Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 80 - Secrets of Hueco Mundo

"He's still alive!" Baraggan did not relax. Even cleaving Rodfolles in two with one strike had not taken his life.

One half of the body had already begun to necrotize, gradually consumed by Baraggan's decay power, while the other half remained intact, though its regeneration was not as fast as one might imagine.

"Over here!" Wayne rushed close and immediately deployed a spatial barrier, trapping Rodfolles inside.

"It's you, you rat, who's behind this!" The moment the spatial barrier went up, Rodfolles instantly locked onto the culprit. Before Wayne appeared, Baraggan had never beaten him this badly, cut down and gravely wounded barely moments after they clashed. Although he possessed extraordinary regenerative ability, rotting from the internal organs outward was far harder and far slower to recover from than regenerating flesh and bone.

Now half his body was damaged. Though his core had not yet been harmed, this kind of recovery would ultimately put him at a disadvantage.

WHOOSH!

A surge of golden-red Reiatsu erupted, and Rodfolles's body accelerated its regeneration. The head that had just been split open began to grow back.

"Don't give him a chance to recover!" Wayne made a snap judgment. He swung his Sky-Rending Greatsword, sending two dimensional slashes straight for Rodfolles's neck. At this stage, he absolutely could not be allowed a chance to recover; otherwise this battle would drag on endlessly.

But where was the Reiatsu fueling Rodfolles's energy coming from? Could the energy source be his core, rather than his Hollow Mask?

Wayne had heard that within Hueco Mundo there were many aberrations, Hollows whose masks did not serve as the vessel for their Reiatsu but were merely camouflage. The true Reiatsu vessel lay somewhere else in their bodies. From certain indications, the Rodfolles before him now seemed to be exactly one such freakish anomaly.

Raising his hand and slashing again, Wayne severed one of Rodfolles's arms.

Over the rest of the body, Baraggan was madly shrouding it with his Death Sigh. Combined with Wayne's barrier, Rodfolles, now in a weakened state, could do nothing but passively take the beating.

"Lord!" When Rodfolles's subordinates saw their lord being besieged, they all went berserk at once. Each used powerful attacks to force back their opponents and charged toward Wayne and Baraggan.

"A pack of trash!" Baraggan turned and released a swath of Death Flame, stopping every advancing Hollow beast in its tracks. Only those with long-range abilities kept attacking into the black flames with skills or Cero, but every last attack was decayed and erased by the Death Flame.

Having cut off that wave of Hollow beasts, Baraggan continued his assault on Rodfolles.

His Death Flame poured through the special linked passage Wayne had established and flooded into the space sealing Rodfolles. Dense Death Flame filled the alternate space, leaving Rodfolles unable to cover both flanks at once. No matter how much he regenerated, his regeneration always lagged behind the decay. Over time, he could no longer keep pace with the decay power.

On the other side, Wayne was not having it easy either. He had to construct multiple layers of space simultaneously. On top of that, he had combined his concealment ability with his spatial ability, wrapping himself in an extra defensive layer as insurance against a sudden betrayal by Baraggan or an ambush from another Adjuchas-level foe.

Beyond that, Wayne would occasionally lash out with a dimensional slash to deal damage to Rodfolles, hoping to discover where exactly his core was located.

Rodfolles, his internal organs aged by the decay power, could not escape the spatial barrier. His subordinates grew increasingly frantic, unable to break through the blockade of the Death Sigh.

This created a vicious cycle, leaving Rodfolles with nowhere to flee.

In the end, Rodfolles chose his final option.

Self-detonation.

A mid-rank Vasto Lorde using self-detonation, the force was enough to maim or cripple even a high-rank Vasto Lorde.

Rodfolles's eyes erupted with a fierce white radiance, and glowing white cracks began to race through his ruined body.

