Arc I: The Raven's Pack

Chapter 3: Beast of Destruction

"You're both slowing down and I don't want too see that! I want to see more speed in your movements! Push yourselves!"

Currently the trio were in the midst of another grueling training session as both Loly and Menoly were using Sonido this time. One minute they appeared far out in the distance and moments later reappeared at the cave though they did this multiple times. Kiiro of course stood over on the sidelines overseeing their training and hummed as he noticed that the too were slowly getting exhausted.

'The two are doing okay but this is taking longer than I originally thought. Interesting.' Kiiro thought as his eyes darted back and forth as he watched the two. Of course, while the two were enduring their training he couldn't help but think back on their reactions.

-Earlier-

"I'm sorry you want us to do what?!" Loly shouted in bewilderment.

"I said, you're both going to do some speed training today." Kiiro repeated in a monotone voice.

The Vasto Lorde was standing over the two Adjucha who were lazing about. After a few days of well needed rest and eating fresh kills that he brought them, the wounds the duo received fully healed and as of now, their leader had taken it upon himself to continue their training. As usual Loly was already growing a tantrum and glaring at Kiiro since they had just fully recovered from their little incident and right now he was already getting them back into training. Menoly on the other hand was the opposite as she was somewhat happy that Kiiro was taking the time to help them but concern and curiosity was growing within her as she gazed at the Vasto Lorde.

"Um...not that I'm complaining Kiiro-sama but...why are we doing speed training?" Menoly asked curiously.

"It's occurred to me that while you both excel in team coordination, and the physical training I put both of you through has been helpful; you both lack in speed." Kiiro explained which surprised both of them, Loly especially. The centipede was about to respond to his comment but he added, "I know that I stated that you were the fastest when it came to both of you. However, as of late your speed and Menoly's speed...are inferior compared to other hollows."

"So what do you want us to do? Run back and forth until we tire ourselves out?" Loly asked with narrowed eyes, "That sounds like a waste of time and energy! What if we're attacked by some bastards while we're doing this?"

"I'm pretty sure Kiiro-sama has that covered Loly. I mean, who in their right mind would come near us when we have the most dangerous, powerful, and feared hollow watching over us. We'll be perfectly safe under his care." Menoly voiced in hopes of opening her friends mind.

"Precisely. You should know by now that I wouldn't allow anything to harm either of you. Any hollow that's bold enough too approach me with hostile intent will perish and if they dare approach you two with the same intent they will meet a terrible fate." Kiiro stated bluntly while stretching his wings.

After saying what he needed did the Vasto Lorde fly off for a moment. Both Adjuchas watched their leader with deep curiosity as he landed on the ground off in the distance and took a minute too survey the area.

"What's he doing?"

"How should I know? He's just looking at sand."

They continued watching Kiiro as he continued looking around and walked several feet forward until coming too a halt. The two then watched as Kiiro pointed at the ground and fire off a small blue cero in a quick motion, leaving a charred line on the sand. When he was finished, the Vasto Lorde took a moment too inspect his work and nodded in approval as he flew back over to the duo.

"Okay, I'm only going to say this once." The Vasto Lorde stated, landing a few feet in front of the two and earning their attention. "I want both of you to Sonido back and forth between this cave and that direction multiple times. You both know what Sonido is and how to use it correct?"

"Of course we know it, it's that loud sound hollows make when they move super fast." Menoly replied with a sigh, "I can use it but I'm...not as proficient in it like most."

"I'm...okay with it I guess...but how will it help us in combat?" Loly wondered.

"Simple," The Adjuchas widened their eyes in disbelief when they heard the voice behind them and turned to see the Vasto Lorde gazing at them, "You'll be able too catch your opponents off guard with your speed and deliver a decisive strike. Of course if you do encounter hollows that are stronger than you but they lack in speed you can escape and widen the distance easily."

"Wha...how...wh-when did you get behind us!?" Loly asked as she was glancing at where Kiiro was a few seconds a go and where he is now.

"S-So fast. I...I couldn't even see him." Menoly whispered in astonishment.

"Being fast shouldn't come as a surprise girls, especially given who I am." Kiiro replied calmly while placing a hand on both of their heads, "As far as I can remember, my speed was always outmatched. While it will take decades for you two to reach my speed, I can help you two attain agility that will be greater than any hollow you encounter. Given your form, abilities and power; speed will be a crucial factor for both of you."

Loly huffed in annoyance as she swatted Kiiro's hand off of her head, "This sounds like a waste of energy to me."

"At first it will sound like a waste of time and energy but trust me, this will help both of you." Kiiro replied, removing his hand from Menoly's head and moving away.

"And...what do you expect to come out of this Kiiro-sama?" Menoly asked.

"By the end of this training your stamina should increase due to this form of exercise and hopefully your speed as well. I want to see if both of you can do this one hundred times without stopping. Also, no breaks. If you two stop even for a moment, you'll have to start over again."

"Tch, nonstop and no breaks, this just sounds like a bunch of bullshit. You don't even know if this will truly help us." Loly muttered as she turned away.

"It's a simple one hundred sonido steps that anyone can do so I see no reason too complain Loly." Kiiro stated bluntly. He noticed that his words did very little to persuade the centipede and he wasn't particularly in the mood to force her to do this training. That would lead to more problems and headaches which he wasn't keen on having. At that moment an idea popped up in his head. His eyes drifted over to Loly who didn't bother looking at him and he spoke again, "Unless, you're too weak to do something so simple."

