Chapter Text
Ichigo Kurosaki was not someone who openly displayed his emotions beyond annoyance and anger towards a certain select group of individuals.
So when he saw his friends leave the classroom, possibly to go hunting for some Hollow that had appeared, he reacted with nothing more than a nod to Chad, who soon left the classroom.
And even though he wouldn't tell anyone, seeing his friends leave like that and leaving him behind was hard.
It hurt him
Don't get me wrong, He understood perfectly why they were doing it. Now that he had lost his reiatsu and was basically a normal human again (or as normal as someone could be after everything that had happened), Ichigo was nothing more than a hindrance when it came to dealing with Hollows.
For a while he had been able to keep fighting, keep helping, and he still had, however minimally, the hope that perhaps he could continue like this.
And then reality hit him.
Little by little his power began to disappear until the point where he could no longer even summon his sword, and the worst part was when the spirits he used to see frequently disappeared.
He never thought he would miss them.
Now not even the vague feeling that there was anything there remained, which completed his transformation from a substitute Shinigami to a mere human.
He didn't regret what he did; if it was to stop Aizen and protect his friends, he would sacrifice his powers as many times as necessary.
And yet...
Shit, what was he thinking?
Ignoring the teacher, Ichigo looked out the window, still lost in thought.
It wasn't as if his relationship with his friends had changed; aside from the Hollow hunting trips he was no longer invited to, everything else remained the same.
Orihime consuming obscene amounts of bread that didn't seem to make her gain weight... or well, it did, but in the right places. His silent but strong friendship with Chad whom he shared a kinship with. And lastly his begrudging respect for pompous yet honorable Uryu.
Everything remained the same.
Yup. Everything was the same.
Ichigo was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the mysterious light that enveloped him until it became blinding and impossible to ignore.
"What the hell-" was all he could say before his sight was completely blinded.
And the world changed completely
"Wh-what is this?" That was the first thing Ichigo asked when his vision finally cleared.
Where he had previously sat at his desk, he now stood in a vast, dark room lit by—
"That's the Milky Way!" he exclaimed in amazement upon noticing the cluster of stars and galaxies that illuminated the place.
Where the hell was I!?
"Ichigo?" Ichigo turned around quickly upon hearing a familiar voice he hadn't heard in a long time.
"Rukia!? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked in amazement
"That's what I was going to ask you, where are we?" Rukia asked gloomily, noticing Ichigo's confused expression.
"Wherever it is, it's definitely not Earth," Uryu interrupted, approaching the pair along with the rest of Ichigo's friends.
"You too?" Ichigo looked at him, confused.
"Not even in the Soul Society." Now everyone turned to watch Byakuya approaching.
Soon Ichigo began to notice more and more people appearing, all confused about where they were.
"Ichigo! This is your doing, right!?" Renji exclaimed furiously
"Why do you think that, pineapple head!" Ichigo butted heads with the offended redhead.
"Why do these things only happen to you!" Renji replied as they pushed each other.
"Split up, this is not the time for this," said old Yamamoto authoritatively, approaching the group. "Whatever has brought us here is a powerful threat, capable of dragging even captains away without them being able to resist."
The rest of the Shinigami present finally noticed the fact grimly.
Ichigo noticed that they were all familiar faces.
Toshiro, Rangiku, Kenpachi and their little lieutenant Yachiru
"What the hell is this place?" Kenpachi asked impatiently.
He had been busy!
Trying to find the way to that restaurant that Yachiru wanted to visit
"And not only powerful, if I may add, my esteemed commander," Urahara interrupted.
"What do you mean?" the commander asked cautiously.
Of course, his innocence had already been proven after the whole Aizen fiasco, but she still had her reservations about the man.
"Ichigo, don't you notice something strange?" Urahara asked, now addressing the orange-haired boy.
"Something strange?" Ichigo stopped abruptly, finally noticing the anomaly. "How can I see them?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, finally realizing.
Rukia's eyes widened in surprise
It was true!
Ichigo shouldn't be able to see them now that his powers are gone.
"What the hell is going on? Did I get my powers back?" Ichigo asked, putting a hand to his head.
He tries to concentrate his reiatsu, to feel that well of power like before but…
"Nothing." He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I definitely don't feel that Kurosaki's reiatsu has returned, so what's going on?" Toshiro asked, looking around cautiously.
And honestly, a part of him was glad about that. If Ichigo had regained his powers like that, then all the reiatsu he spent on that sword they had been working on would have been in vain.
"What's happening is that they've been summoned." Immediately everyone turned around at high speed
Behind where they had gathered appeared a series of sofas ranging from individual ones to large group sofas, and in front of these a huge screen that definitely hadn't been there a moment ago.
But the most important thing was the man sprawled lazily on the large sofa in the center
"Were you the one who brought us here?" Yamamoto asked cautiously.
This man, this man was dangerous.
All his instincts warned him, more dangerous than Aizen ever was, perhaps even as dangerous as that man had been in the past or even more than even them…
A terrifying thought undoubtedly.
"No, I wasn't the one who brought them,” the man with a monotone voice, dressed in a black yukata, replied as he lazily sat up on the sofa.
And then, in an equally listless manner, he raised a hand, catching the slash Kenpachi threw between his knuckles.
"He was my, I suppose we could call him, boss." The man continued his explanation while seemingly ignoring the way Kenpachi was trying to wrest his sword from his grasp.
"Come on Keni! With more strength!" Yachiru encouraged him from behind her.
"He tried! But he's not moving!" Despite what he'd said, Kenpachi began to smile predatorily.
This guy was really strong!
Ichigo swallowed hard
Catching Kenpachi's punch so easily was something he would never have been able to do, or well, he possibly could have done it with the final Getsuga Tenshou but Ichigo didn't feel like testing it.
