After Lilynette appeared, Natsuro noticed that Starrk's spiritual pressure had indeed weakened considerably.
Even so, it still surpassed that of an ordinary captain. Few Hollows could even approach him.
Which meant that Starrk's idea of weakening himself so that others could come closer as companions was doomed to fail.
Natsuro looked at Starrk and Lilynette and found himself at a loss for words.
All his life, he had pursued strength, while this man before him seemed to be considering how to weaken himself.
Lilynette's existence brought Starrk almost no benefit; instead, it had given him a fatal weakness.
Though their souls had split into two individuals, Starrk and Lilynette were still one being. If Lilynette were to die, Starrk would perish as well, and vice versa.
Normally, no one would choose such a path. To not become stronger, and even create a weakness… only a fool would do that.
But thinking of Starrk's desire for companionship, and the soul-crushing loneliness he had endured, Natsuro could understand.
Perhaps even among the Espada, Starrk was one of those whose Resurrección merely restored him to the level he should have had all along, rather than actually making him stronger.
Even so, he had still been named the Primera Espada by Aizen. Even if he couldn't match that one's Resurrección: Segunda Etapa, he was undoubtedly powerful.
Still, if Starrk had found a true companion from the beginning, and followed the most proper path of evolution into an Arrancar with a Hollow's zanpakutō, his strength might have reached even greater heights.
But now, it was clearly too late.
"What a pity…" Natsuro shook his head. Still, he didn't criticize Starrk's choice. It was his to make.
At that moment, Lilynette stared at Natsuro with interest, licked her lips, and said, "You smell so good~"
Starrk's face stiffened with helplessness.
Natsuro gave Lilynette a glance. If a human or Shinigami had said that, he might have taken it another way.
But coming from Lilynette, it was purely literal.
The essence of Arrancar was still Hollow, and Hollows instinctively hungered for spiritual energy. A soul with spiritual pressure like Natsuro's would naturally attract them.
In truth, Starrk felt it too. But his longing for companionship outweighed that primal pull.
"Sorry about that, Lilynette's a little blunt," Starrk apologized with a sigh.
"It's fine. She couldn't do anything anyway." Natsuro replied casually.
Even Starrk and Lilynette together weren't enough to make him wary, so Lilynette alone was nothing.
He could tell that most of the power remained with Starrk after the split. Lilynette's spiritual pressure was weaker than that of an ordinary Gillian.
Lilynette seemed irritated by his words, but in the end she said nothing. She had sensed Natsuro's strength while within Starrk, after all.
She shot Starrk an annoyed glance. "Why'd you even bring me out? Totally pointless. Now that you've got a real companion, talking to me, who's basically the same person as you, is meaningless."
With that, she turned back into the twin pistols and returned to Starrk, giving him no face at all.
Starrk scratched his head awkwardly and looked at Natsuro.
"It's fine. I've seen enough. And she's right. At your core, you two are one and the same, you can't truly be companions to each other." Natsuro said, thinking of himself.
He too had another soul outside him. But his case differed, Natsuro only had one consciousness, while Starrk had created a second out of desperation for companionship.
"I know that too. But even so… it's better than wandering this endless, companionless world all alone." Starrk gave a bitter smile.
Natsuro nodded. Everyone had their struggles.
Then Starrk asked suddenly, "My guns contain a soul I split from myself. But where does the soul inside your zanpakutō come from?"
Natsuro froze. He looked down at Meikyō Shisui.
Starrk's words struck him like a great bell in his mind.
Yes, why hadn't he realized something so obvious?
He stared at Meikyō Shisui. He had been blind to the most evident truth because of his familiarity with her.
The palace-dressed woman inside Meikyō Shisui had her own independent will, an entirely separate soul.
When Natsuro first handled an asauchi, he had already sensed that faint, unformed soul within.
But back then, he had just arrived in this world, knowing nothing of its rules.
And his hazy memories of zanpakutō already included the idea of independent spirits. So he hadn't questioned it.
But now, if examined carefully, the origin of that soul was strange indeed.
Souls did not simply appear from nothing. So whose soul was it? Human? Shinigami? Hollow?
Now he understood. Before a zanpakutō achieved Shikai, when one "nurtured" it with their spiritual power...
What they were really doing was feeding their own soul into the sword-spirit. After all, reiryoku was itself the very stuff of souls.
Through constant nurturing, the sword-spirit absorbed enough of its wielder's soul to develop a will resembling its master's.
That was why Meikyō Shisui shared Natsuro's obsession with growth.
Of course, as two different souls, they were similar but not identical.
So the zanpakutō's process of growing stronger was no different from that of Hollows.
Hollows grew stronger by devouring souls.
A zanpakutō grew stronger by continually absorbing its wielder's spiritual energy, advancing from Shikai to Bankai.
The essence was the same: gaining power through absorbing reiryoku.
Which meant, since Meikyō Shisui was a distinct soul, she too could Hollowfy.
And because her being already contained his reiryoku, when she achieved Hollowfication, that portion of his power would Hollowfy as well.