Menoly glanced at Kiiro in bewilderment when he said those words and noticed the mischievous look in his eyes. She would have never thought that someone like him would be manipulative and this caused her to look at him differently. She then turned her attention to Loly in order to gauge her reaction and watched as her friend swiftly turn to face their superior and glared angrily at him.

"WEAK!" Loly yelled, fuming in anger due to Kiiro's comment, "I'll show you weak you bastard!"

Immediately, Loly used a sonido to appear far out in the distance where Kiiro had left the burn mark and a second later she reappeared by the cave. Upon realizing what she did and how easy it was, Loly laughed loudly and glared at Kiiro with confidence, "This isn't hard! I doubt this will take long at all and then we'll see who's weak now!"

With that, she went off and repeated the action again leaving Menoly alone with Kiiro who eye'd the centipede hollow. As he observed the prideful centipede go on with her training, he could feel the judgmental gaze of the scorpion burrowing down on him and sighed knowing what she's thinking.

"Got something to say?"

"You're terrible for tricking Loly."

"Look, as long as my methods get either of you motivated than I dont see a problem. Now get going or I'll have you do more than her."

Menoly paled when Kiiro uttered those words and stared at the Vasto Lorde with caution. She wanted to figure out whether or not her superior was joking with her but fear quickly overtook her. Not wanting to figure out the truth nor be punished for stalling, Menoly took off and started to use Sonido in order to begin her training.

-Present-

'I wonder how strong they'll get with the training I'm giving them? It could prove interesting if they exceed the strength of a regular Adjuchas and maybe evolve into a Vasto Lorde." Kiiro thought, imagining the appearances of the Adjuchas as Vasto Lordes "The thought of both of them becoming Vasto Lordes...it would be interesting to see more female hollows reach such a stage.'

His thoughts were interrupted when he didn't hear any noise emitting from the two and glanced over to see that both hollows had stopped momentarily and were gasping for air as if they were taking a quick break.

This little break of theirs didn't sit well with the Vasto Lorde.

The wings he used as a makeshift robes began shuffling and parting slightly, allowing his right hand to emerge from within. Extending his index finger and taking aim at the two hollows, Kiiro charged a dark blue cero at the tip of said finger and shouted loudly at them.

"I thought I said no breaks!"

No sooner did he say that did both hollows snap their eyes towards their superior to see the charged cero pointed at them. Without any hesitation, the Vasto Lorde fired the cero at the duo, causing them to scream in horror as they scrambled to get out of the way from the attack. Diving away from the oncoming attack, both hollows watched as the cero harmlessly flew past them and disappeared into the night leaving the two terrified and breathless. Turning to Kiiro, they saw the Vasto Lorde staring at both of them and charging another cero.

"You're both starting over and I'm keeping a close eye on both of you this time. If either of you stop even for a moment, I won't hesitate to fire a cero to help motivate you."

Deep within the desert land of Hueco Mundo, a small confrontation had broken out between two hollows and the battle between both of them was intense.

One of these hollows had the appearance of a jellyfish-like creature, its main body was shaped as a large, bloated umbrella-shaped bell which levitated a few feet off of the ground. Unlike normal Jellyfish, the main body wasn't transparent and instead it was a gelatinous mass and extending from below the mass were twenty long, thickened tentacles which had several small spikes lined around the edges of the limbs and each one of the elongated had electrical charges sparking around them. It's hollow mask wasn't visible on any portion of its body however it's hollow hole was located right in the center of it's large, flabby body.

The other Adjucha had an appearance similar to a panther. It's skin was bleached white skin with rows of very thin, black lines around its body, black paw-like feet a tail that started from the back of it's head and ran along the back of its body as if acting like a makeshift spine and it's face similar to that of the feral wild-cats themselves but with two openings on its cheeks revealing a good portion of its sharpened fangs.

The jellyfish hollow let out a shrill cry as it raised four of its tentacles and discharged a high voltage of yellow electricity at the feline but the white cat was agile and quickly evaded the attack with ease. The large hollow was growing nervous as the panther advanced at high-speed and was closing in with every second which sent the jellyfish into a panic as it launched several tentacles to intercept it. The feline snarled seeing an opening as the tentacles were sent it's way and after timing it just right, the Adjucha lunged into the air just as the jellyfish's limps smashed where it once was. The panther let out a fierce roar as it dove for the jellyfish like a bullet and immediately clamped his teeth on the soft, flesh-like surface of the hollow earning a sharp shriek.

The jellyfish writhed in agony as the panther's teeth clenched down on it's soft surface and frantically tried hurling the smaller creature off of it but the panther had firmly latched itself onto its prey with it's teeth while it's claws pierced the beast creating deep lacerations. Bleeding, wounded, and incredible pain, the Adjucha let out another shriek as it raised it's tentacles which surged with electricity as it tried to remove it's assailant though it's plan came too late. Violently yanking its head back, the feline tore a large chunk of the jellyfish's flabby body with relative ease and managed to also rip out several nerves that were connected to the hollow. The loss of such a large portion of it's skin caused the beast to screech and spasm as it collapsed onto the sandy ground below. Victory belonged to the panther as it's prey had succumbed to its wounds and the hollow tore into it's well earned meal as it tore a piece of flesh from the deceased hollow.

"Four-thousand," The Adjucha muttered as it licked it's blood soaked lips wolfed and went for another bite, "No matter how many I kill it feels like I'm not closer to becoming a Vasto Lorde. More importantly, these weaklings aren't proving to be a good source of strength and nourishment."

The panther continued taking bites of the dead hollow, taking as much as he could in order to regain the strength he had lost as well as satiate the endless hunger within him. When there was barely anything left of the jellyfish, the panther raised his head and licked the blood off of his maw with a low growl as he stared off towards the distance.

