Infinite Anime [300-301] (Patreon)

Chapter 300: Pioneer Missions, The Strange White Hollow

Facing Gusion, who was walking over with his blade, the white humanoid Adjuchas only remained silent. In his eyes there was no fear of death, no desire for life, and not even the will to fight.

Gusion, who had just raised his hand, suddenly withdrew the Mazuko. "Forget it, not interesting."

With that, he turned to leave. Even if the other might be very strong, he had no interest at all in an opponent with no fighting spirit and eyes full of emptiness.

After walking some distance, Gusion continued checking his missions. In addition to the initial Bankai main quest and a time side quest, he had also received two Pioneer missions, a rank-up mission, and a side quest that had just triggered and he hadn't had time to view.

[Rank-up Mission: Reverse War]

Mission content: Kill 10 fourth-tier beings with a total attribute score of 71+.

Difficulty: Easy

Reward: Pioneer's Mark advances to Tier 4

Failure penalty: Erasure

[]

Hmm, excessively easy.

It was Gusion's first time doing a rank-up mission. The first time, he directly broke an attribute cap and skipped it; the second time, because of a world war, the rank-up was embedded in the conflict—and the other side surrendered without a fight.

Before entering this world he'd wondered how the rank-up mission would make things hard for him. Turns out it just wants him to kill 10 fourth-tier beings…

Oh, for an ordinary third-tier explorer about to break through, that could be a bit challenging.

After reading the rank-up mission, Gusion looked down to the next.

[Pioneer Mission: Seed of Immortal Spirit]

Mission content: During your stay in this world, kill the Soul Singer of Heaven's Will Space who holds a Spirit Seed, and seize the Immortal Spirit Seed.

Difficulty: Hard ~ Certain Death

Reward: Immortal Spirit Seed, Diamond Pioneer Medal x1

Failure penalty: All attributes -3

[]

This mission convinced Gusion that Heaven's Will Space's Soul Singer had already entered the Bleach world. Unlike last time's Spirit Seed mission, this time End Space had a failure penalty—likely the other side's Soul Singer did too.

Which meant that even if they didn't want to clash, both spaces would force them into a fight.

Not that it mattered to either of them—neither would give up a Spirit Seed anyway.

Aside from that Pioneer mission, Gusion had also received a Pioneer-exclusive hunt.

[Pioneer Mission: Hunt]

Mission content: During your stay in this world, kill Chaos Space violator No. 697123 and violator No. 2136129.

Difficulty: Average ~ Hard

Reward: Platinum Pioneer Medal x1–2

Failure penalty: None ~ All attributes -2

[]

There was a special note on this mission: others were also hunting these two violators, so the failure penalty fluctuated. If both violators were confirmed dead, then even if he hadn't landed the kill, failure penalty would be none—meant to prevent being "kill-stolen" and still punished.

Conversely, if by the end of the mission world both violators were alive, he'd suffer the maximum penalty of -2 to all attributes.

From this mission, Gusion guessed there were other Pioneers or Adjudicators in this world. If fate pushed further, the other hunter might even be the Soul Singer…

Though they hadn't met, they already had both a cooperative and adversarial relationship—a curious situation.

Because the Bleach world map is large and zoned, End Space considerately provided radar this time: as long as he and a violator were in the same major map, he'd get a prompt.

Once within 500 km, he'd get exact coordinates and could lock on to pursue.

After confirming all the starting missions, Gusion wondered whether to find a way back to Soul Society first, or explore Hueco Mundo.

Returning to Soul Society wasn't hard; the problem was figuring out how to explain being missing for seventy years—there'd be questions. Central 46 is especially sensitive to Shinigami who go missing and then return.

As for exploring Hueco Mundo, Gusion had no clear plan yet. He only noted from the Pioneer hunt's marked map that one target was currently in Hueco Mundo, and thought to deal with a violator before leaving.

He didn't have much experience hunting violators—only that Kengan world one time. Honestly, he didn't know what weird abilities violators might have. To prevent unforeseen complications, it was best to prioritize eliminating them.

Besides those two Pioneer missions, after killing the two Adjuchas-class Hollows he'd triggered a repeatable side quest.

[Side Quest: Void Hunter]

Mission content: When a Pioneer holds a Shinigami identity, this side quest can be triggered. Upon killing Adjuchas-class or higher Hollows or Arrancar, you can receive varying rewards based on the target's strength.

Difficulty: Easy ~ Certain Death

Reward: 10,000 End Coins ~ Inheritance Crystal*?

