Ch 48: Attack on Gilians.

Noah was still in the middle of class when a siren sound came from his smartphone.

“Sorry, Sensei, duty calls!” He said as he ran out of the classroom.

“Sure, good luck, Enfield-kun!” replied the teacher.

Noah was in the hallway when he saw another door open and Kyouka came out.

“This happens often?” he asked her as they began running toward the basement.

“Two or thrice a month. But it seems to be slowly increasing in frequency.”

“Wait, stop running, I have a faster way.”

“What? We don’t have time!”

Noah took her hand, slowed down, and teleported, choosing Nei as his focus.

“What?” Kyouka was stunned, seeing a shocked Nei in front of her, but she instantly recognized the seventh’s squad dormitory. She got over her shock almost instantly.

“Nei, what is the emergency?”

“Noah onii-chan! We’re under siege!”

Noah nodded and ran outside, Kyouka following a step behind him.

Outside of the barrier protecting the dormitory were over a thousand hollows. Himari was shooting in short bursts into the crowd of hollows, her bullets passing through the barrier without being stopped. Shushu was standing by, preparing to make a sortie. She noticed them coming and brightened.

“Kyouka, Noah! You came here fast!”

Himari glanced back for a second and nodded to them before returning her attention to the hollows.

Noah looked around, spotting three locations where hollows were packed almost shoulder to shoulder, and opened three Holes on them. Dozens of hollows were swallowed by the black portals before the others took enough distance to resist their attraction, but that only meant they packed themselves elsewhere, and Noah opened a few more Holes.

After three times, the Hollows got smarter. Some started fleeing, while most spread themselves to avoid presenting tempting targets.

That was fine with Noah, as it meant the barrier protecting the dormitory was under less pressure. Only two dozen hollows were actively trying to bring it down.

As he was doing that, Kyouka used her power on Shushu, and charged the nearest hollows. Shushu grew to fifteen meter tall and punched and kicked any nearby hollow, killing most of them in one hit. Kyouka was running from one to another, using her katana with her usual efficiency. Noah used Stride to increase his speed and joined them.

The tide of the battle was turning in their favor, and more of the smarter hollows decided to retreat to fight another day.

And then, something happened. With a sound of fabric tearing, a rift appeared well above the ground, and several pairs of huge white hands, each with five fingers ending in long sharp nails, seized the borders of the breach and enlarged it. In seconds, it was large enough to reach the ground, and several monstruous figures walked through.

Noah recognized them instantly. Five Gilians. If they started firing their ceros, he wasn’t sure the barrier would withstand them.

Noah created another large Hole near one of the giant hollows, and the Gilian started being absorbed feet first, but to Noah’s surprise, the monster seized the edges of the hole without injuring itself, extricated his lower body from it, and somehow forced the Hole to close.

Their size was an issue for Kyouka and Noah, as they were easily fifteen to twenty meters tall. Kyouka had her own answer to this issue.

“Shushu! Bring them down! Noah! Go boost Himari!”

Noah didn’t waste time and teleported to Himari, not leaving her time to complain. He couldn’t give those Gilians time to start charging up their ceros.

“Wait!” Himari started to protest, but he already had put his hand on her shoulder and boosted her.

“Uuhhhh” she whined as the floating canons appeared, but she was an experienced soldier, too. Gritting her teeth, she turned to the Gilians and aimed the guns at two of them. Lances of bright blue light came out from the canons, and two Gilians got their white masks pierced all the way through, leaving a forty centimeters wide hole with charred edges behind. The hollows collapsed, their bodies starting to decompose. Himari aimed at the next two, one of which had started gathering black and red energy in front of its mouth, and they met the same fate. The last Gilian had been forced on the ground by Shushu, his face being slashed by Kyouka while the giant girl, one feet planted on the hollow’s chest, had seized its wrists and was trying to tear its arms off.

The surviving hollows were all running away after seeing the Gilians being dispatched so quickly.

“Sorry, Himari. Those were Kyouka’s orders, and there was no time to lose.”

“I know!” she glared at him. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled, looking down. “What you did was…the right move.”

“Would you have preferred if it had been Kyouka?” He asked softly.

“No! …She doesn’t know, about… and I do not want her to, ever.” replied Himari, after making sure Kyouka and Shushu were out of earshot.

Kyouka and Shushu came back, and Nei left the dormitory to join them.

“Good job, everyone.” Smiled Kyouka with satisfaction as she sheathed her sword. Just like Noah, she still wore the uniform of Ginsei Academy, but they were both carrying their weapon with them at all times, for precisely this kind of emergency.

“Kyouka, it’s unfair! I wanted for Noah to boost me!” complained Shushu jokingly.