"I went after everyone I thought was strong in this world but each one of them were all weaklings in the end. But I can't stop now, I won't stop until I become a Vasto Lorde, become the strongest, become King! If I have to devour everything in this world to achieve such strength than so be it!"

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a presence behind him, five too be precise. Tilting his head slightly to take a glance, he saw five familiar hollows watching him from afar. They had been like this from the start of his fight and seeing it over each of them chose this moment to approach the lonesome hollow.

One was a tall and slim Adjuchas with a light purple body with two black lines running down it's form and it seemed to be covered in bone-like armor on its chest. It's arms and legs however held the appearance of a skeleton with long sharpened claws. Lastly was its head or mask which resembled something similar too a medieval knight with four long slits while attached to the back of its head was a long claw-tipped tail.

Next was a rather muscular looking Adjucha with red hair cascading from it's head and a broad, muscular chest with red fur covered legs and hips. It's arms however were the most unique as they were both muscular and powerful in size but it's shoulders were enormous with four distinct exhaust ports.

Next was a humanoid bull-like Adjucha given it's appearance. It's body was light grey in color and its torso was rather large while heavily armored and the same could be said about it's large shoulders and everything from it's forearm down to its wrist was practically made out of bone. It's legs however were rather large and muscular as well and everything from the knee down was covered in white armor with blackened hooves. Lastly it's mas resembled that of the bovine creature itself with large horns protruding from either side of its mask while long blonde hair flowed behind it.

The next two Hollows of course were the most peculiar. One of course resembled that of a Gillian-class menos however its mask was unique compared to all of the lumbering behemoths that he's seen. The other however was an worm-like Adjucha as it's entire body was light grey in color and its size rivaled that of the Gillians which was something peculiar. It's mask on the other hand was shaped with a crested, hammerhead shark-like head

He didn't pay them any mind though given the fact that he was their leader. Their 'King' as they proclaimed due to his strength and determination.

"It seems you've come out as the victor as always Grimmjow." The tall, skeletal Adjucha stated as he eye'd what remained of the corpse, "Although, don't intend on stopping any time soon do you?"

"You already know the answer to that. There's no reason for me to answer it." The panther replied, his hunger still not sated after consuming the hollow nor was he satisfied with the battle he just had.

"You've been hunting nonstop. Maybe you should rest for a bit and recover your stamina." The bull Adjucha suggested to his leader.

"You're desire to achieve Vasto Lorde is also something that we find admirable but we can't help but feel worried since you haven't stopped." The muscular Adjucha added in showing his own concern.

"I agree. Even a King desires rest every now and then Grimmjow. You've been overworking yourself and constantly gone on hunts without giving yourself time to recuperate. More importantly, there is no one here worthy enough to face you." The skeletal Adjucha voiced in hopes of convincing his superior, "Perhaps-"

"Quiet!"

Each of the Adjuchas shuddered when Grimmjow turned to them with a deathly glare and they realized that they struck a nerve. Seeing them silent and somewhat humble did the panther speak again, his voice laced with anger.

"You lot may have given up on becoming Vasto Lorde's but I haven't nor will I stop until I attain such power. Sit around, rest, recuperate; don't waste my time with such worthless suggestions. If you feel that this is all pointless than you can all just go on your merry way than. I have no need for weaklings."

Before any of them could utter a word in response, a sudden flash in the distance caught their attention. A streak of blue mixed with black was discharged in the air followed by several others and a surge of energy washed over the land which surprised the gathered group. This event lasted only for a moment however as moonlight slowly returned to the world but that event left each of the members astonished but the one that was deeply affected by this sudden event was the panther. He hadn't felt anything like this before but definitely knew that whatever had released such a blast was definitely strong.

And if it was strong, than it would bring him one step closer to becoming a Vasto Lorde. An opportunity like this wasn't going to be ignored so easily and the panther couldn't help the grin that was forming on his face.

Menoly had been swaying dangerously on the sandy ground, her reiatsu levels were practically empty and it was already taxing to use whatever energy she had left to keep herself up. She could feel her lungs burning from the intense exercise she had and was shaking uncontrollably with heavy breathing. Glancing over to Loly she noticed her companion was also having a hard time keeping herself up while glaring furiously at the bastard before them. Speaking of said bastard he was currently flexing his finger while approaching them in a slow stride.

"Alright," Kiiro suggested, his hand retracting inside the makeshift robe of his, "I guess we can call it a day."

After uttering those very words both Adjuchas groaned loudly in relief and collapsed before the Vasto Lorde. Menoly's scorpion half collapsed in a heap while her humanoid half slumped forward with a heavy, exhausted sigh. Loly on the other hand hopelessly fell over on her side and groaned in satisfaction that it was all over. Not only had they expelled most of their stamina due to the insane speed training that Kiiro had put them through but he even went out of his way to fire off cero's if they slowed down or stopped for a split-second in order to catch their breath. As of now the duo were completely, and utterly spent as they panted and groaned tiredly after the hellish training they went through.

"Tired already? Well I can't blame either of you since you both did use up a lot of your energy this time. I will say that after some needed rest and continuation of these sessions, we'll start seeing results."

"Fuck...you…!" Loly's hissed, trying to hit Kiiro with one of her arms but failed to even raise it by a centimeter.

"You...you c-could have...k-killed us...Kiiro-sama." Menoly groaned as she glanced up at her superior.

"I could have but that was not my intention." Kiiro replied, glancing down at the two exhausted Adjuchas, "The point of this exercise was for both of you to push your bodies to their very limits. You also must remember that those you encounter won't give you any time to rest or gather strength while in the midst of combat. Me firing cero's at both of you is meant as a reminder that you can't rest in the heat of battle. If you do you'll die."