"Why has your boss brought us here?" Yamamoto asked, looking at the man seriously.
A leader implied that there was at least one more individual behind this, an individual as strong as, or perhaps even stronger than, the man in front of them.
"Wait, I have that thing somewhere." The being waved the hand with which it was holding Kenpachi slightly, sending the captain flying away.
Very far
"He's going into space!?" Rangiku asked incredulously as she watched Kenpachi disappear among the stars
"...He'll be back," the man replied after watching Kenpachi disappear into the distance for a moment. "Now, where did I leave that thing?"
The man patted his clothes until he apparently found what he was looking for, pulling out a folded piece of paper which he proceeded to unfold.
"Now then, welcome my dear guests to the theater of a thousand worlds where you will see the wonders of the multiverse and its infinite possibilities unfold before you, the fortunate ones chosen to witness a reality similar to, yet different from, the one you come from." The man read in such a monotonous way that Ichigo wondered if he was actually a living being or some kind of robot.
"Are you serious?" Yoruichi asked, looking at the man skeptically.
"In short," the man snapped his fingers, and Kenpachi, his hair frozen, appeared before him, falling to the floor. "You're practically trapped here until you've read this book, which presents a reality different from your own. Your host here will attend to you during your stay." A book appeared in white flames, floating in his hand. "If you wish, you can call me Shiro, Shiro Blanc."
"Your name is Blanco Blanco, seriously?" Urahara asked, looking at the book with interest.
"That's my name, yes," Shiro nodded.
"We just have to read that and you'll let us go?" Byakuya questioned suspiciously.
"Exactly, although you won't be the only guests here, and I'd like to take this opportunity to mention the first and most important rule of this place." With that, Shiro snapped his fingers again.
And a shoji door appeared before them, opening to reveal several familiar individuals.
"Violence is prohibited here," he declared.
"Yes, yes, you already made that clear to me." Grimmjow entered first, walking with an obvious limp, his body dirty and riddled with wounds.
Everyone looked at Blanc
"I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen until I gave him a few scoldings," Blanc replied to the unasked question.
"Hahaha, it was more of a beating than a reprimand, wasn't it, Starrk!" Lilynette exclaimed from her partner's shoulders.
Starrk just grunted lazily in response
"Weren't you dead?" Toshiro asked incredulously.
The young captain had seen Shunsui cut that man with his sword!
"Yes, we died, and now we're alive!" Lilynette nodded enthusiastically.
She didn't know what happened or how but it didn't really matter. She was just glad to be back.
"What?" Yamamoto asked, looking at Blanc
"They're important to the story, so I brought them back," Shiro shrugged.
No, that's not how it worked. When a Hollow died at the hands of a Shinigami, its soul was supposed to be purified and sent to the Soul Society; it should be impossible for it to return to its previous form.
Did this man realize how many laws he had broken with this act?
Harribel, behind Coyote, watched everything in silence.
Even though she didn't say anything, she agreed with the little green-haired girl.
They knew the man before them was dangerous when, with a simple gesture, he brought back their fallen comrades, and that only became more evident when Grimmjow lunged at him and a moment later was on the ground with a cut in his chest from his own sword, which they couldn't see when it was snatched away from him.
The worst part was when he was healed and tried to attack again.
Time and again he was knocked down, and time and again he got back up until finally he grew weary and had to admit that he wasn't dead only because the subject in front of them wanted him to be.
And if there was one thing Hollows respected regardless of their race, it was strength.
"Ichigo!!!"
Ichigo turned around when he heard a familiar voice
Just in time to notice the extremely soft mass that impacted his face
"Ichigo, I missed you so much!" Nelliel exclaimed, hugging Ichigo's head between her breasts.
"No way!" Orihime exclaimed upon seeing the no-longer-so-little Arrancar drowning Ichigo.
"Is this everyone?" Yamamoto asked, gripping his cane tightly.
This man, this man was too dangerous, but he couldn't act recklessly, not now.
It was something everyone could agree on.
They could not act rashly. Not without risking heavy losses.
"No, there's one more. I'll just ask you to remain calm with this one." The samurai stepped aside as a new door appeared behind him.
And the last individual everyone wanted to see appeared from her
"Now, this is surprising, isn't it?" Aizen asked, smiling with a slight air of superiority as he looked at everyone gathered there.
"Aizen!" Ichigo exclaimed in fury and panic.
What was that guy doing here!?
Wasn't it sealed?
"You freed him!?" Renji hissed, drawing his sword
"Yes, but just like you, he's a guest, and as a guest he'll behave and not do anything, right Aizen?" Shiro looked at the man, who nodded calmly.
"Yes, you have my word," the former captain agreed.
"And you expect us to believe you so easily?" Yamamoto asked furiously.
"I hope you believe in our host's ability to restrain me if I attempt to violate it," Aizen replied, making the slightest of faces.
Was he serious Ichigo thought and the answer to that was yes.
From the moment this man first appeared before him, Aizen knew it as if by instinct.
He couldn't win.
Even if he were free and at the peak of his power he couldn't win.
Such a revelation was both frustrating and interesting.
For so long Aizen thought he had reached the pinnacle of power, the pinnacle of evolution.
But apparently there was a peak so high that even he hadn't been able to see it.
Truly fascinating.
"I can put a muzzle on him if you prefer," Shiro offered, literally holding up a dog muzzle.
"Seriously, you just expect us to sit and read along with him?" Toshiro questioned, still on his guard.
"Actually, yes, that's more or less what I expect. I still have the muzzle if you want," Shiro offered once again.
"You won't muzzle me," Aizen said softly.
"Well, I suppose it'll be for Artemis."
"He really won't do anything?" Ichigo asked doubtfully.
"I promise, the moment he tries anything, I'll hang him from the ceiling," Shiro promised.