Failure penalty: None

[]

This side quest was flexible. The moment he killed the first Hollow it triggered; when the second Hollow died, it settled the reward.

Upon the second Adjuchas being judged dead, the side quest settled once and awarded him one Inheritance Crystal (Medium). A delightful surprise.

Though the minimum reward looked stingy and didn't match an Adjuchas's expected payout, the quest was repeatable—and since he was strong enough and Adjuchas were plentiful in Hueco Mundo, a large-scale hunt would be very lucrative.

As Gusion strolled, thinking, he sensed someone approaching slowly from behind. He turned, puzzled, to see the white humanoid Adjuchas. "Why are you following me?"

He felt no hostility from the other, nor any other emotion. The other was simply tailing him—eerie.

Thinking of the side quest he'd just gotten, Gusion even wondered whether to just cut the guy down for an Inheritance Crystal. Maybe he could get several.

"I want to know why you didn't kill me."

The humanoid Adjuchas's first words made Gusion feel this Hollow had a screw loose.

He thought: I spared you and you didn't run—and now you're following me. So unless I gut you, you're not comfortable, is that it?

"Every Shinigami I've seen never spares Hollows. I want to know your reason for not killing me."

Seeing Gusion frown in silence, the white humanoid Hollow added, and this time a spark entered his eyes—an emotion called curiosity.

"No reason. Just felt it was boring."

Gusion was speechless. He did want to farm the side quest for End Coins and Inheritance Crystals, but a foe like this truly failed to stir his fighting interest.

"Boring?"

The white Hollow seemed confused. He raised a hand to touch the hole in his chest. "What is boring?"

Suddenly, Gusion felt the pure-white humanoid Hollow's speech and behavior seemed familiar. He mulled it over and said, "It means dull. Killing you wouldn't bring me joy. Understand?"

The white Hollow looked more perplexed and shook his head. "Joy… What kind of emotion is that?"

"Don't just question me. Let me ask you—why didn't you eat those two Hollows? You should be much stronger than them, right?"

Gusion countered. From watching their earlier fight, he'd already realized this white humanoid Hollow was the strongest, but he lacked drive, acting indifferent and sandbagging mid-battle.

"If I eat them, will I understand the emotions you speak of?"

The white Hollow stroked the hole in his chest. "I do not know. I am merely confused by this seemingly eternal mutual devouring, uncertain of its meaning."

Gusion looked oddly at the white humanoid Hollow before him. Could this be a future Espada, the ultra-stylish Ulquiorra?

But the other's tone didn't match the cold, aloof boss he'd seen in the anime. Rather than a cool tyrant, he seemed a bit… simple.

Maybe the timeline was early. Perhaps this Ulquiorra had just left the brood, lacked worldly experience, and didn't match the fixed impression yet?

And now he'd opened with a philosophical discussion? Come on—Gusion was just a fighter. How was he supposed to answer deep questions like that?

"You're merely tired of hunting and devouring. That means you feel it's boring, dull."

Gusion thought aloud, then turned and headed toward the center of Hueco Mundo. He didn't want to debate philosophy with Ulquiorra right now—he wanted to test whether the radar's range could cover the violator's location.

"Dull… So this is dull…"

The white Hollow touched the hole in his chest, ripples stirring in his eyes. "Then I shall no longer continue to hunt and devour."

Gusion glanced back at the white Hollow's appearance. Since he had evolved into a humanoid, he was likely not far from Vasto Lorde level. Once his facial features emerged naturally, he'd probably become a Vasto Lorde, a qualitative leap in power.

And yet such a rare and powerful Adjuchas in Hueco Mundo now seemed listless—and would abandon evolution over two offhand remarks.

If other unqualified Hollows learned this, they'd be furious. Whether one could evolve into a Vasto Lorde was decided very early—perhaps even back when they were human.

Across all of Bleach, there weren't many Vasto Lorde on-screen. If the Hollow before him really was Ulquiorra-to-be, Gusion felt it wouldn't be undeserved if he failed to evolve.

He carefully recalled that, in the manga's memories, Ulquiorra did appear like this.

According to Ulquiorra's recollection, he was born in a cavern deep within Hueco Mundo and, because his appearance and habits differed from his kin (who were pitch black with glowing eyes and bat-like mouths), he was ostracized.

He left the cave alone, wandering Hueco Mundo. During his wanderings he saw a strange white grove and chose to bury himself in nothingness; as he stepped into it, the mask covering his face cracked apart on its own, becoming like an Arrancar's mask fragment afterward.

