As they continued to approach the center of Hueco Mundo, the surrounding quartz-like trees gradually increased in number. Aside from ordinary Hollows, the towering figures of Gillians would also occasionally appear.
Kōe rested his right hand on the white hilt at his waist, staring intently at Seth, who had just finished devouring his final Hollow. This was the 139th Hollow the creature had consumed.
With Kōe's intervention, Seth was now able to independently suppress the hunger in his heart. This seemed to verify Kōe's hypothesis: conquering himself time and time again had significantly strengthened Seth's willpower.
However, whether he could evolve into a Gillian that retained its consciousness all depended on this moment.
The instant he swallowed the 139th Hollow, Seth suddenly froze in place. The Reiatsu within his body underwent a massive, instantaneous transformation, increasing by a margin that far exceeded the total Reiryoku of the Hollow he had just consumed.
Seth's body seemed to melt away bit by bit, turning into a black fluid that undulated up and down. The immense Reiatsu inside him expanded this fluid, pushing Seth's crying, human-like mask higher and higher until it completely vanished from Kōe's line of sight.
This was the first time Kōe had witnessed the birth of a Gillian with his own eyes. It happened so abruptly, without the slightest warning, leaving him no time to determine whether Seth had ultimately lost his sense of self and been dominated by instinct.
The black fluid continued to stretch upward. Once the transformation completely ceased, a massive, low howl echoed through the air, as if announcing its birth to the silent Hueco Mundo.
Looking at the white mask with its black slits, which resembled Western armor, Kōe couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. A mask like this indicated that this Gillian possessed self-awareness.
"Lower your head, Seth," Kōe called out loudly. Seth, having evolved into a Gillian, ceased his howling and slowly lowered his head, quietly looking at Kōe.
"Can you speak?"
Kōe pressed on. After a long moment, Seth blankly shook his head. It seemed that even with self-awareness, a Gillian still suffered from slow reactions and an inability to speak.
But these were minor issues. Successfully guiding Seth step-by-step to become a conscious Gillian was a harvest well worth analyzing right now.
However, this was not the time to sit down and reflect. A little guy skilled at hiding had actually sneaked up behind Seth. *Was he planning to make a move on him?*
Kōe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. To say the intruder was pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth wasn't quite right—it felt more like Kōe himself was the tooth. To call it a desperate gamble also felt off. Being 'targeted' with such audacity was an experience he could only find in Hueco Mundo.
Just as Kōe's thoughts were wandering, the uninvited guest behind Seth suddenly made their move. They were fast—far faster than any Hollow Kōe had ever seen. Their speed could even rival the Shunpo of a Captain who wasn't going all out.
Kōe's expression instantly changed. It wasn't because the opponent's strength exceeded what he could handle, but because their target wasn't him—it was Seth.
Moving later but arriving first, Kōe used Shunpo to appear behind Seth. His massive Reiatsu coiled within him, ready to strike but held back. The pristine white Zanpakutō at his waist was drawn in a flash, slashing straight toward the sneaky... human in front of him?
The ambusher before him had a humanoid figure, wore a ram-horned mask on their face, and was covered in brown fur. At first glance, they just looked like an extremely petite Hollow.
However, the hands extending past the fur were clearly human. Furthermore, the clothing revealed beneath the parted fur was unmistakably a Shihakushō. And the blade at their waist—was that a Zanpakutō?
Although it was possible the opponent was an Arrancar, were there really Arrancar in Hueco Mundo at this point in time? Kōe was somewhat doubtful. Besides, judging from the opponent's hasty defensive posture, it seemed they hadn't even noticed him earlier.
For this reason, Kōe pulled his punch just in time. The opponent was merely forced back by the slash and didn't suffer any injuries.
"A Shinigami?" Seeing Kōe nod, the person sheathed their Zanpakutō and continued, "Why did you stop me from killing that Gillian?"
"Classified Seireitei business. Tell me your identity first," Kōe replied calmly. The person remained silent for a moment before saying, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's head to where I live first."
"As far as this old man knows, the Seireitei hasn't sent anyone else to Hueco Mundo. State your identity first!" Kōe seized the initiative, gripping his Zanpakutō tightly, looking as though he would cut the person down on the spot if they refused to answer.
Aside from Aizen, Kōe couldn't recall any other Shinigami who had ventured into Hueco Mundo. According to the memories of his past life, Aizen had only come to Hueco Mundo after becoming a Captain, bringing Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname along with him.
At this moment, Aizen was still the Lieutenant of Squad 5, and Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname hadn't even set foot in the Seireitei yet. Therefore, Kōe was absolutely certain that Aizen had not yet visited Hueco Mundo.
So who was the person in front of him? A squad member previously stationed in the World of the Living who had accidentally wandered into Hueco Mundo? It was possible; the Seireitei had precedents for such things. Since they would just be an ordinary unseated officer, they would quickly be written off as killed in action.
But with this level of skill, even if they couldn't become a Captain, they were more than qualified to be a Lieutenant. And Shinigami of that caliber generally weren't dispatched to the World of the Living. Of course, it was also possible that this was cannon fodder Aizen had sent ahead of time to familiarize himself with Hueco Mundo, though the chances of that were incredibly slim.
In truth, regardless of why the other party was stranded in Hueco Mundo, the most logical thing for Kōe to do right now was to silence them. After all, he had his own ulterior motives for coming to Hueco Mundo. The fewer people who knew, the better, and it was best if no strangers knew at all.
But ultimately, his starting point was different from Aizen's. If there was an alternative way to handle this, he was more than willing to try it. He knew exactly who his true enemy was—it wasn't the Hollows, and it certainly wasn't the Shinigami.
A single mention of 'classified Seireitei business' was enough to bluff most Shinigami. Coupled with his uncooperative attitude, it was a demeanor that would seem perfectly normal coming from any elderly Shinigami.
"Squad 11, Ashido."
Ashido knew very well that he hadn't sensed the other party's presence at all just now. The fact that he was able to retreat unscathed after charging at the Gillian meant the older Shinigami across from him had clearly pulled his punch. It was obvious the man harbored no ill intent toward him.
*Ashido.* Kōe ran the name through his mind but came up blank. Even though the man claimed to be a member of Squad 11, to be completely honest, as the soon-to-be Captain of Squad 11, Kōe genuinely had no idea if such a person existed in his division.
"Let's head to your residence first. As for why you are in Hueco Mundo, I expect you to give this old man a reasonable explanation when we get there."
Kōe slowly sheathed his Zanpakutō. Since Seth's evolution into a Gillian had caused quite a commotion, this really wasn't a good place to talk.
As for whether Ashido's identity was genuine or fake, Kōe couldn't be certain right away. However, he hoped it was true. A Shinigami who had been stranded in Hueco Mundo for what appeared to be a considerable amount of time would undoubtedly be of great help to him.
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