Chapter 159

Quchiki Senya and the other continued forward, encountering numerous Hollows of varying realms along the way.

"I never expected we'd run into such a strange pairing—that one looks like a Menos, but what's the other?"

"A regular Hollow? Why is it beside a Menos?"

"Could it be… mobile rations?"

The wasteland was filled with Hollows—various kinds, each with vastly different abilities.

Among them were several Hollows with special abilities that caused considerable trouble for Quchiki Senya and the other.

For instance, one Hollow resembled the earlier bull-headed Hollow and possessed a destruction ability, even forcing Ravini into a grueling battle.

Of course, it was grueling only before Ravini released her Zanpakutō; after release, it was an instant kill.

"How do you feel?" Quchiki Senya asked Ravini.

"Not good—the side effects of release are still too severe," Ravini shook her head.

She knew her own abilities well; what she needed now was to extend the duration of her release as much as possible.

The two continued traveling, and Quchiki Senya constantly trained Ravini, teaching her how to control her reiatsu.

"Try it—hide your reiatsu as much as possible, accomplish the greatest effect with the least reiatsu," Quchiki Senya told Ravini.

Ravini stared at the enemy ahead, then charged forward directly.

Her evolution over this period had surpassed Quchiki Senya's expectations, but he knew it wasn't enough—he didn't want just a subordinate's aid, but a partner capable of matching a Captain in battle.

Ravini was indeed powerful now, but she still couldn't stand against a Shinigami Captain.

Rikudo Kenji was nicknamed the "Power Meter"—Ravini now possessed only half his strength.

More than ten minutes later, Ravini returned, covered in wounds.

"I did it," Ravini said, though weak, her entire demeanor was excited.

Quchiki Senya smiled faintly and added, "Well done. Now we can head to the smuggling point."

Saying this, Quchiki Senya called to Ravini, and soon the two set off.

This time they didn't stop, reaching the entrance quickly.

It was a wasteland; clearly, the Hueco Mundo inhabitants had prepared defenses—directly storming in here was impossible.

As soon as they revealed themselves, they'd be detected; meaning, if they wanted to enter, they had only one minute—or even half a minute—of open time.

As Quchiki Senya was planning, he sensed other Hollows nearby.

"Ravini, come back!" Quchiki Senya sensed other Hollows and urgently called her back.

But by the time Ravini returned, the others had already spotted them—two of them, faces covered, carrying large, bandage-wrapped objects on their backs.

"They've found us!" The two were now flustered.

They immediately rushed toward Quchiki Senya and attacked him directly.

Quchiki Senya frowned and quickly Hollowfied to block them.

"Kidō #33: Sōkatsui!"

Immediately, a burst of fire shot toward Quchiki Senya.

At first, Quchiki Senya didn't react—he only realized it was Kidō when he took the full hit.

"Boom!" Smoke billowed upward; Ravini rushed over to search for Quchiki Senya's whereabouts.

Inside the smoke, Quchiki Senya wrapped his arms around her waist and swiftly broke free.

"Tendan Sōbō, darkness shrouds all things—manifest!" Quchiki Senya summoned his Zanpakutō, instantly enveloping all four of them.

From outside, they vanished from their original spot, and the smoke disappeared entirely.

Quchiki Senya did this because he feared the smuggler's guards might detect them—his technique perfectly isolated them from the outside.

"This… this is the power of a Zanpakutō?" The two were utterly stunned.

"He's a Hollow! How can he Hollowfy like this?!" The other was equally shocked.

But the truly shocked one was Quchiki Senya—he hadn't expected to encounter Shinigami here.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Quchiki Senya appeared before them, holding Ravini.

He had not yet undone the Hollowfication—if he did, his Shinigami power would be exposed, and if the Hollows discovered them, all would be lost.

"Y-you're a Shinigami?" The other stared at Quchiki Senya in shock.

"Correct," Quchiki Senya nodded.

"But your Hollow power…" The other remained confused.

Quchiki Senya replied, "This is called a Menpō—it's formed by fusing Shinigami and Hollow powers. I know it's hard to explain, but the truth is, I am a Shinigami, sent here on official orders."

"Whose orders?" The tall one asked.

Quchiki Senya regarded him coolly. "I should be asking you—who are you? Why are you here?"

