Luz was a little down after Amity and the twins left. She was still frustrated with herself for freezing up like that. Luz had thought she had gotten over it, she had no fear when she pointed to that man when she was called to testify, she showed no fear when his bully lawyers tried to make her out to be a liar with an "overactive imagination", but even after knowing he was sent to jail, and now more recently that he was dead in the ground, she still trembled at the mention of his name.
"All this power, all my abilities, and hearing his name still makes me scared. I'm an Arrancar, the strongest kind of Hollow. Even Amity said it, I'm a dangerous existence. And yet…ugh!" Luz growled as she went to slam her hand against the wall, but quickly stopped, keeping her fist just inches away from actually hitting the wall. "Calm down, Luz." She told herself. "Gonna be hard to explain why the whole wall is gone."
Unfortunately, as much as Luz didn't want to admit it, it seemed that that man still had her in his grip. She texted Amity to see if she could come over, mostly because she wanted her girlfriend at her side. And Luz may or may not have wanted to feel up her hot Soul Reaper girlfriend. But more the former than the latter. But Amity had texted back saying that she was spending time with her brother and sister. Luz wasn't going to get in the middle of that, she wanted Amity to spend time with Edric and Emira, so she told her that it was okay. She texted Willow, but she had declined saying she was helping out her fathers. Luz's next best bet was Gus, but…considering what Willow told her, perhaps it was still too early for him to see her.
Seriously, was it that messed up seeing me and Amity do it? Most guys would burn that image into their brains, Luz thought.
Luz trudged up the stairs to her room, deciding to just turn on her laptop and binge some anime. However, Luz paused when she walked past her mother's room, spotting her getting ready to go out.
"Oh, heading out?" Luz asked.
"Mmm-hmm, Marilyn called. Said she wanted a 'rematch'," Camila explained.
Luz chuckled as she leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. "She's determined, can't deny that. Maybe you should give her a win?"
Camila raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you that eager to get your mother laid?"
"Oh, Mamá with the spice. But no, not so much that. If that did happen, it'd be a happy byproduct. What I really want is for you to find someone you can be happy with," Luz clarified. "I know you've been focused on me ever since Papá died…and I know I haven't made things easy for you, especially after camp. But that's why I want to see you do something for yourself. You don't have to worry about me, Mom. Go and find someone you like, or just take a chance with Marilyn or anyone."
"Luz…mija…" Camila turned around and walked towards her daughter. Once she was in front of her, she cupped Luz's face as she looked into her daughter's eyes lovingly. "You have never been a burden to me. Not once did I think that. That day when we had our fight, you were right. I was weak."
"Mom don't–"
"No, it's the truth. I was so overwhelmed…your father died…and we had to go on without him. I wasn't always the most confident girl back when I was growing up, and then I tried to remake myself in college and that didn't go so well. But when I met your father, everything just started to go right. And when he passed away, I was scared. Scared that I wouldn't be the kind of mother you needed, scared that I wouldn't have the strength to protect you. And in the end…I was right…I sent you to that awful place, and you were put through something no child should have to endure…"
Luz moved forward and hugged Camila tight, which Camila returned with her own hug.
"We were both hurting. And you did all you could, but Mom, you've gotten much stronger since my accident. You deserve to be happy with someone, Marilyn or not, but just know that I will never regret being your daughter," Luz promised.
The two Noceda women hugged each other for a long minute, sniffling a little before letting each other go and smiling at one another.
"Okay, maybe I'll throw Marilyn a bone," Camila relented.
"Oh, maybe she can bury that bone later?" Luz asked with a wiggle of her brow.
Camila raised her right hand and bonked her fist against Luz's head.
"Ow!"
"Go to horny jail, Luz."
"Aww, you have been keeping up with your memes."
Camila rolled her eyes as she grabbed her purse. "Call me if you need anything."
"Have fun on your date," Luz teased.
"Not a date, just meeting a friend," Camila corrected.
"Uh-huh, a friend with possible ben–"
Camila turned around and Luz snapped her mouth shut when she saw…La Chancla in Camila's right hand. "What was that, mija?"
"Nothing! Have fun that's it!"
"That's what I thought."
Luz watched as Camila left the house and listened as the car pulled out of the driveway.
Okay, correction, La Chancla is scarier, Luz thought.
