Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 79 - Rod Folles

Baraggan was clearly intrigued by Wayne's proposal.

If his decay power had failed to corrode Rod Folles from the outside because of the man's life force, what about from the inside? After all, Baraggan himself could not resist his own ability.

If the decay were introduced from within, could Rod Folles still resist it?

"Even so, I cannot be certain I could truly corrode him completely." Baraggan remained uncertain, he had already clashed with the man several times. That extraordinary high-speed regeneration was a genuine headache.

"We don't need to corrode him completely. Just sever his head, flood the body with decay power, seal it in a separate space, and let it keep splitting — do you really think he could regenerate an endless number of Rod Folleses from that?" Wayne reasoned through it.

"He can ignore damage to his head because his core isn't located in his Hollow Mask. It must be somewhere inside his body, with his ability radiating outward from that point. Perhaps the core can shift position according to Rod Folles's own will. But if we split his body into several pieces, we'll eventually find it. Once we destroy that core, Rod Folles dies. Simple as that."

"Hmm..." Baraggan's skull lowered as he thought it over. He nodded in the end, signaling his agreement, then moved on. "What do you want in return?"

"Rod Folles's Hollow Mask, and half of the Adjuchas-level resources." Wayne stated his terms without hesitation.

"You want to bring his subordinates under your command?"

"No. I only want their Hollow Masks."

"To advance to Vasto Lorde?"

"That's right."

"Hmm..." Baraggan fell into thought again. His reason for wanting Rod Folles dead was simple, eliminate every Vasto-level figure who refused to submit to his rule and maintain his dominance. If destroying Rod Folles meant propping up another Ace Wayne in his place, that was a bad trade as far as Baraggan was concerned.

"Your Majesty, I understand your concern." Wayne smiled and continued. "But consider this — Rod Folles sits not far to the north of your core territory, while my domain lies in the far west of your lands. Strategically speaking, the chances of us encroaching on each other are slim. And Your Majesty, with Hueco Mundo as vast as it is, do you truly have no need of allies to help you govern it?"

"You want to form an alliance with me?" The proposal caught Baraggan off guard. In his eyes, a true ruler stood alone above all others. All of Las Noches was his.

"Your Majesty knows how vast Hueco Mundo is, and you must also be well aware of how many voices of rebellion stir across that expanse. The wise man reads the times — Your Majesty, rather than gaining one more enemy, would it not serve you better to have those rebels put down by an ally? Your position as ruler would only carry greater prestige for it."

"Hmph." Baraggan knew he was the ruler of Hueco Mundo, but a domain so vast was impossible for one being to govern alone. That single cold grunt was his answer, he and Wayne had reached the same conclusion.

"Great Emperor of Hueco Mundo, I, Ace Wayne, wish to propose an alliance with you. The governance of the western reaches of Hueco Mundo will be my responsibility to bear. The voices of rebellion will be gradually suppressed, and that will serve your unification greatly. What say you?"

Wayne lowered himself once more, giving Baraggan every bit of face he needed.

"Hmph. Since Ace Wayne has come before my throne in Las Noches and has shown willingness to be on good terms with me — so be it. The alliance is formed. In the future, I shall grant you the greater part of the western territories of Hueco Mundo. I trust that you will help me build Las Noches into a grand and prosperous reign." Seeing Wayne offer him a graceful way forward, Baraggan, a seasoned old hand, knew exactly when to step onto that platform and accept.

With the alliance settled, Wayne and Baraggan began discussing their plan to campaign against Rod Folles.

"Rod Folles's territory lies at the northern edge of my core lands — roughly seven days' travel on foot. Under Rod's banner are close to four hundred Adjuchas-level subordinates. Viewed across the whole of Hueco Mundo, that makes him a major power. On top of that, his own strength sits at mid-tier Vasto Lorde, and his subordinates are relatively loyal and trusting toward him." Below the throne, Baraggan had a seat brought for Wayne and proceeded to brief him on Rod Folles's forces. "Beyond his own regeneration, I have almost never seen him use any other ability. Yet every time I have led forces several times his number against him, it has always ended in a stalemate. Somehow, the Adjuchas under his command are every one of them exceptional fighters. I find myself quite curious where he gathered such a group of elites. If we could swallow Rod Folles whole, those Adjuchas-level resources — whether brought under our banner or reduced to Reishi and consumed — would be a fine prize either way."

"His ability may not be as simple as we imagine. He is a Vasto Lorde-class powerhouse, and he will surely have hidden cards. We cannot afford to be careless." Wayne analyzed calmly. "That said, with Your Majesty's decay power combined with my spatial force, delivering death energy instantly into each Adjuchas-level body shouldn't be too difficult. To complete this objective as quickly as possible, I'll conceal myself on the battlefield and work to place my Spatial Mark on every Hollow combatant. That way I can deliver the death energy to every corner of the battlefield in an instant. Even if Rod Folles's ability proves strong, we should be able to seize control of the situation quickly and cut down his Adjuchas one by one."

