Several tens of minutes earlier, Sombravida had not returned Harribel to his territory.
Instead—
He brought her to the Human World.
The transition between realms was smooth, without the tearing rupture of a Garganta. Sombravida's spatial authority folded distance directly, bypassing conventional interdimensional pathways.
They emerged beneath an open sky.
Blue.
Vast.
Clouds drifting peacefully.
Harribel's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"This… is the Human World?"
She had heard of it. Hollows instinctively knew it existed — the source of souls, the land of the living.
But she had never seen it.
Hueco Mundo possessed only eternal night and endless white sand.
Here—
There was warmth.
Wind.
Fragrance.
"Yes," Sombravida answered calmly.
"Why bring me here?"
"To show you something."
He moved again.
Space bent.
They appeared above a modern city.
Before materializing, Sombravida expanded his concealment field. Not mere suppression of spiritual pressure — but full erasure of presence. Unless a Captain-class Shinigami actively scanned the area, their arrival would go unnoticed.
Below them—
Humans moved in crowds.
Children laughed.
Families walked together.
Merchants traded goods peacefully.
There was no devouring.
No hunting.
No spiritual predation.
"The world you describe," Sombravida said quietly, "a place without constant slaughter — this is the closest version of it."
Harribel remained silent.
She could sense it clearly.
Humans possessed negligible spiritual density. Most had almost no reiryoku awareness. They relied not on innate power, but on tools.
They lived.
They aged.
They died.
But not by tearing one another apart for evolution.
The laughter below was unfamiliar.
Yet it stirred something in her.
"Is this what you desire?" Sombravida asked.
Harribel hesitated.
"I do not know if this is my goal… but I admire the harmony."
Sombravida's expression did not change.
"Then look deeper."
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
Space folded again.
This time—
They appeared high above a border conflict zone.
Explosions thundered below.
Gunfire.
Missiles.
Flashes of artillery.
Humans killing humans.
The scent of burning flesh rose into the sky.
Harribel's gaze hardened.
"They lack overwhelming physical strength," Sombravida continued, "so they created weapons."
Below them, a missile detonated.
The explosion was powerful.
For a moment, Harribel evaluated it instinctively.
Comparable to a Menos Grande's Cero.
Perhaps slightly weaker in spiritual destructiveness — but overwhelming in physical annihilation.
"And they possess weapons far beyond this," Sombravida added calmly. "Nuclear devices. Weapons capable of erasing cities."
Harribel understood the implication.
If such weapons interacted with spiritual matter—
Even Vasto Lorde might not escape unscathed.
"The harmony you saw in the city exists," Sombravida said quietly, "because blood is shed here."
Harribel watched soldiers fall.
Watched others advance.
"They sacrifice to protect their homes," Sombravida continued. "Without them, the city would fall."
Silence.
Wind passed through drifting smoke.
"So tell me, Harribel… how do you build a world without sacrifice?"
She had no answer.
"Unify Hueco Mundo?" Sombravida asked rhetorically. "Perhaps one day you could."
"But how many would die before that day?"
"And how will you protect them all until then?"
Her golden eyes shifted.
He had said "protect."
Not "command."
Not "rule."
Protect.
Sombravida did not interfere with the war below.
He could have.
A single Cero Oscuras-class blast could erase one faction.
But human conflicts were not his concern.
Karma was not so simple.
He turned away.
Space folded once more.
This time—
He returned her to his own domain.
They materialized within his territory.
The repeated realm-crossing had consumed noticeable spiritual pressure. Even for Sombravida, consecutive interdimensional jumps were not trivial.
Below his elevated throne platform—
Jekain and Timd were mid-meeting with multiple peak Adjuchas.
Sombravida's arrival caused immediate reiryoku fluctuation.
Every Hollow present reacted instantly.
They withdrew into formation.
"Your Majesty has returned."
Jekain stepped forward.
The others knelt.
Sombravida nodded.
"You've been busy."
"We were discussing a southern Adjuchas tribe's integration," Jekain replied.
"Good. Pause the meeting. Gather the core members."
Jekain obeyed immediately.
Sombravida turned to Harribel.
"Look."
He teleported them onto the upper platform.
From this height, Harribel could finally observe the full structure.
It was no longer a scattered Hollow gathering.
It was a fortress-city.
A cliff-integrated stronghold.
Outer defensive walls extended along the cliff edge.
Watchtowers placed strategically.
Stone structures shaped by Mud's sand manipulation.
Organized living quarters.
Structured pathways.
Signal towers built for early warning.
This was not chaos.
It was order.
Unlike Las Noches — which symbolized absolute monarchy —
This place resembled a developing civilization.
Soon, Hollows gathered below.
Menos.
Adjuchas.
Peak Adjuchas.
Many unfamiliar to Sombravida — evidence of steady expansion.
They knelt in unison.
"Welcome back, our King!"
Sombravida raised one hand.
Gentle spiritual pressure lifted them.
At his level, such fine control was effortless.
"My comrades," he said evenly, "you have strengthened this domain in my absence."
Then—
He gestured to Harribel.
"This is Tia Harribel. A Vasto Lorde."
A murmur spread instantly.
Another Vasto Lorde.
So soon.
Sombravida continued.
"She will stand as a guardian of our domain. Not frontline expansion — but strategic defense."
No hesitation.
The Hollows bowed.
"Greetings, Lady Harribel."
Harribel's composure wavered slightly.
There was no suspicion.
No resentment.
No resistance.
Blind loyalty.
Not from fear.
But trust.
She had expected coercion-based obedience.
Instead, she saw structured faith.
Sombravida leaned closer to her.
"This is my home."
Her perception shifted again.
Perhaps—
Power used to shield, rather than dominate.
Sombravida did not linger.
He teleported her back to her base after brief instruction, then returned with Nel to inscribe additional spatial anchors.
Later—
Seated in his chamber, Timd presented a city schematic.
Urban zoning.
Meeting halls.
Medical chambers.
Underground meditation space.
Residential districts.
Order imposed over instinct.
Sombravida approved.
It was necessary.
Not merely for aesthetics.
But for discipline.
Then Jekain raised the inevitable question.
"That Vasto Lorde… is she to be treated as Lady Nel is?"
Sombravida smirked slightly.
"I picked her up along the way."
But his tone sharpened.
"She and her subordinates will require guidance."
"Separate a protected district for female non-combat Hollows."
"Encourage interaction."
"Balance persuasion with strength."
Jekain bowed.
Sombravida continued calmly:
"Harribel will accompany me to central Hueco Mundo for training. Her three subordinates return tomorrow."
"Integration will test them."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Sombravida leaned back slightly.
Now—
His faction possessed two Vasto Lorde.
In Hueco Mundo, that alone shifted the balance of power.
And this was only the beginning.
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