The white humanoid Hollow before Gusion should be Ulquiorra before he self-Arrancar'd—meaning he still had potential to continue evolving.

With that thought, Gusion's interest stirred. He knew pure Shinigami had limits, but combining Shinigami and Hollow powers could push further; and if you were a four-way hybrid like Kurosaki Ichigo, your potential was off the charts.

Before entering Bleach's world, he'd considered getting some Hollow power to test. This Ulquiorra would be an excellent subject of observation. Later, if he reunited with Aizen, they could discuss it; with Aizen's brilliance, he'd surely devise the perfect "evolution route."

Hmm… of course, nothing too ugly. He had to nudge Aizen, during research, not to evolve into some huge flapping moth. Losing style points was fatal in this world.

"You want to know meaning? You must feel it with your heart. If you stand still here, you will gain nothing."

Gusion said. He wasn't good at teaching, but after a few worlds he'd gained experience in communication—coaxing the current Ulquiorra seemed doable.

An Adjuchas on the verge of evolving to Vasto Lorde—too rare a specimen to observe. He also felt that if he could gain some support in Hueco Mundo, it would make his later moves easier.

This place was huge; if violators hid well, he couldn't search it alone.

Beyond violators, he had to consider the Soul Singer. From that title, Gusion suspected the other's power was tied to souls, so the Soul Singer would likely start in either Soul Society or Hueco Mundo.

Making a few friends in Hueco Mundo and getting them to help search would let him gather intel faster and also facilitate side-quest hunting.

With that, Gusion decided to bring Ulquiorra along.

"If I evolve to Vasto Lorde, will I understand what a heart is?"

The humanoid white Hollow looked at Gusion, eyes filled with a longing even he didn't recognize.

"I don't know. But standing still gets you nothing. Decide for yourself."

Gusion intended to recruit Ulquiorra to act with him, but he didn't intend to bluff him. He couldn't answer such philosophy; and Ulquiorra's thought patterns weren't normal—no one could guarantee he'd "get it" after evolving.

In fact, judging from the Espada's styles, Gusion felt that without guidance or an external trigger for "enlightenment," even if Ulquiorra reached Vasto Lorde he'd remain a cold, empty man.

"I decide for myself… You, as a Shinigami… are strange. Can I follow you?"

The humanoid white Hollow murmured. It was the first time he'd met a Shinigami willing to chat with a Hollow, and he was more curious about what "heart" was.

Gusion could only sigh—Ulquiorra was no ordinary Hollow. A normal Hollow would charge at him to fight, like those two he'd just cut down.

What do Hollows and Shinigami have to chat about? Much less "follow him to observe and grasp what a heart is."

"I'll be in Hueco Mundo for a while. If, when I move, you can help with some things, then come along."

Gusion did plan to hunt violators and possibly the Soul Singer in Hueco Mundo, but he didn't plan to stay long.

Honestly, the returns here weren't many. The side quest could be farmed, but he hadn't come to Bleach to grind. If the Soul Singer wasn't in Hueco Mundo, or if he ran into resistance, he'd still prioritize returning to Soul Society.

He had acquaintances there who could help. Overall strength-wise, Soul Society was certainly stronger.

"What do you need me to do?"

The humanoid white Hollow followed at Gusion's side, curious about this Shinigami's behavior. He'd seen Shinigami stray into Hueco Mundo, but none as strong—or as strange—as Gusion.

He wondered if this was the influence of "heart," causing a Shinigami to act differently. If only he could understand what a heart was.

"Let me think…"

Gusion paused, then turned with a grin. "Tell me your name first."

Chapter 301: Fifth Division Lieutenant

A wind swept across the desert; under the ashen moon, pale sand rose, brushing Gusion's robes and the white Hollow's skin.

The humanoid white Hollow answered without hesitation, his voice low, magnetic, devoid of emotion. "Ulquiorra Cifer."

Gusion could now be certain of his identity—and was amused to find he had a full name.

When reading the original manga, Gusion had once thought the Espada's names were bestowed by Aizen. Later, he noticed a detail: when Aizen created Wonderweiss Margela, he asked for Wonderweiss's name upon his Arrancar awakening.

That suggested these higher Hollows originally had names, and were aware of them. Whether they were from their human lives or self-chosen after gaining self-awareness was unclear.

Commentary in Space also theorized that their names were tied to their traits and abilities—something they innately "knew."

For example, Ulquiorra represents the mode of death "nihility." His name in English, Ulquiorra, in Spanish can mean "the one who cries," and after becoming an Arrancar he indeed bears two green tear tracks.

