The next three months passed in a blur for the Primera Espada who spent his time developing his abilities and control, attempting to utilize his power in many different ways. He'd even attempted to use some of his Resurrección abilities—while not going as far as to test his soul splitting, He'd attempted to use his Colmillo, to some success. He could now (somewhat) create short swords and daggers using his reiryoku which he thought might be useful in battle.
As for his control, it improved immensely compared to the past 5 months. And while he was too afraid to actually test his control on any Hollow, he still believed that he could at least suppress his reiatsu to the level of an Espada.
Still powerful? Yes, very much so. Was it better? Much better.
And so, so immersed in his training, his brain did not even recognize the passing of time until he accomplished something extraordinary. While training to feel his reiryoku pool better, he managed to sense something. Amongst the millions of millions of souls that made up his being, he felt a presence. It wasn't conscious or even alive.
Starrk believed he sensed the part of himself that Lilynette became.
It was during one of these days where while the Former Primera Espada was meditating in his cave, finally grasping control over his chaotic energy after so long, that he felt something that nearly made him falter.
But months—years of training and experience helped him stay focused, his brain multifunctioning in order to comprehend what was happening. Starrk was sensing a powerful presence nearing him—him! The guy was thousands of miles away from any key locations in Hueco Mundo, damnit.
It left him feeling kind of frustrated that his efforts had been for none. Just like with his reiatsu before.
It was the presence nearly identical towards that of a Hollow yet it held hints of Shinigami reiatsu—An Arrancar—He quickly concluded.
'Why would an Arrancar be this far away from Las Noches though? This place is over five thousand miles away from the palace.' The Espada pondered with his eyes closed, as he focused on keeping his reiatsu under control in order while trying to analyze the presence.
Because while he could detect presences easily, with his reiatsu how it currently is, identifying and recognizing reiatsu signatures was quite difficult for him with his reiatsu getting in the way.
For all he knew, it could be someone like Yammy or Ulquiorra approaching after sensing him nearby. He could tell they were "Captain-Level" but that was a vague term. So it was very important for him to concentrate.
Suppressing his reiatsu was still quite a difficult task but it was becoming easier and easier by the week. So he tried drawing in as much of his reiatsu as possible at the moment, a bead of sweat forming on his brow at the effort he had to exert at that moment.
It took a while, but luckily since the Arrancar seemed cautious, Starrk could take his time.
Finally after 5 minutes, his senses became clear. Once a crimson blur, the Arrancar now felt more like a flickering red flame in his mind's eye, the picture becoming clear.
It wasn't quite Espada but felt more akin to the level of a Fracción.
So Starrk opened his eyes from his meditation, shifting his body weight to get out of the stance, his vision momentarily blurring at the swift movement, nausea welling up within him.
Shaking off the feeling, Starrk stretched his stiff muscles, having been in the same position for days on end. Finally standing up straight, he smiled at realizing that he'd been able to hold in over 2/10th of his reiatsu suppressed without losing focus.
His Pesquisa warned him that Arrancar was nearing the cave entrance, their presence standing out amongst the desolate and abandoned area.
They were probably attracted to the reishi dense atmosphere that his presence caused to the area. After letting his reiatsu out for long enough, it began to effect the surroundings. And while it may have allowed weak and tiny hollows to survive without eating entirely, his presence kept them from populating the area.
Most Hollows and Arrancar knew that reishi dense areas would attract Hollows or be home to powerful Hollows like Vasto Lorde. So most would either avoid them or run towards these rare areas.I
Their reason for approaching was unknown. Starrk had no clue since he had nothing to work with other than they're (probably) cautious of him. He speculated they either wanted to fight or were simply curious. Starrk didn't know.
The Arrancar was moving faster than the speed of sound, a speed average amongst powerful souls. One misconception about a powerful soul's speed is that most mistake combat speed and reflexes for traveling speed.
Because yes, while powerful souls are capable of reacting and fighting at speeds surpassing the speed of light. Most souls can't go beyond Mach 100 when travelling, even when using movement abilities.
Finally arriving near the mountain I destroyed a few months ago, Starrk noticed them slowly approaching the area. It was pointless trying to hide with his reiatsu basically turning him into a lighthouse on a hill, they would find him even with the various rock formations concealing the cave entrance.
