A.N: Nothing to say here, other than the fact that another chapter is down. Although, I do hope that everyone will be happy to know that I intend to keep writing new things once I finally finish up the Infinito Espada series. I've already got a few ideas in mind.

Chapter 14: The Hollow God

Akio Yamamoto gave Halibel a cocky grin. "We're winning." He said teasingly.

Halibel gritted her teeth from beneath her Hollow Mask. Dammit, she thought. That's another comrade down. Forgive me, you three. I will try to make sure that your sacrifices will not be in vain.

Halibel charged Akio and the two locked blades once more. "I'll admit, you Soul Reapers have grown much stronger. It was my mistake for me not to take you seriously."

The two created distance between each other. "I admire someone who's willing to admit his or her mistakes. Just know that that mistake is gonna cost you." Said Akio.

"We will see." Halibel replied.

The two stared each other down for awhile, waiting for the other to make the first move. "There's one thing I don't get, however." Said Akio.

"What?" Halibel asked.

"You don't seem like the type that would actually want war." Said Akio. "Unlike some of the other Arrancar I've met, you seem quite...docile. So peaceful and non-violent."

Halibel narrowed her eyes. "So what exactly are you doing here wrapped up in this mess, Halibel?"

Halibel paused. "Love and loyalty, I guess." She said. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. But there really is no reason for me not to."

Akio knew that she was talking about the king. Akio sighed. "You know, I can also admire someone with a strong sense of loyalty."

Akio narrowed his eyes. "But at the same time, I also detest that loyalty when it completely eclipses your own personal beliefs."

Halibel glared at Akio. "You have no right to judge me," she said. "It's perfectly natural to show unrelenting loyalty to the one you love."

"It is," Akio said. "But it's unnatural to be a brainwashed drone that doesn't even try to think for herself. Loyalty means nothing if you end up practically becoming a soulless slave to the one your loyal to. Love and loyalty are a two-way street that requires both things from both parties. I've come to learn that."

Halibel angrily charged Akio, who barely blocked the attack. "You think you can just insult me?" Halibel asked angrily. "You, some upstart captain who only means something because of his family name."

"Maybe I am an upstart." Said Akio. "I won't deny that. But what the hell are you and the rest of this army? Just a bunch of puppets with no sense of independence being manipulated by that bastard king, Benito, into building his phony, brand new kingdom. As much as I've grown respect you, your ideals, and your power Halibel, that is no way to live."

"You think I have no independence? No free will?" Halibel asked, her anger rising. "What I've done is of my own device. I follow him because I want to, dammit!"

Halibel's Fracciónes' eyes widened in shock. "I've...never seen Queen Halibel that angry before." Mila Rose said in shock.

"To break her normally calm and emotionless shell, just who is this Soul Reaper?" Asked Sun-Sun.

Apacci glared at Akio. "More like who does he think he is?"

Apacci pointed at Akio. "Hey, asshole! You have no right to talk to Queen Halibel like that!"

"Silence, Apacci."

Apacci turned to Halibel. "Let me silence him."

Akio grinned. "Lets see you back that up."

Love Aikawa could only furrow his brows in annoyance. The elderly Arrancar he had been facing off against had proven to be a greater challenge than he had expected. It had been his fault, really. He didn't expect a guy who looked so old to be so strong unless he had some sort of gimmick like the Espada, Hachi had fought. Of course, the Head Captain was pretty strong as well, but that old geezer was a special case. Then there was this guy, who surprisingly had a lot of physical strength underneath that withered, skinny body of his. The elderly Arrancar placed his hands together. "O mighty Hollow God who hath come to Hueco Mundo in the form of our king, forgive this sinful Soul Reaper for trying to kill me. Forgive him, for he will soon die and he needs thy mercy." He prayed.

Love raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This sinner must be punished," the Arrancar continued. "So as your humble servant, Baltasar Cebrián, disciple of the great prophet, Armando Brizna, I beg of you to allow me to punish this Soul Reaper."

"Hollow God?" Love asked.

"Sinner!" Baltasar screamed. "Do not interrupt my prayer! You shall not interrupt me as I pray to my god for the right to punish you."

