Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 302 - Ancient Traces

THUD!

The dull sound of a blade entering flesh rang out. Wayne, his Zanpakutō in its third-stage release, pinned a Hollow that had just stepped into the high-tier Vasto Lorde rank firmly to the ground. Before Wayne could withdraw, Nel's Lanzador Verde drove straight into the high-tier Vasto Lorde's skull. Its life force vanished in an instant.

"Everyone! Kill!"

Wayne let out a battle cry and tore open his own spatial rift. Countless Hollows surged out once more, swallowing what remained of this territory's forces whole.

Half a year had passed. Wayne now controlled 70% of the central region. "Controlled" was perhaps too generous a word, "annexed" would be more accurate.

During that time, Wayne had torn down dozens of outposts large and small. But the number of Hollows willing to genuinely submit was not great. More often than not, Wayne simply converted those Hollows entirely into Reishi, letting them serve him in another form.

Over those six months, Wayne's high-tier Vasto Lorde subordinates had grown beyond Nel and Starrk, Baraggan and Szayelaporro had both reached that level as well.

Growth always comes with losses. In those six months, Wayne's forces had lost several lower-tier and mid-tier Vasto Lordes, and a fair number of Adjuchas had died as well. Even Jekain had been badly wounded in a careless moment.

Still, the numbers gained outpaced the numbers lost. The mid- and high-tier Vasto Lordes under Wayne's banner now numbered ten in total. The lower tier was likewise replenished. That kind of strength, measured against all of Hueco Mundo, should leave no single faction capable of standing against them alone.

It was a shame, though. There were quite a few powerful Hollows in this region. Had Wayne not lost those key figures, he would have had at least thirty or forty Vasto Lorde-class Hollows under his command by now. That would have been a force capable of steamrolling Soul Society.

Well... except for the old man and Retsu Unohana.

Watching his subordinates charge toward the remnants of this territory's forces, Wayne slowly released his third-stage form and settled onto a nearby stone slope. He watched his forces clash with the enemy, unhurriedly pulling the Hollow Mask off the high-tier Vasto Lorde before him, snapping it into pieces, and slowly feeding them into his own mouth one fragment at a time.

By now, the only thing that could still give Wayne a meaningful boost in strength was the Hollow Mask of a mid-tier Vasto Lorde or above.

"Tsuki-chan, did we take down another territory?" After a short while, an Arrancar girl with her Hollow Mask hanging on the side of her forehead jumped out of a spatial rift.

"Yeah, good haul this time." Wayne broke off a fragment of the Hollow Mask in his hand and passed it to Yagami China. It had been some time since Yagami China became a Hollow, and during that time she had overcome, to a degree, the revulsion of consuming her own kind. At the very least, she no longer refused the Hollow Mask fragments Wayne offered her.

Tucking the small fragment into her mouth, Yagami China began to slowly absorb and refine that surge of immense power.

An Arrancar who had only just stepped into the Adjuchas rank trying to consume a high-tier Vasto Lorde's Hollow Mask whole would most likely destroy herself from the inside, but a small fragment like this was a tremendous boost for Yagami China.

"With this territory taken, there aren't many enemies left." Wayne pulled Yagami China down to sit beside him and gestured toward the canyon they had just claimed. "Look," he said, grinning. "All of this is the kingdom I've conquered for you."

"Tch." Yagami China clicked her tongue softly, then turned her gaze toward the distant mountains.

"Don't look over there — that part isn't taken yet."

"..." Without acknowledging his joke, she made a quiet dismissive sound, then steadied herself and began to absorb the power flowing from the Hollow Mask fragment.

She's close to breaking through, isn't she? Wayne sensed the fluctuations radiating from Yagami China and quietly considered it. Ever since she returned from Soul Society, Wayne had kept her living inside Tsukishiro. The Reishi density there was higher, and it was far better suited for her advancement.

She understood it herself. She had been off the grid for decades, and her former companions had surpassed her in every regard. On top of that, she was now an Arrancar, which meant she had no place left in Soul Society.

Not long ago, Yagami China had spoken with her parents and learned that over these past decades, the clan had long since chosen a new heir. As an Arrancar, she could no longer have any ties to the family. So she asked Wayne for a jade talisman and gave it to her parents, a safeguard for some future day when the clan might face a problem too difficult to resolve on their own. If that day came, they could shatter the talisman and Wayne would find a way to help them once.