They stood dead still at the entrance, their reiatsu flickering erratically. So they I were being cautious. He realized.
After several minutes, the sound of their footsteps echoed into the cave, our breathes the only other sound in the area.
It was as if time seemed to stand still as we waited for the other to make the first move. 'I'm probably just being anxious but I'm not going to take any risks. They might just be that good at suppressing their reiatsu.'
Standing at the cave entrance was a familiar petite figure. While the Primera's mind found them familiar, my brain took a few moments to recognise them.
A short, petite Arrancar with neck-length, dishevelled hair that blocked their features stood at the entrance of the cave, seeming on edge as if she was entering a lion's den.
Taking his time to observe the Arrancar who had yet to notice him, he watched with amusement as her heterochromia eyes finally flickered over to Starrk, his form concealed in darkness without his reiatsu to provide light in its suppressed state.
So, with no clue of her motives, he silently observed them, making sure to keep a firm grip on his energy in order to not scare off the already anxious Arrancar. This was his first time seeing anybody, Hollow or Arrancar in over five months, Starrk was going to take the time to bask in their presence, friend or foe, because while his training kept him distracted, he was still a lonely person.
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence fell upon the two Arrancar, neither seeming to know what to say.
The dreadful silence lasted nearly 10 minutes before the woman's patience seemed to run out.
Snapping at Starrk, she shouted out her frustrations, "Just come out already! Are you seriously just going stand there?! I don't have time for this bullshit!"
Her hotheadedness, combined with the clarity of her features, finally jogged the Espada's memory.
He wasn't particularly close or even acquainted with her during his time as an Espada, though they had passed by each other occasionally.
'It seems my observations were correct…' Starrk noted yet the former Espada made no move to obey. 'And she doesn't seem to know it's me.'
His voice was gruff, having not spoken in months outside of the occasial technique, "You're # %#&$ $*#$#, right?"
Several hundred miles away, a few hours earlier, lone figure was racing through the endless desert at neckbreaking speakings, skilfully avoiding rocks, hollows and the occasional tree.
(Unknown POV)
As I raced through the barren wastelands of Hueco Mundo, I grinned gleeful as I avoid and humiliated any annoying Hollows in my path. It was amusing to watch them embarrass themselves by trying to attack me.
'Ha! Starved fuckers. They couldn't even challenge weaklings like the two idiots that served Neliel!' I laughed evily.'
While most of the time I would've killed those pathetic excuses for hollows in an instant but right now I was on a very important mission that concerned the future of Las Noches.
Besides, I couldn't disappoint her.
You see in Las Noches, even before the winter war there weren't many Arrancar—only 145. Now that most of those dumbasses got themselves killed? 59. It was really fucking unfair! The shinigami are said to have over 3,000. If they were to invade Hueco Mundo, us Arrancar wouldn't stand a chance.
That was the point of this whole mission—to recruit powerful Hollows. Because while we couldn't reproduce the effects of the Hōgyoku to turn any of them into Arrancar, having more powerful fighters in our ranks would still be advantageous. Or at least that's what I've been told.
Damnit! This was all Aizen's fault! If that bastard hadn't been such a traitor, we wouldn't be in the situation in the first place. I could've been fucking up these weaklings!
Tch! Then the fucker went and got himself captured after all that effort!
Everyone in Las Noches knew about Aizen's defeat five months ago.
He was sentenced to 20,000 years in Muken! 'Ha! Serves him right!' Apparently, he was immortal! He just wouldn't die. The other Arrancar compared him to a cockroach.
Deep hatred weld up inside of me at the thought of the Shinigami.
'That immortal egotistical bastard dared to strike down Harribel-sama after everything she's done for him!'
Harribel-sama took control over Hueco Mundo to control the chaos. She actually refused at first but after some convincing, she took control. Hmph! She deserves the title much more than the likes of Aizen or Baraggan!
The tan ruler kept the Arrancar and Hollows under control and kept us from killing each other and going back to our savage ways. I didn't really understand what she meant but if Harribel-sama said so, then it was true.
