Infinite Anime [302-303] (Patreon)

Chapter 302: The Antelope Knight

Under the gray full moon, windblown sand rolled softly across the land, brushing over the corpses strewn across the battlefield.

A man in black sat on a slab of sandstone, his blade laid across his knees, watching as Ulquiorra devoured the corpse of a Menos Grande ahead.

"How is it? Any improvement?"

Gusion asked Ulquiorra. It had been two days since they began traveling together.

After spending some time with him, Gusion realized that, though Ulquiorra seemed a bit dull at this stage, it was more that he couldn't find the meaning of his existence within the void. Simply put, he wasn't dumb—quite the opposite, he was very smart.

In some matters, Gusion found Ulquiorra even more meticulous than himself. No wonder Aizen would trust Ulquiorra so deeply two hundred years later in the original story, leaving Las Noches' affairs in his hands.

Gusion couldn't claim he had "awakened" Ulquiorra. He felt Ulquiorra was mostly just curious about him during his exile and wanted to follow along and observe.

Just as he observed Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra observed him. Each took what they needed.

After finishing his consumption of the Adjuchas before him, Ulquiorra replied in an emotionless voice: "Very slight—almost imperceptible."

"It was too weak for you. No matter. As we move toward the central region, we should encounter plenty of powerful ones."

Gusion mused. Hueco Mundo was vast. The outskirts were barren, but the closer one drew to Las Noches at the center, the more Hollows gathered.

Adjuchas evolve on a path of advance-or-regress. Once they stop devouring, they can't maintain their current strength; worse, they may continue to decline until they regress to Gillian level—and never regain self-awareness.

For many Adjuchas, that was terrifying. Because of that limit, most hunted tirelessly every day—either kill and devour others to evolve, or become someone else's meal.

The law of the jungle in Hueco Mundo was far more straightforward than in the human world. Fear of regression drove the Hollows to fight. Those more "ambitious" Adjuchas confident in their power would move toward the center, seeking stronger opponents.

Judging from the hunts of the last two days, Gusion felt ordinary Adjuchas likely did nothing for Ulquiorra's evolution; at minimum they had to be like the two Adjuchas he'd slain before to have any effect.

In fact, he realized the buffalo and serpent Hollows from before were already strong Adjuchas. Most Adjuchas he killed in Hueco Mundo only dropped End Coins; they didn't drop inheritance crystals.

"Mr. Gusion, I recommend we don't go any deeper."

Ulquiorra offered his opinion. Not understanding the miraculous thing called "heart" didn't mean he lacked basic logical thinking. On the contrary, precisely because he had no heart, he could make the calmest analyses and judgments.

"Oh? Why?"

Gusion hadn't yet triggered the Pioneer's hunting radar, but based on a few Chaos-Space explorers he'd met yesterday, he believed the violator would also head toward the center.

He'd discovered Chaos-Space explorers entered this world as Hollows. It was his first time realizing that the dominant race among the major Spaces wasn't necessarily human; other races existed too.

Chaos Space's main race was a green-skinned, humanoid species, with individuals of some rather distinctive appearances in Gusion's eyes.

Since they clearly weren't human at a glance, they couldn't be assigned to the Shinigami or human camps, and were thus inserted into Hueco Mundo to stand with the Hollows.

The major Spaces must be fair. In the world of Bleach, being locked to the Hollow side wasn't necessarily a good thing, since Hueco Mundo was the weakest force. If Chaos-Space explorers were placed here, there had to be some benefit distinct from what Shinigami or Quincy-side explorers got.

Through a friendly exchange yesterday, Gusion learned what benefits Chaos-Space explorers received in Hueco Mundo. Amusingly, it echoed his side quest.

Chaos-Space explorers would all get a side quest defining them as Adjuchas, and by killing other Adjuchas, they could directly gain free attribute points.

Yes—this reward was more direct and far richer than Gusion's side quest reward.

Of course, he felt his own quest wasn't bad—just that too few Adjuchas dropped inheritance crystals.

From analyzing the enemy explorers' quests, Gusion concluded the violator certainly wouldn't leave Hueco Mundo and would seek to establish a foothold here to reap benefits.

From his knowledge of violators—lawless types—if it had come to him, a Pioneer, then that violator had already killed quite a few Arbitrators. Never mind that he didn't yet have the Hunter's intel—even if the violator did, he wouldn't balk.