"I hope everything unfolds as smoothly as your analysis suggests." Baraggan's skull gave a final nod.

"Your Majesty, apart from Rod Folles — do you know of any other Vasto Lorde-class powerhouses in Hueco Mundo?" Seizing the opportunity their discussion provided, Wayne began questioning this veteran Vasto Lorde about conditions across Hueco Mundo. Beyond the handful of characters he already knew from the anime, Wayne had little way of gathering information on other Hollows here. The Vasto Lorde-class Hollows in Hueco Mundo numbered at least in the hundreds, yet the ones Wayne knew of were no more than he could count on two hands. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in battle. Whatever the circumstances, intelligence was always the most valuable thing.

"Rod Folles to the north, mid-tier Vasto Lorde, substantial power. To the southwest there's Tia Harribel, a low-tier Vasto Lorde with only two Adjuchas subordinates. Deep to the south, in the bat-cave jungles, there's a mid-tier Vasto Lorde, what was his name... Cifer? He's a loner. Seems a bit twisted in the head."

"Ulquiorra Cifer?"

"Hmm, that does sound right." Baraggan nodded. "Speaking of Vasto Lordes who operate alone, in the far west of your territory, isn't there a high-tier Vasto Lorde? Have you not encountered him?"

"If you're referring to Mr. Coyote Starrk, I've already met him." Wayne nodded. "A solitary Vasto Lorde powerhouse, yes. Fortunately, I managed to avoid making an enemy of him."

"You were genuinely lucky. The Reiatsu of a high-tier Vasto Lorde is no ordinary thing, weaker Adjuchas who get too close get crushed to death outright."

"That's certainly true. I experienced it firsthand." Wayne gave a wry smile. "But thankfully, Mr. Starrk didn't hold it against us. He even let us have the cliffside where he'd been resting. You could say we parted on good terms."

"You really are a lucky one." The lower jaw of Baraggan's skull shifted slightly, it seemed he was smiling. "Beyond those, in the central regions of Hueco Mundo there are a few more Vasto Lordes. They all appear to be low-tier, so they've always banded together and moved as a group. I've left them alone all this time. After all, no one wants to face three or four Vasto Lordes attacking at once."

"If Your Majesty is willing, we could use Rod Folles as the trial run first. If our combined assault proves powerful enough, we can go after them one by one later on."

"Ha ha ha ha! I did not expect it, your appetite is that big. But I like it." The skull atop Baraggan's form grew larger with his laughter. "The central region is more complicated than we might think. I've heard there's a mid-tier Vasto Lorde there as well, a madman. Spends his days running experiments on Hollow creatures."

"Hmm?!" Wayne's eyes lit up. Even hearing Ulquiorra's name hadn't provoked a reaction this strong. "Who is this Vasto Lorde?"

"I believe it's Szayelaporro Granz." Baraggan considered a moment before answering. "Word has it what he researches is quite fascinating. Given the chance, I'd like to meet him myself and see if he can be brought into my ranks."

"Strategic cooperation would be ideal." Wayne kept his expression neutral and gave a quiet nod. If he could travel to the central region, find Szayelaporro, and bring him into his own camp, then Wayne's technological edge within Hueco Mundo could be built up in no time at all.

"Hmm, but that is a matter for later. What we must do now, first and foremost, is swallow Rod Folles whole." Baraggan's tone made the priority clear. Compared to everything else, Rod Folles was his greatest internal threat and had to go first.

"Naturally. As long as the intelligence is accurate and we confirm Rod Folles has no other hidden abilities, there's no problem. The plan is worth attempting." Wayne nodded. "That said, Rod Folles's subordinates will need Your Majesty to send forces to pin them down. I've come alone from the far west."

"That goes without saying. Once Rod Folles falls, the remaining Adjuchas are no problem, my Death Breath is enough to suppress every Hollow combatant."

In the end, Wayne and Baraggan spent an entire evening hammering out the particulars of the campaign against Rod Folles. Wayne had earned the Skull Emperor's alliance and acknowledgment, and he allowed himself a quiet inward sigh of relief. This open stratagem, using the tiger to devour the wolf, had worked. And as a bonus, he had obtained the locations of quite a few Vasto Lorde-class Hollows. When the opportunity arose, he could try to make contact with them and build his own power base.

Beyond the Vasto Lordes mentioned in the manga, there were many more Vasto Lorde-level combatants scattered throughout Hueco Mundo in hidden corners, never showing themselves. After all, above the Vasto Lorde tier, there were still the King Hollows.

