"Hollows?!?!"
Yun Che's breath hitched as his eyes widened. The creature looming before him was unmistakable—a giant humanoid Hollow, its fish-like mask gleaming under the faint moonlight. A dorsal fin protruded down its back, and its shoulders and arms were plated with fragments of hardened mask-like armor. Dark grey stripes curled around its body like the scales of some monstrous aquatic beast.
It looked exactly like Fishbone D from Bleach.
A coincidence?
Or something far more terrifying?
"How in the world did hollows get here? Hollows aren't supposed to exist in this world."
Yun Che immediately drew Zangetsu, lowering himself into a stance. His eyes shifted into observation mode, scanning the Hollow's energy flow.
What he sensed nearly made him drop the sword.
The Hollow… had profound energy.
And its strength was equivalent to the 7th Level of the Elementary Profound Realm.
"…A Hollow that can cultivate profound energy?" Yun Che muttered, a chill creeping up his spine. "What in the blazes is happening now? And how the hell did it manage that?"
But then something even stranger happened—the Hollow wasn't even looking at him.
Instead, its masked face snapped toward Xiao Kuangyun.
The young master screamed, stumbling backward on his hands and knees. "Aaaaahhhhh!!!"
Yun Che's eyebrows shot up again.
"He can see it?" According to everything Yun Che remembered from Bleach, Hollows weren't supposed to be visible to ordinary mortals. Only those with spiritual sensitivity should ever glimpse them. They existed in the spiritual plane. They devoured souls, not living bodies. Mortals weren't supposed to interact with them. Not physically. Not visually. Not at all.
Yet this Hollow reached toward Xiao Kuangyun with perfect physicality—as if they existed in the same world, the same layer of reality.
Xiao Kuangyun tried to run, but the Hollow's long arm shot forward, snatching him up by the torso. The young master kicked, screamed, choked on his own terror.
"Xiao Che! Save me!!! Save me!!! I'll give you money!!!"
Yun Che didn't even get the chance to answer before the Hollow tossed him into its open jaws. Kuangyun's scream lasted half a second before the mask snapped shut. Blood sprayed. Bones cracked. Flesh tore. The horrifying sound of chewing echoed across the clearing like wet gravel being crushed.
Even Yun Che winced.
"Ouch… poor guy. Poor bastard." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Being eaten alive is way worse than having a beauty like Jasmine end your life. That was… yeah. That's rough."
He exhaled through his nose. "Well, that's the death he deserved anyway."
But the real problem wasn't Xiao Kuangyun.
The Hollow's aura began to spike.
What had been the 7th Level of Elementary Profound… surged suddenly.
8th Level.
Then—
9th Level.
Yun Che felt his blood freeze.
"It leveled up… by eating him?"
A Hollow evolving by consuming cultivators—just like how they grew by devouring souls in Bleach—except now they were growing stronger in the physical world.
"How did they get here…? And how many are there…?"
As he thought, the Hollow turned its hollowed eye-holes toward him. The hunger was immediate. Savage. It lunged, its massive hand swinging wildly to grab him.
"Trying to eat me, huh?" Yun Che muttered.
He vanished.
A flash-step took him behind the Hollow, and Yun Che's hand shot forward, palm glowing with condensed blue spiritual flames.
"Hadō Number Thirty-Three—Sōkatsui!!
(Way of Destruction #33, Blue Fire Crash Down!)"
A massive blue fireball erupted from his palm, engulfing the Hollow's entire head. The impact detonated with a thunderous crack, splitting mask, flesh, and bone into vaporized debris.
The Hollow's head disintegrated instantly.
Its body collapsed into smoke, fading from existence as if burned out of reality.
But even as it died, Yun Che noted something disturbing.
Not a shred of fear.
Not hesitation.
Just pure instinct—eat, grow, devour cultivation.
"Something is very wrong…" Yun Che murmured. "Hollows shouldn't be able to exist here. They shouldn't be able to touch mortals. They shouldn't be able to cultivate. This—this shouldn't be possible."
He stood over the patch of scorched earth where the Hollow had vanished, mind racing.
"What is going on around here…?"
A soft ripple of spatial distortion brushed past him.
And Jasmine appeared beside him.
Her expression—usually cold and bored—twisted into something Yun Che rarely saw: genuine shock.
She scanned the area, sensing the remnants of the Hollow's aura.
What she felt wasn't profound energy.
It wasn't demonic beast qi.
Nor devilish energy.
It was something else.
Weak, but unmistakably sinister.
