Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 67 - The March Begins

The unification of the Northern Forest hadn't cost Wayne much effort. Hollow Beast Mines for control, Negación for containment, Adjuchas-class combat strength to back it up, and the crushing weight of Wayne and Nel's high-tier Adjuchas Reiatsu pressing down on everything beneath them. In less than five days, not a single Adjuchas in the entire Northern Forest dared resist.

Aside from the eighty-plus who had fled during the Sacred War, the forest had held close to two hundred Adjuchas in total, the vast majority of them lower-tier. More than eighty of those had chosen to fight back. Under the Hollow Beast Mines, they hadn't even managed to kill fifty enemies before it was over.

When the ten-day deadline came, Wayne's losses stood at forty-two Adjuchas. The enemies killed and captured amounted to every single Adjuchas left in the forest.

Of the prisoners, those with special abilities were set aside for Timd. The rest were consolidated into a single designated area. Wayne would have use for them soon enough.

"My King, aside from the captured Adjuchas, there is no longer any force in this entire forest capable of resisting us." In the central nest of the Northern Forest, Timd began his report on the past ten days.

Those ten days had been profitable for everyone. On average, every Adjuchas under Wayne's banner had gained at least one Adjuchas-class resource as a supplement, along with a large haul of Gillian-class resources harvested within the time limit. None of them fully understood why Wayne had chosen to sweep the forest clean. But as far as they were concerned, this had been an extremely rewarding ten days.

"Mm. Very good." On the throne, Wayne gave a quiet nod. The reason for sweeping the forest was simple, he needed his forces to reshape this place as fast as possible, without outside interference. This would be his base of operations, his backbone. He would not allow a single voice of resistance to remain.

"Brothers-in-arms, we have taken this forest. It will become the home we live and depend upon — and in the future, our stronghold.

Taking this forest also marks the end of my revenge. Over the next month, we develop and consolidate here — fortify our defenses, lock down our position, and direct the flow of resources as quickly as we can. When that's done, I will be departing."

"Huh..."

A murmur rippled through the Adjuchas gathered below. They'd fought hard to take this place. Why was their King in such a hurry to leave?

"Brothers-in-arms, I trust you all understand that our growth as Hollows is determined by individual potential. Without outside interference, that potential begins to reveal itself once we enter the Adjuchas stage. Among us, some entered the Adjuchas stage and immediately hit the ceiling of what they could become. Others have yet to reach their peak."

At those words, several lower-tier Adjuchas lowered their heads. They were the ones he meant, Hollow Beasts who could evolve no further.

"Revenge against the Northern Forest was one part of it. But more than that, I wanted the brothers-in-arms who fought beside me to have a piece of clean land to call their own. Even those who can no longer evolve deserve somewhere to live."

"Ohhh!"

Several mournful cries rose from the Hollow Beasts gathered below.

"My King, are you leaving? Are you abandoning us?" A Hollow Beast near the front spoke up, its voice thick with reluctance.

"Brothers-in-arms, I am not abandoning you. But we must still press forward. In the Outer Circle, we may be the most powerful force — but in the Inner Circle, we are still small." Wayne's voice carried steady across the crowd.

"The pinnacle for us Hollow Beasts is not Adjuchas. Above that, there are higher tiers still. Vasto Lorde-class. King Hollow-class. And beyond even those. Compared to them, Adjuchas is nothing more than a starting point.

I cannot stay here. I have an obligation to keep climbing. Only then, when the powerhouses of the Inner Circle come bearing down on us, will we have any chance to push back, rather than being left at their mercy."

Wayne rose to his feet. "Here and now, I call upon every one of you who still has the potential to grow, come with me into the Inner Circle. Advance together toward something higher. Are you willing to give up comfort and fight alongside me to the very end?"

"We will follow our King in battle across Hueco Mundo — forever!"

Dozens of Adjuchas erupted in a roar beneath the throne. They still had room to grow, and they were still willing to walk beside Wayne and build something that truly belonged to them.

"Very good." Wayne's Reiatsu softened. "It is my honor to lead you."

"That said, our first expedition into the Inner Circle demands extreme caution. In there, countless battle-hardened Hollow Beasts are already sharpening their claws, waiting for us to arrive. They don't have the comfort of the Outer Circle. Every survivor in the Inner Circle is a high-tier hunter. Adjuchas are a given, but genuine Vasto Lordes exist there as well. One careless mistake and we could be wiped out entirely. The road ahead is hard. Brothers-in-arms, I'm giving you one final chance to choose. Those who have reached the limit of their potential will remain in the Forest of Menos. Those who still have potential and are willing to march with me, stand now. Let me see you."

"We will march with our King! We will not retreat, even unto death!"