"Are you seriously thinking about accepting?" Uryu looked at Ichigo disapprovingly.
Had the substitute soul reaper forgotten what that guy did and tried? How many people he killed and manipulated? At that moment Uryu wanted nothing more than to pull out his bow and let loose his stronger attack at Aizen.
"Do you have a better idea for getting out of here?" Ichigo asked resignedly.
As powerless as the orangette was, he could do nothing but play along with this guy.
Although honestly, after everything he saw, he would probably have to play along even if he had his powers and Uryu, despite still having his, agreed. The archer let out a frustrated sigh as he forced himself to relax.
Nobody knew what to say.
Ichigo was right, sure, they could try to subdue Blanc together, but they couldn't forget that he wasn't exactly the one who brought them here, so that wouldn't do much good if he couldn't get them out.
Besides, there was no guarantee they could defeat him in the first place, considering how he treated Kenpachi, one of the strongest present, as if he were nothing.
"If you want an extra incentive, even though this book reflects another universe, you'll find certain similarities between the world, events that happened, are happening, and some that will happen," Shiro explained, throwing out the bait.
"Now that's interesting." Urahara's eyes gleamed.
If what this guy said was true, then he could get some very valuable information here.
"The future," Yamamoto stroked his beard thoughtfully.
Even the old man had to admit that the idea of being able to see future threats was tempting.
"Okay, we'll do it." Yamamoto nodded decisively.
If the last year had taught him anything, it was that he had let his guard down too much around him.
It was time to take back control
Soon, everyone began to uncomfortably settle onto the sofas.
Naturally, the Shinigami and the Hollows split into opposite extremes.
Except for Nel, who decided to sit practically hugging Ichigo, much to Orihime's jealousy, and Aizen, who sat as far away from everyone as possible.
"Kurosaki, begin," Byakuya ordered.
"Why me?" Ichigo asked angrily.
"It was you who suggested starting," Renji pointed out.
Ichigo couldn't say anything about that, so the book was handed to him by Shiro.
"Honestly, how different can it be?" Ichigo wondered, reading the cover. "The Vast of White? What does that mean?" he asked curiously.
"It doesn't sound like any title I'm familiar with," Urahara said curiously.
"It doesn't sound familiar to us either!" Lilynette exclaimed
Ichigo, now a little more curious, opened the book.
Exactly what would be here?
It was at the moment when one became two.
Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck gazed at the distant moon of Hueco Mundo, surrounded by the bodies of their own kind: Hollows, souls who, for some reason, failed to cross over to the other side.
"Look, Starrk, it's us!" Lilynette exclaimed excitedly.
"It seems so," Starrk said lazily with his eyes closed.
"So those two are the protagonists of this story?" Byakuya wondered.
He supposed it made sense; he hadn't fought the pair personally, but he'd read the reports and from what he could gather, they'd been a significant threat that he wasn't sure he could have defeated on his own.
And that would also explain why they were revived.
What good is being strong when everything is slipping through your fingers?
It had no purpose, except to feed the loneliness of forced isolation.
An immense and powerful being had split in two, but, unexpectedly, its power was still too great.
"Wait, a being split in two?" Ichigo asked incredulously.
How did that work? Although, honestly, the idea reminded him a little of his inner hollow.
"Yep, we were originally one, but Starrk felt so lonely that he split and created me. Now we're alone together!" Lilynette replied excitedly.
She was going to be the protagonist
Wait, did that make her Blanco's vastness?
Weren't the adjectives bad?
It was a curse Starrk and Lilynette were fully aware of; their mere presence was enough to suffocate and crush any weaker soul. Such was the immense power of a Vasto Lorde: great Hollows at the peak of their evolution who assumed human form. But even so, they were different. One had become two by breaking the mask that covered the face of all Hollows and unleashing an absurd amount of power. However, their strength was still too great, and since then they had both stopped eating, hoping to weaken day by day.
"It didn't work," Lilynette sighed dramatically.
It wouldn't have mattered anyway; in fact, even without eating, Starrk seemed to get stronger every day.
Starrk was tall and somewhat lanky, but still quite muscular. A Hollow's lower jaw encircled his neck; it was the only vestige of his former Adjuchas form, the second stage of his evolution, as the rest of his body was bare. He had long strands of brown hair that fell slightly below his neck and bangs that parted across his forehead. His eyes were droopy, and his tight mouth accentuated his prominent jaw and high cheekbones.
"Naked!?" Orihime exclaimed, embarrassed.
Luckily, they hadn't noticed anything, since up until now the image had only focused on Starrk's upper area, only showing his chest and Lilynette's head.
"Well, Hollows are always naked, it's not like evolving into an Arrancar suddenly gives us clothes," Nel replied.
That actually made perfect sense
Ichigo figured that even Aizen would find it uncomfortable to have all his allies walking around with everything exposed, so he got them the uniforms they always wore.
"Even we find sand uncomfortable on our newly exposed skin, so it's not uncommon to use the skins of other Hollows to cover our bodies," Harribel added.
Lilynette, on the other hand, was short, about the height of a teenager in the throes of puberty, with green hair as long as Starrk's. The only vestige of her former form was the hollow bone helmet that protected her head and covered her left eye. Her face was round, with barely visible cheekbones, but enough to contrast harmoniously with her jawline.
The two stood up and resumed their endless journey, without purpose or fixed destination. The loneliness of isolation was agonizing, yet they persisted on their way across the vast white dunes of Hueco Mundo, clad only in brown rags, skins they had taken from another being on Earth who had died. It didn't matter who they met or where they went; everything was the same.
"Yes, it was boring." Lilynette nodded in annoyance.
Starrk, meanwhile, only gave the slightest nod, still with his eyes closed.
One might wonder if he had already fallen asleep and was just pretending to listen.
