Las Noches.
Barragan Luisenbarn, the ruler of Hueco Mundo, sat silently upon his throne, his cold gaze fixed on a lone Vasto Lorde below him—one who still wore part of its mask.
Surrounding them, countless Adjuchas watched in suffocating silence. These Hollows, who had recovered fragments of their former human memories and emotions, now fully understood the taste of fear. Every instinct screamed at them not to provoke Barragan, whose fury burned like an unseen inferno.
"So… a group of Shinigami dared to storm my Hueco Mundo, kill one of my top generals… and then walk away unscathed? "
Barragan's voice was eerily calm—so calm that no hint of emotion could be heard within it. Yet that calmness alone crushed the Adjuchas to their knees, none daring to raise their heads to meet his gaze.
"…"
"Tell me… what use are you to me? "
After a long pause, Barragan's words fell like a blade across the assembly of Hollows.
"Your Majesty, it wasn't incompetence! That Shinigami… he was far too powerful! "
"Stronger than anything we've ever seen! Even our Ceros couldn't pierce the barrier protecting his soul body! "
"He was like a god of death itself! "
The Adjuchas, who had fled from the battlefield, groveled before him, trembling, all will to resist burned away by despair.
"Anything else to say? "
Barragan rose slowly from his throne, lifting a massive battle axe high into the air. The gesture alone was a death sentence. If they failed to give him a reason worth hearing, he would slaughter them all without hesitation.
"My lord…"
The Adjuchas trembled violently, some scrambling to their feet, retreating in terror as the axe gleamed with judgment.
"Your Majesty, please stay your hand! "
A voice rang out as Szayelaporro emerged from the shadows, stepping forward with elegance and deference.
"Hm?"
Barragan halted mid-motion, his hollowed gaze settling on Szayelaporro—a Vasto Lorde under his command in name, but one whose presence could not be dismissed lightly.
"It isn't entirely their fault," Szayelaporro said, kneeling gracefully. "That Shinigami's power was overwhelming. Even I, watching from afar, felt my eyes sting from the sheer pressure of his spiritual energy."
"Not enough."
Barragan's voice was cold as death. "If that's all you have, it's not enough."
"I gathered the might of Hueco Mundo into a grand Hollow army, only for it to be crushed—by a single squad of Shinigami! Tell me… where does that leave my pride? "
His tone remained calm, but the weight of it made the Adjuchas quiver like leaves in a storm.
"Then allow me to handle this, Your Majesty," Szayelaporro declared. "If Soul Society dares to humiliate you by sending a squad, then I shall answer by invading their Seireitei—and annihilating an entire division of Shinigami."
"…"
Barragan was silent for a long moment before slowly lowering his axe and sinking back onto his throne of bone.
"So be it. You have one year. End this insult."
Szayelaporro bowed deeply, then added with a glance toward the kneeling Adjuchas:
"But if I'm to invade Soul Society, I'll need troops. These survivors of the Grand Expedition—they look experienced enough. Why not assign them all to me? "
Barragan snorted in disdain without even glancing down. "Take the trash if you want. Anyone who did not die with my general are no longer Hollows—they are nothing but worms clinging to life."
"My gratitude, Your Majesty." Szayelaporro smiled faintly and turned to the trembling Adjuchas. "Well? What are you waiting for? Thank His Majesty! "
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! "
The Adjuchas pressed their foreheads to the ground, voices trembling with fear.
Barragan dismissed them all with a cold snort, his empty gaze burning with contempt.
Meanwhile, far from the core of Hueco Mundo, Lilynette and Sōfūin Sōgo played without a care in the world.
They knew nothing of Barragan's wrath—only how to amuse themselves, either by hunting interesting Adjuchas to use as toys or by indulging in endless feasts.
"That man… he shines too brightly."
Nearly a kilometer away, a figure stood silently, her sharp eyes fixed on Sōgo. Her form bore a resemblance to a shark, her presence both fierce and graceful.
Her name was Tier Harribel.
Her golden eyes shimmered as she gazed upon the man playing so casually with Lilynette. Her heart pounded violently. From the moment he had descended from the heavens to save her three months ago, she could no longer suppress the admiration swelling within her.
Three months ago.
Without warning, chaos erupted among the Adjuchas-class Hollows.
Harribel's hunting grounds—long regarded as forbidden—were suddenly swarmed by waves of ravenous Hollows. Even as a Vasto Lorde, Harribel began to falter under the relentless assault.
And then, a white light split the heavens.
A crushing spiritual pressure slammed into the battlefield, forcing countless Adjuchas to their knees in submission.
"The White Demon! "
"Damn it! We fled this far, and he still came after us! "
"Then we fight! Better to die than be slaughtered like cattle! "
The battered Hollows roared in desperation as a man descended from the sky—blindfolded, radiating power like a god of war.
"Hmm… let's see… You two will do. Perfectly round. The rest? Too ugly to make good balls."
He dodged their attacks with almost lazy elegance, selecting two Hollows with spherical forms before slaughtering the rest in a single, fluid motion.
Harribel stared in disbelief. She had never witnessed such overwhelming strength.
"You…"
Their eyes met. The man paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Keep evolving."
He recognized her nature at a glance: a Vasto Lorde in human form. Leaving those simple words behind, he vanished into the sky, carrying his chosen "balls."
"Evolve… He meant me? "
Clutching her chest, Harribel gazed at the distant figure, a forgotten emotion stirring deep within her soul.
From that moment onward, she followed him silently… watching from the shadows.