A Chance Encounter with the First Espada

"Where are you going? The Soul Society is still after you." Shūsuke Amagai looked at Liu Hao who was about to leave, his tone filled with complex emotions—warning, but also a hint of indescribable concern.

Liu Hao smiled helplessly, a smile that appeared somewhat forlorn in the pale moonlight of Hueco Mundo: "Where else can I go? I'll have to go and seek Kisuke Urahara. I can only hide out there with him."

"He seems to be a wanted criminal in Soul Society as well," Shūsuke Amagai said thoughtfully. "But it seems that because of Yoruichi Shihōin, Soul Society didn't pursue him much and chose to exile him, preventing him from returning to Soul Society."

Liu Hao sighed softly, "Sigh, just like those Captains before them, they're all victims of Aizen."

Shūsuke Amagai's pupils contracted slightly. "You mean Aizen orchestrated the Hollowfication Incident back then?"

"Yes," Liu Hao nodded. "Alright, that's all for now, I'm leaving."

"Okay, thank you for telling me all this." Shūsuke Amagai's voice was deep and sincere.

Liu Hao gave him one last look. "I also want to preserve some fighting power for the future of Soul Society. After all, Aizen is just an appetizer; there are more troublesome things to come. Bye."

Before he could finish speaking, he used Shunpo to disappear into the night of Hueco Mundo, without Shūsuke Amagai to ask any further questions. His black robes drew an arc in the air before merging into the endless darkness.

Shūsuke Amagai stood there, gazing in the direction where Liu Hao had disappeared, a complex feeling of gratitude welling up inside him. Although his reason told him that he needed more evidence to verify Liu Hao's words, his intuition had begun to believe the truth revealed by the mysterious Soul Reaper —about his father, about Aizen, and about the conspiracy hidden throughout the entire Soul Society.

After leaving the Expeditionary Force camp, Liu Hao began to wander aimlessly in Hueco Mundo. This world, composed of white sand and ruins, seemed endless, and the moonlight tinged everything with a cold, silvery-gray hue.

After walking for a long time, the Imperial Princess quietly appeared beside him, her long dress swaying gently in the breeze unique to Hueco Mundo. "What are you looking for?" Her voice was soft, like the night wind blowing across the sand dunes.

Liu Hao stopped and looked around. "I want to find a Void creature to open the Garganta and travel to the World of the Living."

The Imperial Princess tilted her head slightly. "That's true, but are you sure you can open the Garganta just by finding any Hollow?"

"I don't know either," Liu Hao said with a wry smile. "Besides, we need to keep a low profile when we go to the World of the Living. If Aizen thinks I'm too dangerous, they might keep an eye on the World of the Living."

"That's true," the Imperial Princess agreed. "After all, Hueco Mundo is his territory, so he'll definitely know you're going to the World of the Living."

"Ugh, this is such a hassle!" Liu Hao sighed helplessly, rubbing his temples. The long period of escape and standoff had kept him in a constant state of tension.

The two chatted as they walked, aimlessly wandering through Hueco Mundo. The desolate scenery remained unchanged: rolling sand dunes, occasional rocky mountains, and huge skeletons scattered everywhere—these were the last traces left behind by the once powerful Hollows.

After walking for a while, Liu Hao suddenly stopped, his gaze sharpening as he looked in a certain direction. "There's a rather powerful Reiatsu ahead," he whispered. "It's Arrancar."

The Imperial Princess also sensed that power, and she frowned slightly. "Should we avoid it?"

Liu Hao pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "If Aizen sent them to hunt me down, there's no way to avoid it. If not... perhaps we can try negotiating."

They continued forward and soon came to the source of the Reiatsu —two figures standing atop a rocky mountain. One was tall, dressed in a white Arrancar uniform, with messy hair and a languid expression. The other was a petite female Arrancar, her short golden hair shimmering in the moonlight.

Upon seeing the two, Liu Hao's heart stirred. He recognized them—the number one of the Espada, Koyatai Starrk, and his Fracción, Lilynette Kingjerk.

Starrk, perched on the rocky mountain, also noticed Liu Hao. He lazily raised his hand and waved, "You must be the Soul Reaper who escaped from Lord Aizen's clutches."

Liu Hao stopped, maintaining a safe distance. "Yes, Koyatai Starrk, the number one Espada. Are you here looking for me?"

"No, not at all," Starrk yawned, looking like he hadn't slept well, "I was just out for a walk, I didn't expect to run into you."

"Then what are you going to do? Take me back to see Aizen?" Liu Hao asked directly, while secretly gathering his Reiatsu, preparing for battle at any moment.

