Dragon's Wraith: Nope.
An extreme fan of - me: You are correct in that there will be a time-skip. As for Naruto getting smarter, I wouldn't say he is getting fundamentally more intelligent, but he IS getting more experienced. However, he is by no means nicer than he was in earlier Chapters, just more manipulative. I've planned him to be the villain of the story, and that should become clear to anyone who doubts it within the next few Chapters.
Here's Chapter 26, the final chapter of the Reino Humanoide Arc. Chapter 27 will begin a brand new arc much different than the past ones we've seen, and it's going to be a doozy, no doubt.
I'd also like to thank my audience for helping me breach 300,000 hits to this story.
Chapter 26: Dreendo y Torobic
Years before the main storyline...
Baraggan Louisenbarn wasn't always the most powerful king in all of Hueco Mundo. There was once a time when he was just like an ordinary Hollow, except with the strange desire to see Hueco Mundo change, and at the center he would rule it all. He wanted to be king of this god-forsaken place, and finally instill some order into the world that knew nothing but violence and instinct.
He had been at least somewhat successful thus far, having recently risen to Vasto Lorde after merely twenty years as a Hollow. He had also gathered up a good number of powerful Hollows who believed in his cause, even though it was nowhere near enough to begin a kingdom.
He mirrored Naruto's path in just about everything, minus the pure sadism that formed Naruto's personality. He had even found himself a right-hand man in the form of Valicav, though more often than not he took on the role of an advisor.
However, Baraggan couldn't shake the feeling that he was somewhat out-of-place with the rest of them. Out of the five-hundred or so Hollows who currently followed his lead, most if not all of them were either civilized, or afraid of retribution should their bloodthirsty nature ever come out in front of the others. Valicav, on the other hand, was the closest there was to a normal Hollow. Borderline psychotic, the strong Adjuchas was only here because Baraggan got to him early, and the fact that he was clever, and gave such good advice. Baraggan doubted he could have gotten so far without him.
The whole group seemed to be eking out sort of a nomadic lifestyle, until they could gather enough numbers to be able to form a permanent settlement. These were dark times, even for Hueco Mundo. There was a disturbing lack of a central organization, such as a kingdom, which could bring control to Hueco Mundo, even if it was only slight.
Baraggan was aware of an empire that spanned nearly all of Hueco Mundo and could probably even rival Soul Society in power, but it had collapsed several centuries ago due to a reason unknown to Baraggan. However, he did know that one could find remnants of this once great kingdom in its capital, which was located near the ocean. And surprisingly enough, there were rumors that its emperor was still out there somewhere, biding his time.
He turned back towards his future subjects. They seemed to be sitting stoically, either in the tents they had managed to create, or out in the open. Occasionally, one of the more restless Hollows would resist the urge to eat.
Baraggan was still an idealistic young Hollow. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that they could unite all Hollows, given their nature, but he believed that a fair number of them cooperate with each other, and only eat those outside of their kingdom.
His attention was cut from the condition of his subjects over to an even younger Adjuchas that seemed to approaching him easily. His appearance wasn't flattering, being an ugly grey, and he seemed almost devilish with the way his mask was formed. Still, he had a cocky and hot-blooded expression on his face, coupled with no little amount of bloodlust.
"Baraggan," he began, not even slightly respectful in the face of his leader. "I believe we have stayed here long enough. The other Hollows are aware of our presence, and have reacted accordingly to avoid us. Prey is becoming slim, and though you became a Vasto Lorde and no longer have the need to eat, the rest of us will eventually be affected. We will soon need to find new hunting grounds," he said.
Baraggan nodded, surprisingly understanding of their current predicament. He looked over the encampment again, and spotted that his newest recruits seemed to be faring the worst. They were a pair of young Adjuchas brothers who seemed to have become Hollows together. The younger was definitely the more laid-back of the two, and only joined him for an easier chance to get food.
The older, however, seemed to be slightly on the power-hungry side. They both seemed to have become Adjuchas only recently, and the older one seemed to be getting intoxicated by his own power, which was admittedly very high.
There came a shriek from the middle of the encampment, as a particularly large Adjuchas rose to his feet, howling in what could only be hunger. Baraggan grit his teeth; he knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.
The Adjuchas howled violently, throwing its sinewy arms around and scattering the surprised Hollows around him.
