Inviting Nelliel to the Soul Society

Nelliel was a bit shocked.

She hadn't actually encountered many Shinigami.

Because Hollows, especially Menos Grandes, rarely went to the Human World.

And if they just stayed in Hueco Mundo, they would almost never encounter Shinigami.

Although there were occasional instances of Shinigami traveling from the Soul Society to Hueco Mundo to fight Hollows, it was ultimately a minority.

Therefore, Nelliel held no particular hatred for Shinigami.

But a Hollow was still a Hollow, and a Shinigami was still a Shinigami; the two were naturally opposed.

So Nelliel had never imagined a Shinigami would offer to be friends with her...

"You..."

Nelliel was silent for a moment, then said, "If your companions knew you were with a Hollow, wouldn't they treat you as a traitor?"

"It's fine," Gaoyu smiled. "My Captain is a very easygoing person. He has similar views on Shinigami and Hollows and doesn't see much difference between them."

"A Captain-level figure among Shinigami having such thoughts?" Nelliel found it hard to believe.

"Well... I think you'll meet him sooner or later. You'll know when you do."

Gaoyu wasn't lying. In Aizen's eyes, there was indeed no difference between Shinigami and Hollows; they were all just a bunch of 'inferior beings.'

"..."

Nelliel watched as Gaoyu jumped down from the Menos Grande's corpse, and she couldn't help but turn around.

"If you want to follow, then follow. But I never said I wanted to be friends with a Shinigami."

With that, she continued walking on the spiritual sand.

Gaoyu smiled. This tsundere-like approach wouldn't work on him because he could see others' favorability towards him.

At this moment, Nelliel's favorability towards him had reached thirty.

While not high, it was quite good for a Hollow and a Shinigami.

Gaoyu also wanted Nelliel's 'size-changing' ability. Since he had come to Hueco Mundo, he wanted to gain as much as he could.

So he followed behind Nelliel, striking up conversations with her about nothing in particular.

For Nelliel, she rarely encountered anyone she could communicate with in Hueco Mundo, let alone a Shinigami.

Meeting Gaoyu was a rare event for her.

And she was also interested in the civilized society of the Shinigami.

So she asked, "How did the Soul Society transition from savagery to civilization?"

"Civilization?"

Gaoyu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Actually, there's no such thing as civilization or lack thereof. The Soul Society, like Hueco Mundo, is a world where the strong survive and the weak perish."

"The reason you think the Soul Society has civilization is simply because, compared to you Hollows, we Shinigami are better at using tools."

"Tools?"

"Yes, like Zanpakuto." Gaoyu took out his Zanpakuto.

"A Zanpakuto is a tool."

"Before the Zanpakuto, Shinigami were very weak beings. They could only fight using the most basic Zanpaku-tō, Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo."

"Back then, the higher-level beings among your Menos Grandes, Vasto Lorde-class Hollows, could do whatever they pleased in the Soul Society."

"But with the appearance of the Zanpakuto, the strength of Shinigami increased dramatically. Even an ordinary Captain-level Shinigami now has the power to deal with Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grandes."

"...That's just an improvement in military strength," Nelliel retorted.

"Military strength is accompanied by control. The stronger the military power, the stronger the control over those below. The civilization of the Soul Society was born from this, essentially no different from the rule of the King of Hueco Mundo."

"Civilization is the sum of the spiritual pursuits, inventions, and creations accumulated throughout human history that are beneficial for understanding and adapting to the objective world, and are recognized and accepted by the vast majority of people."

Gaoyu directly quoted a Baidu Baike entry, then added, "Do you think the vast majority of people in the Soul Society recognize the so-called 'civilization' of Seireitei?"

"...This..." Although Nelliel didn't know much about the Soul Society, she knew that the majority of its inhabitants lived in Rukongai.

And would the people of Rukongai recognize the so-called Seireitei civilization?

She wasn't sure, as she had only visited Rukongai a few times.

It was difficult for Shinigami to enter Hueco Mundo, but Hollows could easily travel to the Soul Society.

From this perspective, it seemed unfair, but while Hollows had spiritual deficiencies, they possessed strong physical talents.

Powerful innate talents like rapid regeneration, hardened skin, and Shunpo were all naturally possessed by them.

Especially Garganta, a divine skill among divine skills, which allowed them to traverse freely between the three realms. Shinigami still needed to use the World-Crossing Gate to travel to other worlds, and it was difficult for them to enter Hueco Mundo.

However, any Menos Grande could freely travel between reality, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo through Garganta.

"Let me put it this way: for Rukongai districts beyond the 50th, the lives of the souls are no different from those in Hueco Mundo."

Gaoyu said calmly, "So, I don't recognize the so-called civilization of the Soul Society. It's just a group of thugs who maintain a rule favorable to 'aristocrats' through their own powerful strength."

"Perhaps..."

He lowered his head slightly and softly said, "Even this kind of order is built upon deceit and betrayal."

"You..." Nelliel turned her head to look at Gaoyu, momentarily lost in thought.

"You seem to know a lot of things. Are all Shinigami like you?"

"If they were all like me, then Soul Society would fall into chaos." Gaoyu suddenly stopped and then said, "However, at least you've seen me now, and my Captain. We... are both strange ones."

"Wouldn't you agree, Captain Aizen?"

The space ahead rippled, and then Aizen's figure walked out from it.

Upon seeing the Captain's Haori on Aizen's body, Nelliel immediately adopted a highly guarded expression.

"There's no need for that," Aizen said calmly. "You are a friend Gaoyu-kun made in Hueco Mundo. There's no need for us to fight."

What he had used just now was a cloak made by Kisuke Urahara that could hide Reiatsu, along with a Kidō spell that allowed him to become invisible.

Yet, Gaoyu had seen through it at a glance.

This wasn't because Gaoyu possessed incredibly powerful abilities or strength, but simply because he had seen Aizen's Soul Ability marker.

He had to admit, this Soul Ability notification was truly effective against those who could turn invisible or create illusions. As long as one focused on the Soul Ability, they could determine the opponent's location.

"Captain Aizen, have you finished handling matters?"

Gaoyu narrowed his eyes slightly and then gave a shallow smile. "I should be able to go back now, right?"

"Of course," Aizen said.

"However, would you allow this Hollow lady to return with me? I'd like to invite Miss Antelope to visit Soul Society."