Refocusing on my journey ahead, I avoided a wide ravine leading down to a void of darkness, watching with wicked amusement as a bear-like Hollow fell into the split after I bodied it.
"Haha! Dumbass!"
I cackled while I speed passed the scene, avoiding rocks and hollows as the cave structure faded into the distance.
Five powerful Arrancar were supposed to be tasked with this mission. Me, Gantenbainne Mosqueda, Mila Rose and Sung Sun all were there, along with 20 Exequias who were assigned for weaker hollows. However the fifth of the group—Roka Paramia, the 8th Espada's Fracción, was nowhere to be seen(lazy bitch).
The group spread out in different directions from Las Noches about 2 days ago and have been searching since.
So I made sure to keep my Pesquisa on high alert for any Hollows that stood out amongst the rest while I dashed throughout Hueco Mundo.
I was ready for anything.
Hours passed as I searched for powerful Hollows—the most success I was having was with powerful Adjuchas, some of which I had to put down.
While I was at it, I made sure to hunt down any Hollows that got in the way of the mission, relishing in the chaos I created. Harribel-sama didn't enjoy mindless killing, fortunately for me this mission gave me the chance to relieve myself. The weight of this mission weighed more the lives of worthless creatures—so I began dispatching Hollows mercilessly while I searched, their cries of anguish only fuelling my bloodlust. The amount of kills was lost to me as I let my instincts take control.
Despite looking like a human, I was still a Hollow. Just a much stronger one.
Even as I cruelly consumed some of their weaker brethren to bolster my power, I only felt joy. I reveled in the thrill of the chase, the taste of their fear mingling with the satisfaction of each kill to create a delicious feast.
It was only when I a bizarre scenery came into view did my hunt stop. There, far away in the distance was a massive mountain, rivaling Earth's Mount Denali in size. That wasn't surprising in Hueco Mundo, all of the landscape was an amplified. That wasn't what surprised me.
It was the mile wide hole running through the mountain and leading to a flattened, lifeless area 25 miles away from where I was about to tear into the corpse of a Hollow.
Hollows seemed to be avoiding the area like the plague. And momentarily, I couldn't tell why until…
Suddenly my Pesquisa picked up on something strong—strong enough to cause me to become dizzy at the sheer power radiating to my left. This wasn't normal at all. This was a power surpassing both Grimmjow, Nelliel and Harribel-sama.
This wasn't some regular Hollow like the usual riffraff I'd been encountering the past two days.
No, this presence was far more potent than even the likes of any being in Hueco Mundo I've ever laid my eyes on. It sent shivers of both anticipation and fear down my spine, as I tried focusing on the reiatsu signature that flickered chaotically in the distance, like a lighthouse amongst lamps.
At first, I was hesitant—this gave me flashbacks to my defeat at the hands of the Captain Commander. Shaking off the fear, I dropped the corpse, my hands and mouth bloody as I darted in the direction of the presence, my heart pounding.
I had to be ready to confront whatever powerful being awaited. The thrill of the hunt surged within me, and I could already imagine Harribel-sama's approval once I returned with my prize.
It didn't matter if I couldn't defeat them. All that matters was recruiting this powerful being, even if it meant being nice…
And then suddenly, the lighthouse became the Sun. The being released a powerful surge of reiatsu, so potent it stole the breath from my lungs and left me on my knees.
I was shocked. Despite being so far away, they could affect me like this!? The need to flee nearly overwhelmed me. In that moment, I nearly considered running but Harribel-samas words came shook me out of my fearful state.
"This task I have given you all is vital for our survival." The calm, cold voice of the stoic ruler reached my ears while my eyes paid rapid attention. Despite how cold she acted though, I knew how kind and merciful she truly was.
It was why I followed her—why I was so loyal.
"Las Noches is in a vulnerable position and it is risky residing in Hueco Mundo with less than a third of our forces remaining. We never know when the Shinigami might try to get rid of us. You may go." She turned around and left, walking away and leaving the Arrancar to accomplish the task.
Snapping back to reality, I clenched my fists to hide my trembling hands, ignoring the blood drawn from my palms. I couldn't fail.
I had to do this for Harribel-sama's sake.
