In an uninhabited desert a thousand miles from Las Noches.
"Hahaha..."
"So that's it. You became a Hollow with your memories from life intact. I told you Soul Reapers and Hollows actually shared the same origin!"
"After hearing what you said and seeing how Lilynette shattered her mask and became more and more like a Soul Reaper, I'm even more convinced."
Sōgo Shihoin ate hot pot as he chatted with Szayelaporro and Lilynette.
"Is that so?"
"So Soul Reapers and Hollows share the same origin. That makes sense. Before becoming Soul Reapers or Hollows, we were all ordinary souls. Looking at it that way, it certainly holds true. And as Hollows continue to evolve, their bodies do indeed grow smaller, increasingly resembling how they looked in life... Does that mean the final stage of a Hollow's evolution is becoming a Soul Reaper?"
Szayelaporro spoke with some uncertainty.
"I'm not sure about that. Come to think of it, you Vasto Lorde all wear masks too, right? Are cases like Lilynette rare, where apart from the Hollow Hole below her neck, you can't see any sign that she's a Hollow at all?"
Sōgo Shihoin gently rubbed his chin as he discussed it.
"Indeed. Apart from Miss Lilynette, I've never seen another Hollow who didn't wear a mask, including us Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande."
Szayelaporro nodded slightly. He really had not given it much thought before, but now that he considered it, both Lilynette's fighting strength and her terrifying Spiritual Pressure were utterly different from those of other Vasto Lorde.
"So this state of having broken one's own mask would be an Arrancar?"
Szayelaporro looked at Lilynette's beautiful face, then touched the mask on his own cheek as he spoke.
"Arrancar? That's a good word!"
Sōgo Shihoin gave Szayelaporro a thumbs-up. The word he had come up with was very much to his liking.
"Arrancar! Not bad!"
Lilynette nodded slightly too when she heard it. It certainly suited her appearance.
"Then, Miss Lilynette, how did you become an Arrancar? Please describe it in as much detail as possible so I can use it as a reference."
Szayelaporro asked Lilynette, hoping to learn some secrets to becoming an Arrancar from her.
"Oh, here's what happened. I was always looking for friends, but they ran away in fright the moment they saw me. I started wondering if I looked too scary. Plus, the mask on my head was such a nuisance! It made my head so heavy, so I took that damned mask off!"
After hearing Szayelaporro's question, Lilynette thought for a little while and described her thought process in as much detail as she could.
"Is that something you can just take off because it feels like a nuisance?"
"Wouldn't you die if you just took off your own mask?"
Szayelaporro no longer knew what to say. So was he the only one desperately working to evolve, while everyone else just coasted along? And then, before they even realized it, their rate of evolution surpassed his, despite all his desperate efforts? What did all his years of hard work amount to, then? Damn it!
"No idea! Why don't I try taking the mask off your face for you?"
"Besides, the mask on your face is really ugly!"
"What do you think? Want me to help?"
Lilynette stared at the mask on Szayelaporro's face, studying it for a moment before asking.
"No, thank you."
Szayelaporro shook his head slightly. He did not want to die so young.
"If Hollows evolve by taking off their masks, then, conversely, could Soul Reapers evolve by putting on masks?"
Just as Szayelaporro turned Lilynette down, Sōgo Shihoin asked with some uncertainty.
"Huh?"
"That really is possible. Unfortunately, I've never experimented with it, so I'm not entirely sure."
Szayelaporro paused slightly at Sōgo Shihoin's words. His point made a great deal of sense, though. Soul Reapers and Hollows were two completely different evolutionary paths for souls. If Hollows evolved by taking off their masks, then it was highly possible that Soul Reapers evolved by putting masks on.
"Hahaha... Not that I need to evolve anyway. I'm already invincible. All I want now is to find a way to control this Spiritual Pressure of mine."
Sōgo Shihoin chuckled at Szayelaporro's words. It had merely been a sudden idea that came to him after hearing Szayelaporro talk about Hollow evolution, not an actual desire to keep growing stronger. If he grew even stronger and still could not control his Spiritual Pressure, Soul Society really would have no room for him. He did not want to stay in Hueco Mundo forever or report to Squad Zero.
"A way to control Spiritual Pressure?"
"I could offer some help with that."
Szayelaporro's eyes lit up at Sōgo Shihoin's words. This was an opportunity to study Sōgo Shihoin with a legitimate reason. He had to seize it.
"Really?"
Sōgo Shihoin asked with some delighted surprise at Szayelaporro's words.
"Of course~ But I'll need you to cooperate with me on some tests, Lord Sōgo. Oh, and preferably lend me some of your hair." Szayelaporro nodded slightly, his calm eyes filled with desire. "By the way, Lilynette, you're considering ways to control your Spiritual Pressure too, aren't you? Why don't I make a device to restrict Spiritual Pressure for both of you at once?"
"Yes! You're a good person!"
Lilynette looked at Szayelaporro and nodded as she spoke.
"Hahaha... Not at all. It's only what I should do."
Szayelaporro smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming beneath his mask.
Szayelaporro's thinking was simple. He would rely on Sōgo Shihoin's and Lilynette's power to make himself more perfect and more beautiful. Even if he could not become an ultimate life-form like Sōgo Shihoin, he at least had to take this disgusting mask off his face first and evolve into an Arrancar on the same level as Lilynette Starrk.
"Wonderful. If you can help me solve my Spiritual Pressure problem, I'll take you both to Soul Society for some fun."
"I'm telling you, the activities here in Hueco Mundo are nothing compared to Soul Society's. Even calling it a backwater probably wouldn't describe the gap between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. There's next to no entertainment. Everyone's life is nothing but killing and being killed. It's misery filled with despair. The atmosphere is far too oppressive."
Sōgo Shihoin made his promise to Lilynette and Szayelaporro. As for bringing Hollows into Soul Society violating the rules of the Central 46 Chambers or the Gotei 13, he did not care at all. He was not a Soul Reaper, so why the hell should he follow their rules?
Besides, if he requested it, Squad Zero would certainly do him that favor as long as no trouble arose. Once Squad Zero agreed, the others would not matter.
(End of chapter)