However, it was a fortuitous coincidence, a twist of fate, that the two encountered a certain Vast White atop a hill in the middle of nowhere. Humanoid but completely pale, their Vast Lorde companion wore only a pair of hollow bone greaves and bracelets covered in blue tribal markings to reveal his former form. Short tufts of red hair sprouted from his head, and his face was oval and surprisingly peaceful for a Hollow. His amber eyes scanned them briefly before closing.
"What? So I'm not Blanco's vast husband?" Lilynette complained with a pout.
"You're a woman," Starrk had to point out, opening his eyes to see this mysterious Vasto Lorde.
They had encountered several Hollows while traveling, but he was certain they had never met one quite like this one.
"So, this is the Vast of White," Yamamoto observed the Hollow seriously.
Given the title, it wasn't hard to guess that he would be the protagonist of the story.
Which made it dangerous
What kind of changes would this individual bring to the world?
Aizen also looked at him with interest.
What about this individual might warrant being brought here to contemplate his story?
The Vast White opened his eyes and did not move in his presence, only tilting his head slightly to acknowledge his existence.
True to his lazy nature, Starrk brushed his brown hair aside and sat a short distance from the peculiar hollow being, content to be in the company of another. Lilynette soon followed Starrk's lead, only she merely brushed the green hair away from her single exposed eye. Neither spoke; they both stared at the Vast White. They both hoped the moment would be fleeting; after all, they had met other Vast Lordes, and the only difference between them and other hollow beings was how long it took them to die. Yet nothing happened to the solitary Vast.
"Wow, she's strong," Lilynette said admiringly.
Their problem was only solved thanks to Aizen and his strange magic ball, but before that, most of the Hollows would have died during the first night they were there.
"Let's see how much," Starrk commented with mild interest.
But if he was the protagonist, then he couldn't be weak, right?
As the weeks passed, tears glistened on Lilynette's face. She sobbed and looked away when Starrk glanced at her. He could sense her emotions through the bond that had united them since they had evolved from the same Hollow, but he was man enough not to show it.
"Hey, that's private!" Lilynette exclaimed, annoyed.
It wasn't fair! Why did she have to be the emotional one of the two?
The Vast of White stirred, driven by Lilynette's tears.
"Why are you crying?" Vasto asked. His voice was pleasant, with a soft tone.
"What's it to you!" Lilynette exclaimed, shaking her fist in embarrassment.
Ugh, and the worst part is that everyone was watching!
Starrk shrugged and lay down on the sand to sleep.
"Say something!" Lilynette demanded, hitting her partner in the side.
Starrk naturally just shrugged as he ignored her
It was then that an unsuspecting lizard burrowed out from beneath the sand a few feet from the group. Almost instantly, it died due to the spiritual pressure, the soul energy, its reishi, that Starrk and Lilynette were uncontrollably emitting.
"Truly powerful," Toshiro said with a frown.
They were lucky that Captain Shunsui had gotten rid of those two, or who knows what kind of harm they might have caused among his men.
Lilynette frowned as Starrk sighed deeply.
"I see," said Vasto de Blanco before unexpectedly placing a delicate hand on the hollow bone helmet Lilynette wore. "You were alone."
"Hey, only Starrk can do that," Lilynette complained.
She wasn't a child!
Lilynette Gingerbuck stared at the Vast White's face. His eyes weren't cold and narrowed like most other Hollows', but patient and calm.
"She reminds me a little of you, Nelliel," Harribel commented.
"Really?" Nel asked curiously.
Honestly, his memories of that time were still a little hazy even though he had recovered most of them.
"It wasn't unusual to see you taking care of the weaker Hollows even when you were just an adjucha," Harribel replied.
The tall tan skinned woman remembered, thinking that she was just a very strange Hollow back then.
"I was still thinking about it," The Vast White murmured.
Starrk was the first to sense the sudden change in Lilynette's spiritual pressure. His eyes wide, Starrk turned almost instantly toward her. She was there, standing exactly as he had last seen her, but her spiritual pressure had dropped to unimaginably low levels. It was then that Starrk took in the surroundings. Thousands of blades lay scattered in every direction, and Starrk realized that they all stemmed from Lilynette's spiritual pressure.
"What? What kind of power is that?" Rukia asked, stunned.
He turned the spiritual pressure of another being into swords!?
How was that possible?
"Fascinating. An ability that directly affects your opponent's spiritual power is truly a very dangerous asset on the battlefield," Aizen remarked, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"The question is, can he do that to anyone, or does it only affect other Hollows?" Urahara narrowed his eyes, looking at this Vast of White.
Could one resist the process or was it instantaneous? Did it require direct contact with the target's head or could it be done with any part of the body? How much spiritual pressure could be converted into blades at once?
Too many questions, too few answers
Ichigo swallowed hard at the thought of facing someone like that
How did you defeat a guy who could take away most or perhaps all of your energy with just one touch?
The Vast in White soon joined Stark and produced the same result.
"They didn't even try to resist?" Grimmjow clicked his tongue at the sight of the pair accepting that so easily.
Didn't they realize they were now defenseless against another Hollow?
"He doesn't seem to want to hurt us," Starrk shrugged.
"Now neither of us will feel alone," the Vast White stated as he sat back down on the sand. He turned his head toward Starrk and Lilynette, who looked at him in surprise. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere."
"Look, Starrk! Our duo has become a trio! Now we finally have one more in our faction!" Lilynette said happily.
"Seriously?" Starrk wondered.
In any case, wouldn't they be part of their faction?
"Miss Harribel, have you heard of the Vast White?" Sung-Sun asked. She was an Adjuchas-type Hollow in the form of a pale white snake covered in a hard exoskeleton. Her Hollow snake form was coiled in a relaxed position as she watched her leader and the other members of the group.
"So this is why they brought me here," Harribel murmured with interest.
