More and more Gillians swarmed Kazuma.
"Ganging up on me? Just because a tiger doesn't roar, you think I'm a house cat? Strike down, Raiteiken! Kyuten no Ikazuchi!"
The atmosphere changed.
The subterranean sky was instantly smothered by black clouds, and thunder rolled through the quartz cavern.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
This was no ordinary lightning, it was forged from Kazuma's Reiatsu!
Theoretically, if his Spiritual Pressure was vast enough, the range of Kyuten no Ikazuchi could rival the coverage of Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka.
However, matching Yamamoto's destructive output was currently a pipe dream.
Yamamoto was the strongest Shinigami in history!
Although Kazuma's Shikai made him a powerhouse, in the old man's eyes, he was still a rookie.
It was best not to compare himself to the Captain-Commander.
Kyūten no Ikazuchi was Raiteiken's area-of-effect ability.
It summoned devastating lightning to strike multiple enemies.
The damage scaled inversely with the radius: the wider the net, the weaker the individual bolts.
As Kazuma swung the tsurugi, the purple blade emitted a blinding flash. Immediately, thick bolts of silver lightning rained down, striking the swarming Gillians.
The vanguard was instantly reduced to ash.
Yet, the remaining Gillians did not retreat. They continued their slow, lumbering march forward.
This was the tragedy of a Gillian's intellect. They knew only hunger. Calling them mindless was an understatement.
A cold glint flashed in Kazuma's eyes.
He raised Raiteiken, channeling his Reiatsu.
The dark clouds roiled violently, and a torrential downpour of lightning struck the encroaching horde.
The power of the strikes was immense, but the sheer number of Gillians was overwhelming.
They pushed forward, trying to bury him under their collective weight, while the Gillians in the backline began charging Ceros.
Kazuma smiled.
"Die!" Kazuma roared.
The lightning arcing off Raiteiken grew blinding, and the thunder threatened to shatter the quartz canopy.
The storm clouds churned, and a dense, overlapping net of lightning descended, enveloping the entire Menos horde.
Within the net, the Gillians were vaporized.
As the lightning struck, their massive bodies dissolved into clouds of Reishi. When the flash faded, only the ravaged earth and dancing arcs of static electricity remained.
An entire herd of Menos, completely annihilated!
"Phew. This move is strong, but the Reiatsu drain is absurd." Kazuma deactivated his Shikai, the tsurugi reverting to a katana.
"Even with my second-rank Spiritual Pressure, it used a massive chunk. It's great for clearing out fodder, but against a Captain-level opponent, it would only serve to restrict their movements."
He sheathed his blade. "It's perfect for showing off, though. Standing with my back turned while lightning rains from the sky? Anyone would have to admit that looks cool."
"Alright, enough showing off. This is the Forest of Menos. I just nuked a horde of Gillians, I'd better move before I attract an Adjuchas pack. They aren't brain-dead. I could take them, but getting surrounded down here is a death sentence. I can't be reckless. Recklessness is what got me killed in the living world."
Sensing the shifting Reishi currents, Kazuma fired off several consecutive Shunpo and retreated from the blast zone.
As he explored deeper into the forest, he detected a sharp, condensed Spiritual Pressure rapidly approaching.
'Not good. An Adjuchas.... I haven't recovered my Reiatsu yet. I should fall back,' Kazuma thought.
He quickened his pace, but the signature tracked him relentlessly.
Seeing that he couldn't shake it, Kazuma decided to end the fight quickly before it drew a pack.
He stopped and turned.
In a flash, he charged the Adjuchas, drawing his blade and unleashing a heavy wave of Reiatsu.
"Hmm? A Shinigami?" The Adjuchas had originally sensed an unfamiliar Reiatsu spike and came to investigate.
It found a human in a Shihakushō charging head-on.
Just as the Adjuchas prepared to skewer the arrogant Shinigami, it felt the crushing weight of Kazuma's Spiritual Pressure.
"Fuck, this one's a monster. Can't win, i need to run!"
The Adjuchas hastily dodged, but the slash still grazed its flank.
It roared in pain and lunged at Kazuma.
Kazuma sidestepped and prepared a counter-slash, but the Adjuchas shot past him, fleeing at top speed.
"Damn, it's smart. It used a feint to escape." Kazuma paused, then immediately activated Shunpo to give chase.
"I have to kill it quickly. If it regroups with a pack, I'm dead."