In an instant, seventy or eighty Adjuchas rose to their feet, bowing respectfully toward Wayne. Every Hollow Beast that still possessed potential stood, and even a few who had already hit their ceiling rose alongside them, refusing to be left behind.

"Timd."

"My King." Timd stepped forward, bowed his head deep, and pressed himself to the ground, the highest show of respect he could offer his King.

"Everything here will be left in your hands. There will be no war in this place, only a steady, unbroken flow of resources coming in. After we depart, lead everyone in building a proper home here. Use your wisdom to shape this into what it needs to become."

"Yes, my King."

"Within one month, I want you to forge emblems for every Adjuchas in this forest. Infuse them with Reiatsu. Create something that belongs solely to us, so when new forces enter the Inner Circle, we won't accidentally kill our own people. We identify each other by the emblem."

"My King, my splitting ability will form part of the emblem itself. Only those who've come out of our forest will be able to identify it through Reiatsu." Timd kept his head bowed as he answered. His splitting ability was perfectly suited for this.

Every strand of Reiatsu he split off remained detectable to him, which meant each emblem would effectively carry one of Timd's split fragments. The moment a bearer died, the fragment would automatically register it and respond accordingly.

"Very good. Go ahead." Wayne gave a satisfied nod.

"Brothers-in-arms, one month from now, I will lead fifty Adjuchas into the Inner Circle as a vanguard. Once we've stabilized our position, we'll send people back to exchange intelligence and guide new Adjuchas forward.

Those who remain in the Northern Forest will be our reserve strength and our backbone. And in the future, our people may advance to the Inner Circle on their own, if you need shelter, use your emblem to find us. When that time comes, we will meet again in the Inner Circle."

"We will obey our King's command!"

"Dismissed. Jekain, one month from now, select fifty mid-tier or above Adjuchas to march with me. Also, see to the arrangements for those prisoners. We'll be taking them with us when we leave."

"Yes, my King." Jekain understood well enough. The journey into the Inner Circle would be long and dangerous. They would need stepping stones, cannon fodder, and provisions for the road.

"Off you go, everyone. One month from now, I want to see this entire forest transformed."

"Yes!"

The crowd dispersed. The nest emptied out until only four remained: Wayne, Nel, Jekain, and Timd.

"Phew..." Wayne let out a long breath and slumped into his chair.

"My Lord, you look exhausted." Nel made an amused sound beside him.

"Yeah. Having to hold that posture every single day wears you out." Wayne glanced sideways at her, then lifted his hand. Nel understood without a word. She padded over beside the throne, curled herself down next to him, and let Wayne run his fingers through the soft fur along her back.

"My King, why are we in such a hurry to move into the Inner Circle? There's still an entire forest out there we could harvest." Timd settled onto the ground as well, one paw idly sweeping at his ear. No subordinates around, they could all breathe easy.

"The bigger our forces get, the thinner the resources stretch. Dividing up the Southern Forest would probably net each Adjuchas no more than two Adjuchas-class resources apiece. Relying on Gillians alone would drag our growth to a crawl." Wayne kept stroking Nel as he answered. "Time won't wait for us. The slower we grow, the faster our enemies grow. We don't have much time. Down the road, we're going to be facing enemies who are very, very strong."

"My King, your subordinate has never quite understood, who exactly are these enemies you keep referring to?" Jekain found himself a spot to sit, settling in for an easy conversation with his King.

"Soul Reapers. Quincies. And far more powerful Hollow Beasts. All of them are our enemies." Wayne said it word by word.

Once we reach the Inner Circle, it won't just be stronger, more dangerous Hollow Beasts we're dealing with. The Soul Reapers who live in Soul Society. The surviving Quincies. The users of Fullbring. In the future, we will collide with powerful enemies of every kind.

"My Lord, of everything you just mentioned, Soul Reapers I know, but the rest I've never heard of." Nel tilted her head up and nuzzled against his hand, brow furrowed.

"The enemies in Hueco Mundo are never only Hollow Beasts. As our power grows, we'll run into enemies we can't even imagine yet. We need to be ready for that. And more than that, before long, Hueco Mundo is going to face a catastrophe unlike anything before it. We have to move fast."

"My King, I don't know how you're able to see what's coming. But whatever your command, Jekain will see it done."

"Relax, Jekain." Wayne waved a hand. "Once we're in the Inner Circle, we'll be growing and recruiting at the same time. The vanguard is there to lay the groundwork. When it comes to actually engaging other factions head-on, that will be my job alone."

"My King, do you have a plan?"

"Ha." Wayne shook his head, a quiet laugh escaping him. "Not quite a plan. But there are always certain sources of information."

➤ Next: Hollow Night Firmament