In that case, as a "Hollow," the violator would think of unconventional ways to farm the side quest and try to control Hueco Mundo.

If Gusion were the violator, he'd do the same.

After a simple analysis, Gusion believed that to smoke out the violator, heading toward Las Noches was the right move—that's where the strong would gather.

At this moment, Ulquiorra finished devouring, and the Hollow underfoot turned to dust. He said coolly, "The center of Hueco Mundo is where Las Noches lies—the seat of the Hollow King—and I've heard it hasn't been peaceful there lately."

"Oh? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Gusion wasn't surprised Ulquiorra knew Hueco Mundo well. He'd wandered here for years, after all—he'd have ways to gather intel.

"Mr. Gusion didn't ask. I merely follow where you go."

Ulquiorra's voice was flat.

Gusion palmed his forehead. "That's my oversight."

He hadn't explained much to Ulquiorra. Mainly, the kid had been full of questions these two days—often dragging him into philosophical debates—giving him a real headache.

"Is the Hollow King strong? How big is the gap between you and him?"

Gusion asked what he cared about. Aizen hadn't yet taken over Hueco Mundo; the Hollows here were pure, unmodified.

He was curious—how strong would a pure, natural Vasto Lorde be in that case?

"Haven't seen him. I don't care about such things."

Ulquiorra said, "But I can be certain: the Hollow King is a Vasto Lorde."

Gusion thought, well, no kidding. "You said the center isn't peaceful—what happened?"

"I heard it while fighting other Hollows—may not be accurate—but they say Las Noches' army is sweeping the surroundings. Many Adjuchas have been killed."

Ulquiorra took his place at Gusion's side. "I think going to such a chaotic place now is unwise."

"Didn't you say you didn't care about life or death? You worry about danger?"

Gusion asked, curious.

"I merely don't understand the meaning of living. That doesn't mean I want to die. The instincts of living beings should be to survive, no? Besides, I need to evolve to Vasto Lorde to obtain a heart."

Only a pair of eyes showed through the white mask on Ulquiorra's face, calmly watching Gusion.

It felt strange to Gusion—like talking to a robot, with no emotion in the conversation; and this AI kept trying to figure out what a heart was.

"Mm. You're right. Rationally, living beings avoid danger and move toward what benefits survival."

Gusion rose, patting the dust from his clothes. "But I still want to head toward the center."

"Why?"

The three words Ulquiorra had said most often these days.

Gusion smiled and patted his shoulder. "Because it's interesting. Just hunting small fry on the outskirts in dull repetition—how boring. Weren't you the same? So bored you couldn't be bothered to use your full strength."

"Interesting…"

Ulquiorra savored the simple phrase Gusion often used. "Even if danger lies ahead—even if you might meet an unbeatable enemy—you still want to advance. That doesn't align with my understanding of survival. Is this… the judgment your 'heart' makes?"

"You could put it that way. If you retreat just because there's danger, if you lose the courage to challenge the strong, life would be too boring. Only fish that dare swim upstream can hope to become dragons."

Gusion explained, stepping forward.

Ulquiorra's judgment was calm and correct. But Gusion wanted to complete the task of hunting the violator, and gain more inheritance crystals.

Of course, he wouldn't rush headlong into Las Noches. After so many worlds, he wasn't reckless.

This world's situation was chaotic, and he wasn't top-tier himself. To push toward the center and contend with possible Soul Singers and the violator, he needed a fallback.

So after meeting those Chaos-Space explorers, he didn't kill them. He made a contract, and had them do something for him.

Per the contract, they would use a Garganta Ulquiorra opened, pass through the Dangai to the World of the Living, and deliver a message to the Shinigami of the 5th Division.

His drop-in point was isolated; he lacked leverage, perhaps putting him at a disadvantage compared to the Chaos-Space violator or Soul Singers—but he had people in this world too.

If it came to a brawl—who couldn't call reinforcements?

"Fish swimming upstream… Are those Hollows heading for the center also fish, then?"

Ulquiorra followed behind Gusion, half to himself, half as a question.

He suddenly realized he not only couldn't understand this human's actions—he no longer understood his fellow Hollows.

Didn't those Hollows know it was dangerous to brawl in the center? And yet they went. Was it submission to fear of regression—or desire for evolution?

So Hollows didn't just want to live—they wanted to "become dragons," to live better.

