Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 65 - Holy War

Two years passed, unhurried and unremarkable, slipping by as Wayne’s territory flourished.

In that time, the forces under his command swelled yet again. Through deliberate culling, Wayne had crossed the threshold into high-level Adjuchas, becoming the undisputed ruler of the forest.

Nel was not far behind. Her absorption ability meant that even though her kills numbered far fewer than Wayne’s, her strength had not lagged significantly.

Beyond the two of them, none of Wayne’s subordinates reached high-level Adjuchas. Some had stopped advancing entirely. Wayne could only regret it.

Every Hollow Beast had different potential. Reaching Adjuchas was already crossing the highest divide. How much further they could go depended entirely on how much Reiatsu they could absorb on their own. Beyond providing resources, there was nothing more Wayne could do.

The non-combat types were never going to match natural-born warriors. Reaching mid-level alone was a struggle. Timd, for instance, Wayne had spent considerable effort just to push him to mid-level. The Adjuchas who crafted the Hollow Beast Mines were no different.

The pity was that their Reiatsu had stalled almost immediately after reaching mid-level. Had they progressed further, the mines they produced could have killed low-level Adjuchas outright. As things stood, the mines only extended the paralysis duration for mid-level and weaker Hollow Beasts. Against Gillian-class, of course, they remained absolutely lethal.

“My King, the regional lords have begun mustering their forces. We can depart for the Great Hollow Graveyard in two days.” Jekain delivered his report.

In two years, Jekain’s Reiatsu had barely grown. Not because resources were denied him, he had voluntarily placed himself behind the special-ability Hollow Beasts in priority.

Wayne had not ordered this. Jekain had chosen it, believing those with unique abilities were far more valuable than a mere steward.

Because of that sacrifice, three more Hollow Beasts with healing abilities had emerged in Wayne’s territory over the past two years. Two combat-capable Adjuchas had also joined his ranks, one an assassin-type specializing in physical slashing strikes, the other a defensive-type relying on sheer bodily dominance.

Still, more than new additions, Wayne wished Jekain himself could advance into the high-level ranks sooner.

“Then let us move.” Wayne rose from his seat. A single Sonído brought him to the skies above his territory. He looked down, perception fully open, sensing every Reiatsu signature across his domain, large and small. A long howl tore from his throat.

He thought back to his earliest days, born in Hueco Mundo at the lowest rung, climbing step by step to where he now stood. The dangers. The comrades who had shared his hardships. Meeting Nel. The journey from ant to king. The weight of it all surged through him.

ROAR!

A piercing battle cry rang out, his Reiatsu carrying the sound to every corner of his territory.

In moments, Reiatsu signatures flared skyward. They converged on his position.

One. Two. Ten. A hundred. Adjuchas poured into the lord’s grounds, summoned by his voice. They knew what that roar meant. War was coming. Every one of them had to be ready.

“Hail our King!” As the howl faded, nearly two hundred Adjuchas roared in unison, saluting their sovereign. Because of the Hollow Beast in the sky above them, they still lived. Because of his wisdom, they had evolved and grown at unprecedented speed. Because of his rule, this forest had flourished in just two years.

“My comrades, the hour of the Sacred War is upon us. Ten years of preparation for a single victory. Tell me — are you ready to march with me and conquer the Northern Forest!”

“ROAR!”

Beneath the throne, countless Hollow Beasts roared. The eruption of Reiatsu split trees and shattered stone. The lower Hollows nearby were blasted apart by the sheer force of it.

“Good. Comrades, this battle will pacify the Northern Forest. Steel yourselves. When we win, the Northern Forest will be our new home!”

“ROAR!” The two hundred–plus Hollow Beasts howled without end. Wayne opened a Garganta, and they surged inside as one, advancing toward the Central Tree.

Wayne’s forces soon linked up with the regional lords. In two years, each lord’s territory had developed to varying degrees.

Regrettably, none had produced a high-level Adjuchas. The strongest among them had only reached mid-level, teetering on the edge of high-level. Most had already entered the stage where their Reiatsu no longer increased.

It left them somewhat disheartened. Still, living peacefully in the Forest of Menos was not a bad fate. For the sake of future tranquility, those who could no longer evolve had all chosen to join this Sacred War. Their goal was simple, crush the Northern Forest and clear the path for lasting peace.

“Lord Wayne, we have been waiting.” The Adjuchas assembled in the Central Forest numbered eighty, more than expected.

“It has been a while, everyone.” Wayne nodded to each lord. “To see every lord contribute to the Sacred War over these two years — I am deeply grateful.”

