Chapter Summaries

Wien awakened in Hueco Mundo as a humanoid Hollow, examined his new body, and discovered he was far weaker than a terrifying shark-shaped Hollow nearby. After fleeing and traveling cautiously for about three days, he reached a grove of dead trees and prepared to search its outskirts for a weak opponent.

• Wien woke beneath Hueco Mundo’s dim yellow sky, saw a giant masked Hollow pass by, and realized he had become a humanoid Hollow with a Hollow Hole and a bone helmet.
• Wien tested his strength by knocking down a withered tree and slicing its trunk apart with his claw.
• A shark-shaped Hollow roared about a thousand meters away, and its spiritual pressure and sound waves sent Wien flying.
• Wien recovered, fled from the shark-shaped Hollow, and decided to explore cautiously to find out how strong he was.
• After about three days of travel, Wien reached a small grove of deadwood and planned to search its outskirts for the weakest enemy.

Wien cautiously explored the jungle’s outskirts and tested his strength by hunting a weak lizard-shaped Hollow. After eating its body and mask to replenish his energy, he resolved to avoid eating Hollow flesh again unless he had no choice.

• Wien spent two days scouting the jungle and avoided the powerful Hollows he encountered nearby.
• Wien found an apparently unintelligent lizard-shaped Hollow near some ruins and attacked after confirming its Spiritual Power was weaker than his own.
• Wien dodged the lizard Hollow’s corrosive black liquid and killed it with a slash from his bladed claw.
• Wien examined the corpse and hesitated to eat it, but eventually consumed the lizard’s body and mask to regain energy.
• Wien felt the mask’s dense Reishi replenish him and decided he would not eat another Hollow unless forced to.

Wien hunted Hollows around the woodland outskirts and learned how their ranks and Spiritual Power worked, growing stronger as he devoured them. When he tried to leave, the woods’ giant Hollow attacked him, and Wien injured its tendon before fleeing despite suffering serious wounds.

• Wien classified Hollows by rank and concluded that he was still a weak Ordinary Hollow whose main advantage was his intelligence.
• Wien hunted Beast and lone Ordinary Hollows, absorbed their Spiritual Power, and grew strong enough to shatter a rock with a concentrated punch.
• After killing a giant spider Hollow, Wien decided to leave the woods before its High-Level Hollows noticed his hunting.
• The woods’ lord, a giant Humanoid Hollow at the peak of the Elite Hollow rank, confronted Wien and demanded that he submit or become its meal.
• Wien tricked the giant Hollow with sand and slashed its Achilles tendon, but the Hollow broke Wien’s claws and arm with a counterattack.
• Wien used the distance created by the giant Hollow’s punch to flee while its injured tendon kept it from pursuing him.

Wien recovered from his injuries in hiding, then fought and devoured a water buffalo Beast Hollow. After digesting it, he grew stronger and set off toward a distant forest to hunt larger prey.

• Wien found a sheltered hollow, buried himself in the sand, and entered dormancy to recover from his injuries.
• A water buffalo Beast Hollow woke Wien and attacked him, but he dodged its charges and provoked it into losing its reason.
• Wien wounded the Beast Hollow with his right claw, killed it, tore off its mask, and devoured it.
• Wien hid in a hole in a rock face and digested the Beast Hollow’s power, recovering fully and growing stronger.
• Wien spotted a distant forest and ran toward it in search of bigger prey and stronger enemies.

Wien reached a small forest, defeated four Ordinary Hollows, and consumed their masks to strengthen himself. He turned the forest into a hunting base filled with traps and prepared to use an injured Hollow as bait.

• Wien entered the forest and defeated four Ordinary Hollows, killing or incapacitating them in fewer than five exchanges before the two surviving Humanoid Hollows fled and he cut them down.
• Wien collected the four masks, ate them, and absorbed their Reishi, moving closer to becoming an Elite-Level Beast Hollow.
• Wien returned to the battle site, cleared away nearby Hollows, and chose the area as his hunting base.
• Wien cut down trees and built giant spike traps and concealed pitfalls throughout the woods.
• Wien planned to capture and injure a mid-level Ordinary Hollow, then use him as bait to lure more prey into the trap zone.

Wien fought Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, an advanced Hollow, and used his traps to survive and wound him. Grimmjow fled after exhausting himself, and Wien realized the story was still far from its main timeline, giving him time to grow stronger before Aizen arrived.