"In this world, everyone is a fish in the river. Some drift with the current, carefree; some swim against it, striving without pause."

Gusion said with feeling.

"Then, Mr. Gusion, which kind of fish are you? One who swims upstream?"

Ulquiorra asked.

To his surprise, Gusion shook his head with a smile. "Neither. If I have to say… I'm the fish that wants to jump out."

"So, to be a fish that swims upstream or jumps out—that's how a 'heart' avoids boredom? Is that the meaning by which you people with hearts realize yourselves?"

Ulquiorra pondered on and on.

"No. You misunderstand."

Gusion slowed slightly. "Every fish has its way of living. No one can easily define another's way as right or wrong, meaningful or not. Upstream struggle or drifting with the flow—if you're happy, that's meaningful."

"Happy…"

Ulquiorra murmured the word, hand to his chest. "It's hard for me to grasp some of the words you humans use. I feel nothing here—only endless emptiness."

"I'm not asking you to feel it with your hand, nor to understand it with your heart."

Gusion said, "When you truly feel happy, your body will tell you."

As they spoke, a plume of sand erupted beyond a dune ahead—clearly a battle.

Gusion and Ulquiorra focused on the source of the reiatsu flare, ending their daily chat.

With a roar, a Cero blasted the dune apart, sending a towering waterfall of sand skyward, a tsunami of grit rolling toward their position.

From within the sandfall, a lithe figure burst out, clutching a Hollow in her left hand.

It happened fast, but Gusion's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan still captured the figure clearly: the upper body was that of a curvaceous young girl, a mask like an antelope's upon her head; her lower body was that of an antelope.

He saw her throw the Hollow beside her toward a safer area with a backward swing, eyes locked on the enemy beyond the dune. "Why are you attacking us? We have no intention of being your enemies!"

Her tone was tinged with confusion. In her hand, reiatsu gathered into a knight's lance, which she used to block the enemy's strike.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

Silhouettes appeared beneath the sky-blotting sea of sand. High-speed sonido closed a ring around the antelope girl-knight: most were grotesque Adjuchas, some were green-skinned "Hollows" with shoddy fake masks.

At their head, an Adjuchas wielding a broadsword-class weapon clashed against the antelope knight's lance and said in a deep voice, "By His Majesty's order, all Hollows loitering in this area are to be driven off. If you don't want to leave your habitat, you can choose to submit to Him."

"We've never clashed with Las Noches, and we have no intention of war. Put Dondochakka down and let us leave—I don't want to fight you."

The antelope knight tried to negotiate.

But Adjuchas had already surrounded them—over twenty, enough to make even this powerful antelope knight knit her brows.

She didn't fear for her own safety; with her strength, these Adjuchas couldn't keep her. She worried her companions might be hurt in the melee.

"Lady Nel, don't mind me! You go first!"

The Hollow she'd thrown into the dune crawled out and shouted anxiously.

"Heh. His Majesty said, when you meet a strong Hollow, recruit them into Las Noches. Today, submit—or die here."

The broadsword Adjuchas flared his reiatsu, pressing the advantage.

Chapter 303: Mr. Gusion, shall I deal with them?

"Looks like you were right—the center really is chaotic."

Just as the two sides were at sword's edge, a voice sounded from the side, drawing everyone's attention.

The antelope knight and the Adjuchas leader pushed off each other and separated, both warily turning toward the source.

The Adjuchas under Emperor Barragan were built like a bull—half-man, half-bull, with little human about him. His broadsword was reiatsu-congealed.

He gripped it tight, staring at the two figures standing on a mound of sand—utterly perplexed.

If the white, humanoid Hollow didn't strike him as strange, the figure beside it did: that one had no Hollow traits whatsoever—clearly a Shinigami!

A Shinigami in Hueco Mundo?

His heart tightened. He recalled His Majesty's order—one clause in particular: if a Shinigami is found in Hueco Mundo, execute on sight and report afterward.

"Wah! Lady Nel, it's a Shinigami! A Shinigami!"

Nel's companion squawked, ignoring her orders to flee first, instead closing with her to fight side by side.

From the crashing sand sea, only where Gusion and Ulquiorra stood remained oddly untouched; Ulquiorra had raised a reiatsu barrier, turning their patch into a sanctum. After the sand river passed, their spot lay slightly lower, with the sand splitting behind them into a V.

They stood like the tip of an arrow—impossible to miss.