"I can't take this anymore! I NEED TO EAT!" he roared, as he took a bite out of a normal Hollow who was unfortunate enough not to get away. The other Hollows gave him a wide berth as he chewed the remains enthusiastically.
The Adjuchas hissed psychotically, the small meal doing next to nothing for his hunger and bloodlust. He stalked outwards, towards the two Adjuchas brothers, who were casually sitting there.
The Hollow roared again as he charged the two Adjuchass, and raised one of his limbs in preparation to strike the two smaller Adjuchas. One of the Adjuchas, humanoid and blood-red in color, rose from his seat with startling fluidity, and caught the Adjuchas' limb in a surprising display of strength.
The other Adjuchas reared back in shock, but not before his opponent's arm glowed with a reiatsu that seemed as hot as the sun. The larger Adjuchas didn't have time to react as the clutched appendage exploded in a blaze of glory, now only a stump attached to the main body.
"AGGHH! You bastard!" the Adjuchas roared before he collapsed to the ground. His future killer allowed a look of bloodlust to pass through his face, while his brother watched the fight stoically off to the side.
Without saying a single word, the humanoid Adjuchas wrapped his hand around the downed Adjuchas throat squeezing tightly while allowing the hot reiatsu to glow vibrantly. Then, all of a sudden, he allowed it to explode, creating a fountain of blood and a now headless Adjuchas.
The other Hollows in the camp murmured to themselves, all the while backing themselves away from the battle's victor. He went back to join his stoic brother, but not before noticing that both Baraggan and Valicav had their eyes on him. Baraggan was watching him as stoically as his brother, while Valicav seemed to have a look of glee on his face, as if this was a Hollow whom he could control.
The two top Hollows looked at each other in understanding, before Baraggan gestured his advisor to follow. As they approached the two, the look of stoicism on both of their faces disappeared into a look of respect.
They bowed deeply, each of them muttering, "Baraggan-sama, Valicav-sama..."
Valicav snickered, but Baraggan said nothing for a few seconds.
"You two... what are your names?" he asked finally, his tone never betraying anything unpleasant, just a simple curiosity. The two weaker Hollows in front of him answered immediately.
"Dreendo..." said the older brother, while the younger one muttered "Torobic."
"Dreendo and Torobic, eh? Those were some superb fighting skills you just displayed right there, Dreendo. It would be perfect, because I'm feeling a little lack of authority in these Hollows. The two of us can only handle so much, so I need some positions of power other than myself and Valicav..." he explained to the disbelieving Adjuchas, who knew where this was going.
"I think you two are perfect for the job..."
A stream of lightning connected with Dreendo's arm, singing it somewhat seriously. He was just in time to stop one of Valicav's horns from impaling him, but couldn't stop the tricky and cunning lightning attack that followed.
"What's wrong, Dreendo? You never could keep up with me, even in your prime while an advisor for Baraggan," Valicav taunted, trying to get the words to sting close to home.
"Says the Hollow who had everything taken away from him. My kingdom is still intact, unlike yours, thanks to the stable influx of besti slaves. But, you wouldn't know about it, would you, since you and that pathetic Baraggan never supported the use of slavery." Dreendo retorted, creating a lance of explosive reiatsu and launching it at Valicav.
The Vasto Lorde avoided it easily, though the attack engulfed several fighting Hollows where it fell a good distance away. He was about to follow up with an explosive punch, but Valicav beat him to it.
"Agua Defensivo..." he muttered, throwing a not too impressive splash of water onto the battlefield. However, at the sight of it, Dreendo ceased his attack. He knew what that was; the water that could nullify any type of energy attack, including his explosions. True enough, the water glowed a bright green, giving it an unnatural hue.
The water covered the distance between the two combatants, and Dreendo knew he couldn't touch it, lest he lose the ability to use his strongest attacks. He needed to act quickly, before Valicav followed up with his. . .
The humanoid king noticed Valicav go into a stance he was all too familiar with, and panicked against his will. He used to Sonido to cross the gap of water without touching it, but it was too late.
"Agua Offensivo..." Valicav said, raising his hands in the air as the water came to life in the form of large bubbles that levitated in the air.