• Wien advanced to a mid-rank Elite Hollow after hunting a high-rank Elite Humanoid Hollow, and his body and bone armor grew stronger.
• Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez ambushed Wien and overpowered him, but Wien drew him toward a trap-filled part of the forest.
• Wien used dust, falling logs, and a strike to Grimmjow’s lower spine to injure him during the fight.
• Grimmjow unleashed Pantera's Claw, wounded Wien’s left arm, then withdrew after his spiritual pressure fell.
• Wien recognized Grimmjow from the future Bleach storyline and resolved to grow stronger before Aizen came to Hueco Mundo.

After evolving into a high-level Hollow, Wien gained new abilities and drew the attention of Lephas Linst, who invited him to join a group of Hollows facing a crisis. Wien followed Lephas to hear more, where the group’s members appeared and urged him to lead them against their former companion Mirot Zakrod.

• Wien evolved into a low-tier high-level Hollow, grew to nearly five meters tall, and gained the skills Shatter Slash, Shadowless Strike, and Lightning Strike.
• Lephas Linst entered Wien’s territory, introduced himself as a member of the forest’s core group, and offered Wien two high-level Hollow masks as a gift.
• Wien accepted Lephas’s invitation to walk with him after learning that the core group wanted his intelligence and hunting skills.
• Lephas explained that Mirot Zakrod had killed four group members after showing signs of advancing, then fled with two masks that could help him become a Gillian.
• Lephas told Wien the group needed a leader to unite them against Mirot, and said Minora had recommended him because of the traps in his territory.
• A rough voice agreed with Lephas as dozens of powerful waves of spiritual pressure surrounded Wien.

Wien agreed to lead the Hollows against Mirot and learned to compress his swollen Spiritual Pressure, briefly shrinking his body. He began organizing a trap-based attack, but Mirot’s Spiritual Pressure surged as he neared evolution, forcing Wien to hurry the preparations.

• Jekain and Inora asked Wien to help the Hollows attack the injured Mirot, and Wien agreed with conditions about retreating and claiming Mirot’s mask if they won.
• Inora warned Wien that absorbing more Spiritual Power while his own remained swollen could kill him, then explained how to compress Reishi.
• Wien compressed his Spiritual Power, felt lighter, and saw his body shrink; he introduced himself as Ace Wien and agreed to plan the group’s defense.
• After learning the abilities of the fourteen Hollows, Wien ordered Refas and Fisilina to dig web-covered pit traps, assigned Parik and Jis to distract Mirot, and sent the others to gather trees.
• Mirot let out a roar as his Spiritual Pressure rapidly rose, and Inora warned that he was about to evolve.
• Wien rushed toward the trap site and urged the Hollows to hurry.

Wien led the Hollows in a coordinated ambush to stop Mirot after he evolved into a mindless Gillian, but Mirot’s Cero devastated the group and left most of them dead or badly injured. Wien and the few survivors launched a final attack before Mirot could gather enough power to fire another Cero, leaving the fight’s outcome unknown.

• Mirot fully evolved into a Gillian, and Wien organized the Hollows to lure him toward a trap.
• Mirot devoured nearby Hollows and fired a Cero, which Wien and the others evaded as they drew him toward the trap.
• Mirot fell into the trap, and Fisilina blinded him with silk while two Hollows pinned his legs with sharpened logs.
• Mirot fired another Cero while trapped, destroying the area and killing six Hollows while severely injuring several others.
• Wien ordered the survivors to attack before Mirot could fire again, and he, Jekain, Parik, and Jis launched their final assault.

After defeating Mirot, Wien devoured parts of the Gillian’s mask and spent a month refining his Spiritual Power, while his followers recovered and Jekain advanced into a Gillian. Wien led the group out of the forest toward the Forest of Menos, planning to use Jekain’s strength to secure new territory and help every Hollow advance.

• Wien, Jekain, Jis, and the others defeated Mirot, but the battle left many of their group badly injured or dead.
• Jekain submitted to Wien, and the survivors shared Mirot’s remains to recover while Wien devoured two large pieces of the Gillian’s mask.
• Wien spent a month compressing and refining his Spiritual Power, strengthening his body and evolving his Horny Layer into a Bone Layer.
• Wien discovered that Jekain had advanced into a Gillian but would soon be compelled to leave for the Forest of Menos.
• Wien ordered all nine Hollows to travel with Jekain, reasoning that dwindling food made their current forest a poor place to remain.
• Wien planned for Jekain to clear threats along the way and declared that he wanted every member of the group to advance into a Gillian.

