Lying in the deep crater, Naraku Sora looked up at the sky. His eyes were still bright and piercing, carrying a hint of a carefree smile.
Even though half of his body was nearly destroyed, with white bones piercing through flesh at his joints and exposed in a ghastly manner, thick blood dyed the silver sand beneath him a dark red.
What was even more terrifying was the massive hollow in his chest. Large chunks of flesh and blood had been vaporized and annihilated, leaving behind a tragic, charred blackness.
Even his internal organs were exposed.
However, only that heart continued to beat vigorously, providing an endless stream of power to his body.
The muffled sound was like thunder.
It was as if it were some hidden backup energy source.
Just as Yamamoto was about to say some more demoralizing words, he suddenly saw his foolish disciple ignore his injuries, push up with both hands, and abruptly stand up with his battered body.
"You bastard, just lie there and don't..."
Yamamoto shouted angrily.
However, before he could finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly widened as he witnessed an unbelievable scene.
The mangled flesh squirmed like a living creature, dislocated bones automatically snapped back into place, and muscle fibers intertwined, weaving together a complete body in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, Naraku Sora was back on his feet, alive and kicking in his original spot.
He glanced at the dumbfounded Yamamoto and grinned.
"High-Speed Regeneration, Old Man Yama."
"Am I the kind of person to make empty boasts?"
"Even if I have to carry Las Noches on my back and hold up the Soul Society with one hand, I, Naraku Sora, am still invincible in this world!"
While humming smugly, he didn't forget to cough up two charred fragments of his internal organs.
How could Hollowfication be such an inconvenient thing?
When the puzzle was completed, his High-Speed Regeneration was already second only to Arturo's back in the day.
Menos Grande possessed basic abilities like Hierro, High-Speed Regeneration, Pesquisa, Cero, and Sonído, just like the Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Flash Step, and Kidō of Soul Reapers.
When breaking through the boundaries of the soul and achieving the status of an Arrancar, one could choose to strengthen one of these abilities.
Take Ulquiorra Cifer, for example.
He chose High-Speed Regeneration, so his recovery power far exceeded that of the other Espada.
Even if his limbs were severed in battle, he could still recover in an instant.
The same applied to Arturo, except his High-Speed Regeneration was even stronger than Ulquiorra's.
As long as a tiny bit of tissue remained, his body could completely regenerate.
Its heaven-defying degree was even comparable to Inoue Orihime's Sōten Kisshun.
But it wasn't without its drawbacks.
Over-strengthening one ability would cause the other basic abilities to become weaknesses.
Arturo was an existence on the level of the King of Hueco Mundo, belonging to the same category of self-made Arrancar Vasto Lorde as Starrk and Lilynette.
However, in terms of combat power, he appeared somewhat inferior.
An infinite barrage of Gran Rey Cero would be enough to completely overwhelm him, crushing him until not even dregs remained.
It could only be said that such a choice had its pros and cons.
In contrast, Naraku Sora's perfect Hollowfication was the type without any shortcomings.
Not only was his High-Speed Regeneration stronger than Ulquiorra's, but his Hierro, Sonído, Cero, and Pesquisa also far surpassed those of other Vasto Lorde Arrancar.
If he were given two firearms of the same specifications as Starrk's right now, he could also easily execute an Infinite Reload Gran Rey Cero, and its power would be even more terrifying.
If Yamamoto had the same Reiatsu as him, it would have been a completely different outcome.
Yamamoto took a deep breath, once again shocked by his foolish disciple.
After thinking for a few seconds, he looked over.
"Shall we continue fighting then? I was just starting to feel warmed up."
Naraku Sora cast a half-smiling glance at the bloodstained old man.
Although Yamamoto had fully recovered by this point, if they were to engage in another war of attrition, it was truly uncertain who would win or lose.
He was just a little worried that if this old man found he couldn't win and ended up drawing his sword to use Bankai out of humiliation and anger, things would get a bit nasty.
"Let's just barely call it a draw."
"Hm? What kind of nonsense are you spouting now, brat? How could I possibly tie with you?!"
Yamamoto dug out the buried Ryūjin Jakka from the sandpit, immediately preparing to activate his second stage.
However, before he could release it, Naraku Sora had already vanished from his spot, leaving behind a happy, hearty laughter echoing in the air.
Watching Naraku Sora's departing back, Yamamoto exhaled a breath of hot air, a hint of helplessness appearing on his aged face.
It would probably be a bit difficult to teach this bastard, rebellious disciple a lesson in the future.
Fortunately, he had more than just this one disciple.
He couldn't bear to hit Ukitake, but did that mean he couldn't bear to hit the other one?
Thinking of a certain fool who slacked off all day, dumping all squad duties onto his Lieutenant while only caring about drinking and chasing women, a surge of anger suddenly welled up in Yamamoto's heart.
It was time to return to the Soul Society and check on his homework.
Inside a certain leisure palace in Las Noches.
The Espada were gathered together playing cards. Even the habitually slacking Starrk was happily mixing in among them, enjoying this hard-won beauty.
Thinking back to when they wandered Hueco Mundo, they couldn't even see a single living Hollow.
There was only the endless silver sand and the solitary moon in the sky. The lonely life was enough to drive anyone mad.
Looking at the present, ever since joining Las Noches, life had begun to become rich and colorful.