"Shit. . . " Dreendo said, as the bubbles morphed into little needles that were threatening to rain down upon him. He Sonido'd into the air and darted away, but the water then morphed into a tentacle which travelled at great speeds towards him. Dreendo attempted to buck it off of him, but the tentacle was too versatile and speedy even for him, and the strange greenish water wrapped itself around his left arm, which was the easiest place for it to capture. The water swung him around in the air for a while, before throwing and smashing him into the earth, before seeping in the arm.
Dreendo gasped as the water seeped into his arm. His left arm was now next to useless in the fight, as the seeping of the water negated his ability to use anything but physical attacks.
Physically attacks seemed to be what Valicav was going for though, as he didn't give Dreendo any time to recovered before appearing in his face, and slamming his powerful fist into the face of the weakened Vasto Lorde.
It would definitely leave a mark, but Dreendo wasn't down for the count. He failed to notice the fox Hollow that was getting to his feet after being knocked unconscious...
"Now, make sure you two find something interesting down there. We don't want to return to Baraggan empty-handed..." called Valicav to the two Hollows who were exploring a cave complex near the sea they had recently discovered. Despite being top advisors for Baraggan's kingdom, they had been ordered to lead an expedition team to the far east. Valicav, itching for adventure and a fight or two, wouldn't hear about being left behind.
The other Hollows around them gave grunts of agreement, prompting Dreendo to lash out in annoyance, while Torobic simply looked on ahead towards his goal.
"Figures that most of the Hollows accompanying us would be animal Hollows..." he muttered to himself. He was definitely getting annoyed with them, after noticing that they seemed to be much rowdier than humanoid Hollows. He had to train these assholes, for God's sake.
He noticed a few grunts ahead of him; Torobic seemed to have taken out a few enemy Hollows. This proved that this cave complex was inhabited, but he doubted anything there would pose a real threat towards them.
"Yeah, yeah, we'll find something to bring back to Baraggan so this expedition wasn't a giant waste of time for everyone," called back Dreendo, not really caring if Valicav had heard him or not.
The humanoid Adjuchas was getting a lot grumpier after many years in Baraggan's forces. He had joined for power, and was even awarded a high position in the kingdom that gave him importance over the other Hollows. So, why the hell didn't he feel much stronger than the day he was recruited?
It was because his king was always turning his attention to the weaker Hollows instead of him. Where was the power that Baraggan had promised him all those years ago? It was given to the new Hollows that were rapidly joining the kingdom, most of them animal Hollows.
He was cut from his thoughts by his brother, who told him that they should continue moving. His brother was an animal Hollow too, he realized, taking the shape of large, grey ox. He had adjusted reasonably well to Las Noches, never demanding any power like he had, yet he still managed to grow stronger than him.
"Yeah, I'm coming..." he called unenthusiastically, the voice drowning out whatever Valicav had called back towards him. He didn't know whether Valicav was still talking after a while, because they had moved deeper into the cave so that all voices from the surface would be drowned out completely.
Dreendo was thoroughly surprised about this place, though he didn't let it show. It was Valicav's suggestion that they explore this place, probably just to make them do more work. The blood-red Hollow had simply expected an empty cave with a few Hollow here and there, but the place actually seemed to be some remnant of an ancient Hollow civilization. There were torches on the wall that lit the way, and occasionally they would run into a few wall paintings that seemed to tell some kind of story, though he couldn't figure out what.
Torobic wasn't paying any attention to the walls, though that was just like him to not really care about anything. He was being cautious enough to stay on his guard though, as they both knew an attack could come at any time.
They descended down this long spiral staircase that seemed to be the main "hub" of the complex, until the two Hollows came across this large, worn-out door. It seemed weathered with age, but the few ornate designs it had left on it seemed to indicate that it led to somewhere important.
Torobic clutched the handle carefully and pulled, allowing the door to creak open with a small degree of effort. He peered inside, before his eyes focused on something that apparently was of interest to him.
"What is it? Do you see something, Torobic?" Dreendo asked, when he wasn't getting a response from his brother. The younger Hollow turned back towards Dreendo, his eyes fraught with confusion, but thankfully not worry.
"A... book?" Torobic said lightly, his voice just as confused as his eyes. Dreendo raised an eyebrow at the odd proclamation.
"A book? What's a book doing in a place like this?" he asked.
"I don't know..." said Torobic, as he swung the door open. "But whatever it is, it seems to be really important. I mean, just look at it!" he pointed into the room, where Dreendo saw the ornate, golden-bound book sitting on a crude pedestal of sorts, almost like it was a shrine.
