The three of them lay on the small patch of soil, sleeping soundly. The Reiatsu they unconsciously emitted was enough to instantly crush any life form that dared to approach.
And so, during this deep slumber, Ren once again entered that mysterious space.
This time, he saw three figures. Although they differed in stature—there was even a child among them—a closer look revealed striking similarities between the three.
Hollow Ren waved at them. "Hello! May I ask what this place is?"
Last time, he had been unceremoniously ejected the moment he tried to speak because he was "incomplete." Now that his soul was whole, he could communicate perfectly.
Ninja Ren didn't waste words. He extended his fist toward Hollow Ren and grinned. "Bump fists, and you'll know everything."
Hollow Ren froze for a second, hesitated, and then reached out to meet the fist.
In an instant, countless memories flashed through his mind. The power systems of other worlds surged into his body; though he was a newcomer, the energy merged perfectly with his own, allowing him to master it with ease.
As he finished processing the information, the other three Rens shared his memories in return. Once the exchange was complete, the three were left in shock.
"Brother, you really had it rough! To think you transmigrated as a Hollow!" Ninja Ren remarked with a heavy sigh of empathy.
"Yeah, I thought I had it bad in the Zombie Brother world, but your conditions were a hundred times more grueling!" Scientist Ren patted Hollow Ren on the shoulder, his eyes full of respect.
Based on his calculations, Scientist Ren estimated that Hollow Ren had been grinding in Hueco Mundo for roughly five hundred years.
Holy crap! That was five centuries! The other three combined hadn't even reached fifty years in their respective worlds, yet this brother had been slaughtering and surviving in the desert for half a millennium!
Hollow Ren maintained a good attitude, scratching his head with a smile. "Hueco Mundo has no concept of time, so it didn't feel like that long. I just kept eating until I became an Adjuchas."
"Brother, your mental state is top-tier!" Ninja Ren was envious. "When I realized I was in Naruto and a classmate of Minato, I almost had a breakdown..."
After all, he had read thousands of fanfics; he knew that in the shinobi world, even an eight-year-old could be sent to the front lines to die. To survive, he had immediately clung to Minato's "thigh." Unfortunately, it didn't save him from the Second Ninja War because the Third Hokage didn't see enough "Will of Fire" in him to keep him in a safe squad. If he hadn't bumped fists with Pirate Ren early on to secure his strength, he probably wouldn't have survived as a ninja.
With a fourth member in the Brotherhood, the original trio was ecstatic. Scientist Ren, in particular, began prodding Hollow Ren with suggestions.
"When you get back, use your Sharingan to control a Shinigami. Have them transfer their powers to you so you can become a Transcendent. Oh, and if you get the chance, get some Quincy power too! In your timeline, Masaki Kurosaki is definitely still alive. Find a way to absorb some of her Quincy essence! Once you gather all three powers, I'll help you fuse them!"
Hollow Ren was tempted for a moment, but considering he didn't have a cheat item like the Hogyoku, he shook his head. "I can devour Shinigami, but I'll pass on Quincies for now. Without a Hogyoku, I don't want to overeat and risk blowing myself up."
His concern was valid, but Scientist Ren laughed it off. "Don't worry about that. You have the God Gene now. When you go back, use your clones to test those powers. If something goes wrong, just disconnect the link. Try enough times, and you'll succeed."
As a scientist, he had infinite patience for experimentation.
Hollow Ren scratched his head. "I'll try my best, but research isn't my specialty. Honestly, even with your memories, there's a lot I don't understand."
Scientist Ren nodded. "You don't need to understand. You're a Hollow; your specialty is devouring and evolving. Just eat!"
"Alright, I'll give it a shot~" Hollow Ren laughed.
"By the way, are you going to start a faction?" Pirate Ren asked. "You've already got Lilynette and Little U, two Arrancar-level Great Hollows. If you recruit Neliel and Harribel, you'll be the strongest force in the desert. I doubt Aizen would mess with you before he becomes a Transcendent."
"Knowing Aizen's personality, even if he became a Transcendent, he probably wouldn't bother them as long as they didn't get in his way," Ninja Ren added.
Throughout Aizen's reign, his goal was never "recruitment." He dominated Las Noches simply to find powerful test subjects. He didn't actually care about the Espada.
Hollow Ren considered Pirate Ren's suggestion. Starting a faction sounded cool, but he had no idea how to manage one!
"Finding a few more partners to talk to is fine. As for a faction... let's just let nature take its course," Hollow Ren said. "Anyway, do you guys have any research on this space? Why did we transmigrate to different worlds?"
"Good question!" Ninja Ren clapped his hands and grinned. "Tell me, are you a Great Immortal of the Daluo Rank?"
"No... why?"
"Then what's the point of thinking about it? Go home and go to bed!"
"Hiss~ Good point!"
The four joked around for a while longer. Ninja Ren was the first to leave, followed by Scientist Ren and Pirate Ren. Finally, Hollow Ren walked in one direction for a long time until he grew bored and decided to return to reality.
Hueco Mundo
Ren sat up. Beside him, Little U and Lilynette were still asleep. Little U seemed to be in deep meditation, while Lilynette was purely having a nap, drooling all over the ground.
Ren shook his head with a smile. Speaking of which, the other versions of me all have wives or love interests. Should I find one too?
He looked at the sleeping Lilynette... and immediately dismissed the thought.
"Harribel! Neliel! Here I come!"
After a brief surge of excitement, Ren felt a twinge of regret. If I weren't a Hollow but a Shinigami instead, I could have tried to get on Unohana's good side. Maybe I could have won over that black-hearted big sister~
But that was just a daydream. He was a Hollow, and in this world, the gap between Shinigami and Hollow was usually an impassable bridge.
After waiting a few days, Lilynette finally woke up. Seeing that Little U showed no signs of stirring, the two of them sat together, staring blankly at the distant desert.