Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 74 - The Living World

Wayne didn't spare a glance for the Soul Reapers pursuing him. He had already taken Nel and run, heading upstream along the creek.

Where there's water, there are people. Villages, towns, cities.

He knew nothing about the current state of the living world, but human behavior followed universal patterns. The only variable was how far technology had developed.

In the Soul Reaper anime, both Soul Reapers and Hollows lived lifespans that started in the thousands of years. Yet human technology had always stayed at a certain level. It contradicted logic, but in a world reached through reincarnation, nothing was too strange.

Besides, Wayne had no need to dig into that. He only needed to get what he came for.

"Finally." After roughly half a day's travel, Wayne spotted the brilliance and noise of civilization.

It had been a long time. A human city.

Looking down from the air, he felt something shift in his chest. There was a time when he'd been nothing but a frail, bedridden existence fighting off illness. Now, with a single Soul Absorption, he could kill every person in half this city at once.

He wouldn't. The gains were minimal, and it would immediately draw the Soul Reapers into all-out war. The kind that didn't end.

Wayne's objective this time was specific.

Signal towers. Signal sources. Transmitters, antennas, and all the relevant technical knowledge. Several locations to visit.

Get the books first, he thought.

Foundational theory mattered. With theory as a base, he could combine it with the abilities of Hollow creatures and build a communications system built for Hueco Mundo.

"It would be great if I could find Szayelaporro." Wayne sighed quietly to himself. Arguably Hueco Mundo's greatest researcher. "I need to recruit him before Baraggan gets to him."

Easy to think. Hard to do. Finding a single Hollow across the vast expanse of Hueco Mundo was no small task. And from what Wayne remembered, Szayelaporro had voluntarily devolved into an Adjuchas to master a specific ability. Before that, he had been a full Vasto Lorde. Even if Wayne found him now, there was no guarantee he would agree to anything.

Focus on what's in front of you. These things couldn't be forced. In the meantime, he'd have Jekain keep watch over the Hollows who had once been human, maybe some of them had talents worth using.

"Master, Master, is this a human city?" Entering the urban area, Nel forgot everything else entirely. Lively streets, traffic flowing in every direction.

The roar of engines. The clamor of the market. Children playing between the shop fronts. Peace, the complete opposite of the killing grounds of Hueco Mundo.

"Master, they don't attack each other? Their Reiatsu is so weak. But they seem... really close to one another."

"Humans are social creatures. It's precisely because they're weak that they used their intelligence to build a world like this.

Because they're weak, they used technology to create weapons capable of devastating destruction. And because of their intelligence, they can produce their own food to sustain themselves.

Our advantage is the strength of our spiritual power. Humans, on the other hand, rule the living world through technology. Set aside the difference in Reiatsu — and the fact that humans can't even see us — and if you measure purely in terms of destructive force, their weapons detonating in Hueco Mundo, without Negación to counter them, could be something even Adjuchas-class Hollows might not walk away from clean."

"So humans really are incredible." Nel's eyes filled with wonder. "Master, is that what we're here for? Their knowledge?"

"Yes." Wayne nodded. He scanned the surroundings and confirmed what he'd suspected, this living world was modeled on Japan. Perhaps when Timd had come from Karakura Town to Hueco Mundo, it was because the living world only extended as far as Japan.

That was worth investigating later. At some point he'd need to head toward China and see whether Soul Reapers and Hollows existed there as well.

But not today. Right now, he wanted to find a library.

Come to think of it, did Hollows, Soul Reapers, and humans really all speak Japanese the way they did in the manga?

Wayne had no interest in untangling that particular inconsistency. He let it go. He could read every sign on the street without difficulty, which confirmed it well enough, all three groups shared a common language.

Following the map posted on a street corner, Wayne located the public library. Humans couldn't see him, so he could move around freely.

Inside, he headed straight to the technology section. The knowledge was here. The problem was getting it out. He could pick up a book, but the moment he did, it would appear to float in midair from any human's perspective.

He thought it over and decided to leave the library alone for now. Come back after dark. It was already midday, only a few hours to wait. In the meantime, he could scout the various signal towers and pull off a few antennas while he was at it.

"Master, Master, what's that?" Nel pointed at a small roadside stall where a young child was walking along holding a bright red apple with both hands, eating it while tugging at his mother's sleeve.

"You mean what the child is holding?" Wayne glanced over. "That's food humans grow themselves through their own knowledge and technology. It's a fruit called an apple."