Dreendo stepped into the room cautiously, subconsciously thinking that this was some kind of trap that would set off the moment he touched the thing. He vaguely noted a stone chair of sorts in the back of the humongous chamber, but it was unoccupied. He sauntered up to the book carefully, scrutinizing it before he came to the conclusion that it was safe to touch. The torches in the background shone on the book, giving it a sort of holy (or unholy) feel.
After a tense few minutes, he reached out and grabbed the book, grimacing while thinking about the trap he set off. Torobic, who was still outside the room, bunkered down and prepared for it as well. However, when the trap never came, Dreendo was able to get a good look at what he had taken.
It was lighter in his hands than he had expected, and as he flipped it over onto its front cover, he noticed that there was no title. Just a strange cross-like pattern that seemed to abundant all over the cover of the book, its spine included. He caressed the spine of the book lightly, the strange vibe he was getting from the tome intensifying.
He was about to open it, but as he did he felt a strange chill creep down his spine, just like he was being watched by something. His brother seemed to be feeling it too, but it went beyond a simple hunch, as he saw a pair of mustard-yellow eyes peer at them from a small opening to the right of the throne.
"Dreendo, look. Enemy!" Torobic shouted, pointing to the eyes that panned from Dreendo over to Torobic in the instant that he said that. Dreendo dropped the book immediately, before falling into a fighting stance to meet the current threat.
He noticed the eyes right before they disappeared, and a solemn figure walked casually out of the cave complex.
"Probably just a weak Hollow looking for an easy meal," he thought to himself, before a crushing reiatsu, even greater than Baraggan's both paralyzed him and his brother. The humanoid Adjuchas fell to his knees, breathing in heavily from the pure force that weighed down on them.
The figure came into full sight, and what a sight it was. A chimera-like Hollow, one that was clearly a Vasto Lorde, walked out of the small passageway, grinning at the downed Hollows. Dreendo managed to raise his head barely, taking in the Hollow who had the body of a lion and the mask of a snake, while two antlers protruded out of the reptilian mask. Its body was a deep yellow, going along with the lion theme it's lower body was going for.
It was strange, but Dreendo thought he saw this particular Hollow on some of the cave drawings on their way here. It was crude, yes, but there was no mistaking that body. Another strange thing was that he always seemed to be surrounded by a large key at his foot, while a tome was tucked underneath his arm.
"Well, well, well. It seems I have some rare visitors to my domain..." the chimera spoke, its voice a mixture of the hissing of a snake and the growling of a lion. He released the pressure on the two weaker Hollows, though they didn't dare attack him after that display of power.
"It seems you're not completely stupid. Almost any other Hollow would've attacked me right there," he mused, a sly grin coming onto his face as spotted the book at Dreendo's feet.
"But, it seems you've taken an interest in El Libro de Ciclos. I don't take very kindly to those who would steal my belongings, especially since that book contains all of MY records from when I ruled," he commented, his voice raising a bit near the end.
"W-Wait... s-so you w-wrote it..." wheezed Torobic as he climbed to his feet, still looking worse for wear. The chimera's attitude seemed to dampen at that, and he sat on his throne, slouching a little.
"Yeah... it's my compilation of all the discoveries I made during my time as ruler. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I made quite a few discoveries during that time..." he trailed off, and no one said anything for a little while.
"...But it doesn't matter. None of it. I lost it all when I overestimated my own abilities, and attacked the Soul Society... My kingdom, and all of the Hollows in it."
Dreendo's eyes widened significantly.
"W-Wait, kingdom. Your kingdom? Then that means... the rumors were..." he trailed off.
"Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Reporo, ruler of the Ancient Kingdom you've probably heard so much about. Indeed, I once ruled the vast majority of Hueco Mundo, and I even had the power to rival Soul Society... or so I thought." he explained.
"At the height of my power, I discovered the secret to Arrancarisation, and with that, I was unstoppable. Around five-hundred years ago, I attacked Soul Society in search of another thing that I made a discovery about. The attack went somewhat successful. With my forces, we managed to kill nine of the thirteen Captains, and eliminate over half of the total Shinigami. I even made it to the realm of the Spirit King, in order to consolidate my victory..."
