing as “Days” went on, some were out right gone, others gruesomely murdered or outright eviscerated till, finally the being revealed herself. A woman dressed in white, long braided pink hair, along with a mask that covered the lower half of her face, and had started to out right murder all those that had gathered.

Now the hollow’s thoughts were only of survival, as it ran through the sands, that was until it felt the tip of the halberd stab right through the chest, before it would cleave upwards to their heads. There she was crawling out from the sand Emillia had been covered in both blood and sand, the look of annoyance could be seen in her eyes as she looked up at the half crescent moon before she started to walk in an aimless, uncaring that was until clapping could be heard, causing her to look upon a sand dune to see another Arrancar clapping away.

Present day

There she sat in the in the meeting room, set upon the spot of the 4th espada’s chair of the meeting room. Her eyes closed her due to the thoughts on that day, as she slowly opened them as she reached to touch her back, for a moment before placing her hand down onto the table, at the sensing of a cero being launched over Las Noches her fingers began to tap, each one moving as the explosions went on, before it eventually began to move and tap before each explosion, her eyes had closed once again as she moved faster and faster, extending outward and back before finally stopping as the ceros did.

“I wonder if he could use Cero Oscuras while doing that?”

A dangerous thought as she tapped her fingers against the table one last time before leaning back into her chair, in all this time she hasn’t really interacted with any of the espada, locking herself room practicing her swings often against highly dense pillars, and on occasion keeping track of the Espada that roamed near her room, but yet she never invited them in to practice or fight against, only waiting to see if one would burst through that door and fight her, no she was hoping someone would have broken that door down so they could fight, she wanted to test her mettle against another espada. Though her being cooped up in that room had made her venture out to explore Las Noches, and this night had brought her to the table to reflect upon some old memories.

​

 

[Itami]

Grimaldi inhaled deep, about to fire off another bored wave of Cero when a black line creased his peripheral view. The sound of tearing reality would echo off the top of the tower and Grimaldi would be met by the sad faces of Kuvello, Number One, and Ximena, the number four. Instead of firing a cero volley, Grimaldi would use the taken breath and make a 'yeuughck' sound upon seeing the two Espada.

Before even allowing Kuvello to knowingly scold Grimaldi. The Segunda Espada would take his segmented mask fragment and clamp the upper and lower jaws together making a 'clack clack' sound of bone on bone with each word Kuevello uttered.

" Yaaaah Yaaahh I know, don't need to hear any yapping from you. "

Springing from his back to his feet, he shoved his hands into his pockets and approached the Garganta.

" Not a word sleepy lady, I still don't forgive you for taking my favorite number. "

Grimaldi would walk through the Garganta before it closed, following the two other Espada and allowing them to ramble towards each other before heading down the spiraling stairs and labyrinthine maze of hallways. Eventually, they found their way to a set of large double doors that swept open as Grimaldi ran forward past the two other Arrancar and kicked them open.

" Love doing that, always hope someone is on the other side of the doors "

Grimaldi would walk inside the room and look around. Taking note of only one other person in the room, a pink-haired Arrancar with a conflicted facial expression, as if she was unsure if she should be there or if she even wanted to be. Grimaldi would pay her no mind before walking barefoot over a random seat and then on top of the table towards a seat with a scratched in Number '2'.

Grimaldi would plop down into the chair and cross his arms over his face awaiting someone better with words; the option to speak.

The Espada Towers
Posting Order: Kuvello → Grimaldi → Ximena

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[dem0nzlust]

It took Ximena a second to wonder why Kuvello had such a bewildered look on his face when she popped into the room before taking a minute to shake the grogginess away to notice her tower looked different. Lightly rubbing the back of her head she chuckled a little but her expression just like that went back to irritation when another explosion lit up the area inside. She slowly begins to crack her knuckles thinking that it would be a hilarious and good idea to just smash the tower Grimaldi was perched on to watch him fall off. At this point, she didn't care if it caused him damage or not it was more so just for the humor. However, her attention shifted when Kuvello shared the news on the rebellion front.

"Go on finish the statement you know we both were thinking it."

She casually made her way near Kuvello who opened up a small garganta to the location of Grimaldi, and she gazed into it with a twitching eye. With both arms crossed she listened to what Kuvello had to say and how he chose a more diplomatic path to addressing it with a lot less choice of words she would have loved to use to express her thoughts. Seeing how Grimaldi managed to stop she decided not to escalate the situation now it was peace for once with a big relieved sigh. However, before she could head back to Kuvello's room for the nap she wanted Grimaldi decided to strike again forcing himself through the small garganta used for communication.

