A relentless downpour cascaded from the gloomy sky, drenching the mysterious structures below. There was no defined shape to this world; every structure looked as if it were perpetually slipping out of focus—everything seemed to shift and blur whenever the eye tried to capture its shape. These mysterious constructs rose from an endless abyss. The depths of this chasm couldn't be seen, or perhaps there was no end to it.
In the middle of this surreal landscape stood a solitary building, towering above the rest. Unlike its surroundings, this structure looked stable. On its front-facing exterior wall, a slender girl with a raven-black braided ponytail sat hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Gravity seemed irrelevant to her as her eyes gazed into the infinite darkness below. The rain had completely drenched her hair, tracing rivulets down her cheeks, but she remained still—completely absorbed in the chasm below, as though her soul had been hypnotized by its endless depth.
This strange scene continued until a burst of light suddenly illuminated the sky. From this glow emerged a tall figure whose long silver hair remained perfectly dry under the rain. White, demonic horns curved down gracefully from his temples, and vast bat-like wings stretched from his back. This demonic man's presence oozed undeniable dignity and authority as if he was an emperor looking down on the world.
His brows knitted as he curiously surveyed the ever-shifting world.
This man was naturally Kazuya.
During Hueco Mundo's invasion, he had spread his consciousness to observe every battle, though his main focus had remained on the battle between Kaname Tōsen and Lisa. She had the slimmest chances for victory. Even Menoly and Cirucci fared better against the mad scientist Szayelaporro than Lisa had against Tōsen. Though Kazuya had anticipated her loss, the sheer one-sidedness had surprised him. Still, he had refrained from stepping in. Lisa was proud; she would resent his interference, especially after he had already granted her immortality within Las Noches.
To preserve her dignity and self-esteem, he had merely observed the battle.
Only when her fight ended did he gently wrap her in his golden threads to carry her away. In that moment, he felt his consciousness slip into her inner world.
He glanced toward the usually poker-faced girl now motionless and lost in her thoughts. A pang of sadness tugged at his heart. The loss had made her depressed. Her inner world naturally reflected her current mood.
'How did I get here though?'
Her inner world—the most vulnerable part of her soul—should not be accessible to an outsider. Here he could end her life, destroy her Zanpakutō, or worse, turn her into a complete idiot. Did he enter her mind because his consciousness was wandering outside of his body? Or Lisa, in her vulnerable state, subconsciously allowed him entry?
As Kazuya pondered these questions, a subtle shift in the air behind him caught his attention. Without turning, he reached back and grasped a bone-white spear aimed at his heart. The spear's momentum passed through him, barely affecting his strong body. With a casual flex of his hand, he shattered the spear into fragments.
He turned, coming face to face with his attacker. Hovering a hundred meters away from him was a Hollow without a distinct form. Just black wisps of spiritual energy attached to a diamond-shaped Hollow Mask, which had a cross-shaped opening. Two tiny blue flickering flames served as its eyes.
It was Lisa's Hollow Mask.
Even though her Hollow was far weaker than your typical Adjuchas, the look in its flame-like eyes was not that of a beast. It looked more intelligent than a newborn Hollow but far less than those who had devoured some souls. Kazuya deduced its intelligence to be on par with Yoruichi's greedy little Hollow.
'This is why Aizen called them failures.'
The Visored had only gained a weak Hollow that only allowed them to temporarily amplify their power through the Hollow Mask. It was a method that protected them from losing their sanity, also a method that bottlenecked the growth and evolution of their Hollow. How could their Hollow grow when they treated it like a foreign entity within their soul?
A complete and perfect Hollowfication would be having equally powerful Hollow and Zanpakutō and then merging them into one. The combined power of Resurrección and Shikai release, and perhaps Segunda Etapa and Bankai release. The balance would grant destructive power beyond one's level. For Lisa and the other Visored, whose Hollows were far weaker, that feat was nearly impossible.
Yoruichi's case was even more strange since her Hollow was born with a strong ego and a little more powerful soul than Lisa's Hollow. Kazuya had a way to supplement the Hollow's power, but even he couldn't imbue it with a stronger ego.
The Hollow stared at him and uttered a single word, "Leave…"
Kazuya felt a small smile tug at his lips. His habit of keeping his overwhelming Reiatsu suppressed curbed the possibility of his power affecting Lisa's inner world. This also allowed a weak Hollow to arrogantly stand before him. Yet still, his presence had forced Lisa's Hollow to stay on guard.
"Are you trying to protect Lisa?"
Surprisingly, the Hollow nodded its head. "Yes…"
"Do you have the power to?"
The Hollow fell silent, its blue flames flickering uncertainty. Even though it had never left Lisa's inner world, it knew how pathetically weak it was in the grand scheme of things.
Just then, Lisa snapped her head toward them, as though noticing his confrontation with her Hollow. Her eyes flew wide open. "You! Where am I?!"
A faint blush colored her cheeks as memories of her humiliating defeat flooded back. She failed to give Tosen a severe injury, much less fulfill her promise to avenge herself and her comrades. Her only grace was the belief that Kazuya hadn't witnessed her shameful performance. Even someone as brazen and bold as her felt utterly embarrassed when she thought how she proudly acted and strutted around Karakura Town like she was some mighty bigshot, only to get thrashed like a kid fighting against an adult. It was embarrassing enough to make her want to die.
"Where are we, you ask?" Kazuya asked playfully, tilting his head. "Shouldn't you know that better than me?"
Glancing around, a realization dawned on her face. "My inner world… Wait—why are you here?!"
"You invited me in. How else will I be here?" he chuckled softly. "Maybe you wanted someone to lean on. Always the reliable one, aren't I?"
Her blush deepened. "You… saw it?"
"Yes."
"Kill me."
"..."
"..."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the steady patter of rain. Lisa slowly shut her eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly as she exhaled a shaky breath.
"You gave me the stage to kill Tōsen, but I failed…" Her voice was barely audible, tinged with bitterness and regret. "I let everyone down."
Tōsen had felt like an insurmountable wall. No matter how desperately she fought, she couldn't even scratch its surface.
Kazuya stood quietly with a calm expression, listening to Lisa spill her regrets.
"I should've trained harder," Lisa whispered. "I became too absorbed in Izumi's matters, and then you…"
Her voice trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. When she had first arrived in Karakura Town, her heart was burning fiercely with determination to defeat Aizen and his followers. But as decades passed, the peaceful, carefree life had dulled her edge. First of all, it was really hard for her to improve at her level. A small increment in strength required endless hours. Eventually, she had grown comfortable, procrastinating until her strength stagnated.
And now, that negligence had led to a crushing defeat.
Lisa slowly opened her eyes, turquoise irises filled with newfound resolve. She flew over to Kazuya and met his calm, steady eyes directly. "Leave me in Hueco Mundo. This dangerous place is the best to temper me. I'll train here until your destined battle against Aizen."
Although she wouldn't be able to help him against Aizen, she could at least take down some of Aizen's lackeys and keep Tōsen away from interfering with Kazuya—even if it cost her life.
Once her resolve solidified, the oppressive clouds above gradually parted, the rain slowing to a gentle drizzle before finally ceasing altogether.
Kazuya shook his head slightly. "There is another way to increase your strength. In fact, you might even be able to defeat Tōsen today."
...
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