Wien led his Hollow companions toward the Forest of Menos, planning to help them all advance to Gillian while learning more about Hueco Mundo. Months later, he chose a forest as their first base and prepared to enter it with Jekain, Inora, and Fisilina.

• Wien offered to give up his priority and help the seven Hollows besides Jekain advance to Gillian, and they accepted his command.
• Inora explained Hollow ranks, while Jekain described the Forest of Menos, its Adjuchas rulers, and the routes into Hueco Mundo’s inner circle.
• Wien and his companions traveled for several months, clearing smaller forests and hunting Hollows along the way.
• Jis reported a large forest ahead with no Menos Grande-class Spiritual Pressure, and Wien chose it as their first base.
• Wien told Jekain this would be his last battle before advancing, and Jekain pledged to reach Adjuchas and meet Wien in the inner circle.
• Wien ordered the others to wait outside while he, Jekain, Inora, and Fisilina entered the forest.

Wien sent Jekain into the forest to scout its intelligent Hollows, but Elorot’s forces wore the Gillian down with successive waves of attacks. Just as Elorot’s surviving Hollows prepared to finish Jekain, Wien arrived and declared himself the king of the Gillian.

• Inora tracked the forest’s Spiritual Pressures while Jekain’s first three Ceros eliminated or weakened many Hollows, and Wien ordered Fisilina to fetch reinforcements.
• Wien deduced that the Hollows were using waves of attackers to exhaust Jekain and sent Inora back to meet the reinforcements as he rushed into the forest.
• Elorot ordered his Hollow forces to attack Jekain in turns, using Dongka as a shield while he struck with grub bombs.
• Jekain fired a fourth, weakened Cero that killed or injured more than half the remaining Hollows, leaving him nearly depleted as Elorot’s survivors closed in.
• Wien appeared behind Jekain, destroyed three attacking Hollows with lightning, and introduced himself to Elorot as the king of the Gillian.

Wien defeated Elorot, who claimed to be king of the Gillian, after luring him into a trap with seven allied High-Level Hollows. With Elorot dead, Wien ordered his followers to take over the forest.

• Elorot attacked Wien with his Hollow subordinates, but Jekain intercepted them while Wien fought Elorot.
• Elorot fled through the forest, and Wien pursued him while deliberately keeping his distance.
• Elorot summoned Hollow beasts he controlled and fed on one to restore his Spiritual Pressure before ordering them to attack Wien.
• Seven High-Level Hollows arrived, slaughtered Elorot's Elite-Level Hollow beasts, and bowed to Wien as their king.
• Wien revealed that he had lured Elorot toward his allies, and the seven Hollows killed Elorot on Wien's command.
• Wien ordered his followers to take over the forest.

Wien sent Jekain to the Forest of Menos, then organized his remaining Hollows to hunt, prepare traps, and draw the Forest’s forces toward their stronghold. After the traps killed or wounded many attackers, Wien led his group north to retreat.

• Wien praised Jekain, ordered him to reach the Forest of Menos safely, and watched him leave for the Inner Circle.
• Wien assigned Falles to advance first and gave the seven Hollows tasks to scout, gather materials, dig pits, and build traps.
• Wien hunted small groups of Hollows for nearly a week, deliberately leaving survivors to provoke the Forest’s other forces.
• Wien and his followers released their Spiritual Pressure to draw hundreds of Ordinary Hollows, several hundred Elite Hollows, and twenty-two High-Level Hollows toward the Forest’s center.
• Feisilin'na triggered the pitfall traps, killing or wounding nearly half the Ordinary and Elite Hollows.
• Wien ordered the stone throwers to fire, killing or wounding more enemies and eliminating three High-Level Hollows, then led his followers north through the Forest.

Wien lured the allied Beast Hollows into a trapped clearing and led his subordinates in wiping them out, establishing himself as the forest’s strongest Hollow. After dividing the spoils, he oversaw Falles’s advancement into a Gillian, though Falles lost consciousness and left the forest; Wien then ordered his group to prepare more traps.

• Wien waited alone in a northern clearing and revealed that he had led the pursuing Hollows there to make it their grave.
• Wien triggered the Flying Spikes trap, which killed most of the charging Beast Hollows, then joined his seven subordinates in killing the survivors.
• Inora reported the battle’s recovered corpses, and Wien ordered the Hollows to devour them while Falles took first choice of the High-Level Hollow corpses.
• After eating eighty-two Elite Hollow corpses, Falles began advancing, and Wien sent him into the prepared pit with two more masks.
• Falles emerged from the cocoon as a Gillian but had lost consciousness, so Wien and the others retreated and let him leave the forest.
• Wien ordered his subordinates to divide the remaining spoils, prepare another set of traps, and wait for more prey.

