Slime Soul (Tensura x Bleach Crossover) (Patreon)

Chapter 9: Awakened Majesty

Hueco Mundo — Las Noches

The previous battlefield, where the Septima Espada Szayelaporro Granz had just met his end, was quiet now as everyone processed what had happened.

“Thanks for the assist,” Renji called out to the green-haired Arrancar, causing her to turn toward him, still holding the blue slime gently in her arms.

“Your friends tried to help too,” he added, nodding toward the still-unconscious forms of Pesche and Dondochakka, “but they passed out mid-battle for some reason.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Neliel said with a shake of her head, her eyes drifting down to the sleeping slime in her arms. “Caius was the one who noticed you needed help. He just brought me along.”

She looked back at both Renji and Uryu with a soft smile and gave them a respectful nod. “But thank you both for looking out for my friends.”

“Think nothing of it,” Uryu replied with a small shrug as he adjusted his glasses and dusted himself off. He looked a bit worse for wear. “They helped us first. We were just returning the favor.”

His gaze then dropped to the slime in Neliel’s arms. “Is Caius okay? He just collapsed so suddenly.”

“He’s fine,” Neliel said reassuringly, giving them a calm smile. “Just exhausted, I think. He did fight two Espada back-to-back. He’ll be back to normal after some rest.”

She paused, then glanced toward Pesche and Dondochakka with a more serious look, ignoring the surprised looks from the two at the information.

“Speaking of which… could I trouble you two to help me carry them? We shouldn’t stay in one place for too long. Even if we’ve taken down three Espada, those were the weakest ones. We should use this time to recover.”

Renji and Uryu blinked before coming out of their surprise and exchanged a look, then nodded.

“Good idea,” Renji agreed, walking over to Dondochakka and lifting him over his shoulders. Uryu followed suit with Pesche.

“We’ll follow you, Neliel-san,” Uryu said.

“Thank you. This way.”

With that, the group quickly left the area, finding a quiet place to lay low and recover before continuing their journey.

=====

A Day Later

One moment, I was completely out of it and the next, I became instantly aware, mumbling a question in my mind.

‘Hmm… how long was I out?’

“Notice. A little over 24 hours have passed since Master’s evolution.” A soft, feminine voice replied instantly, as if waiting for me to wake.

‘Great Sage, is that you? Or is it Raphael now?’ I asked, genuinely happy to hear her voice again. It sounded far more refined now, no longer slightly robotic, but smoother, more natural.

“Correct. Your Unique Skill, Great Sage, has evolved into the Ultimate Skill Raphael.” she said calmly, her voice confident and serene, as if there had never been a doubt.

‘That’s great, Raphael. I look forward to working with you.’ I replied with genuine amusement, and I could almost swear I felt a flicker of embarrassment from her side.

“The pleasure is mine, Master.” Raphael answered softly, and I could’ve sworn she sounded… pleased.

‘Alright, tell me what I missed. We can skip the new skills for now so you can surprise me later. I just want to know. Did Gluttony evolve into Beelzebuth?’

“Yes. Gluttony has evolved into the Ultimate Skill Beelzebuth. You’ll also be pleased to learn you acquired the Unique Skill Degenerate. I’ve been quite busy combining and evolving most of your skills.” There was a definite smug edge to her tone, which only amused me more.

“As for what happened…” she paused, which instantly caught my attention. “It’s best if Master checks for himself.”

Now thoroughly curious, and just a little worried, I allowed myself to return to the waking world.

I awoke lying on the ground, wrapped in a white cloak. To the side some neatly folded clothes sat beside me.

Without hesitation, I absorbed the garments and shifted into my human form. The clothes instantly fitted my now-taller frame.

“Caius-sama, you’re finally awake!” Pesche’s relieved voice called out, drawing my attention.

I turned toward him, resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow. While he still looked like himself, I could tell, subtly, that he had grown stronger. There was a different presence about him now.

