"Heh heh, Lilynette, I feel like we're surrounded," Starrk said, a faint smile playing on his lips.
At this moment, in a rocky wasteland about three hundred kilometers away from Yoriichi Tsugikuni and his group, Starrk's helpless eyes gazed at the girl beside him.
Lilynette's anger instantly ignited when she saw Starrk's demeanor.
She stomped her foot on the ground with a dull thud, her voice full of displeasure: "At a time like this, what are you smiling about? What's so funny about being surrounded!"
Starrk, however, seemed unconcerned, his tone still casual: "Don't always talk about fighting and killing."
"Also, you're a girl, don't always have 'fight' and 'kill' on your lips."
"I think that Shinigami we met before was right; girls should be reserved."
"If you're too rough, you won't be able to marry in the future."
Lilynette gnashed her teeth in anger upon hearing this.
Marry? She felt Starrk had gone completely mad.
Although she knew Starrk was teasing her, she still found it hard to accept.
Because she and Starrk were originally one; she was Starrk, and Starrk was her.
She gritted her teeth, forcing out a voice a degree lower than usual: "I am a Vasto Lorde, neither human nor Shinigami. Starrk, you may want to be friends with a Shinigami, but I don't."
"And, the most urgent matter is to deal with these enemies, right? Can reserve… can reserve be eaten?"
With that, Lilynette's gaze swept around like a sharp sword.
Dozens of faint auras, seemingly from nowhere, were hidden all around them.
She didn't know where these guys came from, but they were clearly all enemies.
"Swish!"
Accompanied by a sharp flash of blade, Lilynette suddenly drew a unique curved sword shaped like a crescent moon.
Its tip pointed at herself, forming a stark contrast with her slender body, making her look like a pirate.
This was the weapon she had since she split from Starrk's soul. Besides being as sharp as a Zanpakuto, it had no other special effects.
"Bang!"
A stomping sound echoed as her resolute voice came: "Since you don't want to go, then let me!"
"I'm strong too!"
Although the voice was firm, the tone was a bit stubborn.
Starrk looked at Lilynette's back and sighed helplessly.
Not long after, dozens of Menos Grande in front were all dead.
Starrk walked forward and gently rubbed Lilynette's head, while simultaneously examining the Menos Grande's corpses. An idea spontaneously arose in his mind.
As expected, these Hollows were probably being controlled by someone. Their strength wasn't great; perhaps they were meant to test him.
The reason he didn't let Lilynette act was also for this reason.
After all, Starrk knew he was very strong, and no conspiracy could harm him.
He stayed to determine who was controlling them.
But he didn't expect Lilynette to act anyway.
Thinking of this, Starrk rubbed his forehead and slowly said: "Sigh, I really am not suited for speculating. Lilynette, do you know what big things have happened in Hueco Mundo recently?"
"Besides that Shinigami."
Lilynette was still caught up in the excitement of slaying the Menos Grande. Although she didn't understand Starrk's words, she still answered truthfully:
"Huh? How could I know? I've always been with you. Even if I met those Menos Grande, they wouldn't dare to approach you because you're too strong."
"That's true…"
Starrk's headache worsened. For the first time, he felt that being too strong wasn't a good thing.
Even with Lilynette by his side, he felt a bit lonely.
So far, the only one he could communicate with normally was that Shinigami, but unfortunately, he had already left.
Next was the female Vasto Lorde he met a month ago.
But because she had several Adjuchas with her, he could only watch from afar and dared not approach.
It wasn't a big deal when Lilynette didn't mention it, time just passed, but once she did, Starrk felt time was passing too slowly.
Meeting again in the future, but when would that future be?
When would he become weaker?
When would he find companions?
He couldn't help but think of Baraggan. He heard that Baraggan had many powerful Menos Grande.
But, unfortunately, Baraggan's ideals conflicted with his.
Thinking of this, Starrk sighed wistfully: "Let's keep going. Hueco Mundo is so big, I don't believe I can't find any creature that can adapt to my reishi."