As fiction, Gusion appreciated the author's thoughtful name symbolism. But in a real world, such alignment between name and essence suggested some powerful force was at work behind the scenes.

"My name is Gusion."

His self-introduction was brief. "When we act next, I'll be hunting some Adjuchas-class Hollows. You can engage or just watch. After I kill them, you can devour them."

He wasn't sure if the Hollows Gusion killed would still benefit Ulquiorra upon devouring, but maximizing resource use felt right. Having Ulquiorra eat them alone or letting them sandify and dissipate would both be wasteful.

"You want to hunt Adjuchas. Then why not kill me first?"

Ulquiorra, hearing this, had a new doubt.

"…You really do have a lot of whys. We're companions now—of course I won't treat you as a target."

Gusion was speechless and already regretting bringing Ulquiorra. This guy might give him high blood pressure. He wanted the Aizen-trained version—cold, high-IQ Ulquiorra…

"Companions… Can Shinigami and Hollows be companions?"

Ulquiorra muttered.

"Why not? If I'm willing, that's enough."

Gusion chatted as they headed for central Hueco Mundo.

"Willing… Is that your heart making a judgment…"

Ulquiorra pondered. "So with a heart, even natural enemies can become companions."

"There are no eternally locked enemies. If your heart rejects someone, they're your enemy. If your heart accepts them, even those on hostile sides can become confidants."

Gusion said simply, looking up at the gray moon, considering the road ahead.

…

While Gusion and Ulquiorra embarked on their adventure in Hueco Mundo, other explorers in the Bleach world began their own moves.

Most who descended to the Human World were from Heaven's Will Space, already seeking Quincy clans to learn their techniques.

Those who descended into Hueco Mundo were mostly from Chaos Space; limited by the peculiarity of their space, their races and looks were far from human, so dropping into the Human World or Soul Society would be jarring—thus they were placed in Hueco Mundo.

Soul Society saw a flood of End Space explorers, shaking the basic order of Seireitei's Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Lucky ones, or those with strong past evaluations, started as lower-seat officers.

A tiny number of extraordinarily powerful ones were directly assigned first or second seats, even Lieutenantcies.

But the most common starting status in Soul Society was still Rukongai commoner—saving Space the effort of massive retroactive edits. Any later identities would be up to the explorers.

For a fourth-tier explorer, joining Seireitei was easy; they didn't even need Shin'o Academy. With a strong enough showing in tests, they could directly enter a squad—but don't dream of being a seated officer yet; you'd need to accumulate merit.

Like a pond still for years, Soul Society rippled with their arrival.

…

Seireitei, Fifth Division barracks.

Sunlight poured down, gilding the traditional courtyard in brilliant edges.

Plants were arranged with tasteful spacing, adding secrecy and tranquility. The ground was paved with carefully set stepping stones, winding forward; between them, tender moss grew, brimming with life.

At the end of the path, by the edge of a wooden corridor, a man in Shihakushō sat with a cup of hot tea, enjoying a leisurely afternoon.

He had short brown hair and brown eyes. Behind black frames, his gaze was as warm as the sun. He read a document and said gently to the squad member standing behind him, "Well done. Leave the rest to me—I'll speak to the captain."

The squad member sighed in relief. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll work twice as hard from now on."

The man smiled, encouraging warmly. "I look forward to your future performance."

Judging by the worship in the man's eyes, this Lieutenant had great prestige in the Fifth Division—almost more beloved than the captain.

After the squad member left, the man set down his tea, stood, stretched, and looked at the blazing sky. "When did so many masters pop up in Rukongai? Interesting…"

The current Fifth Division Lieutenant was, of course, Gusion's former dormmate, Aizen Sōsuke. After graduating he joined the Fifth Division per plan and, after years of groundwork, had climbed to Lieutenant.

In those years, Shinji Hirako, originally a seated officer, also progressed rapidly and became Lieutenant a few years back.

Unfortunately, several years ago the old Fifth Division captain died in the line of duty during a confidential rescue. By succession and strength checks, Hirako became the new captain.

Aizen was promoted in the wake of that.

Honestly, given his temperament, Aizen hadn't wanted to become Lieutenant so soon—it made him look like a prodigy ascending too fast.

But he had matters weighing on his heart—things he wanted to verify and explore—and he needed status. Lieutenant granted him flexibility; no longer would he be assigned trivial tasks that wasted time.

As Lieutenant, he could select missions and handle private business amid them.