Still, I shelved that thought and focused on the more immediate question: why was he alone? And why did he look so nervous?

“That I am,” I said with a nod, glancing around. “Where is everyone else? Nel, specifically?”

Before he could respond, I felt it, multiple spiritual pressures clashing in the distance. One, in particular, stood out.

Nel.

“She left me in charge of looking after you while you recovered,” Pesche said quickly. “But unfortunately, Ichigo, Sado, and Rukia ran into some trouble. Neliel-sama went to help, and right now she’s fighting Nnoitra Gilga, keeping him away from here. He wanted to kill both of you while you were down.”

I frowned slightly. I had already guessed part of it based on what I was sensing, but hearing the full truth only confirmed it.

“I see,” I said calmly, my gaze sharpening. “Then let’s not keep her waiting any longer, Pesche.”

I stepped to his side before he could respond.

“I’ve got a score to settle with the bastard who hurt Nel in the past and left her in that state.”

With that, I teleported us both directly to her location.

‘This should be a good test of my new abilities… and this new form.’

=====

Appearing a short distance from the battlefield, I immediately took in the situation.

As Pesche had explained, I saw Neliel and Nnoitra locked in combat, evenly matched for the moment, their clash sending tremors through the air.

Further away, I could sense Ichigo’s spiritual pressure flaring wildly, clashing against another force of about equal strength. Even from here, shockwaves rolled across the battlefield, letting me know that he was probably fighting Grimmjow.

In the opposite direction, I sensed the rest of the group — Renji, Rukia, Sado, Uryu, and Dondochakka — caught up in a chaotic skirmish against an endless wave of hollows. At the center of it, I detected an Arrancar whose energy was constantly making clones of himself though much weaker.

‘Rudbornn Chelute, perhaps? He’s the only one I remember capable of creating clones.’

“That is the most likely probability.” Raphael confirmed softly. “If Master intends to act, I recommend doing so now. Based on the time elapsed, reinforcements from Soul Society are imminent.”

‘Right… Byakuya, Kenpachi, Mayuri, and Unohana should be arriving any minute now,’ I recalled, before nodding to myself.

“Stay here, Pesche,” I said. “I’ll deal with the fodder first, then help Nel.”

With that, I vanished again, this time appearing directly behind the horde of hollows.

I rose into the air silently, lifted one hand, and pointed my index finger forward. Black and cyan energy gathered at my fingertip, humming with devastating power.

“Everyone!” I called out to Ichigo’s friends and Dondochakka down below, who immediately looked up at me. “Get out of the way!”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Sensing the pressure I was releasing, they disengaged quickly and retreated behind me.

Once I was sure they were clear, I fired.

“Cero Oscuras,” I muttered, and unleashed the new and improved doomblast.

The black and cyan blast tore through the army of hollows, completely erasing them in a single instant. The explosion that followed ripped through the desert floor and shattered a massive section of the wall in the distance.

“W-What the hell was that!? Was that a Cero!?” Renji shouted, shielding his face from the flying sand and wind pressure.

“It certainly looked like one…” Uryu muttered, shielding his face with his small cape, a wary expression crossing his face as he glanced toward me. “Even if I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

When the dust finally settled, their eyes widened as they saw the result, a massive section of Las Noches’ outer wall was gone, revealing the dark Hueco Mundo sky beyond.

“…Most of the wall is gone,” Sado said quietly, still processing.

I descended slowly, landing behind them as I spoke.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Caius-sama! I’m so glad you woke up, don’t-cha-know!” Dondochakka shouted, waving both arms excitedly.

“We’re fine,” Rukia said with a grateful smile, clearly the power of cute was still working on her, though it quickly faded into a more puzzled look. “But… I thought you said you weren’t a Hollow, Caius-san. How could you use a Cero, then?”

The others — Renji, Uryu, and Sado — looked at me with matching curiosity.