"What kind of god are you even talking about?" Love asked.

Baltasar looked offended. "The Hollow God, of course."

"I realize that, but who the hell are you even talking about."

Baltasar sighed. "I suppose I should explain to you just who the Hollow God is, after all, it is his will that we rain down punishment on you sinners."

Love scoffed at this. Baltasar gave a twisted smile beneath his wrinkly features. "While it may seem that we aren't the religious type, we Hollows have a natural instinct to follow and worship the strongest. In fact, the concept of said instinct and the very idea of a Hollow God came about a thousand years ago."

Baltasar gave Love a curious look. "Have you ever heard of Tezuma? The first King of Hueco Mundo. No, the first Hollow God?"

Love was surprised. "Heard of him? Damn, I had to listen to Shunsui and Jūshirō tell me about how powerful he was. Dude's a legend."

"The great Hollow God, Tezuma was the first perfect Arrancar. A man so powerful, he didn't need the powers of Sōsuke Aizen's Hōgyoku. He came to Hueco Mundo in the flesh. He ruled Hueco Mundo, bringing order to the lawless world."

Baltasar sighed. "And he did, for years, until you Soul Reapers put an end to his reign and destroyed his mortal shell."

"Mortal shell?" Love repeated. "Buddy, that guy was no god. If he was, then the old man wouldn't have beaten him all those years ago."

"Ah, yes, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the worst enemy our people have ever had." Baltasar said, knowing who love was talking about.

Baltasar glared at Love. "I will not have you speaking of my god as such. Especially when the second coming of our god has come."

"Second coming of your phony god, huh?" Love asked.

"Our new king, Benito Muerta, he is the man who has become our god and has once again brought order to our world."

"Is that what that guy has convinced you of?" Love asked.

"Our current god is humble, he has told us not to think of him as a god. But I, as a firm believer, know better. I know that he is our god. The generals are his prophets, and I, myself, am nothing more than a disciple."

"Buddy, your religion is a little too messed up," Love pointed out. "You basically worship the strongest being, a true religion is serving one single immortal deity or multiple deities. Not what you're talking about."

Baltasar dug his sword into the sand and raised his hands. "My faith is not foolish," he insisted. "As I've said before, all of our kind bow down and worship the strongest of us all. It is nothing more than instinct. Is that not any different from you Soul Reapers. You all bow down to the Head Captain. I pity you, all you faithless fools."

Baltasar was raising his voice. "Benito Muerta came to us after a thousand years of discord and reminded us of the power of Tezuma! He is the second coming of the mighty Hollow God himself!"

Baltasar was almost screaming. "Curse them, Brujo!"

Love grimaced as Baltasar's spiritual pressure shot up. Baltasar soon appeared as a man dressed in witch doctor garb with a tiki-like mask and a staff with a skull on it. "Prepare for your judgement, sinner." Baltasar said. "For I am your judge, jury, and executioner. And my verdict is that you are guilty of your sins. And the punishment, as always, is death."

"Surrender and I'll show you mercy!" Tōshirō shouted.

Armando laughed. "You're in no position to say that kid. I'm pressing you, remember?"

That was certainly true, this man was definitely as strong as most of the captains in the Thirteen Court Squads, and he maybe even surpassed a few, including Tōshirō himself. The young captain realized he needed to try and stall Armando so he could catch his breath and think up a plan of action. He had to do it quick, because if he died here, Momo would have no chance against him. "You know," he began. "There's been something I've been curious about for a long time."

Armando raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What's that?"

"The story behind your king." Tōshirō said. "I'd really like to know how someone strong enough to beat Ichigo manages to fly under the radar for so long. Better yet, where did someone that strong even come from."

"Heh, you're a curious little runt, are you?" Armando taunted.

Armando chuckled. "I guess there's no reason not for me to tell you."

Armando narrowed his gaze at the young captain. "You've heard of the original King of Hueco Mundo, right? The Hollow God, Tezuma."

Tōshirō was surprised, but nodded. "Of course," he replied. "There was a section about him in the Academy's history lessons."