"An apple? A fruit?" Nel looked completely blank. "Is it good? It doesn't seem to have any Reiatsu."

"Why don't you find out?" Wayne raised his hand and swept it through the air. A small section of the apple pile at the nearby fruit stand quietly collapsed. Nobody noticed. Wayne already had two apples in his hand.

Nel took one, examined it carefully, then brought it to her mouth.

The moment she bit down, sweet juice burst out and spread across the corners of her lips beneath her Hollow Mask.

"It's — it's so sweet!" She was a Hollow, but her sense of taste was still there. Reishi was more satisfying in the way that mattered, but that did nothing to take the edge off an apple's sweetness.

"Master, this is so good!" She finished it in a few bites. No Reiatsu replenishment, but the sweetness alone put a glow on her face.

"Eat as much as you want." Wayne raised his hand again. A few more apples dropped into his grasp. Spatial ability as a tool for petty theft, not the most dignified application, but undeniably convenient. He raised one to his own mouth and bit in. The sweetness spread across his tongue. The last time he'd tasted something like this was his previous life. Eating Hollows and absorbing Reishi had never grown tiresome exactly, but a change of flavor every now and then wasn't bad. Maybe he should try bringing back a few jars of honey to smear on his Hollow Mask.

Flavors of Hueco Mundo.

The little Hollows next door would be weeping with envy.

He laughed and shook his head, letting the thought go.

After finishing several apples, Nel looked thoroughly satisfied. Since arriving in the living world, she had become unusually lively and bright.

A personality like hers belonged here, really. It was just a shame she'd been born a Hollow.

After that, Wayne took her all over the city. Fruits, sweets, even grains and meat, he had her try a little of everything. She clearly had no taste for meat, though. Said it all had a strong fishy smell. Maybe because her Hollow form was that of an antelope.

They wandered, and the night crept in quietly. Darkness swept over the city and pulled Nel back from her joy into the tension she knew from Hueco Mundo, because inside Las Noches, every moment looked exactly like this.

Pitch black. Deep and still. The constant awareness that something might be coming for you.

Fortunately, Nel had met Wayne. Without everything new he had shown her, she might have remained the pitiful Vasto Lorde from the manga, the one whose Hollow Mask was shattered by an enemy, forced to flee Las Noches with nothing.

"Master Wayne, does night exist here too?" Nel gazed at the distant moonlight, something unsettled in her chest. The moon here was dimmer than the one over Las Noches. It didn't light up the vast sands the way that one did.

"It does. The living world is different from Las Noches. Las Noches has only eternal night. Here, day and night take turns." Wayne looked up at the crescent moon.

"But the night in the living world isn't something to be afraid of. It's actually quite warm." He patted Nel on the shoulder and gestured for her to fly up.

Two Sonído bursts, and Nel carried Wayne up into the sky. When she looked out toward the horizon, she went still.

The city's lights never went out.

"So beautiful..." Nel's gaze trembled. Ten thousand lights shone in every direction, different colors layering over each other so that the city blazed with its own light even in the heart of night. Along the riverside, in the parks, across the faces of apartment buildings. The lights were like a sky packed with stars, and Nel couldn't take it all in. She nearly forgot everything else.

"Unlike us Hollows, the night in the living world is quiet. After a full day, humans return home to each other. They eat dinner with family and rest together. When the city's lights go out, people do the one thing they must do every day — sleep. Then after a night's rest, they wake together and greet the next morning's sunrise."

"Family. Dinner. Sleep. Sunrise." Nel's voice went soft. The gaze beneath her Hollow Mask filled with longing.

"Master Wayne, are we family? We eat together and rest together, don't we?"

"Yes." Wayne nodded and reached out to gently stroke the hair beneath her Hollow Mask. "We are. You, me, Jekain, Timd, and all the Hollows who've stayed with us. We can all be family."

"Then, Master Wayne, I... can I rest beside you, and watch the sunrise with you the next morning? Eat good fruit together, watch the evening glow together, and... keep living in the living world. Together."

"Yes. Of course you can, Nel." Wayne smiled, warm and indulgent. "In the future, when we've reached the top — when no one can threaten us anymore — we'll come back here. Back to this world. Live an ordinary life. Trust me. That day isn't far off."

"Yes! Nel trusts Master. Nel believes Master will take her there!" Nel nodded firmly, and the gaze beneath her Hollow Mask was full of trust and bright expectation.

