Zero's days in Hueco Mundo were not lonely. Apart from searching for Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande, he practiced Kidō, swordsmanship, Hakuda, and Shunpo every day. Except for swordsmanship, Grimmjow was his sparring partner for the other three skills.
Zero developed a small Kidō specifically for suppressing Reiatsu. It is applied to the wrists of both hands and can reduce his own Reiatsu seal by half.
Grimmjow's original Reiatsu value was already 2.4, and after being sealed by half, it was equal to 1.2. Grimmjow's Reiatsu value when he unleashed his full power was already above zero, probably reaching 1.4.
However, his fighting techniques were not as diverse as Zero's, and he was often restricted by various Kidō when fighting Zero, resulting in his defeat.
(Equivalent to 2.4 standard Captain-level spirit pressure; from now on, Reiatsu will be expressed numerically.)
Time had passed for an unknown amount of time. Zero's pocket watch stopped working when he recorded the time as 1,264 days. It had been running for about three years and five months before it was finally destroyed by an Adjuchas in a battle.
A long time has passed since then, and Zero has become accustomed to this daily life of hunting and training, losing track of time.
It's not just Zero who's improved; Grimmjow has also grown stronger through his daily battles with Zero, and his hunting tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated...
Inside a cave, during what should have been sleeping time, Zero suddenly got up and went to the cave entrance to pee. Grimmjow, who had been awakened by the noise, pounced on Zero as he was urinating.
Boom! Boom! Boom boom!
After a series of loud explosions, the cave shattered, Grimmjow emerged from the rubble limping, his left forepaw and right hind leg crippled by Zero's bare hands.
Zero had several claw marks on his back; he had fought Grimmjow -Hakuda are now.
There was no conversation between the two, one human and one virtual. Zero then set up two simple Barriers as a warning, and went back to sleep.
This wasn't the first or second time Grimmjow had used such a sneak attack. In the beginning, Zero made the first move, suddenly using Kidō to immobilize Grimmjow while he was eating.
Or, while walking down the On the Road, Grimmjow might suddenly unleash a Hadō attack, ostensibly to train Grimmjow reflexes.
Grimmjow's reflexes were indeed greatly enhanced, so in order to repay the favor, the hot-tempered Grimmjow would occasionally launch a sneak attack on Zero.
He wasn't joking; if Zero couldn't react, Grimmjow wouldn't mind devouring Zero and evolving himself.
After searching for so long without encountering Vasto Lorde, Zero and Grimmjow realized that the Vasto Lorde were the truly rare species.
They also questioned some of the captured Adjuchas about where Vasto Lorde were, but unfortunately, some Adjuchas didn't even know that such a level existed...
"Nangong, I want to eat roasted pork belly!"
Grimmjow shouted and brought back a small chicken-like creature from who-knows-where.
Despite being described as small, this chicken was actually half a meter tall. Sensing Grimmjow's terrifying Reiatsu, the chicken was completely unable to move and dared not make any rash moves.
"Screw you, you licked all the seasoning off last time."
"That's right, you ate the most."
Zero replied impatiently that he was discussing with Yanis which direction to take to get closer to Las Noches, as they had lost track of their route countless times due to the sandstorm.
"What do I care? It spilled on the ground, so why wouldn't I lick it up? Besides, Yanis licked it too. I don't care, you're going to roast it for me, and you're going to go find some salt and pepper!"
After Grimmjow's taste buds have savored something delicious, he'll even sprinkle some salt and pepper on his prey before swallowing it whole.
Because of his extravagance, the hundred bottles of cumin, pepper, and salt and pepper that Zero carried had long since vanished. Zero and Yanis didn't eat as much as him, and as a leopard, he was relatively large.
The last bottle, too, was smashed on the ground by Grimmjow's greed. Grimmjow licked it with his tongue on the spot, Yanis barely managed to stick out his two-meter-long tongue and lick a little, while Zero felt disgusted and dared not take it.
"I'm the boss, not your babysitter. If you want to eat, grill it yourself with your Cero!"
Zero was furious. This leopard was becoming increasingly unreasonable, even ignoring the fact that Zero was the boss.
Actually, this is also Zero's fault for not watching Soul Reaper. In the original timeline, Ge Laoliu ignored Aizen's orders more than once or twice. On the surface, Aizen Zong didn't say anything, but in his heart he was cursing. He even deliberately let the blind man kill Ge Laoliu.
Arrogant, domineering, and overconfident—these are the defining characteristics of Ge Laoliu. The only difference in this timeline is that he hasn't yet come to believe he's king...
"Then I'll bake it and you can forget about eating it..."
Grimmjow really did roast that chicken with Cero. He learned to condense Cero without releasing it, or to gather it around his claws to increase the power of his attacks. These were skills he learned from his long battles with Zero.
Cero is essentially a blazing laser; the chicken cooks quickly, but it's hard to swallow because there's no seasoning...
"Damn it, they don't have that salt and pepper powder anymore, it tastes awful."