There were no conflicts among colleagues, and even the instinct to devour their own kind had been erased by Lord Aizen using scientific technology.
To make up for the dietary defect, the Naraku Department of Research and Development had even developed food exclusively for Hollows.
Although it couldn't help the Adjuchas and Gillian advance further, at least they wouldn't regress due to not eating for a long time.
It was said that the food was made from the most abundant resource—sand.
Speaking of which, the sand in Hueco Mundo seemed to be formed from the remains of other dead Hollows.
In the end, it seemed they were still devouring their own kind.
Starrk let his thoughts wander and began to zone out, only snapping back to reality when Lilynette kicked him in the forehead, sending him falling backward.
Why think so much about it?
Wasn't the sand just sitting there to be used?
If they really just left it alone, wouldn't that be wasting the painstaking efforts of their fellow kind?
"Idiot Starrk, I won again."
Lilynette knocked over the mahjong tiles on the table and hummed smugly.
"You've now lost to me three thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven times in reverse Resurrección. Next time, I want you to turn into a pack of wolves, and then we'll go beat up that white-bearded old man!"
"?"
Hearing this, Starrk quickly turned his head, looking at his other half in horror.
"We're going to fight Head Captain Yamamoto?"
"Are you serious?"
Even though they were the No. 1 of the Espada, if they really fought a monster like Yamamoto, they would probably be burned to ashes in a single second.
Not even dregs would remain.
"What are you afraid of with me here?"
Lilynette gave Starrk a strange look. "Sora said that Yamamoto is old and decrepit, not worth mentioning at all."
"As long as we work together, we can definitely take him down."
The Espada: "..."
Hanging around a certain someone so often, it seemed Lilynette had been raised a bit crooked.
Just then, an elderly figure leaning on a cane walked into the lounge, and the air in the palace instantly fell silent.
The Arrancar carefully glanced at the calm-faced Yamamoto. Only after repeatedly confirming that he hadn't appeared because of Lilynette's earlier remarks did they breathe a sigh of relief.
No matter how much the atmosphere of Las Noches changed, the essence of Hueco Mundo was still the survival of the fittest.
In the face of a true powerhouse, whether Arrancar or Menos Grande, they would all show a certain degree of respect.
"Ah, Teacher is here."
Resting his head on Nelliel's lap and enjoying a head massage, Naraku Sora raised his eyes and waved his hand.
"Bring a seat, bring a seat."
An Arrancar guarding the corner of the palace flickered into appearance, placing a prepared chair in front of the old man.
Yamamoto: "..."
He had only looked away for a moment, and this bastard, rebellious disciple was already living a luxurious life comparable to a noble?
No, even nobles were a bit lacking compared to this brat.
At the very least, those people weren't worthy of having Arrancar and Menos Grande serve them massages.
Looking at Naraku Sora, who seemed as if he had been possessed by Kyōraku Shunsui, Yamamoto immediately felt a surge of anger.
However, since they were currently in Las Noches, he still had to give his rebellious disciple some face.
After all, this brat was the current King of Hueco Mundo.
This group of powerful Arrancar could only stay together peacefully because he was keeping them in check.
"Teacher, life in my Las Noches isn't any worse than in the Seireitei, right?"
Seeing Yamamoto sit down, Naraku Sora turned his head with a slightly guilty conscience and continued to admire the half-ceiling in front of him.
"Hmph, I didn't come here to enjoy life."
Yamamoto snorted disdainfully, showing no sign of being corrupted by superficial temptations.
"Now that the Hollowfication experiment is complete and the related tests are finished, if there's nothing else, I'm returning to the Soul Society."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora grinned, immediately understanding the old man's thoughts.
Having finally broken through the shackles that had stagnated him for a thousand years, of course he wanted to go back and show off to the others right away.
Moreover.
After the incident with Quilge Opie, the Soul Society had strengthened its detection of abnormal Reishi, and the Quincies no longer dared to appear casually within the Seireitei.
In terms of intelligence, there was no need to worry about anything leaking.
Yamamoto could completely and boldly use his Hollowfication with peace of mind.
The only point to note was the attitude of Central 46.
Oh right, he almost forgot.
The previous Central 46 had been entirely wiped out by Aizen, and the new members hadn't been selected yet.
Just as Naraku Sora was about to agree, he suddenly heard Lilynette's crisp voice:
"Teacher Yamamoto, I haven't been to the Soul Society yet. Can I tag along and take a look?"
Yamamoto looked down, only to see a green-haired loli looking at him with expectant eyes.
Starrk's heart instantly leaped into his throat.
As early as the founding of the Espada, Aizen had issued an order forbidding any Arrancar of Las Noches from going to the Soul Society.
He had later asked for the reason, and the answer he received was related to Yamamoto.
As everyone knew, Head Captain Yamamoto was a stubborn old man who was completely uncompromising.
Once he saw a Menos Grande appear in the Soul Society, a blast of Taimatsu would surely follow.
Although after meeting him, they found that Yamamoto wasn't as rigid as Aizen had described, but to openly propose invading the Soul Society like this, wasn't it a bit...
Beside them, Naraku Sora also grimaced, preparing to dispel Lilynette's unrealistic idea. However, just as he was about to speak.
He suddenly saw Yamamoto ponder for a moment, nod, and say in a deep voice:
"Alright."
Naraku Sora's expression instantly froze.