"..But the royal guard, coupled with Yamamoto-Genryuusai was too much for me. Our forces were repelled, and the objective I searched for fell out of my grasp. I just barely managed to escape back into Hueco Mundo, but my beautiful kingdom was in tatters. I have lived in regret ever since..." Reporo finished. Dreendo suspected that the old Vasto Lorde simply wanted someone to talk to after all these years.
"In hindsight, I have nothing left. Everything in that book I already know. So, thinking about it, you can have it. These last five hundred years have humbled me completely, and if someone can find a use for my discoveries, go for it. The secret of Arrancarisation is in there; you'll be able to do great things if you become an Arrancar."
Dreendo stared numbly at the book, never having interrupted during Reporo's tale. He was just gonna give it to us. According to him, the secrets behind this book were incredible. Hell, it would be very valuable if the only thing contained here was the secret to Arrancarisation.
"Please, leave me be. Take it and go..." Reporo said solemnly, clearly taken back by all the memories he just recounted to them. Dreendo didn't say a word, deciding to leave the old Hollow to wallow in his misery.
He picked up the tome, apparently the last vestige of the greatest Hollow in existence, and left, leaving the old Hollow down there alone.
As they headed back to the surface, their eyes were glued to the text in awe at what Reporo had discovered. The secret to Arrancarisation was the main topic of the book, and already Dreendo's mind was swimming with the amount of power he could obtain. So much more than what he could have in Baraggan's kingdom.
Torobic seemed to have the same idea, at least somewhat, and it was rare to take this kind of interest in power. As they neared the exit, they could see one of their Hollows looking back at them before he scampered off, no doubt to tell Valicav that they have returned.
"So, you have returned. I think it's about time we head back to Las Noches. We've been out here long enough, and Baraggan can't go more than two years without us. Why don't you tell me your findings as we head back?" said Valicav.
Dreendo and Torobic looked at each other, before Dreendo stepped up with arms around the book.
"No, I don't think we'll be going back."
"Eh?"
Dreendo smiled evilly.
"I have a book holding the most powerful secrets to Hueco Mundo in my hands. Why would I want to go back to some ass-backwards kingdom that hasn't made any advancements in years..."
"... I think it's time that Hueco Mundo learned of the name Dreendo!"
Naruto awoke with a splitting headache, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was that that bastard Dreendo was still out there and kicking, and that Valicav had shamed him immensely.
He launched a Cero out of frustration, which clipped two more fighting Hollows and alerted both Dreendo and Torobic of his presence.
"Oh, so that kid's awake again... " muttered Dreendo, more out of frustration than amusement. Valicav seemed somewhat perterbed by it as well, as he knew Naruto would be a handful if he were awake.
"DREENDO!" he roared, rushing into battle again, uncaring of his downed comrades. He only had one goal right about now, and that was eliminate the enemy in front of him.
He attempted to tear into Dreendo as fast as he could, scratched, tearing, biting, and firing Ceros at the Vasto Lorde. But, Dreendo took them all with fluid movement, proving how feeble such attacks were to him. But, the arrogant Vasto Lorde missed one thing.
"Fuego Ofensivo!" roared Valicav, as he slammed his fiery fist into Dreendo's torso, which propelled the king forward, allowing Naruto to strike him with his hind leg up into the air.
The fox sonido'd up there, raising both claws and slashing across his torso with them, creating deep gashes that formed an X pattern across his torso. The king fell to earth, but Valicav knew he wouldn't be defeated by that, so he prepared for it.
"Agua Ofensivo..." he cried, spreading a pool of the deadly water across the ground. Naruto caught the hint of where Dreendo was supposed to land, and before the king himself could recover, he was kicked downwards in the pool of water. The water almost scalded Dreendo's skin, but it began to yet again seep into it, stripping him of all his explosive powers.
For a time, Dreendo and Torobic ruled together, forming a surprisingly stable kingdom on the island where Dreendo's current kingdom lay. Both of the brothers managed to rise to Vasto Lorde using the book's help. But, as time went on, Dreendo started to get greedy trying to figure out the secret of Arrancarisation, while Torobic began to tire of being in his brother's shadow as supreme leader of the kingdom, and his apparent racism.
"Dreendo, is this really necessary?" asked Torobic, seeing the numerous slave Hollows digging a deep burrow beneath the island. Being an animal Hollow himself, he was very uncomfortable with his brother's methods, but never raised this concern to him personally.
