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Chapter - 20: Hueco Mundo
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Yuki watched my choices with growing interest, her smile slowly widening, becoming more and more intriguing, as if a particularly mischievous idea was taking shape in her mind.
"What are you thinking?" I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity, while I continued scrolling through my company phone.
She turned her gaze away from the screen to lock eyes with me, a sly expression on her face. "I was just thinking about how many ways I could influence your future choices. You know, maybe convincing you that some options are more... 'interesting' than others."
The flirtatious tone in her voice hinted at far more than she was saying outright, and you didn't need telepathy to know she'd find a way to mix pleasure and power into the same proposition.
"Where are you going with this?" I asked skeptically, even though a part of me recognized that she was still her own person, with a personality entirely her own.
"From what I saw in the waifu catalog, you can even purchase the female version of a particular companion, right?" she asked, curious, while I kept browsing through the Catalog entries.
"Correct," Thessa confirmed with a neutral tone. "But that doesn't change their core traits. Abilities, potential, essence—all of it remains the same. It's purely an aesthetic variation..."
"True," Yuki added, a hungry smile slowly spreading across her face. "But that'll make it much more fun for us."
"You more than anyone, right?" I couldn't help but remark, raising an eyebrow.
She chuckled softly, not even bothering to hide the satisfaction in her eyes. Not that it really changed anything—if it was useful and functional, I had nothing against having a bit more beauty by my side.
"Oh, King, don't say that," Yuki whispered, stepping closer with a slow, provocative pace, "We both know this is the choice that'll bring you the most benefits—on and off the battlefield."
I couldn't deny it. She was right, even if she said it just for the fun of it. After all, if I had the power to shape my allies however I wanted, I might as well do it in the most stimulating way possible.
"We'll talk about it later," I said finally, closing the subject and reopening the Catalog. "But for now—setting that aside—what do you both think about the options I showed you?"
"I don't think it's worth using a slot for Mahoraga's Template, since you can still purchase him later with credits," Thessa noted, her tone rational, clearly trying to optimize every resource. "Instead, like you said, it would be much more advantageous to focus on one of those evil dragons and gain Sung Jin-Woo's power, since that could really make a difference—"
"Antares," Yuki cut in, interrupting her with a tone sharper than usual.
Thessa slowly turned toward her, locking eyes.
Their gazes held for a few seconds, silent but intense. Neither of them spoke, but it felt like a silent challenge had just sparked between them.
"You prefer the Dragon King of Destruction over the Shadow Monarch?" Thessa finally asked, her expression puzzled, as if trying to figure out whether my hollow side had taken some mental damage.
Yuki didn't flinch. In fact, she seemed amused by having gone against my other spirit, a subtle smile curving her lips as she crossed her arms under her chest and tilted her head slightly.
"It's not a matter of preference," she replied, and there was a dangerous spark burning in her gaze. "It's a much simpler matter—to put it in a word even a whore like you can understand—I'm talking about power. Antares seems stronger than Jin-Woo in a direct fight. And that's enough to make him the better choice."
Thessa raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as well. "Maybe. But we're not just talking about destruction. Jin-Woo's potential is broader, more manageable, and most importantly, cultivable, since he gets stronger after every battle."
"Controllable," Yuki repeated, with a mocking smirk. "Interesting concept, but when has the King ever needed control? Isn't it better to bend the world to his will instead of adapting to it?"
"You just want his Template so that his power can influence you in a desirable way to make you stronger, admit it," said Thessa, folding her arms and looking at Yuki with a sharp expression.
Yuki smiled—that slow, mischievous kind of smile she always wore right before saying something venomous. "I could say the same, bitch. At least that way your shadow would actually be useful instead of being used as a glorified transport service."
Thessa stepped forward, eyes narrowed, her tone still calm but with a cold edge. "Better than being a beast in heat who doesn't know her own limits."
"Interesting coming from you," Yuki shot back with a low chuckle, "considering you couldn't even hold the King's gaze for five minutes."
I watched them both in silence, letting their words flow through my mind. Honestly, they were making my life easier—debating, analyzing, comparing every detail like they were the ones who had to make the final decision.
And that was fine. I had my own doubts too, so I let them speak. Every word they exchanged helped me sort things out in my head, piece by piece.
"In the end," I said, cutting into their discussion before it escalated into another fight, "it's not a decision I need to make right now. We've got time, and it's better to evaluate all the options before I commit to a specific path."
Thessa nodded calmly, accepting my words with seriousness. "That seems like the most logical choice. Forcing a decision now would be premature, especially with the few credits we have."
Yuki, on the other hand, shrugged, showing her usual relaxed attitude, even if her eyes betrayed a certain interest. "Doesn't really matter to me, even though—"
"As for my Shinigami and Hollow powers," I said, turning directly to her, "I promise I'll start using them very soon. I just prioritized other areas for now, but that doesn't mean I'm neglecting them."
She stared at me for a moment, then her smile became more genuine. "Good. Don't forget I'm a part of you. It's time for my power to shine—or I'll have to take the initiative myself."
Thessa turned slightly, lowering her gaze as if she wanted to hide something, but said nothing. Maybe she agreed, maybe she was also thinking about the latent potential I had yet to tap into.
Either way, the message was clear: the time for choices was coming, and soon, every piece of my power would come into play, one way or another.
[Interlude]
I returned to my room. It was strange not to feel the reassuring light of Avalon on my skin anymore, but I still sensed the presence of the artifact—silent but vigilant, as if it were waiting for my command.
