Ren sat atop a massive rock, eyes closed, feeling the immense spiritual pressure coursing through his body like a raging river. His strength had grown exponentially over the past three years, each battle and each Hollow he devoured adding to his power.
Suddenly, a dark golden column of spiritual energy erupted from his body, illuminating the vast, desolate landscape.
"My king's spiritual pressure has increased by at least 30% since three years ago," murmured Chiva Barnes, a grotesque fish-like Hollow. His tone was a mixture of awe and fear as he observed Ren. "At this level, even among the Vasto Lorde, he would be considered a formidable force."
Standing beside him, a towering goat-headed Hollow named Yuan Perk nodded in agreement.
"My king, with your current strength, you might even be able to challenge Beligang in Las Noches."
Before the words fully left his mouth, Chiva Barnes snapped his tail across the goat's face, silencing him.
"Idiot! Do you have a death wish?" Barnes hissed. "Beligang has hundreds of Adjuchas under his command. Even if our king is strong, if we charge in recklessly, we'll be torn to pieces before we can even reach him!"
Realizing his mistake, Yuan Perk clamped his hooves over his masked mouth and cast a nervous glance at Ren, hoping he hadn't heard their conversation.
Ren, of course, had heard every word. His heightened senses, sharpened by years of devouring Hollows, made it impossible to miss their whispers. But he didn't react—he was lost in thought.
"A bottleneck?"
It had been three years since his clone infiltrated the Soul Society and became the Fourth Seat of the 11th Division. During that time, Ren had done nothing but fight and consume. Yet despite devouring countless Hollows, mostly Gillians, his growth had begun to slow.
His spiritual pressure had only increased by about 30% since his battle with Ulquiorra. No matter how many Gillians he consumed, his power refused to rise further.
"So this is the limit…"
He had reached a critical bottleneck. There were only two ways to break through:Devour a Vasto Lorde.Devour dozens, if not hundreds, of Adjuchas in one go.The first option was nearly impossible. Vasto Lordes were rare, and the only one Ren knew of—Ulquiorra—had already undergone his first transformation into an Arrancar. Even with all his progress, Ren wasn't certain he could defeat him in a direct fight.
"That option is out."
That left the second choice—hunting a massive number of Adjuchas. But where could he find that many at once?
Ren's gaze flickered toward Chiva Barnes and Yuan Perk. Their hushed conversation had sparked an idea.
"Las Noches…"
The Hollow fortress was teeming with Adjuchas, but storming it would be suicidal. Even if he managed to fight Beligang one-on-one, the sheer number of enemies would overwhelm him.
Unless… Beligang isn't there.
A memory surfaced. In the original timeline, when Aizen and his subordinates first arrived in Hueco Mundo, their first target was Las Noches. Using Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen defeated Beligang and wiped out most of his army of Adjuchas—only a handful of survivors escaped because they hadn't been inside the palace at the time.
"If that event is approaching… then I might have a chance to take advantage of the chaos."
Ren's clone in the Soul Society had already confirmed that Aizen's defection was drawing near. The timeline was aligning. If he moved fast, he could reach Las Noches right as Aizen made his move, arriving just in time to reap the rewards.
The thought made his lips curl into a smirk.
Without hesitation, he stood up and turned toward Chiva Barnes and Yuan Perk. The sudden movement sent a jolt of fear through the two Hollows, making them tremble.
"Congratulations on finishing your seclusion, my supreme king!" Barnes immediately groveled, his body practically melting into the sand. "Your spiritual pressure is like an ocean, boundless and magnificent! It is my greatest honor to serve you, Barnes!"
Over the past three years, his power had barely improved, but his skill in flattery had reached unparalleled heights.
Beside him, Yuan Perk continuously bowed his goat-like head.
"Glory to my king! Glory to my king!"
Ren sighed.
"These two fools…"
Still, he had no intention of devouring them. Even if their spiritual pressure increased tenfold, it wouldn't be enough to help him evolve.
No, he had his sights set on a much bigger prize.
Las Noches awaited.
"If you two really don't know how to show proper respect, then from now on, just shout—'My king is unstoppable!'"
Chiva Barnes and Yuan Perk exchanged confused glances. They didn't fully grasp the meaning of the word unstoppable, but if their king commanded it, they wouldn't question it.
"My king is unstoppable!" "My king is unstoppable!"
"Alright, enough nonsense. Get ready to move."
Ren cut off their mindless chanting with a sharp tone.
"Move? Where to, my king?" Barnes asked cautiously.
A smile formed beneath Ren's mask.
"As you suggested—Las Noches."
Barnes froze. It took a moment for the realization to hit, but when it did, he nearly choked on his own breath.
"My king—wait—!"
But before he could protest, Ren seized him with one hand and grabbed Yuan Perk's tail with the other. Then, in a flash of lightning, he shot into the sky, piercing through the dense canopy of the Forest of Menos and heading straight for the sea of sand above.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shattered the eerie stillness of the desert as Ren burst through the surface, sending a massive shockwave rippling across the dunes. A towering column of dark golden light erupted from the crater, illuminating the night sky.
A moment later, two figures—one a spiny, grotesque fish, the other a massive crimson goat—were violently thrown out, tumbling more than ten feet before crashing into the sand.
As the dust settled, the golden light faded, revealing a lone figure stepping forward from the depths.
Ren.
"I'm back in the White Desert."
Spreading his arms, he let the dry, scorching wind wash over him. Compared to the suffocating darkness of the Great Hollow Forest, he much preferred the endless, pale expanse of sand.
"The spiritual particle concentration here is high... We must be close to Las Noches."
Feeling the thick Reishi in the air, a faint smirk appeared beneath Ren's mask.
At that moment, the pale centipede-like armor on his back wriggled and detached. From it, a tiny centipede—only a few centimeters long—formed and slithered away toward the area where the spiritual energy was most concentrated.
Unlike his clone in the Soul Society, Ito Makoto, who carried the full spiritual pressure of an Adjuchas and a fragment of Ren's soul origin, this tiny creature was created from a mere wisp of his Reiryoku. It was weak—far weaker than even a newborn Hollow—but power was irrelevant.
It had only one purpose.
To observe Las Noches.
Most importantly, it would track the arrival of one man.
Aizen.
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