Slime Soul (Tensura x Bleach Crossover) (Patreon)

Chapter 2: The First Step Forward

Forest of Menos

I don’t know how many days had passed since I finished devouring my first batch of Gillian. Since then, I’d been practically consuming everything in my path in search of an Adjuchas.

At this point, I think I’d even built a bit of a reputation. I always used the same flying hollow form through Mimicry whenever I went hunting, only reverting to my true slime body when I rested. A disguise, sure, but not a perfect one. Still, it was enough to keep my trail faint, even if it wasn’t enough to grant me a name. A start, at least.

Despite devouring another hundred Gillian, I’d only collected about sixty-one thousand souls. That still left thirty-nine thousand to go before triggering my evolution. Before reaching that milestone, though, I wanted two things: a proper human form, and at least one Adjuchas kill. With the right skills from such a victory, my eventual evolution would be far more impactful.

Preferably I wanted my Predator to evolve into Gluttony which was a sin series skill and was massively powerful and would only become more so once it evolved into an Ultimate Slill.

The Gillian hadn’t given me much in the way of new abilities. Instead, I’d focused on honing the ones I had. One skill in particular had caught my interest since it was one I had acquired upon first reincarnating. The Extra Skill: Biokinesis.

Just like the name implied, it allowed me to manipulate the biology of living organisms. On myself it wasn’t much, slimes are already pretty flexible that way, especially with Great Sage’s support. But on others? That’s where the skill truly shined.

I’d been using it to experiment on ordinary hollows, altering them to my heart’s content. Out here in Hueco Mundo, where hollows were practically endless, they made perfect test subjects. Disposable.

Right now, the ability wasn’t anything too crazy, but its potential was massive if it evolved further. With Great Sage’s guidance, I trained it relentlessly. That effort had already borne fruit: by upping my natural regeneration Great Sage had been able to combine Absorption, Dissolve, and Self-Regeneration with the new knowledge. I’d gained a new skill, Extra Skill: Ultraspeed Regeneration.

I broke from my thoughts as a sudden wave of spiritual pressure slammed into me. Even from this distance, it was heavier, stronger, and sharper than anything I’d felt since arriving.

“Notice. After calculating the amount of spiritual pressure, there is a high chance the presence belongs to that of an Adjuchas.” Great Sage confirmed it for me moments later.

“That’s what I thought too,” I muttered, bobbing my body up and down excitedly. “About time one of them showed themselves. Let’s see how I stack up.”

=====

It didn’t take me long to track down the presence I’d felt earlier. Even though they weren’t openly displaying their strength anymore, once I got close enough, their location was obvious. Unlike myself, most hollows couldn’t, or had a very hard time, fully suppressing their chaotic energy. For once, I was glad to be a slime.

As I drew within viewing distance, I spotted what looked like dwellings carved into the side of a mountain, dark holes dotting the stone. That confirmed I was in the right place.

“Could there be multiple Adjuchas in there?” I muttered. Then I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. The more, the better. Maybe I’ll get lucky and pick up some good skills.”

I stretched out my hand, teal energy gathering as I charged the largest cero I could produce. I idly noticed that the color of my cero had shifted, no longer the bright red from before.

“Cero.” I whispered, releasing the blast.

The blast roared across the forest, smashing into the mountain in an explosion that shattered stone and sent sand billowing skyward. The night lit up as if the sky itself had cracked open.

I hovered in the air, wings flapping lazily, and waited.

The next moment the air buckled and four immense spiritual pressures slammed into me at once, suffocating and oppressive. A heartbeat later, four figures appeared in front of the ruined mountain, Sonido booming like thunder.

The ground quaked under their arrival.

“Well, well… what do we have here?” drawled the one in the center, his voice mocking yet steady. He stood a half-step ahead of the others, and even without looking closely, I could tell he was the leader and much stronger than the others.

He was monstrous: a hulking purple body, mask shaped like a snapping turtle, a jagged shell bulging from his back with a heavy tail lashing behind it.

The others fanned out at his sides. One was a massive green gorilla, muscles bulging beneath its skin and a pig-like mask sneering down. Another had giant arms that sharpened into points. And the last, a towering, rat-like humanoid, looked at me with its beady eyes gleaming under the pale Hueco Mundo sky.

I stayed silent, studying them, ready for any sign of a sneak attack though a flicker of recognition stirred. ‘Hmm. Don’t they look… familiar?’

“Notice. According to Master’s memories, these entities are the Guardians of the Forest of Menos. There is a high probability that the being known as Aizen has already conquered the Hollows and established his army.”

‘Damn. So much for hoping this was the past,’ I thought grimly, not commenting on how Great Sage had stopped calling me subject and now addressed me as Master.

“Not going to talk, huh?” the turtle-masked Adjuchas pressed, arrogance dripping from his tone. His eyes roamed over me, assessing. “Judging by your spiritual pressure, you must be newly born Adjuchas. Do you have a name?”

