"Ding!"
[Harribel's fate has shifted into an unknown direction due to your actions, you gain 333 destiny points.]
Arata, who was walking away, heard the sound of the system notification and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Although it didn't surpass the reward he received earlier for saving his comrades, in terms of a fate judgment for a single individual, these 333 points for Harribel were already the highest reward so far.
Spending a one‑time Hogyoku in exchange for Harribel's debt and favor, no matter how one looked at it, it was an extremely profitable exchange.
His gaze shifted toward the distant horizon, as if he could pierce through space and time and see a certain gentlemanly Shinigami with glasses somewhere far away in Soul Society.
Aizen, let's slowly begin to play.
…
Under the pale moonlight of Hueco Mundo, a tall figure walked forward alone, leaving only a trail of shallow footprints in the sand dunes.
He raised his hand and gently touched the demon mask that had reappeared on his face, feeling the spiritual pressure in his body surge in waves an unprecedented sensation.
"System products are truly masterpieces." Arata murmured to himself, but this time, the expected electronic sound that usually accompanied hollowfication did not ring out.
During the two days since he parted ways with Harribel, he had successfully and fully integrated the power of Shinigami and Hollow inside his body.
Although he had not yet thoroughly tested the level of his spiritual pressure, he believed that at the very least it was close to the level of Gin Ichimaru and Kuchiki Byakuya at the beginning of the story.
And what was special, perhaps because of the unique nature of the Soul King bloodline was that unlike Ichigo, a negative personality did not manifest within him.
Therefore, there was no drama of having to defeat his own inner self to gain control over Hollow power.
On the contrary, Meigetsu had become a little less arrogant after absorbing part of the Hollow power.
But her battle‑hungry nature remained.
Although this journey to Hueco Mundo had been full of danger, the gains far surpassed expectations.
Not only had his spiritual pressure broken through the captain‑class threshold, he had unexpectedly gained the ability of hollowfication and even planted an important figure, Harribel, as a chess piece in Hueco Mundo.
Unfortunately, he had wandered around Hueco Mundo for the past two days, yet did not "accidentally" stumble upon Nel, as he had with Harribel.
Arata sighed quietly.
He wanted to use this expedition to make early contact with Neliel, but it now seemed that the time had not yet come.
But on second thought, it might be much easier to find Nel after Harribel's power grew.
He lifted his gaze toward the pale, eternal moon of Hueco Mundo and began thinking about his next moves.
The expedition unit was surely in complete chaos, and the news of his "disappearance" must have already spread.
Judging by sister Hua, she had probably already mobilized people to search the desert for him.
Thinking about that, Arata suddenly became aware of one problem.
In his current state, he wore a mask exclusive to Hollows, and the spiritual pressure emanating from his body was a mixture of Hollow and Shinigami traits.
If he returned like this, there was a high chance that they would cut him down as a Hollow before he could explain anything.
"I need to think of something…" Arata scratched his chin.
After some thought, an idea struck him and he pulled out a transparent mask from the system space.
[B-rank item: Void Mask]
[Source: Fortune Wheel – special zone]
[Effect: Once worn, allows you to freely alter your identity and race, and no one can see through it.]
[Note: Can be given to others, but cannot be strengthened.]
The decision was made, it would be you!
"It's time to return." Arata turned around and headed back toward the expedition camp.
A slicing sound cut through the air, and his figure turned into a purple‑black streak of light; his speed was almost twice what it was when he departed.
---
At the same time, deep within Las Noches.
Barragan Louisenbairn sat on a throne of bones, the stench of decay filling the entire hall.
The King of Hueco Mundo was furiously smashing a stone pillar, and the residual wave of his decay power turned one of the maids beside him into dust.
Even so, no one dared to say a single word on her behalf.
"Useless! Completely useless!" the old voice thundered through the empty hall. "More than twenty Adjuchas, and they can't even crush a small Shinigami expedition force!"
Several Adjuchas kneeling below the throne trembled and didn't dare to raise their heads.
One centipede‑shaped Adjuchas finally mustered the courage to speak: "Your Majesty, that red‑haired Shinigami appeared out of nowhere—"
"Silence." Barragan waved his hand, and in the next instant, the Adjuchas was reduced to a skeleton by decay.
Right now, he was far too enraged.
Among the Adjuchas he had sent, several belonged to his personal units and were considered important leaders of Las Noches.
Abirama, Ggio Vega, Kadavil…
Each of them was among the strongest Adjuchas.
Yet in such a short amount of time, the assault unit commanded by them had been completely wiped out, this both shocked and enraged him!
The rage was because the subordinates he placed such hope in turned out to be so utterly useless.
The shock was because, aside from that bespectacled Shinigami, yet another powerful opponent had appeared in Soul Society.
"Damn it!"
Barragan roared, and the thought he had long suppressed began surfacing in his mind.
---
Not far away, the outline of the expedition unit's temporary base was clearly visible.
Arata slowed down as he walked through the desert, even staggering slightly on purpose.
This intentional weakness immediately drew the attention of the Shinigami patrolling outside the camp.
"Who goes there!" Two Shinigami appeared at the same time, the sound of their Zanpakutō being drawn particularly sharp in the quiet night.
Arata coughed lightly twice and raised his hands in a weak defensive gesture: "I… sixth year of the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy, Saito Arata."
"Saito-san?!" One of the Shinigami was shocked, immediately sheathing his Zanpakutō and grabbing his arm.
"You're still alive!"
The other Shinigami had already pulled out the communication device and shouted excitedly into it:
"Urgent report! The missing Saito Arata has been found!"
"I repeat! The missing Saito Arata has alrea—"
"There's no need." A gentle yet powerful female voice suddenly interrupted.
All three turned around and saw Unohana Retsu standing behind them, none of them knowing when she had appeared; the captain's haori on her shoulders fluttered softly in the wind.
"Captain Unohana!" The two Shinigami immediately collected themselves and bowed.
Unohana Retsu lightly waved her hand, indicating they owed no formality: "Return to camp and file the report first. I will personally take Saito-san to the medical tent."
"Understood!"
Arata's gaze met the depths of Unohana's eyes; the emotions swirling within them were more complex than ever before.
"Can you walk?" Unohana Retsu asked quietly; her tone was gentle as if asking about the weather, but hidden within was a hint of pain.
Arata nodded and deliberately staggered a little: "Somehow… barely."
"Good." Unohana Retsu reached out and held him by the shoulder, her fingertips subtly brushing over his pulse.
Arata felt a delicate spiritual pressure enter his body, it was Unohana's Kaidō.
At that moment, he activated the Void Mask he was wearing and concealed his true condition, making him appear like someone who had barely recovered from severe injuries.
Unohana's brows faintly knitted.
———
Support me on patreon.com/_BlackRose
Read 60+ advanced chapters
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 additional chapter