King of Hueco Mundo

Las Noches, the domain of the King of Hueco Mundo.

A crescent moon hung eternally in the sky, casting its silver radiance upon the ground below.

In Hueco Mundo, a realm devoid of a sun, this was the brightest light one could ever hope to find.

At the very pinnacle of Las Noches, a skeleton wearing a crown sat upon a massive, ornate throne, leisurely flipping through a book of unknown origin.

This throne was crafted from the bones of countless Menos that had perished at the hands of the King of Hueco Mundo, a testament to his proud record of conquest over countless years.

Below the throne, a multitude of powerful Menos knelt in pious devotion, offering their loyalty to the King of Hueco Mundo.

If an ordinary Hollow were to wander into this place, their very existence would likely be extinguished on the spot.

For every single kneeling Menos here was an Adjuchas!

An Adjuchas is a mid-level Menos that has evolved beyond the lower-level Gillian, possessing unique abilities of its own.

Every Adjuchas present had once been a formidable entity in its own right, but under the King of Hueco Mundo's campaigns, their former pride had been utterly shattered, reducing them to subordinates who could only kneel before him.

As for those Adjuchas who refused to surrender, if they could not escape the King's army, they were naturally reduced to mere bones, integrated into the structure of his throne.

As for the higher-level Menos that existed above the Adjuchas—the Vasto Lorde—they were beyond the reach of ordinary Adjuchas.

It seemed that only an Adjuchas who had grasped a certain realm could undergo such a natural metamorphosis.

This transformation had nothing to do with the Adjuchas' raw power, but once they became a Vasto Lorde, their strength would naturally surpass that of any ordinary Adjuchas!

Currently, the only Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo known to all was the King of Hueco Mundo himself.

The age of the King of Hueco Mundo was beyond reckoning; even the question of whether Hueco Mundo or its King came first had become a source of endless confusion!

All Hollows had grown accustomed to the days of being ruled by the King of Hueco Mundo.

Although the number of Adjuchas under his command would sometimes suddenly drop by half, new Adjuchas would quickly join the ranks of Las Noches... the sudden disappearance of the "old seniors" actually provided them with opportunities to rise in status.

However, today, it seemed that these "peaceful" days were about to be shattered!

The massive Adjuchas stationed in front of Las Noches had been suddenly annihilated!

The Adjuchas were all stirred into a frenzy.

"What is going on?"

"Kakarot has been taken out!"

These Adjuchas had lived together for so many years that they were well aware of each other's strength.

That gorilla Kakarot was among the best of them, yet he had been eliminated without even a ripple of combat energy; how could the other Adjuchas not react?

But before they could move to investigate, the culprits had already arrived at their doorstep!

Three figures, looking like ordinary humans, had already entered the interior of Las Noches.

Yet, judging by the Shihakusho worn beneath their captain's haori, they were enemies of Hueco Mundo—three captains of the Gotei 13 from the Soul Society.

However, not every Hollow possessed this realization.

An Adjuchas threw a punch toward them, roaring, "Who are you people?"

But among the three, a blind man with a cloth covering his eyes drew his sword, slicing through the Adjuchas' mask and its entire head in one clean stroke.

This act shocked the surrounding Adjuchas and finally caused the King of Hueco Mundo to turn his gaze toward them.

The bespectacled man standing in the center did not look up, merely glancing askance at the King of Hueco Mundo seated on high, and spoke, "A first meeting, isn't it... You are the King of Hueco Mundo, correct?"

The King of Hueco Mundo closed his book and handed it to the attendant Hollow standing beside him. "Indeed. And what brings you here? Three young captains of the Gotei 13—judging by your actions, have you come to declare war on Hueco Mundo?"

Hearing their King's words, the surrounding Adjuchas gathered their power once more, waiting for a single command from the King of Hueco Mundo to tear these three unknown captains to shreds!

"As expected of the King of Hueco Mundo, you are truly perceptive!" The bespectacled man showed no fear of the power surging toward him, continuing with ease, "Since you know we are captains, are you not curious about our Zanpakuto?"

"Especially this one of mine..." The bespectacled man drew the sword hanging at his waist. "Kyōka Suigetsu!"

The King of Hueco Mundo watched the man's movements, remaining perfectly relaxed. "What is it you intend to do?"

"I would like to... ask you a question, King of Hueco Mundo..."

"Are you satisfied with your current self?"

The King of Hueco Mundo looked at the man. "What are you trying to say?"

"Have you never felt that this world is different from what it should be? Have you never thought about taking a step further?"

The man pointed his blade at the ground. "Help me, come with me! If you do, I will grant you greater power and a brand-new world!"

Listening to the words of the man before him, the King of Hueco Mundo finally could not help himself...

He burst into laughter!

"Hahahaha!" The sight of a skeleton laughing heartily, with every bone in its body rattling, was truly a spectacle. "Ridiculous! How utterly ridiculous!"

"Young man, you are truly arrogant! A 'brand-new world.' You think yourself the master of the future, yet you hold the past in such contempt!"

"Without a past, where would a future world even come from?"

"What capital do you possess that gives you the audacity to be so insolent?"

The bespectacled man watched the King of Hueco Mundo, who still regarded them with disdain, and without a hint of irritation, he simply began to chant the release incantation for his Zanpakuto.

"Disappear, Kyōka Suigetsu."

The sound of shattering glass echoed, as if the world itself were breaking, revealing an incredibly bloody scene within Las Noches.

Aside from the bespectacled man, the two other men wearing captain's haori had already wiped out every single one of the King of Hueco Mundo's subordinates!

Even the hollow attendant by the King of Hueco Mundo's side had a gaping wound in its head, collapsing limply to the ground.

"This is... the world you inhabit!"

The bespectacled man found all of this perfectly natural; now, he simply waited for the King of Hueco Mundo sitting upon the high throne to descend and face them in combat!

Once he was defeated, more than half of the objective to occupy Hueco Mundo would be complete!

However, the reaction of the King of Hueco Mundo was completely different from what the bespectacled man had anticipated.

The King of Hueco Mundo laughed again!

"Hahahaha! Aizen, Aizen Sōsuke! Is this your power?" the King of Hueco Mundo roared with laughter. "Is this your power? That old man Yamamoto is still being kept in the dark by you, isn't he? He has no idea that you are the most unstable existence within the Gotei 13!"

Hm?

The bespectacled man, Aizen, had his expression change for the first time after his name was called out.

Was the situation different from what he had envisioned?

"Come, come, Aizen, I have a question I wish to ask you!"

Finally finished with his laughter, the King of Hueco Mundo looked at Aizen and asked, "As you can see, I am a skeleton."

"Then what gave you the illusion that I saw your Zanpakutō?"

"I don't even have any eyeballs!"