The garganta is a pathway between Hueco Mundo and other worlds. One might say it's the space between worlds. Hiro and his friends were running through that area to enter Hueco Mundo. Hiro and Enru created trails for the others to run on forged sole their spirit energy.
"Man. The place looks like it goes on forever." Hiro said. "It's just an empty black void. It's so weird."
"This is the first time I've been inside." Daigo said.
"It might be unreal, but let's try to keep our focus boys." Daphne said. She was doing things a little differently. She looked like she was riding the trail she was on.
"Hey! How are you doing that? That doesn't seem fair." Hiro complained.
"Deal with it." Daphne said. "I'm able to use this because quincies are known for their manipulation of reishi. It doesn't really seem that much different than using Hirenkyaku, a speeding technique like how you boys use."
"How about letting the rest of us get a ride?" Hiro said.
"Nope." Daphne said and pulled ahead to Hiro's annoyance.
"Daigo, can I ask you something?" Lucas asked.
"What's up?" Daigo said.
"Do you and the others really know nothing about Hueco Mundo?" Lucas asked. He was a bit anxious on what was on the other end, but he doesn't know why.
"I have heard a few things from my captain." Daigo said. "The place this is suppose to lead us to is called Las Noches. Las Noches is a palace while the rest of Hueco Mundo is a place where the moon never goes down."
"Never goes down? You mean the place is nothing, but night? There's no such thing as day in Hueco Mundo?" Hiro said.
"I suppose it makes sense. Las Noches does mean night in Spanish." Daphne said.
"We'll see it all for ourselves soon enough. It looks like the end is coming up." Enru said. All of them saw an ending coming into view. All of them gave them one more stretched and shot through the garganta. All of them landed down and it looks like they were in some sort of hallway. The hallway that is part of the palace of the night.
"Whoa! Not bad." Hiro said as the place looked a lot nicer than he thought for a place in a world he believed to be just mindless monsters. "Is this place really Las Noches?"
"Perhaps." Ashiru said. "I would have assumed they would place us right outside, but it looks like they were placed us inside. This is strange." All of them heard a noise and saw they're only way back home closed.
"There goes our only way to go back. This better be worth it Hiro." Daphne said.
"Let's hope my message to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads got through." Daigo said. "Since we're here, we better stay focus on taking down the enemy. I wonder how big this place is." Lucas placed his hand on the wall.
"Lucas, what are you doing?" Enru said.
"Just a feeling I have." Lucas said. He was also getting a read on the size of the place and he was astonished by it all. "This place is massive. It's almost as if it would take days to get around the whole place. It's also complex. I can't really tell how large it is and there are so many corridors, paths, rooms, and much more."
"It's really that huge?" Ashiru said.
"We better get going then." Hiro said as he started walking. "Arracue and the rest of those arrancars are around here somewhere." All off them started to follow them until they came across an intersection in the hall and it split in six different directions.
"Now what?" Daigo said.
"Six different paths. Six of us. Obviously they want us to split up and take us on one-on-one." Enru said.
"That's crazy. Each of us individually, we're hardly a match for one of these arranars." Daphne said. "How could they have even known that there was going to be six of us?"
"I don't know, but what do we do from here? Do we split up or do we just stay together." Ashiru said.
"Did you not hear me? I'm saying it's bad for us to split." Daphne said.
"That might be, but we came here to defeat the enemy." Daigo said. "We're in uncharted territory to us. If we stick together, we're too big of a target. On top of that, if the place is as vast as Lucas say it is, it will take us forever to find Arracue. Not to mention that we have no idea who else could be here."
"Those still sound like good reasons for us to stay together." Daphne said.
"I'm actually agreeing with her." Hiro said.
"Some of us are soul reapers." Enru said. "We're trained to be soldiers. While caring and protecting others is admirable, we have to be able to handle ourselves. We'll be able to cover much more by each of us taking a different corridor."
"If we're also not able to handle situations like this on our own, we don't deserve to wield our blades." Daigo said. "This is also a matter of soul reaper pride. Daphe, as a quincy, I'm sure you would want to stand on your own as well, especially since there are so few of you left in the world." That really pulled Daphne's strings and she became convinced.
"So it looks like we're going our own ways." Lucas said.
"You going to be okay on your own?" Hiro asked.
"You don't need to worry about me." Lucas said. "I was able to handle myself pretty well in the Seireitei. I might not be a soul reaper or anything like that, but I can hold my own in a fight."
"It's agreed. We'll each take a path and face whatever is ahead of us." Daigo said. Hiro didn't like the idea he won't be able to help out his friends, but he also has faith that each one of them will make it out alive.
"Right." Hiro said as he turned towards his path. "Just one other thing. Remember that promise I gave to Sonya to come back alive? I'm passing it on to the rest of you. All of you better meet up with me and come back alive." All of them took part in that promise and chose their path. They all took down a different path and will face whatever is ahead of each of those paths.
….
Arracue
Arracue was actually using some surveillance that was in Las Noches and already became aware that Hiro and the others were here. He was also aware that they went in different directions, but nothing they've done seems to bother him.
"I'm actually amazed that they came and even more that they broke their little team apart." Arracue said as he leaned back in a throne chair. "Either way, it would have worked out. Given the circumstances, they would either have to divide and conquer or stay together for a long and enduring battle. I'm curious to see what they'll do next. Wouldn't you agree…..Tier Harribel?" Behind him was Tier Harribel, a female arrancar with short blonde hair and tanned skin. Toshiro believed she was the real one behind all this, but she's actually Arracue's prisoner for she was chained to the floor and looked beaten. All she did was glare at Arracue for she wanted him dead. "Still with the silent treatment? Oh well. Let's just sit back and enjoy the show that is to come."
…
Ashiru
Ashiru headed down the path that he chose. So far, he hasn't come across any kinds of resistance. He looked ahead and saw light at the end of the tunnel.
"What could that be?" Ashiru said as he ran ahead and he found himself outside on a bridge. "What the heck?" What he saw out there was hard for him to understand. He saw part of Las Noches was in ruin and he also saw the sky. He saw the night sky, but he also saw what look like blue sky, but it too was in ruin. The sky looked like a combo of daytime and nighttime. "What is this? I thought Hueco Mundo was everlasting night. How can there be blue sky? Is the blue sky fake? What's going on?" He wondered if this place was really Las Noches. Ashiru was careful with what he was doing, but he heard something behind him.
"Do you want me to explain it to you?" The person behind him was the mysterious cloaked arrancar and she sounded female. Ashiru reached for his sword ready to defend himself, but when he turned to face his opponent, she disappeared. She reappeared on the other end of the bridge that led to a smaller palace. The doors opened up for her. "Come on in." She went inside, but Ashiru wasn't letting her escape.
"Wait!" Ashiru called out as he ran in after her. As soon as he went in, the doors closed behind him and there wasn't any light in the area.
"That's much better. We can talk in private here." The arrancar said as she stood on a platform above him. Ashiru turned to face the opponent. "Allow me to give you a proper introduction." She reached for the cloak and the clothed mask that kept her face hidden. "My name is Amari Aurnaria." She removed them both and was wearing an elegant white strapless dress with her sword carried on her side. "You might know me as someone else." Ashiru was beyond shocked to see whose face was under that piece of clothing.
"Minarin! No!" Ashiru said. After so long, thought to be dead, Ashiru has been reunited with his love, but does she still love him or has she turned away from the Soul Society and committed herself to the hollows?
To Be Continued…..