“Not at all, Lord Wayne.” The lords smiled. Ever since Wayne and Nel had advanced to high-level Adjuchas, they had lived in fear that Wayne would use his power against them the way Gatmont once had. But the truth was otherwise. Wayne had taken no hostile action. He had simply continued developing his territory, imposing no restrictions on any of them. That had allowed them to slowly lower their guard. There was nothing left to fear.

“The Sacred War is about to begin. Lord Wayne, we cannot fight as separate camps on the battlefield. Please assign us our tasks.”

“You are too courteous, my lords.” Wayne smiled faintly. “Time is short. Let us depart. Reaching the Great Hollow Graveyard will take considerable time, but this time we bring no Gillians. We will move faster.”

“At Lord Wayne’s command!” The lords accepted their orders and followed Wayne’s lead, stepping into the Garganta, bound for the Great Hollow Graveyard.

Unlike the month-long journey Wayne had made years ago, this force was entirely Adjuchas. Their speed far outstripped the plodding march of Gillians. They would arrive well ahead of the Northern Forest’s worms, early enough to control the battlefield terrain before the enemy even arrived.

“My King, we appear to have arrived considerably ahead of schedule.” Wayne’s force of nearly three hundred Adjuchas reached the graveyard roughly ten days early.

Ten days. More than enough to seed the entire battlefield with Hollow Beast Mines.

“Good. Pass the order. Lay the mines slightly forward of the battlefield center. Groups of one hundred, spread laterally with a fifty-unit radius overlap. Ten groups deep, twenty-unit radius overlap.” Wayne surveyed the long-unseen battlefield, pondered a moment, then issued the command.

The last time he had stood here was ten years ago, when he was still a weak Gillian. Now he was a king who ruled an entire region. The malevolent Reiatsu that had once threatened his sanity no longer affected him at all.

He ordered the thousand mines laid, then led his forces in establishing a temporary stronghold at one end of the battlefield, waiting for the Northern Forest’s worms to arrive.

Setting up the stronghold was simple. Mude’s rock-type ability proved invaluable. Walls rose quickly, giving Wayne a commanding vantage over the entire battlefield.

Once the fortifications were complete, Wayne ordered every subordinate capable of Sonído to carry ten Hollow Beast Mines each, ready for the Gillian assault.

Those unable to use Sonído formed two rows beneath the walls, one to fire Ceros, the other to raise Negación barriers.

Underground, several Hollow Beasts skilled at burrowing stood ready for ambush duty.

“My King, everything is in readiness.” After days of preparation, Wayne’s side was fully battle-ready. He had been preparing for this day for ten years.

Days later, at the far end of the battlefield, a massive Garganta opened. Countless Gillians poured out, a dense, endless tide. By the look of that unbroken stream, there had to be at least ten thousand. Perhaps the overconfidence born from their last victory.

Alongside the nearly ten thousand Gillians, a large number of Adjuchas flew out of the Garganta. By Wayne’s count, at least two hundred.

Ten thousand Gillians. Over two hundred Adjuchas. The Northern Forest’s worms had committed everything to this Sacred War. They clearly intended to win decisively, in a single stroke.

After a long while, Wayne spotted the enormous body within the Garganta. The great worm looked even larger than ten years ago. But its form seemed locked at the peak of Adjuchas, no further evolution. Its potential had apparently reached its limit.

“Hm? Has the Central Forest not arrived yet?” Entering the battlefield, the Sandworm Menos scanned the distance. He saw no Garganta, no dense mass of Gillians, only a grey-white wall rising against the horizon. “When did that fortress appear? I’ve never seen it before. Has some Hollow Beast made a home in the Great Hollow Graveyard?”

“My Lord, that appears to be a stronghold built by the Central Forest rabble. It seems they arrived quite early.” A perception-type Adjuchas under the Sandworm Menos’s command made his report. “My Lord, I detect no Gillian Reiatsu signatures on the other side, but... inside that fortress there are at least three hundred Adjuchas.”

“What is this.” The Sandworm Menos could not fathom what the other side was scheming.

“No matter. Order the Gillians to charge first. If the enemy is all Adjuchas, that only means more resources for us.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The advance horn sounded. Tens of thousands of Gillians stepped forward in unison. The red Reishi drifting through the graveyard drove them into a mounting frenzy, each one surging ahead in a mad rush.

Then the first Gillian crossed into the minefield and stepped on a Hollow Beast Mine.

Triggered by the Reiatsu impulse, the explosive bug inside jolted awake. With a piercing shriek, the bomb launched out of the ground, shot into the air, and detonated. A cloud of purple toxic mist mixed with countless spikes erupted outward in all directions. In an instant, with that first unlucky Gillian as the epicenter, dozens of surrounding Gillians collapsed under the assault of spikes and poison.

Then the second mine. The third.