"No — he's going to self-destruct!" Wayne caught the abnormality fast. He shouted a warning and fell back at speed, cutting straight through the wall of Death Flame the Skeleton Emperor had laid down with Sonído and flashing out of the combat zone. The Skeleton Emperor likewise Sonído'd clear of the area. As he retreated, he released Death Sigh around himself, using his decay power to shield his own body. He knew full well the power of a mid-rank Vasto Lorde's self-detonation, it was enough to blast his skeletal frame to pieces.

Finally, the cracks spreading across Rodfolles's body reached their critical point, and with a thunderous roar he exploded inside Wayne's spatial barrier.

The white light of the explosion shattered the barrier instantly, dispersing the Death Flame within and blowing apart the Death Flame wall outside.

The violent explosion lit up the sky like the most intense fireworks display imaginable. The shockwave tore up the desert for several kilometers in every direction. Trees were snapped apart and stones shattered. Even the Adjuchas on the battlefield were sent tumbling. Many Hollow beasts were wounded, and over a dozen Adjuchas that had been closest were blasted directly into nothingness.

Wayne had the presence of mind to grab a small-framed Hollow beast from Baraggan's forces and Sonído away with it. Just as the explosion was about to reach them, he cast Negación on that small Hollow beast and placed it in front of himself as a shield, while simultaneously opening a spatial barrier to wrap himself inside.

Through this mutual offset, Wayne managed to weather the ferocious explosion. Baraggan's side fared similarly. Although he was still caught by the shockwave, as master of the decay ability he had already used it to erode and consume the bulk of the blast. What remained was nothing to fear.

Soon the light and flames died away. The battlefield was left in complete disarray, a great number of Hollow beasts wounded. Wails filled the mountains and plains.

"Damn it, why did he have to self-destruct?" After the explosion, Wayne emerged from his barrier and returned to the center of the battlefield.

"That's just wasting a mid-rank Adjuchas's resources." Wayne frowned deeply. He had come away badly short, the biggest prize had slipped through his fingers. The few hundred Adjuchas alone simply weren't enough.

"Hmm? Something's off." Wayne carefully sensed the residual Reiatsu fluctuations across the battlefield and found that the Reiatsu belonging to Rodfolles had not yet vanished. At first he assumed it was just residual Reiatsu clinging to the blast fragments, but after careful perception he found that among all those fragmentary Reiatsu signatures, one was condensed with a particular density, perhaps even more refined than his own spiritual power.

Ordinary Hollow beasts probably wouldn't notice anything special about such condensation, but Wayne was different. His Reiatsu was more refined and his perception more precise. Although his sensory range couldn't radiate as far as that of perception-type specialists, within his range he basically never missed a detail. This was perhaps another benefit his refined Reiatsu had given him.

Very quickly, Wayne locked onto the fragment with exceedingly vigorous life force. It was a small lump of flesh wrapped in a layer of white, mask-like substance.

Wayne stepped forward and fixed his gaze on it. The more he looked, the more it seemed to be Rodfolles's core.

Just as Wayne reached out to grab it, the flesh lump suddenly sprang up, fast as a lightning bolt, and with a whoosh flew past him, grazing his shoulder and drawing a spray of blood.

"So it really is trouble." Wayne grinned and immediately gave chase with Sonído.

The flesh lump flew fast, but no matter how fast, it was still just a lump of flesh.

For Wayne, whose condition was nearly at its peak, his Sonído was faster.

In less than half a minute, Wayne had it cornered. He was now certain this lump was Rodfolles's true body. Shatter it, and Rodfolles would be thoroughly dead.

But he didn't plan to do that. Rodfolles was now only the size of a palm, so why not just...

Thinking this, Wayne stepped forward in one stride. The greatsword in his hand shifted from slash to slap and swatted the flesh lump to the ground with a loud bang.

The lump hit the sand. From the seam where the white mask-like substance met the flesh, a thin trickle of blood slowly seeped out.