A dark hunger.
A spiritual corruption.
Her gaze slowly turned toward Yun Che.
"This aura…" she whispered. "It is the same demonic taint you released that night when you wore the eye mask to kill the Puma. But this… this is not the aura of beasts nor devils. This is something else entirely…"
Her eyes narrowed sharply as she stared at the fading traces of Hollow Reiatsu.
"What is going on here? What is that thing?" Jasmine asked sharply, descending from the cliff where she had witnessed the entire event unfold. Her usually calm eyes were alert, searching the forest as if another monster might leap out at any moment.
Yun Che slid Zangetsu back into its sheath across his back.
"That thing was a Hollow."
"Hollow?" Jasmine frowned. The term was completely foreign to her. "There are no such beings in the Profound Sky Continent… nor even in the Realm of the Gods. What exactly are they?"
Yun Che exhaled, gathering his thoughts.
"Hollows are the nemesis of Shinigami in my world," he explained slowly. "They cultivate reiatsu—spiritual pressure—just like we do. When a human dies, their soul is supposed to pass on to the afterlife. But some souls stay behind, refusing to move on. Souls with unfinished business, vengeance, or overwhelming regrets. These are called remnant souls."
He paused before continuing, voice turning slightly darker.
"When exposed to unclean spirits or evil energy, those remnant souls corrupt and transform into monsters known as Hollows."
Jasmine listened attentively as they walked deeper into the forest, autumn leaves crunching under their feet.
"And these 'Hollows'... they can cultivate?" she asked, more curious than alarmed.
"Kind of," Yun Che replied. "Hollows are driven by pure instinct. They want to become stronger—nothing else. They devour other souls, absorbing their spiritual energy. Think of them like demonic beasts, but far more savage and corrupt."
He glanced toward where Xiao Kuangyun had been devoured moments earlier.
"But this one… shocked even me. Hollows in my world exist on a different plane of reality. Mortals can't see them unless they have a developed spiritual sense. Hollows are spiritual creatures—they devour souls, not living bodies."
He shook his head.
"But in this world? That creature ate Xiao Kuangyun's physical body. It even gained a physical form strong enough to break trees. And after it devoured him, its aura shot up two stages."
Jasmine's eyes narrowed. "So they can grow by eating cultivators."
"Exactly," Yun Che said grimly. "The stronger the vitality, the stronger the Hollow becomes. And by devouring living beings with strong profound energy, they gain physical form. That's why Xiao Kuangyun could see it. And why it could touch him."
Jasmine crossed her arms. "If such creatures exist here now… how strong can they become? Are there limits? Can they grow like demon beasts or devils?"
Yun Che slowed his steps.
"There are different kinds of Hollows," he said. "Some are small like the one we fought—basic Hollows. Some are massive, larger than buildings. Some evolve and become humanoid, far more dangerous. The Hollow we saw looked like Fishbone D… which is one of the weakest types."
Jasmine blinked. "That was weak?"
"Trust me," Yun Che muttered. "There are Hollows out there that can wipe out entire cities. And then there are Menos—Gillian-class Hollows. Those things are gigantic. They're made from hundreds of Hollows fused together. If a Gillian shows up here…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Jasmine understood anyway.
"…So you fear this is only the beginning?"
"Yeah," Yun Che said quietly. "If Hollows can cultivate by eating profound cultivators… then Gilians, Adjuchas, and even Vasto Lorde-class Hollows might eventually emerge. And that would be a nightmare."
His brows furrowed, and he raised his voice slightly.
"System, any information on the Hollow's cultivation?"
====================
[Ding…The System had analysed the hollow from before and attained an understanding of the hollow's cultivation.]
[Ding…. Merging information from the system database.]
====================
Mortal Realm
====================
Elementary Profound Realm – True Profound Realm (Normal Hollows)
As hollows consume practitioners and demon beasts of the Blue Pole Star, they can absorb their cultivation and vitality. However, their intelligence is limited by pure instinct and attain physical form. Mortals can easily defeat them, but they must be wary of the hollow's size, shape and type advantage.
====================
Spirit Profound Realm – Earth Profound Realm (Menos Grande)
When the hollow breaks through to the Spirit Profound Realm, its body will transform and transform their body into a more extensive form known as Menos or Lesser Great Hollow. These hollows can eat another Menos to steal their cultivation or stronger profound beasts and cultivators.
====================
Sky Profound Realm – Emperor Profound Realm (Gilians)
After breaking through, Menos's mask will transform once they consume enough Menos. They will be known as Gilians, and these Gilians will gain essential intelligence to survive during battle.