"Bullshit! That doesn't give you the right...too attack us without warning!?" Loly spat, earning the Vasto Lorde's attention as well as Menoly, "Your method of 'training' will kill us before any other Adjuchas and I'm certain that your doing this too spite us."

"Loly...d-don't antagonize him." Menoly insisted but one look from her companion was enough to cease any and all protest from the scorpion.

"Don't antagonize him? Menoly, the bastard literally fired cero's at us with murderous intent and held no concern for our well-being. Even when we went back and restarted his hellish training he still fired cero's at us when we didn't even stop!" Loly pointed out angrily. "Yet you're telling me not to give him a piece of what's on our minds right now? What if we were too slow to dodge his attacks or better yet, what if we didn't realize the attacks heading straight for us while we were training! You know very well that you want to lash out at him as much as I do, so stop acting like you don't want too!"

Menoly didn't want to admit it but she knew that Loly was entirely right. It was only by sheer luck that the two were alive after the sudden attacks that Kiiro had discharged. A serious look had formed on her face as she turned to the Vasto Lorde and she also told him what was on her mind.

"Kiiro-sama...I have to agree with Loly. While I may view you in high regard I also can't help find your methods to be hazardous. One cero was enough to have gotten us motivated again but to harass us with multiple attacks like that can't be considered as training. You could have killed us." She stated adamantly towards her superior.

Silence…

The Vasto Lorde didn't utter a single word after hearing how the two felt and took a moment to examine their expressions. He glanced at Menoly first and saw that her eyes held doubt. He knew that she didn't enjoy his way of training since it was too brutal compared to all the other sessions they had and knew that she was disturbed to see that even he would go that far to use such brutal methods in order to get results. Then there was Loly who simply glared furiously at Kiiro. He knew that she would always have her fits and get angry at him with a few things but right now was different. He could feel her body radiating with hostility and looked as if she wanted to harm him in every way imaginable regardless if he was a Vasto Lorde. In a way, it was as if he betrayed their trust in saying that he would keep them safe and seeing the way they were staring at him and the emotions that radiated off of them was unsettling.

His response to their comments was a heavy sigh which had caught their attention. They noted that it wasn't one of his tired sighs or a thoughtful one. This one was a sigh disappointment. Their eyes than picked up movement from the Vasto Lorde and watched as the wings wrapped around him had parted slowly revealing was was a rather decent sized corpse in his right hand. How and when he obtained the corpse crossed their minds as they inspected the body but it was quickly vanished when he squatted right in front of them. With his freehand, he tore a piece of flesh from the body and held it out towards Loly who was baffled by his odd gesture but immediately and rudely snatched the meat in his hand and wolf it down. The Vasto Lorde wasn't fazed by her actions and silently tore another piece of meat off of the corpse but this time he offered it to Menoly who accepted his offer in a more refined manner than friend and she too began eating.

"I understand that you two angry and upset due to the methods I used while you two were training. You both think that I don't care whether you get hurt or may die." Kiiro stated, tearing another portion of meat off of the body and handing it to Loly who took it from his hand, albeit a bit calmer than before as she listened to him speak, "I will admit that I have been harsh and indifferent whenever we trained and instead I focused more on results. I know realize that I haven't taken into account on how you two would feel and...I'm sorry."

The Adjuchas were silent when Kiiro had said those words causing surprise and disconcert to radiate from them. They imagined he would have came up with some comment that would give him a reason why he acted the way he did and why his actions were justified but he didn't. For him too apologize to them was something that neither of them would expect and their thoughts on Kiiro began too change since. On one hand, they were happy to hear that he was owning up to his mistakes and understood that he was wrong but on the other hand they were unsure of what was going on in his mind. Both Adjuchas tried voicing their thoughts but they weren't able to vocalize their opinions and thus remained silent. They simply gazed at the stoic Vasto Lorde who continued ripping off more pieces of meat and alternating between both of them but he also started speaking again.

"The incident with those Adjuchas has been on my mind as of late and I'm also reminded of when I first found the two of you. Whenever I dwell on these thoughts I'm greeted to the sight of your wounded forms and I don't want to see you two in such a state...or worse. As hard as I am towards both of you, it's only because I want to see you both grow and reach the pinnacle of your strength. Maybe even achieve a power that no other hollow in this world has ever received. Regardless of how you feel towards me, I want you two to know that I am only looking out for your best intentions and I would not let anything harm either of you whether it's a random hollow or myself. If anything...I'll tone down all of the more...risky stuff so I don't cross any lines."

With the remaining piece of meat in his hand, the Vasto Lorde split the sustenance in two and offered pieces to the duo. He silently watched as two took the remaining portions and began finishing the last of their meal. The moment between the three was oddly heartfelt given that the thoughts that both hollows had for the eerie Vasto Lorde was slowly beginning to change however an intense presence had made itself known.

Kiiro was the first to react as he swiveled around and used a wing to block an attack aimed for him and he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a white panther. The sudden confrontation startled Loly and Menoly as they watched Kiiro tried swatting the unknown aggressor but the feline quickly pounced away in order to evade the attack. Landing a few feet away, the trio also watched as it was quickly joined by five other hollows comprised of a single Gillian and four Adjuchas.

"Wh-what the actual hell?! Where did these assholes come from?!" Loly shouted, staggering to her feet and finding it hard to keep herself up.

"They...they just happened to appear out of nowhere. This is bad." Menoly added as she staggered to a stand as well.

