"You are…?"
When the two saw each other, they couldn't help but ask at the same time.
Natsuro stared in surprise. The other had no Hollow mask on his face. He had short, slightly wavy dark-brown hair, gray-blue eyes, with a trace of stubble on his chin. He looked every bit like a handsome middle-aged man.
And yet, the spiritual pressure coming from him was unmistakably that of a Hollow.
Looking more closely, he noticed that the necklace around the man's neck was actually made of bone, of the same material as Hollow masks.
So, was this man an Arrancar?
But how could that be? Aizen hadn't yet obtained Kisuke's Hōgyoku, had he?
Natsuro believed Aizen must have visited Hueco Mundo before, but he shouldn't have created Arrancar yet.
As he examined him, the man was also examining Natsuro.
It was clear he, too, was surprised when he first saw Natsuro, but then a trace of delight flashed in his eyes.
He sensed that Natsuro felt somewhat different from all the Hollows he had met before. But never having seen humans or Shinigami, he assumed Natsuro's situation was like his own.
"…Aizen Sōsuke?"
Natsuro suddenly spoke, blurting out the name.
At once, he saw the man's eyes show confusion. Clearly, he had no idea what Natsuro meant.
That reaction made Natsuro nod inwardly. Combined with his earlier judgment, he was willing to believe this man wasn't pretending.
"What does that name mean?" the handsome man finally asked.
"Nothing, just wanted to confirm whether you knew him," Natsuro replied.
"I don't know anyone by that name. In fact, you're the first one I've ever met who could even approach me, you could say you're my first companion." The man spoke sincerely.
"Companion?" Natsuro was a little taken aback. Did the man take him for a Hollow?
He thought the difference between Shinigami and Hollows was obvious. How could the man not notice?
What Natsuro didn't know was that this man did sense a difference, but he didn't understand what it meant.
From birth, the man had been overwhelmingly powerful. Any weaker Hollow that approached would have its soul eroded and destroyed.
So he had always been without companions, forced to wander Hueco Mundo alone, seeking strong allies who could stay with him without being drained to death.
Now, seeing Natsuro, even though he felt Natsuro was somehow different, he instinctively assumed it was normal. After all, Natsuro was the first person who could come near him unharmed.
"I'm not your companion," Natsuro said with a small laugh. "You are a Hollow, and I am a Shinigami."
"Hollow? Shinigami? What's the difference?" the man asked in confusion.
Natsuro almost wanted to roll his eyes. Was this guy serious?
But this was, after all, the first Vasto Lorde he had ever encountered and somehow, for reasons unknown, he had achieved an Arrancar state on his own.
So Natsuro patiently explained the difference between Hollows and Shinigami.
When he finished, the man nodded. "To me, there's no real difference. At their core, both are just different evolutions of human souls."
"You're not wrong." Natsuro nodded. Another Shinigami might have called this blasphemy, but Natsuro felt the same way.
"What did you come here for?" the man asked.
"To go further." Natsuro answered honestly. He sensed the man bore no hostility, so he spoke directly.
"Further?" The man looked puzzled.
"Yes. I've hit a bottleneck. Ordinary means won't let me break through. So I came here to look for unusual methods." Natsuro said.
"Did you find one?" the man asked with curiosity. "If not, maybe I can help you search. After all, I know this place better than you."
"…?" Natsuro didn't know what to say. Was this man showing him goodwill? But why?
"Why would you help me?" he asked plainly.
"Because being alone is far too lonely. Having a companion would be a wonderful thing." the man said.
Natsuro fell silent, studying him. The spiritual pressure pouring off the man was immense, unconsciously released without control.
So, was he another Zaraki Kenpachi type?
Born too strong to ever master his own power, leaving him unable to suppress it.
At that constant level of pressure, only Adjuchas-class Hollows could even survive near him. Everything else that came close would collapse and die.
No wonder he felt so lonely.
After all, this was a world without day, where the scenery was nothing but endless deserts and dead trees. With no one to speak to, it must have been torture.
At least he had Umbreon to play with, and Meikyō Shisui to talk to. This man, perhaps, had nothing.
He wasn't like Zaraki, who could use an eyepatch to suppress his power. He had probably grown used to everything around him dying upon contact.
"…Natsuro Shindōkawa. That's my name." Natsuro introduced himself.
"Natsuro? I'm Coyote Starrk. Just call me Starrk." The man smiled and extended his hand, without drawing his twin pistols.
Natsuro reached out and shook it.
"So, where are we going?" Starrk asked casually, hands sliding into his pockets. He had no destination of his own, so he might as well follow Natsuro's.
"I've already found my goal." Natsuro looked at Starrk and answered.
"Oh?" Starrk raised a brow. Looking around and seeing nothing else, he quickly realized. He pointed at himself.
Natsuro nodded. "Since coming here, I've been seeking Hollows above Gillian level, wanting to break their masks and see if they could gain Shinigami powers. But unfortunately, my research failed. I had already given up."
As he spoke, Natsuro studied Starrk again, wondering what set him apart, what had allowed him to evolve into an Arrancar on his own.
"I see. So I'm the result you were hoping for?" Starrk asked in some surprise.
