The moment they stepped through the massive white gates of the Hollow King's palace, the wind and sand completely stilled.
"W-Whoa! Th-this… what is this?"
Meninas suddenly stopped in her tracks, her pink eyes wide open, completely forgetting her status as a captive as she pointed at the clear blue sky above and let out a shocked cry like someone who'd never seen the world.
In the eternal night of Hueco Mundo, this sky filled with sunlight, white clouds, and even a gentle breeze was nothing short of a miracle.
"Hey! Don't shout so loud, it's embarrassing."
Lilynette, walking ahead, turned back with annoyance, rolling her eyes at her like she was some country bumpkin, "That's just the ceiling His Majesty designed. It uses high-density spirit particles to simulate the spectrum of the human world. It provides light and helps regulate mood. Only clueless Quincy like you would make such a big deal out of it."
"Hehe! Our Majesty seems really bright and cheerful."
Meninas giggled as she said something that was both flattery and the truth.
Honestly, this kind of ceiling wasn't hard to make. Quincy who could manipulate spirit particles could do it even better than the one above them.
But unfortunately, people like Yhwach and Jugram were all gloomy to the extreme.
Instead of building normal structures, they insisted on making an ice palace, and even made it look pitch-dark.
Even in the shadows, you could still have light.
Anyway, Meninas didn't like that kind of madness.
Even though this was Hueco Mundo, this place felt especially comfortable.
"Hey! Didn't you sense it?"
Bambietta, standing beside her, tapped her lightly and spoke in a low voice, her body trembling slightly without control.
Her perception was sharper than Meninas'.
Right now, she felt like a little rabbit that had wandered into a pride of lions. The terrifying spiritual pressures filling the air around them were like invisible beasts greedily watching her.
"Inside the palace, there are at least dozens… no, nearly a hundred spiritual pressures at captain-level or above. How is that even possible?"
Bambietta's voice tightened as she grabbed Meninas' sleeve tightly.
Her own strength wasn't weak. In her normal state, she was comparable to a captain in Bankai.
But in front of so many Arrancar, she felt like a dessert that could be swallowed at any moment.
"Relax, Bamby-chan."
Nelliel's gentle voice sounded at just the right time. Like a responsible tour guide, she smiled and explained, "Other than us Espada and our subordinates, most of the others are Arrancar who broke through the limits of Adjuchas after receiving guidance from His Majesty. Reaching captain-level is already the limit of their talent."
"If they want to go further and break their own shackles, that depends on whether they have what it takes to gain His Majesty's favor."
"Favor?"
Meninas' eyes lit up, her earlier fear instantly replaced by ambition, "How do you get that? I want it too!"
'What part of me is worse than Candice?'
'Why does she get to be the 9th Espada while I can only be a subordinate?'
'I want to move up!
"Favor?"
Lilynette grinned, showing her signature little fang.
She casually pointed at the blue-haired figure walking at the very front, hands in his pockets, looking unsatisfied, "See that blue-haired guy? That's our No.10, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
"As long as you can last five minutes under him without dying, His Majesty will make an exception and promote you to an Espada subordinate. So? Sounds easy, right?"
"Huh? That's it?"
Meninas blinked, "That's not hard at all."
She had seen clearly on the battlefield just now.
That guy called Grimmjow was arrogant, sure, but if Ulquiorra hadn't stepped in, Grimmjow might've even been ambushed by Pernida.
In Meninas' mind, he was only at Royal Guard level at best.
Compared to a monster like Candice, who could tear Jugram apart with her hands, this No.10 was clearly a lot weaker.
She didn't think she could win, but just surviving five minutes? That really wasn't difficult.
"So there you go~"
Nelliel covered her mouth and laughed softly, "His Majesty considered that, which is why you're allowed to skip the test and directly become Espada subordinates."
While they chatted and joked, they had already passed through the long corridor and arrived before the grand doors leading to the core of the Hollow King's palace, the Central Heavenly Hall.
Rumble!
The heavy doors slowly opened.
In that instant, no words were needed.
Wave after wave of terrifying spiritual pressure, already far beyond captain-level, surged out like a flood breaking through a dam, crashing violently into Meninas and Bambietta's souls.