My mind raced with endless possibilities as to what such a powerful being was doing in such a place. Scenarios such as:
—What if this is Aizen? What if his defeat was just one of his illusions?!
—What if they're planning to kill Harribel-sama?!
—What if they're going to take over Hueco Mundo like Aizen was?!
My brain felt like it was short-circuiting as I struggled to process all of this new information.
Despite trying to seem selfless, to think about Harribel-sama's safety more than my own, selfish, self-centered thoughts began flooding my mind. What was going to happen to me? Am I going to survive? How can I get out of this alive?
I had to calm down. I had to move forward, 'I am a Hollow—we don't feel fear, we create it. I wasn't some weak human.'
My eyes narrowed into slits before I disappeared, moving at top speeds to approach this unknown being. The closer I got, the clearer the reiatsu became yet at the same time it only grew larger.
This was the reiatsu of an Arrancar. Yet it far surpassed the likes of even the Espada including the likes of Yammy, Starrk, and Baraggan at their strongest. However, I didn't falter and held firm as my legs carried me towards the unknown Arrancar.
Them being one actually worried her. Arrancar were known to be just as ruthless as Hollows, so it wouldn't be surprising if they killed her just for approaching. Shaking her head, she hardened her resolve. She would do anything.
And then suddenly the powerful reiatsu seemed to abruptly vanish causing her to falter and nearly trip in her surprise. Beads of sweat began welling on her forehead, and she sighed in relief when the reiatsu returned to normal, feeling the weight of their power lifting off of her shoulders.
Despite being much weaker than before, the Arrancar still surpassed the likes of Baraggan Louisenbairn in raw power.
I let out a shaky breath and reluctantly traced the reiatsu signature to an area littered with various rock formations. I realized that the Arrancar was hiding inside a cave and quickly noticed an entrance somewhat concealed but still noticeable.
And before I knew it I was reluctantly standing in front of the entrance to a large, open cave that lead led into pitch black darkness. Yet I was on high alert because my Pesquisa telling me that about 15 meters in front of me stood the powerful Arrancar.
Hastily wiping off the sweat that was forming on my brow, I took in several deep breaths to still myself. 'I have to be ready.' I thought with determination
With trembling legs, I made my way to stand just in front of the cave entrance. Earlier, I managed to calm myself. But being this close to such a monster was terrifying and it nearly crushed my resolve.
The cave was filled with darkness, devoid of all light at a first glance.
Looking closer, I noticed dark, glowing blue eyes gazing at me sending a shiver down my spine at what felt like this monster staring into my very being.
It was intimidating and I struggled to peel my eyes off of the vague figure, my instincts going wild.
Having no way of observing them, she tried feeling for their reiatsu. Familiar…
It was definitely an Arrancar alright. But I noticed something familiar in their reiatsu being this close yet at the same time, it felt mysterious, new.
Their name was just on the tip of my tongue… I know it has to be someone I've spoken to or been around for my Pesquisa to react this way. Shaking off the feeling, I tried subtly studying the Arrancar.
Yep, I couldn't quite make out their features but that silhouette.
The figure stood silently in the cave, towering over me at around 6 feet tall. They did not move a muscle as they silently watched me, their intimidating eyes trailing along my figure.
I had to fight the urge to squirm under their gaze.
Before we knew it, an awkward silence had fallen upon us. We stared at each other for minutes on end, as if to see who would falter first.
"…"
"…"
Finally breaking the staring contest, my patience finally ran out and in hindsight, it wasn't the greatest idea…
I voiced my frustrations and snapped at the mysterious Arrancar.
"Just come out already! Are you seriously just standing there?! I don't have time for this bullshit!"
'Harribel-sama chose me for this super important mission and this guy has the nerve to make me wait?!' She internally questioned, her anger still flaring.
The Arrancar continued to stare at me, his gaze now feeling deadpan. "Well?! Aren't you- !"
I was interrupted by a gruff voice, my reiatsu flaring dangerously, "You're Emilou Apacci, right?"
My eyes flew open in shock at the words, my mouth gaping. "How do you…" My anger vanished, replaced by a feeling of dread. How could they—no, how could he have known that? Unless… her gut was right.
