Ashido's dwelling was located deeper within the inner perimeter.
As they ventured further in, the number of glowing trees around them increased. If he didn't clearly know he was underground in Hueco Mundo, Kōe would have thought this was a beautiful forest inhabited by elves.
According to Ashido's introduction, this place was called the Menos Forest. It was where the lower-class Menos, Gillians, and other ordinary Hollows resided. Nine times out of ten, the Hollows that invaded the World of the Living came from here.
Kōe found this puzzling. The area where Ashido lived could already be considered the core of Hueco Mundo. The underground was inhabited by Gillians and even more ordinary Hollows on the verge of evolving into the Gillian class. Based on Kōe's observations, such Hollows wouldn't easily invade the World of the Living.
Ashido explained this as well. The so-called Menos Forest actually referred to the entirety of Hueco Mundo's underground, including what Kōe initially thought was the outer perimeter. Furthermore, most Hollows operated relatively close to the inner regions. Aside from newly born Hollows, older ones like Seth who constantly wandered the outer fringes were truly few and far between.
The terms "inner" and "outer" perimeter were actually surface designations. Up there, it was a vast desert. Aside from a few places with ruined walls that could be used to distinguish locations, there really wasn't much difference elsewhere.
Arriving before a cave, which served as Ashido's home, Kōe ordered Seth to stay and move around nearby before entering.
Inside the cave was a very simple small dwelling, brightly lit by flames produced by Kidō. Aside from a stone bed, table, and stools that were clearly man-made, there was nothing else.
One of the walls had been hollowed out into a shelf. On it rested several Gotei 13 squad armbands and broken, shattered Zanpakutō. It was obvious these blades no longer had masters.
"These were all left behind by my friends, along with this," Ashido said. He took off the mask on his face and looked at it tenderly.
Kōe looked at the red-haired, youthful-faced Ashido. Sure enough, he had absolutely no impression of this face in his mind.
"How long have you been here, and why are you the only one who survived?"
"I can't remember clearly. I suppose it's been a very long time."
Ashido shook his head and continued, "Our group came here chasing after Hollows. At first, we didn't know how to hide ourselves. We fought Hollows day and night, and after exhausting ourselves, everyone fell one by one."
Shinigami were very easily discovered by Hollows. This wasn't something that could be avoided simply by suppressing one's Reiryoku; Kōe had only learned this after arriving here himself.
According to Ashido, he had only accidentally discovered this after taking the Hollow mask from his last fallen friend. Afterward, he collected the pelts and masks left behind by dead Hollows and fashioned them into the clothes he wore. As long as he didn't release his Reiryoku at full power, he wouldn't attract large hordes of Hollows.
As for whether Hollows left behind corpses, logically speaking, it shouldn't be possible. After all, fundamentally, both their bodies and those of Shinigami were spiritual bodies composed of Reishi.
When a Shinigami died, their corpse would gradually break down into Reishi and eventually dissipate into Soul Society. Therefore, the graves in the Seireitei were almost entirely cenotaphs; some were just tombstones with absolutely nothing buried beneath them.
The same applied to Hollows. Back in Soul Society, Kōe had slain quite a few Hollows, and their bodies would quickly turn into Reishi and vanish. It was the same in the World of the Living.
Only in Hueco Mundo could a Hollow's corpse be preserved—and *only* a Hollow's corpse. Kōe wasn't clear on the exact reason for this right now, but Hueco Mundo was indeed fundamentally different from Soul Society. A world capable of birthing existences like Hollows held far more unknown secrets than Soul Society.
"Then why not return to the World of the Living, or back to the Seireitei, through a Hollow's portal?" Kōe asked slowly, his tone having softened considerably. So far, he found Ashido's explanation quite convincing.
"We chased them all the way here to protect human souls and defend the dignity of Shinigami. Right up until their deaths, not a single one of my comrades regretted it." Ashido looked at the mask in his hands, a smile touching his lips as if recalling his fondest memories.
"They died, and I have to give them some sort of closure. I also believe that as long as I keep fighting here, the World of the Living will suffer fewer Hollow incursions." Saying this, Ashido shifted his gaze from the mask and looked at Kōe, asking with utmost sincerity, "Has the number of Hollows appearing in the World of the Living decreased at all?"
"This old man does not reside in the Seireitei for long periods, so I am unaware of the situation in the World of the Living."
How could the slaughter of a single person possibly change this massive Hueco Mundo? Moreover, how could Hollows be a form of life that could be solved merely through killing? Ashido's efforts were destined to be futile.
Kōe had essentially told a white lie, but these words aroused Ashido's suspicion. Earlier, this man had claimed his act of protecting a Hollow was a Seireitei secret, yet now he said he didn't reside in the Seireitei. Wasn't that a contradiction?
"May I ask your name? Before I left the Seireitei, I don't believe I ever met someone like you."
"You may call this old man Ao. When I left the Seireitei, let alone you, even a brat like Kuruyashiki hadn't been born yet."
Kōe could naturally guess Ashido's misgivings, so he continued, "But even having left the Seireitei, this old man is just like you—a Shinigami who still must toil for the sake of the Seireitei."
"And what about this so-called secret?"
"A secret is a secret. You do not need to know," Kōe rebuked in a deep voice, immediately following up with, "Nor will this old man explain it to you. You only need to know that my goal is the same as yours."
"I have never heard of a practice that involves protecting Hollows..."
"That is not the only thing you haven't heard of, and endless slaughter is not the only method to protect the World of the Living!" Kōe interrupted Ashido. Seeing the conflicted look still on the other's face, he suddenly raised his voice and demanded, "Are you staying here to honor your comrades' promise, or simply out of revenge, harboring hatred for Hollows? Think it through clearly, brat!"
"I am doing it to keep our promise!" Ashido answered Kōe's question without a shred of hesitation. He was absolutely certain of this.
It was just that the enemies he faced were now being protected by a fellow Shinigami, which made an inexplicable sense of betrayal rise in his heart.
"But if you protect Hollows, how can you face the souls they've devoured? How can you face my comrades who died in battle trying to protect those souls?"
"Whether you can face the dead or not, the living souls that are meant to be devoured will still be devoured." Kōe pointed at Ashido and said sternly, "Do not lead those who know no better down a narrow path just because of your own naive ideals!"
Ashido thought about it. Kōe's words were not without reason. Even if he risked his life slaughtering Hollows here, there would still be souls devoured by Hollows in the World of the Living.
And if temporarily protecting a Hollow could gradually reduce the number of Hollows invading the World of the Living—or even lead to a day when Hollows no longer invaded at all—then his and his comrades' wishes would be fulfilled.
It was just that this method was hard for him to accept right away. As Kōe looked at Ashido's tightly clenched fists, he could roughly guess the conflict raging in the other man's heart.
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