"Ugh!"
The two girls, who had just been relatively relaxed, instantly turned pale. Their breathing stalled, and their legs felt like they were filled with lead, frozen in place, unable to move.
This was absolute suppression from a higher level of existence.
Meanwhile, Lilynette and the others in front walked forward as if they felt nothing at all, their expressions unchanged as they stepped into the highest hall of the Hollow King's palace.
By the time Meninas and Bambietta finally steadied their breathing and tremblingly followed inside, the scene before them completely overturned their understanding of the palace.
It was an extremely grand white hall.
Two rows of towering thrones extended inward from the entrance like steps of pilgrimage, leading toward the ultimate destination at the very end.
On the throne closest to the entrance sat a blue-haired figure.
The Tenth Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
He sat with one leg crossed over the other, not even bothering to look up at the two trembling newcomers, clearly having no interest in such weaklings.
Further ahead, on the seat of the Ninth Espada sat Candice.
When she saw Meninas and Bambietta pass by, she immediately bared her teeth and shot them a vicious glare, silently mouthing, "You dare switch sides as my good sisters? You're done for! I mean it!"
Meninas stuck her tongue out at her and quickly dragged Bambietta away. She didn't want to get electrocuted.
Continuing forward, on the throne of the Eighth Espada sat an orange-haired woman wearing the Espada long dress. Kurosaki Masaki.
Meninas and Bambietta couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
After all, on the battlefield just now, Lilynette had told them quite a bit of gossip about her.
'Rosse, Kurosaki Masaki, Kurosaki Isshin… Tsk! Tsk!'
As if sensing something, Masaki slowly raised her head.
There was no emotion in her eyes. Only a dead, empty void.
Just being swept by that gaze made Meninas feel like the surrounding spirit particles had all turned against her in an instant. Even her heart skipped a beat.
'That's terrifying.'
'A woman with this level of strength… was she really forced?'
'Then just how strong is Rosse… wait, that guy Kurosaki Isshin, he doesn't deserve her at all, did he?'
The gap between them felt like they weren't even on the same level of existence.
The two didn't dare linger and hurried forward with their heads lowered.
On the Seventh Espada's seat sat a silver-haired man in a black suit with glasses, his temperament cold and detached.
Meninas paused for a moment and couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Um… you look a lot like that glasses guy who was acting as Yhwach's vessel on the battlefield earlier?"
Ishida Ryuken adjusted his glasses and replied calmly, "That is my son."
"Huh?"
Meninas' eyes widened, and her chest bounced violently along with her shock.
'The father of Yhwach's vessel… is actually the Seventh Espada of the Hollow King's palace?'
'This is way too surreal!'
'So everything Yhwach did has basically been livestreamed to the Hollow King's palace by his own family?'
At that moment, the last trace of hope Meninas had for a Quincy comeback completely shattered.
An organization infiltrated to this extent, if it didn't collapse, that would be absurd.
Moving further forward, at the Sixth Espada's seat, a woman with long black hair and a human upper body with a serpent tail leaned lazily against her throne.
Even as a woman, even someone confident in her own hot figure, Meninas had to admit that the woman before her was stunning to the point of being unreal.
There was no overwhelming figure to speak of, yet that face alone gave off the feeling of someone who could topple a nation.
As if sensing the gaze, Sung-Sun slightly raised her head. The three tear moles at the corner of her eye trembled faintly with her smile.
She gave Meninas a gentle, teasing wink.
Boom!
Meninas froze instantly. All the messy thoughts in her mind vanished, replaced by a screen full of pink bubbles and indescribable yuri fantasies. She was completely lost in it.
"Hey! Let's go! Why are you spacing out?"
Only when Bambietta pinched her hard did Meninas snap back to reality, her face flushing red, heart pounding wildly, not daring to look at Sung-Sun again.
She finally understood how the other woman had gone from an ordinary subordinate all the way to the Sixth Espada, and become the most popular Espada in the palace.
With that kind of indiscriminate charm, she was basically a witch who captivated both men and women.
Conclusion: an absolute top-tier temptress.
