A Garganta was the passage that connected Hueco Mundo to the World of the Living, similar in function to a Senkaimon, yet fundamentally different in nature.
Upon entering it, one stepped into a fractured void.
Unlike the clearly defined tunnel of a Senkaimon, the interior of a Garganta had no fixed direction. There was no stable corridor, only endless darkness, shattered spatial layers, and drifting spiritual turbulence.
However, there was no sudden collapse or spatial distortion.
As long as one formed a stable reishi pathway beneath their feet and continued moving forward, they would inevitably reach Hueco Mundo.
Kurotsuki Renya condensed reishi beneath his soles, forming six precise anchor points, and sprinted forward.
One minute later
Light exploded into his vision.
With a muffled impact, Renya burst out of the darkness and landed amid loose gravel.
This was the White Desert outside Las Noches.
Renya rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. Endless white sand stretched in all directions, broken only by distant ruins. Only one direction held a towering silhouette beneath the eternal moon.
Las Noches.
That was his destination.
Within Las Noches were remnants of Aizen Sōsuke's experiments, research materials, and devices once used in the study of Hollowfication and the Hōgyoku.
More importantly
Those waiting there.
Renya possessed the Hōgyoku, but he had yet to fully master its method of fusion. He had investigated the Reishi Grand Corridor during his inquiry into Aizen's rebellion, but the experimental apparatus required for controlled evolution could only be found in Hueco Mundo.
Renya leapt forward, his figure streaking across the desert.
As far as the eye could see, white sand dominated the landscape, broken by ruins half-buried by time.
He tapped his toes and vaulted upward, landing atop a crumbling stone wall.
In the next instant
An afterimage lunged at him.
Boom.
Renya raised his arm to block. The force pushed him back several steps, and he glanced down at the creature clamped onto his forearm.
A hyena-shaped Hollow, with elongated forelimbs and short hind legs, its body wrapped in pale armor.
It bit down with all its strength.
Renya remained uninjured.
"Begone."
A burst of spiritual pressure erupted from his body.
The Hollow yelped, released its grip, and fled in terror, vanishing into the desert.
Several other Hollows nearby scattered immediately.
Renya shook his head and continued toward Las Noches.
His speed was overwhelming. With each step, his body shot forward like a projectile. Any Hollow unfortunate enough to cross his path never even had time to react before he was already past them.
After traveling some distance, the sand beneath him suddenly bulged.
A figure burst upward.
Renya flicked his foot, sidestepping the attack effortlessly. As he landed, he noticed something unusual.
Ahead of him
Three figures were chasing a smaller one.
The one fleeing was short, cloaked in ragged cloth, running in panic.
Renya frowned.
He vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared before the fleeing figure, reached out casually, and lifted them into the air.
With a lazy wave of his other hand, the three pursuers were blown away by compressed spiritual pressure.
"Who are you?"
Renya held the small figure up and examined her face.
A young girl.
Short green hair. A white skull fragment resting atop her head like a visor. Pink markings on her cheeks.
Her eyes were wide with fear.
"Let her go!"
A tall, thin Hollow rushed forward, wielding a blade formed of condensed reishi.
Renya raised two fingers and caught the weapon effortlessly.
"Hm?" he murmured. "Interesting construction."
The blade was formed entirely of compressed spiritual particles
sharp, but unstable.
Flawed.
Before he could elaborate, another Hollow emerged from the sand to Renya's left, pulled a massive hammer from his mouth, and hurled it at him.
Renya turned his head slightly.
Crack.
The hammer shattered against his forehead.
The Hollow froze in disbelief.
"How…?"
Snap.
The reishi blade shattered between Renya's fingers.
Both Hollows dropped to their knees.
"Please," they shouted together, "let Niru go!"
"Niru?"
Renya smiled faintly.
He already knew the answer.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. Former Third Espada.
The two kneeling before him were Dondochakka Birstanne and Pesche Guatiche.
After Nnoitra Gilga's sneak attack shattered Nelliel's mask, all three had degenerated.
Nelliel's body regressed. Her memories fragmented. The others lost their Arrancar status entirely.
Renya had planned to find them.
Especially Nelliel.
If she recovered her original strength, she would be an invaluable ally.
"Yes… I'm Niru," the girl said softly, nodding.
"And them?" Renya asked.
"They're Dondochakka, Pesche… and Bawabawa. They're Niru's friends."
Renya nodded. "Your spiritual core is powerful. You've undergone degeneration."
"You can tell?" Dondochakka gasped.
"Of course," Renya replied calmly. "All three of you were once Arrancar."
Nelliel blinked. "Niru never degenerated."
Renya understood.
She had forgotten.
Dondochakka quickly nodded. "Yes! We were born like this!"
Renya smiled. "What if I told you I could restore your former strength?"
Silence.
"What?" Dondochakka stared.
"I can return Nelliel to her original state. I can restore your masks."
Pesche trembled. "Really?!"
Dondochakka narrowed his eyes. "You carry a Zanpakutō. You're a Shinigami. Why would you help us?"
Renya gently set Nelliel down.
He lifted his hand to his face.
A Hollow mask manifested.
Gasps rang out.
"A Shinigami… with Hollow power?"
"I have mastered both," Renya said. "And I can do what Aizen once did."
At the name
Nelliel clutched her head.
"Aizen…?"
Renya nodded. "Follow me to Las Noches."
"No!" Dondochakka shouted. "We'll die there!"
Renya chuckled. "You don't know, do you?"
"It's been seven days since Aizen attacked Soul Society. He was defeated. Captured."
Shock spread across their faces.
"Impossible."
A calm voice interrupted.
Nelliel's body expanded, her memories returning.
Long green hair. A mature form.
"Master Nelliel!"
She shook her head. "Aizen is invincible."
Renya listened quietly.
Then
Boom.
His spiritual pressure erupted.
The desert sank.
Nelliel collapsed to her knees. Dondochakka and Pesche were flattened into the sand.
This pressure surpassed even Vasto Lorde standards.
Renya withdrew it.
"Now," he asked gently, "will you come?"
Nelliel nodded.
Renya turned to leave
Then froze.
A small weight pressed against his back.
"It's far," Nelliel said cheerfully. "Carry me."
Renya sighed and complied.
Together, beneath Hueco Mundo's eternal moon, they advanced toward Las Noches.
And Renya knew
These Hollows would become his subordinates.
His second preparation.
Beyond the Hōgyoku.
Beyond Bankai.
Beyond Fullbring.
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