The next second, her body began to emit a faint luminescence. Then a torrent of pink Reiatsu surged skyward, shooting straight up into the heavens above the sea of city lights.

"What the," Wayne let out a shout and immediately expanded his Concealment Field. It still wasn't enough to contain that surging pressure.

"This... this is... a breakthrough? Peak Adjuchas?" His eyes went wide.

Nel's eyes were shut tight. Pink Reiatsu rose and fell around her in waves, her entire presence still climbing, this was clearly the transition from high-tier Adjuchas to peak Adjuchas. Wayne had been in this exact state during his own closed-door training, but back then he'd had plenty of food on hand to fuel the advance. This was the living world. Reishi was scarce here. Why was Nel breaking through now, of all times?

"We need to move." Wayne looked down at the city below. If Nel's presence crested at peak-tier, she would instinctively begin pulling in massive amounts of Reishi. A Soul Absorption from a peak-tier Adjuchas, that would drain every soul in the entire city.

Nel had only just begun to love this world. He was not letting it get destroyed like this.

"Damn it, where is there any Reishi in this place?" Wayne kept moving with Nel via Sonído, putting distance between them and the city center while he searched for a source.

A few minutes later, he brought her to the bank of a small creek, far from the city's core. Here, at least, she could break through without risk of draining every human in the city behind them.

If there happened to be anyone camping nearby, that was their bad luck. Wayne was no saint. He couldn't save everyone.

"Forget it. Every little bit counts." Out of options, Wayne set his jaw, dropped his Concealment Field entirely, and threw his head back toward the sky.

"AWOOOOOO!"

An Adjuchas-class summons was a fatal, absolute command to every lower-tier Hollow within range. Everywhere the sound reached fell within Wayne's perception. Any lower Hollow trying to escape from inside that range had no hope. They had to answer. And in coming, they came prepared to die, unless the summons held a different meaning, in which case they could only gamble.

Before long, Hollows from hundreds of kilometers in every direction began moving toward him. All lower-tier, but every single one carried far more Reiatsu than any human could. For a peak-tier Adjuchas that still wasn't enough. There were a lot of them, though.

Within minutes, Hollows of every shape began trickling in around Wayne. The count had already passed three hundred.

"My apologies." Wayne stood in the air, looking down. "If any of you are sentient and were originally human, leave now, you may still have a chance. If you're interested, come find me afterward. I'll take you to Hueco Mundo."

Most Hollows encountered in the living world were those who had transformed from humans. Only a small number had slipped through a Garganta by accident. The ones who had started out human and still retained their consciousness, those were potential recruits.

He had no intention of killing them. Who knew what knowledge some of them might be carrying? He might end up with a few more subordinates like Timd. That was never a bad thing.

At his words, roughly a dozen of the three hundred-plus Hollows below stood up and ran without a backward glance.

Wayne didn't chase them. Those who wanted to come back would come back. They still faced Soul Reapers here in the living world. When death was on the table either way, why not take the option with better odds and follow someone of their own kind?

About fifteen minutes later, at least a thousand lower-tier Hollows had gathered. Seventy or eighty had already left upon hearing Wayne's words.

A handful had the poor judgment to attack him. He swatted them into ash.

A gathering of over a thousand Hollows naturally drew attention. Over those fifteen-odd minutes, Wayne had already picked up the Reiatsu signatures of seven or eight Soul Reapers in the area. Weak. Even if he multiplied their pressure fivefold in his head, he could wipe them out without difficulty.

"Good lord, what is all this?" Several Soul Reaper squad members stood a few thousand meters away, staring with their mouths hanging open. "Over a thousand Hollows in one place — how is that even possible? And those two up there with those absurd Reiatsu levels — I feel like not even a Captain reads that high."

"According to the senior members, above the ordinary Hollows we normally handle there are greater tiers, Gillian-class, Adjuchas-class, and Vasto Lorde-class. From Adjuchas-class upward, their Reiatsu can approach Captain-level." A squad member beside him offered helpfully. "Those two up there, they'd have to be very high-tier Adjuchas at minimum, wouldn't they? Or are those Vasto Lordes?"

"Impossible. The Captain said Vasto Lordes don't exceed one hundred in all of Hueco Mundo. How could two just show up here at the same time?"

The Soul Reapers in the distance kept murmuring among themselves, and not a single one stepped forward.

Of course they didn't. They'd been sent to the living world to deal with Hollows, but that meant one or two lower-tier Hollows at a time. Nobody had briefed them on two Adjuchas-class at once. And even setting the Adjuchas aside, the thousand-plus lower-tier Hollows below were already well beyond what they could handle.

