Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō-Chapter 190: Harribel

Hueco Mundo felt different today—extraordinarily so.

The pale moon bathed the land in a soft glow, the white sands stretched endlessly like silk, and small Hollows scurried through the underground forests. A gentle breeze swept across the desolate expanse...

It was a scene both mysterious and strangely serene.

Yet, nothing was more striking than the woman before him—Harribel.

Her beauty was breathtaking, so much so that Masatsuki Aozaki found himself unwilling to look away.

"Harribel, let me help you."

He gazed down at her, kneeling on the ground.

His expression turned unreadable as his eyes fell upon her heart, still partially encased in the remnants of her shattered Hollow mask.

As a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow—one of Hueco Mundo's most powerful beings—Harribel naturally exuded the regal presence of a queen, commanding both awe and respect.

But now, stripped of her former dignity, she knelt bare before him. The commanding aura she once possessed was gone, replaced by an almost tragic fragility—like a fallen queen, her kingdom lost.

The sight of her in such a state made Masatsuki Aozaki's temper flare, an almost primal impulse rising within him—an urge to thoroughly dominate her.

His gaze drifted downward, lingering briefly on the Hollow hole in her lower abdomen.

He then reached out, placing a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder. A wave of warmth passed through him, the heat of his touch spreading across her skin.

Harribel shuddered.

She could feel the intensity radiating from Masatsuki Aozaki, a heat so overwhelming it felt as though it might consume her.

Her mask, now reduced to a half-helm covering the upper portion of her face, concealed her expression.

But the faint flush creeping up to her ears and the sudden quickening of her heartbeat betrayed the turmoil within her.

Back when she was still a Hollow, she had never paid much attention to this Shinigami's appearance.

But now... now she realized—he was undeniably attractive.

She shook her head slightly, as if trying to dismiss the thought.

No, even as a Hollow, she had found him striking.

But as an Arrancar, seeing him again, his presence felt even more compelling—his allure even stronger.

Her gaze remained locked onto him, unable to pull away, her throat tightening involuntarily as she swallowed.

Around them, the gathered female Arrancar looked on without surprise.

To them, this scene was nothing new.

They had all experienced something similar upon their own transformations—had all felt the same pull Harribel did now.

Even deep within their cores, the lingering remnants of their Hollow instincts stirred—a volatile, restless energy that made them want to overpower Masatsuki Aozaki themselves.

Yet, their Arrancar evolution had returned to them their rational minds, allowing them to suppress such base impulses.

Even so, that primal instinct never fully disappeared. It remained buried, subdued beneath layers of control.

Masatsuki Aozaki was unaware of these unspoken thoughts.

If he had known, he would have only wished for their happiness—never wanting them to struggle so hard to suppress their emotions.

"Get up, there are more tests waiting for us."

Masatsuki Aozaki let out a long sigh.

He slowly helped the future queen of Hueco Mundo to her feet, a flicker of helplessness and regret in his eyes—disappointed that he couldn't do more.

"I have to say, Harribel, you really do have the air of a queen. Why not just kick that old man Baraggan off his throne and take over as the new ruler of Hueco Mundo?"

A small smile tugged at Masatsuki's lips as he playfully teased her, carefully dressing the blonde beauty in a white crop top and long pants.

Harribel's face flushed slightly at his words, but she quickly regained her composure. Her gaze turned serious.

"I don't want to rule Hueco Mundo, nor do I have the ability to lead the Hollows. That role should belong to someone truly capable."

Though her voice was steady, the faint blush lingering on her ears betrayed her lingering emotions from their recent closeness.

Thinking back to their first encounter more than half a year ago, an indescribable feeling welled up in Harribel's heart.

Back then, as a top-tier Vasto Lorde, she never could have imagined herself developing feelings for a Shinigami. It was an unfamiliar, almost alien sensation—one that left her deeply conflicted.

But fate had a strange way of working.

No matter how much she struggled with these emotions, she couldn't deny what had taken root in her heart.

And Masatsuki had never tried to hide his feelings either.

At that time, she had yet to become an Arrancar. Though Vasto Lordes had humanoid forms, they were still Hollows at their core.

Yet this man—a Shinigami—never seemed to care about that at all.

Over the past six months, their bond had only deepened. Those around them often reminisced about that harrowing battle, the memory still vivid in their minds.

Whenever she thought back to it, a chill ran down her spine.

That fight had nearly cost her the life of her closest friends.

She herself had barely escaped death in that vast, endless desert.

Now, looking back, everything over the past six months felt like a surreal dream.

She had survived, evolved into an Arrancar, and gained the power to protect her sisters.

It all felt unreal—like something out of a dream.

At this moment, Harribel's emotions were more tangled than ever.

In a world as chaotic as this, she had no idea what the future held.

All she could do was silently hope—hope that the battles of the past, filled with sacrifice, would never happen again.

Hope that these quiet, peaceful days could last forever.

...

Once Harribel was fully dressed, Masatsuki carefully helped her up before softly asking,

"Do you want to test your strength now, or wait for another opportunity?"

Her Reiryoku was strong, and her breathing steady, but why did she still seem so weak?

Even after Ulquiorra became an Arrancar, he never showed signs like this. Was it because she had abandoned Ultra-Speed Regeneration?

Masatsuki couldn't make sense of it.

But as he watched her struggle to even stand, concern stirred in his heart. He gently tried to dissuade her,

"With the way you are now, you should take some time to recover before pushing yourself. We have plenty of time—there's no need to rush."

However, Harribel firmly shook her head.

"No. We do it today."

Before her words had even fully settled, she suddenly tensed her shoulders.

With a sharp "whoosh," she straightened up in an instant.

Her movement was so fast that Masatsuki was momentarily stunned.

She's really stubborn... but this is too sudden.

She's too straightforward—no scheming at all.

Masatsuki let out a small sigh, his lips twitching slightly in exasperation. Then, turning to Loly beside him, he gave a slight nod and ordered,

"In that case, Loly, go inform Ulquiorra to meet us on the surface."

...

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