“I’m not,” I answered calmly, shaking my head while deciding to be honest with them. They deserved that much after fighting together. “I simply have an ability that lets me use the powers of those I’ve defeated.”

Their eyes widened again in surprise, but I didn’t linger and turned to Dondochakka who was silently listening to what was going on.

“Anyway, I’m going to help Nel now. Come, Dondochakka.”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, I teleported us both back to where Pesche was waiting, leaving behind a group of stunned friends quietly contemplating everything I’d just told them.

=====

Las Noches — Neliel vs Nnoitra

"How!? How are you still this strong after all this time!?" Nnoitra’s voice rang out in frustration as he clashed again and again with the green-haired Arrancar, gaining no advantage over her.

"And how the hell did you manage to heal your cracked Hollow mask?" he added, glaring at the perfectly whole, curved-horn mask that adorned her head.

At that, for the first time during their fight, Neliel’s expression shifted, the calm mask she’d worn gave way to something gentler. A small, genuine smile touched her lips, her eyes softening.

"It's all thanks to a dear friend I met out in the desert while I was weak and vulnerable. The same being you tried to kill,” she said, her smile fading as her grip on her blade tightened.

"That filthy creature?" Nnoitra sneered, clicking his tongue with clear distaste and spitting on the ground in disgust. "The one Aizen-sama’s taken an interest in recently? I don’t see what’s so special about ‘em. Looks weak as hell to me."

"That’s because you’ve never understood the meaning of true strength, Nnoitra. Not even after all this time," Neliel replied calmly with a shake of her head.

"Tsk. There you go again, with your useless lectures on strength," he snapped, swinging his massive blade at her in another heavy clash.

"News flash, Neliel! You’re not an Espada anymore! That number on your back doesn’t mean jack shit! I didn’t care to listen before when you were clearly stronger than me, what makes you think I’ll listen now that I’m stronger than you!?"

He roared and, with a powerful swing, knocked her backward. Neliel flipped through the air but landed gracefully, her frown deepening and eyes sharpening.

Both fighters paused as a thunderous explosion echoed in the distance. A wave of immense spiritual pressure swept through the battlefield. Neliel’s expression softened for a moment again clearly knowing just who it belonged to.

“Kekeke… looks like things are getting exciting over there,” Nnoitra said, grinning madly. Then his gaze darkened, locking back onto her. “Let’s end this, Neliel. After I’m done with you, I’ll kill your little your friends for real this time… along with that new ‘friend’ of yours.”

His spiritual pressure spiked wildly as he raised his blade, clearly preparing to activate his Resurrección.

Neliel didn’t answer with words as her eyes narrowed in determination. She silently raised her own Zanpakutō in front of her, mirroring his intent.

But then, unexpectedly, both halted. A massive spiritual pressure, different from the one they had just sensed, was rapidly approaching.

Turning toward it, Neliel’s eyes widened as she saw a hulking figure racing toward her at high speed, sword raised, bells jingling from his spiked hair, and a wild grin plastered on his face. The figure was visibly wearing a tattered Shinigami Captain’s cloak revealing his rank.

Frowning, Neliel braced herself, shifting her blade to block.

“Wahahaha! Let me in on the fun!” the captain shouted gleefully, swinging his blade down with brutal force.

Just before their blades met, a familiar voice cut through the air, sharp, annoyed, and very welcome.

"Fuck off, you battle junkie."

The grinning Captain was suddenly sent flying by a powerful roundhouse kick, crashing into the distance like a cannonball.

“Caius~” The name slipped from Neliel’s lips in pure relief and joy as she watched him land beside her.

=====

Back to Caius

Turning to Neliel, I gave her a small smile, which she returned with one of her own, her eyes lighting up.

“Sorry for sleeping so long.”

‘Damn it,’ I thought with a sigh, ‘I didn’t expect Kenpachi to show up now. And knowing that battle junkie, he won’t calm down unless he gets a fight.’

My words seemed to make her even happier for some reason, she even let out a relieved sigh.