Luz went back to her room and plopped into her bed. The Latina rolled to her side, and took a light sniff her pillow, smiling as her nostrils caught the familiar scent of Amity's perfume. Just that scent alone was bringing the Latina some comfort. It was still a strange feeling to her, how much Amity's presence made her feel happy, and comforted. She did have a crush on Amity when she first saw her but was reluctant to do anything about it because she knew the differences between them would prevent anything from going anywhere. Even though she did get over the hurdle of finding out Amity's orientation, there was always going to be the glaringly obvious difference between them. The fact that Amity was a Soul Reaper, and she was a Hollow. Luz knew that this relationship was probably not going to last beyond summer.
Even so, I want to experience this for as long as I can. At least now I know there's someone out there I can be friends with, even with my new long life.
It was night by the time Amity, the twins, Gus, and Willow set up their "trap". Amity had brought them to the same spot that they had not too long ago battled several Hollows thanks to some Hollow Bait getting activated. Just like before, using this area would allow Willow to maximize the use of her Fullbringer powers, and give Gus some cover as he provided long range support. The young Quincy had come armed with Seele Schnieders and Gintō capsules just for extra power. Edric and Emira, along with Amity were great at Kidō spells, so out here they could cast as much as they wanted. They had put up a barrier around the area, spanning at least two-hundred-yard radius from where they were standing. The barrier would keep people from seeing the battle and send a subconscious signal to their minds to leave the area. They had done all the prep work, now all they needed to do was wait.
"Keep an eye out, he could appear anywhere," Amity warned.
"Doesn't help that we can't even sense him," Gus complained.
"We just need to act fast the moment we see him," said Willow.
"Still think we should've called in a captain, Mittens," Edric remarked.
"I would feel a little better knowing back up was on its way," Emira added.
For obvious reasons, Amity didn't send that Hell Butterfly. And it was for those same reasons why Amity was determined to kill Grom before it came to that. Before Luz found out about it.
"Well now, isn't this convenient."
Amity, Edric, and Emira drew their swords, Gus summoned his bow, and Willow formed her gauntlet, Gaea.
"All the people that Luz Noceda cares about, all in one spot. Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you set a trap for me."
"And you walked right into it," said Amity. "But first, I want to know. How did you become like this?!"
"Did little Luz tell you about me?" Grom asked.
"She told us you're the sick fuck who made all those camp counselors harass her. And you're the one who almost hurt her," Gus answered with venom in his voice.
"Heh-heh, well, to answer your question Soul Reaper. It's because of her that I am like this. It's true what they say what hardened criminals will do to a man if they find out you tried to assault a child in the 'biblical sense' of the word. And once word reached the prison where I was kept, it wasn't long before I met my end at their hands," Grom explained.
"Sounds to me like you got what you deserved," Willow stated.
"Agree to disagree. But I digress, I became a ghost, a wandering spirit. I was bound to that wretched prison, so I made sure to make it everyone's problem. I haunted the prison, caused some to lose their minds, and others to…seek an alternative means of escaping jail."
The group of five were scanning the area with their eyes, looking for anything abnormal. A large shadow, the snapping of a twig, rustling of leaves, but there was none of that. They even scanned the skies, but they still couldn't see anything.
Where is he?! He has to be close! Gus thought.
"Apparently I was such a menace that they had to call in some paranormal jerkoffs, and, well, they ripped my chain right off my body without realizing what they had done."
Just like Luz, she ripped her chain in order to save Eda.
A twig snapped in the woods, and Gus immediately showered that area in a barrage of spirit arrows. The blue arrows of light ripped and pierced through several trees, cutting a small path. But when he stopped, Gus clicked his tongue when he saw that he had hit nothing at all.
"I turned into a Hollow not long after that. And my first act was killing those paranormal investigators, and then killing and devouring the souls of the prisoners who killed me. I thought about coming after the girl right then and there, but along the way, I found another Hollow. And he divulged some interesting secrets about my new form. And how one can become much stronger. With that information, I found my way to Hueco Mundo. And it was there that I began my killing spree. One after another, I chowed down on the Hollows, until I eventually found myself in a frenzy of others, until we became…"
"A Gillian," said Edric.
"Indeed. I was a single voice among a sea of wailing screams and bestial fury. All of them clawing to the top, seeking control, seeking power. But I kept my focus, I never strayed from my one single goal. And that was to kill Luz Noceda! To make her suffer! It was that goal that kept my mind focused, that thought that allowed me gain control over the Menos Grande and begin my new feeding frenzy. For five years I have thought of nothing else but to gain power and make that girl's life a living hell!"
