Bleach [22-24] (Patreon)

Chapter 22: Guidance, a Fragment of the Soul King!

After revealing himself, Aizen found Yoshio even more interesting than expected.

And…

More mysterious.

He not only chose a path that brought Aizen before him, he seemed to perceive all of Aizen's plans.

Upon arriving in Hueco Mundo, he immediately said he wanted to meet the king of this realm.

That was indeed within Aizen's expectations; once Ichimaru became Captain of the Third, it would be about time to subdue the great Hollows of Hueco Mundo.

Then he mentioned wanting Gin to become captain of the Third.

As if everything had already been seen through by Yoshio.

Yet Aizen didn't dislike that feeling.

He hated stagnation. He hated being predictable.

He didn't see variables in an otherwise perfect plan as bad; on the contrary…

They only excited him.

Still, Aizen considered his plan seamless and Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis perfect. How did Yoshio pierce it?

Aizen was clever and quickly thought of a possibility.

Seeing Aizen's favor toward him jump another ten, Yoshio knew Aizen had stepped into the "trap" he'd set.

He rubbed his forehead and activated the "The Animals" ability.

A crystalline shard precipitated from his hand.

When it appeared, Aizen looked over.

He gazed at the shard, pupils slightly dilating.

 Yoshio then took out the single grain of sand he'd kept.

"To most people, these two things differ vastly in worth."

 "But I'm different. I only care whether they interest me."

 "Thank you, Captain Aizen, for bringing me to Hueco Mundo to obtain such a treasure of a grain. In exchange, I'll hand this to you."

He blew the glimmering mote that had formed at his fingertip toward Aizen; it drifted into Aizen's hand.

Aizen received it, the corner of his mouth curving.

 "I see. No wonder you're immune to Kyōka Suigetsu."

 "No wonder…"

 "You know everything."

Before him, a structure like a black cavity opened again, and he stepped forward.

 "Then I'll trouble you to remain in Hueco Mundo for a while. Once I've settled matters in Soul Society, come to the Fifth Division as my lieutenant, Yoshio-kun."

With that, Aizen's body vanished fully into the garganta. It sealed shut, and Aizen disappeared completely before Yoshio.

"..."

As Aizen vanished completely, Yoshio's ["Game Master"] mode finally faded, and he relaxed all at once.

The abrupt release after such pressure left his breathing ragged.

 "Huff… huff…"

 Yoshio flash-stepped repeatedly to get far from that area, then pressed a hand to his pounding heart.

 "At last… talked my way through!"

That standoff with Aizen might have been only verbal, but it felt more exhausting than a big battle.

Still…

The result was good—he'd successfully bluffed Aizen.

If he guessed right, Aizen now…

Likely regarded him as some component of the Soul King?

The Soul King is the ruler of Soul Society and the creator god of the three realms. He carved the realms from primordial chaos, yet now only a main trunk remains, sealed in crystal in the Soul King's palace.

The rest was torn into fragments and scattered across the three worlds. Some retained rough forms—like the left and right hands, the heart—but most became small shards and residue.

For the creator of the three realms to end up like this—tragic indeed.

The Soul King's power is "omniscience and omnipotence." Of course, not literally in the theological or philosophical sense—but at minimum, it includes "seeing the future."

So from the start, Yoshio intentionally guided Aizen toward the impression that he could "see the future."

He stated Aizen's plans outright—easy enough to infer, since they appeared in the original story.

Aizen would seek out Baraggan and eventually recruit Hinamori and the others.

And Ichimaru Gin became Captain of the Third before Kuchiki Rukia graduated; yet right now the Third still had a captain with no sign of retiring.

Therefore, before Rukia graduates next year, something must happen to force the Third's captain to step down!

 Yoshio thus surmised that Aizen's target this time was the Third's captain.

After creating the impression of "future sight," he activated the [The Animals] to split off a portion of his soul, handing the soul fragment to Aizen.

The [The Animals] derives from Matsumoto Rangiku's soul ability, whose essence comes from a fragment of the Soul King in her soul.

While Yoshio's created pill wasn't a Soul King fragment, it was similar in effect.

The prior dialogue plus Yoshio's soul shard should be enough to make Aizen regard him as someone connected to the Soul King—possibly a fragment of some part.

Hence Aizen left: with that belief, Yoshio naturally became different from other Shinigami.