From the name alone you could tell, the so-called King Hollows were the true masters of Hueco Mundo.

I wonder whether the great presence in the Forest of Menos that once spoke with me was a King Hollow, or something above even that? Wayne mused to himself. But it didn't matter much, in the days ahead he would eventually find out. He had walked from the lowest Hollow all the way up to where he stood today, and he had already witnessed most of the power Hueco Mundo had to offer. In the future, he would go higher and farther still.

After resting for a few days in Baraggan's territory, Wayne set out alongside the Skull Emperor for the Northern Region of Hueco Mundo, Rod Folles's domain. Unlike the desert that covered most of Hueco Mundo, the temperature here was far lower, and the sandy soil had hardened into something close to permafrost. Yet right at the heart of this frozen ground stood a range of peaks and fir trees, all crystallized into quartz, but striking in their shape and form, wholly unlike anything else in the region. A pristine sanctuary carved out of frozen waste. No wonder the Northern Region was so easy to defend and hard to attack. The terrain alone made ordinary Hollow warfare a brutal prospect.

Upon arriving, Baraggan's immense Reiatsu began spreading across the entire area. The black death of his Death Breath crept over the northern territory, and everything it touched was reduced to nothing. Mountain peaks and fir trees alike crumbled to dust before its advance, scattering into the air.

RAIN OF DEATH.

Another application of Baraggan's Death Breath. The black death flames transformed into fine droplets of rain, corroding every inch of the land, rotting away what little life this place held and turning it into an utterly lifeless killing ground. Any subordinate of Rod Folles touched by even a single drop would crumble to ash from the point of contact outward, unless their Reiatsu was strong enough to endure the corrosive force head-on. But that could never be a long-term solution. Severing the point of contact was the only real option.

A pity for those Hollow creatures upon whom the drops fell directly. They had no chance at all.

As the Rain of Death spread from the border inward, Wayne stayed close at Baraggan's side, ready at all times. On one hand he was prepared to wrap his spatial force around the Death Breath; on the other he was marking the territory as they advanced, so that if the Skull Emperor were to suddenly turn on him, he would not end up trapped with nowhere to run.

"You rotting skeleton, you're looking for death!" At last, as the flaming rain crept deeper, a roar erupted from within the territory. An equally immense Reiatsu surged upward and swept toward Baraggan like a tide.

Rod Folles had finally come out.

"Long time no see, featherhead. Still haven't died yet?" Baraggan's voice was low and unhurried. This was his longtime rival, and he had no warm welcome to offer.

Rod Folles was a humanoid Hollow bearing a phoenix-head Hollow Mask, and it wasn't only his skull. His entire form was adorned with phoenix-feather decorations, likely part of his Hierro, wrapping around his back and shoulders like a flowing tassel coat of feathers.

Rod Folles was not particularly large in build, slightly taller than Wayne, around two meters. Behind his white Hollow Mask was long golden hair streaked with red. His overall appearance was regal and elegant.

"Your bag of bones hasn't fallen apart yet, so why would I be the first to go?" Rod Folles gave the Skull Emperor absolutely no face. He raised one hand and sent a streak of red-gold Reiatsu slicing upward, scattering the Rain of Death above and cutting off Baraggan's technique in an instant.

"We've clashed more than once or twice. Just how many more times do you plan to use the same tired tricks?" Rod Folles was utterly contemptuous. His own life force and Baraggan's decay power were born natural opposites.

Rod Folles's combat technique was not at the absolute pinnacle, but his regeneration ability and life force could restore his vitality in an endless stream. Even if his Hollow Mask was shattered, he recovered quickly. One might say that life would inevitably decay someday, but as long as there was sufficient life force, it could outpace decay and ultimately turn the tide.

There was actually an idea Wayne had been turning over for a while. If Rod Folles were captured, could his life force be used to continuously generate Hollow Masks, providing Wayne with a steady supply of Reishi?

A perpetual motion machine, essentially.

But after thinking it through, he let the idea go. Such a perpetual motion machine might be feasible in concept, but it could never be sustained indefinitely. Every Hollow's ability operated within a certain scale, there was no such thing as a permanent endless supply of Reishi. Otherwise, Rod Folles alone would have produced far more than a few hundred Adjuchas-level subordinates. If his life force could fuel them all, every one of those Hollow creatures could have already become a Vasto Lorde.

"No matter how many times, if it works against you, that's all that matters." Baraggan was unmoved by Rod Folles's words. He released his Reiatsu and went on the offensive. His subordinate Hollows charged forward and the fighting erupted, though they wisely cleared out a wide stretch of airspace for the two Vasto Lorde powerhouses to battle in. Baraggan's Death Breath and Rod Folles's life flames were both equally lethal to Adjuchas-level combatants. Even as subordinates willing to fight and die for their lord, that didn't mean they were willing to throw their lives away for nothing.

