Purge (Chapter 7 Part 8) [07.8] Tia Halibel


I knocked on the door of the Tercera Espada’s room.

Wow, the third of the three most powerful Arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo! I was about to meet her right now…

“You may enter.”

I opened the door and peeked into the room.

Tia Halibel sat at her coffee table, drinking a cup of steaming tea. The shirt of her uniform was unzipped so that it revealed on the lower portion of her face a mask that greatly resembled a set of shark jaws, bringing upon me an impression of fierce beauty.

The mask traveled down her neck, covering the top half of her breasts. I saw the tattoo of the number “3” on the inside of her right breast. I did not see her Hollow hole.

Her blonde hair was short except for two locks on her left side and one on her right. She had dark skin and sharp green eyes.

“Are you afraid of me? Do I look like a beast to you?” she asked calmly. She picked up her cup and I watched her jaws part as she tipped the tea into her mouth.

The mask over her neck did not move as she swallowed. Was it uncomfortable?

“No,” I said. “I’m not afraid.”

She nodded. “You did not hesitate to answer me. You are an honest person. If you really were afraid of me, you would have told me the truth.”

I could not reply.

Halibel’s presence was powerful, yet calming. I liked her.

“You are a powerful child,” she said, putting the empty cup down. “But you have weaknesses.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” I said.

She closed her eyes, as if thinking, then reopened them to give me an intense stare. “You are intelligent. You have made many sacrifices before.”

I shook my head. “More than I can remember.”

Halibel stood up from her chair then zipped up her shirt. Her collar was high enough to cover her mask. “We are going to be here for a while. Would you like some tea, Nadeshiko?”