Apparently, he also had a role in this story.
However, he wondered how his faction would fare now that he had disappeared.
According to what Shiro explained to them, when they returned they would do so in the same second they were brought back, so they wouldn't miss anything, but she was still worried.
“No,” Harribel replied. She was another Vasto Lorde and the leader of the group of Adjucha-class hollows gathered around her. Her humanoid form was almost entirely covered by a shark-inspired, hollow-bone exoskeleton; her face, above her lips, was the only exception. Her turquoise eyes scanning her surroundings—a narrow cliff overlooking a distant canyon—she sighed before signaling to the others that the area was clear and Sung-Sun could proceed.
"Hey, you take care of other Hollows too!" Nel complained upon seeing Harribel's group
And she was the weird one?
"The difference is that the Hollows I care for are powerful in their own right and are useful in a fight," the Arrancar shark replied calmly.
A steady wind blew, ruffling Harribel's long blonde hair, which reached down to her neck, as she waited.
"The silent hollow, the immovable hollow, is a legend in these parts," Sung-Sun began to explain. "Its strength is something that..."
"So he's already made a name for himself," Yamamoto began, growing worried about this Vasto de Blanco.
Where were they at? If Aizen arrives soon and this Vast of White joins his ranks, then the Soul Society could be in real danger.
They had to take care of him as soon as possible!
"Get to the point already," Apacci muttered from where she sat on the sand, her deer-like figure propped against a jutting rock. "We don't need to hear how strong this guy is; Lady Harribel is stronger."
"Not if that guy is on your side." Harribel shook her head.
There was a reason why she was only the third sword while Starrk was the first.
That, and they still weren't sure of the Vasto Lorde's capabilities on his own, apart from his ability to convert spiritual power into swords, which was already immensely dangerous in itself.
"Apacci, as always, you have no good taste in conversation." Sung-Sun retorted with a snort.
"You're right, Sung-Sun. Just keep going," said Mila Rose. She, like the others, was sitting on the sand. She brought her paw to her mouth and began to lick it, displaying her sharp claws; a feature only possible thanks to her Hollow form, similar to that of a lion.
"They look very strong," Chad commented gently.
Did they really fight those creatures when they invaded the nights?
They looked more threatening in that form than when they turned around and ran away.
"Alright." Sung-Sun unfurled his form and revealed a fragment of a twisted sword. "Apacci, come here and touch this sword."
"Hey, that's mine!" Lilynette exclaimed, offended.
It came out of her! It was her sword!
"Huh? Why on earth would I do that?" Apacci asked, confused.
"Just do it already," Sung-Sun said, shaking his head in exasperation. "It's not like I'm going to kill you, but I've been underestimating you lately."
"Fighting as usual," Harribel sighed as she watched them interact.
They never really got along at all
Or perhaps they got along too well, it was hard to say
Apacci frowned, but he wasn't about to fall into such an obvious trap. "Let that jerk do it," he said after a moment, staring at Mila Rose.
"Who are you calling a jerk?!" Mila Rose stood up from her position and stealthily walked towards Apacci.
"You, obviously."
Kenpachi grunted impatiently
He had remained silent out of respect for the bandaged man's strength, but was this really all?
He was getting bored!
"This jerk has a really strong bite," growled Mila Rose, baring her teeth and ready for a confrontation.
However, Harribel stood up, ending all activity. Slowly, she walked over to the twisted sword and knelt to examine it. She reached out and touched it against the rough metal.
"Now, what's so special about you?" Aizen asked with great interest.
Did those blades have any use after they were ejected?
Everyone remained silent.
Harribel's eyes opened wide, and a single thought crossed her mind.
"Reishi," Harribel murmured, gathering up what remained of the twisted sword in one swift motion.
"Exactly," Sung-Sun said. "It's extremely dense for just a fragment. In fact, it provides more Reishi than any ordinary hollow; I know this because I've been consuming it for a while now."
"Wait, they can do that!?" Renji exclaimed, disturbed by the revelation.
"No? Honestly, I've never tried it. The last thing I think about when I'm fighting a Shinigami is feeding on its sword," Hallibel replied.
"Rukia, could you?" Ichigo asked curiously, looking at Nel.
Rukia, though slightly reluctant, drew her Zanpakutō and handed it to Ichigo.
Ichigo looked at the sword with a moment of nostalgia before giving it to Nel, who held it curiously.
"Hmm, I can definitely sense the reishi, but..." Nel closed her eyes, squeezing them shut as if concentrating deeply before opening them and sighing. "I can't access it in any way, it's impossible." Finally, she shook her head before returning it.
Yamamoto felt a sense of relief within.
If something like that had been possible, he would have had to hunt down the Hollows present and force the rest not to speak of what he had discovered.
That was information too dangerous to let go of.
"So it's something unique to the blades that creates this vast expanse of white," Urahara said with fascination.
"But, could it have something to do with the fact that they were made with the reishi of a Hollow?" Aizen wondered.
"That's a good point," Urahara nodded. "We also have to take into account the Hollows they were made from," he added, immediately looking at
Lilynette and Starrk.
I wouldn't say it out loud, but I had missed arguing with someone on his level.
The rest of the Shinigami watched the interaction with discomfort.
They definitely hadn't gotten used to Aizen's presence and didn't think they would anytime soon.
Or never
Harribel looked at Sung-Sun curiously. "So?"
"Similar fragments can be found throughout the territory of Vasto de Blanco, the territory we have just entered."
"That's...an incredible discovery," Harribel admitted, amazed.
Did this Vasto de Blanco realize what he had done?
To feed and grow, the Hollows only had two options
Whether it's going to the human world and feeding on souls or staying in Hueco Mundo and hunting other Hollows
Whichever option he chose would always lead to the sacrifice of another sentient being in order to survive
And now this man created a third option out of thin air.