"I don't think you can fit through...", she paused for a second when he finally fully squeezed through somehow. "Well, I be damned guess you are more limber than it seems, and don't tell me you are still salty not getting number three."

Watching Grimaldi go down ahead of them followed up by the question from Kuvello it seemed her nap had to wait. She watched him making his way down the steps and decided to take the expressway down to help wake herself up more for this meeting about to take place. At first, Kuvello saw her about to step toward him to follow behind the stairs going down, but then she just leaped into the center point of the spiral staircase. In a quick second Kuvello felt the draft of her falling passed him with a hand reached attempting to grab ahold of him so he was pulled down with her to get to the bottom faster. If she did manage to grab ahold of the unexpected Kuvello she saved them a few minutes as she landed at the bottom with a big thud having him in tow just as Grimaldi reached the door kicking it in. In the case, that Kuvello was forced along she set him down, and with or without her kidnapped passenger fixed her hair back into place before heading into the meeting room to take her seat at the meeting table with three marked onto it.

She pondered if this meeting meant that something fun was about to take place as she slumped over the table. Her eyes scanned the room examining everyone before turning her full attention to Kuvello once he had taken his place as her pet skittered from the sleeve of her jacket and curled around her neck like a necklace.

"Fuck, I should snabbed something to eat."​

 

[Kuvello]

---

With his back turned to the commotion that had transpired, Kuvello could only imagine what had just occurred due to the audible cues spoken by Ximena. His hands would remain clenched in his pockets as he continued to descend further down the spiraling staircase, allowing the time he took to begin preparing himself to speak at the meeting table, toward individuals whom would be ranked beneath him, though despite this, he still would hold high regards for each and every one, at least so far as they each had proven their strength...regardless of manners.


Kuvello's eyes would roll as he watched Grimaldi rush past him. Did everything have to be a competition with this one? Kuvello would shake his head before he brought his hand up in an attempt to pinch the top of his nose, this action, however, would be cut short as he felt his right side being pulled, before the sensation of falling over came him as Ximena had literally nabbed him from the staircase and began to plummet down to the base of the tower. A shocked expression would encapsulate the Primera's face as his pupils vanished from sight and tears leaked upward due to the act of the free fall.


"XIMENAAAAAAA!"


Following the crescendo of the sound of the Tercera Espada landing, Grimaldi just ahead of them would proceed to kick the door in, splaying the two stone structures wide open to reveal another member of the Espada already in her seat. The pink hair of Emillia would almost be as notable as well as the odd Estigma she bore.


"Love doing that, always hope someone is on the other side of the doors."


Grimaldi's words would echo into the chamber as he entered the meeting room. The pale visage of Kuvello would remain tucked into Ximena's arm like a football before he would be unfurled onto the ground with a light thud, his eyes having rolled back into his head and tears having soaked upward toward his forehead and hairline. Leaping almost instantaneously from the floor, the Primera would repay Ximena with a swift fist to the noggin, enough force behind the assault to generate a swelling bump.


"WHAT THE HELL?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!


Kuvello would begin dusting off his over-sized haori as he began to speed walk into the meeting room, his coat tail rose from the resistance. Noting that his Uber had began to make her way to her seat, rubbing the top of her head. Meanwhile the time for fun and games would come to a halt as he remained standing, and began to pace just before the table, the doors that had been kicked open, now being closed by servant hollows who vowed an allegiance to caretaking.


Clearing his throat, Kuvello would use his over sized sleeves to clean his face, after having taken his attention inward and having sensed the wet sensation on his brow. It wasn't sweat this time.


"Ehem. Well then, Its great to see that you happened to be present for this little extempore meeting, Emillia." His green eyes would shift toward her, before they returned to the direction he would face as he began to turn on his heels and begin walking in the opposite direction before his eyes would motion to look at Grimaldi as well as Ximena who was already complaining about being hungry. "I believe it goes without saying that a level of courtesy and respect should be expected from each and every member of the Espada, though what happens, conflict-wise, between one's Fracción and themselves should be dealt with internally, as we all know."


Kuvello would come to a halt in his pacing as he looked outward toward the meeting hall, his gaze taking in the majesty of the room, the entire length of the table, and its remaining empty chairs gave a chill down his spike as this level of vacancy was better than how things first began, but more work would need to be done, that is if they were to be living up to Esmerelda's expectations as it seemed Valiosa, Antonio, and Kuvello all seemed to adhere to, in one way or another. As with any philosophy, deviations were to be expected, but it had not driven a wedge between them and Kuvello.


"As far as the rebel camps that have began to pop up here and there, my Fracción have taken up the roles of quelling those located within the Menos Forest. With any luck, Hueco Mundo will be ruled under one banner, just as it had before, and traitors, such as Estarossa and the sympathizers of La Soberanía, will be purged!"