"Seems like overkill to me. You had to evolve into Adjuchas in order to come after one human girl? Heh, that's pathetic," Emira mocked.
"I will agree with you, it is overkill. But this serves another purpose…"
Willow thought she saw a shadow and raised Gaea to attack, but the shadow just as quickly disappeared. "You want Luz to know that there's nothing she can do to save herself, and that not even relying on Soul Reapers would save her."
"Ah, the girl in glasses got in one. That is, it. And now, I can make her suffer…"
Everyone's eyes widened when they felt a presence right behind them.
"By making sure you all die as painfully slow as possible, and then I'll drag your bodies and throw them before her feet, and I'll allow her to scream as she admires my good work, all before I bite off each of her limbs one by one, and then her head. I won't even let death grant her peace, I'll rip her soul out from her body, and make her go through it all over again before I end her existence!"
All five quickly dashed forward, and turned around, spotting Grom who had his middle two arms crossed as he grinned maliciously.
"I do have one regret though. The fact that I was never able to enjoy the feeling of that little bitch's tight, warm–!"
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Amity and Gus yelled.
In the blink of an eye, Amity was right in front of Grom, and Gus was behind him wielding his Seele Schneider. The Soul Reaper and Quincy slashed their weapons, raking them across the Hollow's body as sparks flew into the air. Unfortunately, like with Edric and Emira, their attacks didn't even scratch his hierro.
"Engulf them in my power! Imawashiki!"
Amity's blade suddenly transformed into purple goo as she whipped it around and slashed at the monster before her. Grom didn't move, unafraid of Amity's Shikai release. Although, something strange did occur. Grom sent out a tentacle to meet the blade, but that's when the goo blade wrapped around the tentacle. Grom noticeably flinched. There was a sizzling sound that could be heard by all, followed by some streams of smoke rising from the spot Imawashiki had wrapped around.
"No way," Emira gasped.
"Is Amity's Shikai hurting him?!" Edric exclaimed.
Grom started feeling a stinging pain where the goo was wrapped around, and quickly jumped into the air, and snapped the goo off his tentacle before landing on the ground again. The goo of Imawashiki reformed and surrounded Amity as she readied to attack.
"Huh, guess you're not as tough as you thought," Amity mocked. "Let's see how you like this!"
Amity jumped into the air, making Grom uncross his arms. The goo blade of Imawashiki suddenly extended and transformed into nine goo blades.
"Tsudzurao no Ichigeki! (Nine-Tails Strike!)"
Amity slashed downwards with her sword, making all nine goo blades whip towards the Hollow. Grom hurriedly dashed away from the attack just as the acidic goo carved nine grooves into the earth below.
"Huh, you could be trouble. In that case, let's raise the stakes a little…!"
Grom inhaled deeply, and then released an incredibly loud roar that echoed past the barrier and throughout the entirety of Gravesfield. Everyone had put their hands against their ears from the sheer volume of the roar. After a few seconds, Grom ceased his roar and smirked at the five. As soon as he stopped, Emira, Edric, Amity, Willow, and Gus's phones all started to blare out alert signals. Edric hurriedly reached for his and gasped when he saw his Hollow Detector app.
"Oh shit…!"
"What is it, Ed?!" Amity asked.
"The app is saying that there four Menos Grande appearing in town!" Edric answered.
Everyone's blood ran cold. Four Menos Grande, the biggest of the Hollow types. They weren't as powerful as an Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde, or even an Arrancar, but they were no less dangerous. Any one of them alone could bring destruction to the town, but there were four of them.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Gus demanded.
"I figured you Soul Reapers would interfere. So, I decided to bring some backup of my own. Now, you have a choice to make. Either you focus on me, or you can run off and kill those Menos. But if you do, you'll be leaving these two defenseless. Decisions, decisions, hehahahahaha!" Grom mocked.
Amity returned to the side of her brother and sister, who were visibly anxious and worried about their situation.
"Amity, we have to–!"
"This changes nothing!" Amity interrupted, cutting off her brother.
"What?! Amity, you can't be serious! There are four Menos Grande attacking the town! It's going to take both me and Ed to take down just one! We can't fight this guy and ignore the Menos!" Emira argued.