Kiiro remained silent while observing the assembled variety of hollows. He inspected each hollow as he took note of each of their appearances, but from what he could sense, the panther was the strongest out of all of them.

'He must be their leader and he's far stronger than most Adjuchas I've met.' Kiiro thought with interest but narrowed his eyes as he glanced behind him, 'Great...of all times to be attacked. What to do?"

While Kiiro came to terms with the situation in front of him Grimmjow and his cohorts found themselves observing the three hollows before them though their eyes were primarily focused on the Vasto Lorde himself.

"That hollow looks pretty strong, and he has two others with him as well." The worm-like Adjucha stated, licking its lips in excitement.

"I think he's the one that fired that powerful cero. Heh, doesn't look that strong." The bull chuckled with excitement.

"Regardless of what you think he's mine. You can deal with the insects if you want!" Grimmjow roared with bloodlust.

Grimmjow charged forward and was followed by the rest of the group as each of them roared loudly but Kiiro quickly reacted and intercepted Grimmjow. The panther roared loudly as he leapt into the air and dove for his quarry with killing intent. To his dismay and horror however, his opponent was hovering a directly in front of him giving him no time to react at all. In one swift motion, the Vasto lorde quickly wing swept the panther which sent him crashing to the ground. The following impact forced the others to come to a halt as they gawked at what had happened to their leader and allowed fear to overwhelm each of them as they turned towards Kiiro who descended to the ground. With the panther dealt with he turned his attention towards the group of hollows and aimed a finger at them, charging a cero at the tip. Right before it was about to launch however, Grimmjow pounced forward and slashed at Kiiro's arm, throwing off the cero's trajectory.

Even with the cero's trajectory thrown off the group still dove for cover as the attack flew right past them into the distance. The blast was overwhelmingly powerful as its pressure resounded throughout the night sky. Kiiro was rather surprised that his opponent was able too have the strength to throw off his trajectory and recover quickly from his attack which caused him to focus more on the panther. The feline tried to bite his opponent, but failed when the Vasto Lorde kneed him in the face and sent him skidding back. Recovering from the attack, the Adjucha snarled angrily and was about to follow up with another attack but one of his allies called out to him.

"Grimmjow, we should retreat. This one's too strong for us!"

"Like hell we're retreating! In order to become a Vasto Lorde we need to kill powerful hollows!" The panther growled in annoyance, "There's no way I'm running from a fight!"

"It's best if you listen to your companions." Kiiro finally spoke up though for the first time in his life he spoke in a threatening manner, "No matter how strong an Adjuchas is they don't have the strength to best a Vasto Lorde. Leave now or I will end your existence."

At the utter of the word Vasto Lorde did the group feel a certain dread beginning to rise from within except for Grimmjow.

"A Vasto Lorde huh." The panther said with a grin as he felt his bloodlust rising, "Well, I suppose this makes things even more interesting. I've been meaning too fight a hollow like you!"

A dark aura slowly emitted from his body as he gazed at the panther with a dangerous look in his eyes. Upon feeling such an omnious aura from the Vasto Lorde the Skeletal Adjuchas eyes widened in horror as he realized who this being was and he called out to his leader.

"Grimmjow we must retreat immediately!" He urged as he backed away slowly, "This isn't just some Vasto Lorde."

"What?" The panther replied irritably before turning to his opponent, "Enough of these games, who the hell are you supposed to be then?"

"Are you really that much of a fool?!" Loly shouted, drawing everyone's attention except for Kiiro who let out a weary sigh while Menoly facepalmed as the two knew full well what she was planning. The centipede couldn't help but stare at the panther with confidence before continuing, "This here is the most feared and powerful Vasto Lorde in existence. The infamous Raven of Shadows himself!"

Upon hearing the very name leave the Adjuchas mouth did Grimmjow hear shuffling and footsteps which caused him to turn and see all of his companions backing away slightly as if they wanted to run. They each looked as if they've encountered the devil himself and he merely scoffed as he turned back to see his opponent composed and eerily calm.

"Tch, figures they be afraid of you but I'm not like those weaklings!" Grimmjow stated in confidence as he showed no sign of backing down, "I don't care how strong you are, Raven! Nothing's going to stop me from gaining even greater power and becoming a Vasto Lorde! Infamous Hollow or not I'm the king here!"

"A King? As far as I know, the only 'King' in Hueco Mundo is Baraggan Louisenbairn and you aren't even close to his strength. Let alone mine. Leave here Adjucha or you will die." Kiiro countered, causing the panther to stare at him with distraught.

"You...you…" Grimmjow growled. A sudden rage slowly began to overcome the Adjucha as his body began to tremble due. As he continued staring down Kiiro he couldn't help but also take note of his eyes. The Vasto Lorde didn't seem worried or concerned, almost as if he wasn't a threat and that sent Grimmjow over the edge as he roared, "STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME!"

Grimmjow pounced forward, rage consuming every fiber of his being as he wanted to see the Vasto Lorde in front of him dead. The panther rapidly slashed at his adversary, his attacks blinding and wild as he attempted to strike him down but despite the onslaught of attacks he sent, the Vasto Lorde calmly and effortlessly blocked each one of them with ease. Kiiro swung at Grimmjow with his wings in order to bat the hollow away but the feline was able to narrowly avoid the attack by ducking down and leapt up at Kiiro with a mighty roar as he went for his throat.