I didn’t bother answering. Instead, I pulsed inwardly and gave my silent command. ‘Great Sage, you’re up. Defeat my enemies at once.’

“Understood. Switching to auto-battle mode.”

Unknown to my enemies below, my eyes glowed a deep crimson beneath the mask, a sign that Great Sage had seized full command of my body.

In the next instant, my body shifted back into slime form. Then using a seamless blend of Water Manipulation and Wind Manipulation, Great Sage all but teleported into the middle of the group before taking hollow form once more. Before the Adjuchas leader could react, my leg whipped out in a devastating kick, slamming into his chest and sending him flying.

The other three didn’t hesitate. The gorilla-shaped hollow and the rat-faced one lunged in with massive punches, while the long-armed hollow thrust his limb like a spear straight for my torso.

Great Sage swayed aside from the first two attacks with surgical precision, but instead of dodging the third, she let it strike home. The hollow’s bone-green arm punched clean through my chest.

“Kyahaha! Got him!” the hollow cackled, already tasting victory.

But no blood flowed. My head tilted upward, my gaze locking with his in eerie calm. Then Great Sage spoke two words in a flat, mechanical voice.

“Water Jet Cutter.”

Once again using a combination of Water and Wind Manipulation a razor-thin stream of water, compressed and accelerated with wind, lanced from my hand. It carved straight through the hollow’s chest, punching a gaping hole clean through his body before shattering a wall far behind him.

“Becunes!!” the other two hollows roared in panic as they saw their comrade fall.

But they didn’t have time to save him. My body instantly reverted to slime, surged forward, and swallowed Becunes whole before leaping clear to safety.

All the while, I observed from a strange, detached third-person perspective, like I was watching my own highlight reel.

‘You’re doing amazing, partner!’ I cheered internally.

“Notice. I am simply executing my function, Master.” Great Sage replied in her usual monotone, though, for just a heartbeat, I swore I caught the faintest flicker of smugness.

Our conversation ended abruptly as a massive cero screamed toward us. Great Sage coolly raised my hand and activated Predator. The beam vanished into nothing as though it had never existed.

“What are you waiting for, you idiots!?” the leader barked furiously, reappearing at my back with Sonido. Great Sage slipped aside without looking, his tail-spear stabbing only air. “Attack him together!”

The other two howled their assent, closing in from both flanks.

But their teamwork had come too late. The moment Becunes was fully analyzed, power flooded my body, boosting every movement.

In the blink of an eye, Great Sage shifted into Becunes’s form with Mimicry. A flash of Sonido, and the rat-faced Adjuchas was skewered through the chest. He barely had time to scream before my body consumed him whole.

The gorilla hollow panicked, thrashing wildly in fear and desperation. His strength meant nothing. With one swift strike, Great Sage severed his head, then devoured the body before it hit the ground.

That left only one.

The last hollow stumbled back, fear flooding his yellow eyes.

‘Alright, Great Sage. Let me tag in. You’ve done enough.’

“Very well.”

My eyes dimmed, the crimson glow fading. I resumed control, body rippling back into slime form.

The survivor’s voice cracked. “W-What are you? You’re no hollow!”

“It doesn’t matter what I am,” I replied, voice flat, echoing in the air like judgment. “The only thing that matters is that you’ll prove useful to my evolution.”

I blurred forward with Sonido, cutting off his plea.

“Wait! We can wo—”

His words died with him, severed by a single Wind Cutter, far sharper, far stronger than any I’d cast before. His head hit the sand. His body followed before both were quickly devoured.

A moment later, I shifted into the form of the Adjuchas leader I’d just slain and finally allowed myself to relax.

“Great Sage, how many souls did we get?” I asked casually, strolling out of the battlefield. I didn’t bother masking my spiritual pressure, any hollow I passed either ignored me or bolted the instant they felt it.

“Answer. Master has accumulated a total of 70,169 souls. An estimated 30,000 remain until evolution.”

“Hah, what a pain. I expected more,” I muttered with a sigh, though the weight of my new strength made up for it. “At least I got much stronger in the process.”

“Notice. Current estimate after all new skills puts Master as being approximately ten times stronger than before.”

I nodded. That sounded about right. Still, I could tell Great Sage had more to say. “What is it, Great Sage?”

“Answer. I have detected a spiritual pressure of a different composition than any hollow encountered or consumed thus far. There is a high probability that this presence is the individual Master has been seeking.”

Her monotone was flat as ever, but I swore I once again detected the faintest trace of smugness hidden in it.

“Great job, Great Sage.” I praised her with a grin. “Seems devouring those Adjuchas really gave us a serious boost. Speaking of, once I deal with Ashido, I’ll want a full list of the skills I’ve gained.”

“Very well.”

“Human form, here I go,” I muttered, excitement bubbling in my core as I transformed back into a slime and stopped releasing my spiritual pressure wildly.

=====

Sometime Later

Time had no meaning here. I didn’t know how long I’d rested, letting my body finish assimilating all the power and skills I’d gained, before setting out again.