"Mr. Gusion, shall I take care of them?"

Ulquiorra asked evenly, his gaze sweeping across the Adjuchas, his reiatsu hidden, not leaking a drop.

The Chaos-Space explorers accompanying Barragan's force were equally astonished to see Ulquiorra and Gusion.

They hadn't expected a Shinigami to enter Hueco Mundo less than two days in. From a storyline perspective, that didn't add up. So this man in Shinigami garb could only be a Shinigami-faction explorer!

But why was such a powerful Hollow acting with him!?

As explorers, most had scouting tools or skills. At a glance they could tell this white humanoid Hollow wasn't ordinary—top-tier among Adjuchas, clearly stronger than Barragan's retainer here.

Something was off—both the Shinigami-faction explorer's presence and this humanoid Hollow.

Fortunately, their scan also returned the black-robed Shinigami's stats: total attributes under 80. They relaxed a little.

This squad from the Desolation Adventurers were a fairly strong mid–Tier-4 group—ten members present, all with composite attributes over 80—hence Barragan's favor including them in the sweep.

No problem. If they could take down this humanoid Hollow with just-over-80 composite attributes, they could continue surrounding Nel.

"There are quite a few. Let me see how you've improved these last few days."

Gusion looked at the Adjuchas and the explorers, and, unlike usual, didn't strike first. He wanted to see what Ulquiorra could do at full tilt right now.

"Yes."

Ulquiorra accepted. He'd barely acted in recent days; if Gusion told him to move, he wouldn't overthink it. Helping Gusion was part of the conditions for following him.

Task accepted, Ulquiorra stepped forward and, under the astonished gazes of the Hollows, released his reiatsu.

Under the gray moon, an invisible rainfall descended—equal, severe, and heavy—pressing on every Hollow present, drawing shock from all but Nel.

Even the powerful Nel was surprised by the depth and weight of it.

"This reiatsu… how!"

One of Barragan's men cried out, terrified. He too was an Adjuchas, but he could barely breathe—drowned beneath a black, rain-like reiatsu, as if he might sink and die.

The Chaos-Space explorers were sweating, staring at Ulquiorra as if facing death. This reiatsu—paired with the black-robed Shinigami's—made them feel very bad.

They looked at the white humanoid Hollow and the black bat-like wings behind him and thought: no way—this is Ulquiorra, isn't it!?

Future Cuatro Espada, the only one with a second-stage Resurrección, a terrifying existence suspected to be a Vasto Lorde!

What the hell did this Shinigami explorer feed him to make this god follow him?

Their scanners showed Ulquiorra's composite attributes at a whopping 86!

"Lady Nel, this is bad—this guy isn't a normal Hollow."

The gaunt Hollow beside Nel said anxiously. He suddenly felt this humanoid Hollow was an even scarier opponent than Barragan's hunters.

"Relax. It'll be over soon. I don't want to keep Mr. Gusion waiting."

Ulquiorra murmured as he advanced. In the next instant, sonido flared and he flashed to an Adjuchas' side.

"You—"

The Adjuchas barely got a word out before Ulquiorra's hand brushed the top of his head and plucked it off like a cherry.

Gusion was satisfied with the display and didn't bother to tell him to spare lives. Hueco Mundo had Hollows to spare—he wasn't so stingy as to haggle over every head.

"Everyone, B-formation! Main tank up!"

Facing Ulquiorra's ferocious blitz, the Desolation Adventurers shoved aside any sense of wrongness. The leader barked orders to combine forces.

As tension and adrenaline spiked, Ulquiorra didn't rush the explorers. After slicing one Adjuchas' throat with his clawed fingertips, he lunged toward Nel's position.

Seeing this, Gusion realized his earlier words were too vague. He hadn't meant for Ulquiorra to fight the antelope knight.

If he guessed right—from her traits and the two not-so-steady companions—this antelope knight was likely the future original Tres Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

Though the "original Tres" might be a bit inflated, he'd seen in the Space's official guide that Nel was a Vasto Lorde. Even if she wasn't yet now, in terms of evolutionary standing among Hollows, she should be a notch above Ulquiorra—at worst, evenly matched.

But Gusion didn't stop him immediately. He was curious who was stronger right now—Ulquiorra or Nel. With him anchoring things, it wouldn't go south.

