Raizen Kō first dug Little Yellow Dog out of the sand where he had been partially buried during the violent aftermath of the previous chaotic battle.
Then, without hesitation, he tossed Tilus Sandavici's remaining avian head before the small canine Hollow.
Earlier, at the most critical moment of Raizen Kō's evolution, it had been Little Yellow Dog's desperate warning that had allowed him to guard himself, even partially, against Tilus Sandavici's sudden assault from the sky.
This bird head still bearing fragments of a mask and containing nearly half of Tilus Sandavici's remaining Reiatsu was Raizen Kō's reward to him.
Little Yellow Dog happily trotted toward the enormous bird head.
A faint yellow spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from his body, stirring the surrounding sand and forming a dense cloud of dust.
When the dust finally settled…
What emerged was a magnificent dark-yellow giant hound, over three meters tall and nearly eight meters long, its muscles tightly packed with raw spiritual force.
Without hesitation, it swallowed the massive bird head in a single gulp.
This was Little Yellow Dog's true form.
Ever since following Raizen Kō and hunting Hollows alongside him, although he had only been given scraps each time, it had been more than enough to fuel his rapid growth.
He was no longer the fragile Fresh Hollow from when Raizen Kō had first encountered him, but now a fully-fledged Powerful Hollow, only a step away from Adjuchas-class evolution.
Now, having consumed Tilus Sandavici's head, his breakthrough into Giant Hollow (Adjuchas-level) territory was no longer a distant dream.
After digesting the remains, Little Yellow Dog's form shrank again, returning to his familiar small appearance, joyfully wagging his nonexistent tail at Raizen Kō.
Raizen Kō observed him quietly for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.
"With my current strength, even Giant Hollows like Tilus Sandavici are no longer a threat to me. Now… it's time for me to go to that place."
He lowered his gaze toward Little Yellow Dog.
"The place I'm heading to next is far too dangerous for you. This is where our paths separate. With your current strength, remaining within this New Territory is more than enough for you to protect yourself."
"Woof woof woof!"
Hearing this, Little Yellow Dog barked repeatedly, his voice filled with unmistakable reluctance.
Raizen Kō bent down and gently stroked Little Yellow Dog's head with a single finger. The dog affectionately licked Raizen Kō's finger in response, refusing to move away.
"Stubborn little one," Raizen Kō murmured quietly.
"Live on… and grow strong."
With a final wave of his hand, Raizen Kō turned away, plunging directly into the endless desert sands.
From behind, Little Yellow Dog's distant whimper echoed faintly across the dunes.
Yet Raizen Kō did not look back.
The reason he had brought this little dog along before was twofold.
First, seeing him reminded Raizen Kō of the Little Yellow Dog from his previous life a fragment of warmth in an otherwise merciless world.
Second, he had needed a weak Hollow to lure prey.
Now that Raizen Kō had already evolved into a Giant Hollow, with combat power rivaling a Menos-class Hollow, he no longer required such assistance. And with Little Yellow Dog's current strength, as long as he did not leave the New Territory, very few beings there could threaten his existence.
When the time to part came, Raizen Kō did not hesitate.
After all, his grand plan of transcendence stood above all else.
The True Depths of Hueco Mundo
Raizen Kō's destination was clear.
The Forest of Menos (Menos no Mori) the deepest and most dangerous region beneath Hueco Mundo's endless sands.
He descended through the sand layer at the fastest speed his body could sustain.
Previously, due to insufficient strength, he had only dared to move stealthily near the surface, avoiding attracting powerful entities. This was his first time venturing this far beneath the desert.
Time became meaningless.
Raizen Kō only knew that he had been descending continuously, yet he still had not reached the legendary forest. Had he not known from his understanding of the original world that Menos no Mori lay beneath the sands, he might have suspected that he had taken the wrong path entirely.
Finally
Raizen Kō could descend no further.
His masked head struck something incomparably solid.
"A rock layer?"
He tested it again, ramming forward with force, only to confirm that this subterranean stone layer was far denser than anything above.
Already irritated by the long descent, Raizen Kō did not hesitate.
A black-red Cero gathered in front of his mask.
"BOOM!"
With a thunderous explosion, the rock layer shattered.
Raizen Kō lost his balance instantly and plummeted downward.
During the fall, he glimpsed his surroundings.
Massive tree trunks hundreds of meters tall stretched upward endlessly, their silhouettes vanishing into the dim sky. Reishi saturated the air so densely that the atmosphere itself felt viscous.
"This… is Menos no Mori."
"I've arrived."
Raizen Kō hooked one of the towering trunks with his centipede tail and stabilized himself mid-descent, landing with a heavy impact upon the forest floor.
However
The moment he landed, he realized he had fallen directly into the midst of a violent battlefield.
A group of Giant Hollows were locked in a brutal struggle, tearing at each other amidst shattered trees and collapsing ground.
Caught off guard, Raizen Kō had no time to activate Camo and thus appeared conspicuously before them.
He glanced around calmly.
"Yo… busy, brothers?"
The Giant Hollows froze for half a second.
Then, without hesitation, they redirected their fury toward the unexpected intruder.
An octopus-shaped Giant Hollow opened its grotesque maw and spat out a stream of corrosive black ink toward Raizen Kō.
Raizen Kō did not retreat.
Instead, he advanced.
Hooking a tree trunk with his tail, he vaulted sideways, evading the corrosive stream effortlessly. Golden lightning burst across his body as he activated Flash Lightning, forming a crackling lightning whip that sliced through the air.
With a single strike
The octopus Hollow was flung away like a ragdoll.
Raizen Kō followed immediately, plunging his centipede tail into its flesh and activating Soul Eater.
The Hollow's body dissolved rapidly, its Reishi completely absorbed.
Although it had been a Giant Hollow like himself, its combat power was far inferior even to Tilus Sandavici let alone Raizen Kō.
It had been defeated in a single exchange.
"One down," Raizen Kō sneered coldly.
"Now… it's your turn."
He raised his gaze toward the remaining dozen or so Giant Hollows.
Raizen Kō felt genuine satisfaction.
This "welcome gift" from the Forest of Menos would make for an excellent feast.