Did she seriously not realize her own power and just leave such valuable objects scattered around?
"So you're saying we fought that bastard and kept the territory?" Mila Rose asked, smiling. "I like that."
"No," Harribel declared.
If they tried that, Coyote would kill them; they couldn't risk messing with him.
That, and the fact that the Vast of White couldn't be weak either if it could stay close to Starrk for so long without being affected.
“That,” Sung-Sun said. “It would be suicide. Perhaps it would be possible for Lady Harribel, but for us… the probability is zero. ‘The All-Seeing Hollow,’ as its name suggests, sees everything and annihilates all those who act with hostility, without ever moving from its pedestal.”
"Do you?" Lilynette asked Stark
"I'm not sure it's me," Starrk replied.
I could, but why bother?
"The Vast in White is also a Vast Lorde, it's impossible for him to be weak," Grimmjow snarled, stating the obvious.
"Nonsense, that's impossible!" said Apacci.
Harribel's eyes narrowed before she looked again at the fragment in her hand; the fact that it was fragmented set off alarm bells. That had been a sword, and its shattered state indicated an explosion. A projectile?
"Projectile? Who the hell uses swords as projectiles?" Renji wondered.
"My brother doesn't do something like that?" Rukia asked.
"I suppose my bankai could be categorized to some extent as thousands of small projectiles, but it's different from using a normal sword as one," Byakuya replied.
He turned his gaze towards Sung-Sun.
"I see Mrs. Harribel has understood," Sung-Sun said, nodding. "Now, if only you idiots would..."
"Sung-Su, stop." Harribel sighed softly.
She had to admit that although all three were troublemakers and conflictive, it was usually Sung-Su who started the fights.
"Don't provoke them, Sung-Sun," Harribel interrupted in a serious voice.
"Understood, my lady."
Harribel turned and stared into the distance, straining her eyes until she caught sight of a hollow, white figure towering atop the highest dune. Even Harribel couldn't easily make out its silhouette because of the distance, but somehow, she knew it was watching her.
"Since when did he become aware of our presence?" Harribel wondered seriously.
And how wide was its attack range? Although, taking into account the sword fragments around it, they were definitely already inside him.
"He doesn't seem hostile at least," Nel said, relieved.
I didn't want Harribel to die
"Stay alert," Harribel said. "We are in the enemy's attack zone."
Apacci, Mila Rose, and even Sung-Sun were baffled by Harribel's statement. There wasn't an enemy in sight for hundreds of miles around. Nevertheless, they obeyed Harribel's order.
"Hundreds of kilometers?" Ishida said, frustrated.
Its best range was barely ten kilometers, and that was only if it abandoned accuracy by length.
And that guy could shoot from hundreds of kilometers away?
And how accurate was it?
"Sung-Sun, this fragment is probably a projectile."
"Yes, I think so."
"You knew and you didn't say anything?" Nel asked, confused.
They could have been in danger, and she chose to remain silent!
Harribel narrowed her eyes
He'd better have a good explanation for that.
"Then why didn't you tell me about this before?" Harribel asked.
"Nothing could be seen in the distance, as you yourself verified just an hour ago," Sung-Sun replied hesitantly.
Harribel had to admit that if she hadn't been actively searching for the Vast White in the distance, she wouldn't have found it.
"So his range may be even greater than that," Aizen concluded.
That was incredible; even among the Shinigami and Hollows I had known, I had never encountered one capable of doing something similar.
Even Coyote Starrk, the strongest among his swords, couldn't throw that far.
"Sung-Sun, what do you know about the Vast White?" Harribel asked.
"It's not about his abilities; he simply never attacks unless provoked," Sung-Sun said, bowing his head. "His territory is also a refuge for all the weaker Hollows."
"She really does look like you," Harribel said, shaking her head.
"Oh! You think I'll actually show up!" Nel said excitedly
She wanted to meet him too.
"Considering you were brought here, it's not impossible," replied the Arrancar shark.
"Can you explain?" Harribel asked as the tension in her muscles lessened.
“He doesn’t attack, and no Hollow has ever seen him feed. He keeps all hostilities at bay while the weaker Hollows feed on the remaining fragments of his power. Most of the Adjuchas in the area evolved thanks to the Vast White, and many hold him in high regard.” Sung-Sun cleared his throat. “What I was suggesting earlier was collecting these fragments so we wouldn’t have to hunt to survive. Or perhaps simply staying in the area.”
"Interesting, he's building an army?" Urahara wondered.
Even if the Hollows were weak now, if they continued to feed on those blades they could grow in strength rapidly.
"He didn't seem like the ambitious type," Ichigo said with a frown.
From what little they had seen of him, he seemed like a guy who was too calm to worry about something like world domination or things like that.
"We can become stronger without devouring or sacrificing others." Curiously, it was Apacci who muttered that phrase.
Harribel frowned thoughtfully, Apacci's words echoing in her mind. They had lived too long under the constant threat of kill or be killed, but there, before her, was an alternative. To live without sacrifice? No, Harribel shook herself. There is always some form of sacrifice. Why would the Vast White sacrifice its own power for the needs of others?
"Why isn't it their power!" Lilynette complained.
Starrk, on the other hand, shrugged
Honestly, he didn't care as long as he could get some company; he had power to spare, so why not give some away?
Finally, he looked up at the figure of the Vast White and made a decision. He needed to verify something.
"Go back to the cave, I'll see you later." Harribel disappeared at full speed in the direction of the Vast White.
"Will you fight him?" Grimmjow asked with a bloodthirsty grin
"I'm not hot-blooded like you, I'll just confirm if it's safe to stay." Harribel quickly denied it.
The last thing I wanted was to fight not just one, but two Vasto Lorde at the same time.