All I knew was that I had never felt this strong. I soared through the air disguised as the rat-like Adjuchas with the use of Mimicry. Out of the four, it was the most humanoid and least bulky, giving me more freedom of movement.

The best part of my recent growth wasn’t my new found strength, though. It was the unexpected but priceless acquisition of the Unique Skill: Starved, which Great Sage had fused with Predator to create the Unique Skill: Gluttony. A Sin skill. My very first. With that in hand, my path toward evolution felt almost guaranteed.

It wasn’t long before I reached my destination. The terrain matched the fragments of memory from my past life, recognizing this as Ashido’s hiding place.

‘Stay alert, Great Sage. I don’t know how strong this guy is.’

“Notice. Great Sage was already doing that.” she replied, her tone still monotone but carrying just enough cheek to make me pause.

I felt a sense of happiness settle in my chest as I realized that Great Sage was slowly developing an ego, when instinct screamed at me. My hand shot up, stopping the downward swing of a sword.

A figure stood before me, clad in a tattered Shinigami uniform with a fur-lined brown coat draped over his shoulders. A hollow mask covered his face, with another strapped to his back. His voice rasped like unused sandpaper as he growled, “How did you find me?”

He pressed harder, trying to drive the blade into my skin, but sparks hissed where steel scraped against my hardened body.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I lashed out with a feint, which he parried, only for my tail to coil around his leg and hurl him aside. He twisted in midair, using his legs to absorb the landing.

“You’re much stronger than last time,” Ashido said idly, vanishing with Shunpo to reappear at my back. His blade met my palm again, stopped cold.

We traded blows for minutes, sparks and shockwaves cutting through the quiet desert. I observed his footwork, the rhythm of his swings, and his overall swordsmanship to make sure Great Sage had as much material to work on as possible. And while the fight appeared evenly matched, it was only a ruse.

The truth was, this fight had ended the moment my tail wrapped his leg. Through that fleeting contact, Biokinesis had already sunk its claws into his body. With every exchange, I quietly rewrote him, weakening muscle fibers, fraying his nerves, slowing his reflexes.

By the time his breathing grew ragged and his arms trembled, he was already beaten.

“And you,” I muttered in flat disappointment, “are much weaker than I expected.”

I shifted my arm into a blade and, faster than his eyes could track, severed his right arm, zanpakutō and all. My left hand then quickly locked around his throat in an iron like grip.

“W-What did you do to me?” Ashido rasped, blood spraying from his mouth as his hand weakly pawed at mine.

“For what it’s worth, you have my thanks,” I said, voice devoid of inflection. “Thanks to you, I’ll finally acquire something I’ve wanted since arriving in this shitty wasteland.”

My arm speared through his chest. Blood bubbled at his lips, and then Gluttony consumed him whole.

A moment later my form shifted on its own, shrinking until I stood upright for the first time in what felt like forever. Strength surged through me like a tidal wave, raw power coursing in every fiber of my new body.

When vision returned, I glanced down at my hands. Real, human hands. My fingers curled into fists, and for the first time since waking up here, I felt my lips pull into a grin.

“Finally. Opposable thumbs. I can even eat now if I want.” A laugh slipped out, bubbling with joy before I shook my head and narrowed my eyes at the horizon.

“I think it’s finally time to leave this accursed forest.”

With a thought, wings unfurled from my back. I ascended rapidly, energy gathering at my fingertip before a blast of teal Cero blew open a path through the cavern ceiling.

Light spilled through the gap. Seconds later, I burst free, leaving the suffocating darkness of the Menos Forest behind. Sand stretched endlessly beneath me, the eternal crescent moon of Hueco Mundo watching from above.

I hovered midair, savoring the moment with closed eyes. A deep breath filled my lungs, and for the first time in what felt like centuries, I could smell the air, feel the wind against my skin.

But the relief didn’t last. My eyes opened again, and in the distance, the titanic silhouette of a fortress shattered my brief joy. Las Noches loomed, its white walls and towers impossible to mistake.

“Fuck,” I muttered flatly, frustration bubbling up. “Of course. Just when I thought things might get easier, turns out Aizen’s still alive and kicking.”

“Inquiry. Would Master like to know what skills he has obtained?” Great Sage’s voice cut in, almost as if in an attempt to distract me.

I sighed. “Hah. Might as well.”

A moment later, the flood hit, notifications bombarding my mind one after another.

Weakening Magic acquired.

Transportation Magic acquired.

Recovery Magic acquired.

Spiritual Magic acquired.

Light Magic acquired.

Ice Magic acquired.

Heat Magic acquired.

Flight Magic acquired.

Fire Magic acquired.

Explosive Magic acquired.

Earth Magic acquired.

Barrier Magic acquired.

Flame Attack Resistance acquired.

Skill: Poison Breath acquired.

Extra Skill: Body Double acquired.

Extra Skill: Flame Manipulation acquired.

Extra Skill: Spatial Motion acquired.