Vasto Lorde.
There was no doubt.
Even at the peak of his battle against the Sandworm Lord of North Forest, Sombravida had never felt spiritual pressure like this.
This was not simply "greater."
It was refined.
Compressed.
Complete.
The air itself felt heavier.
Reiatsu density increased to the point that breathing required effort.
Defensive Formation
"Anti-Membrana array!" Sombravida ordered through clenched teeth.
But this time, reversed.
The lowest-tier Adjuchas were sealed first.
Layer upon layer of golden membranes formed around the weakest members, insulating them from the crushing reiatsu.
Sombravida did not protect himself.
He stood outside the membranes.
Alone.
If the pressure intensified further, he would be the first to fall.
A voice descended from above.
Calm.
Magnetic.
Almost lazy.
"Oh? Using the Anti-Membrana like that… interesting."
Sombravida looked up.
A humanoid Hollow drifted down slowly.
Tall.
Lean.
Gray fur along the arms.
Mask intact.
Languid posture.
Reiatsu vast beyond measure.
This was no ordinary Vasto Lorde.
This was one whose presence alone erased lesser Hollows.
The Suppression
Sombravida expanded his own reiatsu to maximum output.
High-tier Adjuchas pressure surged outward in resistance.
It was like pushing against a mountain.
He held.
Barely.
"You can withstand it?" the Vasto Lorde murmured.
"Only just," Sombravida replied honestly.
He did not lie.
Against such a being, deception was suicide.
"If this is your territory," Sombravida continued calmly,
"we will withdraw immediately."
He began forming a Garganta behind him—slowly.
Carefully.
Prepared to evacuate instantly.
The Vasto Lorde did not attack.
He simply studied Sombravida.
Then—
He descended to ground level.
Reiatsu flared sharply.
Sombravida reacted instinctively.
The Sky-Splitting Greatsword materialized.
Steel met condensed spiritual blade.
Clang.
Sombravida's arms trembled from the impact.
The Vasto Lorde did not move.
"Not bad," he said quietly.
"But if I keep this up… you will die."
Sombravida knew he spoke the truth.
Even holding this much pressure was costing him.
De-Escalation
"Respected one," Sombravida said steadily,
"we have no intention of hostility."
A long silence followed.
Then—
The pressure receded.
Not gone.
But controlled.
The surrounding sand stopped vibrating.
The Anti-Membrana barriers stabilized.
Sombravida allowed the Garganta to remain open—but inactive.
"You may stay," the Vasto Lorde said.
Sombravida blinked.
"…Stay?"
"Yes."
His tone remained distant.
"I will not."
Loneliness
"I am searching," the Vasto Lorde continued,
"for one who can endure my presence."
There it was.
The truth.
Sombravida's mind connected the pieces.
A Vasto Lorde whose reiatsu killed companions by proximity.
Whose loneliness shaped his existence.
There was only one Hollow in canon who fit this description.
"Tell me your name," the Vasto Lorde said.
"Sombravida. Ace Sombravida."
"…Sombravida."
He nodded slowly.
"You are the first Adjuchas I have met who can endure my spiritual pressure without collapsing."
Sombravida felt the weight of that statement.
"You are still too weak," the Vasto Lorde added calmly.
True.
Undeniably true.
"But you show potential."
The Name
"May I know yours?" Sombravida asked respectfully.
The Vasto Lorde looked toward the moon briefly.
"…Coyote Starrk."
Sombravida's heartbeat skipped.
It truly was him.
Coyote Starrk.
Future Primera Espada.
The Hollow whose reiatsu killed his own kind by mere proximity.
Mask intact.
Meaning—
This was before he split.
Before Lilynette.
Before Aizen.
Sombravida's mind recalculated the timeline instantly.
There was still time.
The Offer
Sombravida bowed slightly.
"It would be an honor to stand beside you one day."
Starrk watched him quietly.
"I am looking for someone who can stand beside me," Starrk said.
"If you become strong enough… perhaps."
The loneliness in his tone was unmistakable.
The Emblem
Sombravida removed one of Timd's insignias.
"This is the crest of my faction."
Starrk examined it.
Sombravida explained its function.
Starrk injected a drop of blood.
The greatsword insignia illuminated faintly.
"…Interesting," Starrk murmured.
"If I encounter your kind in the future… they will recognize me?"
"Yes."
"And if you grow strong enough… perhaps you will find me."
For the first time—
Starrk smiled faintly.
Departure
"I will continue my search," Starrk said.
"The longer I remain, the more your subordinates will suffer."
He was correct.
Even suppressed, his reiatsu strained the weaker Adjuchas.
"Grow stronger, Sombravida."
"Next time… do not merely endure."
With that—
He vanished.
Not Sonído.
Not a simple leap.
He was simply no longer there.
His reiatsu faded into the desert night.
Aftermath
Sombravida exhaled slowly.
If that had been any other Vasto Lorde—
Half his expedition would be dead.
Possibly all of it.
Nelliel stepped forward cautiously.
"That was…"
"A true Vasto Lorde," Sombravida said quietly.
"And one of the strongest among them."
He looked toward the horizon.
Starrk's appearance confirmed something critical.
Hueco Mundo's inner desert housed beings at the very top of Hollow evolution.
Sombravida's current strength—
Was not sufficient.
Not yet.
Resolution
"We establish our base here," Sombravida ordered calmly.
"Scout the area where those thirty Adjuchas vanished."
"If Starrk hunted them, there may be remnants."
"Construct fortifications against the cliff."
"Excavate inward."
"Minimal surface presence."
Inner Hueco Mundo required subtlety.
Power attracted monsters.
And Sombravida had just encountered one of the greatest.
Under the endless moon of Hueco Mundo—
The expedition truly began.
And somewhere in the white desert—
Coyote Starrk wandered alone.
Still searching.
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