"Emira's right, Am, we have to call in backup, now!" Edric stated.
"I asked you two to trust me. The Menos will be taken care of, but right now we have to focus on the main problem! Even if you two go and kill those Menos, it won't eliminate the biggest threat, the one that's right in front of us!" Amity retorted.
"What do you mean, 'the Menos will be taken care of', what aren't you telling us, Amity?!" Emira questioned.
"I'll…I'll explain later, but right now, focus on him! He wants to divide us, that's the only reason why he called on them!"
The twins hated to admit it, but that was a good point. Defeating the Menos wouldn't mean anything if they couldn't kill Grom. He was far more dangerous than them. Plus, even if they did destroy the Menos, Grom's power alone could wipe out the town and every living soul in it. The twins sighed, as they each took a step away from Amity, and held out their swords.
"You better explain everything when this is over," said Emira.
"'Cause we're about to get into some real shit here," Edric added.
Amity gripped Imawashiki and reluctantly answered, "I will."
Emira twirled her sword around as she entered a new stance. At the same time, Edric ran his left index and middle finger over the flat of his sword, starting at the guard and swiftly swiping it upwards.
Emira narrowed her gaze and said, "Enchant them… Mizu no Sakkaku!"
Edric smirked and spoke aloud, "Enshroud them… Kaze no Giman!"
The blade of Edric's Zanpakutō suddenly transformed into a condensed tornado, with the wind it generated having an emerald, green tint to it. Emira's blade changed into a torrent of water that swirled into the form a sword blade and shimmered a bright crystal blue color. Grom wasn't very impressed and readied to attack, but before he could, the ground suddenly shook violently. The ground erupted as two wood dragons burst forth and roared threateningly at Grom. The Adjuchas Hollow was distracted for a second, which was enough time for Edric to dash in.
"Fūryoku Kumade! (Wind Rake!)"
Edric slashed with sword and appeared a few feet behind Grom. A moment after, emerald wind began swirling around Grom as it slashed and ripped across his body, making the Adjuchas Hollow grunt and growl from the intense attack. The next attack came from Emira as she leaped into the air and over the monster as she swirled Mizu no Sakkaku around. The water droplets that came off the blade sparkled in the moonlight, creating an effect that made it look as if Emira was shimmering like a diamond. Emira drew a circle, using the water blade of Mizu no Sakkaku to create a ring of water below.
"Daiichigakushō: Dancing Rain!"
Suddenly, the water droplets shot down at Grom, at the same time, the ring of water started blasting several waterdrops. These weren't normal water droplets, they were Kidō infused, and each one was being fired down with the speed of a high-powered sniper rifle. The water bullets struck against Grom's body, noticeably pushing him back and forth as the droplets tried to pierce his hide, some would ricochet off his body, but that's when another of the water bullets would come in and ricochet off that one and angle it back at Grom. The water bullets were accurate in their ricochet bounces, as they hit each other, and redirected themselves back to Grom.
"Augh, seems you have some fight in you!" Grom's cloak fluttered open as he swiped his claws through the air, breaking the water and wind combo of the two Soul Reapers. However, as soon as he did that, one of the wood dragons came in and snapped their jaws around him from behind, taking him straight not the air.
"I know you didn't forget about me!" Willow stated as she pointed Gaea at the wood dragon, causing the two gems on the gauntlet to begin to glow.
"Do you think this wooden snake can hold me?"
"No, but it will do this! TERRA FLAME!"
The back of the wood dragon's throat began to glow, and then came the torrent of green flames. Grom hissed when he felt the flames scorch his back, but that's when he managed to make several of his tentacles wrap around the wood dragon's throat, and with one twist, snapped the wood dragon's head off, releasing him from its hold and stopping the flame bath he was getting. His torment wasn't over as Gus ran up the length of the second wood dragon and used its head as a springboard to jump high into the air. Gus notched the Seele Schneider to his bow, took aim, and fired the arrow-blade.
The Seele Schneider sailed through the air, but Grom noticed at the last second, and managed to turn his body, but not before the Seele Schneider pierced through his cloak, and cut this body, making Grom grunt in pain as the arrow-blade continued to fly and strike a tree before exploding violently.
Willow slammed Gaea against the ground, and immediately after, several plant vines and tree roots rose from the ground and began to weave themselves together. Within a few seconds, Willow had formed two living plant wolf packs, consisting of thirty wolves each. The wooden wolves' eyes glowed bright green as they snarled and barked, ready to tear apart the enemy of their summoner. Gus flipped through the air and landed next to Willow as he prepared to draw another Seele Schneider.