"We're from the 13th Division. Captain Fukusai sent us to eliminate leftover monsters in Hueco Mundo. After entering the Dangai, we lost our way and ended up here," the tall one said.

Quchiki Senya frowned—if so, Aizen was likely behind this.

"Unless I'm mistaken, you were tricked here by Aizen, weren't you?" Quchiki Senya asked.

"What? You know Aizen?" The tall one was stunned again.

"Do you think he'd follow you here after tricking you? He only used you as test subjects. In truth, Aizen has already stirred up a massive upheaval in the Soul Society," Quchiki Senya said coolly.

The tall one fell silent for a moment, then said to Quchiki Senya, "Put away your Zanpakutō—getting detected would be disastrous."

Quchiki Senya glanced at him coolly, then sheathed his Zanpakutō.

His mask vanished; once they saw his true Shinigami face, they relaxed slightly.

"How far has Aizen progressed?" The tall one asked.

"Why don't we exchange names and identities first? What do you think?" Quchiki Senya countered.

The two paused, then nodded.

"My name is Soshiki Sosuke, and he is Mido Tetsuzo,"the tall man said.

Tetsuzo was short in stature, yet his eyes were extremely resolute.

Kuchiki Senya nodded, then introduced himself.

"Her name is Lavine? Why?"Tetsuzo asked, somewhat curious.

"Because she is a Hollow,"Kuchiki Senya said calmly.

116. The Plan Changes; The Meaning of Survival

"What?"Tetsuzo's expression changed.

Sosuke instantly became alert; he had just begun to trust Kuchiki Senya a little, but learning that the person beside him was a Hollow, it would be strange if he wasn't tense.

"Don't be tense; I raised her myself,"Kuchiki Senya said.

"But she is a Hollow!"Sosuke gritted his teeth.

Kuchiki Senya narrowed his eyes, then said, "You can attack here, but the two of you combined would not be her match, and you would only expose your whereabouts."

"If you want to die, then go ahead and do it,"Kuchiki Senya said coldly, looking at the two of them.

Hearing these words, Sosuke gradually calmed down; he gritted his teeth and stared at Lavine.

"Since you have come to the Hueco Mundo, how have you survived?"Kuchiki Senya continued to ask.

The group was now hiding behind a sand dune, the surroundings perfectly safe.

"We started as a squad of ten, led by the Third Seat. We have been here for several decades; in the first year alone, we lost five comrades."

As he spoke these words, Sosuke's face turned extremely grim.

"Over the following decades, we figured out who brought us here, so we began to lie in wait and search for Aizen's whereabouts. Finally, we heard he was hiding within the Inner City; to find him, the five of us remaining began to strive to move closer."

"But now you see, the five of us are reduced to just the two of us. The Third Seat sacrificed himself to protect us, and the other two, seeing no hope of revenge, chose to end their own lives..."

Sosuke's expression was pained; thinking of these things, he nearly collapsed.

Kuchiki Senya frowned; he understood Sosuke's thoughts clearly: a full squad of ten, and in the end, only the two of them remained.

Moreover, they had been living in the Hueco Mundo, unable to return to the Soul Society all this time.

"How have the two of you survived until now? Won't your Shinigami power be detected by the Hollows?"Kuchiki Senya asked, somewhat curious.

"We have this."Tetsuzo set down the large object on his back, which contained the bones of a dead Hollow.

"His and my abilities can seal the bones of a Hollow; once placed on us, they suppress our Shinigami power. Simple Kidō battles won't be detected, as long as the opponent doesn't recognize our Kidō techniques,"Sosuke explained from the side.

Kuchiki Senya rubbed his chin; these decades had not been entirely fruitless for them.

"It seems your strength has also improved, but now I must tell you something; I hope you are mentally prepared."Kuchiki Senya looked at the two of them with a serious expression.

Sosuke and Tetsuzo's expressions both changed; they did not know why Kuchiki Senya was taking such a serious attitude.

"Speak; no matter what it is now, we can accept it!"The two nodded, looking at Kuchiki Senya.

Kuchiki Senya thought for a moment, then finally said, "Aizen is no longer in the Hueco Mundo, and his actions in the Soul Society have already been thwarted by me."