"They've already arrived, huh..."
Haruki glanced at the time.
According to what Rangiku had mentioned during their drinking session, they were expected to enter Hueco Mundo around this time.
Their arrival meant Haruki would have to make some moves as well.
These people were here to deal with White, and Haruki certainly couldn't let them kill him.
Since White's favorability hadn't reached 80 yet, and Haruki hadn't permanently obtained the "Cocooning" ability, he absolutely couldn't let the Shinigami take White out.
During his time in Las Noches, Haruki had also been searching for White's location.
According to the Soul Society's intelligence, White had engaged in battle with the Hueco Mundo expedition team, and during the fight, more Menos Grande had been drawn to the scene.
These Menos Grande were enemies of the Shinigami, but they also didn't welcome White, leading to a chaotic three-way battle.
White's current whereabouts were unknown.
Based on past experience, White would usually return to Las Noches within a week, but this time, more than seven days had passed, indicating that White wasn't in great shape either.
Therefore, Haruki had been sending people to search for White, and occasionally he would go out himself.
After sensing the arrival of the expedition team, Haruki left Las Noches once again.
Standing under the dark night sky of Hueco Mundo, on the white reishi sand, Haruki reached out his hand, feeling the reishi of Hueco Mundo, and softly said, "The environment of Hueco Mundo seems to accelerate my Hollowfication progress."
Both Shinigami and Hollows are spiritual beings, and different environments can have varying effects on them.
The reishi concentration in Hueco Mundo is denser than in the Soul Society, so if a Shinigami adapts to this environment, they can gain even greater power than they would in the Soul Society.
However, this environment also affects their souls.
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue for most Shinigami, but Haruki had activated his Hollowfication ability, causing his soul to take on Hollow-like characteristics. As a result, he had developed a certain adaptability to Hueco Mundo.
This environment made the Hollow aspects of his soul more active.
"Ugh, I can't stand it. Even though I'm emitting a Hollow-like aura, there are still these persistent pests."
Haruki stopped and looked around.
Several Gillian-class Menos Grande had appeared around him, their greedy eyes fixed on him.
If there had been higher-level Menos Grande, it might have been worth his time, but mere Gillian? He didn't even feel like bothering with them.
Haruki raised his finger, and a Cero began to gather at its tip.
The best way to deal with small fry like this was to use the simplest method to annihilate them.
He had already repeated this action over a dozen times.
It couldn't be helped. Walking alone in Hueco Mundo was indeed dangerous, especially since he was emitting an ambiguous aura.
Shinigami souls were more attractive to Hollows because Shinigami were "complete" souls, while Hollows, with their fragmented hearts, sought to devour these complete souls, as if doing so could fill the void in their own hearts.
Haruki aimed his finger at one of the Hollows, but before he could fire, the Hollows suddenly exploded!
It was as if they had been subjected to immense pressure. In an instant, they collapsed to the ground, their bodies twisting before exploding with a loud bang!
"..."
Haruki retracted the Cero from his finger and ran a hand through his hair.
"Your entrance is quite dramatic, Stark."
Indeed, such a scene could only be created by Stark in Hueco Mundo.
His overwhelming spiritual pressure forced him to remain alone.
Even Gillian-class Menos Grande would be crushed by Stark's presence.
"If I could..."
Stark, with Lilynette by his side, walked over slowly and said, "I wouldn't want this kind of power."
"Such arrogance from the strong. I can't stand it." Haruki sighed. "You came to find me, so does that mean you've located the target?"
"I did find some Shinigami, but that's not why I came to see you."
"Oh?" Haruki's expression turned serious. "Then you mean..."
"I found White. However... he won't be able to come to see you."
Stark said softly, "So, I was wondering if you'd like to go see him? Perhaps... you'll be surprised."
"Is that so..." Haruki narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "I'd like to see something that could surprise me."
Stark then turned and headed south.
Haruki followed Stark, walking for several hundred kilometers before stopping in front of a peculiar cluster of structures.
"So this is... White's location."
Haruki looked at the architectural complex, which was completely different from Las Noches, and said with some surprise.
Although most of Hueco Mundo was covered in reishi sand, there were occasional landforms.
Especially Adjuchas, who often made their nests in rocky mountains.
However, it was rare to see massive structures like Las Noches.
What now appeared before Haruki resembled a palace built by a civilization, though it was in ruins. Many of the buildings were constructed from bricks, and their designs were very human-sized.
Seeing this structure made one wonder if a civilization had once thrived in Hueco Mundo, and if that civilization had been extraordinary, possibly one formed by Vasto Lordes.
After all, only Vasto Lordes would need steps and structures so well-suited to human forms.
"The Negal Ruins?"
Haruki examined the area with interest and said, "I wonder who used to live here."
"It's been too long. There's no point in investigating now."
Stark continued leading the way, finally stopping after climbing the last set of steps.
Haruki followed him up and then saw White.
No...
He saw the "cocoon" that encased White.
It was a spherical cocoon wrapped in some kind of thread, about two to three meters in diameter, emitting an extremely unique spiritual pressure.
"This guy..."
Haruki immediately thought of White's soul ability, "Cocooning." Had White undergone cocooning on his own?
Had he reached some kind of threshold during his battle with the Shinigami?
No wonder he hadn't returned to Las Noches. He must have found a safe place nearby to undergo this evolution.
What would White become after this evolution?
"Thanks."
Haruki said to Stark, "Next time I return from the Soul Society, I'll bring you something interesting as payment for this job."
Stark didn't pay much attention to Haruki's words. Instead, he said, "I don't know what's happening to him, but I do know that the spiritual pressure he's emitting will attract both Hollows and Shinigami. Do you need my help?"
...
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