"I should have talked more with him then, talked about Soul Society, talked about the Human World…"
"Lilynette, I think I'm starting to yearn for the outside world. What do you think… what should I do?"
"Huh?"
Lilynette snapped back to reality, her eyes wide. "You're joking, right, Starrk? We're Hollows!"
"What about being Hollows? As long as we find a way to suppress our reishi, who would know we're Hollows?"
"Your helmet? Or your Hollow hole? Put on a hat, and even something special will become a personal quirk."
"He told me that if it weren't for the Hollow hole and reishi, I would just be a handsome uncle in his eyes, hmm, with a touch of weariness. You look like my daughter."
"If these were covered, no one would notice anything unusual if we walked into the Human World."
This left Lilynette speechless.
It was true. Before, she had never seen humans or Shinigami, and she thought her appearance was very special.
It turned out she was just a little girl… old enough to be Starrk's daughter.
But some things are often easier said than done.
Starrk's reishi was precisely too strong to control, which was why those Menos Grande dared not approach him.
How to control it was a century-old problem, and there was currently no method, so the idea could only remain an idea…
How could Lilynette not want to make friends?
But her identity restricted her; she couldn't live independently of Starrk…
Lilynette fell silent. She sighed helplessly and muttered: "Perhaps, but, Starrk, don't forget, not all Shinigami are like him."
"He is special, and we are special."
"Only anomalies appreciate each other."
"Don't think too much, let's keep moving."
Starrk didn't speak again. How could he not know all this? But people always need dreams.
He ran a hand through his hair, lamenting the difficulties of the world, then leisurely walked forward with Lilynette.
Of course, what he didn't know was that Shinigami had already found a perfect way to control reishi, something Hollows had no method for.
…
Soon after, two groups of people unexpectedly met in the desolate land of Hueco Mundo.
Starrk had originally thought that, given their long lifespans, meeting again might be decades or even centuries away.
However, after such a short time, Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared before him again, which truly surprised him.
A subtle smile quietly appeared at the corner of his mouth as his gaze slowly swept over the few people beside Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Hmm… an unfamiliar Shinigami. He did have some impression of that female Vasto Lorde; he had seen her once before.
Did she bring these Shinigami here?
Starrk instinctively felt that they must have a purpose for seeking him out, and when Yoriichi Tsugikuni slowly spoke, his suspicion was confirmed.
"King of Hueco Mundo?"
"Oh, dear…" Starrk instantly felt a wave of trouble wash over him. He raised a hand to lightly cover his forehead, instinctively wanting to refuse.
After all, titles like "King" or "Emperor" sounded full of responsibility.
And he had always considered himself a free spirit; he didn't even get enough time for his afternoon naps, so he had no energy to get involved in such matters.
However, when he recalled everything he had experienced, the words of refusal that were about to escape his lips were forcefully caught in his throat.
"…"
Finally, he sighed deeply and asked: "Why me?"
"Although I am strong, even without me, you Shinigami can manage Hueco Mundo, right?"
Starrk's gaze shifted forward, seeing Harribel had quietly moved some distance away from him at some point.
The few Menos Grande behind her seemed unwell, so they had temporarily left the group.
His gaze shifted slightly, seeing the Shinigami named Kisuke Urahara, who was now staring at him with a solemn expression.
Starrk knew why. Even if he tried his best to control his reishi, the part that inadvertently leaked out had already reached the level of a regular Shinigami Captain.
And the current Kisuke Urahara was also at that level.
Starrk's eyes moved slightly, and he continued helplessly: "Or… you Shinigami can't interfere too much in Hueco Mundo?"
"Is it because of identity?"
Identity was only one reason. Managing Hueco Mundo was a long-term plan.
Because it required cooperation with some Menos Grande to better lead the lower-level Menos Grande and prevent them from eating people everywhere.
However, cooperating with Menos Grande would inevitably challenge the Shinigami's authority. Hollows and Shinigami are sworn enemies, and currently, very few people can accept this plan.
It was only in recent years that Yamamoto Genryusai became more open-minded, agreeing to the Hōgyoku project and repeatedly lowering his bottom line.