Boom—

Ulquiorra's hierro met Nel's knight's lance. Their reiatsu collision kicked up a mountainous sand surge. The airflow sent Nel's two companions sprawling; they clung to one of her hind legs each just to avoid being blown away.

"Why are you attacking us? I don't want to fight you!"

Nel blocked Ulquiorra's strike, urgent. She had thought that with a third party intervening and the balance shifting, she could withdraw with Pesche. Who knew this humanoid Hollow would attack indiscriminately.

In a momentary lock, she glimpsed the black-robed Shinigami behind Ulquiorra.

A bad feeling rose. Had this Hollow really teamed with a Shinigami to slaughter every Hollow present?

"You're strong. As Mr. Gusion says, perhaps if I devour you, I will understand what a heart is."

Ulquiorra said mid-assault. Truthfully, this was the first opponent he'd met this strong.

In his wandering, he had been aimless and lost about the future, yet he could beat every Hollow he met with little effort.

But this Hollow was different—she blocked him easily, yet kept claiming she didn't want to fight.

"A heart? What use is devouring me? You seem a fairly rational Hollow. I don't want a meaningless fight."

Nel shielded Pesche behind her while fending off Ulquiorra's blows. She felt this Hollow had a screw loose. Evolving she could understand—but "for a heart"?

Seeing that Ulquiorra and Nel wouldn't settle things quickly, Gusion drew his gaze back to the Adjuchas and explorers surrounding him.

"Lord Abirama, while they're locked up, let's kill this Shinigami first."

Desolation's leader, Gumoro, proposed. If they dared hunt Nel—a Hollow about to evolve to Vasto Lorde—they had some confidence.

Explorers couldn't match top captains, but each team member was about as strong as a "trash-tier captain." As Hollows in Hueco Mundo, they were solid among Adjuchas.

With team coordination, they had the confidence to gang up on Nel. Whether or not Barragan had ordered a sweep, they wouldn't let her go. Nel was "easy to bully."

Even if they lost, they wouldn't necessarily die; and if they won, the attribute points would gush in one wave.

Given Nel was a key plot figure, they'd also get a ton of world exploration. A very profitable deal.

Ulquiorra's appearance was unexpected, but not unmanageable.

In fact, with Ulquiorra and Nel locked together, mutual damage only meant more loot for the explorers. Their priority now was to remove the unstable element—the black-robed Shinigami explorer.

"Don't order me around. Know your place."

Abirama, an Adjuchas and trusted retainer of Barragan, was proud and displeased with Gumoro's directions. But he agreed: kill the Shinigami first.

So after a grumble, he signaled the Adjuchas to attack Gusion.

At the same time, the Desolation explorers moved. The main tank charged in with a space-masked, bone-like tower shield. Warriors flanked to either side, keeping a tight formation.

Casters at the rear disguised themselves as Kido-type Hollows and launched spells.

Assassins swept wide, ready to strike at openings.

Sniper and archer fired on command—arrow and bullet flew together.

Gusion merely shifted slightly, letting the bullet pass, then raised a hand and, to the explorers' surprise, caught the arrow.

His hand was wrapped in Armament Haki, reinforced by advanced reiatsu control borrowed from Ulquiorra's usage, further boosting his hand's defense.

To the archer's horror—his vision keen by class—he clearly saw Gusion grasp the arrow's shaft mid-flight. That required insane prediction—or… his Godspeed arrow was simply clear as day to the man's eyes.

Gusion flicked the arrow sideways. Wreathed in Ryuo and advanced Haki, it buried into a Hollow's eye, sending it staggering with a pained howl.

Facing the closing Hollows and explorers, the tomoe in Gusion's eyes turned, becoming a lightning-shaped windmill.

As the Chains of Mazuko coiled up his arm, he met the gaze of the lead charging explorer.

Seeing the Mangekyō spin, the main tank's heart sank. He tried to brake and pull teammates back, but there was no time to coordinate. As the tank, he had to push forward and ping the warning in party chat.

In a flash, Gusion hadn't moved, and the tank reached him.

A black arc flashed beneath the gray moon, cleaving the heavy shield. Conqueror's Haki and Ryuo erupted together. Reiatsu honed the Mazuko's edge, carving a gash in one strike.

As the stunned tank was about to taunt, high-voltage current surged up from underfoot. In that brief stun, damage numbers exploded across his combat HUD.

Soul-Eater effect triggered—each tick shaved down the tank's source-of-life bar.