Rukia knew nothing about a God of Death, yet she was still fighting a tense battle with Ashido.
Ashido's strength had increased greatly. Facing both Lilynette and Rukia, he held on at first, but as the fight dragged on, he gradually began to falter.
Fighting two opponents at once was, in the end, too difficult.
When Lilynette pointed forward, a phantom flash shot instantly from her sharp claws!
She was a bit different from Starrk.
She only had one Resurrection and did not manifest dual pistols. Instead, like other Hollows, she returned to her original form—or retained some traits of it.
In the end her strength did not reach Vasto Lorde level—rather, she was far inferior to the Starrk "family." So even with the same abilities, her method of expression differed.
When she released her zanpakutō, it vanished, and wolf-like traits appeared: sharp teeth and claws, wolf ears, dark green eyes, and so on.
For a three-digit Arrancar, her Resurrection was actually very close to the top four Espada's Resurrection. At least she still maintained a human shape and her body didn't change drastically.
Before, she could suppress Ashido even without releasing her zanpakutō. Now that she had released it, it would take time to overwhelm him with firepower.
"…I'm still not very good at it…"
Ashido was forced back again. Looking at the two small yet overwhelmingly powerful women before him, he held his zanpakutō horizontally.
The next instant, the blade began to change!
Originally, it was a plain zanpakutō with a slender blade—one that had killed many Hollows.
Now the blade turned red-hot, as if thrown into a forge, or as if flames burned from within.
The next moment, flames actually spread from the blade!
The surging flame seemed to have replaced the former steel blade.
"…What is that?" Rukia was slightly startled. Could this be Shikai?
No—it didn't look like an initial release.
A Shinigami who had mastered Bankai could release their zanpakutō without a release phrase, but at minimum they still had to speak the zanpakutō's name. Yet Ashido completed the transformation merely by taking a stance.
A heat-type ability?
Rukia frowned slightly, and the next moment, she saw Ashido's injuries healing rapidly!
Ashido had been injured by Lilynette's earlier Cero, yet now those wounds healed in an instant.
!
Seeing that, Rukia felt uneasy.
After all, Ashido's attack power was already extremely strong. The sharpness of his blade was something Rukia had only seen from a few captains among the Gotei 13.
If he only had that powerful slashing technique, it might not be such a huge threat. But now he had transformed on top of that: the flaming sword was clearly powerful, and it also seemed to grant him even stronger regeneration and healing!
Now…
Dealing with him wouldn't be easy.
Seeing Rukia's confusion, Ashido calmly explained: "I don't know whether I was previously regarded as a 'Balancer,' but at least from now on, I won't be."
"This is power bestowed by the God of Death—the power to turn my zanpakutō into this flaming sword. Without a zanpakutō, what kind of Shinigami would I be?"
In reality, this was power granted to him by the Tree of Life as the third-level guardian.
The guardian angel of the Tree of Life's third level was Raphael, most famous for healing and for wielding a flaming sword.
And now, Ashido had this ability as well.
One had to say that Division 11 Shinigami might have some inseparable relationship with healing—perhaps decided the moment the first Kenpachi was born.
The first Kenpachi, Unohana, had healing arts as her ability. Later she joined Division 4, mastered advanced healing, and became its captain.
Ashido wasn't Kenpachi, but he had once been a Division 11 Shinigami—yet now he had also gained healing ability.
At that moment, Ashido swung the flaming sword, instantly shattering the incoming Cero, and charged toward Rukia.
Rukia was far weaker than Lilynette; to break their alliance, he needed to start with the weakest link!
Rukia narrowed her eyes and prepared, already entering the state of Absolute Zero.
In Absolute Zero, Rukia took damage from every attack. With more training, she could maintain Absolute Zero longer.
Moreover, she had gained deeper control, so she wouldn't end up suffering heavy losses like before.
At most, she would lose 200—or less.
Rukia wasn't afraid of the strange flaming sword. Her Absolute Zero blade shouldn't fear a flame sword.
In an instant, the two blades collided.
Boom!
The flames burned fiercely toward the ice blade, while the ice power tried to freeze the flame sword.
In theory, the Absolute Zero blade transmitted low temperature into the target, letting it cut anything as easily as slicing vegetables.
By drawing in heat during conduction, it couldn't freeze the opponent all the way to true absolute zero, but it could achieve ultra-low-temperature freezing.