"You've been reduced to this, and you still want to run?" Wayne picked up the flesh lump with his right claw, amused, and squeezed it hard. The lump immediately let out a series of whimpers.

"D-don't kill me."

"Oh? Still conscious? Still able to speak?" Wayne was mildly surprised. Reduced to a core, and it still had full consciousness?

"Don't kill me. I'll tell you my secret." Rodfolles seemed to be begging for his life.

"A secret?" Wayne raised an eyebrow. "Sorry — I only trust myself." With that, he opened his mouth and swallowed the flesh lump whole. He bit down hard, and instantly a burst of blood erupted in his mouth. In a flash, dense Reishi began to spread through his body. Unlike devouring an Adjuchas's mask, the spiritual power of a mid-rank Vasto Lorde was several times his own, it swelled through him until he could barely breathe.

Perhaps what Rodfolles had said was true, but Wayne was not about to give him a chance to recover and counterattack over some possibly nonexistent secret.

With one gulp, Folles's core was gone. A massive amount of Reishi rampaged through Wayne's body, swelling his frame until he looked noticeably larger.

"Hey, Ace Wayne!" From a distance, Baraggan, who had already recovered, shouted across to him. "Just now I felt that mongrel bird's Reiatsu again. He didn't die?"

"He's dead now." Wayne patted his bulging belly.

"You actually swallowed him whole? And it didn't burst you apart?" Baraggan was astonished. A peak Adjuchas swallowing a mid-rank Vasto Lorde in one gulp, such a leap in consumption was truly unheard of.

"Maybe it's because only his core remained and his Reiatsu was already diminished."

Wayne thought for a moment before answering. Indeed, at the Vasto Lorde stage, the Reiatsu required for each advancement was astronomical. Fortunately, once a Menos grew to Vasto Lorde level, it no longer needed to rely solely on devouring to increase its strength; otherwise, the nearly one hundred Vasto Lorde-level Hollow beasts in Hueco Mundo would have eaten the place clean long ago.

"Perhaps." Seeing that Wayne had already swallowed Rodfolles, Baraggan found little to say. Although a part of him had wanted to seize Rodfolles's Hollow Mask, Wayne had already made his move, and Baraggan's own ability was coincidentally countered by him. After thinking it over, Baraggan could only turn back and help his subordinates continue harvesting the remaining Adjuchas.

"Emperor, don't forget my hundred-plus Adjuchas resources," Wayne reminded him before he left.

"I know, I know!" Baraggan sounded impatient.

Seeing that Baraggan had no intention of tearing up their agreement and turning on him, Wayne breathed a quiet sigh of relief and began focusing entirely on condensing and compressing his Reiatsu.

A peak Adjuchas forcibly absorbing a mid-rank Vasto Lorde, no, probably only about a beginner Vasto Lorde's worth of Reiatsu, and still no signs of advancement. This made Wayne wonder: had he actually reached his limit? But that couldn't be right. He clearly still had the potential to increase his Reiatsu, and as it was refined, his spiritual power was gradually climbing, so why hadn't he reached the threshold yet?

After mulling it over, Wayne let it go. There were still over a hundred Adjuchas masks waiting for him to absorb. By then, he should be one step closer to evolution.

His refining speed was not slow. At his current level, his Reiatsu was not far behind a Vasto Lorde's, so rapidly refining it was no problem.

By the time Wayne finished, Baraggan and his subordinates had dealt with Rodfolles's followers, destroying those who resisted, persuading the rest to surrender.

The campaign soon drew to a close. Baraggan's northern territory had finally been settled with the suppression of the rebel faction.

"Ace Wayne, you performed admirably." Once the battle was over, Baraggan sought Wayne out. By now Wayne had already returned to his original body size.

"I am grateful for the Emperor's favor. Without it, just the hundred-plus Adjuchas in this campaign would have been more than I could have handled alone."