Lilynette jumped excitedly to Starrk's side, her eyes shining. "Starrk, this is a great opportunity! If we capture him and hand him over to Lord Aizen, we'll have done a great service!"

Starrk scratched his head in frustration. "Lilynette, be quiet. If they were so easy to catch, they wouldn't have escaped from Lord Aizen."

After saying that, he turned to Liu Hao, a hint of seriousness flashing across his lazy expression. "I know I probably can't catch you with your methods, so let's just pretend we didn't run into each other, okay?"

Lilynette puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. "Starrk, what are you talking about! This is credit delivered right to our doorstep!"

Liu Hao smiled slightly, "That's great. Actually, I didn't want to fight you Arrancar either. To be honest, I don't even want to fight Hollows with reason."

Lilynette scoffed dismissively, "What, you look down on us?"

"No," Liu Hao shook his head, his tone sincere, "After all, there are rational beings out there. There's no need to fight and kill. Isn't it better to resolve conflicts with words?"

"So, according to you, strength is useless!" Lilynette retorted, hands on her hips, poised for a debate.

"That's not right," Liu Hao explained patiently. "Strength ensures that the other party can reason with you. Without strength, wouldn't it be that whatever the strong say goes? Only by having the strength to resist can you make the other party reason with you properly, right?"

Lilynette tilted her head, thought for a moment, and asked with a puzzled look, "Is that so?"

Starrk sighed and patted her head. "Silly girl, of course he's right. Otherwise, wouldn't we have just captured him when we first saw him? It's precisely because he's powerful that we're debating whether or not to capture him."

Lilynette pouted defiantly, "Fine, fine, you can leave now. Let's pretend we never met."

Liu Hao didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stepped forward and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Um... could I ask you for a favor? There's a reward."

Upon hearing this, Lilynette gave Liu Hao a sidelong glance, as if he were a conman. "I don't think you have anything that will interest us."

Starrk, however, seemed even more curious. "Oh? What kind of help?"

"I'm planning to go to the World of the Living, but I don't know how to open the Garganta, so I'd like to ask you for a favor," Liu Hao frankly stated his request.

Starrk raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid we'll sabotage things and lock you in the Garganta?"

"No," Liu Hao said firmly, "I trust your character. To be honest, if Aizen hadn't found you beforehand, I would have liked to find you and become your friend."

Starrk was taken aback by those words. Before becoming Arrancar, he was Loneliness Vasto Lorde- class Menos Grande, and his powerful Reiatsu would cause the Hollows around him to disintegrate automatically. It was Aizen who gave him the power of Arrancar, allowing him to control his power and separate Lilynette from his body. But the word "friend" was still foreign to him.

"And what is this reward you're talking about?" Starrk finally asked.

Liu Hao's expression turned serious. "It's about the future. I don't know if you believe it, but I still want to remind you."

"The future?" Lilynette scoffed. "Do you think you're a prophet?"

Starrk gestured for her to be quiet. "Tell me."

Liu Hao took a deep breath and began to speak, "In the future, you may follow Aizen to attack the World of the Living and prepare to create the Oken. The Gotei 13 will definitely not let Aizen succeed, so there will be a fierce battle there."

He paused, observing their reactions, then continued, "In this battle, you weren't very interested at first, but after seeing the Captains of the Gotei 13 Bankai one after another, you wanted to see your opponent's Bankai."

A glint flashed in Starrk's eyes—this description truly reflected his character. As the strongest of the Espada, he rarely encountered opponents who could ignite his fighting spirit.

"So you decisively freed the Los Lobos with Lilynette," Liu Hao's voice deepened, "Although your Cero was powerful, you were ultimately forced to release Lilynette from her pistol and into her wolf pack form. But it was precisely because of this that Lilynette died in the battle."

"What?!" Lilynette exclaimed, instinctively taking a step back.

Starrk's expression also turned serious, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Liu Hao continued, "And after Baraggan Ruisenbon, number 2, died, you saw that Aizen didn't say a word. He also lost his motivation because of Lilynette's death, and ultimately you also died in that battle."

"In the end, only number 3, Tia Tier Harribel, remained," Liu Hao's narration was nearing its end, "Aizen, seeing that you and Baraggan were both dead, took care of Tier Harribel himself, but she didn't die in the end."

After hearing these words, Lilynette stared at Liu Hao with the eyes of someone looking at a liar, but the previous contempt was gone from her eyes, replaced by unease.

Starrk remained silent for a long time. Moonlight shone on him, casting a long shadow behind him. Finally, he slowly spoke, "Why did Aizen want to eliminate Tier Harribel?"

"Aizen said that the Espada he had painstakingly found in Hueco Mundo were not as good as him alone, so he killed Tier Harribel," Liu Hao relayed truthfully.