Five Years and the Changes in Hueco Mundo

Thud!

In the middle of the desert, a towering figure slowly toppled over, kicking up a cloud of dust as it hit the ground.

It was a Gillian.

Even within Hueco Mundo, such a creature belonged to the ranks of the hunters, not the prey.

Yet, it had been dispatched with a single strike.

After the Gillian fell, a figure emerged—it was Natsuki.

At this moment, Natsuki's appearance had not changed much since he first arrived in Hueco Mundo, but he was now clad in a black Shihakusho, holding a Zanpakuto in his hand.

Aside from the fact that he had not graduated from Shino Academy and was not registered with the Gotei 13, he looked in every way like a true Shinigami.

Five years had passed since his first encounter with the Expeditionary Force.

For a human, five years is neither long nor short.

But for a Shinigami, it was merely the blink of an eye.

As spiritual beings, the lifespan of a Shinigami is far longer than that of a human; they are, without a doubt, a long-lived race. The Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, had lived for thousands of years, perhaps even longer.

According to historical records, he had already established a dojo in the Soul Society nearly two thousand years ago, and even then, he was already a renowned powerhouse.

Of course, not every Shinigami possesses such an extensive lifespan.

A Shinigami's longevity is tied to their spiritual power. The strength of one's spiritual power determines the intensity of the Reiatsu released from their body, which is the source of a Shinigami's strength. The more powerful one's spiritual power, the slower their growth rate and the longer their lifespan.

In the Soul Society, there are many souls with spiritual power who remain in the form of children or adolescents for many years.

Even so, every Shinigami possesses spiritual power. Compared to ordinary humans, living for several hundred years is not a problem under normal circumstances, let alone thousands.

However, there are actually very few Shinigamis who live that long in peace.

This is primarily because Shinigamis must engage in combat, and where there is combat, there will inevitably be casualties.

Death is the fated destiny of a Shinigami.

Not to mention ordinary Shinigamis, even those at the pinnacle—the captains of the Gotei 13—who have served for over a century are few and far between.

This shows the immense danger inherent in the profession; even a captain who has mastered Bankai faces the risk of falling in battle.

If that is the case for captains, it goes without saying for ordinary Shinigamis.

Even so, five years is truly not a long time for a Shinigami.

But for Natsuki, these five years had been an incredibly precious journey of growth. From being unable to release his Zanpakuto to utilizing Zanjutsu and Shunpo to slay a Gillian in one strike, his strength had undoubtedly progressed by leaps and bounds.

After killing the Gillian, Natsuki did not immediately go to rendezvous with Watanabe Yuji. Instead, he held his blade toward the air, drawing in a faint, invisible force that flowed along the Zanpakuto and surged into his body.

With the Zanpakuto acting as a filter, Natsuki felt nothing amiss with this power derived from the Hollow; on the contrary, he felt his condition improve, his internal spiritual power growing a fraction stronger.

Over these years, aside from the increase in his strength, his greatest gain had been uncovering some of the abilities of his Zanpakuto.

Well, he still hadn't managed to master Shikai.

But even in its Asauchi state, the Zanpakuto possessed some unique capabilities.

Specifically, after a being with powerful spiritual energy died, his blade could silently steal that spiritual power, draw it in, and channel it into his body, thereby enhancing his own spiritual power.

This was an ability Natsuki discovered by accident after slaying an ordinary Hollow.

Since then, he had verified it multiple times, confirming the existence of this ability.

Currently, the targets from which he could steal spiritual power included not only Hollows but also Shinigamis.

Yes, after a companion from the Expeditionary Force had fallen, Natsuki had experimented and discovered that, just like with the Hollows, he could steal that power to strengthen himself.

He had pondered the reason for this.

Although Shinigamis and Hollows seem different, they are essentially the same—both are beings composed of Reishi, both are souls.

After they die, they dissolve into Reishi and merge back into the world.

The ability his Zanpakuto possessed was less about stealing the power of Hollows or Shinigamis, and more about harvesting stray Reishi, drawing high-density Reishi into his body to elevate his own spiritual power.

It was impossible for Natsuki not to be happy after discovering this.

Because it meant that in addition to diligent cultivation, he had gained another channel to become stronger.

At the same time, he had a feeling.

The reason he had been unable to master Shikai might be related to this special ability of his Zanpakuto; perhaps he would only be able to truly see his Zanpakuto and master Shikai once the spiritual power he had absorbed and accumulated reached a certain threshold.

After absorbing spiritual power for a while, Natsuki gripped his Zanpakuto and utilized Shunpo, quickly arriving at another battlefield where several Gillian corpses lay on the ground.

In addition to the Gillians, there were also ordinary Hollows.

At this moment, members of the Expeditionary Force were engaged in battle with the remaining ordinary Hollows.

Although he knew his companions were more than capable of handling ordinary Hollows, since he had arrived, Natsuki naturally stepped in to help. Soon, the ordinary Hollows were all dealt with, and combined with the Gillians eliminated by Watanabe Yuji and several other experts from the Expeditionary Force, this group of Hollows was completely wiped out.

"How is it? Are you alright?"

Natsuki walked over to Watanabe Yuji's side and asked.

Watanabe Yuji shook his head, "Other than a few people being injured this time, no comrades were lost."

"However, have you noticed that the number of Menos Grande appearing on the outskirts of Hueco Mundo has increased recently?"

Natsuki frowned, "I have indeed noticed. Not only has the frequency of Menos Grande increased, but the appearance rate of ordinary Hollows has also risen."

"Relying solely on us to deal with these Hollows is truly becoming quite difficult."

With that last sentence, Natsuki simply voiced the current predicament of the Expeditionary Force. The force was small, numbering only a few dozen people, and every so often one or two would fall in battle. Although the remaining members were all quite capable, facing the endless stream of Hollows with so few people was simply beyond their reach.

But there was no helping it.

After all, the number of souls capable of becoming Shinigamis was limited.

Not to mention the Expeditionary Force.

Even within the Gotei 13, each division only had about three to four hundred people.

Two or three hundred ordinary members, a few dozen seated officers, plus the captain and lieutenant.

Due to special circumstances, the numbers in each division varied, but at the very least, there were never fewer than two hundred people.

The entire Gotei 13 added up to only a few thousand Shinigamis.

When tallied up, it seemed somewhat unbelievable.

But that was the reality.

By comparison, having a few dozen people in the Expeditionary Force was really not a small number.

"I know, which is why I have already reported the situation to the Soul Society. Reinforcements from the Soul Society will arrive soon." Watanabe Yuji shared a piece of news that took Natsuki by surprise.