Sora found some research materials on 'Blanks' and the 'Shinenju' inside the mountain structure.
He was also very interested in the 'Shinenju,' seeing in it a shadow of the 'Hōgyoku.'
The 'Shinenju' was formed from the condensed memories of 'Blanks' and could also absorb them, while the 'Hōgyoku' needed to be created from the souls of those with the potential to become Shinigami, or from fragments of the Soul King.
In a sense, both were aggregates of souls.
Sora collected the 'Shinenju' and the related research materials for future study.
Shinji Hirako and Sōjun Kuchiki also retrieved their supply backpacks.
After a short rest, the eight of them left the 'Valley of Screams' and continued towards Hueco Mundo.
This time, they encountered no more reishi turbulence and arrived smoothly from the Dangai.
The group arrived in a desolate desert. The crescent moon in the night sky, like the desert itself, remained unchanged throughout the year, as if time had frozen in this moment.
The gentle breeze occasionally stirred up some dust. This desert was not only made of sand and rock; some tree trunks also stood among the dunes, though they were of a quartz-like material.
Everyone was fascinated by the sights of Hueco Mundo. Except for Akane Saitō, it was the first time for all of them.
"It's all sand," Kana Azashiro said, stomping on a dune. She felt something beneath the soft sand and dug with her scabbard. "There seems to be something down here."
Soon, she dug out a small rodent-like animal.
This creature was different from those in the Soul Society and the World of the Living; it had a small white mask on its head.
"A little animal Hollow from Hueco Mundo..." Jin'emon Tsubaki came closer, wanting to pick it up for a look.
The rodent-Hollow bared its teeth in a bluff, trying to scare him away.
Unfazed, Jin'emon grabbed it by the tail and lifted it up. The creature immediately panicked, flailing its short legs in the air but unable to break free.
"To think that a little animal Hollow with no combat power can survive in Hueco Mundo."
Jin'emon placed the rodent-Hollow back on the sand. It immediately dug into the ground and disappeared.
"These small animal Hollows are at the bottom of Hueco Mundo's food chain. They survive by absorbing the reishi from the atmosphere," Sora explained.
All spiritual life forms in Hueco Mundo were Hollows, including animals. Some of these small animal Hollows were reishi-based creatures that naturally reproduced in Hueco Mundo, while others were transformed from the normal animal souls of the human world and the Soul Society.
The balance of souls across the three worlds also included these inconspicuous little animals.
"The reishi concentration is no lower than in the Soul Society... using reishi here feels no different. It won't affect our performance," Sōjun Kuchiki said, sensing the spiritual particles in the air.
"Just like the books described, it's really hard to find any green plants here!" Shinji Hirako said, shielding his eyes as he looked into the distance.
"If we did find green plants here, they would probably be Hollows in disguise," Kensei Muguruma said. He broke off a branch from a quartz-like tree and remarked with curiosity, "These branches are like stone on the inside too... is this still a plant? It's so strange."
"Hueco Mundo is not a safe place. You can encounter danger at any moment. You must remain vigilant."
Sora took out the map. On it were signposts condensed from reishi, showing the location of the expeditionary force.
"The expeditionary force has advanced some distance. We need to deliver the supplies over there. They should be in the Forest of Menos, which is underground. It will be safer if we travel above it."
The group did not linger and immediately headed in the direction indicated by the map.
The scenery along the desert of Hueco Mundo was much the same. The group quickly lost interest and just wanted to reach their destination as soon as possible.
The point where they had landed was not far from the expeditionary force. After two or three hours, they were nearby.
Akane Saitō took out a long white tube and inserted it into the sand.
The sand immediately formed a whirlpool, sucking the group in.
They passed through the layer of sand and landed in the Forest of Menos.
The Forest of Menos was utterly silent, and the light was very dim.
Although it was called a forest, it looked more like a forest of stone.
The dense, towering trees all around were made of the same quartz-like material as the dead trees they had seen on the dunes.
In fact, the dead trees on the dunes were just the tops of these giant stone trees sticking out of the sand.
The structure of Hueco Mundo was very peculiar. The outermost layer was a white desert, and beneath it lay the Forest of Menos, filled with giant stone trees.
The group moved quickly through the forest, leaping between the massive branches of the stone trees.
"Be careful. There are many Menos Grande in the Forest of Menos. Although the expeditionary force is nearby, and the powerful ones will generally avoid this area, don't let your guard down!" Akane warned.
Just as she finished speaking, Sora sensed an abnormal spiritual pressure fluctuation up ahead. "Get out of the way!"
A red flash shot from the distance.
BOOM—
A deafening explosion rang out.
Whoosh—
Sora and Akane landed on the same stone tree. He stopped her as she was about to go and help. "It's just one Menos Grande. Leave it to them."
Akane looked hesitant. "Let a few academy students fight a Menos Grande? Are you sure that's okay?"
Sora chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, it's just a Gillian. They can handle it."
Hearing this, Akane could only watch and wait. She drew her Zanpakutō, ready to provide support at any moment. In her mind, the idea of a few un-graduated students taking on a Gillian-class Menos was preposterous.
The mountain-like figure of the Gillian slowly approached, its presence oppressive.
Shinji Hirako's figure appeared a short distance in front of it, his Zanpakutō spinning in his hand.
He quickly drew the Gillian's attention. It opened the large mouth of its mask, and a massive red Cero began to gather.
At the same time, a swarm of beautifully colored butterflies burst through the dust cloud, transforming into blades in mid-air and swirling towards the Gillian.
The Gillian noticed the butterfly blade storm, turned its head slightly, and changed the direction of its Cero blast.
However, the Cero did not hit the swarm as it had intended.
Its sense of direction had been distorted. It fired the Cero behind itself, and the butterfly blade storm struck its body directly.
The Gillian was immediately gashed by the storm, and a mist of blood erupted from its black body.
ROOOAR—
The pain caused the Gillian to let out a deafening wail, but for its massive body, these small wounds were not very serious.
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