The Soul King's enemy is the Shinigami; even if Yoshio isn't truly the Soul King, knowing the world's essence so clearly, he certainly wouldn't stand with the Shinigami.

But for now, Aizen still needed to execute his plan, so he left Yoshio in Hueco Mundo for the time being.

Which…

Wasn't so bad.

 Yoshio didn't want to be entangled in Aizen's plan anyway—he just hoped Aizen would, for his sake, refrain from slaughtering everyone.

Such is the lot of the weak: when you lack strength, even your life and death are in others' hands.

Yoshio looked ahead. After recovering, he stopped roaming—Hueco Mundo was too dangerous.

He had exited ["Game Master"] mode; his strength wasn't what it had been.

He had permanently acquired Tanimoto Toru's [Special Beam Cannon], and one-time uses of [Fireball] and [Black Sun], but running into a Gillian or stronger here would still be perilous.

If possible, though, there was someone he wanted to find.

In Hueco Mundo, there was indeed someone easy to befriend—

Coyote Starrk!

The future Espada No. 1, a self-evolved Vasto Lorde.

If he could find him, he might quickly earn his friendship.

Assuming he wasn't crushed by Starrk's spiritual pressure first.

Chapter 23: Nelliel

"Special Beam Cannon!"

A beam of pure, pitch-black light shot once more from Yoshio's fingertip, piercing straight through the Menos Grande's body.

Though the Menos Grande was massive, once its vital point was punctured it couldn't regenerate, and at last it collapsed onto the white, reishi-laden sands. For something that size, its fall was like a skyscraper toppling, blasting white sand into the air in a billowing storm.

Yoshio frowned at the Menos Grande lying before him.

In theory, even an ordinary Menos Grande is seated officer–class, even high seated–class. Yet this one didn't have a Souls Ability…

What a—

Piece of trash.

He didn't know what conditions a Hollow needed to possess a Souls Ability. Did they have to be highly intelligent, like Metastacia?

If that was the case, then he really did need Aizen—so he could quickly turn Menos Grande into Arrancar, and in doing so acquire more abilities.

Damn it, he had to have it both ways.

He wanted Shinigami Souls Abilities, and he wanted Arrancar Souls Abilities too.

If possible, he wanted Quincy Souls Abilities as well.

No one complains about having too few abilities; Yoshio, at the very least, wanted to possess many soul-based powers.

To this day, Yoshio still didn't know what was happening outside, not even whether Tanimoto Toru was still alive.

Because he had permanently obtained Tanimoto Toru's Souls Ability, ["Special Beam Cannon."] Even if Tanimoto Toru's favorability toward him later dropped below eighty, or he died, Yoshio would still keep ["Special Beam Cannon."]

So he couldn't determine whether "Tanimoto Toru" was alive by checking whether he still had that ability.

With that thought, he greedily absorbed Hueco Mundo's reishi.

Hueco Mundo's reishi concentration was far denser than the Soul Society's. If he acclimated to it, he'd only grow stronger.

And this dense reishi was better for training.

In such an environment, his accumulation toward [Black Sun] also grew ever thicker.

Yoshio walked to the fallen Menos Grande's corpse and plopped down on it.

After resting for around ten minutes, he was just about to stand when he keenly sensed a Hollow's spiritual pressure.

The Hollow wasn't hiding its reiatsu and wasn't approaching quickly. Yoshio rose from atop the Hollow; he could feel that its reiatsu was extremely powerful—far stronger than his own.

"Did I just bump into a future big shot?"

Yoshio knit his brows. Although he wasn't strong right now, Hueco Mundo in truth hadn't fully evolved yet.

Only after Aizen Sōsuke formally became King of Hueco Mundo and used the Hōgyoku did Hueco Mundo undergo a wholesale evolution. So although he was alone in the Hollows' world, as long as his luck wasn't terrible, he generally wouldn't run into danger.

After all, Hueco Mundo was vast, while the number of Vasto Lorde was small. Spread across such a broad world, an ordinary Hollow might never meet a Vasto Lorde in its entire existence.

When Yoshio said earlier that he wanted to find Starrk, he was just joking. How could a Shinigami go looking for a Hollow?

But now, he felt he truly had encountered a powerful opponent—at least… a mid-tier Adjuchas.

With his current strength, dealing with a low-tier Menos Grande wasn't an issue. Despite their huge frames, Gillian were just big, clumsy targets for his Special Beam Cannon.