Grom landed on the ground and stared down the wolf pack and Willow, but just then, Grom opened his mouth. As soon as he did, a blood red sphere of light began to form in front of it. The wind kicked up as his energy was being concentrated towards the sphere of crimson light, growing denser and brighter with each second. No one had to question what that attack was, Amity, Willow, and Gus had seen Luz perform such an attack several times before, and Edric and Emira have only read about such attacks.
"A CERO!" they all cried out.
Amity, Emira, and Edric appeared before Willow. Edric and Emira held out their left hands, while Amity held out her right. Together they concentrated their spiritual energy and released it in the form of a combined spell.
"BAKUDŌ #44: SEKISHO!"
A three-layered barrier formed around them, and for good measure, Willow raised Gaea and concentrated her spirit energy to form a dome of tree roots. The roots suddenly started to glow bright green, becoming imbued with more energy to fortify them. That's when Grom unleashed his Cero, blasting it forth in the form of a huge beam of scarlet light. The beam crashed against the wooden barrier, steadily chipping away at the dome with each passing second. The wood splintered and broke apart, revealing the shield layers below. The first shield layer shattered, a few seconds later, the second shield shattered, and finally, the third and final shield shattered. The beam struck their position, and exploded with tremendous force, shaking the ground and trees for several yards before the rumbling stopped.
When the smoke cleared, they were nowhere to be seen, the only thing left behind was a charred crater. Grom felt proud of his work, but that was short lived when another rumbling occurred. The ground suddenly broke apart underneath him, and from it shot out several strands of Imawashiki's goo. Part of the ground broke away, revealing Amity and Imawashiki as it spread out in different directions like a spider web.
"Windowmaker's Web!"
The goo strands managed to ensnare Grom's arms, wrapping around them tightly as they began to sizzle and burn. Grom lashed out with his own tentacles in attempt to grab ahold of Amity, but that's when Edric and Emira came. Edric conjured a whirlwind with Kaze no Ginman, which not only pushed the tentacles back, but also slashed them. Emira slashed the air with Mizu no Sakkaku, sending out thin blades of water at high speeds, which constantly bombarded the monster.
Grom was getting increasingly annoyed as he opened his mouth to prepare another Cero, but that's when several vines appeared from the ground behind him, and suddenly made a beeline straight for his mouth. The Hollow began to gag violently as he choked on the vines that were trying to force their way down his throat. The wood wolves shot out of the woods and started to bite down on him, attempting to rip his body apart.
C'mon, Gus, Amity thought.
Grom had had enough as he bit down on the vines and tore them apart, glaring down at the people who were making this more difficult than it needed to be. "All this is just an annoyance! You're only delaying your inevitable fate! No matter what you do, you will die in front of that girl, and I will feast on her fear tainted body and soul!"
"Shut your filthy mouth already," said Gus.
Grom looked up and paused.
Gus was standing a little ways away from the where the others were, a Seele Schneider in hand.
"I won't let you hurt Luz. It's because of you that she had to go through so much shit, and it's because of you she's had it harder! Now I'm going to make you pay! Everyone! Go!"
Amity, Edric, and Emira nodded. The youngest of the Soul Reapers dismissed the web, and used Flash Step alongside her siblings to move to where Gus was standing. Willow emerged from the ground in a cocoon of vines and stood next to her allies as she smirked. Grom didn't understand why they seemed so confident, but that's when he noticed something odd, when he looked around, there were four Seele Schneiders embedded in the ground around the clearing. That's when Gus twirled his Seele Schneider around and pieced the ground with it. The moment he did this, the other four glowed with greater intensity. A pentagram formed on the ground, creating the Quincy Cross pattern. Strands of blue reishi energy started to shoot out like ribbons, and quickly wrapped themselves around Grom's neck, arms, and torso, binding him to the pentagram.
"W-What is this?!" Grom demanded.
"This is a Quincy spell; it was our fallback plan in case things got hairy," Gus explained.
"A fallback plan that you just told us when we were taken underground, I might add," Emira pointed out.
"Could've used a heads up, sis," Edric added.
"Sorry, it was a last-minute addition, but one that I'm glad we came up with," said Amity.