Once deeply frozen, the body became unbelievably "brittle," which meant "true damage." One could say even Hollow steel skin or Quincy blood armor could not withstand it.
In a sense, compared to Hyōrinmaru, Sode no Shirayuki was closer to Ryūjin Jakka—worthy of being called a comparable zanpakutō.
Or rather—it was somewhat comparable to Ryūjin Jakka's Bankai: Zanka no Tachi!
Zanka no Tachi's "Rising Sun Blade" condensed all extreme heat into the blade, while simultaneously forming a 15-million-degree flame-cloak around the user.
Sode no Shirayuki likewise condensed absolute zero into the blade and blade-edge, manipulating temperature to the extreme.
Of course, if Hyōrinmaru reached true Bankai, it would produce a similar effect; as the strongest ice-type zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru could be said to possess all-around strength.
A zanpakutō was part of a Shinigami's combat power, but spiritual pressure was also crucial.
Though Rukia's blade and Yamamoto's blade had similar "functions," their reiatsu differed too vastly—so at this moment, both seemed somewhat at a disadvantage before Ashido's flame blade.
Ashido's slash was extremely powerful. With the flaming sword added, Rukia felt immeasurable pressure from a single strike and was blown back dozens of meters!
The Tower of Death was strange: each floor was like a castle, naturally vast. When battle began, the area expanded further!
It was like an arena prepared specially for them.
So even after being blown back dozens of meters, Rukia still hadn't reached the space's edge.
Of course, Ashido gave her no time to breathe. He dashed before her again and brought his sword down.
But Lilynette's expression darkened. This man showed her no respect at all. With her present, he still only focused on Rukia.
A large number of wolf spirits appeared around Lilynette—exactly like the "wolf pack" she and Starrk had used before!
However, her wolf pack wasn't as strong as Starrk's, lacking both raw strength and special attributes.
But she wasn't Starrk—and Ashido wasn't Chris either.
Los Lobos charged, instantly surrounding Ashido just as he closed in on Rukia.
One wolf bit hard into Ashido's calf; another bit his arm.
Sharp pain struck him, yet Ashido didn't even flinch, continuing to swing his zanpakutō!
Rukia's pupils widened. She hurriedly swung Sode no Shirayuki to defend—yet the flaming sword cut across her chest with a blade of flame!
Luckily, Rukia's body was in Absolute Zero; otherwise, the strike might have vaporized the contact point.
Even so, she felt a burning pain in her chest, as if scorched by flame. Her Absolute Zero body was also destabilized by the flame's influence, making her feel even worse.
But she used that force, riding the momentum of Ashido's blow to retreat further—rolling twice to widen the distance.
Boom!!!
Los Lobos Lilynette launched exploded with a deafening roar, blasting a pillar of light into the sky!
A deep-blue pillar of light rose with seemingly massive destructive power, mercilessly corroding Ashido's body!
Rukia sat on the ground. Watching the explosion, she couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
She pressed a hand to her chest. The burning sensation still lingered—his blazing sword was extraordinary.
"?! No way…"
Just as Rukia thought he must surely be swallowed by the blast, a black shadow rose from within the pillar of light. Her pupils widened as she cried out in disbelief.
Lilynette also frowned, and both stared at Ashido emerging from the light.
"Was that your strongest attack?" Ashido said quietly. "I'm sorry, but it seems you couldn't kill me."
As long as he wasn't killed instantly, Ashido could restore himself completely.
The healing technique he had mastered was extraordinarily powerful; it seemed even a zanpakutō designed purely for healing wouldn't exceed it.
"But… I don't want to kill you."
Ashido, standing within the light, said: "Yet as the guardian of the third level of the Tower of Death, I have the duty to execute you."
"Don't worry. You won't die in this world."
He raised the flaming sword like a violent, blazing god.
Rukia and Lilynette felt their chests tighten. They couldn't defeat him, and they couldn't endure him. Were they truly going to lose here?
But just as Ashido was about to move—
All three froze at the same time!
Shock appeared in Lilynette's eyes, impact in Ashido's eyes, and fear in Rukia's.
This…
What is this?!
What crushing spiritual pressure!
A figure emerged from the corridor leading to the second floor. Lilynette ran over at once, shouting excitedly: "You idiot! Why did you take so long?"