Grimmjow threw away the chicken, making it inedible. Without any seasoning, he only ate the mask when devouring his prey, refusing to eat the meat, as it was too unpalatable.
"That stuff is plentiful in the World of the Living. You can go get it if you want. The Menos Grande's assessment of the Garganta is quite accurate."
"Yes! We could definitely go resupply!"
Yanis's words, however, gave Zero a glimmer of hope. He had been stuck in a mental rut, always believing that he had used Kidō to speak in the Garganta, forgetting that Yanis and Grimmjow could speak in the Garganta.
The location is even more accurate; you can go wherever you want with minimal deviation.
"What are we waiting for? How can we devour Vasto Lorde without salt and pepper? Let's go!"
Grimmjow roared excitedly, his anger vanishing, and immediately opened the Garganta and jumped inside.
"That bastard..."
"Boss, let's go! The World of the Living isn't as safe as Soul Society!"
Zero jumped into the Garganta and followed. He naturally knew what danger Yanis was referring to; the present World of the Living was far from simple...
In this World of the Living, which is also in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, various steam engines are being put into use. Of course, this is the world of ordinary people.
Humans who have evolved don't care about these things. For example, the Quincy only care about whether Hollows appear and whether Soul Reaper come to cause trouble.
More than 700 years ago, after Yhwach led the Quincy in a failed attack on Soul Society, the Quincy gradually split into two factions.
One faction became obedient Quincy, no longer wanting to engage in large-scale conflicts with the Soul Reapers, and only wishing to live a peaceful life. They were the right wing, sticking to the old ways and lacking the drive to adapt and make progress.
The left wing, led by former loyal followers of Yhwach, constantly seeks innovation and evolution of their power, searching for an opportunity to utterly destroy Soul Reaper and make a comeback...
The Soul Reapers are clearly not stupid; they have been investigating the Quincy's strongholds, aiming to wipe them out in one fell swoop.
But in this era, Kisuke Urahara, though born, is still a child. Without his Research and Development Institute, the Soul Reaper would be unable to monitor the movements of the entire World of the Living.
Even if there is Research and Development Institute, if the other party intentionally hides it, the World of the Living is so big that the Soul Reaper cannot find the Headquarters of those Quincy.
At this moment, the World of the Living world was also filled with twinkling stars. It was midnight when a loud bang was heard in the sky, and Lao Tzu... Grimmjow made his dazzling appearance!
A figure covered in blue Reishi appeared in the sky and fell to the earth like a meteor. A terrifying sense of oppression enveloped the area, awakening many extraordinary people.
Because of the thinness of Reishi in the air, Grimmjow was unable to condense Reishi to stand in mid-air for a while, and thus he fell.
Zero, who followed behind, also fell to the ground immediately, but his fall was much more graceful than Grimmjow's...
"Is this Reiatsu an illusion? It's so immense!"
"Definitely Menos Grande- level being!"
"Damn it, there are two. Let's wait for reinforcements before we go over."
"No, Taro City is not far away, and it could cause a large number of civilian casualties."
Two middle-aged men were heading this way together. About five seconds later, another similar Reiatsu appeared, also an illusion.
Zero had Yanis envelop him with his Reiatsu, and he also wore a tattered black robe, making himself unrecognizable.
There are Shinigami (Soul Reaper) guarding this World of the Living, so it's best to be cautious. If someone sees you acting with Menos Grande, you'll be labeled a traitor.
At that point, they will no longer be able to become leaders by secretly infiltrating the Seireitei's power center; they will have no choice but to unify the Seireitei by force...
"It's been a long time since I've been here. I remember when I was still Lesser Hollow Realm cultivator, I used to hunt souls here every day. But now it seems really boring. Not only are Reishi scarce, but eating a Gillian than eating those souls."
Grimmjow looked around, hesitated for a moment, then turned to Zero and asked, "So, where should we find the seasonings? Should we go to the kitchen?"
The familiar yet unfamiliar word 'kitchen' came from Grimmjow's mouth. It wasn't because of Zero's arrival that he had long forgotten what it felt like to be human.
Not only him, but also Yanis only rediscovered the meaning of 'life' and existence after possessing Zero's left hand.
"Of course not. Who would eat with all that seasoning in the kitchen? I'll go to that town and find a spice shop. You go and take care of those two bastards who came over. After you've taken them out, stay here and draw their fire. Don't let anyone get in my way."
"Take more!"
After Zero gave Grimmjow his orders, Sonído left, Grimmjow's words echoing in her ears...
"The two Reiatsu have dispersed; the other is heading towards Taro City. I'll go stop it!"
Boom!
A deep, Sonído sound rang out, Grimmjow appeared before the two Quincy dressed in white robes, shocking them both: Menos Grande, an absolute Menos Grande, and incredibly powerful.
Having made their assessment, the two remained on high alert, not daring to relax for a moment, and no longer considered going to the city to provide support.
"Where are you going? Your Reiatsu is quite good. I'm bored anyway, so I'll just eat you all while I'm at it!"
Grimmjow spoke calmly, and as soon as he finished speaking, he pounced on the two Quincy he saw as food.