Now becoming the silent one, my eyes narrowed as the Arrancar took a step forward making me flinch. He could tell I was frightened, and it humiliated me and crushed my pride as an Arrancar.
'I can't let some punk push me around!' I thought as anger flared in my eyes.
"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." The Arrancar echoed, his deep voice reverberating throughout the cave in a distant rumble.
"And why should I trust you, huh!?" I knew I shouldn't have been this rude to someone who could probably kill me in an instant, but I wasn't going to let myself be humiliated any further so I found myself ignoring the fact.
'Who the fuck cares if he can blast my head off with a cero. I'm a Fracción! I won't go down easily!'
He took another step forward, his reiatsu flickering dangerously. His features were becoming clearer—light skin, torn clothes, and long hair. This guy looked worse than any homeless man in the World of the Living with his tattered pants.
"Why are you here?" He asked instead, ignoring the question.
"You are a fairly powerful Arrancar, a Fracción. Why would you be all the way out here so far away from Las Noches?" The mysterious male continued.
"Wha- H-How d-do you...?!" Stuttering, I took a step back, fear overtaking me at his knowledge.
"You... Just who are you… and why the hell are you so strong!?" I held my ground, quickly regaining my grip on my emotions as I forced myself to take a step forward.
I needed to be calm. I couldn't let my fear control me.
This was for Harribel-sama.
Taking a deep breath, I briefly explained my purpose being out so far, making sure to leave out a few details. I couldn't really trust the guy.
While I spoke he remained silent, listening careful. Once I finished, his massive reiatsu seemed to finally calm down.
That was a relief. I wasn't able to explain without stuttering, that's for sure. Because despite his calm façade, his reiatsu flared in anger, betraying his aerie silence.
Despite trying to word my next words wisely, my voice came out sharper than I intended, "Well? Are you going to answer my question? I don't trust you, not with what the last 'mysterious guy' did to us." I trailed off, my frustration visible.
The Arrancar remained silent, as if pondering the question.
"..."
I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the silence once more. I snapped, again.
Deciding to be blunt, I began: "What are you so strong? Who are you? What are you planning?!" I spat out questioningly.
Pointing my chakrams shakily at the monster, I shouted out, "If you try doing anything to Las Noches, I'll kill you myself!"
"I won't let you get anywhere near Harribel-sama! Or any other Arrancar!" My hands tightened around my Zanpakutō, the warmth of the handle brushing against my sweaty palms as I continued.
I held them in a defensive position. I knew it was futile to try and fight him but I wasn't going to let him do anything to Harribel-sama, even if it cost me my life.
I felt all my fear vanish and give way to fury.
"You're quite impulsive." His voice rang through the cave, a cold calm that sent shivers down my spine. Despite standing still, he only seemed to become even more intimidating in my eyes, "I haven't even finished speaking."
His words caused anger to well up within me and I cut him off, yelling out. "Fuck you, bastard!" I spat and I knew I had to use that if I wanted to stand a chance.
So I released my Resurrección.
"Thrust upwards, Cierva!"
My Zanpakutō disappeared.
Reiatsu surged from within me and covered my form, dispersing to reveal my Resurrección—my true form.
"That's quite impressive. Unfortunately, it won't help you against me." The arrogant bastard responded to my form calmly, not showing a hint of fear.
"Hah?! We'll see about that!" I lunged forward, my nails growing into claws.
I'd gnaw his eyes out!
But I knew that not just any attack was going to be enough.
A crimson cero began to form on the tip of my horn, as I approached at him at lightning speeds.
I was going to hit him point-blank then tear his face apart.
That will surely do him in!
(Third Person POV)
After a blinding surge of energy, fumes of reiatsu dissipated to reveal Apacci in her Resurrección, her entire body beneath her neck covered in chestnut brown fur that avoided her cleavage. She now sported deer-like antlers emerging above her brow, her feet replaced by deer-like hooves with a small tail emerging from her tailbone.
Heterochromatic eyes, now a bright amber watched Starrk with a feral look, red lightning bolt-like marks covering the sides of her face.
Then she lunged at him, claws outstretched.