"You know it is, Torobic. The book says that in order to become Arrancar, one must find of the eighty-six Bolas de Evolución that have been here since the beginning of Hueco Mundo. These orbs of light forcibly remove the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollow, allowing the Hollow to become Arrancar. While some Hollows have stumbled across the Bolas and become Arrancar unintentionally, this will be the first mass Arrancarisation since the great times of the Ancient Kingdom. It is completely and utterly necessary..."
"And the diagram of Hueco Mundo left in the book detail the locations of eighty-five of the eighty-six Bolas. And the closest one is underneath our very island, which is why I am using the animal slaves to dig it up."
"But..."
"Torobic, I am the older brother, and more powerful than you are. You may be second-in-command, but I can still turn you into an animal slave like the besti that you are! So I suggest you stop arguing with me before I lose my temper..." he said curtly.
Torobic glared at him intensely, but Dreendo paid him no mind. The younger brother of the two swept back into the castle, his mind made up on something he had to do.
Later that night, the shadow of an ox crept through the castle's walls into a small chamber, where El Libro de Ciclos set itself upon a pedestal, much like the time when Reporo was the holder of the book.
"No security system as usual. It's a wonder how my stupid brother hasn't been assassinated yet." he muttered to himself, grabbing the book easily and without any traps being set off. He was aware that Dreendo would come after him, so he took the next half-hour to write his brother's weaknesses in the side margins for future reference.
He crept out of the room and into the main hallway again, watching himself for guards who might answer to Dreendo instead of him. He almost sighed in relief before a low voice resounded next to him, its tone filled with betrayed hatred.
"Going somewhere, Torobic?" it asked.
Torobic's breath caught in his throat, as he turned and laid eyes upon his brother, who was surrounded by a platoon of Adjuchas guards and glaring at him fiercely. Torobic backed up and held the book protectively.
Dreendo waved his hands, sending his personal set of guards out at his traitorous brother. Torobic looked around for an escape before the whole kingdom would be after him, but he had to cut off his thinking to hit the first guard in the jugular.
"There!" he thought, seeing a glass window on the other side. He propelled himself past the line of guards, but he was stopped at the window by his similarly skilled brother, who tried to cut him off with an explosive punch. He parried the thing easily, before throwing himself through the window and levitating in mid-air. He gallivanted about the castle, looking for the nearest leviathan Hollow so he could escape towards the mainland. The cave complex where Reporo was sounded like a good place to hole up, and prepare himself for Dreendo's retribution.
"Don't let him escape! He has El Libro de Ciclos. We need that book to tell us exactly how to active the Bolas de Evolución. We won't be able to evolve our forces without it!" Dreendo roared, sometimes even forcing his guards to get a move-on.
Dreendo would attempt to capture his brother sixteen times after Torobic holed himself into the cave complex. Each time would be a failure, and Dreendo would gain a deeper hatred for animal Hollows.
He also never saw El Libro de Ciclos ever again.
"Shit, that was a close one. I'm glad that didn't-" Dreendo cut himself off as he realized finally just where he was sitting. In a pool of Valicav's dangerous water, which had all soaked into his skin.
"NONONONONONONONO!" he screamed in his mind, baking away from the pool of water and back into the dirt again. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, and that was when he noticed both Naruto and Valicav looking at him, evil grins on their face. Valicav stepped forward, prompting Dreendo to step away, his true cowardly colors revealed now that he was powerless.
The former Rikudou Sennin punched, causing a sickening crack to appear on Dreendo's mask. He flew back several yards from the punch, landing in a heap a ways. It was Naruto's turn now, and the fox appeared in his face in an instant, again not giving Dreendo any time to recover. Normally, an Adjuchas like him wouldn't be a problem, even in his weakened state, but he was so worn out from fighting that even Naruto could lay a beat down on him.
The fox Hollow slashed him across the eyes, causing a cry of pain and a spasm of pleasure from Naruto. He clutched his mask, desperately trying to keep the blood out of his eyes, but to no avail. He was blinded, and with no way to stop it.
Although he couldn't see anymore, he definitely felt his airways being constricted as Naruto hoisted up the feeble king easily using only his front right paw. Dreendo coughed up blood violently, and gurgled loudly. The rest of the onlookers noticed the commotion over there, and slowly but surely, the fighting died down at the mesmerizing display of Dreendo about to be defeated.
Dreendo's vassals had a look of fear on their face for the condition of their king, while those on Naruto's side were simply confused about what was happening.