"I can't tell you much. All I know is that in my lonely wandering of Hueco Mundo, always seeking companions strong enough to survive near me, I eventually shed my mask and became like this." Starrk explained.
"…I see." Natsuro nodded. There must have been something special in the process. Too bad he hadn't been able to witness it. Otherwise, he might have learned more.
His eyes drifted to the twin pistols at Starrk's waist. "Can you show me your weapons?"
He remembered that Arrancar had zanpakutō of their own, and their abilities lay in Resurrección. That much, Natsuro still recalled…
Some breathtaking scenes are hard to forget. For instance, Natsuro couldn't recall exactly which Espada it was, but their Resurrección: Segunda Etapa during the battle with Ichigo was definitely among the absolute peaks of combat, leaving a deep impression on him.
That form of Resurrección seemed very much like a Shinigami's Bankai. The difference was that a Shinigami's Bankai primarily released the power of the zanpakutō, while an Arrancar's Resurrección was more like reclaiming their power back into themselves.
To be honest, compared to the Shinigami who relied on their zanpakutō's abilities, he found the Arrancar's way of concentrating power back into their own body far more intriguing.
Unfortunately, he couldn't be sure if, after undergoing Hollowfication, he himself would even be able to become an Arrancar, and whether his mind would change after doing so. These uncertainties meant he would never take that step lightly.
"Uh…" Starrk's eyes narrowed at the request. He didn't refuse outright, but neither did he agree.
Natsuro wasn't surprised. After all, a weapon to an Arrancar must be as important as a zanpakutō is to a Shinigamim, how could he expect the man to hand it over so easily?
"If you're worried, we can make a temporary exchange with my zanpakutō." Natsuro said, gripping Suigetsu Kyōka and offering it to Starrk.
Starrk fell silent for a moment, then replied, "I'll have to ask her opinion first."
Natsuro blinked in surprise. Did that mean an Arrancar's weapon also had an independent consciousness, just like a zanpakutō?
Soon, Starrk's expression softened. He handed his twin pistols to Natsuro while taking Meikyō Shisui in exchange.
Starrk studied the zanpakutō's blade. Its unique design and the cold gleam that ran along the edge drew a sigh of admiration. It was a truly formidable weapon.
But he also realized he couldn't use it at all. The spirit within it seemed to reject him outright.
This surprised him. Did Shinigami zanpakutō really have spirits of their own? He had thought this uniqueness belonged to him alone. Even among Hollows, Starrk was an anomaly.
And yet...
The moment he took hold of the pistols, he immediately sensed the soul within them. His expression showed no surprise, only confirmation. So an Arrancar's weapon also had its own consciousness?
In that case, what exactly was the difference between a Shinigami's zanpakutō and an Arrancar's weapon?
If an Arrancar could release through Resurrección, why couldn't a Shinigami do the same?
A flood of questions surged through his mind. What he didn't know was that Starrk was the most unique of all Arrancar.
A Hollow who had become Arrancar on his own was fundamentally different from one transformed with Aizen's Hōgyoku.
After some time, he handed the pistols back. Starrk returned Meikyō Shisui, and immediately Natsuro felt the sword spirit's displeasure.
Still, it was only displeasure. From the very beginning, Meikyō Shisui had already chosen never to defy his will.
"Did you discover anything?" Starrk asked.
Natsuro shook his head. "Your pistols feel no different from my zanpakutō."
"I see." Starrk nodded, then seemed to recall something. "But maybe I do know one difference."
"Hm?" Natsuro looked at him.
Starrk stroked his pistols. "My guns are actually part of my body. But your zanpakutō isn't, is it?"
Natsuro was surprised, but Starrk's words helped him realize the key. Resurrección was possible because their weapons were literally parts of themselves, merely sealed fragments of their own power.
But then Natsuro frowned. "If they're a part of you, why do your pistols have an independent consciousness?"
Starrk gave a wry smile. "That's my problem. I think only I'm like this."
"Hm?" Natsuro looked puzzled.
Starrk sighed. "Remember I said I wanted a companion to walk alongside me?"
Natsuro nodded.
"But after searching endlessly, I never found one strong enough to survive near me. So in the end, I took another path, I split my own soul into two beings."
Natsuro froze. So the Starrk before him was one soul, and the other…
His gaze dropped to the pistols in Starrk's hands.
Starrk nodded. "I sensed danger before, so for safety I merged the two of us together before approaching you."
"That makes sense."
Natsuro nodded again. Honestly, if it were him, he wouldn't have revealed such a secret so casually.
But...
After exchanging weapons, Starrk seemed convinced Natsuro bore no hostility, and had started to see him as a true companion. He might still be a little hesitant, but he was clearly trying his best to trust him.
To Natsuro, this middle-aged Arrancar with a simple, almost innocent honesty was… kind of endearing.
Luckily, he truly bore him no malice. In fact, for the sake of his research, he'd even make sure nothing accidental happened to him.
"Come out, Lilynette." Starrk spoke to his pistols.
In an instant, the guns transformed into a little girl wearing very little clothing.
Her head and the left half of her face were hidden beneath a Hollow mask. She had short light-green hair, a purple flame-shaped marking at the corner of her left eye, and wore only an open vest and shorts.
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Currently on Chapter 495 - The Order of Monsters