The Vasto Lorde however anticipated this and brought his right arm up in defense as Grimmjow clenched down and sunk his teeth into his adversary. Kiiro furrowed his eyes a little as Grimmjows grip on him tightened in hopes of tearing his arm off but it did little to worry the Vasto Lorde as he raised the panther high in the air and violently slammed him onto the ground. The sudden impact earned a sharp gasp from Grimmjow as his grip on Kiiro released and before he could recover, he received a hard kick which sent him skidding through the ground. When he came to a stop, the panther staggered onto his feet again and panted heavily as he can feel himself growing exhausted. The last fight he had was beginning to have its effect on him and he be damned if he allowed himself to give in right now.

Turning to his opponent he could see that he didn't appear winded or even injured after all the attacks he through at him and this only infuriated the feline more. With a low growl, the panther channeled blue reiatsu around his claws and pounced to deliver another attack. When he drew closer he leaped high in the air and dove for Kiiro with killing intent but his eyes widen in shock from what he saw.

His opponent was just standing there, watching him with the same unamused look. He didn't move from his spot, nor did he take up a defensive stance in order to block the oncoming attack and looked as if he was going to take it full on. This angered the panther significantly as all he saw at this point was red.

'Damn him! How dare he mock me! I am the strongest dammit! I WILL NOT LOSE TO HIM!'

With a loud, mighty roar, the Adjucha swung his claws in an X pattern and unleash a tremendous attack as blue arcs of energy similar to a Cero collided against Kiiro and exploded. The attack was immense, sending a gust of sand everywhere which obscured the battlefield.

Both Loly and Menoly who had been spectating the entire time shield their eyes from the oncoming sand cloud that was blown their way and the same could be said about Grimmjow's group as each of them struggled to keep themselves composed due to how immense and powerful that attack was. Once everything had settled down everyone glanced back to where the battle was, only for their eyes to gaze at a smoldering crater where Kiiro had been. Their eyes widened at what they saw as a thick cloud of smoke emitted from but more importantly, there was no trace of Kiiro. Grimmjow's group felt a wave of excitement washed over them as some began to cheer out seeing that Grimmjow's attack had hit it's mark and while the remainder couldn't help the be thrilled for their leader.

"Yeah, Grimmjow!" The muscular Adjucha shouted loudly.

"Hell yeah! That's showin' them why you're the King Grimmjow!" The bull Adjucha yelled with enthusiasm.

"That's our King! He's the strongest there ever was!" The worm Adjucha stated with a laugh.

The Gillian and skeletal Adjucha were silent but they themselves couldn't help but find joy after seeing their leader land a devastating attack on his opponent. Off on the other side however, Loly and Menoly were quite the opposite. The two Adjuchas saw no sign of their superior nor could they feel his presence which caused them both of them to tremble in fear.

"K-Kiiro...i-it's impossible." Menoly whimpered as she tried to find some indication that the Vasto Lorde was fine.

"N-No way...there's no way that could have…" Loly started but found herself losing his voice due to what she was seeing and trembled slightly.

Landing with a heavy thud, the panther grinned thinking that he finally landed a powerful hit and started laughing triumphantly seeing no trace of his opponent. A sense of pride surged through the panther seeing no sign of his opponent and felt exhilarated knowing that he was able to defeat a Vasto Lorde. With him out of the way he turned his gaze towards Loly and Menoly, both females immediately trembling when they saw the dark look on the panther's face knowing very well what he was bound to do.

Unfortunately for him...that would never come.

A clawed hand reached out from the smoke and grasped Grimmjow by the neck. Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden scenario as the panther gagged and flailed in the vice-like grip as he glared angrily at the obscuring smoke before him. He watched as a pair of wings emerged from within the thick cloud and dispersed it in one swift motion revealing Kiiro though to Grimmjow's disbelief the hollow didn't appear damaged whatsoever. Shock, horror, relief, worry and varied other emotions were portrayed amongst the spectators but one thing was certain.

This was fight over.

Spreading his wings, Kiiro shot up to the sky at terrifying speed with Grimmjow still cletched in his grip, the panther cletching his teeth and struggling to break himself free but it seemed in vain. After reaching a certain point in the night sky, Kiiro than aimed for the ground and descended at a much faster rate.

Grimmjow knew exactly what the Vasto Lorde was doing and in a last ditch effort, the panther writhed in a berserk frenzy as he clawed at the hollows arm for freedom. Despite using up as much strength as he could to free himself from his opponent Grimmjow's efforts were in vain as the two smashed into the ground. Everyone gazed at the two combatants in disbelief after the display they had just witnessed and watched as Kiiro released his hold from the panther and stood up without any trouble though he continued eyeing the panther. There was a moment of silence on both sides as they stared at the Vasto Lorde though each of them were surprised and shocked to see that the panther slowly rising back up and stand defiantly before Kiiro.

The Adjucha was heavily bruised and weakened showing how damaged he was after taking a full on dive bomb to the ground. Loly and Menoly were quite stunned to see the Adjuchas still had the energy to stand but they could both tell that he wouldn't be able to defeat Kiiro, especially given how wounded he was. His group on the other hand were fearing for their leader after seeing him in such a state and were quickly debating on whether or not they should go and assist him. They were still terrified of the Vasto Lorde, that they wouldn't deny but seeing the one they respected and held in regard in such a state didn't sit well with either of them.

Grimmjow panted heavily as fatigue overcame his very form. His strength had been completely drained yet he still willed himself to stand even when he couldn't and his vision had grown hazy and blurry due after slamming harshly on the ground. Yet despite being wounded and hindered, the panther would not submit as he stared defiantly at his opponent with unbridled fury.

"Damn you...Raven! I won't be killed...not now! Not after all the fighting I've done!" Grimmjow roared angrily, "I'm not going out like some damn weakling you bastard! I'm going out on my own terms and I'll take you down with me!"