Kazuma pursued closely, but the gap slowly widened.
"Sonído is much faster than Shunpo in a straight line. At this rate, I'll lose it. I need to ask Captain Shihoin to teach me his clan's footwork when I get back."
Fortunately, the panicked Adjuchas rushed headlong into a subterranean cave.
Kazuma followed without hesitation.
The interior was dark, damp, and reeked of rot.
Suddenly, the Adjuchas's signature vanished as Kazuma scanned the darkness.
A spike of Reiatsu flared from above, and a barrage of high-speed Bala rained down on him!
"Bakudō Thirty-Nine: Enkōsen!" Kazuma deployed the Reiatsu shield, deflecting the Hollow bullets.
The Adjuchas had clung to the ceiling, waiting to ambush him.
Kazuma's eyes turned cold.
He leaped into the air, swinging his blade. The Adjuchas dropped from the ceiling, attempting to dodge the strike and escape the cave.
Kazuma smirked.
The slash was a feint.
"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!"
"Bakudō Sixty-One: Rikujōkōrō!"
Six beams of light slammed into the Adjuchas mid-air, paralyzing it.
Having lost its mobility, the Menos crashed to the cave floor.
Kazuma exhaled. "Got you."
Without a word, he drove his blade through the desperately pleading Hollow's mask.
Before he could pull his sword free, Kazuma froze.
He noticed a pair of eyes watching him from the pitch-black depths of the cave!
...
'Is there another enemy?'
It seemed the Adjuchas hadn't just been fleeing blindly, it had deliberately lured him here.
Yet, whoever was hiding in the shadows had made no move to save it, allowing Kazuma to deliver the killing blow.
Kazuma tightened his grip on Raiteiken. "Come out! There's no point in hiding."
Light footsteps echoed through the quiet cave, growing louder until a figure gradually came into focus.
'Yare yare. This is trouble.' Kazuma appraised the silhouette. 'It's roughly human-sized. In Hueco Mundo, the only beings that exist in this state are Shinigami or the highest class of Menos—Vasto Lorde. I can rule out a Shinigami since they would have greeted me by now.'
Kazuma's expression tightened, but he raised his blade.
The figure stepped into the dim light.
It was a woman.
She wore a white, bone-like mask shaped like a ram's skull resting atop her head, and long, lake-green hair cascaded down her back.
A striking rose-colored tattoo slashed horizontally across her face.
She was dressed in a tattered white uniform and carried a Zanpakutō at her waist.
It was Neliel Tu Oderschvank.
Recognizing her, Kazuma let out a long sigh of relief.
If it was Neliel, her earlier inaction made perfect sense.
As a natural Arrancar, she didn't need to devour her own kind to evolve.
She detested meaningless battles and firmly believed that Arrancar, having regained their reason, should abandon the mindless slaughter of Hollows.
She disliked fighting, but she never feared it.
Kazuma sheathed his sword, wondering how to start the conversation.
"You're a Shinigami, aren't you? How did you end up in Hueco Mundo?" Neliel broke the silence.
"Yes. I came here willingly, to train." Kazuma sensed no malice in her Spiritual Pressure.
There would be no fight today.
"Uh..." Neliel blinked, momentarily at a loss. "I didn't expect you to admit it so honestly."
Although she disliked fighting, Neliel was no pushover.
She was a devastatingly capable warrior!
'In this era, the Espada don't exist yet,' Kazuma thought.
'Neliel is still wandering alone. Her mask is intact, and she has no scar on her forehead. She probably hasn't reached her peak strength yet. If we fought, I don't know if I could win without Bankai. But I don't need to.' Kazuma let out a chuckle.
'Is this Shinigami an idiot? What's he laughing at? What normal Shinigami comes to Hueco Mundo just to train?' Neliel observed him cautiously.
If his Reiatsu hadn't been so calm, she would have drawn her sword.
"My name is Satou Kazuma. May I ask your name?"
"Neliel Tu Oderschvank," she replied. "Coming to Hueco Mundo to train... you're brave. You could lose your life here."
"There are many powerful beings here. I want to challenge them and improve myself," Kazuma said, scratching his head.
Neliel shook her head slightly. "You're strange. But since you're here, be careful. Not every Vasto Lorde shares my aversion to fighting, especially when it comes to Shinigami."
Kazuma nodded. "Why are you out here alone, Miss Neliel?"