"Yeah, because you were running around everywhere!" Starrk pressed Lilynette's head and said, "Come on—get ready to go."
Walk…?
Who is this person?
Rukia looked at Starrk and felt her soul tremble!
Such powerful spiritual pressure!
It was as though this reiatsu froze her soul. She had never seen such overwhelming reiatsu before!
Ah—wait. When the Hollow King invaded Soul Society, his spiritual pressure was felt by all Shinigami.
But aside from the Hollow King, no one had ever given her this soul-shaking feeling.
How terrifying. How terrifying. How strong.
Rukia stared at Starrk, her body trembling.
This man was unquestionably an Arrancar, and seemed friendly with Lilynette—but this power…
Unbelievable.
She had seen Yoshio, Aizen, Commander-Captain Yamamoto—yet none made her feel reiatsu this terrifying.
It was like an ordinary person struggling in a wild jungle, surrounded by countless wolves whose eyes glowed ominously, drooling with hunger, closing in step by step.
This didn't mean Starrk's reiatsu was greater than Yoshio's—only that Yoshio controlled his power better.
When Starrk first became an Arrancar, he emitted reiatsu so strong it could pulverize even ordinary Hollows. After becoming an Arrancar a second time with the power of the Hōgyoku, he could still easily crush surrounding Hollows unless he restrained himself.
At this moment, he was actually in second release, and his reiatsu was spilling out without restraint—so Rukia felt extreme terror.
Is this… an Espada?
Lilynette had a three-digit number "100," so at minimum an Espada should be able to rescue her. What rank was this one?
Definitely stronger than Grimmjow, whom she had met before—but what level among the Espada?
4? 3? 2? 1? Or…?
0?!
Rukia prayed Starrk was the Zero Espada. Because if even a monster with such enormous reiatsu wasn't the strongest Espada, then the Gotei 13 would have no chance!
Under this overwhelming pressure, Rukia's breathing grew ragged. Combined with the wound Ashido inflicted, she suffered tremendous pressure inside and out—and suddenly dropped out of Absolute Zero!
The moment she exited Absolute Zero, countless frostbite-like cuts appeared over her body—small wounds like razor slices, yet still bleeding.
"Wait!"
Lilynette had no doubt Starrk would take her away. She believed that even if she was in danger, Starrk would absolutely save her.
But then she looked at Rukia and said, "Can you take her too? Is that possible?"
Starrk turned his gaze to Rukia and couldn't help feeling puzzled.
This… a Shinigami? Kuchiki Rukia?
What was she doing here?
Starrk didn't answer, only stared at her.
Lilynette asked, "Rukia, do you want to go back?"
"Huh?" Rukia was startled. She seemed not to have expected Lilynette would truly think about her.
After all, one was a Hollow, the other a Shinigami. Even if they had joined forces due to circumstances, their positions were fundamentally different.
How could…
Instead of kicking her while she was down, they were actually trying to save her?
Rukia looked confused, then glanced at Ashido.
Ashido carefully glanced at Starrk, then after noticing Rukia's gaze, said: "My responsibility is only to prevent you from entering the fourth level. Anything else is outside my consideration."
Meaning: whether you leave is none of my business.
Rukia felt uneasy, but thought no one would be able to take her away anyway…
She nodded a bit awkwardly, trotted closer, and said softly, "Thank you… thank you."
Her voice was quiet. After all, as a Shinigami, this was the first time she had thanked a Hollow.
Her voice was gentle, but her feelings were genuine.
"Not bad. At least you're not an ungrateful Shinigami who only thinks of yourself. You're pretty smart." Lilynette hummed happily, then asked Starrk, "So how do we get back?"
"Yoshio opened the Gate of Death. As long as the gate stays open, hold my hand."
Starrk took Lilynette's hand, and Lilynette extended her other hand.
But Rukia was shocked.
Because what Starrk had just said was… Yoshio?
Captain Yoshio is here too? He came to rescue Lilynette?
For some reason, Rukia felt a painful mix of gloom and confusion.
If we went back one week—if I had entered this Tower of Death—would Captain Yoshio have come to save me?
Back then, would I have been Lilynette?
Captain Yoshio…
Was all of it really just the past now?
Was it all just an illusion?
Rukia felt bitter.
"Rukia?"
Seeing her not moving, Lilynette called her name.
Rukia snapped back and quickly said, "Ah—sorry."
Then she reached out and clasped Lilynette's hand.