====================
Tyrant Profound Realm – Sovereign Profound Realm (Adjuchas)
When Gilians breakthrough, their body will compress to any non-human form they desire. The forms are known as Adjuchas or Intermediate Great Hollow. These beings will gain intelligence comparable to a human. These hollows are strong enough to challenge any powerhouses around the continent if their strength is sufficient.
====================
Divine Realm
====================
Divine Origin – Divine Spirit (Vastolorde)
After absorbing origin energy, Adjuchas can transform into a humanoid version of the Adjuchas's form known as Vasto Lorde or Greater Great Hollow. However, their strength will undergo evolution and transform them into capable of challenging Divine beings.
====================
Divine King – Divine Master (Humanoid Vasto Lorde)
Humanoid Vastolorde is Vastolorde that can transform into a human, similar to a high-ranked Demonic Beast. These beings can be a ruler of the realm as long as strength is sufficient.
====================
Since Hollows had now appeared in this world, Yun Che realized something far more alarming—these creatures could evolve on their own without Sousuke Aizen's influence. In Bleach, Arrancar were Hollows who achieved a Shinigami-like evolution through Aizen's Hōgyoku. But here?
There was no Hōgyoku.
No Aizen.
No Shinigami modifying them.
Which meant Arrancar shouldn't exist.
Yet the Hollows here followed the rules of this world.
Just like profound beasts, if they grew strong enough—if they reached a Divine King equivalent—they could naturally transform into humanoid forms. Their masks could reshape. Their bodies could reform. Their intellect would soar. They could gain wisdom, cunning, strategy.
Different world.
Different laws.
Different evolution path.
But the result?
Potentially similar.
A Hollow powerful enough could still become something terrifyingly close to an Arrancar—just by cultivating and devouring strong beings.
Yun Che let out a slow breath.
It looked like cultivators weren't the only existential threat now.
"So, do they have any weaknesses?" Jasmine asked again, her curiosity sharpened by the implications.
"Yeah," Yun Che replied. "Masks."
"Masks?"
"Hollows are vulnerable to physical attacks now," he explained. "Even cultivators can kill them. You don't need spirit energy or Zanpakutō techniques—just break their mask. Destroy the mask, and the Hollow dies instantly."
Jasmine nodded, absorbing the information with surprising seriousness.
"But unlike demonic beasts," Yun Che continued, "you can't harvest anything from Hollows. No cores, no materials, no essence. Once killed, they evaporate. They leave nothing behind. So powerful cultivators won't gain any benefit from killing them."
He frowned slightly.
"But the problem is… how long has the Garganta been open? How many Hollows have slipped into this world? If mortals can see and touch them now, they're practically like demonic beasts—dangerous ones. They won't target non-cultivators unless there's a reason, but strong cultivators? They're perfect food."
Jasmine fell silent.
Yun Che and Jasmine finally reached the cave they had claimed as their home. The familiar scent of the fire pit, the faint remnants of jasmine tea she liked to brew, and the peaceful crackle of the night forest created a strange contrast with the chaos they had just witnessed.
Yun Che sat down, resting Zangetsu beside him.
"System," he said in his mind, voice steady but edged with tension. "How did hollows came to this world?"
This time, he waited carefully, as though the silence itself might hold meaning.
The cave flickered with faint spiritual light as the System stirred, its presence vibrating faintly at the edge of his consciousness. The air seemed to thicken. Jasmine, sensitive to even subtle fluctuations, turned toward Yun Che with narrowed eyes.
Then—
A cold mechanical voice finally responded.
====================
[Ding…Scan complete.]
[System has detected unusual energy in the air. The spiritual energy seems to originate from somewhere far from Profound Sky Continent. The System has detected a Garganta opened up somewhere in this world.]
====================
Yun Che was bewildered. A Garganta—a Throat—was never supposed to open in this world. Hollows only crossed into the Living Realm when drawn by spiritual energy, negative emotions, or large concentrations of souls. But this world… was built on profound energy, not spiritual energy.
Could profound energy substitute for spiritual power?
The thought alone sent a cold feeling through his chest.
And clearly—something had attracted them here.
"Where did they come from?" Jasmine asked again. Her voice carried curiosity, not fear. She had been fascinated by his previous world ever since he spoke of Shinigami and reiatsu. Her eyes sparkled—bright, eager, almost like a schoolgirl desperately wanting to learn more.