But starting from mid-tier Adjuchas, Hollows became agile. While his Special Beam Cannon could ignore defenses, it didn't have a guaranteed kill attribute.

With an Adjuchas's speed, dodging his Special Beam Cannon was fairly easy.

But running was out of the question. Even though, by his senses, the Hollow wasn't approaching quickly, if he tried to flee, with his current power he likely couldn't outrun a mid-tier Adjuchas.

Of course, if it came to a fight, he had no fear.

Because he still had his long-accumulated [Black Sun].

By continuously pouring reiatsu into the [Black Sun]—even he could hardly imagine how strong [Black Sun] had become now.

If that reiatsu erupted all at once, it would likely rival a captain's powerful Bankai strike.

As long as the approaching opponent wasn't a Vasto Lorde, Yoshio could stand his ground.

However, when he saw the opponent's form, he felt he might be able to save this [Black Sun].

What came into Yoshio's view was an antelope-shaped Menos Grande, slowly walking toward him.

That form, combined with her Souls Ability called ["Size Alteration,"] instantly made Yoshio realize her true identity.

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

The future former Espada Number Three, ambushed by Nnoitra and turned into the child Nel Tu. Of course, at this moment, she was still a powerful Vasto Lorde.

Powerful as she was, however, she likely posed no threat to him.

Nelliel walked over, saw the Menos Grande lying on the ground, then looked at Yoshio standing on it and asked, puzzled, "A Shinigami? How are you in Hueco Mundo?"

"I didn't want this either," Yoshio shrugged. "It's just that someone insisted on sending me. Don't worry—I bear no ill will toward Hollows."

"A Shinigami… saying he bears no ill will toward Hollows?" Nelliel said, surprised.

"Well, think of me as an oddball among Shinigami. I… hate killing and prefer peace."

Yoshio chuckled. "Even in Hueco Mundo, as long as no one tries to kill me first, I won't target Hollows."

"You're a strange one."

Seeing this, Nelliel stopped, then turned again.

"In that case, I have no need to avenge my kin."

With that, she started to leave.

"Kin?" Yoshio asked with interest. "Do Hollows have a sense of camaraderie? You knew this Menos Grande?"

He knew a bit about Nelliel. Though a Hollow, she wasn't an "evil spirit" in the traditional sense.

Among Hollows, she was relatively kind and disliked killing.

If she said "avenge," it was likely just posturing.

"…" After a pause, Nelliel said, "Hollows have our own kingdom. If you don't want to die, hurry back to your Soul Society."

Yoshio thought for a moment. "You're a strange one in Hueco Mundo, and I'm a strange one in Soul Society. In that case, how about we be friends?"

"…?" Nelliel froze, then said in surprise, "You, a Shinigami… want to be friends with me, a Hollow?"

"So what?" Yoshio smiled. "Didn't I say? I don't like conflict. Aside from my personal interests, other people's 'sides' have nothing to do with me."

Chapter 24: Inviting Nelliel to the Soul Society

Nelliel was a bit shocked.

She hadn't actually met many Shinigami.

Because Hollows—especially Menos Grande—rarely ventured into the Human World.

And if they just stayed in Hueco Mundo, they almost never encountered Shinigami.

Although now and then Shinigami would enter Hueco Mundo to fight Hollows, they were rare.

So Nelliel didn't harbor deep hatred toward Shinigami.

But a Hollow is a Hollow, and a Shinigami is a Shinigami; by nature, they're opposed.

So Nelliel had never imagined a Shinigami would say to her face that he wanted to be friends…

"You…"

After a moment of silence, Nelliel said, "If your comrades find out you're with a Hollow, they might see you as a traitor, no?"

"It's fine." Yoshio smiled. "My captain is easygoing; his view of Shinigami and Hollows is about the same. He doesn't think there's any difference between them."

"A captain-class Shinigami could think that way?" Nelliel found it hard to imagine.

"Mm… I think you'll meet him sooner or later. Then you'll know."

Yoshio wasn't lying. In Aizen's eyes, there really wasn't much difference between Shinigami and Hollows—they were all just "lesser beings."

…

Nelliel watched Yoshio hop down from the Menos Grande's corpse and couldn't help glancing back.

"If you want to follow, then follow. I never said I'd be friends with a Shinigami."

With that, she continued across the reishi sands.

Yoshio smiled. That kind of tsundere talk didn't work on him; he could see people's favorability toward him.

At the moment, Nelliel's favorability had already reached thirty.

