The unchanging night sky and the moon hanging high above were just as they had always been when Rei set foot in this world again.
"Still as desolate as ever!"
"The Ragged Hollows probably sensed your Reiatsu and hid."
Yanis was the only one who could answer Rei out here. After Rei learned Bankai through materialization, Blood Drink could only speak with him in his inner world.
"Let's enter the Menos Grande Forest before we begin!"
"Yeah. There are more Adjuchas in there, especially in the part of the Menos Grande Forest near Las Noches."
"Hehehehe!"
When Yanis mentioned Las Noches, a cold smile appeared on Rei's face. According to the memories Rei had seen when he took Yanis in, there were three other Vasto Lordes there besides Baraggan.
Baraggan was the strongest. His power of aging could cause anything to decay, and his own Reiatsu was not weak either. The other Vasto Lordes were weaker than him and could only follow his orders.
The second-strongest Vasto Lorde was named Szayelaporro Granz. Yanis did not know his original ability, only that Baraggan had recruited him as a researcher in Hueco Mundo because he valued his research skills, and had him continuously help Menos Grandes increase their power...
The third-strongest Vasto Lorde was named Picaro. Picaro was made up of many independent individuals, but the Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo who had wills of their own regarded "them" as a single individual.
Because Picaro acted collectively and shared a single, innocent mind, they were classified as "one Vasto Lorde." The Picaro group numbered several hundred in all, the strongest being Adjuchas class and the weakest not even qualifying as Gillians.
The fourth Vasto Lorde was named Wonderweiss Marjera, and his ability was sealing. Whether Soul Reaper or Hollow, anyone touched by his hand would have their abilities temporarily sealed.
They could only fight Wonderweiss head-on, even though he had hundreds of arms and could use High-Speed Regeneration. How could an ordinary Hollow or a Soul Reaper who relied on their abilities possibly be his match?
In theory, his ability should have countered Baraggan's, but sealing him required touching him first. How could that skeleton possibly stand still and let him do that?
Besides, the skeleton was not Baraggan's true body. His real body hid inside it and controlled it in battle...
In the original timeline, Aizen had likewise taken an interest in Wonderweiss's sealing ability and used the Hōgyoku to modify it so that it could seal all fire-type Zanpakuto.
As a result, the Vasto Lorde-class Wonderweiss lost his reason, speech, consciousness, and knowledge, retaining only his fighting power.
There had originally been another Vasto Lorde, but unfortunately, Kuruyashiki had cut him down... And the blonde great shark had yet to appear. Even if she did, she would not belong to Baraggan's forces.
After entering the Menos Grande Forest, Rei went on a killing spree. He bound many Ragged Hollows and slowly devoured their masks.
They had already agreed to let Yanis evolve first, so most of the Reiryoku went to nourishing him, allowing him to evolve into a Vasto Lorde.
The nature of this parasitic relationship was already clear. Rei was in control, accepting Yanis as part of his own power to stay alive and using his abilities to grow stronger quickly.
As for the future, if Yanis tried to turn on him, all Rei would have to do was cut off his left hand. After all, Yanis's core was currently parasitizing it.
Yanis also knew of Rei's power and could not even entertain the thought of resisting. He only wanted to see just how far Rei could go.
They had already spent eight months devouring Hollows in the Menos Grande Forest, and Yanis's power had advanced rapidly. Rei had given Yanis all the Reiryoku they devoured during that time to help him break through quickly.
Yet things were not so simple. The Reiryoku under Yanis's control kept growing, but there was no sign of evolution...
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Rei and Yanis had lost count of how many Hollows they had hunted, all of them Giant Hollows, Gillians, and Adjuchas.
As for the Ragged Hollows, Rei cut them down with a single stroke. Eating them would have been a complete waste of time.
At this moment, somewhere in the Menos Grande Forest, white Kidō lit up the area. The floating Kidō looked just like ghostly flames, enough to frighten any normal person. Unfortunately, this was Hueco Mundo, where no normal people existed.
Seven enormous creatures lay on the ground, struggling ceaselessly. All of them were Adjuchas, held fast by Kidō.
Crunch! Crack, crack, crack! Gulp!
The sounds of chewing continued. The Ragged Hollows in the area had all been scared away, leaving only the seven roaring Adjuchas on the ground. No one could save them.
But as two of their former companions were devoured, they were stunned to realize that Rei was not a pure Soul Reaper, but a strange being that was both Hollow and Soul Reaper.
"No, don't eat me! I'm willing to be your slave."
"My lord, I can be your slave too."
"Hmph, two spineless cowards, actually willing to submit to a Soul Reaper!"
Five Hollows still lay bound by Kidō on the ground. Two begged for mercy, one showed contempt, and the other two remained silent.
Eating and being eaten was the law of this world. It was terribly boring. The two silent Adjuchas had long since seen through the worldly affairs of Hollow life and no longer wanted to live.
"As expected of Adjuchas, you recognized reality so quickly. In that case, I'll keep you as my mounts!"
Rei finished three large bowls of rice, with a bird Hollow he had caught as the accompanying dish. His exact height had settled at 1.86 meters. With wooden clogs on and a stylish hairdo, he would have looked over 1.9 meters tall.
Rei released the two Adjuchas who had begged for mercy. One was named Hidri. His head resembled a triceratops's, his tail had a large hammer like an ankylosaurus's, and his four feet were like cat paws.
The other was named Moros. He had an upright humanoid form, stood fifteen meters tall, and had long, slender limbs. He specialized in speed and High-Speed Regeneration.
