Silence filled the Kyōya Palace.
Even after so many years, seeing Aizen Sōsuke again was just as terrifying as it had been a century ago.
Baraggan's eyelid twitched, his eyes full of murderous intent—but in the end, he restrained himself.
The other Arrancar and Menos Grande remained quiet as well.
Aizen hadn't changed. He was still the same overwhelming presence—one they knew they couldn't defy.
Ichimaru Gin, watching from the side, understood exactly what had happened.
The slash earlier was from Aizen Sōsuke. He had used the complete hypnosis of his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, and struck with incredible speed.
Unless someone could see through Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion and had spiritual pressure equal to Aizen's, there was no way to defend against it.
Aizen sat on his throne, looking down calmly at Grimmjow, whose arm was now severed. His voice was flat and emotionless:
"Grimmjow, this is the only warning. If you do something like this again, I'll kill you myself."
His words weren't loud, but they sent chills through the room.
All the Menos Grande present bowed their heads in silence, showing their submission to Aizen.
Grimmjow clenched his teeth and nodded stiffly.
"…I understand."
Somewhere far away, in the endless white desert…
Qiye was holding a small Menos Grande girl in his hand. She squirmed and struggled, but he just stared at her with curiosity.
She had light green hair, red lines across her face, wore a gray-green cloth outfit, and had a long scar stretching from her forehead to her nose.
A piece of a white mask—resembling a skull—sat on her forehead.
Qiye recognized her. She was Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, one of the top three Espada in Las Noches.
A powerful queen—who just happened to look like a little girl right now.
"Let me go, please let me go! Nilu doesn't taste good at all! I'll take you to better food, okay…?"
Nilu pleaded with teary eyes while struggling.
She had seen everything just moments ago.
The boy in front of her looked handsome—but to her, he was no ordinary human.
No, he was a monster wearing human skin.
He had just wiped out thousands of Menos Grande all by himself… and then devoured their bodies.
"Calm down. I don't eat children."
Qiye lightly knocked on her forehead, and Nilu's eyes welled up with more tears.
"And you two, stop hiding over there. Come out now."
Qiye looked into the distance, toward the white sands.
With a wave of his hand, a powerful force pulled two Menos Grande out from where they were hiding underground.
"Ahhh!!"
"Help us, Lord Nilu!"
They screamed in panic.
One of them had a mask shaped like a termite's head, with a blindfold nailed over its right eye and a diamond-shaped pupil in its left.
The other looked like a large, colorful statue, almost like an Easter decoration with spots across its back.
As they were dragged closer, the termite-masked Menos dropped to his knees and grabbed Qiye's leg.
"Sir human! We're really not tasty! I haven't bathed in years! I've never even used a toilet—ever!"
"Then let go of me already!"
Qiye's face darkened as he punched him, leaving the Menos dazed.
The statue-like Menos mumbled, "…We're also weak and dirty all the time…"
"Shut up!"
BAM!
Qiye gave him a punch as well.
Now both Menos knelt quietly before him. Huge bumps were growing on their heads, and their eyes brimmed with tears.
They glanced at each other and saw the same look of defeat and fear.
This was Hueco Mundo—yet a terrifying human had appeared, one who could casually punch with the force of a Gillian-class Cero.
As former subordinates of the third Espada, they had no power to fight back.
"Good," Qiye said, finally satisfied. "Now I'm going to ask some questions. You just answer."
He pointed to the endless sands around them.
"What is this place?"
"I know!" Nilu raised her small hand. "This is the White Desert. It's the upper layer of Hueco Mundo!"
"Upper layer?"
The termite-looking Menos quickly explained: "Hueco Mundo has two layers—an upper and a lower one. Weaker Hollows like us live and wander in the upper layer."
"As for the lower level," Kadisheh said, "it's right beneath the white sand. That's where the Menos Forest is—filled with endless numbers of Menos Grande."
"I've heard that many Gillians and Adjuchas live down there. And according to other Hollows, there are even those incredibly rare and powerful ones… the Vasto Lorde."
Qiye kept asking questions for a while.
Eventually, he nodded in understanding.
He hadn't expected Hueco Mundo's structure to be so layered and complex.
The weaker Hollows stay in the upper layer. After constant battles and devouring each other, the survivors evolve into Gillians and enter the lower layer.
That lower level is even more brutal—a place where survival is a constant fight.
Even regular Gillians must eat thousands of their own kind just to have a chance at evolving into Adjuchas.
And the Vasto Lorde, at the very top—no one really knows how many they had to devour to reach that level.
No one really knows how they're made… because almost no one ever sees one.
"Then… where's Las Noches?" Qiye asked.
"The Palace of Hollows?" Kadisheh replied quickly, pointing off into the distance. "It's not too far from here. Just in that direction."
Qiye nodded slightly. He wasn't interested in picking a fight with Las Noches.
Aizen Sōsuke was still incredibly strong, after all.
"Um…" Kadisheh spoke up nervously. "Sir Qiye, we should probably leave this area soon."
"Why?" Qiye asked, a bit confused.
Bilstein, the big, statue-like Menos Grande, answered for him.
"Sir Qiye, your spiritual energy burst just now—it was too strong. Someone from Las Noches might've noticed. The stronger Menos from there might come looking for whoever released it."
Qiye just shook his head.
"It's fine."
In all of Hueco Mundo, the number of Hollows or Shinigami who could actually threaten him could be counted on one hand.
Ordinary Arrancar or Menos Grande weren't a concern at all.
By this point, Nilu had calmed down. Realizing that Qiye meant her no harm, she happily climbed up onto his shoulders.
"Qiye, why did you come here?" she asked.
Qiye smirked and gently pinched her small nose.
"I came here to eat."
As soon as she heard the word "eat," Nilu's expression changed. She remembered the terrible scene from earlier and looked at him with watery eyes.
"Qiye… are you going to eat me too?"
"Of course not!" Qiye laughed and rubbed her head.
After thinking for a moment, he opened a Hollow gateway and pulled something out from Kamui space.
"Here, this is Konpeito. I stole it from Soul Society. It's a really high-quality snack."
(TLnote-bro speaks like a orphan child*i stole *)
As soon as she saw the colorful candy, Nilu's eyes lit up. She popped one into her mouth, then started waving her little arms excitedly.
"Qiye, this is delicious!"
"Of course it is." Qiye grinned.
The food in Soul Society wasn't just tasty—it was full of spiritual energy. It could be used to recover one's strength.
He had stolen it from the 11th Division, and Kusajishi Yachiru had been furious about it.
Some time passed.
Now that they had relaxed, Nilu, Kadisheh, and Bilstein were chatting and playing around with Qiye like friends.
Then Qiye suddenly asked, "Hey, Nilu, Kadisheh, Bilstein… want to come with me to the Menos Forest?"
The three of them froze.
Kadisheh muttered nervously, "Why would we go there? Most of the Hollows down there are completely insane. They fight and kill each other all day long… there's no reason or order."
Although Kadisheh had once been strong, his injuries had weakened him to a Gillian-level Hollow.
If he went to the Menos Forest in that state, he wouldn't last long. With so many hungry Hollows, he'd probably end up being someone's lunch.
Qiye was just about to respond when he stopped mid-sentence.
His Rinnegan eyes turned toward the southwest part of the desert. They narrowed sharply, and a flash of cold light passed through them.
"…Such strong killing intent," he muttered. "Looks like we've got company."
At the same time…
In that part of the white desert, a figure was racing toward them.
Short golden-brown hair. A delicate face. A blue mark on the right cheek and a Hollow mask on the forehead. Wearing a white, knee-length Arrancar uniform.
A black, pirate-style eyepatch covered the right eye. A circular Zanpakutō was strapped to his back.
He looked like a high school student, but his eyes were filled with icy determination.
"…I've found you, Nellielu."
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