The front rows detonated, and Gillians fell in swaths.

“What is that? What is this purple mist!” Seeing the toxic cloud blooming among his front ranks, the Sandworm Menos felt a jolt of alarm. The battle had barely started, and he had already lost over a hundred Gillians.

“My Lord, it appears to be some kind of explosive. This subordinate has observed several more rows of similar objects at the very front of the battlefield.” The speaker was a snake-type Adjuchas whose ability used biological waves to probe his surroundings. He had clearly detected the vibrations of the explosive bugs inside the bombs.

“It seems Gatmont has found a new trick. Send someone to destroy them.” The Sandworm Menos’s massive body swayed forward, heading to the front line.

“Yes, my Lord.” The snake Hollow called out, gathered personnel, and began using Ceros to eliminate the buried mines, guided by positions he had already marked.

“As expected — they have detection capabilities.” From his elevated position, Wayne watched his mines being destroyed one after another by Ceros. His gaze turned dangerous.

He had never expected a thousand mines to wipe out the entire enemy force, but having them neutralized the moment they started taking effect left Wayne more than a little displeased.

“I’ll take a look.” Wayne rose, concealed his form and Reiatsu, and slipped quietly toward the battlefield.

In moments, he stood in midair, looking down at the Hollow Beasts still clearing mines below. He locked onto the perception-type, the one that could sense the mines’ vibrations.

“Three o’clock to the left.” The snake-type perception Hollow was still clearing mines, utterly unaware that danger was closing in. “Further left, about a hundred and twenty units, there’s still one... hm?”

The snake Hollow’s head snapped up. It could not see Wayne’s figure, but it saw the Cero energy rapidly gathering there.

“Enemy attack!”

HUMMM!

A dense, violent Cero erupted toward the perception-type Hollow Beast, obliterating it midair. The blast did not stop, it swept rearward, turning an entire column of Gillians to charcoal in an instant.

AWOOO!

They had no idea where the enemy was, but the front-rank Gillians fired Ceros blindly anyway. The Reiatsu of that high-level Adjuchas had filled them with overwhelming dread.

THUD!

A Shadow Step flashed. The Adjuchas who had been clearing mines with Ceros was beheaded in a single stroke.

Blood sprayed, splattering across Wayne’s concealed form and forcing him out of stealth.

“Who are you!” The Sandworm Lord, advancing toward the front, caught sight of Wayne. Seeing that he too was a high-level Adjuchas, the Sandworm Lord’s guard went up.

“It’s been a long time, you filthy worm.” Wayne retreated with Sonído, putting considerable distance between them before calling out across the void.

“Where did this whelp come from? This King does not know you! Tell Gatmont to come face me himself!” The Sandworm Menos stood before the Gillian horde and swept his tail. Several Hollow Beast Mines were ripped from the ground and tossed aside. The explosive bugs inside had all lost their vitality, killed outright by the shock of the Sandworm Lord’s Reiatsu.

“Heh. You don’t know me? How could you not know me?” Wayne laughed coldly. A pale-gold Cero lanced toward the Adjuchas near the Sandworm Lord. A Negación barrier deflected it immediately.

“If you don’t know me, then where did your Negación technique come from?”

“What.” The Sandworm Menos narrowed his eyes, a vicious gleam showing through. “What Negación.”

“Back then, if I hadn’t taught you how to use Negación, could you have won against the Southern Forest so easily?”

“You are... Ace Wayne?!”

“Finally remembered?” Wayne smiled. “This time, I’ve come to settle the score.”

“So it’s you.” The Sandworm Menos slowly recalled the Gillian who had sent his subordinate Riat out and never seen him return, and that infuriating concealment ability.

“Ten years ago. I don’t know what trick you used, but not only did you escape Riat, you left him without a trace. I never imagined you would go to the Central Forest and pledge yourself to Gatmont.”

“Correction — it wasn’t an escape. It was a kill. Of course, I didn’t have that ability back then. My companion saved me. Furthermore, I didn’t join Gatmont. I replaced him.”

“What?!” The Sandworm Menos’s face twisted with disbelief.

“You don’t believe me? Hahaha! Then let’s settle it on the battlefield!” Wayne fired another Cero casually and pulled back, retreating from the battlefield center. The Sandworm Menos wanted to pursue but feared a trap. He could only thrash his tail in place, venting his fury.

“Get in there! Blast that ground flat!”

URAAAHH! Over a hundred Gillians in the front row began hosing the ground ahead with Ceros. With the perception-type gone, area saturation was the most direct, and only, option left.

Bombs detonated one after another, but the distance was still too great. The Gillians took no real damage.

“My Lord, are you all right?” Nel rushed forward as Wayne returned.