The moment they were released, both prostrated themselves beside Rei. They watched him devour their former companions without making another sound to disturb him.
"Tell me, are there any gathering places nearby with a lot of Adjuchas?"
"Answer honestly, or I'll eat you."
Rei asked about the surrounding area, while Yanis, who had just finished eating, also spoke up to threaten them.
"My lord, if you leave through the nearby exit and keep heading north of the moon, there's a rocky mountain that's been almost completely hollowed out. Dozens of Adjuchas live inside, and they've formed an alliance..."
Hidri, the triceratops, answered while prostrating himself. He had fled to the Menos Grande Forest after being hunted by that group.
"Dozens? There are that many? Ha, what a gift from nature!"
Rei grew a little excited, then asked, "Is there a Vasto Lorde leading them?"
"No. Four gangs that were originally scattered joined forces after fighting one another. They use their numbers to hunt newly appeared Adjuchas and Lesser Hollows..."
"That's right. When an Adjuchas encounters another of the same level, they generally won't fight if there isn't much difference in strength. After all, if their mask is bitten, they'll never be able to evolve again."
"So most of them act in groups and use their numbers to overwhelm their opponents. That way, they can quickly kill individuals traveling alone."
After Hidri and Yanis explained, Rei understood. Menos Grandes also banded together to improve their chances of survival.
"Then let's go there! You'll probably be able to grow a lot stronger this time..."
Hidri carried Rei's luggage. Of the three large bags of food, only one remained, though the rice would last a while longer.
They had thought it would be close, but the journey ended up taking five days. Along the way, Rei and his strange group hunted down several Adjuchas...
"What is my lord eating?"
"It smells so good."
Rei was grilling on the other side, roasting small animal Hollows they had encountered on the road. With all kinds of seasonings added, the food made Hidri and Moros drool.
"If you dare act disrespectfully again, I'll cut your tongue off!"
"Yes..."
His left hand kept sticking out its tongue, trying to lick the food, and Rei promptly scolded and threatened Yanis.
"This is for you. Eat up!"
Rei took the four legs of the beast-shaped Hollow, put everything else on a large mask, and tossed it in front of Hidri and Moros.
"It's just a lowly Ragged Hollow."
"Yeah, its Reishi is very thin."
"But it smells so good."
"Half each, then! I wonder if it tastes good."
At first, the two Hollows glanced at each other without hurrying. Then Hidri carefully used his large claws to split the Hollow, which was only two meters long, in half. Each licked his portion, then their eyes lit up fiercely, and both swallowed their halves in a single bite.
"Huh? H-how could something like this exist? Was it brought from the World of the Living?"
"The World of the Living shouldn't have anything like this either. Delicious! Too bad there's so little!"
The barbecue, seasoned with all sorts of spices, showed the two Adjuchas a different world. In their respective memories, the World of the Living was still in the age of cold weapons. How could it have anything this good?
In life, Hidri had been robbed and beaten to death. After falling and becoming a Hollow, he took revenge on the people who had caused his fall and came to Hueco Mundo. He had never returned, even after becoming a Menos Grande.
Though they were Hollows, they still had a sense of taste. After eating everything raw for so many years, they had long since forgotten what things had tasted like in life.
After that first taste, it was like poison sinking into their marrow, impossible to escape... When Hidri shamelessly asked for more, Rei gave him a single word in return: "Scram."
By Soul Society and World of the Living time, it was now the evening of the fifth day. Rei and the others spotted the rocky mountain from far away. Of course, the sentries of the rocky mountain's Adjuchas group also spotted them.
More than ten Adjuchas had appeared to block their path early on. Rei told Hidri and Moros to wait where they were, then performed Shikai. He intended to kill and devour them alone...
"Impossible! A Soul Reaper can fire a Cero too? Just who are you?"
An Adjuchas with a white, smiling mask could hardly believe it. Rei had just fired a Cero from his left hand, reducing the lower halves of two Adjuchas to ashes.
"Hehe, take a guess!"
"Who am I? I'm the one who's going to devour you!"
Rei merely sneered, but Yanis's mouth stuck out its tongue and licked around its lips before answering the Adjuchas with a smile. The scene was utterly bizarre.
"An ability that parasitizes a Soul Reaper's body? Damn it... everyone, retreat!"
The one who had asked the question was clearly a minor leader. After shouting the order, he was the first to use Sonído to flee toward their headquarters. Those who ran slowly were bound by Rei's Kidō on the spot.
Even those who ran faster were caught after a few Shunpo steps. Rei cut off their feet or bound them with Kidō, ultimately capturing twelve Adjuchas alive with their masks intact. Only the minor leader escaped.
"Amazing. Is this what happens when a Soul Reaper releases his Zanpakuto? His speed, strength, and Reiatsu all increased by a huge margin, and they're still rising."
"So he wasn't even using his full strength when he fought us!"
Hidri and Moros watched from the side in shock. To them, Rei's strength truly was unfathomable. Even the legendary Vasto Lordes were probably no more formidable than this.
Yanis devoured them even faster this time, finishing the masks of eleven Adjuchas in less than an hour. One was tossed to Hidri and Moros.
"Stay here and watch the luggage. I'll be right back. If you dare run, you know what will happen to you..."
"Yes!"
Rei had left a trace of Reiatsu on them, which he could use to sense them or release Kidō to track them. He was not afraid of them escaping.
If Hidri and Moros really dared run off with his luggage, they had better not let him catch them. Otherwise, Rei swore he would make them wish they were dead!