Hueco Mundo, the Silent Dunes.
Over a dozen Menos had gathered here, forming a circle, seeming to discuss something.
A year ago, this sandy expanse known as the Silent Dunes had received a group of unwelcome guests.
Far from Las Noches, this was a low-reishi land, a rare occurrence in Hueco Mundo.
Like the subterranean Forest of Menos, the desert of the upper layer was boundless.
But low-reishi areas like the Silent Dunes did exist.
However, such places were not very common in Hueco Mundo.
Relatively speaking, the Silent Dunes was the closest low-reishi land to Las Noches.
Six Menos of various shapes stood at the very center of the group.
They were in the forms of a toad, a gecko, a scorpion, a centipede, a giant snake, and a panther.
"I have decided to lead you to the human world,"
said Velen, the Toad Hollow.
"Are we just going to ignore that damned praying mantis? We must take back Las Noches and carry on Lord Baraggan's will!"
Alberto, the Centipede Hollow, questioned.
"I support the idea,"
Ivo, the Giant Snake Hollow, said coldly.
"Ivo, you're usually the smartest one. Why are you going along with his crazy talk?"
Alberto the Centipede demanded.
"Hehe, it is precisely because we need to retake Las Noches that we must go to the human world!" Ivo's laughter was chilling. "With our current strength, we are no match for Nnoitra. Only by devouring more souls and continuing to evolve can we gain the power to kill him and his followers!"
The Hollows gathered at the Silent Dunes were the remnants of a defeated army that had fled Las Noches.
When Baraggan had led his army to war, he had not taken his most loyal, direct subordinates.
This was because the purpose of his expedition was to eliminate some of the troublemaking Menos who had defected from the Forest of Menos. Naturally, he didn't want his own loyal followers to suffer losses there.
However, Baraggan himself died in the Forest of Menos, leaving the Menos in Las Noches leaderless.
With their king gone, Las Noches quickly fell into chaos.
The "praying mantis Hollow" they spoke of, Nnoitra, was originally one of the Menos who had come from the Forest of Menos.
But while Baraggan was in power, Nnoitra had acted very loyal, causing Baraggan to classify him as a trusted follower.
But after news of Baraggan's death arrived, Nnoitra rallied the Menos who had retreated from the front lines and drove out Baraggan's old guard from Las Noches.
Fortunately, Nnoitra and the Menos from the Forest of Menos were not completely united; otherwise, they would not have been able to escape Las Noches at all.
Today, Las Noches had been taken over by a usurper.
"Go to the human world to devour souls?" Alberto the Centipede shook his head repeatedly. "The Shinigami will discover us very quickly!"
As Baraggan's former subordinates, they knew very well why he had restricted the Hollows of Las Noches from hunting in the human world.
"I had Woy scout out a high-reishi area in the human world. The Shinigami stationed there are average. With Woy's ability, it will be difficult for them to discover us right away. We will only be devouring some souls with spiritual potential. There are so many humans, the loss of a few souls won't be noticed,"
Velen the Toad said.
Woy, the Gecko Hollow, had the ability to bend light and interfere with spiritual pressure sensing, which would be a great help to their operation.
"Are you sure we won't be discovered..." Alberto the Centipede was still hesitant.
"Alberto, are you that afraid of death? Or have you already lost your loyalty to Lord Baraggan and no longer wish to carry on his will?" Velen questioned.
"Of course not... alright, I'll go with you," Alberto reluctantly agreed.
"What about you, Pica?" Velen turned to look at the Scorpion Hollow.
"If you all have no objections, then neither do I."
The Scorpion Hollow was not one to make his own decisions and agreed immediately.
The five Menos then looked at the panther Hollow, who had been silent for a long time.
"Grimmjow, you don't have any objections, do you?"
Velen the Toad asked.
"Boring."
Grimmjow, the Panther Hollow, grinned. "I'm not Baraggan's servant. What happens in Las Noches has nothing to do with me, and I have no interest in going to the human world."
Grimmjow was not from Las Noches; he had only run into this group of defeated soldiers by chance at the Silent Dunes.
"Only by going to the human world will you have the chance to devour more souls and evolve into a more perfect form!"
Velen's face darkened.
"Heh, I need to devour souls with spiritual potential to grow. Compared to the human world, aren't there more 'food' in the Forest of Menos?"
Grimmjow grinned. "You cowards are just afraid of the Shinigami army stationed at the entrance to the Forest of Menos, aren't you!"
"I'm not like you cowards. My next stop is the Forest of Menos!"
Grimmjow turned to leave.
He had only stayed to listen because he heard these Hollows discussing ways to continue evolving.
But the method they came up with was laughable.
For a Menos,
the human world was a place for cowards!
The high-reishi areas in the human world have a decent concentration of spiritual particles, but humans with spiritual potential are not that numerous. Given the massive human population, it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Grimmjow had to carry the beliefs of his comrades and witness the path ahead.
He wouldn't follow these defeated soldiers to the human world to play house.
The Forest of Menos was his place of evolution.
"You think you can just walk away after hearing our plan?"
Velen the Toad blocked Grimmjow's path.
"Heh, then you'll all become the fuel for my evolution!"
The Panther King bared his fangs.
...
In a hidden stone cave not far from the Silent Dunes, several Onmitsukidō Shinigami were monitoring the Menos' movements.
The Shinigami had long anticipated that Las Noches would fall into chaos after Baraggan's death.
The Seireitei had dispatched the Onmitsukidō to keep an eye on the situation.
Even this group of Menos that had left Las Noches was being watched.
"What's going on? Why did they start fighting?"
"That's just how Hollows are. They can hardly suppress their killing instincts. Without a strong leader like Baraggan to keep them in check, they're bound to fight to the death among themselves."
"It's good that they're fighting. Once they're no longer a threat, our mission will be complete."
"Yeah, I haven't had a vacation in so long. I've been stuck in this godforsaken place for a year!"
"I heard from our captain that Captain Katori is bringing his disciple to Hueco Mundo for training. He'll probably use this group as practice."
"Really? Man, I'm jealous. Captain Katori is so good to his disciples, personally bringing them to Hueco Mundo to train."
"I really want a vacation. I hope Captain Katori comes soon."
After the Shinigami chatted for a moment, a Senkaimon opened behind them.
Two figures in black cloaks stepped out.
-----------------------------
Access more than 400 chapters across more than 7 different novels on Patreon!
For this novel, there are already more than 100 chapters available, and we are only 3 subscribers away from unlocking up to chapter 150!
And many more projects in progress!