Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 69 - Coyote Starrk

Vasto Lorde class, absolutely Vasto Lorde class.

Even during his battle with the Sandworm Menos of the Northern Forest, Wayne had never been crushed under Reiatsu this hard. Nothing below Vasto-level could do this.

"Negación Inversion!" Bracing against the pressure with everything he had, Wayne ordered his Hollow beasts to activate Negación immediately, but in reverse. The first one enveloped wasn't Wayne. It was the lowest-ranked Hollow beast in the sequence. A way of shielding his companions by turning the formation inside out, leaving only Wayne exposed to the open air.

"Oh? Negación. I didn't expect it could be used that way." A voice, rich and unhurried, drifted down from midair. "You treat your companions well."

Wayne traced the Reiatsu to its source and looked up.

A humanoid Hollow. Gray fur along the hands and legs, otherwise almost human in appearance, standing just under two meters tall, body wrapped in a strip of cloth from gods knew where, not rough exactly, but carrying an unmistakable air of lazy ease. Below the Hollow Mask was a maw lined with fangs. The upper portion of the mask resembled a pair of spectacle frames.

"A Vasto Lorde." Wayne held his breath and focused, pushing his Reiatsu to its absolute limit, barely managing to hold the erosion at bay.

"We have no intention of trespassing. We simply wandered here by chance. If this is your territory, we will leave immediately."

"..." The Vasto Lorde said nothing. He only looked at Wayne in silence for a long moment. "You... can withstand my Reiatsu?"

"Barely."

Wayne was genuinely puzzled. Surely this Vasto Lorde wasn't looking to fight? If it came to that, his fifty-odd Adjuchas could be wiped out entirely. He needed to open a Garganta and get everyone out.

The thought had barely formed when the Vasto Lorde dropped directly in front of him and his full Reiatsu erupted.

The shock triggered Wayne on pure instinct. His Sky-Rending Greatsword materialized and slashed out in the same motion, only to be caught by a blade of condensed Reishi that had appeared in the Vasto Lorde's hand.

"Not bad. You really can hold against my Reiatsu." Parrying the greatsword, the Vasto Lorde actually seemed to be smiling. "But you're still far too weak. Keep this up much longer and you'll die."

"Respected powerhouse." Wayne kept his voice steady. "If you would be willing, please withdraw your Reiatsu. We have no wish to be your enemy."

He meant every word. Even at high-level Adjuchas, the gap between him and a Vasto Lorde was real. And given the sheer weight of that suppression, Wayne suspected this wasn't some low-tier Vasto Lorde either. Mid-level at minimum. Possibly higher.

"Mm." The Vasto Lorde stepped back. The Reishi blade faded slowly from his hand.

Wayne let out a quiet breath. At least he hadn't simply obliterated them on the spot. That meant there was room to talk.

"Respected powerhouse, we truly had no intention of intruding on your territory. We only just emerged from the Forest of Menos and are searching for a place to settle. If we have given any offense, we apologize and will withdraw from this territory at once." As he spoke, Wayne quietly opened a Garganta behind him, preparing to lead everyone out.

Then the Vasto Lorde spoke again, and Wayne had no idea what to make of it.

"Stay." That magnetic voice, unhurried as ever. "You may settle here. I have travels to continue."

"Are you... searching for something? If there is anything we can do to help, we would be glad to. Consider it our way of repaying your mercy." Wayne kept himself as humble as possible. In front of a power this absolute, even the smallest lapse could be the reason you didn't make it home.

"...Companions." A trace of loneliness surfaced in the gaze beneath the Hollow Mask. "I have always been searching for companions who can stand at my side."

Wayne felt a flicker of puzzlement. It passed quickly.

That made sense, actually. The Reiatsu from a moment ago, aside from another Vasto Lorde, almost nothing else could endure it. Simply being near him had nearly ground Wayne down to nothing. The idea of becoming this being's companion was something else entirely.

"Your name. Tell me your name." The Vasto Lorde had reined in his Reiatsu, but Wayne could still feel the pressure against him like a weight on his chest.

"Wayne. Ace Wayne."

"Wayne. Very well." The Vasto Lorde gave a slow nod. "You are the first Adjuchas who has been able to withstand my Reiatsu. A pity you're still not strong enough — stay near me too long and it would crush you all the same. But I admire you. The fact alone that you used Negación to protect your companions is enough."

"Work harder. Grow stronger. By the time I return from my travels, I hope you will have gained the ability to fully endure my Reiatsu. Then I hope you will become my companion." A beat of quiet. "I have been alone for far too long."

"Alone... companions." Wayne's eyes narrowed slightly beneath his Hollow Mask. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a Vasto Lorde he had once known of began to overlap with the figure standing before him.

