Chapter 74 The Spirits (Part 2)
"It's been some time, Reinhard. "
Fiander's frigid voice echoed from the assembly of souls, causing Reinhard's mind to momentarily freeze, leaving him in a state of shock for several seconds.
"What? Is this the first time you've encountered me like this? "
Fiander's voice pierced through, snapping Reinhard back to reality.
"My apologies, Lord Fiander "
After bowing his head in contrition, Reinhard began to scrutinize Fiander intently.
As Fiander's sole immediate relative, Reinhard maintained a relationship marked by absolute reverence and obedience, devoid of excessive formalities that Fiander detested.
The erratic souls resembled stinging jellyfish in the depths of the ocean, undulating and occasionally colliding with the surrounding icy walls.
"My lord. . . have you finally taken that step? "
Reinhard's perplexing remark elicited a simple "um" from Fiander, prompting more details.
"Thanks to old man Baraggan, I can now wield ancient powers once concealed by the depths of time.
"Scrito, the enigmatic level that surpasses the Vasto Lorde Menos Grande,"
"There were a mere three ancient Menos Grande in the annals of Hueco Mundo, and one of them, Scrito Menos Grande known as Amber Wilhelm, provided me with the essence of his remnants. "
Fiander's declarations didn't alarm Reinhard, these revelations had been shared by Fiander previously. He had even secretly excavated the remnants of Amber Wilhelm himself, discreetly interring them beneath their domain.
"However, didn't you mention long ago that you could not directly absorb such ancient powers? Otherwise, your repressed Hollow nature would resurface. "
Upon hearing Reinhard's inquiry, Fiander remained stoic: "The version of me from a month past might have genuinely been incapable of this; I would have required ten attempts to absorb the remnant soul of Wilhelm. "
"Ultimately, it would bring me nothing but misfortune. "
"Nonetheless, Urahara Kisuke truly gifted me something extraordinary. He aimed to harness the transformative abilities of all races contained within the soul to facilitate my decomposition. "
"However, the power of Hōgyoku has fortified my soul and has even modified the fundamental nature of my essence. "
"Previously, I felt I stood no chance against the royal guards in the Spirit Palace, but now, my name, my soul, and my strength have all been reformed by the world's origin. I now harbor no fear towards them! ! "
Unlike before, when Fiander's declarations resonated with power, each word now emerged in a mechanical fashion, articulated with an emotionless precision that left Reinhard feeling uneasy.
Seemingly recognizing the change in Reinhard, Fiander added, " Don't worry; this is merely a consequence of the restructuring of my soul. "
"Await the regeneration of my new form, and you shall encounter an entirely different me."
"By the way,the purpose of the Hōgyoku has been achieved; I can't use it now, so please return it to Aizen for me,"
"Let's observe how far he can evolve the Hōgyoku. "
The Hōgyoku was the cradled securely on the ice, it had been bathed in the law of extreme cold and instantly made contact with Reinhard's palm.
The moment he touched it, the Hōgyoku encased half of Reinhard in ice, before a blue luminescence radiated from his soul, enveloping him and effectively blocking out the frigid air surrounding him.
"What an unbearable chill "
Reinhard's eyes widened, and he couldn't suppress his expression of astonishment.
"Please let Aizen and the others know that the Hōgyoku has aided in my successful recovery, but it will take me some time to heal completely,"
"As I mentioned previously, you will be managing the affairs of the Night Palace in my stead. Even though Aizen and his followers may not fully trust you, they'll find comfort in my assurance while you are present. "
"Understood, Lord Fiander "
Reinhard nodded, taking hold of the Hōgyoku before stating his purpose of coming to him: "By the way, Master Fiander. I've come here specifically to utilize the passage below to reach the Forest of Menos Grande"
"The Forest of Menos Grande? Why are you heading there? "
After a moment of contemplation, Reinhard replied: "Master Nell was caught up in the quicksand and. . .
You previously mentioned that the orange-haired Shinigami, is also here im hueco mundo. "
"Kurosaki Ichigo? Has he finally arrived? "
Fiander's tone carried a rare note of surprise, before continuing, "Do not interfere with their actions. After rescuing Nell, leave them. "
"Aizen has his own plans. If he truly intends to kill them, he could have dispatch just two Espadas and be done with it. "
"Got it, I'll be going now. "
Reinhard bowed, and Fiander offered no response, merely allowing the ice platform to lower him toward the Forest of Menos Grande.
Seconds later, the only sound resonating within the entire glacier was the howl of the cold wind, echoing through the desolate cave.
-
Meanwhile, in the central region of the Menos Grande Forest, Ichigo and Nell had been in the area for nearly two hours.
After evading Deadpool, Ichigo took a moment to recover. When Bawa Bawa regained its strength and awoke, the two mounted its back and ventured along a designated path.
"Nell, are you certain we're heading in the correct direction? "
Bawa Bawa's pace was remarkably swift, covering over ten kilometers in a short span, but as Ichigo noticed the surrounding white tree trunks beginning to thin out, a sense of unease crept over him.
Due to the journey, he didn't encounter any Menos Grande along the way, and even the Deadpool that had been pursuing them previously, was nowhere in sight.
"Yep!"
Nell grinned, darting back and forth on Bawa Bawa's back with her bare feet, beaming with happiness.
"Stop that Nell! "
Believing that it was their unstable position on Bawa Bawa's back that led to both of them getting caught in the quicksand.
Ichigo furrowed his brow, reached out to hold Nell's hood, and expressed, "This location feels off to me."
"Are there enemies around? "
Noticing Ichigo's serious demeanor, Nell suddenly exclaimed with enthusiasm.
Observing the overly excited little girl before him made Ichigo recall the tearful girl clutching his clothes; it was hard to reconcile that this was the same person.
"I'm not sure, but stay alert! "
"Enh! "
Nell nodded earnestly in response.
As they approached the central area, a white mist that Reiatsu couldn't penetrate began to emerge around them, gradually swirling around.
While Ichigo carefully scanned the environment, several white afterimages zipped back and forth like phantoms. With his spiritual sense, he could only detect their movements but couldn't pinpoint their locations.
Once the foe landed, they would quickly dive into the white mist, severing his spiritual awareness, making it impossible for him to abandon Nell and rush in after them.
"What a troublesome enemy, we need to exit this zone quickly. "
Unsheathing the Zanpakutō from his back, Ichigo instructed Nell beside him, "Lie on my shoulder, Nell! "
"Yes! "
Nell quickly climbed onto Kurosaki Ichigo's shoulder using both hands and feet, tightly gripping his clothes as she cautioned, "Be careful! They are also a type of Deadpool. "
"They are formed by splitting the remaining souls of Quincy Masters! "
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