Otherwise, it would have been hard to say whether Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kisuke Urahara could even enter Hueco Mundo.
Under these circumstances, Soul Society naturally couldn't send more Shinigami.
Starrk's words hit the core of the problem. Kisuke Urahara hesitated for a moment, then explained:
"More or less. I heard Yoriichi mention that you want to find companions, and at the same time, you want to prevent those Menos Grande from dying because of you."
"For the former… I don't have many solutions, but becoming the King of Hueco Mundo would solve it easily."
"For the latter, although becoming the King of Hueco Mundo would affect your companions, I have a compromise here… Have you heard of a Gigai?"
Starrk had never heard of this thing because he had never been to Soul Society.
Even though Yoriichi had mentioned some scattered minor details, he had never touched upon something seemingly insignificant like a Gigai.
Kisuke Urahara lightly coughed twice and continued, "A Gigai is a physical device developed to help Shinigami live in the Human World for extended periods."
"Previously, there were only Gigai composed of reishi, but due to experiments conducted recently, I was able to create a reishi Gigai that Shinigami can use in Soul Society."
"With a slight modification, a Gigai can be converted into a device for Hollows to use."
"Within the Gigai, your spiritual pressure will be completely suppressed."
"Although some will still leak out, it will be insignificant."
"When you encounter an enemy, just discard the Gigai."
"Without immense spiritual pressure, isn't it easy for you two to make friends with your appearances?"
He stared at the two, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Starrk felt a little disbelieving.
Because he had never imagined that his dream would come true so quickly.
What had his decades, even centuries, of bitter efforts been for?
Was it to wait for the Shinigami to appear?
Hoo… He exhaled deeply, understanding the key point.
That's right, he had no solution, Hueco Mundo had no solution, but that didn't mean Shinigami had no solution, Soul Society had no solution.
His thoughts and actions were, after all, too narrow-minded.
He shouldn't have focused his gaze solely on the current world.
The world outside was so vast…
Thinking this, he and Lilynette, beside him, exchanged glances.
Bright light flickered in her eyes.
Even without a word, because their souls shared the same origin, Starrk deeply understood what Lilynette was thinking at this moment.
He opened his mouth, sighed with a complex expression, and then turned his gaze to the two in front of him.
He swept his gaze over Kisuke Urahara's expectant face, just about to make the final decision.
Suddenly.
Boom!
An Arrancar descended from the sky, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Everyone looked closely; it was a tall, slender young man in white, holding a double-bladed scythe.
His eyes were long and cold, his left eye covered by an eyepatch, and his expression at the moment was somewhat ferocious.
This was because, not far in front of him, amidst rolling sand, a female centaur slowly emerged…
Hmm? A centaur?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni's expression remained calm, but Kisuke Urahara's eyes widened slightly.
There were all sorts of creatures in Hueco Mundo; after all, the evolution of Hollows was bizarre.
What surprised Kisuke Urahara was not the appearance of the female Menos Grande but her spiritual pressure… Vasto Lorde?
And the white-clad Menos Grande in front of her was also one? (After a Hollow becomes an Arrancar, their appearance is that of a Vasto Lorde.)
Hiss… Kisuke Urahara took a slight breath of cold air.
This was truly an eye-opener; he had seen five Vasto Lorde in one day, a number Yamamoto Genryusai probably hadn't seen in his entire life!
It was too outrageous!
Of course, that centaur was very likely just an Adjuchas, but she had largely completed her Arrancar transformation, and her spiritual pressure was catching up to that of a Vasto Lorde.
If not for that, the white-clad Menos Grande wouldn't have shown such an expression upon seeing her.
Just as Kisuke Urahara was trying to figure out what had happened between these two Menos Grande, the white-clad Menos Grande spoke angrily:
"Nelliel, you…"
"Don't be so arrogant!"
"You're just a mere Adjuchas! How can you repel me?!"
He had already joined Aizen's faction and gloriously become an Arrancar.
Before Aizen arrived, he was often driven away by Nelliel due to his frequent hunting; he couldn't beat her.
