Chapter 17 – Hollowfication of a Shinigami
Tachibana Kyūjō had just arrived in Hueco Mundo.
The atmosphere here was vastly different from Soul Society. There were no streets, no cities, no buildings like in the Human World or Seireitei.
What stretched before him was a barren desert of pale white sand, dotted with dry, quartz-like trees that looked as though they had been sculpted from stone.
It was always night in Hueco Mundo. The moon hung high in a reversed orientation compared to the Human World, casting a pale glow that never changed.
Compared to either the Human World or Soul Society, the concentration of spirit particles in the air here was far denser. Even a low-level Hollow could gain strength simply by breathing.
Naturally, this kind of environment boosted the abilities of Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow alike.
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With a single swing of his blade, Kyūjō had slain a Gillian—a massive Hollow whose death had inadvertently torn open a rift in the dimensional fabric, leading him here.
After surveying the desolate, eerie world around him, Kyūjō sharpened his senses and chose the direction with the highest spiritual particle concentration.
— — —
Within his perception, the area he'd landed in had roughly one and a half times the reiryoku density of Seireitei. But in the distance, atop a bleak, wind-swept hill, the concentration was nearly three times higher.
Naturally, a place like that was already claimed.
A Gillian was there—one that had reached the critical threshold of evolution. Its body was trembling, unstable. It was on the verge of shedding its shell and ascending to the next stage:
Adjuchas.
— — —
Kyūjō didn't interfere.
He simply watched in silence, standing still as the Gillian's body slowly began to morph.
There was no fear in his eyes, only curiosity.
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In Hueco Mundo, Hollows were divided into several distinct classes. The hierarchy was as follows:
First Class – Regular Hollows
These were the most common type. Most lacked intelligence, couldn't use Cero, and posed little threat.
A few had rapid regeneration or acidic bodily fluids they could spew in combat—but even those were dangerous only to ordinary humans.
To a trained Shinigami or Quincy, they were nothing more than target practice.
Second Class – Gillian (Menos Grande)
Formed by the fusion of hundreds of regular Hollows devouring one another, Gillians were hulking beasts—commanders in the Hollow hierarchy.
Their bodies were enormous and heavily armored, making conventional sword attacks nearly useless.
They could unleash a signature red Cero, capable of immense destruction.
Most Gillians were mindless and driven by pure instinct—to kill and evolve. But a rare few developed self-awareness.
Only those with a consciousness had the potential to ascend further… into Adjuchas.
Third Class – Adjuchas
Smaller than Gillians in size, but vastly more powerful. These elite Hollow warriors were fast, intelligent, and deadly.
Only Captain-level Shinigami could face them safely.
To reach this stage, a Gillian had to consume countless other Hollows, refining their body and spiritual pressure in the process.
Before being tampered with by Aizen, most Adjuchas still resembled beasts. But they had already begun wielding weapons and developing unique abilities and fighting styles—some focusing on speed, others on enhanced Cero techniques.
Fourth Class – Vasto Lorde
These were the pinnacle of Hollow evolution.
Rare and terrifying, a single Vasto Lorde had strength on par with—or even beyond—an elite Captain from the Gotei 13.
Their "Cero of the King" was a legendary technique. Its destructive force?
Comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb in the Naruto world.
Their bodies possessed Hierro, a steel-like skin, and their regeneration capabilities were near instantaneous.
Once they underwent Arrancarficiation—thanks to Aizen's experiments—they took on humanoid forms and gained Zanpakutō-like weapons, mimicking the combat discipline of Shinigami.
Arrancar Vasto Lordes were few, but each stood as a titan of war in Hueco Mundo's history.
However, at this point in time, Aizen had not yet seized control of Hueco Mundo. Many future Arrancar were still ordinary Gillian, waiting for their time.
Kyūjō remembered clearly: the strongest Vasto Lorde at present was the sovereign of Las Noches—Baraggan Louisenbairn.
His power, Decay, allowed him to age anything he touched into dust. Though he would later fall to Aizen's schemes, Kyūjō believed that Baraggan's true strength rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, that of Captain Unohana.
There was also Coyote Starrk, another Vasto Lorde—one who had become an Arrancar naturally, without Aizen's interference.
Starrk was so powerful that even Aizen considered him more dangerous than Baraggan.
But he was lazy.
Despite the overwhelming strength he carried, Starrk wandered Hueco Mundo aimlessly, preferring solitude over conquest.
In the beginning, his spiritual pressure was so overwhelming that other Hollows would die just by being near him. To avoid eternal loneliness, he split his soul into two: Starrk and Lilynette—a pair born from the same heart.
Aizen eventually found the two wandering in the desert… and invited them into Espada.
Starrk would go on to become one of only two naturally occurring Arrancar.
The other? Ulquiorra Cifer.
— — —
Kyūjō quietly observed the Gillian's transformation, his eyes contemplative as countless thoughts swirled within him.
Could he truly wield both Shinigami and Hollow powers together?
Was it possible for him to hollowfy willingly?
— — —
In the world of Bleach, while Shinigami and Hollow both operated using spiritual pressure, their abilities were fundamentally different.
The protagonist of the original tale—Kurosaki Ichigo—was a prime example of someone who had mastered both paths.
When a Shinigami underwent Hollowfication, they gained Hollow-like powers similar to Arrancar. It didn't necessarily raise their level outright, but it pushed their spiritual pressure to unprecedented heights.
Of course, such a transformation wasn't something to be taken lightly.
It demanded time.
Focus.
Control.
And in the isolated, ever-night realm of Hueco Mundo… Tachibana Kyūjō finally had all three.
The experiments would begin soon.
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