“Maybe another time.” Said Kyouka. “Let enter inside, we all have the ‘compensation’ to deal with. Nei, please keep an eye on the surroundings, just in case. Noah, once the compensation is done, I want you to tell me how you became so fast all of a sudden.”

“Sure.”

Kyouka and Shushu walked inside, and Noah looked at Himari. She sighed again, and started walking toward her room, too.

She locked the door behind her as soon as Noah entered, and with another sigh, took her black box from her hiding place.

“Do it.” She said, steeling herself, and Noah retrieved his power. Like before, Himari’s body went on autopilot and started opening her box. From it, she took a ball gag harness, a collar and a pair of cuffs, all made of black leather.

“You must play with me, until I’m satisfied.” Himari blurted out. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said.

Noah nodded, not surprised in the slightest. She had fired her canons less often than during their initial test, but had used their maximum output, and Noah had been severely drained.

While staring at her golden eyes, Noah slowly undid the buttons of her uniform, opening it, then sliding it off from her shoulders. He did the same with her shorts but decided to let her keep her black and red stockings and low-heeled boots.

He took a step back and watched her carefully. He could tell from her expression that she wanted to use her hands to cover herself, but the compensation’s power forced her arms at her sides.

“You are beautiful, Himari.” He said honestly as he drank her appearance.

“Get on with it already.” She replied with irritation, but he could see her blush slightly.

“Noah took the leather cuffs and gently restrained her wrists behind her back. Presenting the black rubber ball to her lips, he didn’t have to say a word as she took a deep breath and slowly parted her lips. With a soft plop, the ball sat behind her white teeth, and Noah started fastening the straps around her head. In seconds, her head was surrounded by the thin leather straps, securing the ball in position.

He fastened the collar snuggly around her neck, and gently cupped her face as he smiled.

“And for a while, you are all mine, Himari.”

“Mmmph.” She groaned softly into the gag.

Noah hugged her with one arm, and with the other, started exploring her body, studying her reactions to his touch. He was in the mood to play some music, and she was going to be the instrument.

…

Half an hour and three orgasms later, Himari regained control of her body. Noah noticed immediately and untied her. Too ashamed to look at him, Himari quickly disappeared in the attached bathroom to clean herself.

A few minutes later, she came back, now properly dressed in her uniform, and sighed when she saw Noah waiting for her.

“How do you feel, Himari? Any discomfort?”

”How do you want me to feel? Being forced to do those embarrassing things. Never tell anyone, Noah. I’ll kill you if you do.”

“Of course I’m not going to tell. I’ll help you keep your preferences a secret for as long as possible. But you should realize, Himari, that it won’t hold forever. Maybe it will be Kyouka using her power on you, or maybe someone will stumble upon your black box or spy on us during a compensation. But Kyouka and the others are good people. I don’t see them as the type to gossip or tease you maliciously over your kinks. Instead of fearing the compensation, I suggest you embrace it as an opportunity.”

“…An opportunity?” repeated Himari, dumbfounded.

Noah nodded and smiled gently at her.

“Tell me, Himari. When you do self-bondage, do you imagine your partner to be a man, or a woman?”

Himari opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, irritated that he would ask such a personal question. But, at the same time… He was the only person she could speak with about those matters, since he already knew.

Finally, she sighed.

“…both. Sometimes it’s a man, and other times, a woman.” She said, almost too quietly for Noah to hear.

“I see. Thank you, Himari. I appreciate your trust. But back to the matter of opportunity, how about you tell me how you want the next time to happen? I am willing to accommodate your preferences to make it easier for you, as much as possible. And you’re not an idiot. I’m sure you understand by now that our relationship will eventually evolve to be more than simple cooperation or friendship.”

She didn’t answer, and Noah smiled at her before he decided to give her some space.

“I want you, Himari.” He said softly as he left the room.

Himari stared at the closed door, her face heating up. It was so unfair of him, to confess his love to her like that and then just leave!

With a sigh, she sat on her bed. She needed a few minutes alone to compose herself before she’d have to face anyone else.

…If she was being honest with herself, the hostility she first felt for Noah was already gone. All men were perverts, wolves in sheep clothes, as her sisters, her mother and her grandmother had warned her repeatedly. And Noah clearly wasn’t an exception to that rule. At first, she had seen him as an intruder in the place she felt was her real home. But, he wasn’t as bad as she had feared. When his power had forced her to reveal her secret during the first ‘compensation’, she had been convinced that he would hold on to her weakness and blackmail her.

…If she was even more honest with herself, there was a part of her who wanted him to do just that. For her wildest fantasies of being dominated and turned into a plaything to become real.

But Noah did not. He had even told her one of his own embarrassing secrets in return, to make her feel better. It has surprised her. Maybe he wasn’t that bad after all.

And today… This time, she hadn’t been blindfolded. While he played with her body, he obviously had enjoyed himself, but Himari had also seen genuine care and affection in his eyes, and felt them in his hands on her.