Wien worried that he might lose consciousness when advancing to Gillian, but Inora shared observations suggesting that strong constitution and compressed Spiritual Power could help preserve consciousness. The chapter ended with Inora asking Wien to kill and devour him if he lost consciousness during his own advancement.

• Wien watched Feisilin'na advance, saw that she had lost consciousness, and left the forest with Inora.
• Inora revealed his Spiritual Energy Detection ability and explained that Wien already possessed Spiritual Pressure comparable to a low-level Gillian.
• Inora told Wien that Jekain had retained consciousness after advancing and had unusually condensed Spiritual Pressure, suggesting compression and constitution affected the outcome.
• Wien admitted he had delayed his own advancement to learn from the others, then took comfort in Inora's belief that his strength gave him a better chance of retaining consciousness.
• Inora said he was close to his limit and asked Wien to kill and devour him if he lost consciousness during advancement.

After Inora lost his consciousness while advancing into a Gillian and attacked him, Wien killed and devoured him, resolving to grow stronger in honor of his sacrifice. Wien then left the forest alone and traveled west toward the Inner Circle and a Forest of Menos.

• Inora asked Wien to devour him if he lost his consciousness during his advancement, and Wien left without giving him an answer.
• Wien brought prey to the pit, where Inora advanced into a Gillian but emerged mindless and fired Ceros at him.
• Wien severed Inora's limbs and head, then devoured his entire body and refined the Spiritual Power he gained.
• Wien vowed to surpass the limits of a Gillian and become an Adjuchas, a Vasto Lorde, or something stronger in honor of Inora.
• Several days later, Wien left the forest and traveled west alone, using Shadowless Strike to pass the strongholds in his way.

After months of traveling alone, Wien spared an intelligent Saiga Hollow named Nelliel and made her his subordinate after learning about her healing and feeding abilities. When she revealed her name as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, Wien recognized her as Nel and headed west with her to find a forest and establish a territory.

• Wien found a newly advanced High-Level Hollow named Kades fighting an exhausted Elite Saiga Hollow in the desert.
• Wien killed Kades with one strike, then spared the Saiga Hollow after seeing intelligence and pleading in her eyes.
• The Saiga Hollow thanked Wien, explained that she and Kades had hunted together, and demonstrated her healing ability.
• Wien made the Saiga Hollow his subordinate, and she used her unusual feeding ability to consume Kades's corpse without dispersing its Reishi.
• The Saiga Hollow gave her name as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, and Wien recognized her as Nel.
• Wien and Nel set off west to find a small forest where they could establish a territory and rest.

Wien and Nel settled in a forest depleted by a Gillian’s emergence, where Nel trained by hunting Hollows and grew stronger. Wien, nearing his own advancement to Gillian, urged Nel to advance quickly so they might face the dangerous stage together, but she asked why they were in such a hurry.

• Wien chose the forest as a place for them to settle and told Nel to attack any Hollows they encountered.
• Nel defeated a High-Level Hollow with Super Acceleration, and Wien praised her tactics while considering what would happen to her when he advanced.
• Wien told Nel to stop holding back in fights so she could grow quickly and explained that they might be able to look after each other as Gillians.
• Wien and Nel hunted in the forest, with Nel defeating the remaining Hollows and their standing steadily rising.
• After Nel reported her day’s catch, Wien told her to eat more and digest it quickly; Nel asked why they had to advance in such a hurry.

Wien and Nel encountered Yammy Llargo, a powerful Mutant Hollow, and coordinated a surprise attack before fleeing when his strength surged. Yammy pursued them with Bala as Wien used Shadowless Strike to evade the blasts.

• Wien explained Hollow evolution, Soul Reapers, and the World of the Living to Nel, and promised to take her there if they grew stronger.
• Yammy Llargo ambushed Wien and Nel, and Wien chose to retreat rather than fight him head-on.
• Wien pretended to hand Nel over, then Nel charged Yammy so Wien could wound him with Shatter Slash before they escaped.
• Wien warned Nel that Yammy grew stronger when injured and angry, but Yammy's Spiritual Pressure surged as he pursued them.
• Yammy fired Bala at Wien and Nel while Wien repeatedly used Shadowless Strike to dodge.