"I like the quiet," she answered softly.
An idea sparked in Kazuma's mind.
He didn't know how long he would be in Hueco Mundo, and having a companion—especially a Vasto Lorde—would be invaluable.
"So what do you usually do?" Kazuma asked.
"Hmm... look at the scenery. Occasionally spar with some Hollows," Neliel replied.
"Spar? Didn't you say you don't like fighting?"
"Just occasionally. And I don't kill them. I'm just playing," Neliel explained.
Kazuma couldn't help but laugh. "Would you mind if I traveled with you for a while? It would be safer with a companion."
Neliel hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. But I can't promise I'll stay with you the whole time."
And so, Kazuma and Neliel began their journey through the endless quartz desert.
They encountered countless Hollows and faced numerous dangers, but overcoming them together forged an unlikely bond between the Shinigami and the Arrancar.
...
Time is not exist in Hueco Mundo.
An unknown amount of time passed since Kazuma arrive here.
Kazuma's Kidō and Hakuda skills had reached a state of near-perfection.
He could cast any Hadō below number 90 without incantation.
"Neliel, thank you for traveling with me. I have a request," Kazuma finally said one evening under the eternal crescent moon.
"A request? I won't agree if it's outrageous," Neliel replied, noting his serious expression.
"Fight me. I need to assess my current strength. Please."
Neliel relaxed. "Just a spar? No problem. Let's go."
The two stood facing each other.
Kazuma gripped his Zanpakutō, his eyes sharp. Neliel held her weapon casually, a small smile on her face.
Kazuma struck first.
He triggered Shunpo, closing the distance instantly, and brought his blade down. Neliel sidestepped and countered with blinding speed.
The two went back and forth, the shockwaves of their clashes kicking up massive plumes of quartz sand.
Kazuma wove high-level Kidō into his Hakuda strikes, while Neliel deflected them with raw, overwhelming physical strength.
"Neliel, I'm releasing my Shikai. Be careful." Kazuma stepped back. "Beneath the starry firmament, let thunder shatter the nine heavens. Slay gods and vanquish demons. Strike down, Raiteiken!"
A violent pillar of purple lightning erupted into the sky.
Feeling the massive surge in Kazuma's Spiritual Pressure, Neliel's expression finally turned serious.
"I can't underestimate you. Your Reiatsu rivals the strongest few in Hueco Mundo."
She drew her blade.
"Sing, Gamuza."
A storm of green Reishi engulfed her.
Upon release, Neliel transformed into a centaur-like armored knight wielding a massive, double-sided lance.
Her skull mask extended into long, curving horns, and thick white armor plated her shoulders and arms.
"Come on! Let's continue!" she challenged.
The clash of lightning and lance shook the dunes.
After a fierce, drawn-out exchange, Kazuma gradually gained the upper hand.
He seized an opening and launched a full-power slash, knocking Neliel back several paces.
"Careful. I'm using my strongest attack. I haven't fully mastered it yet." Kazuma raised Raiteiken, gathering a terrifying concentration of lightning at the tip.
"Raishin no Sabaki (Judgment of the Thunder God)."
It was a concentrated strike of divine thunder capable of obliterating a newly-evolved Vasto Lorde!
Sensing the lethal intent, Neliel parried the strike with the flat of her lance, the impact sending her skidding backward through the sand.
She lowered her weapon and exhaled.
"That's amazing, Kazuma! And you're still holding back, aren't you?" Neliel smiled, reverting to her unreleased form.
Kazuma panted heavily, lowering his blade. "You're my friend. This was just a spar."
"A friend, huh? I hope we're still friends the next time we meet. Goodbye, Kazuma," Neliel said, turning to walk into the desolate wasteland.
"Hey! Neliel!" Kazuma called out. "Whether you're a Hollow or a Shinigami, being too kind is a fatal flaw—especially here. I don't want to hear news of your death the next time I visit."
She paused and glanced over her shoulder.
"I hear you! Don't worry, I won't die so easily."
Kazuma watched her retreating silhouette, wondering if this encounter would be enough to alter her tragic future.
During their time together, Kazuma and Neliel had exchanged knowledge.
Swearing each other to secrecy, Kazuma had observed and learned the principles of Sonído and Cero, while he taught Neliel the fundamentals of Reishi control used in Kidō.
An Arrancar capable of weaving Kidō... it was a terrifying thought!