An Old Acquaintance

"Je...kain?" Wien's voice trembled slightly. Jekain? The Jekain he had known since he was an ordinary Hollow, and the only one from his original group to become a Gillian with consciousness!

"It's you?"

"Yes, my king." Jekain slowly raised his dragon head. "It's been a long time, my king. Have you been well?"

"...I never would have imagined it." Wien had yet to recover from the surprise. Only after a moment did he suppress the shock in his heart. "I never would have imagined that the Yinfeng they spoke of was you."

"For certain reasons, I had to conceal my old name." Jekain lowered his head as he answered. "I just didn't expect to meet you again before I even reached Hueco Mundo's Inner Circle, my king."

"Yes." Wien slowly raised his head. "Fate really is hard to fathom. Heh, if you hadn't concealed your identity, I wouldn't have known how to fight that battle just now."

"My king, how did you come to be here? Our former companions..."

"They all lost consciousness." Wien shook his head regretfully. "I hope they can make it to the pseudo-Adjuchas stage without trouble." Wien said no more on the matter, and Jekain lowered his head, choosing to drop the subject as well.

"First, let me introduce you. This is Nel." Wien patted Nel on the head as he introduced her to Jekain. "That's Jekain. He was my first subordinate. We later parted ways because of our advancements. I never expected to meet him here."

"Hello." Nel nodded in greeting, and Jekain stood and returned the greeting politely.

"I met Nel after I finished helping everyone advance," Wien explained to Jekain. "Later, we were hunted by an extremely powerful Hollow. Fortunately, Nel forced her way into the Gillian stage at the time, and we escaped danger. But she lost consciousness as a result, so I followed her all the way until I saw her advance to pseudo-Adjuchas. You could say we've been through life and death together."

"Thank you for helping my king, Miss Nel." Hearing this, Jekain inclined his head slightly to Nel in gratitude.

"Jekain, tell me about yourself. Why are you here? And how did you become a...lord?"

"That's a long story." Jekain let out a long breath. "That year, after I parted ways with you, my king, I came to this Central Forest. Because I was conscious, hunting here wasn't difficult for me. But..."

"Hmm?"

"But later, my hunting began to attract the attention of the lords of this forest. The lord of the territory I was in also gave me a warning. Still, I wanted to advance as soon as possible, so although I became more restrained, I didn't stop feeding. To avoid getting myself killed, I had to change areas frequently, and I made simple traps based on what you taught me, my king, to help me hunt."

"That was how I gradually grew stronger in the Forest of Menos. Unfortunately, after another hunt, I entered the territory of an extremely ill-tempered pseudo-Adjuchas, and he spotted me." Jekain recounted the story slowly, and Wien listened to it all.

"After that, he made me his target. But this pseudo-Adjuchas had only recently advanced, and I was on the verge of advancing myself. So, since the gap between us wasn't too great, I used traps to obstruct his vision and shattered a corner of his mask with a Cero. He lost a great deal of Spiritual Power, which sent him into a rage."

"In the end, I used the terrain and traps to keep him occupied. Though I was badly injured myself, I managed to wear the wounded pseudo-Adjuchas down until he died. Before his death, that pseudo-Adjuchas Hollow used his ability to send out a warrant for me to the Gillian Level Menos Grandes in his territory."

"It seems you haven't had an easy time of it either." Wien nodded slowly.

"Afterward, since I was seriously injured, I devoured the pseudo-Adjuchas as quickly as I could to heal. As luck would have it, I also sensed that I was advancing at the same time. I don't know how long I spent beneath the sand, but I eventually evolved into what I am now."

"As you know, both Spiritual Power and Spiritual Pressure change greatly after advancing to pseudo-Adjuchas. That allowed me to escape the lords who were hunting me. So I changed my identity, joined the Core Team here, and continued to lie low in this forest. I planned to go to Hueco Mundo once I advanced to at least the Mid Rank stage of a pseudo-Adjuchas Menos Grande, but I didn't expect to meet you."

"Heh, perhaps this was heaven's arrangement?" Wien smiled faintly.

"My king, your Spiritual Pressure seems to have reached the threshold for advancement long ago. Why..." As a fellow pseudo-Adjuchas, Jekain had naturally been able to see part of Wien's strength in their fight just now. Spiritual Pressure like that had long since reached the threshold for advancement.

"Ah...it's about time." Wien looked at the two Hollow heads that had just fallen to the ground. Nel understood at once. With two uses of Sonído, she gathered their masks and presented them to Wien.

"Jekain, what are you planning to do next?" Wien asked as Nel brought over the masks. "You helped us kill those two Hollows. Will you be able to explain yourself when you go back? Or are you planning to leave with us?"

"My king, I would naturally be willing to follow you." Jekain lowered his head again. "My ability is sealing. The Shadow of Restraint just now sealed off the surrounding space, preventing our Spiritual Pressure from leaking out and stopping those inside from using Spiritual Power to escape. That's why Miss Nel's Garganta stopped working."

"Oh?" Wien was surprised by Jekain's ability. "So that's why you asked my name after activating the seal?"

"Yes." Jekain nodded. "The Shadow of Restraint doesn't just prevent enemies from escaping. It also conceals the traces left after I attack."

"But how could you be sure it was me? What if someone else had come here today?"