Willow placed her left hand on her hip as she said, "Gus, please do the honors."
"With pleasure." Gus took out one of his Gintō and popped it open the top. The young Quincy held the silver tube to the side just a little bit and spoke aloud, "Sprenger."
Grom watched as Gus tipped the tube over completely, letting a droplet of condensed reishi fall out of it. The droplet splashed against the Seele Schneider in front of Gus, and upon hitting it, activated the spell. A surge of energy shot through all five Seele Schneiders, and that same surge followed the Qunicy Cross lines straight towards the center where Grom was captured. The Adjuchas Hollow could do absolutely nothing as the energy built up to its apex and released in a column of bright blue light that erupted around Grom. The monster roared in pain, but it wasn't over yet. Grom's roars were quickly drowned out as the column of energy spread further, but stopped when it reached the edges of the pentagram as a pillar of blue light rose into sky. A powerful explosion ripped through the forest, but thankfully the explosion was limited to the confines of the pentagram, leaving the five of them unharmed.
Amity reached out with her right hand and gently placed it on Gus's shoulder. "You okay, Gus?"
"I am, now," Gus responded. "Still wish I could've done him in on that day."
"He's gone, and Luz is safe, that's what matters now," Willow assured.
"Uh, did we forget? We still got a bunch of Menos Grande to kill!" Edric reminded them.
"Yeah, I'm super glad we killed that asshole, but we still need go after those four! Who knows how much damage they've caused already!" Emira exclaimed.
Oh…right, Amity thought.
"Okay…now I'm pissed."
The smoke cloud dispersed quickly, revealing Grom. Most of his body was burned from the Sprenger spell, but the Adjuchas Hollow was still very much alive. Of course, seeing this shocked every single one of them. Amity was hoping she would not have to reveal this so soon, but she had no choice now. Amity drew her sword again and unleashed her spiritual power, getting in front of everyone as she readied to speak aloud.
"BAN–!"
Grom's extra four eyes suddenly shined bright violet, creating a blinding light that expanded outward, and engulfed the entire area.
(Sometime Earlier…)
Luz was lying on her bed, sprawled out and dreaming of Amity.
"Mmm…hermosa…what are you wearing…? What…? You want me to–"
Suddenly, a loud roar ripped through the town and made Luz spring up in shock. The Latina bolted out her bed as she whipped her head back and forth, she had never heard a Hollow roar that loudly and strongly before, it caught her off guard.
"What the hell was that?! That's the first time I've heard a Hollow roar like that!" Luz exclaimed.
Not long after that, Luz's Pesquisa alerted her to the presence of Hollows, four of them, and they were big, both in terms of size and power.
"Holy shit! I-I need to go! Wait, I should call the others, we need to – wait…" Luz closed her eyes and concentrated harder as she expanded her search area. That's when Luz sensed everyone, Amity, Gus, Willow, Edric, and Emira, they were all in the woods, and their spiritual energy was raging. "They're…They're fighting something, but what?"
Luz tried harder, focusing as strongly as she could on the whoever or whatever they were facing. It was difficult, but all Luz could tell was that there might be a Hollow present, but the energy signature was so vague that Luz almost believed they were fighting nothing.
"Okay, so, obviously they're already on it. Considering how strong these ones feel, it's probably taking all five of them to pin one down. In that case, I need to hurry up and kill these other ones and get to them!"
Luz broke out her Soul Badge from her desk drawer, sat on the bed, and pressed the badge against her chest. Luz's true Arrancar form was instantly pushed out of the Gigai, as she bolted to her feet again, while the Gigai plopped back first onto the bed. The Latina didn't waste any time as she dashed out of the room with her Sonido and headed for the closest Hollow signature. She had to hurry up and kill the Hollows before her friends got hurt, and before these other four hurt the people in town. After a few seconds of dashing through the air, she found her target, and boy was it big. Luz stopped in midair and looked upon the giant creature stomping through the town, with the people below completely unaware of the dangerous beast that loomed over them.
Its body was shrouded in a black cloak down its feet, and around its neck was a ring of white spikes. Its mask was plain enough, except for its beady eyes, and long pointy nose. Luz recognized this Hollow from Amity's drawings when she gave her that lesson on Hollow evolution.
"You're one of those Gillian types, a Menos Grande!" Luz exclaimed.