The panther tried lunging at Kiiro for a final time but the Vasto Lorde disappeared from his field of view. The sudden movement shocked Grimmjow as he had little to no time to react and immediately felt a light jab on a certain point in his shoulder. The sudden blow caused his every fiber in his body to go numb and the panther slumbed on the ground with a loud thud with Kiiro the only one standing.

"GRIMMJOW!" His men shouted, quickly scrambling over to their fallen leader as quickly as they could.

The five hollows surrounded Grimmjow, each of them worried for the one that they held great respect but where stunned to see his chest slowly raising for a moment before deflating seconds later signifying that he was still alive.

"He's...not dead?" The skeletal Adjuchas stated in surprise as he and the others were completely speechless.

"Of course not. I spared him."

Each of them turned to Kiiro to see the Vasto Lorde simply staring at them with indifference while his wings folded up behind him in a manner that resembled a bird that was either resting or calm. Each of them were still wary of the being before them given that he didn't resonate with any hostility and this confused each of them greatly since his actions were unusual.

"Why?" The skeletal Adjucha replied.

"Your leader, Grimmjow...he's interesting. Compared to those that I've encountered, he's the first to actually put up a decent fight." Kiiro explained with some amusement in his tone, "Every hollow would always run away at first glance of my appearance, or even try to use such...unorthodox methods too kill me. Grimmjow was different however. Despite being beaten, bruised, deeply injured and exhausted, he still continued to fight. Even when his opponent was stronger than him. That alone is reason enough too spare him."

Everyone had listened to what Kiiro had said and eyed the Vasto Lorde for any sort of deception in his words but they immediately saw that he was being honest with them.

"I...see." The skeletal Adjucha replied softly.

"W-Wait. Not that we're ungrateful but...you're not going to kill Grimmjow?" Especially after he attacked you?" The bull Adjucha asked in shock.

"Or us for that matter!?" The muscular added in with his own curiosity.

"G-Guys I don't think suggesting that is a good idea right now." The worm suggested with some fear in his tone of voice.

Too all of their surprise however, Kiiro closed his eyes and shook his head after hearing such words from the Adjuchas before saying, "No. I have no reason too kill someone like him or any of you really. While I may be irritated that you suddenly appeared and almost harmed by companions, I found our little bout interesting if anything. With his drive and determination, someone like him could very well become a Vasto Lorde one day and if possible, I would like for us to fight once again when you reach the apex of your strength."

Kiiro's words caused the group too take a moment and think about what he had just said. Here they were, surrounded by their beaten, bruised and unconscious leader and as of now they were at the mercy of the Vasto Lorde before them. Yet, instead of outright killing them all like anyone would, he has decided on sparing each of them out of respect. Each of them couldn't help but glance at one another after taking some consideration to his words and placed their gaze on the hollow that still stood before them.

"So...we're free to go?" The skeletal Adjucha asked.

"Of course."

"EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME?!"

The five hollows were startled when they heard the voice erupted from behind them and they also caught a low but heavy sigh emitted from the Vasto Lorde as a particular centipede Adjucha skittered towards the group with a furious look on her face as she glared at Kiiro. Of course following close behind her was Menoly who was equally if not just as shocked as her friend after what she had heard. It didn't take long for Loly to stop right in front of Kiiro as she towered over him, appearing as intimidating as she could possibly be while pointing her long extensions at the group.

"You're just going to let them go despite the fact that they attacked and almost tried to kill you and us?! ARE YOU INSANE?!" Loly shouted loudly, her anger reaching no bounds as she wanted to strangle Kiiro.

"I have to agree with Loly, Kiiro-sama! Are you certain that this is the right course of action?" Menoly added as she wasn't too keen on this idea, "This doesn't sound like a good idea."

"Calm down you two." Kiiro sighed tiredly, "This situations been dealt with and as the victor I can decide the losers fate. It's nothing to get mad at."

"THERE'S A REASON TOO GET MAD YOU DUMBASS!"

Grimmjow's group watched Loly with a look of disbelief as she spouted more spiteful, vulgar, and inappropriate words towards a Vasto Lorde of all hollows but what was even more shocking was that he simply stood there and allowed her to say whatever she wanted without repercussions. They also couldn't help but glance over to see Menoly covering her face in embarrassment given the situation and knew that they had an audience. All of them didn't know how they should feel about this given how awkward the situation was and thus the skeletal Adjucha picked up his unconscious leader. The action caught Kiiro's attention as he to the group as they looked as though they were about ready to head out but to the Vasto Lorde's surprise, each of them knelt before him to show their utmost respect. The action came as a surprise to Kiiro along with Menoly and Loly, the latter of whom had finally silenced herself after the display before her.

"Raven of Shadows, on behalf of all us...thank you!" Each of them stated in a respectful tone.

"There's no reason to thank me." Kiiro replied as he watched each of them stand back up, "I doubt that he'll enjoy the fact that he lost but if he desires to have another rematch than I'll accept. I look forward to see just how strong he can get in the days ahead and hopefully he can evolve into a Vasto Lorde."

"I will give him the message whenever he awakens." The skeletal Adjucha replied with a firm nod, "Ah right. Even though we have gotten off on the wrong foot. Allow us to introduce ourselves in case we run into each other in the future. I am Shawlong Koufang."

"Yylfordt Granz. Nice to meet you!" The bull Adjucha greeted with a nod.

"Di Roy Rinker. Uh...sorry for uh...trying to kill you." The worm Adjucha greeted a bit hesitantly.