Wayne had no interest in going over to engage them either. Nel's breakthrough was what mattered.

A few more minutes passed. Nel's presence began to stabilize. Her eyes opened. Instinctively, she unleashed Soul Absorption.

"OHHHH!"

The thousand-plus Hollows below felt the pull. They panicked immediately, scattering in every direction. But the entire area fell within the range of Nel's Soul Absorption. For a lower-tier Hollow, a Soul Absorption from a peak-tier Adjuchas was a death sentence.

There was nowhere to go. No choice but to submit.

As Nel's pull intensified, the scattering Hollows began dissolving into Reishi one by one, drawn into her mouth. The whole process lasted less than two minutes. Over a thousand Hollows, swept away without a trace.

"How do you feel, Nel?" Wayne stepped toward her, watching the shift in her Reiatsu.

"Master... I still need more." She looked a little embarrassed. She hadn't expected a few words from Wayne to throw her into a breakthrough. She certainly hadn't expected that over a thousand Hollows wouldn't be enough.

"Still not enough?" Wayne's brow furrowed beneath his Hollow Mask. Over a thousand Hollows consumed, and her Reiatsu was still unstable. If she stopped here, her realm would be dangerously unsteady. One bad incident could throw her back a level, and climbing back from that would be several times harder than where she was right now. The surrounding area had been stripped clean for hundreds of kilometers, if he wanted Reishi, he'd have to think of something else.

"Wait here." He made up his mind and flew toward the Soul Reapers.

Two Sonído bursts. Wayne dropped down in front of the seven Soul Reapers.

"Sorry to bother you." He smiled at the group and took stock. Five men, two women. Standard Shihakushō, Zanpakutō at their sides. Squad members, all of them. Not a face he recognized. Good, conversation was still an option.

"I have no intention of killing you. But my companion urgently needs Reiatsu for a breakthrough. Could I trouble you for something that replenishes Reiatsu? Your food, for instance. Or a part of your body. Say... one arm?"

"You, what did you just say?!" They had already been rattled by the weight of his Reiatsu on arrival, but what actually came out of his mouth was a different kind of shock.

Who opens a conversation by asking for someone's arm?

And why was a Hollow talking to Soul Reapers at all? Weren't they supposed to be mortal enemies?

"You, what do you think you're doing?!" One of the female Soul Reapers raised her Zanpakutō at him. Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely hold it. It posed no threat whatsoever.

"I already said, I don't want to fight you. My companion needs Reiatsu to advance. You... actually, forget it." Wayne paused, then shook his head. Trying to reason with Soul Reapers was honestly just stupid.

In their minds, Hollows were their mortal enemies. They would never willingly feed a Hollow or help one break through.

"Simple version, hand over your food, or die." His Reiatsu spiked. All seven Soul Reaper squad members were driven to their knees by the pressure.

"What, what kind of Reiatsu is this?!" One of them forced the words out through gritted teeth.

"I... I have a bento box in my pack."

"I... I brought some dango." The two female Soul Reapers caved first. It was a gamble either way. Maybe he'd actually let them go.

"Good. Quickly." Wayne reined in his Reiatsu and let them retrieve their food.

Unlike living world food, Soul Society provisions contained Reiatsu. Nel could eat them directly.

"H-here." Both women threw their packs to him. Wayne caught them and gauged the Reiatsu inside. Still not enough.

"I'm sorry. Your food can't quite meet my companion's needs." He shook his head. "I'll have to trouble all of you a bit more."

The Sky-Rending Greatsword materialized in his hand. In one sweep, lightning fast, he passed through all seven of them, then Flash-Stepped back to Nel's side.

"What... what did he do?" The Soul Reapers hadn't registered it yet. Then the next second hit, searing agony in their arms. They cried out.

It had happened in that single pass. Wayne had taken their arms.

"Get back to Soul Society quickly. With Division Twelve's technology, they might grow back." He brought the food and the severed arms to Nel, then turned back to the Soul Reapers.

"I apologize. I had no malicious intent. I simply had no other choice."

"Hmph. A mere Hollow, speaking without a shred of shame." From somewhere in the distance, a powerful Reiatsu came surging in, heavy, immense, nearly level with his own. "You injure people and claim you had no malicious intent. Truly disgusting."

"C-Captain!"

➤ Next: Shinji Hirako