Not high, but for a Hollow and a Shinigami, thirty was quite good.

Yoshio himself wanted Nelliel's ["Size Alteration"] ability; now that he was in Hueco Mundo, he might as well collect as many as he could.

So he followed behind Nelliel, chatting freely.

For Nelliel, she rarely encountered beings she could converse with in Hueco Mundo—let alone a Shinigami.

Meeting Yoshio was an unusual stroke of fortune for her.

And she was curious about Shinigami civilization.

So she asked, "How did the Soul Society transition from a savage state to civilization?"

"Civilization?"

Yoshio thought for a bit, then shook his head. "Actually, there's no such thing as 'civilization' versus 'savagery.' Soul Society is the same as Hueco Mundo: the strong survive, the weak perish."

"The reason you think Soul Society is civilized is simple—compared to you Hollows, we Shinigami are better at using tools."

"Tools?"

"Yeah. For example, Zanpakuto." Yoshio drew his Zanpakuto. "A Zanpakuto is a tool."

Before Zanpakuto, Shinigami were a very weak race. They could only fight with the most basic Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido.

"At that time, the high-ranking beings among your Menos Grande—the Vasto Lorde—could run rampant in the Soul Society."

"But with the advent of Zanpakuto, Shinigami power increased dramatically. Now even ordinary captain-class Shinigami have the strength to deal with Vasto Lorde."

"…That's merely an increase in military power," Nelliel countered.

"Martial strength implies rule. The stronger the force, the stronger the control over subordinates. The Soul Society's so-called civilization arose from that, and in essence it's no different from the rule of the King of Hueco Mundo."

"Civilization is the sum of the humanistic spirit and inventive creations accumulated over the long course of human history that benefit understanding and adapting to the objective world, accord with the human spiritual quest, and are acknowledged and accepted by the greatest number of people."

Yoshio added, "Do you think the vast majority in the Soul Society can even recognize what Seireitei calls 'civilization'?"

"...That…" Nelliel didn't know Soul Society too well, but she did know that most souls lived in Rukongai.

Would the people of Rukongai agree with the so-called civilization of Seireitei?

She wasn't sure; she hadn't visited many districts of Rukongai.

Shinigami found it hard to enter Hueco Mundo, but Hollows could easily enter the Soul Society.

From that perspective, it seemed a bit unfair. While Hollows suffered mental defects, they indeed possessed extraordinary innate physical talents.

Super High-Speed Regeneration, Lanza, Sonido—powerful gifts they were born with.

Especially Garganta—divine art among divine arts—allowing them to move freely among the Three Realms. Shinigami still needed a Senkaimon to travel to other worlds, and entering Hueco Mundo was quite difficult.

Any Menos Grande could use Garganta to come and go freely between the Human World, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo.

"Put it this way: beyond District 50 in Rukongai… the lives of souls there are no different from Hueco Mundo."

Yoshio said coolly, "So I don't agree with Soul Society's supposed civilization. It's just a mob leveraging their own strength to enforce a system that benefits 'noble rule.'"

"Perhaps…"

He bowed his head slightly and murmured, "Even such order is built on deceit and betrayal."

"You…" Nelliel turned to look at Yoshio, lost in thought.

"You seem to know a lot. Are all Shinigami like you?"

"If they were all like me, Soul Society would be in chaos." Yoshio suddenly stopped, then said, "But at least now you've seen me—and my captain. We… are odd ones."

"Don't you agree, Captain Aizen?"

The space ahead rippled, and Aizen's figure emerged.

Seeing the captain's haori on Aizen, Nelliel instantly grew intensely wary.

"No need," Aizen said flatly. "You're Yoshio-kun's friend in Hueco Mundo. We don't need to fight."

He had just used a cloak manufactured by Kisuke Urahara that could conceal reiatsu, and he'd also used a Kido invisibility technique.

But Yoshio saw through him at a glance.

It didn't mean Yoshio had great power or ability—just that he could see the Souls Ability marker on Aizen.

It had to be said, that Souls Ability prompt was really handy against those who could turn invisible or create illusions. As long as he focused on Souls Abilities, he could tell where someone was.

"Captain Aizen, have you finished your business?"

Yoshio narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled faintly. "We can go back now, right?"

"Of course," Aizen said.

Yoshio: "But can this Hollow young lady come with us? I'd like to invite the antelope lady to visit the Soul Society."