Now that Aizen was here, and he still couldn't beat her, wasn't Aizen's arrival pointless?!
The Menos Grande named Nelliel calmly glanced at him, the knight's spear she held carving a deep furrow in the sand.
She spoke calmly: "Nnoitra, I've told you before, I strictly forbid you from hunting in my territory."
"Becoming an Arrancar is not an excuse for you to bully the weak."
"Retreat now."
"Also…"
Her gaze swept over the few people in front, passing over Starrk and Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and she frowned deeply:
"Who are you?"
When did these two powerhouses appear in her territory?
In terms of spiritual pressure alone…
So strong!
No matter which one, she seemed to be no match…
Enemies?
Unconsciously tightening her grip on her weapon, Nelliel felt a heavy heart, as if a huge stone was pressing down on her.
Although she was a special Adjuchas, having largely completed her Arrancar transformation on her own, almost reaching Vasto Lorde, her strength was comparable to a true Vasto Lorde.
However, there were also strengths and weaknesses among Vasto Lorde.
The two people in front of her, in her opinion, undoubtedly belonged to the strongest rank.
Kisuke Urahara found this matter bizarre, and so did she?
Just the day before, Nnoitra, this mantis-type Menos Grande, was just an Adjuchas.
He hadn't even achieved half-Arrancar.
But just one day later, he had directly completed his Arrancar transformation.
If not for her strong power, she probably wouldn't even be able to protect those weaker Menos Grande.
Hoo…
Nelliel exhaled deeply.
At this moment, she keenly noticed the Zanpakuto hanging at Yoriichi Tsugikuni's waist.
That uniquely shaped weapon caused her light green pupils to constrict slightly.
She slowly raised her long spear, and her tone became exceptionally serious: "Are you Shinigami?"
Yoriichi was about to nod.
Nnoitra, beside him, suddenly turned his head: "Huh? Shinigami?"
His fierce gaze fixed intensely on Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kisuke Urahara.
Something seemed to click in his mind, and a smile spread across his face, his expression instantly becoming exceptionally excited:
"You're the ones who killed Ulquiorra, aren't you!"
"I finally found you; what a stroke of luck!"
Although Nnoitra had become an Arrancar, he had not acted with Baraggan.
He felt that Hueco Mundo was vast and boundless, making it difficult to find enemies in a short time, so he might as well have a good meal first.
As a result, as soon as he started, he was flung thousands of meters by Nelliel using Sonído.
It almost tore his hardened Hierro.
He had expected a big battle.
Unexpectedly, after landing, there was such a pleasant surprise.
This was truly…
Creak—!
Nnoitra clenched the scythe in his hand tightly, his excited emotions hard to calm.
At this moment, he had only one thought.
—Heaven helps me!
As long as he killed them, he would surely become a new confidant by Lord Aizen's side.
He might even surpass Baraggan in one fell swoop!
"Fight me!" he shouted loudly,
"Shinigami!"
Despite saying so, he completely disregarded the rules of combat.
After speaking, he didn't care if Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kisuke Urahara had reacted.
He directly used Sonído, instantly rushing in front of them, and fiercely slashed down with his blade!
From speaking to acting, it was only a matter of a few tenths of a second.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
He was convinced he would win.
Because he often relied on sneak attacks to take down many Menos Grande of comparable strength.
Although this method was somewhat despicable, as long as he won, then he was right.
Dead men tell no tales.
Whoosh!
The scythe glowed with a faint yellow luster.
That was his spiritual pressure.
The sound of tearing wind echoed around, and the attack range of the double-bladed scythe enveloped both of them, imposing and powerful!
It was about to hit, decapitating both of them!
Kisuke Urahara's pupils suddenly constricted.
His mind raced like lightning, but he didn't even have time to take half a step back.
He never expected this Menos Grande's actions to be so decisive.
Where in this world was the logic of fighting upon meeting?!
Even Zaraki Kenpachi, that battle maniac, would shout a few words before fighting…
Now, time seemed to stand still before his eyes.
His thoughts also seemed to be frozen.
Superior intelligence ultimately could not contend with a brute's impulsiveness…