Sombravida walked for what felt like an eternity.
He did not stop.
Hollows did not fatigue like living beings, and as long as spiritual power continued to circulate, motion could be sustained almost indefinitely. Along the way, occasional encounters with lesser Hollows and beast-type predators provided sustenance. While his spiritual pressure did not increase significantly, the energy he absorbed prevented depletion from prolonged travel.
"Finally… I'm here."
After an unknown stretch of time, Sombravida arrived at the forest he had glimpsed earlier.
It was less a forest and more a congregation of bleached, skeletal trees. Their white trunks twisted skyward like bones, and when gathered in sufficient density, they formed what Hollows recognized as shelter zones.
This was not the legendary Forest of Menos, but merely a small reishi woodland — even smaller than the one he had previously infiltrated.
Sombravida stepped inside.
Before he could properly survey the area—
Hostility erupted.
Several mid-tier standard Hollows lunged from different directions.
Sombravida did not appear surprised.
An outsider entering established feeding territory triggered immediate aggression. In Hueco Mundo, an unfamiliar reiatsu signature often meant prey… or competition.
There were only two outcomes:
He would be devoured—
or he would devour them.
Sombravida's gaze sharpened.
Four Hollows.
Two humanoid types:
One possessed a stag-beetle-like mask with a thick, reinforced torso.
• The other was smaller than Sombravida, its forearms elongated into spear-like bone lances.
The remaining two:
A bulbous, tentacled Hollow with a circular mask and distended mouth cavity.
• A giant centipede-type beast Hollow, its segmented body plated in hardened bone.
Before Sombravida arrived, they had clearly been fighting. Their reiatsu fluctuated irregularly, and their bodies bore fresh damage.
Yet the moment Sombravida appeared, all four redirected their aggression toward him.
Instinct dictated the logic:
devour the outsider → gain strength → consume the remaining rivals.
The two humanoid Hollows attacked first.
Punch and spear thrust.
Sombravida surged forward.
His right claw deflected the spear.
His left fist collided with the beetle-masked Hollow's strike.
The clash halted both attacks.
But the difference was decisive:
They had already committed their full force.
Sombravida had not.
He pivoted on his rear foot, redirecting momentum.
His right claw knocked the spear aside.
He spun.
His claw flashed.
CRACK
The spear-arm fell.
The humanoid Hollow screamed.
Sombravida disengaged instantly.
The maimed Hollow charged in blind rage.
This time, three attackers converged.
The centipede lunged.
The tentacled Hollow opened its mouth.
A compressed sonic wave burst outward.
The vibration struck first.
Sombravida leapt left.
The dead tree behind him shattered from the impact.
A direct hit would have staggered him long enough for the others to overwhelm him.
He landed and repositioned.
First target: the centipede.
Spiritual power surged into his claw.
The centipede snapped forward with its mandibles.
Bone collided.
The sound was wet and violent.
Two fangs severed.
The claw strike continued through, tearing across its facial plating.
Dark fluid sprayed.
The creature convulsed and collapsed, incapacitated.
The humanoid Hollows struck again.
Sombravida parried without counterattacking.
Another sonic wave was already incoming.
He retreated and guarded.
Second exchange complete.
One enemy dying.
One disabled.
Two active.
Sombravida lunged forward.
Next priority: the sonic attacker.
Speed surged as he concentrated his spiritual power.
The alien Hollow spat another vibration blast.
This time, Sombravida crossed his arms and drove through it.
Pain rippled through his Hierro.
He continued forward.
A second blast fired.
Sombravida leapt upward, allowing the attack to pass beneath him.
He descended in a slashing arc.
His claw severed multiple tentacles used for defense.
Deep gouges carved across its mask.
It collapsed, incapacitated.
Sombravida turned immediately.
The remaining two humanoid Hollows froze.
Instinct recalculated.
Victory probability: low.
They fled.
The predator-prey dynamic reversed instantly.
Sombravida released his reiatsu to full intensity.
Their panic disrupted movement coordination.
He overtook them effortlessly.
Two strikes.
Clean.
Decisive.
In fewer than five exchanges, the battle ended.
Sombravida removed the masks swiftly and withdrew.
Behind him, the mutilated bodies dissolved into drifting spirit particles, returning to Hueco Mundo's reishi cycle.
He continued deeper into the forest before stopping.
After confirming no nearby reiatsu signatures, he climbed a tall dead tree and sat upon a high branch.
He consumed the masks one by one.
Dense streams of spiritual particles flowed into his core.
Though each Hollow possessed moderate energy, their combined absorption produced significant reinforcement.
Warm currents spread through his limbs.
His reserves deepened.
He moved closer to the threshold separating standard Hollows from enhanced individuals.
Sombravida exhaled slowly.
"This area will work."
He returned to the battle site.
Because of the sudden disappearance of four Hollows and the surge of released reiatsu, weaker Hollows had withdrawn from the vicinity. Only a few beast types and newly formed low-tier Hollows lingered.
He eliminated them quickly.
Even minimal spiritual gain was valuable.
The mask alone contained the majority of a Hollow's condensed power. Devouring the entire body yielded diminishing returns and wasted time.
Efficiency mattered.
After clearing the immediate area, Sombravida began modifying the terrain.
At the forest edge, he cut down several smaller dead trees, creating a narrow opening into the grove.
He transported the trunks and sharpened them into massive stakes using his bone blades.
Climbing the surrounding trees, he positioned the stakes above likely approach paths.
Gravity, weight, and impact force would deliver lethal penetration against unguarded Hollows.
He constructed multiple traps:
suspended spike drops
• concealed pits lined with broken bone branches
• sand-covered collapsible surfaces
These devices could severely injure standard Hollows and impede stronger ones.
Against elite-density individuals, they might only delay movement — but in combat, even a fraction of a second mattered.
Sombravida set nearly twenty traps throughout the grove.
He cleared the perimeter to funnel approaching Hollows through predictable routes.
Mindless Hollows possessed no concept of traps.
Even partially intelligent ones below elite tier would struggle to recognize them.
And within this zone waited not only traps—
but a predator with intelligence.
Now, Sombravida needed bait.
A wounded mid-tier Hollow placed at the center would attract scavengers and opportunistic hunters.
And when they came—
the hunt would truly begin.