"Spare me the flattery. This old man is still a king of Hueco Mundo, and a king keeps his word." With that, Baraggan swung his double-bladed giant axe. Several Hollow beasts appeared before Wayne at once, holding over a hundred Adjuchas masks between them.

"In this campaign, aside from reclaiming the northern lands, this king has also taken in over a hundred Adjuchas. Excluding those Hollow beasts this king slew with his corrosive power, and including the Adjuchas who fell on our side, here are roughly one hundred and seventy masks in total. I bestow them all upon you, as a token of this king's gratitude for your assistance."

"Then I shall accept without false modesty." Wayne did not refuse Baraggan's offer, this was exactly what he needed.

Using his spatial ability, he temporarily sealed the masks away. There were still some days before they would dissipate, so he was in no hurry to devour them. Consuming them within Baraggan's territory and then entering an advancement state could invite all manner of complications.

"The campaign here has been quelled. May I ask what plans the Emperor has next?" The fact that Wayne could say such words meant there was still room for cooperation between the two.

"Hmm... First I will return to reorganize my subordinates. After that, this king plans to visit the central region of Hueco Mundo and seek out that so-called Apollo. This king is still quite interested in him. Coincidentally, there is still a great deal of territory in central Hueco Mundo this king has yet to inspect — this trip will serve both purposes."

"When does the Emperor intend to set out?"

"Probably a few months from now." Baraggan raised his head and gazed at the sky. "With Rod Folles dealt with, this king can rest properly for a while. Ace, will you stay here with me?"

"No. My territory has no powerful Vasto Lorde to hold the fort. I need to return as soon as possible," Wayne said after a moment's thought. "There is, however, one matter I would like to ask the Emperor about."

"Speak freely."

"Regarding the advancement from peak Adjuchas to Vasto Lorde — what does it feel like? Does one also sink into the sand and fall into slumber, the way one does when advancing to Adjuchas?"

"That, this king does not know." Baraggan's skull shook. "This king was born a king of Hueco Mundo. There was never an Adjuchas stage."

"So it is still possible to be born directly as a Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo?"

"No." Baraggan denied it again. "This king is not a Vasto Lorde. This king was born a Vasto King."

"What?!" The news struck Wayne's mind like a bolt from the blue. "The Emperor is... a Vasto King?"

"Mm." Baraggan nodded. "Back in those years... ah... I can no longer remember clearly how many thousands of years ago it was. When this king was born, I was already a Vasto King. It is just that back then I was young and brash. In the primordial lands of Hueco Mundo, I provoked an Ancient Hollow Beast. That triggered a great battle. It was in that battle that this king was wounded and forced to flee in defeat. The flesh of my entire body was blasted apart, leaving only this skeleton. Although I slew that Ancient Hollow Beast, in the end I degenerated into a Vasto Lorde and have never been able to advance a single step since."

"Ancient Hollow Beast?" Wayne had once again heard a name he had never encountered before. "It seems my understanding of Hueco Mundo is still far too shallow."

"Hueco Mundo is far more complex than you imagine." Baraggan seemed to have accepted Wayne as a friend, and along this journey he had shared no small amount of Hueco Mundo's secrets with him.

"Do you know — over a thousand years ago, there once appeared nine Vasto Kings in our Hueco Mundo."

"Nine Vasto Kings?" Wayne was utterly stunned. Vasto Lordes were already an exceedingly rare existence. Above them, Vasto Kings, and there had actually been nine?

"Yes. Each Vasto King wielded the power of a law. The law this king wields is the Law of Time — reducing all things to decay and dust. These law powers are among the laws that maintain the balance of our Hueco Mundo. In fact, this king speculates that if your spatial ability were developed to the level of law, you might well possess the potential to become a Vasto King." Baraggan's words seemed intended to enlighten Wayne, and this was the main reason Baraggan was willing to befriend him.

But Wayne did not have only one ability. He also had his concealment talent. What if that power could also advance to the level of law? Two laws? Did he have the potential to surpass a Vasto King?

