Bleach: Starting as a Vasto Lorde

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."