Kuvello would pause for dramatic effect, and allow anyone who wished to speak up do so as he would acknowledge their turn with a cant of his head toward each of them.
​

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[Elk]

Her head turned towards the door as she picked up on the Segunda’s movement, running down the stairs before bursting through the doors. The two shared a glance at each other, causing her to squint at him, before her attention turned towards the doors once more. She caught the two signatures of the Primera and the Tres Espadas dropping down. It was followed by screaming of names, some crying, and then more screaming. To this, she shook her head and let out a small laugh as Tres took her spot and spoke of snacks.

Her eyes turned back towards the Primera as he thanked her for coming. To this, she tapped her hand on the table, listening but uncaring of what he spoke of. Her eyes started to turn a dull color as he continued, and before long, they wandered to each of the attending Espada members. Grimaldi relaxed with his feet up on the table, Ximena's body moved oddly in her outfit, before finally settling around the neck, then back to Kuvello, who gazed at the empty seats.

"As far as the rebel camps that have began to pop up here and there, my Fracción have taken up the roles of quelling those located within the Menos Forest. With any luck, Hueco Mundo will be ruled under one banner, just as it had before, and traitors, such as Estarossa and the sympathizers of La Soberanía, will be purged!"

“Then you’re doing it wrong.”

She had her elbow on the table, with her face pressed against her hand, three of her fingers pointed upwards and spread outwards as she looked at Kuvello with a mixture of boredom and disappointment.

"If you wanted to unite Hueco Mundo under one banner, you shouldn’t be playing whack-a-mole with the rebel cells that you find. You’re making them dig deeper and deeper into their beliefs. You’ll want something that breaks their spirit. It would be easier if we crushed them as a whole. Unite them under a false banner by planting one of us inside, tell sweet lies about how easy their victory is assured, then pull the rug from under them once they’ve been goaded into attacking Las Noches. Your second option is a little more fun. You sow distrust among their ranks, drop letters of fake dealings, have them kill one another, before we come in and mop up the stragglers. Last, but certainly not least, you turn their views and hatred toward a common enemy — in our case, the Shinigami. Of course, that would mean inviting them in on a major gathering of the rebel hollows and Arrancar, and letting the Shinigami kill them for us while at the same time coming to 'save' them. That will have them eating out of our hands. Or, we let them get killed by the Shinigami and have planted evidence that they were the true threat. Lull the Shinigami into a false sense of security for killing off their major threat."

That bored expression in her eyes disappeared as she spoke more and more, her excitement growing with each suggestion. Her eyes sparkled for a moment as she leaned back against her chair, waiting for a response or action.

"Was this impromptu meeting just to tell us that your Fracción are the ones to handle the situation? Or did you have something else in mind? Las Noches is quite a boring place."

Her eyes dulled once more as she gazed upon the meeting room attendance, as her arm leaned on the chair, with her face resting against the back of it.

​

 

[Adonai]

Valiosa had received a huge boon during the past year and a half in the form of new Arrancar who were strong enough to accept her gifts and stand at her side against Soul Society. However, because of this she had to make use of both eyes more frequently than she ever had to before. It was draining her, mentally as she became more paranoid everytime they were both socketed in her head. Even though she had the power to see and alter the future itself she always looked around as if someone or something was watching her. This behavior became more apparent when the most recent Espada joined their ranks where she broke out into a full sprint as if running away from something. Not even Antonio, who plays host to the Left Eye of the Soul King, could understand why she was behaving this way. Whenever he took the Left Eye he never saw anything that was out of the norm, but also, when Valiosa removed the eye her behavior would settle down, almost relieved to be free from it. She eventually went comatose after the recent usage of both eyes and Antonio has stayed by her side ever since, playing the role of a personal guard against the new host of Espada whom he doesn’t entirely trust. Any trust he had gained towards Kuvello began to erode away as more Arrancar joined.

The Plot

Aside from the Espada there is also a small army of Arrancar being created which is why Hueco Mundo has grown so silent. Gillian and Adjucha are being turned into Arrancar to fuel this army which will be the foot soldiers that will be led by the Espada. Valiosa has been fine tuning the plan of attack between her panic attacks, sending smaller inconspicuous Hollows to the Soul Society to not exactly spy on the Shinigami but to understand the layout of the Seiretei itself. This helps her plan even more, however she doesn’t understand the importance of anything being reported back to her. She has no clue who, what or where Central Forty-Six is, what Division is in charge of what, etc. What she does know is what Divisions have Captains and those will be the ones attacked first. Her plan is coming together nicely but she needs a few more things first, things that can only be found in the Human World. The Soul King parts she has collected were stripped from Humans who exhibited strange powers unrelated to the parts they were in possession of. It was as if the Soul King fragment granted the human a power they desired based on their psyche. It is how she first obtained the eyes, by slaying two twins who did not have much strength or understanding of their Fullbring to defend themselves. From there the harvesting began.

