The world felt strange. My body no longer the massive green-skinned giant I'd been, but something different — lighter, smaller, almost human. I blinked, feeling the unfamiliar sharpness in my vision as my eyes adjusted. I was standing in the throne room of Baraggan's ruined castle. My height now about 180 centimeters, skin pale like a human's, and a half-bone mask covering the lower half of my face — from mouth to chin.
I touched the mask lightly. It felt cold but strangely natural. I was no longer the towering adjuchas I had been before fainting during evolution. This was something else.
Suddenly, a system message echoed in my mind, clear and commanding:
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION] Congratulations! You have evolved into a Vasto Lorde-class Menos.
My passive skill, [Moron Field], had upgraded. It was now called [Greater Moron Field] — a field extending 100 meters around me, reducing the intelligence of all creatures and people by 50%. Except Aizen and those already dumb as rocks, who were immune.
But the biggest change was my brand-new skill as a Vasto Lorde. It had a name that rolled off my tongue in a deep, commanding tone: [Realidad Imponente] — Imposing Reality.
With this power, I could make anything I truly believed in come true — permanently altering reality itself within a one-kilometer radius around me. This was not an illusion or temporary distortion; these changes became real, lasting, and unbreakable.
However, the size and magnitude of the reality I could reshape depended directly on how much spiritual energy I invested. The greater the spiritual energy I poured in, the larger and more significant the change I could impose.
I tested it silently in my mind, picturing a simple flower blooming in the rubble beside me. Instantly, a delicate white blossom burst forth from cracked stone. The power was undeniably real.
I exhaled slowly. This was a game changer.
Then, I opened my eyes fully, scanning the room. My gaze fell on Baraggan, still tangled in the thick cactus roots outside the shattered windows. I growled softly, and the first thing I asked, my voice rough from the change:
"What… is the meaning of this, Baraggan?"
His ancient eyes met mine, full of anger and frustration.
But something more shocking was behind him. Standing tall and immovable, outside the castle, was the real Spike o Sensei — not just the plant I'd imagined or joked about before. No, this was a colossal cactus, at least 50 meters tall, with thick branches and sharp thorns, ancient and powerful.
The strongest creature in Hueco Mundo? It seemed that way now.
I narrowed my eyes. The presence of Spike o Sensei dwarfed everything — even Baraggan's mighty reiatsu. A strange mixture of fear and respect stirred inside me.
To make Spike o Sensei as strong and imposing as it now was had taken nearly all of my spiritual energy as a Vasto Lorde. The cost was tremendous, but the outcome undeniable.
For the first time since I'd started this chaotic journey, I felt like I was truly stepping into something bigger than myself. The evolution was just the beginning — now, with Realidad Imponente powered by my reiatsu, I could bend the world itself to my will.
I tested my power again, imagining Spike o Sensei's thorns growing longer, sharper, as a subtle warning.
The air around us shifted. I smiled beneath the half mask.
Hueco Mundo was about to change — and I was the one who would reshape it.