Then, if he could reclaim that power back into himself, he could merge with her completely which would amount to a Hollow's Bankai, or in other words, Resurrección.
At that moment, thanks to Starrk's reminder and example, Natsuro finally understood the critical points and saw clearly the path before him.
The next challenge was how to induce Meikyō Shisui's Hollowfication. But he already had ideas: staying near Kisuke's shop.
He could use traces of the Hōgyoku's power leaking from Kisuke's seal to nudge the transformation. Or, by driving Meikyō Shisui into despair, let her undergo Hollowfication naturally.
As he pondered, he felt Meikyō Shisui's blade tremble slightly, as if in fear.
He chuckled softly, stroked the sword, and said, "Don't worry. I'll never make you take that path."
At once, Meikyō Shisui calmed. She knew Natsuro well, if he said so, it was true.
Of course, Natsuro realized that forcing her into despair wouldn't be hard. If he abandoned her, in time she would break.
But that would be pointless. It might be faster than relying on the Hōgyoku's influence, but—
The result would be a Hollow that hated him. And he had no interest in fusing with such a being.
Besides, he couldn't think of what could even make Meikyō Shisui despair. He feared nothing himself, and she had inherited that from him.
So since she was already willing to Hollowfy willingly, he would simply wait.
He even wanted to see what kind of Hollow a willing zanpakutō spirit would become. Perhaps it would surprise him.
That only left the question of how to perform Resurrección.
After all, Natsuro already had some ideas, but he could only test them once Meikyō Shisui completed Hollowfication.
Starrk watched Natsuro fall into thought after his explanation. He didn't interrupt, he simply stood quietly at his side, guarding him.
After a long time, Natsuro looked at Starrk, smiled, and said, "Thanks, you've been a big help."
"Mhm. Glad I could help," Starrk replied with a lazy smile.
Then Starrk hesitated, unsure how to put something into words.
"What is it?" Natsuro asked curiously.
"Did you already find a way to move forward?"
Natsuro thought for a moment, then nodded and shook his head. "I've only thought of a method. Whether it works or not… I won't know until it's complete."
"Oh." Starrk nodded. He didn't really care about that. What mattered to him was another question: "Does that mean you're leaving now?"
Hearing that, Natsuro noticed the look on Starrk's face, this handsome, uncle-like man was actually showing a trace of fear.
After all, he had finally found someone who could be near him as a companion. If Natsuro left, Starrk truly didn't know where he'd ever find another.
Natsuro found it a little funny. He looked like a wolf, but in reality, was he just a lonely wolf-dog?…No, wait, wolves were pack animals too.
"Yeah. There's no point in me staying here anymore," Natsuro admitted. He still had to return to the World of the Living, to Urahara's shop.
"…I see." Starrk looked disappointed but didn't press further.
"But I'll be staying for a while longer."
"Huh?"
Starrk blinked in confusion.
Natsuro gazed into the distance. "You've helped me, so I'll accompany you for a time. And I'll teach you how to control your power. Once you've learned to manage it, you should be able to approach some ordinary Hollows. Then you'll have a better chance of finding companions."
"Control my power?" Starrk echoed blankly. His power had been innate, never controlled.
"Come on. I'll teach you as we walk. And maybe along the way, we'll find another companion for you."
Natsuro thought of the other Espada. Most of them were Adjuchas. If they could become Arrancar, then surely they had enough strength to approach Starrk and survive near him.
If Aizen could find them, he doubted he couldn't. It would just take time.
"…Alright." Starrk nodded, hands slipping into his pockets as he followed along.
Deep down, Starrk didn't believe they'd meet another companion. He had searched for so long, and only now found Natsuro. How could another one appear so easily?
Along the way, Natsuro sparred with him a few times. Each time, Starrk collapsed before Natsuro had even used much effort.
That showed Natsuro exactly where Starrk's problems lay. Not only did he not know how to control his power, his battle experience was laughably poor.
And it made sense. Any Hollow who came near him had always been crushed to death by his spiritual pressure. He had never fought seriously. He had relied entirely on overwhelming reiryoku.
In this, he was nothing like Zaraki Kenpachi. At least Zaraki had monstrous battle instincts to match his immense pressure.
Even without experience, Zaraki's instincts alone let him unleash power enough to fight Unohana.
But Starrk had no such instincts. His potential couldn't compare. And now that he'd gone so far as to split his soul… he fell even further behind.
Starrk now fully realized Natsuro's strength. If Natsuro bore any hostility, it wouldn't matter whether he released Resurrección or not, he wouldn't even be able to flee.
Natsuro's power was beyond his imagination. Starrk couldn't even picture what he would look like after advancing further. That was already outside his comprehension.
Still, Starrk made up his mind. He had to master his power as quickly as possible. Natsuro was clearly spending his own time to help him, and Starrk felt he hadn't done much in return.
He couldn't afford to be a burden to his companion.
That was Starrk's simple, almost childlike thought.
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Currently on Chapter 496 - A Conversation with Aizen