"I couldn't be sure, my king." Jekain shook his head. "I asked only because whenever a powerful outsider appears in the forest, I investigate, for fear of missing you. I've conducted dozens of hunts like this already. If I hadn't met you here, perhaps I would have kept doing it. Only after advancing to the Mid Rank would I have gone to Hueco Mundo to continue searching for you. Because I believe that, with your abilities, you will reach the pinnacle of Hueco Mundo sooner or later."

Jekain's words were full of sincerity. Even Nel, standing beside Wien, could sense the conviction that was like faith.

"Thank you for all your efforts over the years." The red light in Wien's eyes carried a hint of comfort. "Since you were able to seal off the area just now, the cause of those two Hollows' deaths remains unknown. There may still be a way out for you."

"My king, do you mean...you want me to go back and continue lying low?"

"If possible, that would be best. Before I go to the Inner Circle, there's something I have to do." With that, Wien bent down and whispered in Jekain's ear.

That same day, after learning of Wien's plan, Jekain bid him farewell and returned to the Lord Circle under the name Yinfeng.

"Yinfeng, why are you so badly injured? Where are Waruta and Kasijiade?"

"Those two Hollows did this to me," Jekain, using the alias Yinfeng, said weakly. "Waruta and Kasijiade have fallen in battle."

"What! What happened?!" At the highest point of the tree hollow, the great lord Hollow's Spiritual Pressure burst forth uncontrollably.

"This is what happened, my lord." Yinfeng slowly recounted the story Wien had prepared for him.

"The three of us found the two Hollows, one pseudo-Adjuchas and one Gillian. Waruta tried to persuade them, but the two Hollows wouldn't hear of it. They thought the terms were too harsh, so the negotiations reached a stalemate. Kasijiade, displeased with their attitude, attacked them with his fists. But the other side cut off his head in a single move."

"Hiss..." The Hollows all drew sharp breaths upon hearing Yinfeng's words. Anyone who could kill a Power-Type Hollow in one blow had to be a Hollow skilled in combat.

But why wouldn't a Hollow of that level go to the Inner Circle? The Hollows present soon came up with an answer. Perhaps it was because of the Gillian who had yet to advance?

"After Kasijiade died, we were put on the defensive. Waruta ordered me to deploy the Shadow of Restraint and told them about my ability. He threatened them, saying that with their abilities, even if they gave it their all, they couldn't possibly keep both of us there, and that if they insisted on attacking, they would invite retaliation from the lords of the Core Area."

"Only after hearing that did the two Hollows restrain themselves and resume negotiations with us. In the end, they agreed to join us and help us in the next Forest of Hollows War. They only wanted the spoils that belonged to them. They wouldn't concern themselves with the rest."

"Hmph." The great lord let out a cold snort. "And Waruta?"

"After that, we continued negotiating over territory and tribute," Yinfeng continued. "As for territory, they took over Doruni's lands. He chose to return the dead Kasijiade's territory to us lords of the Core Area. But negotiations broke down again over the tribute."

"What do you mean?" A hint of chill slowly appeared in the great lord Hollow's eyes.

"The two Hollows had no intention of paying the tribute we demanded. They agreed to join us only for mutual benefit. After helping us fight the Forest of Hollows War, they would head to the Inner Circle. Until then, they hoped we would stay out of each other's way."

"Arrogant fools!" The lord Hollow was deeply displeased with the two outsiders.

"After that, for the sake of our interests, Waruta continued to pressure them, but he angered them instead. Then their Gillian Level Menos Grande suddenly said, 'We'll pay it all at once.' And then, with a single Cero..."

An uproar broke out.

Yinfeng's words sent waves through the crowd, and all the Hollows present erupted in an uproar. They all understood what Yinfeng meant. They also understood why Waruta had not returned. He had been killed, leaving his territory vacant once again, and the two outsiders had handed back the territory that had originally belonged to the lords as payment for all their tribute. To the lords, however, this was no tribute, but a blatant show of force.

"Are you certain?" The great lord Hollow had to reassess the two intruders. A Gillian Level Hollow killing a pseudo-Adjuchas with one Cero was nearly impossible. Unless...

"Tell me exactly what happened."

"Y-yes. The Gillian Level Menos Grande fired a very strange Cero. It seemed the Gillian had used his unique ability, leaving Waruta unable to dodge in time. He took a direct hit. Unlike the dark red Ceros of ordinary Gillians, that Cero was colorless and nearly transparent. A control-type Hollow like Waruta couldn't dodge it at all before he was..."

"Just as I thought. He can use his ability with ease even at Gillian Level." The great lord Hollow sighed inwardly. "What happened after that?"

"Afterward, I released the Shadow of Restraint again and trapped them both. I fled with all my might to bring the news, but unfortunately, that Adjuchas used an Emerald Long Spear to sever one of my arms." As he spoke, Jekain showed everyone his wound. "As for those two Hollow beasts, I don't know whether they're still in the Central Forest."

"This..."

For a moment, the other lords didn't know how to deal with the two intruders. With abilities that powerful, getting into another conflict with them would be anything but wise. They had intended to recruit them through persuasion, but Kasijiade, that fool, had ruined everything. Not only had they lost two pseudo-Adjuchas at once, they had also failed to earn the other side's goodwill. It was an enormous loss.

Now, if those two proud fellows stayed in the forest, they would be like a time bomb buried deep in the Forest of Menos. Once it exploded, the entire Core Area of the forest would be affected to some degree, whether Gillian Level or Adjuchas-class.