In the starless night sky, a crescent moon hung high. Beneath the moonlight lay a desolate desert, where even the few withered branches were dyed a stark white. It was as if this world possessed only two colors: black and white.
Beneath the desert, towering giant trees stood everywhere. Though called trees, their entire bodies shimmered with an eerie light, completely devoid of life. If someone were to follow them up to the desert surface above, they would discover that the withered branches in the sand were merely their exposed tips. They were, indeed, entirely lifeless.
Several Hollows of varying colors, wearing different white masks, wandered aimlessly here. Suddenly, several cracks appeared in the air before them, resembling the heavily wrinkled lips of an old woman, like two wooden combs pressed together.
A black void slowly opened. A human-faced mask that seemed to be weeping in sorrow gradually became clear, followed by the sequential appearance of four long, slender legs. If one ignored the mask, this Hollow looked very much like a pale purple giraffe.
"Mmm, what a pleasant scent. Seth actually brought back a little snack."
These Hollows seemed to recognize their newly arrived kin. Without even a greeting, they surged toward the space behind Seth. They had caught the scent of a spiritual body distinct from a Hollow. To get a bite without having to do any work—what great luck.
The foolish Seth's distressed face was quickly left behind them, and these Hollows finally laid eyes on the little dessert hidden behind him.
"So your name is Seth?" an old, deep voice echoed from behind, yet the figure of the speaker appeared right in front of Seth. The kin that had swarmed toward him had already been cleaved in two. Seth hadn't even seen how the other party had done it.
"This isn't what we agreed upon, Seth."
Looking at the finely lined mask turning toward him, Seth's long legs gave out, and he dropped straight to his knees. His massive head repeatedly slammed against the ground, letting out loud, rhythmic thuds.
"I-I'm sorry, my lord! I truly didn't mean to harm you, and I had no idea they would be here! Please, you must believe me!"
Seth felt like he had been cursed with eight lifetimes of terrible luck. From the day he became a Hollow, he had entered the World of the Living countless times, but every single hunt had been thwarted by the Shinigami stationed there. It was the absolute pinnacle of misfortune.
This time was even worse. He had just stepped out of the Garganta and was secretly rejoicing over not encountering a Shinigami when this masked Shinigami suddenly appeared and slammed his head into the ground. If he had dared to talk back even a little, Seth fully believed his head would have been snapped clean off.
"My lord, I'm just an ordinary Hollow! The Garganta I open only leads into a narrow alternate dimension. As for where I end up, I have absolutely no control over it!"
The other party remained silent, making Seth think his explanation wasn't clear enough. At this moment, his slightly tearful voice matched his weeping mask perfectly.
"I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time. However, if I catch you trying any little tricks, you will share their fate!"
Seth was just about to kowtow and pledge his loyalty when he felt the weight of a person on his head. "Let's go. More Hollows are coming. Head that way."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Seth slowly raised his head, doing his utmost not to provoke the menace sitting on top of him. Stretching his four long legs, he sprinted toward the north as directed.
Along the way, aside from instructing him to change directions, the person on his head didn't say a single word. This left Seth feeling incredibly frustrated. He was supposed to be the master of this domain, so why was a Shinigami acting like he knew the place better than he did?
Indeed, this was Hueco Mundo, the homeland of the Hollows—a place entirely different from the Soul Society where Shinigami resided.
"My lord, where exactly are we going?" Seth had pondered this for a long time before finally unable to hold back his question. "Also, once we reach your destination, will you let me go?"
"And what if I said I won't let you go?" the old, emotionless voice replied. Seth's jaw trembled involuntarily. Just as he was at a loss for words, the other party's next sentence brought him immense relief. "Relax. As long as you don't harbor any crooked thoughts, I won't make things difficult for you."
"Please don't scare me like that, my lord!"
Seth had no idea that this 'lord' above him, who kept him in a state of constant terror, actually possessed a youthful face. Moreover, a smile had never left the corners of his mouth; he was far less terrifying than Seth imagined.
It had been nearly a month since Kōe left the Soul Society. The Senkaimon left behind by Azashiro Sōya was set for the World of the Living, but Kōe's true destination was Hueco Mundo.
He hadn't lingered in the World of the Living for a month out of laziness. Rather, Kōe had never studied spatial techniques or Kidō related to them, meaning he had absolutely no way to reach Hueco Mundo on his own.
Therefore, he needed a guide. When it came to traveling to Hueco Mundo, he believed no one had more experience than a Hollow.
However, while Hollow invasions were frequent in the World of the Living, the vast majority were low-level trash lacking individual consciousness, acting purely on instinct. Using a bunch of creatures who didn't even fear death as long as they could eat as guides? Kōe truly didn't have the confidence to pull that off.
In truth, Seth's luck this time was just as rotten as always. Not far from where he opened the Garganta, there happened to be a Shinigami. It was just that during this period, whenever the spiritual signature of a Hollow appeared, Kōe would quickly use a barrier to mask it. An ordinary Shinigami wouldn't even have the time to react.
He had waited a long time to finally encounter a conscious Hollow like this one, and the other party seemed a bit dim-witted to boot. How could he ever bear to kill such a little cutie that saved him so much trouble?
However, Kōe seemed to have run into some trouble now, leaving him somewhat puzzled.
"A group of Hollows is approaching from ahead. Go right!"
Hollows possessed a very acute perception of Reiryoku. Thus, in order to enter Hueco Mundo silently, Kōe had long since completely concealed his Reiatsu. Even if Yamamoto were standing right in front of him at this moment, he wouldn't be able to sense a single drop of Reiryoku from him.
Yet along the way, several groups of Hollows had abruptly changed their routes, approaching his direction. To call it a coincidence would be stretching it too far.
Recalling the situation when he first entered Hueco Mundo, those few Hollows had also discovered him instantly. But they clearly possessed consciousness, and the fact that they dared to attack him proved that his Reiryoku suppression was flawless.
"Am I that obvious here?" Kōe patted Seth's head beneath him.
Seth immediately replied, "You smell very nice."
"Smell?" Kōe pulled up his collar and took a sniff, but he didn't smell anything. "Is there a difference from the scent of Reiryoku?"
"Reiryoku? Reiryoku doesn't have a scent."
"Reiryoku doesn't have a scent? So you found me because you smelled a scent? My own personal scent?"
"That's right," Seth grinned, offering a compliment. "But for you to be this strong without a shred of Reiryoku, you're truly amazing, my lord."
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Kōe snapped angrily.
Startled, Seth's foot slipped, and he nearly face-planted into the ground. After steadying himself just in time, he said pitifully, "You didn't ask, so I didn't dare speak."
Seth felt incredibly bitter inside. How could he be so unlucky as to run into such a powerful Shinigami? Right now, he only hoped to drop the other party off at his destination as soon as possible and then leave. He swore he would never take another step out of Hueco Mundo again. Absolutely never!
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