After returning to Hueco Mundo to restore order, Harribel found the Pícaro children to be quite a headache.
Managing one child was hard enough, let alone more than a hundred.
They had energy, destructive power, imagination... everything except self-control.
And worse...
They couldn't be contained.
Chuchería. Whenever the Pícaro became hungry, they would use this ability to feed.
Using the circle they formed as a boundary, they isolated everything within it from the outside world and consumed every last Reishi particle inside.
It was almost as if a child were cutting paper with scissors, except they were cutting whatever shape they pleased directly out of space.
And everything in Hueco Mundo was made of Reishi.
They couldn't be confined, and they couldn't be properly controlled. That left only one option...
Kill them.
Harribel certainly didn't want to kill them.
But even if she did, accomplishing it would be extremely difficult.
The Pícaro shared their lives. Whenever one of them was on the verge of death, the others would each contribute a tiny amount of Reiatsu to keep that one alive.
And this sharing had no limit on distance.
Unless every single Pícaro could be captured, so long as even one escaped and continued feeding somewhere else, the others could be kept alive indefinitely.
For Harribel, who wanted to establish order in Hueco Mundo, finding a suitable way to keep the Pícaro, who understood nothing about order, from disrupting it was both extremely difficult and extremely important.
The one who made that problem much simpler was Nel.
Along with her two Fracciones, Pesche and Dondochakka.
Nel herself was a child, while Pesche and Dondochakka had plenty of experience taking care of children.
Recently, Nel had even found something that caught the Pícaro's interest: building a huge amusement park.
The Pícaro had been running all over Hueco Mundo collecting materials for it, leaving them no time at all to cause trouble.
And it was during that process that one of the Pícaro discovered something unusual in the Forest of Menos.
The Gillian in the Forest of Menos were slow and dull, and the Pícaro had grown bored of playing with them long ago. They had only returned recently to gather materials for their amusement park.
That was when they encountered someone they had never seen before.
"After hearing that person's voice, the Pícaro couldn't help moving toward him," Nel relayed what she had been told. "But that Pícaro heard the voices of the others and managed to escape just before that person ate him."
"Eat him..." Harribel raised a hand, and Reiatsu turned into rain that fell from above, blanketing the Forest of Menos in a fine drizzle.
Her Pesquisa became even more sensitive through the rain, allowing even the smallest traces to reveal themselves.
"This wasn't that person's first time here..." Harribel swept her gaze over their surroundings. "He's come here many times recently, and every time, he devoured a large number of Hollows."
The fine rain gathered into a stream of water, carrying a faint streak of crimson that floated before Harribel.
Nel leaned closer curiously. "Is that his blood? Was he injured?"
"Yes." Harribel flicked a finger lightly. "He isn't complete. His body is constantly on the verge of breaking down, so he needs to devour other Hollows just as a Hollow would. But because he isn't a Hollow, the power he consumes damages him instead."
"He isn't a Hollow... Is he a Shinigami?"
"It's Shinigami power." Harribel narrowed her eyes. "He's a Zanpakutō."
...
"Cough! Cough!"
The hand Muramasa held over his mouth was stained with blood.
"Was that too much...?"
"Hehe..." A seductive chuckle echoed through the air. "If you devour too many Hollows, you might want to be careful you don't become one yourself~"
"If you have time to say things like that, use it to break the barrier faster." Muramasa wiped the blood from his hand. "Aura Michibane."
"We're only chatting. It won't interfere with the work over there~"
The figure of a short-haired woman silently emerged.
"Are you really sure you don't need my help? I could solve your condition very easily. I could even increase your power."
Muramasa replied coldly, "No."
"Are you sure?" Aura Michibane's figure drifted like mist. "At this rate, you may die before you ever find your master."
"I'm not that easy to kill." Muramasa glared at Aura Michibane. "Don't think you can use this as an excuse to tamper with me!"
"Why would I do that?" Aura Michibane giggled. "If I wanted to tamper with you, I could've done it when I released your seal. You really should trust us a little more."
Muramasa continued walking without paying her any attention.
"Trust... What does that word have to do with the Four Noble Families?"
"Your master belongs to the Four Noble Families too, you know," Aura Michibane reminded him. "He is the Kuchiki Clan's son-in-law, after all. Strictly speaking, he's even Byakuya Kuchiki's elder."
A crimson light flashed through Muramasa's eyes. An invisible wave spread outward and rushed toward Aura Michibane.
"I'm not a Shinigami. Your ability doesn't work on me."
Aura Michibane's smile widened.
"If you have that much energy to spare, you should try a little harder. And don't blame me for not warning you. As the barrier gradually breaks down, that person's Reiatsu will become detectable as well. You'd better prepare yourself beforehand."
Aura Michibane dispersed into the wind without leaving a trace.
Muramasa's already grim expression darkened further.
And when he returned to the gathering place and saw the materialized Zanpakutō Spirits on strike, his face grew darker still.
"What are you all doing here?!" Muramasa swept his gaze across them. "Have you forgotten why you materialized in the first place?"
[I know you're anxious]
[but calm down first]
Myōki's light screen lit up.
[The current situation is unfavorable]
[We need more power]
"You again..." Muramasa stared at the light screen. "What do you want?"
[You helped us materialize]
[because you wanted us to draw the Shinigami's attention]
[so you would have time to do something else]
Watching Muramasa's reaction, Myōki combined it with psychological analysis and reached several conclusions.
[That's why you never gave us orders]
[Because you don't need us to accomplish anything specific]
[As long as we run wild in Seireitei]
[your objective is achieved]
[So]
[for the sake of your objective]
[beg me]
[Beg me to listen to your true objective]
[Beg me to let you make me stronger]
[Beg me to order you to carry out my plan]
Muramasa looked toward the other Zanpakutō Spirits. When none of them reacted in the slightest, he immediately understood his situation.
Damn it...
Wasn't Muten Natsu supposed to be hopelessly lazy and never take the initiative to do anything?
Then why was his Zanpakutō so troublesome?
"I... am a Zanpakutō too." Muramasa forced the words out. "If you help me find my master, then after I devour him, I'll regain my power. Once that happens, I'll also be able to make all of you stronger."
[I am the Soul King]
The characters on the light screen refreshed.
[If you make me stronger]
[I'll help you find your master]