Because Lilynette was in Resurrection, her small hand was slightly furry. Rukia, having just dropped out of Absolute Zero, felt a faint warmth.
At that moment, she felt a bit nervous.
If she went out with them, would she see Yoshio again?
The Espada said Yoshio opened the Gate of Death from outside; if they exited through that gate, she might see him again.
If she met Yoshio again…
What should she say? What should she do?
Confusion returned to Rukia's eyes. She truly didn't know.
Starrk gave Ashido one last glance. Ashido looked back at Starrk.
Starrk knew Ashido was a subordinate chosen by the God of Death. Since he had promised Chris he would help the Orochi, the two might meet again on the battlefield where the God of Death and the Orochi fought over "that thing."
So he remembered Ashido's appearance at that time—
And in the next moment, a streak of light appeared around him.
The light surged up from the void, transferred to the three of them, and finally…
They vanished in an instant!
Starrk reappeared at the entrance of the Gate of Death. Seeing Yoshio still struggling against the erosion of death power, he felt warmth in his chest and said, "Alright—we're back."
Yoshio opened his eyes, saw Starrk appear, and asked, "Where is Lilynette?"
"There's no need to worry. She'll come out from the same place we entered the Tower of Death."
Starrk said, "You don't need to maintain the Gate of Death anymore."
Yoshio nodded and slowly stood.
But the moment he stood, the cave began to shake!
As if some mechanism had activated, the Gate of Death before them suddenly began to collapse!
The opening above also began to collapse, and both the collapsing gate and the collapsing cave turned into black fog!
That black energy seemed to possess power capable of destroying everything. As it gathered, it became a colossal wave that surged toward them!
"Get out of here!"
Starrk's expression changed and he shouted low.
Yoshio and Starrk both retreated at top speed, but the black fog surged just as fast, as if to swallow everything in its path.
The black aura grew thicker and thicker until the two were finally driven out from the underground world. They burst out from the place they had descended from—and only then did the pursuit stop!
Standing above, the two looked at the death power filling the cave entrance, their expressions solemn.
The death aura did not dissipate; it continued to drift in the passage. It was impossible to pass through the underground tunnel to the outside world.
"…"
Watching that scene, Starrk couldn't help worrying about Angra.
After all, Angra was still in another passage.
Would he get dragged into trouble?
"What's wrong?" Yoshio asked gently.
Starrk shook his head. In the end, he didn't mention Angra, only said, "I'm worried about the strait we investigated earlier."
"That place isn't the God of Death's territory; it's a place that worships another god. The God of Death's power shouldn't affect it much."
Starrk let out a sigh of relief.
And given that Angra was extremely strong, it should be fine.
Then Starrk said, "Let's head back first. Lilynette should already be in the Tres Cifras."
…
They indeed returned to where they had vanished.
Starrk entered through the Gate of Death, and so he exited through the Gate of Death.
Lilynette, who had vanished from the Tres Cifras, returned to the Tres Cifras.
Rukia, who had vanished from Division 4's barracks, returned directly to Division 4 after escaping the Tower of Death!
She appeared in the hallway where she had been before, her eyes tense.
Realizing that the world before her was Soul Society, she froze.
In her eyes, which had been extremely tense moments ago, there was now faint relief—yet also a trace of disappointment.
Because she hadn't appeared at the gate with Starrk, she didn't see Yoshio.
She slowly closed her eyes—and at that moment, she heard two more voices:
"Rukia?!"
Looking over, she saw it was Ichigo and Renji.
They ran over anxiously and asked, "Where did you go just now?"
"Rangiku said she was talking to you, but then you suddenly disappeared—seriously, it scared us!"
"…"
Rukia still hadn't recovered from the previous battle. After a while, she said:
"It's complicated. We need to report to the captain first. You two come with me."
Having regained her composure, Rukia realized that what she had heard and seen was extremely important and had to be reported immediately.
How long had she been missing?
Division 4 no longer had Hitsugaya Tōshirō's reiatsu; he had likely returned to Division 13 already, so Rukia ran toward Division 13.
On the way she asked the two of them.
"Half a day? No—it must've been a full day!"
"…A full day?"
Rukia frowned. She felt she'd only been in the Tower of Death for about an hour.
How could an entire day have passed?
Did that mean the two worlds didn't share time?
