"Your Majesty, the surrounding territories have been fully surveyed."
Jekain stood before Sombravida in the subterranean council chamber carved into the cliff.
A year had passed since their arrival in the inner desert.
During that time:
The cliff stronghold was fortified.
Garganta routes were stabilized.
Resources flowed in from the outer forest.
Supply rotations were established.
Several scouting units were lost.
Inner Hueco Mundo was unforgiving.
Harribel
"To the west," Jekain continued,
"we made contact with the Vasto Lorde Tia Harribel."
Sombravida remained silent.
"She refused alliance. Her two companions displayed hostility toward male Hollows. The negotiation ended without violence."
Sombravida nodded slowly.
That matched canon temperament.
Independent.
Protective.
Not expansionist.
Not submissive.
Rod Fros
"To the northeast lies Rod Fros' domain."
"Mid-tier Vasto Lorde."
"Over a hundred Adjuchas."
"We attempted contact."
Silence.
"Our envoy's spiritual pressure vanished three days later."
Sombravida's eyes narrowed.
Rod Fros did not exist in canon.
An original Vasto Lorde.
Dangerous variable.
"Ability?" Sombravida asked.
"Extreme regeneration."
"How extreme?"
"Even after severe bodily destruction… he restores himself. Rapidly."
Sombravida leaned back.
"Mask damage?"
"Unknown. But reports say even catastrophic injury does not kill him easily."
Sombravida understood the implication.
In canon:
Mask destruction is fatal to Hollows.
If Rod Fros could survive severe cranial damage, then either:
His mask structure was abnormal
Or his regeneration exceeded High-Speed Regeneration
Either way—
Worth studying.
Szayelaporro Reflection
Sombravida's thoughts shifted briefly.
Szayelaporro Granz.
Former Vasto Lorde.
Originally far stronger.
He split off his "violent" half — Ilfort Grantz — deliberately regressing to Adjuchas in pursuit of "perfection."
His regeneration and resurrection techniques were not innate Hollow biology alone.
They were the product of obsessive experimentation.
If Sombravida wanted similar survivability—
It would require research.
Not instinct.
Grimmjow Lead
Sombravida asked quietly:
"Ulquiorra Cifer?"
No recognition.
"Szayelaporro Granz?"
Nothing.
"Yammy Llargo?"
Blank stare.
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?"
The captured Adjuchas paused.
"There was a panther-type Adjuchas."
"Led a small hunting group."
"Followed by others."
"Moved south several years ago."
Sombravida's fingers tightened slightly on the throne.
Grimmjow was still Adjuchas.
That meant:
Pre-Aizen recruitment.
Pre-Arrancar evolution.
Still forming dominance.
Timeline intact.
Nearby Sub-Level Strongholds
"There are six Adjuchas outposts within three days of us."
"Closest one southwest."
"Twenty-seven Adjuchas."
"Three high-tier."
Sombravida calculated instantly.
Twenty-seven Adjuchas = significant resource concentration.
If consumed:
Massive spiritual pressure gain.
If mishandled:
Irreplaceable losses.
Communication Problem
Sombravida frowned.
Information transmission remained inefficient.
Reiatsu howls traveled kilometers at best.
Beyond that required relay chains.
He lacked long-distance reishi transmission.
Another weakness.
Noted.
The Plan
"Tomorrow," Sombravida said calmly,
"we strike."
Jekain hesitated.
"Twenty-seven Adjuchas simultaneously—"
"Not simultaneously."
Sombravida stood.
"I go first."
Assassination.
Fragmentation.
Panic.
Then signal.
Red — danger
Green — cleared
White — charge
Yellow — high-tier engagement
The system had been tested before.
Assault
Three days later—
They arrived.
The "stronghold" was a sparse birch-like crystal forest.
No structured defenses.
No perimeter traps.
Complacency.
Sombravida entered stealth.
Reiatsu suppressed to near-zero signature.
Spatial distortion minimized.
He moved through seven Adjuchas without detection.
Reached the core.
Three high-tier Adjuchas rested there.
Lion-type.
Tiger-type.
And a mane-covered humanoid.
Sombravida chose instantly.
Sever one finger.
Not injure five.
First Kill
High-density Cero condensed silently.
Near Bala velocity.
Sombravida vanished.
Appeared behind the lion-type.
Claw pierced cervical structure.
Simultaneous micro-burst Cero inside torso.
Internal detonation.
Neural collapse.
Head removed immediately after.
Kill confirmed.
Engagement Escalates
Dimensional Slash followed toward the tiger-type.
Tiger dodged.
Good reflexes.
The mane-type fired a crimson Cero immediately.
Sombravida shifted position via spatial displacement.
No wasted motion.
He retreated temporarily—
Killed five mid-tier Adjuchas along the exit route.
Absorbed rapidly.
Then—
Cornered by remaining high-tier and reinforcements.
Zero Storm
Sombravida triggered Zero Storm.
Unlike forest battles—
Inner desert Adjuchas reacted faster.
Lightning strikes connected—
But only half collapsed.
The rest dodged.
Combat quality was higher here.
Sombravida took glancing hits.
One frost-infused claw partially froze his left arm.
He shattered the ice with reiatsu pulse before structural damage set in.
Anti-Membrana Trap
Sombravida cast reinforced Anti-Membrana around the mane-type.
Spatial layering enhanced durability.
Breaking it would require sustained output.
He fired red flare.
Reinforcements inbound.
Enemy Realization
"He has reinforcements!" the tiger-type roared.
Too late.
Sombravida vanished again.
Maintained pressure.
Prevented regrouping.
Reinforcements Arrive
Nelliel landed first.
Emerald spear ready.
Dozens of Sombravida's Adjuchas followed.
Void Beast Thunder deployed.
Paralysis zones forced separation.
Tiger-type launched frost Cero—
Nelliel swallowed and returned it.
Perfect counter.
Sombravida emerged from blind angle.
Sword through abdomen.
Nelliel's spear through thoracic cavity.
Pinned.
Finished.
Aftermath
The remaining mid-tier Adjuchas were overwhelmed.
Only the mane-type remained trapped.
Tiger-type, impaled and dying, laughed bitterly.
"You don't know who you've angered."
Sombravida tilted his head.
"Below Vasto Lorde, there is no one I fear."
The tiger-type grinned through blood.
"My king… will crush you."
"Oh? And who is your king?"
The dying Hollow whispered:
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
Reaction
For a moment—
Silence.
Then Sombravida's reiatsu surged violently upward.
Not rage.
Not fear.
Excitement.
"Grimmjow."
He laughed.
"After all this time… I finally find you."
The desert wind stirred.
Far to the south—
Somewhere in the endless white—
A panther watched the horizon.
And a collision course had just been set.
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