The Menos Grande looked directly at Luz and roared loudly at her as if challenging her. Then its mouth opened, creating a bright red Cero which it fired at Luz. The Arrancar furrowed her brow as she held out her hand. The Menos Grande's Cero collided with her hand, but it didn't explode, nor did it move her even an inch. With a swift swipe of her arm, Luz threw the Cero high into the air where it exploded a moment later.
"You want a Cero? I'll show you a Cero! Plus, a little something extra!"
Luz drew a circle with her left hand, creating a trail of yellow light as she did. Once the circle was complete, Luz held out that same hand as the energy of the ring condensed and formed a sphere. Luz concentrated as she performed another type of attack, one that Amity had taught her.
"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!"
Take this combo attack!
Luz brought both her hands together as blue flames erupted around her Cero.
"SŌKATSUI CERO!"
A bright beam of yellow light shot from Luz's hands, and wrapped around it were intense blue flames. The Menos Grande fired another Cero at Luz's incoming one, but its Cero might as well have been a like throwing a rock against a raging tidal wave. The Menos Grande's Cero was swallowed up by Luz's Sōkatsui Cero right before the blast took off its entire head in one shot. The Menos Grande's body wobbled back and forth for a second before falling backwards, Luz was about to hurry to it and catch the body, but thankfully it turned to ash just before hitting the ground.
"I DID IT! I DID IT! I CAST MY FIRST KIDŌ SPELL!" Luz shouted jubilantly. "Aww, man, and Amity wasn't here to see it…Oh! I'll just nuke the Hollow they're fighting with a Kidō spell! Oh…wait…Ed and Em are there too…damn it. Um…I never was really good at the sniper roles in FPS games…"
Another roar drew her attention away, snapping Luz out of her thoughts.
"Okay, right, three more to go before I go and help them!"
Luz dashed through the air again, she wasn't that far from the second. After a few strides, she was upon it. The Latina decided to forgo any flashy methods of killing these things, and decided to be more direct, she couldn't keep her friends waiting. Luz pressed both her hands together into a prayer position, and when she did, yellow light raged between them. When she parted her hands, Luz's naginata materialized before her. The Arrancar twirled her weapon around and got into an attack stance. She aimed carefully, and dashed forward at full speed as she thrusted her naginata forward. A moment later, there was big gaping hole in the middle of the Hollow's body, with Luz appearing a few feet behind it.
"That makes two," Luz commented as she held up a piece of the Menos Grande she had impaled. "And thanks for the meal."
Luz opened her mouth, her teeth taking on the appearance of sharp fangs as she bit down on the piece of Menos Grande she had snagged on her way through it. However, something happened. The moment Luz consumed just a little bit of what she snagged off the Menos, her entire body felt an incredible rush of energy. The rush was so intense that she dropped the piece of the Menos she had taken a bite out of. It was as if she had just eaten twenty to thirty Hollows all at once. The rush finally subsided, leaving Luz panting, but still fully charged.
"Holy crap that was a rush!" Luz glanced over her shoulder as the Menos turned to ash, with no one the wiser. "Amity said those guys were made up of hundreds of Hollows, and she wasn't kidding. Okay, so, no eating Menos, just kill them."
The Arrancar swiftly moved to her next target, which was stomping its way towards Zoe's house. Luz narrowed her gaze, feeling a moral dilemma coming on. Would it really be that bad if the world was without Zoe? But then again, if she let that happen it would go against her whole "Espada, the sword that defends" thing she was going for. And to make matters worse, she spotted Zoe lounging at her family's pool, completely unaware that the Menos Grande was looking down at her and getting ready to eat her.
"Ugh…fuck me." Luz ascended higher into air until she was right above the Menos Grande. With a twirl of her naginata, Luz dropped down from her high altitude, and yelled, "HEY, LONG NOSE!"
Right on cue, the Menos Grande raised its head to see Luz. The Latina slashed with her naginata, cutting through the Menos Grande's head. But she didn't stop, Luz continued to cut down the length of the monster's body, until she landed on the ground. The two halves of the bisected Menos fell to the right and left, turning to ash that drifted on the wind. Luz twirled her weapon around and struck the butt of it against the ground. The Latina glanced over her shoulder at Zoe, who was still completely oblivious to how close she came to death.
"I'd say you owe me one, but you didn't hear or see any of that so…ugh…I'm annoyed. Where's the last one?" Luz scanned the area, and her eyes flew open. "Oh…"