Lisa adjusted her glasses and glanced down the endless corridor. "Goth Madame, it feels like we've been here before."
Cirucci's eye twitched at the jab but said nothing. Instead, she slammed her Zanpakutō's whip-like hilt against the wall in frustration. "Who the hell designed this place?"
The two had infiltrated Las Noches on their own with only one goal in mind — to ensure Szayelaporro didn't escape, to ensure he died here. Cirucci had volunteered for the job. Lisa chose to accompany her new friend as backup. Looking at her now one could see the regret in her eyes for accompanying Cirucci.
They were lost.
"Menoly, where is it?" Cirucci turned to the blonde Arrancar quietly trailing them. "Don't tell me you're also lost…"
Szayelaporro's previous lab was located in this massive structure, located not too far from Barragan's open court. However, now the whole place was fifty times bigger and more complex. It hadn't even been that long since she joined Kazuya. She couldn't believe Aizen's army had erected this gargantuan dome around Szayelaporro's lab in such a short time.
Menoly rubbed the back of her head. "I thought I knew the way around… the hallways are too complex."
She wasn't the type to roam and explore as she mostly accompanied Loly.
Lisa sighed, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat forming on Cirucci's brow. "So… want to try my idea now?"
Lisa's original plan was for Cirucci to act like one of Aizen's Arrancars who had forgotten the way to Szayelaporro's lab.
Cirucci nodded gratefully but scowled the next second. "Can't sense a soul around. Everyone's been scared shitless."
Harribel's declaration had sent everyone scurrying. She wasn't even sure if Szayelaporro would stick around after that.
Lisa adjusted her glasses again, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "We did see a few. You were just too proud to let us ask."
"I didn't know we'd need it." Cirucci dragged a hand down her face. "I expected Menoly to be more helpful."
"I'm sorry…" Menoly apologized, lowering her head. "I-I'm sorry for being useless…"
Lisa glared at Cirucci, who groaned and rolled her shoulders.
"Fuck, it's not your fault. We should've asked Kazuya to wait while we scouted the place. He'd have agreed with us."
The two took their time to comfort Menoly.
Once everyone was on the same page, Lisa said, "We'll find some Hollow and gently force them to give us directions."
A slow, wicked grin spread across Cirucci's face, sending a chill down Lisa's spine. "Torturing men is my specialty. You should've suggested that sooner."
With a new enthusiasm, Cirucci roamed the hallways, looking for any poor Hollow. They stumbled upon two short, obese Arrancars identical to each other, except for their hairstyle: one had a short black ponytail and the other had black pigtails.
The two started hopping and chanting around like deranged monkeys.
"Sza-ye-la-porro! Lord Szayelaporro!"
"Call-ing! Calling!"
"There! The-re!"
Lisa patted Cirucci's shoulder. "Excuse me. What the fuck are they?"
"Lumina and Verona," Cirucci said with narrowed eyes. "Szayelaporro's little pets… if they're here, he must be close."
Menoly patted their shoulders. "They're telling us to go that way. Did he order them to bring us to him?"
"He knows we're hunting for him?" Lisa asked with widened eyes. "That can't be right. He should be focusing on the conflict outside, not three strangers."
"He must've rigged the fortress with surveillance tech. As much as I hate him, he is one of the smartest Hollows alive," Cirucci admitted reluctantly, seeing how the two servants pointed to the wall behind them. "Following them is walking straight into his trap. His experiments make death look like mercy. Are you ready for that, Lusty Lisa?"
She had seen the tortures Hollows went through in Szayelaporro's lab — it was one of the reasons behind her loyalty to Barragan. Ending up in his lab was the worst fate anyone could suffer.
"Trap or not, we have to go." Lisa reached out, her fingertips brushing against the golden threads. She could almost imagine Kazuya calling her names with a teasing smirk. "It's not like we can die in his domain."
Cirucci's mouth split with a grin. "Hubby's blessing is just what I needed to confront Szayel."
Lisa strode past the giggling Arrancar pair and observed a faint outline around a section of the wall. She pushed it, revealing a well-lit stairs leading down. "Wow, stairs to a sex dungeon."
"Smut Queen Lisa makes everything about sex," Cirucci said with a shake of her head. "Menoly, stay with us."
"I will."
The two followed Lisa and descended into the basement. The witless Arrancars Lumina and Verona scurried after them.
"Lord will be ha-ppy!"
"Happy! Happy!"
"Ugh, these two are annoying," Lisa whispered to Cirucci. "Can I kill them?"
They were here to kill Szayelaporro. Killing Lumina and Verona would put them in a better position than being surrounded by Szayelaporro and his servants.
"Haaph!" Cirucci roared and swung around her whip. The heavy disc at the end of her whip shoved Verona into Lumina before smashing them both into the wall.
The impact made them a grotesque mess of blood and flesh.
Menoly sucked in a deep breath. "I-Instakilled…"
"Sun-chan wasn't lying," Lisa whispered, eyes fixed on the carnage. She had seen Cirucci as the quiet, thoughtful, and considerate type even though Sung-Sun insisted on Cirucci being a S-class sadist.
Cirucci yanked the disc back, which fitted it snugly with the hilt of her whip. "Never liked these two."
"Cirucci, how heavy is that disc?"
"Light as a feather."
Lisa's gaze went to the dead Szayelaporro's servants. "Feathers don't crush people like that."
The exasperated response made Cirucci chuckle. "It's nothing to me. To you, it's probably around three or four hundred kilos."
"Wow… Promise you'll never swing it at me. I don't want to be flatter than this…"
Cirucci looked down at her chest before puffing them toward Lisa. "Size doesn't matter."
"Then why are you boasting your boobies with a smug face?!" Lisa crossed her arms, her face red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. "Menoly, don't laugh. You're smaller than me."
Menoly, who was holding back a giggle, stared in surprise. "Not fair. I said nothing about you."
Cirucci burst into laughter. "Horny Lisa actually looks cute when she is flustered. I bet Hubby loves teasing you."
"Who does your Hubby not tease?"
"Harribel. I've never seen him messing with her. Like never. He is only lovey-dovey with her. Their relationship is all honey and sugar."
Menoly raised her hand as if she was a student in a class. "He never teased me."
Cirucci frowned. "I never saw him talk to you either."
"Yeah…" Menoly's shoulders slumped as she lowered her head in dejection. "He probably thinks I'm not worthy."
Lisa shook Menoly's shoulder. "He is just too busy managing his harem. Join his harem if you wanna talk to him."
Menoly stepped back and shook her hands in a frenzy. "N-No, I'm good."
"Haha, I was joking." Lisa turned to the stairs. "I might confess to him when this war is over."
"Good luck," Cirucci said. "Let's kill Szayel and leave this shithole."
"Agreed."
The trio hurriedly made their way down the stairs and came across a massive hall, where a door led left and the other right. Both doors were labeled with 'No unauthorized access'.
Lisa's lips curled into an excited grin. "Split up! You two go left. I'll take the right."
The trope of people splitting and dying would become obsolete when death was not on the menu.
"It's not a good—"
Cirucci nudged Menoly, stopping her warning mid-way. "Let Smut Queen indulge herself."
"Okay."