He was getting ahead of himself. Right now, he was not even a Vasto Lorde.

"Regarding the Ancient Hollow Beasts — could you elaborate further?"

"Where there are laws, there will be chaos. The Ancient Hollow Beasts are different from us conscious Vasto Kings. Those beasts also wield powers akin to laws, but their consciousness holds only battle and slaughter. Once they sense a Hollow nearby worthy of their attention, they leap out from their sealed lands, track down their enemy, and cut them down. However, as the Vasto Kings vanished, the Ancient Hollow Beasts likewise fell silent. To this day, the highest Reiatsu this king has witnessed in Hueco Mundo belongs to a high-rank Vasto Lorde, not even worthy of being called peak. Perhaps that Starrk is the one this king considers most likely to reach peak Vasto Lorde. Though I have no idea what his ability specifically is."

"But why have I never heard of any of this, the Ancient Hollow Beasts, any of it?" Wayne pressed. He had been in Hueco Mundo for so long and had never come across this kind of history.

"This is exactly what I just said. The nine Vasto Kings jointly ruled Hueco Mundo. But after I fell from my realm, the other Vasto Kings, for reasons unknown, disappeared one after another. To this day, none have reappeared. It seems as though our Vasto Kings were bound by something. All the previous Vasto Kings vanished, and after over a thousand years, no new Vasto King has emerged in Hueco Mundo. That is what allowed the Soul Reapers' power to grow into a force capable of contending with us."

At this, Baraggan's expression turned genuinely bewildered. "And so I, having degenerated to the Vasto Lorde level, continued to rule this land. But because of my injuries, my strength has never grown again. I had originally hoped that by devouring Rodfolles — who possesses the power of life — I might perhaps restore my original flesh and return to my peak. I never expected you to seize the opportunity first. But no matter. The facts have proven that his ability was not a subordinate form of law power. It could not restore me."

"Ah..." Wayne felt somewhat awkward. He had only wanted to strengthen himself; he hadn't realized he was cutting off one of Baraggan's paths to recovery.

Fortunately, Baraggan did not pursue and kill him. Of course, with his abilities, countering Baraggan was not out of the question for Wayne. The gap in Reiatsu was enormous, but as long as abilities countered each other, sheer Reiatsu alone could not finish him.

And besides, Wayne had been marking spatial nodes the entire journey. If he needed to run, no one could catch him.

"What's swallowed is swallowed. This king isn't going to make you spit it out." Baraggan gave Wayne a disdainful look. "However, your ability has real potential, and this king is willing to cooperate with you. Once this king has finished organizing Rodfolles's territory, I will send someone to find you in the west. At that time, Ace Wayne, this king agrees to campaign across Hueco Mundo together with you."

"The Emperor's words are too generous. To govern Hueco Mundo alongside the Emperor is Wayne's honor." At this moment, Wayne no longer regarded Baraggan merely as a Vasto Lorde-level lord. This was a former master of law, a Vasto King. He wouldn't say he was punching above his weight, but he could now acknowledge Baraggan as a true friend.

In the anime, Baraggan had always carried himself with overbearing arrogance, though that was perhaps because Aizen's ability countered his, leaving him no choice but to bow his head.

Just imagine: a Vasto King, degenerated from grave wounds, ultimately enslaved by another. How utterly stifling that must have been. Perhaps that was why Baraggan grew increasingly short-tempered over the years. In the face of absolute power, he could only watch helplessly as someone seized his throne in Hueco Mundo.

"Very well. Once the Emperor has made all preparations, I will come again." After some thought, Wayne decided to leave first. Though his view of the Emperor before him had risen to an entirely new height, strengthening himself was still what mattered most. In the time ahead, if he and Baraggan could campaign across Hueco Mundo together before Aizen arrived, perhaps the outcome when that day came would be something else entirely.

➤ Next: Dominator of Hueco Mundo