> "I think we could be friends.
There's no rule that says Soul Reapers and Hollows can't be, right?"
Genichi sat down beside Starrk and spoke softly.
> "I've always thought there was something strange about your body.
As far as I know, there are others with spiritual pressure even stronger than yours—both Hollows and Soul Reapers alike—
But none of them unconsciously kill other Hollows around them just by existing."
> "At the Vasto Lorde level, you seem to have touched a new realm.
You didn't just evolve—you broke through into something else. Your body, rather than resembling a Hollow, is more like that of a Soul Reaper.
That's... unusual.
I think this trip I'm taking to the Soul Society might help uncover the reason why."
This wasn't Genichi talking nonsense.
He had come to this conclusion after serious thought:
> There was something hidden within Starrk—even he didn't know it.
A Vasto Lorde capable of spontaneous Resurrección—that alone shattered millions of years of Hollow rules in Hueco Mundo.
Even Baraggan likely wasn't much weaker than Starrk.
There were even mentions in the light novels of the true "Cero Espada"—unfragmented Szayelaporro, who had comparable spiritual pressure.
And yet, none of them had achieved Resurrección on their own.
Because becoming an Arrancar, like becoming a Visored, isn't simply a matter of amassing spiritual power.
> You have to fuse with a different kind of soul.
A Soul Reaper becomes a Visored by fusing with Hollow essence.
A Hollow becomes an Arrancar by fusing with Reaper essence.
But devouring a Soul Reaper doesn't automatically fuse their soul.
It takes the power of the Hōgyoku to make that possible.
And when it comes to mysterious, unexplainable powers in the Bleach universe—
Blame the Soul King. Always the Soul King.
Genichi's plan to seize Soul King fragments wasn't just to absorb their power.
He also intended to study them and uncover the true nature of their influence.
> "So I'm… different, huh…"
Starrk seemed mildly intrigued.
After a couple of seconds, he gave a subtle nod.
> "I'll open the Garganta for you. Both there and back.
But I'm not going to fight for you."
> "Perfect!" Genichi grinned.
He never expected Starrk to storm the Tsunayashiro stronghold alongside him.
Having Yhwach around was already more than enough.
Besides, if push really came to shove and Genichi was being hunted to the brink,
he was fairly confident Starrk would step in anyway.
Now that he had Starrk's word, Genichi felt much more at ease.
He reached out with his spirit-sensing threads, locking onto Yhwach's reiatsu.
He hadn't left yet.
Genichi turned to Starrk.
> "By the way… how about a little sparring match?"
A sudden idea struck him—he wanted to measure his strength.
Hueco Mundo evolved very slowly.
It was entirely possible that Starrk, during the Arrancar arc, might not have been stronger than Genichi was right now.
After all, for most Espada, the Hōgyoku was simply an amplifier—it forced their evolution.
But Starrk had already evolved on his own, even to the point of splitting his soul into Lilynette.
That was the first weakening.
Then, the Hōgyoku fulfilled his wish to become weaker,
which might have caused a second weakening.
Even if he'd improved a bit over the last 2,000 years,
it probably only cancelled out those nerfs.
> If I fight this version of Starrk, I should be able to figure out where I stand in terms of power.
Genichi could clearly feel it—he was approaching his growth limit.
If Starrk completely outclassed him, it would prove he wasn't even on par with the average captain-tier ceiling.
That would mean he could never reach the level of Aizen or Yamamoto, unless he found another method to break through.
A soul's growth potential was tied to its inherent aptitude.
The absolute peak of a Soul Reaper was Genryūsai Yamamoto—he represented the natural limit of the species.
As for Aizen, his soul might have had slightly lower potential than Yamamoto's—
but the difference wasn't massive.
Everyone else—Kyōraku, Starrk, Baraggan—they had solid strength, but their growth potential was nearing the cap.
They weren't likely to ever reach Yamamoto's or Aizen's tier.
Aizen once said that even all ten Espada combined weren't his match.
And that was after they'd all evolved through the Hōgyoku.
The gap between soul potential was enormous.
And Genichi could already feel a gap between himself and Starrk.
That alone told him: his ceiling probably wasn't close to the Soul Reaper limit.
At most, he might top out around Starrk's level.
It wasn't weak by any means—it was very strong—
but in the late stages of the Bleach universe, where gods battled gods…
it wasn't enough.
> "Not interested."
Starrk immediately declined. The lazy man never liked fighting.
> "However…"
Just as Genichi felt disappointed, Starrk added:
> "If you show me something interesting… I might reconsider."
> "Oh?" Genichi smiled.
He stood up and slowly drew his Zanpakutō.
> "Then I'll show you something that'll leave you speechless."
Starrk also stood, his posture lazy, his eyes uninterested.
> "Gaze upon me…
O Eye of the Wave, Unblinking Pupil—Asura!"
Genichi activated his Shikai.
Starrk remained unmoved—expression calm, as if nothing had changed.
But Genichi wasn't annoyed.
He knew that this level of power wasn't enough to catch Starrk's eye.
---
Until—
BOOM!
A massive surge of spiritual pressure erupted like a volcano.
Genichi held his blade horizontally before his chest and shouted:
> "Bankai — Great Dark Heaven!"
He opened with his strongest move—no holding back.
The darkness of Hueco Mundo deepened to an unnatural black,
as if despair itself had been given form.
Blackness thick as pitch covered hundreds of meters,
accompanied by a cold, killing intent that froze the soul.
From the heart of the shadow emerged a pair of massive, crimson wings.
They were woven from red light—
and upon closer inspection, every feather looked like a pupil staring back.
The pressure radiating from Genichi now far exceeded Starrk's expectations.
His eyes widened in surprise.
> "Never underestimate a Soul Reaper," Genichi said.
He pointed the tip of his Zanpakutō downward, toward the sands of Hueco Mundo.
> "Unlike Hollows, Soul Reapers experience two major power leaps—Shikai and Bankai."
> "And especially Bankai—it increases a Soul Reaper's power by five to ten times."
> "So you'd better be careful…
Because even now, I still can't fully control the power of Great Dark Heaven."
> "Is every Soul Reaper's Bankai this powerful…?" Starrk muttered, finally focusing.
"It looks like your leap in power is even greater than my Resurrección."
> "Resurrección is equivalent to Shikai," Genichi replied casually.
He remembered this detail:
Arrancar's Resurrección was meant to mirror Shikai—not Bankai.
Their overall effect might be similar, but in terms of structure, they were fundamentally different.
That's why, in raw potential, Soul Reapers outclassed Hollows.
It wasn't just about having Zanpakutō as tech-enhanced weapons—
it was also because Hollows never gained a true equivalent to Bankai through Resurrección.
> "Now then…
Let's begin."
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