All it would take was a thought, a simple intention, and its power would reactivate without any issue to protect me from any force that might endanger my life.
And yet, despite everything, I felt strangely lighter. As if the confrontation with Thessa and Yuki, the simple fact of having spoken openly with them, had broken an invisible barrier that had kept me from using my own power.
It was like something had unlocked. My powers now flowed more freely, more clearly, more truly mine. For the first time, I perceived them not just as tools to be used, but as an authentic part of myself.
And now I was sure:
I could push my Fullbring to a new level.
But it wasn't the right time yet. It was better to wait, especially because I didn't know the real consequences of what I was about to do. I certainly didn't want to risk unleashing a hypothetical nerfed version of Mugetsu right in the middle of the city.
Instead, I was reflecting on something that had come to mind while talking with Yuki. Reaching out with my other hand, I activated my Fullbring, while my wings remained spread behind me.
I gazed at my hollow arm with a thoughtful look, the dark veins pulsing faintly under the white skin, as if responding to my attention.
"…This arm is practically a manifestation of my hollow power," I muttered, clicking my tongue as I raised it to eye level, slowly rotating it.
So, naturally, I could use Hollow techniques, right? If that were true, it would change quite a lot of things.
After all the training I went through with Yoruichi, I had reached a turning point. My physical body and my spiritual power had reached new levels.
All the experience I had accumulated training with her and Urahara had forged within me an uncontrollable desire to see just how far I had come with my strength.
For that reason, almost unconsciously, I let my demonic hand sweep through the air, fingers open like claws tearing through space itself, and a subtle ripple formed immediately before me—vibrations as faint as static electricity crackling along the invisible edge of the world.
And then—like I was tearing a curtain of reality—it opened. A hole in the air. Dark, deep, black as pitch.
The Garganta. The realm between worlds. The corridor between the human world and Hueco Mundo.
"Too easy," I murmured, a satisfied smirk on my lips.
It had been instinctive. Fluid. Almost natural.
I could have headed straight to Hueco Mundo at that very moment. I could have started immediately and discovered how far I could go by hunting Menos Grande-class Hollows.
Damn, I was already sure I was well beyond an Adjuchas. And with my training through Fullbring, I could even take on some Arrancar, maybe even a few of the Espada's Fracción.
More importantly, I wanted to truly start familiarizing myself with my Hollow powers, and what better way than through a hunt in the Forest of the Menos?
It was the perfect environment: wild, hostile, and full of prey with a good amount of spiritual pressure.
There, I wouldn't need to hold back, and I could certainly test my limits, let go, see how far I could push myself without having to worry about the consequences.
But I also had to be quick.
I had a family, after all. People who would seriously worry if I disappeared for too long without saying anything. I couldn't afford to be gone for days—at least not yet.
Luckily, I could open a Garganta whenever I wanted. Coming and going was easy. I could manage my time to make mini-incursions, quick and focused. One or two hours in the world of Hollows, then back home like nothing ever happened.
I stared at the tear in front of me with longing. I wanted to go further. These past months, that's all I had been doing. And now, in the real world, my instinct to keep going was stronger than ever.
"Yeah," I murmured to myself, the smile growing on my lips. "It's time to truly begin—and I have no reason to hold back." I took a step forward and sank into the darkness.
It was time to let my instinct have a bit of fun.
When I crossed through the Garganta and emerged on the other side, my feet sank slightly into an endless stretch of white sand—dry and silent.
It was hard to believe that this surreal, lifeless landscape bathed in eternal night was actually the body of a gigantic Hollow that had died millennia ago.
Darkness enveloped everything, broken only by small sparks of light from above, and everywhere, white bone pillars rose from this world.
The Forest of Menos.
Exactly where I wanted to be.
Eerie howls echoed around me as I surveyed the surroundings. White sand, an eternally black sky, and bone pillars rising toward infinity.
A dead landscape, but charged with tension. "Let's see if we can find something interesting," I murmured, slowly clenching my fists as I felt pure adrenaline—shivers of anticipation running up my spine.
I didn't even care anymore whether Aizen could observe my progress or anything like that. At that point, the only thing that mattered was what I felt inside: an uncontrollable thrill of power and adrenaline.
With my fingers trembling from excitement and my feet ready to burst forward, I licked my lips. I tilted my head slightly, closed my eyes for a moment, and let my spiritual senses stretch into the darkness.
Hueco Mundo was vast, and the echoes bounced everywhere, making it difficult to pinpoint the sources precisely.
But by closing my eyes and focusing, I managed to expand my spiritual senses, perceiving the energy moving through the air like warm currents beneath the sand.
"Hoh?" I opened my eyes suddenly. A smile spread across my face as I sensed a cluster of spiritual entities—dense, strong. More than twenty in a single group.
And another one, much more powerful, not far from them.
"It's time to show what a real Hybrid is capable of," I whispered with a grin, summoning my wings, and a green light shone beneath me as I vanished in a flash with Bringer Light.
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Marvel: I'm Spider-Man in this Damn Reincarnation: 1 advanced chapters
Hybrid Man (Ichigo Si/WC Fic) 1 advanced chapters
Son of Li Qiye?: 3 advanced chapters
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Chapter- 16: Shocker - Chapter- 17 (Incoming)
Chapter- 21: Red and Blue
Chapter - 7: Hobby - Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown
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