"A long time ago, Tezuma ruled Hueco Mundo as the mighty Hollow God. He united all the Arrancars and had achieved something that today would be considered impossible. Peace in Hueco Mundo."

Armando paused to allow this to sink in. "Unfortunately, his rule came to an end a thousand years ago."

Armando grinned. "But here's the awesome part, his will has remained."

"What do you mean?" Tōshirō asked.

"Well," Armando began. "It is said that the king, Benito, was alive a thousand years ago. And King Tezuma passed on his will to him so he could become the new god of Hueco Mundo."

Armando chuckled lightly. "Personally, I don't really think it's true. I think it's some piece-of-crap rumor that his psycho devotees, that follow him and treat him like he really is the second coming of our Hollow God, made up to turn everyone else into psycho devotees. It's a shame that my idiot Fracción, Baltasar became one of those devotees. The guy's convinced that me and the other generals are prophets and him and the other Fracciónes are our disciples or something. It's a load of crap as far as I'm concerned. I never liked the guy anyway. If we wasn't stronger than me I'd kill him."

Benito raised an eyebrow as Armando said this. "And if you weren't so useful I'd kill you, Armando." He said.

"Shall I kill him for that insult sir?" Tesla Lindocruz asked.

"You're far below his level of power Tesla. It'd be a waste of a perfectly good soldier. Only one of the generals are capable of dealing with Armando."

Benito looked at Armando on the screen. "He's always been unruly, the only reason I keep him around is because of his power. So lets just deal with him until after the war."

Armando gave a small grin. "None of that really matters in the end. It doesn't matter if Benito is a god or not. The point is, I get to prove the superiority of my species over yours, that is the only reason I joined this army. Not out of fear or loyalty, simply that."

"It's quite interesting," Tōshirō interrupted. "Of all the Arrancar I've met, you all seem quite independent, following the strongest for their own reasons. You almost seem...human."

Tōshirō remembered his battle with Halibel. He hadn't given it much thought at the time, but awhile later, he realized that she wasn't exactly a 'monster' like the Hollows he used to encounter when he was starting out as a Soul Reaper. It genuinely saddened him to think that the people who were labeled 'the bad guys' were at times just as human as they were. But then Tōshirō remembered something else. "However, regardless of our personal feelings," Tōshirō continued. "We still have a duty to our comrades who fight with us and the people who count on us. So, I fight, regardless of how human you all seem. I may hate it, but it's a cycle none of us can escape. Wouldn't you agree?"

Armando chuckled. "Yes," he replied. "I suppose I can agree with you on that."

Armando prepared to strike again. "But a very effective way to end that cycle is to wipe out one side. So lets see which side is going to get wiped out, brat."

Baltasar waved his skull staff around. The skull started to glow. "Riecráneos!" Baltasar shouted.

The staff shot out of wave of dark, human skulls. What was eery to Love, however, was that each skull was laughing at a high pitch, maniacally. Love flash stepped out of the way and watched as the skulls completely shattered the trees behind him. "Damn," Love muttered. "I would not want to get hit by that."

"My Riecráneos causes internal damage," Baltasar explained. "Destroying all living things from the inside out. From trees, to people, anything that has a lifespan will be wiped out by my power."

Baltasar twirled his staff. "Demonio Vio!"

Love leapt out of the way as dark, circular energy shot towards him. It's the same mechanics behind his attack. Love thought. That dark energy he places into that staff. I wonder though, is the attack like Kidō or a Cero?

Love moved in to attack, only to see Baltasar block it with his staff. "Vibración Oscura." Said Baltasar.

Dark waves that looked like ripples came out of Baltasar's staff. Love groaned in pain and stumbled back, blood came out of his ears. "That attack is meant to disorient the enemy. I only gave you a small dose." Said Baltasar.

Love, in spite of his dizzy spell, grinned. "Now, I'll finish you off with my ultimate power."

Baltasar released a small orb. "I'll finish you off now with my most powerful attack. Bomba Oscura!"