Above distant sand dunes, Harribel felt the gazes of several Hollows upon her as she approached the Vast White. They were not predatory, nor hostile gazes; cautious, yes, but not hostile. They were gazes of apprehension, fear, indifference, and curiosity. It was the kind of gaze one would have when someone threatened their home. Harribel was a Vast Lorde like the Vast White; it wouldn't be surprising if she could kill him.
"As if we'd let you!" Lilynette shook her fist defiantly
"That's not my plan either," Harribel repeated.
Why did everyone think he was going to fight?
Be that as it may, the resident Hollows, though wary, realized that the White Vast hadn't brought her down with an endless rain of fire. Therefore, it wasn't hostile. As Harribel ventured deeper and deeper into the White Vast's territory, the number of swords increased, and they became less twisted; they were no longer mere fragments. Her serene eyes analyzed that probably no other hostile White Vast Lorde had ever ventured so far into the territory. She didn't understand why the swords became so twisted the further out they went, but she knew it wasn't a coincidence.
"Are they all from the power of those two?" Urahara wondered, seeing the number of swords.
There were too many, many more than those created when I touched the pair
Something didn't fit here
Sure, it could be that he did that regularly and that's why the number had increased, but he wasn't sure why the idea didn't quite convince him.
Harribel quickly reached the Vast White, who was relaxed, staring intently at the dark sky of Hueco Mundo. She pointed her shark-fin-shaped sword at the Vast, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Nooo!"
Harribel's eyes widened when Lilynette Gingerbuck appeared to protect the Vasto Blanca, her green hair contrasting sharply with the piercing glare in her single visible eye. It wasn't her speed that surprised Harribel, but the fact that one Hollow was protecting another. In Hueco Mundo, it was always eat or be eaten.
"You're acting very aggressive for someone who doesn't want to kill him!" Lilynette growled at Harribel.
"I was just going to make a statement, although it seems unnecessary," Harribel replied impassively.
I knew that she, well, that Harribel would quickly understand the situation just from that act.
"If you take one more step, Starrk will beat you up!" Lilynette threatened.
Starrk, the hollow being lying motionless on the ground a couple of meters away, did not respond.
"Starrk!" Lilynette exclaimed in frustration.
"It's not dangerous," the lazy man replied.
If it were, wouldn't it have been shot down like they said it did with all hostiles?
Lilynette's frustration was growing.
"Starrk, my God! Come here right now!"
Starrk opened one eye and sighed, covering his mouth with his hand, before sitting up and assessing the situation. Drool trickled from his mouth and his eyelids were still half-closed.
"...Please, Lilynette." Starrk collapsed back to the ground.
"Stop being so relaxed!" Lilynette complained.
He at least had to show some dignity!
"Why bother? We already have him," Starrk declared before yawning.
These armchairs were seriously very comfortable.
"Don't fall asleep again!"
"That's enough, Lilynette." The White Vast turned to Harribel and placed a hand on Lilynette's shoulder to calm her. "What do you want?" he asked.
"No," Harribel said, shaking her head calmly. "It seems my suspicions were unfounded."
A hollow that enjoys enough trust from other hollows that they are willing to protect it? Perhaps there was some truth in Sung-Sun's words. Harribel withdrew her shark fin blade.
"See?" Harribel pointed, trying to reassure little Hollow
"Mmh!, you got lucky this time," Lilynette declared, looking away.
"You're a strange fellow, Vasto de Blanco."
"Strange?" The Vast White bowed his head.
"Too much," Grimmjow declared irritably.
Seriously, what was wrong with that guy, surrounding himself with that bunch of weakling opportunists?
"There is no bloodlust in your gaze, no desire to become stronger, not even to fill the void that makes us feel empty."
"I did not wish to strengthen myself by sacrificing others." The Vast White watched a group of Adjuchas approaching in the distance. "No hero of justice would do that."
"A hero? Seriously?" Ichigo asked incredulously.
Oh God, tell him he's not like Don Kanonji
"You're not someone to talk to, Ichigo," Rukia mocked.
"Yes! Ichigo is a hero too!" Orihime nodded repeatedly with excitement
"No, I'm not anything that great." Ichigo shook his head.
He had simply wanted to keep his friends and family safe.
"Kurosaki Ichigo"
Ichigo shuddered when he heard Aizen say his name
"You defeated me, never forget that and don't you dare underestimate yourself," Aizen said with an arrogant smile.
Ichigo paled slightly
Did Aizen really just compliment him?
What the hell was that guy planning now?
"..."
Without saying a word, Harribel turned her gaze to where the Vast White was looking. "His bloodlust radiates even here," she said.
Instead of speaking, the Vast White stood up and extended an arm.
"So you're finally going to show what you're capable of." Byakuya stared at the screen, not daring to blink.
They didn't know if this Vast of White existed anywhere in Hueco Mundo right now, but if he did, it would be best to learn as much as possible about him and his abilities in case they ever crossed paths.
Lilynette ran back to take cover next to Starrk, which confused Harribel.
"Trace On."
Everyone expected him to take one of the swords surrounding him, to use it like a javelin or something similar
They definitely weren't expecting to see an arc of all things appear
A bone-white bow, larger than Vast himself, appeared in the White Vast's hand; the white exoskeleton shattered, revealing sturdy obsidian. Walking nonchalantly toward a protruding blade, the White Vast muttered under his breath, and the blade twisted to an absurd length. After striking the twisted blade against his bow, the White Vast fired with unerring accuracy. Faster than any cero Harribel had ever seen, the twisted blade slammed into the group of Adjuchas.
"A Quincy?" Uryu wondered, astonished.
Was it possible that this Vast in White was once a Quincy?
"No, due to its very nature, it's impossible for a Quincy to become a Hollow." Urahara quickly denied what Uryu had suggested. "Or at least, that's what we thought." Honestly, the first thing that came to his mind too was a Quincy like Uryu.