No wonder Lilynette knew Ashido from before, yet Ashido said he was already close to forgetting her.
For Lilynette, not much time may have passed, but for Ashido inside, a long time might have passed.
If so, the Tower of Death might be even more terrifying than she imagined.
That place wasn't the God of Death's, and from Lilynette's words, it wasn't Hueco Mundo's either. So who built it? And who exactly was that "God of Death"?
With those doubts, Rukia returned to Division 13.
Because Rukia had vanished before, the Gotei 13 had heightened vigilance. Seeing Rukia return, Hitsugaya let out a sigh of relief.
Then he heard what had happened from Rukia.
As he listened to her talk—how she had entered a world called the Tower of Death, met Lilynette, and found Ashido inside—the expression on his face gradually shifted from surprise to seriousness.
Not only him: Renji and Ichigo were also shocked.
They had never imagined so much could happen in just one day.
"Rukia, what you said is extremely important. We must report to the Captain-Commander," Hitsugaya said in a low voice.
"Yes." Rukia nodded. She knew this was important.
Hitsugaya quickly vanished from Division 13 and headed to Division 1.
Before long, a Hell Butterfly flew out from Division 1.
The captains hurried to assemble in Division 1.
The captains lined up on both sides. Yamamoto still sat in the center at the very front, looking down the two rows of captains.
After losing Gin Ichimaru, Sōsuke Aizen, Kaname Tōsen, and Yoshio, and with the retired Jūshirō Ukitake replaced, Division 13 currently had nine captains.
The injured captains had mostly recovered, awaiting Yamamoto's orders.
"There are two reasons I gathered you here," Yamamoto said. "For these two matters, the Captain of Division 13 and the Captain of Division 12 will respond, respectively."
He looked at Hitsugaya and gestured for him to repeat what he had said earlier.
Hitsugaya repeated Rukia's report.
"A Tower of Death built by a God of Death?" Ukitake asked, puzzled. "In Soul Society's history, has there ever been a God of Death who built such a tower?"
"Of course not," Kyōraku Shunsui said slowly. "After all, Shinigami have existed as a clearly defined profession for only a few thousand years."
"If that really existed, there's no way old man Yama wouldn't know."
Yamamoto nodded from his seat.
"This is unprecedented. And as for a 'God of Death'—Soul Society's history has never had such a god."
They called themselves "Shinigami," yet they were not "God of Death." Nor were they that terrifying kind of being. They were more like "gods who guide the dead."
Shinigami maintained balance and enabled the reincarnation of the dead, keeping the three worlds in equilibrium.
The God of Death of the Tower of Death was clearly a god who governed death and brought death—a completely different existence.
"The God of Death is too far away from us. I'm more interested in the Hollow that appeared," Soi Fon said coldly.
"According to Kuchiki Rukia, that Hollow is a monster with the strongest spiritual pressure she has ever seen. If it's Aizen's subordinate, that's trouble."
"From the looks of it, someone here should have seen him before, right?" Shunsui looked at Zaraki Kenpachi.
Kenpachi said with a bored expression: "This kind of thing is a pain. Masks, gods—whatever. I just like cutting."
"But that Arrancar…" Kenpachi continued. "I fought him. What's the point of fighting a guy who only knows how to hide?"
When Kenpachi went to Hueco Mundo to seek Hollow White, he had met Starrk before.
At the time, Starrk wasn't as strong as he was now. When he faced Kenpachi, Yoshio advised him not to fight.
So Starrk didn't go all-out; he only kept dodging Kenpachi's attacks.
That's why Kenpachi said it was boring.
"Aizen obtained the Hōgyoku. He will surely use it to create more complete and powerful Arrancar. That Arrancar may also have grown stronger with the Hōgyoku."
"Then we should change strategy," Ukitake said. "Not only target Urahara Kisuke—we should target every force."
"…"
Yamamoto did not answer that question. He looked at Mayuri and said, "Mayuri, speak of the second matter."
Mayuri replied coldly: "Then let's talk about the so-called Hollow King…and the gods."
Hearing "Hollow King" and "gods," the captains were somewhat shocked.
How could the topic explode this much!?
Regardless of what the other captains thought, Kurotsuchi Mayuri muttered to himself: "I once brought something from Tokinada's base to the Research and Development Bureau."
"After investigation and experimentation, I have confirmed the location of the Hollow King."
"…Where is he?!"