Both sides hit full intensity fast. They knew each other too well for preamble, no words, just fighting. Rod Folles's side had over four hundred Adjuchas; Baraggan's side had close to eight hundred. In sheer numbers it should have been a rout. Yet strangely, the Adjuchas on Rod Folles's side were all brimming with powerful life force, and their regeneration speed was remarkable. Short of an outright instant kill, those who lost limbs were back on their feet within minutes, fighting just as hard as before. Before long, a battle where one side had nearly double the numbers had ground into a deadlock. Neither side could break through.

Watching from the shadows, Wayne noticed something was wrong. This made no sense, even among Adjuchas-level Hollows, it was impossible to gather over four hundred of them all possessing high-speed or ultra-rapid regeneration under one banner.

So Wayne arrived at a theory. Could Rod Folles possess some kind of domain, aura, or mark-type ability, something that buffed his subordinates, letting them rapidly recover from wounds on the battlefield and throw themselves back into the next round of fighting?

How else could half the numbers hold firm against Baraggan's entire army?

With that thought settled, Wayne began moving stealthily through the battlefield. He skirted around every skirmish and made his way toward the heart of the battle, where Baraggan and Rod Folles were clashing directly.

At the center of it all, the Phoenix's two-colored Reiatsu hammered against the Skull Emperor's black death flames, throwing up burst after burst of clashing light. Wayne's approach went completely unnoticed. Had Rod Folles been actively guarding against infiltrators, he would never have let Wayne slip this close.

When the next collision of Reiatsu erupted between them, Wayne moved. He fired a charged Concealed Cero toward Rod Folles, and in the same instant used Sonído to appear directly behind him. The Sky-Rending Greatsword swung horizontal, the Sky-Rending Slash blazed out in a single arc and connected across Rod Folles's lower back.

It wasn't enough. Wayne was facing a mid-tier Vasto Lorde, one whose greatest strength was ultra-rapid regeneration. His full-force strike opened a sword wound but couldn't cut him down. The blow made Rod Folles stumble, and the wound sealed itself completely in under three seconds.

"Where did this rat crawl out from!" Rod Folles's gaze went cold. An Adjuchas-level Hollow had appeared from nowhere and landed a hit on him. His pride wouldn't stand for it. He spun around, raised his claw, and sent his right phoenix talon raking straight for Wayne's skull. Wayne used Sonído and vacated the spot instantly.

"Featherhead, you dare lose focus while fighting me?" Baraggan wasn't about to let his enemy chase down Wayne. He hurled his twin-bladed greataxe directly at Rod Folles's position, intercepting the attack, while his Death Breath began closing over Rod Folles like a shroud.

Three seconds of distraction. That was all it took for Rod Folles to lose the initiative to Baraggan. He had no choice but to abandon his pursuit and wheel back to face the Skull Emperor.

Wayne retreated quickly to the safe zone behind Baraggan. His objective had never been to wound Rod Folles, it was to plant a Spatial Mark inside his body. He had deliberately cut him open to create an entry point, then slipped the mark through the wound. With Rod Folles's own ultra-rapid regeneration sealing the flesh shut around it, the Spatial Mark, cloaked in its Concealment property, was now completely and firmly branded inside his body. Short of carving out a chunk of his own flesh, or killing Wayne, there was no way to remove it.

"Your Majesty, it's done." Wayne reported quietly from the safe zone.

"Good. Then we begin." Baraggan's dark purple Reiatsu surged upward, and a dense, concentrated decay force drifted toward Wayne's position.

Wayne didn't hesitate. He raised his right hand and opened a Spatial Barrier, wrapping and compressing the death energy, then a second layer, then a third.

By the time he added the sixth layer, the innermost first had already been corroded through by the decay force and shattered. But the compression was complete. Wayne transferred the five-layer Spatial Fault, compressed down to the size of a palm, and sent it into Rod Folles's body.

"Ugh — what is this?!" Sensing the sudden disturbance inside him, Rod Folles instinctively flooded his body with life force, partly to investigate, partly as a precaution.

It barely helped. This was decay force erupting from within. The damage it inflicted on internal organs was far greater than anything that could penetrate from outside through his Hierro.

The Spatial Barrier detonated. The black death force instantly corroded Rod Folles's internal organs.

"When did,!" Rod Folles's eyes shook. His life force surged in massive waves toward the sites of corrosion, ultra-rapid regeneration kicking in desperately, but internal organ regeneration was far slower than regenerating limbs. His recovery speed began dropping in a straight line.

And at that moment, Baraggan was already upon him.

The twin-bladed greataxe came crashing straight down and split Rod Folles's body clean in two.

➤ Next: Secrets of Hueco Mundo