While ranting wildly in her head, Meninas kept her head down and continued forward.
The Fifth Espada, Ulquiorra, still had that deadpan face.
Both of them recognized him, gave a quick bow, and moved on.
And when they reached the Fourth Espada's seat, Bambietta's eyes widened instantly.
"Y-you… aren't you that Fourth Division captain from the Shinigami?"
As a Sternritter who had long monitored the Seireitei, she was extremely familiar with Unohana Retsu's face.
'This woman isn't just a veteran among the Shinigami, she is now also the Fourth Espada of the Hollow King's palace?'
"Hello there."
Unohana was in her gentle Fourth Division captain persona, smiling warmly and waving at them as if greeting neighbors.
"Lady Unohana, hello!"
Without thinking, Meninas pressed down on Bambietta's head, and the two of them bowed deeply at a perfect ninety degrees.
'Are you kidding?'
This seemingly gentle big sister, cut her open and she'd definitely be pitch black inside.
Someone who could rank fourth among a group full of monsters while also being a thousand-year captain of the Shinigami… killing them would probably be easier than crushing ants.
After trembling through their greetings, the two finally reached the end of the corridor.
The top three Espada ahead, Nelliel, Lilynette, Harribel, they had already seen them.
After bowing to each of them, they finally qualified to step into the end of this pilgrimage path.
At the end of the palace stood a towering throne woven from illusory spirit particles.
The throne looked close, yet also distant. It didn't seem large, yet gave off an immense, towering presence.
On that throne, Rosse sat quietly, wearing that black Hollow King robe.
He released no spiritual pressure.
Yet the moment his indifferent gaze lowered, Meninas felt her mind go blank, and an overwhelming urge to kneel in worship surged up like a tide.
Noble. Sacred. Untouchable.
The existence before her was nothing like a sinister tyrant like Yhwach.
He was more like a god walking among mortals.
'Kyahhh! That damned Candice!'
Meninas screamed inwardly, her face twisting with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
'We have all been struggling together in the Wandenreich, yet she already latched onto a thigh like this?'
'Something this good! You should've said so earlier!'
'If I had known sooner, I would've defected long ago!'
Maybe by now she'd already have a seat among the Espada, instead of getting scared out of her wits like today.
On the throne, Rosse slowly leaned forward.
Those eyes seemed to pierce through space, landing on the two trembling girls below the steps.
"Meninas McAllon."
"Bambietta Basterbine."
His voice was soft, yet carried a soul-piercing resonance as it echoed through the vast hall.
Bambietta's expression turned serious. Without the slightest hesitation, she dropped to one knee, bowing her proud head deeply, "Bambietta greets Your Majesty."
Since she had already chosen to defect, there was no point hesitating.
Better to gamble on a future before a new master than go back and die. That was her survival logic.
But beside her, Meninas wasn't nearly as quick.
"I-I'm here!"
The moment she heard that voice, Meninas' body jolted like she'd been electrocuted. Because of the sudden movement, the impressive curve of her chest bounced noticeably.
She instinctively straightened her body, her eyes hazy, cheeks flushed.
'Oh my god, that voice is way too nice.'
Just hearing her name called, her mind had already skipped ahead to naming future children with His Majesty.
Only when she noticed the strange looks from around her did she suddenly realize her slip, quickly lowering her head in embarrassment and kneeling beside Bambietta, her voice as soft as a mosquito, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Very good."
Rosse nodded slightly, not caring about the girl's little thoughts.
"From today onward, you are members of the Hollow King's palace."
But in the next second, his tone suddenly shifted, carrying a hint of amusement, "So, watching your people abandon the darkness for the light…"
"Don't you have anything to say? Or will you just keep hiding in the shadows like a rat?"
The moment those words were spoken, the backs of Meninas and Bambietta prickled as they instinctively wanted to turn around in fear.
They suddenly realized, as Quincy, the source of their power was Yhwach.
That old man could use the Schrift he granted them to constantly sense everything around them.
Thinking about being watched at all times by that old man, both girls felt a wave of disgust, worse than being killed.
'That damn perverted voyeur!'
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