The small orb suddenly expanded and exploded. "Fool, you've underestimated me and my faith. And now, as a result, you have been punished for your sins."

Baltasar suddenly felt a new spiritual pressure. It was similar to Love's from before, but it was different...almost Hollow-like. The dust cleared to reveal that Love was wearing his Hollow Mask and was releasing a great deal of spirit energy. Love's spiritual power had protected from the blast in a similar way Kenpachi Zaraki uses his spirit energy as armor. With the combined power of his own captain-level spirit energy and his Hollow-like spirit energy, the armor was almost impenetrable. "Sorry about not taking you seriously earlier. I guess I can owe that to the fact that I tend to put too much stock into looks. Well, let me show you what I can really do."

Baltasar looked at Love's Hollow Mask in surprise. "That's...Hollowfication, right?"

"So, you know about us?" Love asked.

Baltasar nodded. "Your kind are nothing more than hybrid freaks meant to be exterminated."

Love ignored the insults. He had known for the hundred years he had been exiled that him and his friends would be treated differently because of their difference. "You know, you said something earlier that I found quite interesting," Love said. "You called us fools for being faithless.

Love raised his blade. "But the thing is, we really don't need to believe in gods," Love continued, remembering what Hachi had once said several years ago. "As Soul Reapers, we are the gods of death. It's not necessarily a god-complex, but it was a title we've had to carry because it is our responsibility to regulate the laws of deaths. We have to be gods because we need order. Religious faith is a two-way street, if you're going to make people respect your faith, than you have to respect theirs. You wanted to make me fear your god, Tezuma. But he's not your god right now, I am. And I'm about to hand down my own judgement."

Baltasar prepared to defend himself. "Slam, Tengumaru!" Love shouted.

Love's Zanpakutō changed into a giant spike club. Baltasar laughed. "You will hand down judgement to me? How foolishly arrogant!"

Baltasar pointed his staff at Love. "Riecráneos!"

The screaming skulls flew at Love. Love simply swung Tengumaru and made the skulls disperse. "It really doesn't matter what you believe in, the end. What really matters is how you view other people's beliefs. And your lack of respect for anyone else's beliefs and a lack of respect for anyone in general...is just plain sickening."

Tengumaru lit itself on fire. "Time for my judgement, old man."

Love charged Baltasar. Baltasar raised his staff again. "Riecráneos!"

Love quickly swung Tengumaru and destroyed the skulls once more. Baltasar's eyes widened. One thought came to his mind. Long live the Hollow God.

The flaming Tengumaru crushed Baltasar underneath. Leaving a broken and charred body. Love's mask broke. "Five minutes." He simply said.

Tengumaru was resealed. "To think it only took five minutes for me to kill you. Well, guess it isn't surprising, since I'm a super hero, you know."

Love walked away from the body. "Now then, I'm going to go and see how powerful this god of yours is."

Mila Rose's eyes widened in surprise. "They got you too, eh Baltasar?"

Apacci grimaced. "This is getting bad, real fast."

Sun-Sun nodded in agreement. Apacci turned to Halibel, who was still fighting with Akio. "Queen Halibel!" Apacci shouted, getting her mistress' attention. "Let us join you!"

Mila Rose chimed in. "We have to finish him off and take care of the other Soul Reapers, M'Lady!"

"Stay out of this fight, girls!" Halibel shouted.

Apacci and Mila Rose were surprised. "And above all, do not release that thing." Halibel added. "We must save our strength."

"Then let us fight with you so we can finish him off!" Apacci shouted.

Halibel shook her head. "He'll kill you easily."

Akio shrugged. "Not necessarily." He said. "Since I'm a nice guy, I'll probably just incapacitate you girls. I'm only interested in killing your king."

"You shut up!"

"Yes Ma'am."

"We cannot waste our strength." Continued Halibel. "The beginning of the end is coming real soon. We must save our strength, or risk joining the dead. I want to end this with victory, and with as few casualties as possible."

Akio couldn't help but feel impressed by Halibel's attitude on her subordinates and their survival. "We will fight with all our might, very soon. And we will return to Hueco Mundo together!"

A.N: Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter.