The bone halls of Baraggan's castle were as quiet and oppressive as ever. The occasional gust of dry, hollow wind stirred the dust and loose bones scattered across the floor. Everyone was slumped in their usual spots, lost in boredom. I, however, had found something incredible to occupy myself with.
Walking on my hands.
Yes.
On my giant claws.
I wasn't sure why I started doing it, but once the idea popped into my thick head, I had to see it through. I flipped myself over clumsily, my massive green-skinned frame awkwardly balancing as my bone mask clacked against the floor.
"Graaaah!" I roared, wobbling from side to side as I took a few shaky steps on my hands.
The others barely looked up.
Yammy cracked one eye open.
"The hell's he doin' now?"
Kukkapūro gave a halfhearted bark and lay back down. Even Grimmjow, in his white panther form, just snorted and rested his head on his paws.
Baraggan, sitting in his throne like a death god watching over a crumbling tomb, didn't so much as blink. His empty sockets seemed to pierce through me.
I kept going, managing a full lap around the hall, my arms shaking under my weight.
And then it happened.
A strange warmth surged through my body, and a system message floated up in my mind.
[+11000 EP]
CURRENT EP: 100,000,100 / 100,000,000]
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Congratulations! EP cap reached. Evolution Available.
[Evolution Available: Adjuchas → Vasto Lorde]
I froze — or rather, fell flat on my face with a loud thud.
"Graaaah?!" I groaned.
I was at the threshold. Enough Evolution Points. My mind raced. I'd been chasing this for what felt like forever, through idiocy, misadventures, and sheer stubbornness.
Without thinking, I triggered the evolution.
A blinding light burst from within me, crackling through my limbs, forcing me to my knees. My claws dug into the bone floor as a searing heat overtook my senses. My body began to change — my reiatsu spiking wildly, distorting the very air.
The other Bone Circle members shot to their feet, eyes wide.
Yammy dropped his bone snack.
"Whoa, what the hell?!"
Grimmjow leapt up, his fur bristling.
"Oi — what's happenin' to him?!"
A pillar of raw spiritual pressure burst around me as my form began to shift and twist.
But before I could even see what I was becoming — everything went black.
I collapsed with a heavy boom, unconscious, halfway through my evolution.
The castle fell silent for a beat.
Then — from his throne, Baraggan let out a low, rumbling chuckle. It built into a deep, mocking laugh that echoed off the cracked walls.
"Kuhuhuhuhu… what a fool. Finally I can be Hueco Mundo's eternal ruler."
Grimmjow's ears twitched, and he turned toward the old king with a glare, his voice sharp.
"Oi… what the hell's that supposed to mean, old man?"
Baraggan's grin widened beneath the shadows of his crown-like mask.
"All in due time, little panther," he rasped, his skeletal fingers tapping the arm of his throne. "You'll see soon enough."