"Respected powerhouse, if I am fortunate enough to become your companion, that would be my highest honor." Wayne dismissed the Garganta at his back, straightened up, and met the powerhouse's gaze. "I will work to grow stronger — strong enough to stand as your equal. Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"

"Me?" The Vasto Lorde tilted his head, considering for a moment. "Starrk. Coyote Starrk. That's what you can call me."

It really was him.

Wayne's heart slammed against his ribs. He never could have imagined that the very first Vasto Lorde he encountered after coming to Hueco Mundo would be the number-one figure among the Espada. Wolf King Starrk. He could still remember it, back when Wayne was a low-tier Hollow, he had once fantasized about being like the Wolf King someday, dual pistols in hand, pouring out an endless stream of Cero. And now, somehow, he was actually standing in front of the man himself.

His gaze moved to Starrk's Hollow Mask. Still fully intact, still fixed to his face. He hadn't yet undergone voluntary Arrancarification. Hadn't yet split off Lilynette. And even like this, he had nearly suffocated Wayne with Reiatsu alone. One could only imagine how much stronger he would become once that happened.

Of course, after splitting off Lilynette, Starrk's Reiatsu would also diminish, and it was around that time that he would encounter Aizen.

Starrk's current state made one thing clear: Aizen's arrival in Hueco Mundo was still quite some time away. Wayne still had room to grow.

"Mr. Coyote Starrk." Wayne gave a slight bow, then reached into his body and produced a small round disc. "Please accept this small gift." He tossed it over.

"What is this?"

"The emblem of my faction." Wayne kept his tone easy. "Drop a bit of blood into it and it will generate an emblem mark on its own. Should you encounter Adjuchas bearing the same emblem during your travels, you can have them do things for you. Consider it my token of gratitude."

He had asked Timd to produce over a hundred of these. He and his Adjuchas each carried one or two, preparation for drawing followers once they reached the inner circle.

In the future, once he had consolidated his position there, he planned to send people back to the Forest of Menos to run resource exchanges: more Hollow Beast Mines, more emblems, leading more Hollows still capable of advancing up from the depths.

"...Interesting." The look beneath Starrk's Hollow Mask turned playful. He let a single drop of blood fall into the disc. In moments, a greatsword mark blazed to life. "So with this, I can find you again someday."

"Yes, Mr. Starrk." Wayne nodded. "Should your travels end, or should you grow weary, you can use the emblem at any time to find members of my faction. They'll bring you back here. And in that time, Wayne will also be working hard — striving to reach a standing equal to yours, so that what you call loneliness no longer exists."

"Hahahaha!" It was rare, genuinely rare, for Coyote Starrk, a man defined by laziness and solitude, to laugh like that. Full and unguarded. "Very well, Ace Wayne. I have high hopes for you. Keep working to grow stronger. I hope that the next time I return, we'll be true companions."

Starrk vanished via Sonído.

The longer he stayed, the more danger it posed to the Adjuchas behind Wayne. So he simply left. One instant he was there. The next, even sensor range found nothing.

"Phew..." Wayne let out a long breath. He had almost met his end before accomplishing a single thing. If that Vasto Lorde had been anyone other than Starrk, half of them surviving to escape would have counted as a miracle.

"My lord, that just now was..." Nel emerged from the Negación, staring in the direction Starrk had gone, heart still tight with lingering dread. A Vasto Lorde like that, aside from herself and Wayne, could any of the other Hollow beasts have lasted even a single exchange? Wiping all of them out would have cost him nothing.

"An interesting Vasto Lorde." Wayne's eyes were bright. He had been in Hueco Mundo this long, and at last he had caught a real glimpse of what the top-tier rulers of this world actually were. It hit him harder than he expected.

From a low-tier Hollow, climbing step by step to high-level Adjuchas. Now he had glimpsed the very peak. By this point, Wayne understood the world's timeline and power system well enough. From here on, he had one goal before Aizen arrived in Hueco Mundo: reach a level of Reiatsu equivalent to Starrk's strength at the time of his Arrancarification. Anything less, and when that day came, everything he had built would mean nothing.

Wolf King Starrk, the first Vasto Lorde Wayne had encountered since entering the inner circle, and a window into the very top tier of this world. Wayne had extended the hand of friendship. He meant it. In the future, he hoped to find Starrk again and make that companionship real.

And who knew how many more Vasto Lordes were out there. The ones who had appeared in the anime. The ones who hadn't. Hueco Mundo was far larger than he had ever imagined, and his road was still very long.

"My king, what are our plans going forward?" Jekain had steadied himself after the brush with death. "Are we staying here?"

"Yes. We establish our base here." Wayne nodded. "Go check the area where that Reiatsu disappeared — see if there are any Hollow beasts barely clinging to life we can use as prey. After that, we build against the cliff face. Carve into it, make stone caves, and set up defensive fortifications along the outer perimeter."

"Yes, my king!"

➤ Next: Volume 2: The Night Sky of Hueco Mundo