Valiosa has failed to find The Right Arm of the Soul King and cannot even see it even if she uses both eyes, only seeing complete darkness. Regardless of this the harvesting has yet to stop as there exist things like nails, and perhaps even teeth, although these don’t amount to much of a power boost, though they could maybe have other uses. A strange sense of greed has crept its way into Valiosa’s mind, an urge and yearning to collect more and more fragments even though her collection has everything it needs to make the Espada powerful. She can’t acknowledge it herself but Antonio can see it, the fact she keeps torturing herself with the eyes to enhance these Arrancar. It’s a sickness not fueled by revenge for Esmerelda but for something else that he cannot see or understand and this time it has nothing to do with his dull nature.

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”Rebels are meaningless b-because they can’t t-touch us…”

Eerie Arrival

Out of thin air Antonio is in the meeting room with the other Espada and surprisingly Valiosa is not with him. He looks around at the Espada with obvious untrusting eyes, too dull to hide his emotions as they are written all on his face. The ever-light steps of Valiosa are heard approaching from the main entry way into the room, Antonio had moved ahead of her out of a sense of security to ensure these Espada weren’t being too rowdy. Since his battle with Estarossa he has gotten quite a big head about himself and about the usage of the Left Eye. Though one thing he has failed to disclose to anyone is that his healing factor had taken extreme damage due to whatever concoction of a Cero Estarossa shot at him, even with the Left Eye all he can do at most is stop the bleeding of a wound but it will remain open. Valiosa enters the room, her hands behind her back and a cheerful smile on her face.

”Don’t be so apprehensive, Antonio, they are our friends and friends trust each other.”

She looks around at the gathered Espada and puts on an even warmer smile, a sense of excitement and pride filling her very being as she feels like she may be able to avenge the death of Esmerelda.

”I don’t mean to keep you for long since it seems like you’re having your own meeting, but I have some marching orders. I would like for you to venture to the Human world and kill any human with spiritual pressure. The gifts I’ve given you were all found hidden inside of humans who were completely unaware of what it was they had hidden inside them. I found the eyes by mistake because of this, and I managed to sense out the other parts with them. You should be able to do the same. I would say be careful but at our current level we have nothing to fear from silly little humans with powers. I would like for you to move out at your earliest convenience, search Karakura and Naruki for the parts. This is the final bit of preparation needed for our attack on Soul Society so please do hurry. Now, I’ll let you get back to your meeting.”

The girl takes a bow and turns on her heels to exit the room, Antonio stays behind, watching the Espada a bit longer before vanishing right before their eyes. Not even the sound of Sonido could be heard meaning he used other means to vanish from their sight. He reappears by Valiosa’s side who is casually striding down the hall.

”W-why do we n-need more g-gifts? A-all that's left out th-there are sc-scraps…”

Valiosa nods her head and looks up cheerfully at Antonio.

”Because a Shinigami woman who also had the presence of a Hollow told me that powerful tools can be made using the scraps.”

”A-and you tr-trusted a shi-shin-shinigami?”

Valiosa looks away and laughs lightly at the question because it does indeed sound ridiculous for her to trust a Shinigami, the same sort of being who slayed Esmerelda.

”Well, she is more than just a Shinigami, while she did not give me her name she gave me her title. The Mother of Vizards. And she showed me the most beautiful thing, her ability to turn into a hybrid of Shinigami and Hollow. So we struck a deal, she and her cohort shall defend Hueco Mundo while we are away invading Soul Society and in return I give her the ‘scraps’ as you called them. She aims to use them with some other tool she has, and with her help we can probably get Esmerelda back.”

Antonio stops, jaw dropped by what he just heard, even though he thinks it's too much to believe. However Valiosa is the smartest person he knows, she orchestrated all of this herself so the thought of someone outsmarting her is near impossible. But the thought and possibility of reviving their dead God Queen is too good to pass up. And with everything they have done to get her back, maybe Esmerelda would grant them real Espada ranks. For Antonio and Valiosa the Espada ranks they currently have don’t mean much because they do not view themselves as the same sort of being Esmerelda was, so they feel as if they do not have the right to raise real Espada, hence why their numbers are based on the order of their arrival rather than power. Once the shock wears off Antonio catches up to Valiosa, wanting her to speak more about this Mother of Vizards.

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