For the Shinigami, the Hollow King's status had always been a thorny issue.
That such a powerful being could simply vanish was unbelievable.
Worse, they couldn't even track his location, so they could never seize the initiative.
"On the other side," Mayuri answered flatly.
"The other side?"
The captains didn't understand, so Mayuri explained again.
"Like white and black, front and back, light and shadow."
"Our world is the same. If you take Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the Human World, and the broader domain as a whole, then this whole also has its opposite pole—its shadow."
"…"
The captains finally understood, yet their pupils still widened, because what Mayuri said was truly shocking.
"As the positive force, we Shinigami are the leaders of order in the three worlds, and the Soul King rules Soul Society."
"But on the other side, the situation is different."
The opposite world also had Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollows—but its order was ruled by Hollows.
"In other words… in a world ruled by Hollows, where the strong devour the weak and survival of the fittest applies, Hollows eat Hollows, eat Shinigami, eat Quincy—and ultimately form, one after another, Hollows of incomparable strength."
"These Hollows devoured each other, and thus formed the 'Hollow King.'"
But a Hollow's hunger cannot be satisfied. Even after becoming the Hollow King, it continued to devour. Finally… the entire world was swallowed into its mouth. Now, the opposite world should be empty.
"And most fatally, even after devouring everything in all three worlds, the Hollow King was still not satisfied—and turned its gaze toward another world."
"…"
Though Mayuri spoke casually, the Shinigami broke into cold sweat.
Because the information Mayuri revealed was truly astonishing.
If such a Hollow truly existed, how could they possibly defend against it?
It was a terrifying monster that devoured everything in the three worlds!
"The Hollow King that devoured everything in the three worlds somehow discovered our world—due to an instinctive attraction of souls, or hunger."
"Meaning, before that, the positive world and the negative world should have been separate; it should have been impossible even to discover each other, let alone enter."
Only an existence like the Hollow King—after devouring everything, driven by desire for souls—could find the opposite world.
Of course, even if it could discover it, coming to this world was extremely difficult.
"As far as I know, the Hollow King we confronted before was, in fact, only one arm."
One arm?!
This made Ukitake's pupils dilate, and he immediately thought of the Soul King's right arm inside his body.
Yes—the Hollow King was an existence so powerful it devoured the three worlds; its strength likely even surpassed the Soul King!
It was unbelievable that just one arm could cause such catastrophic damage to Soul Society!
"Fortunately, that Hollow King seems still unable to find a way to come to our world. After suffering one defeat, it has not launched another large-scale attack."
But unfortunately, this showed that the Hollow King that devoured everything possessed intelligence. With enough intelligence, sooner or later it would find a way to cross the barrier and come to their world.
"…"
Because Mayuri's claims were so hard to believe, the captains all turned grim.
But Mayuri wasn't finished.
He continued with an even more shocking statement:
"And now, besides the Hollow King, there are other powerful existences outside the three worlds that greedily target us."
"…The God of Death?" Hitsugaya Tōshirō blurted.
They had been discussing the God of Death without reaching a conclusion. But Mayuri's words seemed to make the answer clearer.
At first they thought the God of Death might be the Hollow King—but since Mayuri said there were other powerful existences outside the three worlds, they had to consider that the God of Death was among them.
"That's right," Mayuri said calmly. "As far as I know, there are currently four powerful beings outside the three worlds."
"They are the Hollow King, the God of Death, the Great Orochi, and the Primordial Moon."
"…The Great Orochi? The Primordial Moon?"
The Hollow King had attacked Soul Society before; the God of Death built the Tower of Death. But who were the other two?
They had never heard of them!
"Hmph, I don't know either," Mayuri snorted. "I'm not an omniscient god. I'm only analyzing information obtained from Tokinada Tsunayashiro."
"But if the Hollow King's goal is to devour the souls of the three worlds to satisfy its desires… then what about the God of Death? What do they seek?"
Soi Fon looked puzzled. She didn't know how strong those beings were, but if they could stand alongside the Hollow King, they must be extremely powerful.
So why were they looking toward the three worlds?
"That is precisely the problem."
Because it was rare for Soi Fon to say something useful, Mayuri affirmed her words.
He continued: "They are searching for something."
"That thing is extremely important to them. It forms a barrier in our world, keeping these malicious powerful beings outside the three worlds."
"So… you could also call them the Outer Gods!"