'Her power is really impressive.' Starrk thought calmly, not bothering to move. It was captain-class and stronger than most lieutenants.
He voiced his thoughts by responding, "That's quite impressive. Unfortunately, it won't help you against me."
While it wasn't his intentions, the Espada enjoying her reactions, how agitated it made her.
Starrk felt a compulsive urge—he wanted to get under her skin.
"Emilou Apacci, huh? How's Harribel doing?" She froze at the mention of her queen, skidding to a stop.
Or at least attempting to.
Fortunately, her claws stopped just inches away from his face.
Unfortunately, the Fracción lost control of the cero which rocketed straight into the Espada, slamming into his face with neckbreaking force resulting in a violent and crimson explosion that sent rocks and dripstone scattering throughout the cave as dust rushed forward, concealing Starrk's face.
The force of the explosion was enough to send Apacci flying out of the cave, her form hitting against a massive boulder before she slumped to the ground with a dull thud, her form covered with burns.
'Ouch.' Starrk thought with a wince, feeling sympathetic.
Opening her eyes, the injured Arrancar noticed the man looming over her, her vision blury as she tried to take in the sight of him.
Coyote Starrk, his eyes shadowed as he gazed down at her, as if she were an ant.
Her first reaction was shock. Glancing up, that quickly changed.
The sight of him was enough to make her heart stop as blood drained from her face, becoming as pale as Ulquiorra.
'Isn't this guy supposed to be dead!?'
"Y-You're al-alive..!" She stuttered, pointing a shaky finger at him.
She was paralysed by fear.
"Th-This isn't real- Y-You're s-supposed to be dead!" She said while scrambling back against the boulder, wincing slightly.
It was a reasonable reaction. The Espada weren't known to be forgiving and Apacci attacked and insulted him.
The Espada in question simply sighed, struggling to maintain his usual stoic demeanor as foreign waves of anger welled up inside of him at her actions. Fortunately for her, he wasn't that cruel.
"Why are you here?" Starrk asked, changing the subject.
The Arrancar was snapped out of her fear-induced daze, her amber eyes struggling to meet the Primera's own grey digits.
However, once she finally worked up the courage to do so, she felt fear overtake her at the powerful reiatsu that he radiated.
Her mouth went dry.
Apacci didn't know how to answer, her mind racing with questions and fear.
Finally, she stuttered out an answer, "I-I'm on a mission to r-recruit Hollows to join Las Noches..!"
She choked on her own fear, her gaze dropping to the floor as her usual rude and short-tempered behavior was nowhere to be seen.
After explaining the full situation to him, Starrk studied the Arrancar with a scrutinizing gaze, "I see."
To Apacci, that was terrifying. Both his voice and his gazed seemed more powerful compared to before.
'Something's changed. He's different.'
Letting out a sigh, the Primera dropped down to the ground, sitting opposite to Apacci, who by now had returned to her regular form.
"Tell me everything that's happened since my defeat." He ordered, his reiatsu flickering as it calmed down to a bearable level.
"Everything." He emphasised at her surprised look.
Apacci was surprised that he accepted the situation so fast without even punishing her. She let out a breath she didn't realize she's been holding and made herself comfortable.
This was going to be a long story.
And so that's how the two spent the next 3 hours discussing the later events of the "Winter War"
Starrk learnt a lot from Apacci that intrigued him, particularly Aizen's motives and Gin's betrayal.
'Usurping the Soul King?'
'Isn't that guy supposed to be a big deal? Creating the three realms and all.' Unlike Shinigami, Hollows weren't well-informed on most things, they were instinctive creatures after all and didn't care for such things.
Gin's betrayal wasn't as surprising. Not even Aizen seemed to trust the guy despite how "close" they were. Still, a traitor turning traitor to a traitor? How ironic.
As they talked, he asked the occasional question here and there, his curiosity peaking at the various facts.
'Seriously, why does everyone seem to have some ass pull?'
"Tōsen really died like that, huh... To think he would go out like that." It was honestly pathetic. It seems like being able to see made him more blind than before.
"Wait, did you just say Tōsen had a Resurrección? You mean to tell me the Visored have that ability?" That was new information.