“Fine. Just exchanged greetings.” Wayne landed before her and turned to face his subordinates. “Comrades, the war has begun. Let those worms witness our strength!”

ROAR!

Three hundred Adjuchas erupted with Reiatsu simultaneously. The shockwave blew away the red, violent Reishi in the vicinity.

All Adjuchas capable of Sonído would attack from the air, led by Timd and Borut. Those who could not would charge on the ground, led by Jekain. The tunnelers underground would operate freely. Everyone was to protect the healing-type Adjuchas in the rear.

As the highest combat power, Wayne and Nel remained atop the fortress, surveying the shifting battlefield and adjusting deployments as needed.

“Hollow Beast Mine Group One — prepare to deploy. Three, two, one!”

Timd, mounted on the back of a giant flying Adjuchas, issued the order to the Hollow Beasts behind him. He was brimming with excitement. The cornered rat who had once been nothing but prey now had the chance to lead a flank and command a battle of tens of thousands.

HISSCREECH!

Borut let out a piercing shriek. The countless Hollow Beast Mines hurled into the Gillian horde detonated instantly. Purple toxic mist and spikes spread through the Gillian ranks like wildfire.

Gillians fell in droves. The Sandworm Menos seethed with rage. The Negación strategy was useless in a battle like this.

“Hollow Beast Mine Group Two — prepare. Flashbangs at the ready. Deploy to disrupt enemy Adjuchas... release!”

WHOOSH!

The second wave of mines plunged toward the Gillian horde, while the flashbangs hurtled toward the opposing Adjuchas.

“All Adjuchas, take to the air! Front-rank Gillians, fire Ceros skyward at will! Shoot those strange bombs down!” The Sandworm gave the order. Nearly a hundred Adjuchas launched from the Northern Forest ranks. Over a hundred dark-red Ceros swept toward the incoming mines.

The barrage detonated nearly half the mines mid-flight. Their effectiveness was cut in half instantly.

BOOM!

Several bursts of white light blazed across the sky, flooding the dim yellow heavens with brilliance. Wayne’s flashbangs, strategic weapons designed to blind the enemy Adjuchas and delay their close-quarters engagement.

“Hollow Beast Mine Group Three — prepare! Target: Gillians below. Ceros at the ready, target: enemy Adjuchas in the air. Release!”

“Ground forces — charge! Target: enemy Gillians. Advance!”

Timd in the air and Jekain on the ground gave their orders simultaneously. A full offensive wave of Ceros erupted from the Adjuchas ranks.

“I’m going down to play. Go help Timd.” Wayne twirled the Sky-Rending Greatsword in his hand and flew toward the Gillian horde.

“Yes, my Lord.” Nel’s four hooves struck the air as she charged toward the brightest flash of white light in the sky.

With Wayne and Nel joining the fray, the Sacred War was about to enter its most intense phase.

Wayne activated his concealment and slipped into the Gillian horde like a ghost. The toxic mist and spikes from the Hollow Beast Mines could no longer harm him at his level. The Gillian-class Ceros could not even touch his body, let alone injure him.

He glided effortlessly into the rear of the Gillian ranks. Then,

“Zero Storm!”

As his Reiatsu rank had risen, so had the power and range of Zero Storm.

At this stage, if Wayne narrowed the force and expanded the range, Zero Storm could cover an entire lord’s small territory. Here in the Great Hollow Graveyard, it was devastating.

The storm rose. Lightning fell. In a thunderous instant, Wayne reaped more than half of the Northern Forest’s Gillian horde.

“Ace Wayne! You’re courting death!” Sensing his rear lines being slaughtered, the Sandworm Lord wheeled around. As Wayne’s skill ended, the Sandworm Lord spat a mouthful of corrosive liquid straight at him.

Wayne raised his sword to block. The Sky-Rending Greatsword hissed and sizzled as the acid ate into it. He tossed the blade aside and fired a Cero directly at the Sandworm Lord.

“Hmph. A trivial trick.” The Sandworm Menos flicked his tail, scattering the pale-gold Cero.

“Ha! Aren’t you a worm? Carving up worms is exactly what I do!” Wayne laughed aloud. The Sky-Rending Greatsword materialized again in his grip, and he brought it down on the Sandworm Menos in a single sweeping strike.

“While Lord Wayne pins down the enemy lord, charge!” High in the sky, Nel saw Wayne locked in fierce combat with the Sandworm Lord and immediately sounded the charge.

In an instant, Hollow Beast Mines erupted in a relentless frenzy. Adjuchas clashed with Adjuchas in full close-quarters slaughter. The ground forces surged into the Gillian horde.

The slaughter had begun.

➤ Next: Unification — The Fight Begins