In return, Yagami China would follow Wayne and fight across Hueco Mundo. Though his power had by now nearly reached the apex of all three realms, Wayne did not refuse her request, and continued to provide her with the resources she needed to grow. He had promised to save her life once, he couldn't have gone to all that trouble bringing her back only to abandon her afterward.

"My lord." While Wayne was watching Yagami China drift in thought, a Vasto Lorde Arrancar subordinate approached, pressing down a high-tier Adjuchas Hollow and bringing it before him. "This prisoner says he wants to trade intelligence on territories we haven't yet claimed for a chance to live. Lord Jekain was gravely wounded last time and hasn't fully recovered — to prevent any mishap, I could only bring it directly to you."

"Understood. You may go." Wayne gave a small nod, signaling that the Vasto Lorde-class warrior could leave the rest to him.

The young Vasto Lorde Arrancar gave a slight bow, then stepped back and withdrew.

"Say whatever you have to say." Wayne sat on the stone slope, looking down at the Adjuchas below.

"Th... this great lord." The Adjuchas at the base of the slope was visibly shaken by Wayne's overwhelming Reiatsu. Its voice came out trembling. It swallowed hard, then prostrated itself respectfully on the ground. "I... I am willing to submit to you and tell you everything I know."

"Heh. I accept your loyalty." Wayne rested his chin on his left hand, watching the Hollow below with a half-smile. Over the past six months he had seen this kind of scene more than a few times, some submitted out of genuine sincerity, others were scheming to backstab him. But Wayne, who held dominion over the laws of illusion, could never be harmed by that sort of ambush.

"I... I am a scout for this faction." Seeing Wayne nod his consent, the Adjuchas answered from its prostrated position. "Before you arrived, I had already ranged across most of the area to the north of our territory. I discovered that in a place to the north called the Reisui Canyon, two powerful factions of Hollows are entrenched. During that scouting mission, I sensed the Reiatsu of at least seven Vasto Lorde-class Hollows on each side, and there were also two extraordinarily powerful Reiatsu fluctuations. That terrifying pressure was almost... almost on par with your own, my lord. If you intend to conquer all the factions in the central region, then they should be your next targets."

"Oh?" Wayne raised an eyebrow. "You're saying that in the area you scouted, there are two Hollows at roughly the same level as me?"

"Y... yes, my lord."

"Then how did you make it back alive?" Wayne grinned. "You're an Adjuchas. How did you survive under the detection range of a Hollow at my level? Don't tell me your detection range reaches farther than those two entities."

"G... great lord!" The Adjuchas suddenly panicked. It pressed its head flat against the ground as it answered. "I truly don't know! I only used my detection ability briefly — I sensed the presence of two terrifying presences, and it felt as though some unknown horror had fixed its gaze on me. In just an instant I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was already hundreds of kilometers away. I don't know — I truly don't know!"

"Enough." Wayne raised a hand and cut off its trembling answer. "Take this with you, go back to the location you scouted before, and then you're free to leave." He reached to his shoulder and tossed one of Timd's clones to the high-tier Adjuchas before him.

"Go... go back again?" The Adjuchas very nearly wet itself in fear. It had barely escaped the dragon's den with its life, managed to claw its way back to its own stronghold, and before long had been smacked to the ground by Wayne right in the tiger's lair. It had hoped to trade intelligence for a way out, and now it was being sent back into the dragon's den?

"All you have to do is bring him to the location you scouted. After that, you're free. Leave if you want — and if you want to come back, I'll take you in." Wayne repeated himself.

"Y... yes! My lord!" The Adjuchas hastily took Timd's clone, bowed deeply to Wayne, and left via Sonído.

"Tsuki-chan, can we trust what he said?" Yagami China, who had been absorbing Reishi nearby, spoke softly. "Something with a pressure close to yours — how could that even exist?"

"It's not impossible." Wayne had already formed a judgment. "If that canyon is the ruins of some former Hollow King, or a sealing ground for an ancient Hollow beast, it wouldn't be out of the question. And those Hollows entrenched in the canyon with their power rising rapidly, they're very likely drawing on energy leaking out from the ruins or the sealed ground."