Yun Che took a slow breath and answered seriously.
"The Blue Pole Star and Realm of the Gods… they're just parts of one realm. The Realm of the Living," he explained. "Hollows come from a dimension sandwiched between the living world and the afterlife. A place called Hueco Mundo—the Realm of the Hollows."
He pointed upward.
"They can enter any living world if the right conditions are met."
Jasmine tilted her head.
"Have you been there? The Realm of the Hollows?"
Yun Che shook his head.
"I've only heard of it. I've never stepped foot inside. In the original Bleach universe, Soul Reapers can enter—but it's dangerous even for them. The atmosphere is filled with contaminated spiritual particles. A mortal—or even a profound cultivator—wouldn't survive without massive spiritual resistance."
Jasmine exhaled softly. "So not just anyone can go there…"
"No. Hollows have their own way of opening Garganta portals. Shinigami studied that method and learned to open their own. But here, mortals would die the moment they breathed in the corrupted reishi."
Meaning: even if Jasmine wanted to explore that dimension out of curiosity, she would simply decay into spiritual dust.
She paused and shifted the conversation with a faint crease in her brow.
"Yun Che… I sensed something in that Hollow. Its energy felt sinister—corrupt—but not like devils or Divine Demons. The aura reminded me of the same thing I felt from you when you used that white eye mask that day."
Yun Che stiffened.
He had been certain Jasmine never saw him use that form. He only risked it against the Puma, and she wasn't supposed to be nearby.
But the look she gave him now made something tighten in his chest—an insistent, piercing look demanding honesty.
"Are you hiding something from your Master?" she asked quietly.
The question hit him harder than the Hollow's roar.
Yun Che sighed. Jasmine wasn't just his partner—she was also the one person he trusted enough to share his deepest secrets with. If she sensed his hesitation, she would chase it until she found the truth anyway.
"…Fine," he said. "You've met Hōyuu countless times, right?"
Jasmine's expression immediately twisted with irritation.
"That annoying white version of you? The one who keeps provoking me? Yes. I remember. Very clearly."
The memory alone left her teeth clenched. She had tried fighting Hōyuu once, but Yun Che warned her: if she went too far, Hōyuu would learn her techniques instantly and use them against her. She had no desire to see her own moves reflected back at her.
"That 'annoying version' of me," Yun Che said dryly, "is one of my Zanpakutō spirits. But he's not a normal spirit. He's… the Hollowfied Zangetsu. The real Zangetsu."
Jasmine blinked.
"But I thought the old man was Zangetsu?"
"He is—sort of. He represents my Quincy powers. The white one—Hōyuu—is the actual embodiment of Zangetsu. His full name is Hollow Yuuki—Hōyuu."
"So he's… a Zanpakutō spirit that can transform into a Hollow?" Jasmine repeated slowly.
"Pretty much," Yun Che shrugged. "Sometimes I borrow his power. Don't underestimate him, though. He's insanely strong even without me tapping into him."
Jasmine scoffed, incredulous.
"Are you telling me that foul-mouthed thing could surpass me at my full power?"
Yun Che scratched his cheek, unsure how to respond gently.
"…If he uses his full power? Hōyuu could probably destroy the entire Profound Sky Continent in three minutes."
Jasmine froze.
Her silence was absolute.
Yun Che continued.
"I'm not exaggerating. His full Hollow mode is terrifying. Ichigo used something similar against Ulquiorra and Kokuto. Hōyuu can even tear open the Gates of Hell if he really wanted to."
He didn't need to say more. Jasmine understood perfectly.
She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
"Hmph. I'll make sure he knows his place."
Yun Che smiled faintly at her indignation.
At least she wasn't scared—just annoyed.
"Anyway," Jasmine said with a light flick of her sleeve, "did you kill everyone that Xiao bastard recruited? I don't want you leaving loose ends."
"Of course," Yun Che replied. "I don't leave problems alive."
Jasmine nodded in satisfaction—but Yun Che's expression suddenly changed.
It was as if a memory hit him like a lightning strike.
"Actually… Jasmine, remember when you told me you needed about thirty-five kilos of Purple God Vein Crystals to reconstruct your body?"
Jasmine blinked, puzzled.
"Yes. I need that amount to restore my physical body. Why?"
Yun Che's grin widened in a way that made her slightly suspicious.
"I know where we can get more than thirty-five kilos."
Jasmine's eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
Yun Che looked toward the distant horizon, where Floating Cloud City lay—
And the location sent a spark of excitement through his veins.