He was a pervert, but… was there such a thing as a good pervert? He had been in a position to have outright sex with her, and she knew he had wanted to. She had seen and felt the bulge in his pants. But he had restrained himself. He had likely guessed she wasn’t ready for that. Surely that meant he cared for her a lot.

And he was handsome…

Himari would never admit it, but in her fantasies, the female figure who dominated her often looked like Kyouka. Kyouka was the first who had believed in Himari, the black sheep of the Azuma clan, and even promoted her to be the second in command of their squad. Kyouka had devoted a lot of her time to assist in her training. And Himari admired her fearless confidence.

The male equivalent had always been a figure looking like one of her favorite actors. But she knew that from now on, that male figure would have Noah’s face and voice.

He wanted her.

He was the second person to ever tell her this. To her, arguably one of the weakest members of a family where strength was everything. The first had been Kyouka, who valued her as a teammate, and for her potential. And now, Noah wanted her, as a woman.

Himari blushed further, as she started envisioning a future by his side.

…

Unaware that Himari took his declared desire as a love confession, Noah opened his Yin-Yang store. There was one upgrade he needed.

"Fertility Control. Cost: 5000 Yin Points. Be default, your semen will be sterile. You can change it at will."

He had been quite tempted to go further with Himari, but it was too early in their relationship. This new skill was something he should have gotten long ago, but he had no real need for it until now, as Noah’s “fun times” had happened within a virtual game. That wouldn’t be the case anymore.

He returned to the living room, where Kyouka, Shushu and Nei had gathered.

He smiled at them as he sat on one of the sofas.

“Is everything clear out there?”

“Yes, Noah-onii-chan.” beamed Nei. “There’s only a handful of normal hollows within a few kilometers.”

“It’s not the first time our outposts get attacked by Gilians.” Said Kyouka, frowning. “But five at the same time? That’s weird. I informed the other squads, and they are increasing their vigilance.”

“Is it weird?”

“Noah, Gilians are strong, but they are also brainless.” replied Shushu. Noah noticed her voice looked more subdued than normal. “Most of the time, they just stand there in Hueco Mundo like trees, unless they get disturbed by some outside factor.”

Kyouka nodded.

“There are some areas in Hueco Mundo where Gilians gather in packs, but they don’t leave those regions, as far as we know. This is the first time more than one Gilian attacked one of our outposts.”

“…I don’t like what I’m hearing.” mused Noah as he thought about it. “If hollow attacks increase in both power and frequency, it sounds like someone is testing our defenses, or the hollows are being dislodged from their usual habitats by something stronger, or there is some kind of ongoing phenomenon causing hollows numbers to increase...”

Noah looked at Kyouka. “What does the corps know about the hollows above Gilian class?”

“We have seen and fought a number of hollows that are smaller than Gilians, but much stronger. Some of them were able to talk, and displayed intelligence comparable to humans.”

Himari joined them in the living room. She was still blushing, but didn’t say anything as she sat on the other end of the sofa Noah was using.

“Himari, we were speaking about hollows above Gilian-class, and the possibility the attack today might be directed by one of them. Have you ever met one?” asked Noah.

“…Once, about two years ago. Kyouka and I were on patrol, when we saw her. She saw us from a distance, stared at us for a few seconds, and left. But her aura was very strong.”

“She was too strong for us, so we didn’t try to engage.” Pointed out Kyouka. “We later came back with several Chiefs, including the Commander, but we didn’t find her.”

“She? Are speaking about a hollow?” asked Noah with interest.

“Yes. At least, we think she was a hollow, even if she wore clothes, so we didn’t see if there was a hole or not. That hollow was distinctly female. She looked like a woman dressed in white clothes… She also had long pale green hairs, and a hollow mask on top of her head, but a human face with a red mark across her nose and cheeks. The strangest thing, though, was that she had a thin sword at her waist. It was the only time I saw a hollow using a weapon.”

Noah thought about a particular hollow that fit that description. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, one of the handful of Vasto Lorde, and a pacifist. Kyouka and Himari had been lucky. If it had been an Adjuchas like Grimmjow, their only chances of survival would have been to use a teleportation talisman before they got butchered.

“Anyway, since we all are here now, just how did you become so strong, Noah? And where did you procure a teleportation talisman to bring us here quicker?” demanded Kyouka.

Noah shrugged. “Teleportation is something my goddess gave me. Making the world a better place involves a lot of traveling abroad, so she provided me and my servants with a convenient way to do it. There’s a cooldown between each use, so it’s not all powerful in combat, but it is still very nice to have.”

“Can you teleport anywhere?” asked Shushu curiously.

“There are a few limitations. I can focus on a place, or on a person. If I use a place, I need to have been there before. If I focus on a person, I need to know that person’s name or appearance.”