"Leaking energy? Would a seal break down?"

"Yes." Wayne gave a slow nod. "If that's really the case, it would explain why so many Vasto Lorde-class Hollows have appeared among that group. As for those two presences almost on par with me, they are perhaps sealed within that territory themselves. But two appearing at once..." Wayne's eyes narrowed slightly. "If I'm guessing right, it's most likely a former Hollow King and an ancient Hollow beast sealed in the same place. One is the sealing party, the other is the ruins. That's why there would be two distinct presences instead of just one."

"Which means..." A light sparked in Yagami China's eyes.

"Which means, if I'm lucky, I can become a Hollow King right here."

"That's wonderful!" Yagami China clapped her hands with excitement. "Then let's go take a look right away."

"No rush." Wayne helped Yagami China to her feet. "We consolidate our forces first. These past six-plus months of campaigning have stretched our lines too thin. We need to gather our high-end combat strength, after all, we may have to face two powerful factions at the same time."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say~" Yagami China stood at Wayne's side, smiling brightly. That innocent look in her eyes was almost identical to Nel's.

"Alright, the fighting down there will go on for a while longer. Once you've finished absorbing that Hollow Mask fragment, head back for now. I'll make the arrangements after." Wayne lifted the corner of his mouth in a faint smile, ruffled Yagami China's hair, and spoke softly.

"Huh? Well... alright." Yagami China pouted, but she did as Wayne said and jumped back into the spatial rift. She was still too weak right now, in the central region, where Vasto Lordes walked everywhere and Adjuchas were as common as dogs, she could not be kept safe here, not even with Wayne at her side.

After seeing Yagami China off, Wayne vanished into the air, teleporting directly to the stronghold where Jekain had been recuperating.

"My lord, you've come." Sensing the ripple in space, Jekain knew it was Wayne. He moved to rise at once to greet him.

"How are you holding up." Wayne pressed Jekain back down, gesturing for him to lie still, then asked.

"The wounds are mostly healed. Szayelaporro's medicine worked well. All that's left is recovering my Reiatsu." Jekain lay back down.

"Hah... this is my fault. I didn't expect the enemy to have absorbed the power of an ancient Hollow beast and actually be able to use a dark Cero that broke straight through my law-based power. That's how it pierced your body and left you this badly injured."

"Don't say that, my lord." Jekain smiled. "Such is the law of Hueco Mundo, endless battle, schemes within schemes, allies today and prey tomorrow. To have followed you this far, and to have built this unbreakable organization of ours, my heart holds nothing but gratitude."

"Alright, we don't need pleasantries between us." Wayne patted Jekain on the shoulder. "You're still injured and shouldn't be moving around, but what comes next may require us to fight two factions at once, factions carrying the inheritance of either an ancient Hollow beast or a Hollow King. I need you to hold the rear. Go gather all forces at high-tier Adjuchas level and above. Managing the other strongholds will fall to you alone for now. We need to crack this hard bone first."

"Understood, my lord. I'll see to it at once."

"No rush, we still have a few days. Two days from now, then. Everyone except you assembles at the front."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good. Rest well." He patted Jekain on the shoulder once more, then turned and left.

Two days later, Wayne led his forces to assemble at the front edge of the territory they had just taken and addressed all the Hollows heading toward Reisui Canyon.

This was necessary.

The battle ahead would see Wayne's faction facing what could very well be two forces carrying the power of a Hollow King or of an ancient Hollow beast. If that were the case, the moment the enemy deployed their law-based power, even Wayne could not guarantee he would come through unscathed.

"Comrades." At the front, Wayne stepped up into the air and addressed the dozens of high-end combatants assembled below.

"We are about to launch a full assault on the next stronghold. I know each of you is already an extraordinarily powerful existence in this land. But the enemy's strength must not be underestimated, watch yourselves, and don't let the ship sink in a shallow ditch. I will bring you out of here whole. I expect each of you to come back with me the same way."

"We obey our King's command!" From below, every Hollow paid its respects to Wayne. Starrk and Baraggan included, both gave Wayne a slight bow of the head. In that moment, the faith of the Hollows in Wayne reached its peak.

"Move out!"

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