The other Arrancar, having calmed down considerably was back to her old self, quickly responded, "I don't know for sure. I wasn't there for the fight. We heard about it second-hand—from that Orihime girl when she healed Harribel-sama and the rest of us."
Oh yeah, turns out Harribel was alive. Apparently, after Starrk lost, Aizen cut her down but she was healed by Orihime Inoue.
Starrk nodded acceptingly, the detail having piped his interest, "But this could mean that Arrancar could develop Shikai or at the very least use Kidō." He trailed off, his mind racing with theories.
Apacci was caught off guard. The idea hadn't even crossed her mind when she first heard the story, but instead of voicing her thoughts, she chose to stay silent.
She was more intent on studying Starrk and how different he was. It struck her how much he truly changed.
On top of that, his reiatsu had grown tremendously but it wasn't just his power that was different. His entire demeanour had shifted—gone was the laziness she'd heard about. Now, he was more talkative, surprisingly invested in what was happening around him and a willingness.
She instinctively knew that he would be willing to kill for his beliefs.
Apacci couldn't comprehend how these changes occurred, concluding it had something to do with how he survived. Maybe trauma?
They ended up discussing Aizen's betrayal, the conflict between the Gotei 13 and the Visored, Tōsens death, the battles with the head captain Yamamoto, Aizen's confrontation with Isshin Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, and Yoruichi Shihōin, Aizen's subsequent evolution, Gin's betrayal, and finally, the traitors defeat and imprisonment.
Starrk's mind began to organize all the information, it was something he did often and helped him to think clearer.
This past discussion made him realize just how dangerous the Hōgyoku truly was. The fact that it was able to make Aizen so powerful, enough that he was considered a threaten to the Soul King, himself.
'I'm glad that orb wasn't used on me.' he thought in relief.
Starrk, unlike almost every other Arrancar, hadn't needed the Hōgyoku to evolve from Hollow to Arrancar. He evolved from a Vasto Lorde to an Arrancar on his own when he accidentally split his soul.
Back then, he knew he reached the limit of what he could take. The sorrow and loneliness was just too much to deal with.
It's what made him one of the few natural Arrancar to exist.
Well, natural wasn't really a correct term. A regular hollow, unlike the Menos evolutions, could become Arrancar by ripping off their masks—it was because their power was small—managable. However, because of these hollows only consisted of so many souls, they became imperfect—they couldn't seal or control their new power.
They couldn't reach their full potential—couldn't grow.
Conclusion? They were useless other than as fodder and were barely stronger than the weakest Shinigami seated officers.
While Aizen could have used this method to create an army, he valued quality over quantity. Starrk remembered a hollow one of the gatekeepers turned into an imperfect Arrancar—defeated on its first mission.
Menos on the other hand had too much power. If they attempted to tear off their masks on their own, this new power would overwhelm them, they would die struggling to contain it.
The term "natural" referred to Menos Grande powerful enough to handle this new intake of power. Only two natural Arrancar existed.
Starrk was one of them and the only other one being... Ulquiorra.
That was something that he wanted to ask about.
"Apacci." He called, getting her attention, "How many of the Espada survived outside of Harribel and Grimmjow?" He knew not all of them survived if the Shinigami won.
He knew Aaroniero died in his battle against Rukia Kuchiki. He underestimated his opponent just because he was stronger than her and paid the price for that.
He knew Zommari, Szayelaporro, and Nnoitra were defeated in battle but wasn't sure if they survived.
As far as he knew, only two of them died.
His voice was grim as he addressed the tomboy Fracción, because even though he's changed, he still values his comrades—his friends.
"Huh?"
Apacci was caught off guard by the question, her mind still focused on studying Starrk.
She struggled to come up with a response, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
After taking a minute to compose herself, she spoke, "Only three, no two of the Espada remain. All of them died in battle except for Grimmjow and Harribel-sama. Three if you count Nelliel—it turns out she was ali-"
The Arrancar paused, her voice trailing off once she felt the immense pressure the Espada was letting off.
It pushed her to her knees making her squirm as she struggled to lift her head to look at Starrk,
He had risen, standing with his head lowered to the ground, his features overshadowed by his emotions. His hands clenched into fists by his side.