"Names Edrad Liones." The bulky Adjuchas replied and he immediately turned to the Gillian, "And this here is Nakeem Grindina."

Kiiro glanced up at the Gillian who nodded his head in acknowledgement and Kiiro simply nodded back upon hearing each of their names. Seeing that they had the pleasantries to introduce themselves, Kiiro decided to do the same as he raised a hand to himself.

"Kiiro Eclipse." The Vasto Lorde replied.

When he finished, he turned his attention to Menoly who seemed to finish her sudden embarrassment trope and reluctantly nodded as she glanced at the group.

"Um...greetings. I'm Menoly Mallia. If we meet again, I hope it's under better circumstances." She said.

The duo then turned to the last of their group who was not so keen on introducing herself to the ones who didn't mind killing her. Kiiro couldn't really fault her on how she was acting and let out another tired sigh as he raised a hand towards her.

"This here is Loly Aivirrne." Kiiro replied with a sigh, "Forgive her but, given the fact that you were technically our adversaries I don't think she wants anything to do with you."

"Hey! These assholes don't deserve to know my name nor do you have the right to introduce me like that!" The centipede hissed angrily.

"Loly please, we're all trying to be friendly here. At least try and get along for the moment." Menoly insisted as she tried calming her friend down.

In response to her friend's words, Loly simply hissed and turned her head away with a glare and this earned a sigh of disappointment from Menoly. Edrad, Di-Roy and Yylfordt couldn't help but snicker finding the small moment to be hilarious but immediately silenced themselves when Kiiro's gaze fell on them.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways, I suppose. Keep a close eye on your leader if possible. I can tell that each of you hold considerable amount of care for him."

"We will do what we can to assist our King but he's the one that will ultimately make all of the choices." Shawlong replied with a nod, "Until we meet again, Kiiro-san."

With that said, an unconscious Grimmjow and his followers left just as suddenly as they arrived leaving Kiiro and his two companions by themselves. The Vasto Lorde couldn't help but place a hand on his head and let out the longest, most stressful sigh he's ever held within him which had caught the attention of both Adjuchas as they had never thought that they would see Kiiro express himself like this. It was both entertaining and somewhat creepy since he's mostly been indifferent or extremely calm.

"Well...that's enough excitement for one day." Kiiro said before placing his attention on the two hollows, "You two okay?"

"Y-yeah...just...processing what just happened." Menoly replied, her brain still trying to understand what had just happened, "He was by far the strongest Adjucha I've seen. Yet he was no match for you Kiiro-sama."

"And you just let him go like that!" Loly quickly added as she glared at the Vasto Lorde, "What happens if he comes back and gets revenge! You just allowed someone as strong as him to run around and do whatever!"

"Calm down...it will be a while before he does come back and wish for a rematch. Even he knew the power difference between both of us given what we are but he still wanted to test to see how big it truly was. I doubt he'll return anytime soon so you have nothing to worry about," Kiiro stated bluntly, his wings slowly wrapping around him as usual, "And if he does come back then I'll be prepared."

"Still, it's unlike you to just spare someone out of the blue like that Kiiro-sama." Menoly stated, drawing the Vasto Lorde's attention, "What made you do it?"

"Like I said, he's earned my respect." Kiiro stated as he started making his way towards the cave they used as their home, "It would be a waste to end the life of an Adjucha who isn't a coward and manages to inspire those around him."

When he said that, both Loly and Menoly couldn't help but think about what he said. True, it's rare for someone to earn the respect of someone like Kiiro and themselves had seen him slaughter many without any hesitation. As they thought deeply about this however, the duo slowly began to wonder about themselves and how Kiiro felt about both of them. He did save them and spare their lives when they first met and currently he's training them to become efficient fighters for the coming future although, they wondered what Kiiro thought of them as individuals.

"Tomorrow we're training again so I suggest you both gets some rest!" He shouted, snapping both of them from their thoughts.

"Are you kidding me!" Loly groaned loudly as she skittered towards the retreating hollow, "Can we ever catch a break at least?! You practically almost killed us and we just witnessed an intense fight."

"Oh come on Loly it won't be that bad! At least we'll be getting stronger!" Menoly added in as she quickly followed behind and stood beside her friend, "Plus, maybe we'll be going on a hunt as well."

Both hollows began bickering with each other as Loly began dreading for more training while Menoly tried getting her friend to think of the positives. Kiiro couldn't help but listen in on their conversation and shook his head finding their antics to be enjoyable.

After all, they were his companions. One's he would fight for and die for without a moment's hesitation.

Author's Note: Hello fellow readers and writers, Bladed Raptor here! I thank each and every single one of you for reading the Third chapter of the Raven of Agony (Rewritten) and sticking around. My oh my it seem's things this chapter have heated up between our wonderful bunch. As many of you have read, our friends have encountered none other than Grimmjow and his ragtag group of Adjuchas plus one Gillian. Now in all honesty this chapter was hard to make since I wanted to get Grimmjow's personality correct as well as make sure that...I didn't have him go out like some punk or weakling. I wanted to make sure everything came out correctly since Grimmjow is a Fan favorite in Bleach and I didn't want to either butcher his character or make him too OOC so this chapter honestly took a while to type up. If i'm being honest with you guys I'm happy how it came out really and it was fun typing up the chapter. Though, let me known on your thoughts on this. Criticism, reviews, thoughts, gripes, whatever; everything is appreciative my friends and fellow writers. I thank you all again for reading my story, following/favoring it as well and I promise you that I will try and update as soon as I can. So for now, I hope you all enjoy the coming days ahead and I hope each of you have a blissful and Happy New Year as we beging 2020. See you all later!