For instance, a few years ago, during one mission, he took time to visit Hueco Mundo.

"Truly perplexing… but I don't believe you're dead."

Aizen gazed at the blazing sky, musing. These years, he'd worn a mask and toiled in Seireitei, running toward his ideal, yet he often recalled those years at Shin'o Academy.

Or more precisely, those months spent with a certain remarkable roommate.

Back then, newly in Seireitei, he had few complex thoughts and simply found it interesting to observe another genius. Even without overt displays of power, being with him eased the loneliness of genius.

He had imagined their future—joining the Gotei 13 together, daily life, battles side by side.

But that future shattered in one day. Shortly after joining the Fifth Division, Gusion encountered a Gillian on a mission, and in the desperate fight was dragged into a garganta back to Hueco Mundo.

By normal logic, Gusion had no chance of survival. On the Fifth Division roster, Gusion had been marked with an X—deceased.

But Aizen didn't believe it—not only because Gusion seemed a genius of miracles, but due to his own intuition: Gusion wouldn't die so easily.

Rather than accept the squad's conclusion, he preferred to believe Gusion was lost in Hueco Mundo, unable to find the way back.

After all, without special techniques, Shinigami couldn't open gargantas at will; even captains couldn't enter Hueco Mundo without special means.

Aizen retained hope, so he didn't stop researching ways to enter Hueco Mundo. Because of his personal objectives, he couldn't trumpet a research institute, so he studied in secret.

A few years ago, he finally developed a way to go back and forth and eagerly made a trip.

But the result disappointed him. He toured most key areas of Hueco Mundo, even confronted powerful enemies, yet found no trace of Gusion.

Not even intel. He sighed and could only think that, relative to Hueco Mundo's Hollows then, Gusion had been too weak—swallowed without making a ripple.

Fortunately, Aizen wasn't overly sentimental. He put it behind him and didn't regret the time spent.

Hueco Mundo was on his roadmap anyway. Scouting ahead was fine.

Now, a major operation in Soul Society was being prepared. He thought he could profit from it—ideally capture a Quincy as research material, to spark new evolution ideas.

He was gifted and his reiatsu grew quickly, but Aizen had long realized pure Shinigami had limits. With only Shinigami power, he could not achieve his aims.

So he sought further evolution—to end the vacancy on Heaven's Throne.

"Lieutenant Aizen, please review this file."

As Aizen planned his next moves, someone rushed into the courtyard, anxious.

"Don't be so hasty—watch the step."

Aizen took the file and skimmed it, surprised at the intel delivered to the Fifth.

It reported that earlier that morning they'd received a routine support request. As a support division, the Fifth was often called when other squads faced strong enemies.

Nothing unusual—usually such missions didn't require Aizen or Hirako's review. This one wouldn't have either, but the outcome was odd.

The report said a Sixth Division team had encountered Hollows in the World of the Living and, amid battle, sent a support signal to the Fifth. As they were ordinary Hollows, the Fifth sent two seated officers to assist.

But things took a strange turn. First, the Sixth's squad members were "captured," as if their souls were plucked, then taken into a garganta. Later, the Fifth's Seventh and Eighth Seats who went to assist also disappeared—likely trapped in Hueco Mundo, fate unknown.

Such a "familiar" yet eerie plot immediately set Aizen on alert.

"What did Captain Hirako say?"

Aizen asked.

The squad member replied anxiously, "The captain went to support the Seventh Division. He hasn't returned yet!"

Aizen folded the report. "Understood. This isn't for the Fifth to handle right now. I'll report it to the Head Captain."

Personally, he wanted to run to Hueco Mundo again—not only out of curiosity, but a special intuition.

But process-wise, with seated officers vanishing, it wasn't something a Lieutenant could handle lightly. If Hirako were here, he could move; without him, Aizen couldn't act rashly.

By Gotei 13 regulations, this needed to be reported to the Head Captain and discussed at a meeting.

In practice, from Aizen's experience, such cases mostly ran through the motions. They rarely sent rescue to Hueco Mundo; in the Gotei 13's eyes, squad members and even seated officers were consumables.

Cruelly speaking, even if a Lieutenant like him were trapped in Hueco Mundo, aside from his direct captain Hirako, likely no one would go rescue him.

At present he was busy arranging Soul Society's coming extermination of the Quincy and had no time to scout Hueco Mundo. But he had other ways to learn what happened.

After the squad member left, he used a discreet method to contact Ninth Division seated officer Tōsen Kaname. "Tōsen, I'd like to trouble you to make a trip to Hueco Mundo."