He could barely control himself right now.
Like fire, his reiatsu spread to its surroundings, lighting up the cave with an azure glow.
His power felt barely restrained, unstable almost. Like he was about to explode.
This wasn't the Coyote Starrk from before. This was something else.
And what was even worse, almost impossible to her—his reiatsu continued rising, becoming more and more potent by the second, his form glowing bright and bright as it was consumed by great blue flames that fueled off his emotions like a parasite.
Her instincts told her to run but she was paralysed in fear. Never in her life had Apacci faced such a powerful presence, it dwarfed even Aizen's—which still haunts her to this day.
Jumping several meters back, she barely managed to avoid being crushed by the reiatsu. It made her eyes widen as she realized that this being was truly that powerful, that his reiryoku—his energy, could kill her.
"Why do I feel like this...?" Starrk muttered to himself, his voice low. Her eyes snapped to him.
Starrk's eyes were filled with sorrow and rage that contrasted against his blank expression. Even he didn't expect to react to this news like this.
Even when faced with Lilynette's death, he had handled himself better than this. What's happening to me…?
These emotions felt foreign, this blinding rage—this urge for revenge. It wasn't like him.
"I truly have changed." His reiatsu flared dangerously around him as the Primera let out a low chuckle.
He knew why he was feeling this way. Most of the Arrancar were now dead—one fifth of the Espada remain.
The thought made his blood boil.
Just thinking about it made him see red—his friends were dead.
The anger was eating at him.
Too busy wallowing in his misery, Starrk had failed to remember Apacci who was struggling to breath, choking on her own breath as her lungs burned in pain.
"F-fuck." She shakily cursed, spitting out the word like poison.
'I need to escape…! But… why can't I move a muscle…? I'm… paralysed in fear…'
She was trembling, her body barely able to keep itself up.
'Am I really this… terrified…?'
Beneath his mask of anger and misery, Starrk felt a tug at the back of his mind—it was telling him to let it all out. But it was also telling him about Apacci, that she was still there.
He turned to look at her with eyes filled with barely controlled emotion.
"Leave." The Espada spoke though gritted teeth as the sensation of anger gnawed at his mind. "Before you die."
"I-I can't…" She stuttered out, her voice raw, barely audible over the roaring flames of his reiatsu. "I'm too t-terrified to move."
To Starrk, those words almost felt mocking—mocking him of how out of control this situation was. How he wasn't in control.
He moved forward, at a speed so fast, Apacci didn't see it coming. Raising his heel, his foot connected with her sternum.
Boom. She was sent flying from the force, knocking the air out of her lungs as she flung through the air at neck breaking speeds.
The blow was immensely painful but it was enough to get her to snap out of it.
Acting quickly, she vanished using Sonído, trying to get as far away from the angry Primera Espada as soon as possible.
She needed to inform Harribel-sama as fast as possible.
Later, she would come to regret her haste as she would struggle to retrace her steps back to the cave after reporting to Harribel—who would want to know the location of such a powerful Arrancar.
With no one to stop him, Starrk let everything out allowing his full power to flow out of his form like a tidal wave that exploded from within.
He allowed his misery to destroy his surroundings.
He continued for hours, pushing himself until he felt more drained than he had ever been in all his centuries of existence.
The sorrow was brief, just like Starrk's time with the other Arrancar. But it felt like it lasted millennia.
The emotional breakdown opened old wounds as he wallowed in his past losses.
He wasn't supposed to feel this way, not even over Lilynette's sacrifice. He was an Arrancar—Hollow, not some emotional human.
After the events, Starrk would begin to have more and more impulsive occurrences where he'd let his emotions control him. 'At the very least, it helped him understand his emotions.' He'd later think.
"Why the hell am I so emotional..?"
Those were the thoughts going through the Primera Espada's mind as he fell deep in an ocean of emotions.
(Chapter End)
Author's Note: Before you ask no, Apacci will not be a love interest and no, this will not be a harem. I'm just using her as a plot device so Starrk's can get all caught up with the Winter War and to introduce him to other characters and allow the story to progress. Speaking of ships, I'm not sure if I'll add any. But I might change my mind.
Thanks for reading.