"W-Wait, we can talk this over, Naruto. I-I swear I'll leave you alone! I'll even give you my minions as slaves. Just please let me live! I don't need that book anymore. I-In fact, you can have it! Just-" he gurgled out his ramblings, though Naruto wasn't paying attention to any of it.
"N-No..." he whispered, as the younger Hollow tightened his grip around the Vasto Lorde's neck, his choking get more intense. He passed through muscle and sinew easily, and Dreendo felt it as his bones began to crack.
"Bleahh-" he moaned, as his vision began to get very blurry. Naruto gave him one last shit-eating grin, but wasn't even gracing his presence or status with any kind of words.
Squelch!
The Hollows around them gasped in surprise, as Naruto's paws didn't just go through bone, but obliterated Dreendo's neck completely. It was an explosion of blood and muscle tissue that scattered in a nearly ten foot radius around the pair. Naruto became drenched in the life fluid, but with his red coat of fur and armor, it wasn't that noticable.
Dreendo's head fell to the ground with a thump, lifeless eyes still screaming in agony. Naruto grinned at it, and picked up the head and placed the head next to the body.
He noticed Valicav walking up to him, but he was still reveling in his victory to attack the other Vasto Lorde for shaming him.
"About time someone took care of that asshole..." he muttered, as Naruto smirked at the body. His ears perked up at the low scream, and noticed that Dreendo's troops were scattering in every direction, desperate to get away now that their king had fallen.
"Cowards, every last one of them..." he muttered, tripping one running in his direction before tearing his throat out. "They're just like humans..." he said distastefully.
"Well, they are humanoid," pointed out Valicav.
Naruto hummed to himself. "Yeah, I guess it's a given that they're very similar to humans. I think I've decided that I don't need any Hollows like them fighting for me..."
"Well, do what you want then. I've had a bone to pick with Dreendo for quite a long time, and I've fulfilled my desire to bring him down. The rest is all you, so I think I'm gonna wander around Hueco Mundo some more..." he said before stopping.
"... Oh, by the way, since it is your kill, that means that the body is all yours. This would be your second Vasto Lorde meal, would it not?" said Dreendo, as the last winds just came out as a whisper on the wind as he sonido'd away from the battlefield.
Naruto didn't even notice him leave.
"Oh man, this is gonna be good..." said Naruto with glee, as he stared down at the carcass of Dreendo. He peered over to the side, and noticed that any of his generals hadn't woken up yet. Oh well, he could tend to them later.
Dreendo's troops had shuffled out completely, but Naruto swore he would kill them all later. Right now, all there was around were the Hollows in his kingdom, still staring at him in disbelief that he had taken out a Vasto Lorde of all Hollows. They seemed to be waiting for his next move.
Naruto didn't need any more prodding. He ate the head first, it being the most delectable to him, before he began tearing and chewing into the body. The other Hollows looked at him in envy, but he didn't pay them any mind. He was so engrossed on the great flavor.
He tore out a rib of meat and ate it, savoring every last bite, before a sudden feeling came over him. The bone clattered to the ground, it and the leftovers of Dreendo being forgotten as Naruto began to spasm.
It felt like he was going puke, but he simply fell to his knees and began breathing heavily. His mustard-yellow eyes rolled to the back of his head behind his mask, and little wisps of orange reiatsu began oozing off the young Hollow.
He gave a hideous roar, even more primal than his normal ones, towards the heavens, scattering all the Hollows in the vicinity. And then, what was just a little reiatsu became a full-on torrent of it, forcing the weaker Hollows to their knees to begin breathing heavily along with their king.
The orange reiatsu concentrated where Naruto, becoming a tornado of the stuff with a torrent of it blowing outwards towards the mass of Hollows. In the center, a figure glowing an even brighter orange took on a remarkable resemblance.
The confused Hollows stared at the spectacle in pure awe, not realizing what was happening until they finally came to their senses.
And when they realized what was happening, they all dropped to their knees and bowed.
End. Woo, the Dreendo arc is done.
The fight was a little anti-climactic in my opinion, but I think I closed it off quite well.
Review and give me your opinions, please!
Translations and Other Features
Agua Defensivo: Defensive Water
Agua Ofensivo: Offensive Water
Bola de Evolución: Ball of Evolution
That's all for now, so see you.
Alban55