“…It’s really you,” she muttered softly before shaking her head and smiling again. “Don’t worry, Caius. It was no problem at all~”

Curious about her phrasing, but knowing this wasn’t the time to bring it up, I focused instead on the opponent in front of us. No sooner had I done that than I had to extend my hand forward, silently using Beelzebuth to devour the golden Cero flying toward us, courtesy of Nnoitra.

“Tsk. More and more pests keep showing up,” Nnoitra muttered, his single eye narrowing in anger as he glared at me. “So you’re the worthless scum Aizen-sama’s been curious about.”

“Looks like our chat will have to wait, Nel,” I muttered to her with a smile, completely ignoring Nnoitra, which only made him growl in frustration.

“Mmn. That’s fine with me,” Neliel replied with a nod, choosing to ignore him as well.

Our talk was cut short when I sensed movement. I turned just in time, stepping in front of Neliel protectively and summoning my sword, to block a downward strike from the giant man I’d just kicked away. The sheer force of the blow formed a crater beneath us. We both leapt back, landing a good distance apart.

“Wahahaha! That was a good kick,” the man said with a huge grin, blood running down his lip, the only sign of injury, which he quickly wiped away. “I think you even knocked out one of my teeth.” He grinned wider and spat the tooth into the sand.

“Hihihi, you found a strong one, Kenny~!” a cheerful voice chimed in as a pink-haired girl landed on the man’s shoulder. She wore a Shinigami uniform and a Lieutenant's badge.

‘Yachiru,’ I thought silently, instantly recognizing her.

“I sure did,” the man, unmistakably Kenpachi, replied, his gaze shifting from me, to Neliel, and then to Nnoitra. “This must be my lucky day, finding so many strong opponents.”

“Hah… I doubt you’ll listen, but I’ll try anyway,” I said with a knowing sigh. “We are not your enemies, Shinigami.” I pointed to myself, then to Neliel. “Believe it or not, we’re Ichigo’s allies.”

“That’s right. We have no reason to fight,” Neliel added, standing beside me.

Kenpachi stared at us silently, his expression unreadable. Then his grin returned, fierce and wild.

“It doesn’t matter. I came to Hueco Mundo for a good fight, and I ain’t leaving without one.”

His spiritual pressure exploded outward, making the sand tremble beneath us.

‘I knew it,’ I thought, rolling my eyes as I turned to a frowning Neliel.

“Looks like we’ve got no choice but to fight, Nel,” I said, shifting my gaze toward Nnoitra, who looked even more excited now.

“It seems so,” she said quietly, nodding.

“I’ll take the Shinigami Captain. You handle Nnoitra,” I said, returning my focus to Kenpachi, then giving Neliel one last glance and a soft smile. “Let’s both come out of this alive, alright? I still have a lot to talk to you about… so don’t hold back. Win.”

Neliel’s eyes softened as she returned my smile. Then her expression shifted, determination burning in her eyes.

“Yes. You still have a promise to keep, after all.”

With one final look, we both vanished using Sonido, appearing in front of our opponents, blades drawn, ready for battle.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said to the battle junkie, who only grinned wider in response.

“Yachiru,” he said simply, and the girl leapt from his shoulder, retreating to a safe distance.

“I’m Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division. So… who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“Caius Aurelius. Majin,” I replied, and for the first time, released my Demon Lord’s Haki causing a wave of purple and black miasma to pour out of my body in waves distorting space itself around me

Kenpachi’s eyes widened slightly, before his grin stretched even further.

“I hope you’re ready for an ass-kicking.”

“Wahahaha! That’s the spirit!” he roared in glee, launching himself at me.

As I prepared to meet him head-on, I couldn't help but wonder what the other Captains were up to.

‘Raphael, keep an eye on them for me, will you?’

“I was already doing that, Master. Just focus on defeating the enemy before you,” came her instant reply.

Smiling, I silently thanked my lucky stars for having her by my side in this new life.