But how was that possible?
"Truly fascinating," Aizen commented, his eyes gleaming mysteriously
... The world was bathed in a crimson glow, waves of sand traveling in all directions.
The twisted sword shattered into multiple fragments that scattered everywhere; the Adjuchas were annihilated and vanished into particles of Reishi. This was understandable, given the amount of Reishi contained in the sword the Vast White had fired; each fragment held as much Reishi as a cero.
"A Cero? Are all those swords as powerful as a Cero?" Toshiro asked, beginning to pale.
But there were hundreds!, and those were only the ones the angle of the image allowed them to see.
From what they knew, there could be thousands scattered about!
"Now this is better," Kenpachi smiled bloodthirstily.
I wanted to fight that guy!
It's definitely strong, and there are still many more.
Harribel was once again struck by the sheer number of swords lying around her. It was simply absurd that each one contained the destructive power of a Cero. How powerful could the Vasto Blanco be to produce so many?
"Now I understand how Sung-Sun was able to feed on a single fragment for so long," Harribel remarked, unwilling to admit that she felt a little intimidated.
The Vast White took down his bow and sat down again on the ever-changing sand.
"You can relax," said the Vast White, as if he sensed Harribel beginning to tense her muscles. "I will not attack unless necessary."
"I see," Harribel said, sitting down somewhat hesitantly. "What is your goal in choosing to stay here?"
"Yes, what is your objective, Vasto de Blanco?" Yamamoto asked grimly.
Raise an army? Rule Hueco Mundo? Gather forces to attack the Seireitei?
It was a question that had troubled Harribel from the start. Why wouldn't such a powerful Vasto Lorde attack any of the other Vasto Lordes of Hueco Mundo, as Baraggan had done? There had to be a reason.
"True, Baraggan once had that ambition, didn't he?" Grimmjow said with annoyance.
Becoming king of Hueco Mundo, what an idiot
In the end, he was killed by his own technique by a nobody who wasn't even a captain or one of the forces that Aizen warned them to take into account.
Had it not been for Aizen's arrival in Hueco Mundo, sooner or later he would have finished off that old skeleton himself.
The Vast White surveyed his vast territory.
"I stay here to watch over those who cannot defend themselves, to save them from those who wish to harm them." The Vast White sighed. "I no longer remember how long I've been in Hueco Mundo, but I could never bear to see the strong simply kill the weak."
"To protect, huh?" Ichigo sympathized with that Hollow
He was starting to like me
"Is your ambition really that simple?" Aizen wondered.
There was something more there, I didn't know what, but definitely there was something much bigger hidden within that simple ideal
Truly fascinating
"Well, as long as you stay there in Hueco Mundo, then it won't be a problem." Toshiro crossed his arms, secretly relieved.
Honestly, I didn't want to have to fight with that guy.
Harribel sat in silence, while a soft breeze caused strands of her blonde hair to brush against her closed eyes.
"You are truly a strange being, Vast of White." Harribel opened her eyes and stared at the Vast of White.
Vasto de Blanco scratched the back of his neck with a surprisingly human gesture. His pale face made the gesture seem somewhat strange. His short red hair swayed as he returned his arm to his side.
"Em," the Vast of White began. "My name isn't Vast of White. I'd prefer you call me Archer, or maybe Shirou; it sounds better to me."
"Archer, I suppose that makes sense, but Shirou? Seriously?" Uryu sighed at the irony.
"They're not related, are they?" Rangiku asked mockingly, looking at Shiro.
"No, although I won't deny the resemblance," Blanc, sitting a little further away from the group, replied, shaking his head.
"So Shirou... You're really peculiar." Harribel stood up and looked at Shirou. "Aunt Harribel," Harribel introduced herself. "This won't be the last time you see me."
Shirou nodded and Harribel sped off.
It seems that Sung-Sun's idea wasn't so bad after all.
"At this rate, I'll end up joining him," Harribel noted.
It wouldn't surprise him if, in the future, he ended up serving her as that pair did.
Or at least until Aizen arrived and everyone joined him
She wondered which seat Shirou would occupy; she couldn't see him below the second sword if she was honest.
"Alright, it's over, now let's fight." Kenpachi, who until now had remained surprisingly calm, suddenly jumped out of his seat and landed in front of Shiro, who looked at him with an impassive face.
"Okay, if you stay calm while you read, I'll fight you at the end of each chapter, is that alright?"
"Excellent! Let's go—Ugh!" Whatever Kenpachi was about to say was stopped short when Blanc's fist slammed into his face, sending him flying several meters before he landed on the ground with his eyes rolled back in his head.
"And with that, I take the first round," Blanc said simply.
Everyone stared at him
Are you serious?
"Do you want to fight too?" he asked, looking at Grimmjow.
"Tsk, no, at least not now." Grimmjow clicked his tongue in annoyance before rejecting him.
I wanted to find out a little more about his strength before attempting something like that again.
"So, what did you think?" Blanc asked, addressing everyone.
"Are you sure this is another world and not just a made-up story?" Yoriichi asked cautiously.
Blanc remained silent for a moment before looking up at the sky
"Excellent question," he murmured to himself. "But yes, even in a different universe, where the rules you know may not exist or may be different, where anything can happen, enemies who are now allies, families who are now strangers—everything is possible in the multiverse." He explained, looking at those present seriously, "So, what do you say? Do you wish to continue?"
"Do we have a choice?" Uryu asked, adjusting his glasses.
"Another excellent question"
"Fine, we'll stay. I want to see where this leads," Yamamoto declared authoritatively.
This Vast of White could become a great threat to the soul society.
And if that were the case, it was his duty to find out everything possible about him in case he existed in his world.
And eliminate it if it turns out to be a threat.
That was his duty as captain-commander of the Seireitei
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