“What about the other abilities you demonstrated?” wondered Himari.

“The speed, attack and resistance boosts are things I acquired with my Gemini Drive, after I convinced a few devil girls to help me grow stronger. Those spells normally require demonic energy to use, but thanks to my sacred gear, they have been converted to work with whatever I use as internal energy.”

“Does that mean you could teach those to us, if those spells of yours do not need demonic energy?” intently asked Kyouka.

Noah leaned back, considering. Could he teach them those spells the hard way? It might not be impossible. But it would be hard and time consuming, and their desire for his power was something he could use.

“Yes, I could share those skills with you girls. As well as teleportation, language translation, healing, permanent body strengthening, and many more. And as I grow in power and acquire more perks, so would you. The vast majority of the abilities I get from my goddess by exchanging some of my favors for, would be shared with you. But there is a price to pay for this.”

Noah looked at Kyouka intently, but his words were for all of them.

“Kyouka, I need to be clear. Those I will give those power to, will soon become immortal. They will eventually be strong enough to rival the local gods. But over time, people change. I can be reasonably confident that you wouldn’t abuse those powers if I were to grant them to you now. But I do not know who you will be, two or three thousand years from now. That is why, if you want me to give you power, you will first have to sign a soul contract and swear your eternal loyalty to me, so that, should you turn into a cold and callous monster one day, I will be able to stop you and correct your bad character traits.”

The girls were silent for a while, as they digested what he had told them.

“…I see.” Finally answered the silver-haired girl, not letting her face display her thoughts. She rose to her feet. “We should return to class. The school day isn’t over yet.”

“You’re right. See you later, Himari, Shushu, Nei.” Noah smiled at them and followed Kyouka to the basement.

The three girls waved back, and Noah was slightly surprised to see Himari answer at all. That was encouraging.

Kyouka walked through the portal, and they found themselves in Ginsei Academy‘s basement. Noah could just have teleported them, but he suspected that Kyouka wanted to talk to him alone. And he was right.

“Himari is probably going to accept your offer. I told you not to poach my team members, and you do it right under my nose, damn it!”

Noah blinked, as Kyouka’s words seemed to imply she had some knowledge about Himari’s kinks… unless…

“Does Himari crave power?”

Kyouka sighed.

“Yes. In her family, power is everything. If you are weak and bring shame to the Azuma name, you will basically be placed in house arrest, so as to not expose your incompetence to outsiders, and will be treated as a servant. And Himari is… on thin ice with them. They will likely want to test her in the near future, and if she fails, they will confine her.”

“That’s some bs. Has no one ever knocked down some sense onto them? Japan has some government agency against child abuse, right?”

“The Children and Families Agency. But they won’t touch the Azuma family. Well, it would be more apt to call it the Azuma Clan. They are very powerful, and deeply connected to the Anti-Demon Corps and the police. The Head of the family and Himari’s grandmother, Tobera Azuma, was the previous Commander. Fubuki Azuma, Himari’s mother, is the Chief of the ninth squad. Himari also has two older sisters and a cousin in the sixth and ninth squads.“

“I don’t care if they are the damn pope. If they truly confine Himari, I’ll go free her the instant I grow strong enough. And in the future, they will have a few reforms headed their way.” promised Noah with a grim tone.

Kyouka sent him a side glance,

“Noah, you told me that you have several subordinates already, right? Did they also swear their loyalty to you, and get your powers?”

“Yes.”

“…Would that loyalty… necessarily involve doing the kind of things we did during the compensations?”

“…Yes. And a lot more of that kind, if I’m going to be honest. But I am confident that you would grow to like it, if you don’t already.”

“…Why am I even asking. Of course, you are a pervert.” Kyouka rolled her eyes at him, and he nodded.

“That’s right. I made peace with that part of me long ago. It is quite relaxing, actually, not having to pretend to be a good guy all the time.”

Kyouka secretly felt a little pleased that Noah was trusting her enough to drop his façade with her.

“…When you find one of your subordinates, I want to challenge her in a spar. If she defeats me, I will sign that contract of yours.”

“…You know, I generally avoid considering adding power-hungry people to my subordinates, because they are the kind that tend to be susceptible to bribes, and I can’t exactly fight against corruption if my subordinates are easily corrupted. That, and power-hungry people tend to grow overly arrogant, and they forget that their purpose is to protect innocent people, not lord over them. But I’m willing to accept you and Himari. You might both want power, but you have legitimate reasons for it.”

They reached the door to Kyouka’s class, and she nodded to him.

“We will see about that. I want to see first how strong someone can be, with your abilities. Since you can teleport and have become stronger, I’ll allow you to roam alone in Hueco Mundo from now on. See you later.”

“See you, Kyouka.” He smiled and headed for his own classroom.