Adjucas are the limit of development for many Empties. They are much smaller than Gillians, but they gain their own minds, personalities, and goals. They can command those who are weaker, are extremely dangerous, and possess unique abilities. But they also have a problem: they are prone to regression. They are forced to constantly eat other Hollows; otherwise, their evolution will go in reverse. And returning to the previous level is almost impossible. The fear of regression pushes the Adjucas to climb even higher — to the point where this will not happen. To the last and highest level of the Hollows.
Vasto Lords — if we compare them to Shinigami, then the Adjucas are officers, and the Vasto Lords are captains. These Hollows are the strongest among their kind. They are even smaller and often resemble humans. The soul itself strives to return to what it once was, so they become closer and closer to that form. These Hollows are extremely rare, wildly powerful, and almost never leave the confines of Hueco Mundo. Encounters with them are practically nonexistent, and there is very little data about them. Some don't believe in their existence at all.
That's about it.
I was curious about something. Why do such creatures exist at all? Why does the Soul King need them, and why hasn't he done anything about them? If he is so omnipotent, he could have done something.
And the Hollows themselves… They remind me of certain microorganisms. They devour one another and then evolve. Terrifying creatures. And in theory, the Vasto Lord is the limit of evolution. But is that truly the case? Creatures capable of such evolution shouldn't have any limits. The answer is simple: either no one has managed to reach the next level yet, or the Shinigami simply haven't recorded it.
Complex questions with no known answers.
Well, it doesn't matter. We still have a lot to do.
Everyone passed the Reatsu Basics exam easily. There was nothing to fail. Just listen to the lectures for two months and answer the test questions. Yes, some people failed — but only those who still hadn't learned to read properly.
The hardest part was answering the history questions. Doe kept at it and tormented everyone. Her lesson stretched from the usual hour and a half to four hours because everyone had to answer in turn. Not everyone passed. I was lucky: I volunteered to answer first, and she happened to be in a good mood. Despite my clumsy report, she gave me a satisfactory grade. And then hell began for the rest — including me. She didn't let those who had passed leave the room, so we had to sit with the others and listen to their reports.
For four hours, I tried to learn how to sleep with my eyes open — or at least die. It seemed I managed to detach myself from the world for a short while. I slept for about ten minutes but couldn't fall back into that state. I think it's going to be difficult. Although, as I understand it, dying might be easier.
From our group, Renji and Hebiko were unable to submit their reports. By that point, the teacher was already extremely annoyed because many were cheating — though I had already fallen asleep and didn't see everything. But when those two handed in their reports, she became especially meticulous.
The next morning, we had our physical training test. Well, almost no one had any problems with that. What was there to fail? Jogging, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and similar exercises. They weren't training us to become athletes — they were just testing whether we could endure real training.
Everything else would be worked on in the mandatory Hakuda Basics course, and then in the Hakuda Elective for those who passed. Among us, only Hebiko and Hiro failed, so they'll have to stay here for another month until they manage to pass.
Poor guys. If retaking the physical training isn't too difficult, then rereading the report to the Doe… That's cruel. Hebiko persuaded us to help her redo the report and write a new one on a different topic.
While we were studying, I didn't notice what was going on around me.
It turns out that the rumor about my duel with Kano had already spread throughout the Academy. Some people were eagerly awaiting the start of next week. They even placed bets on us.
Only my friends bet on me; the rest were sure I would lose. It's unpleasant, but the more they doubt — the more surprised they'll be.
"Hey!" A girl jumped up to me. She was taller than me, with blond hair and gray eyes. A foreigner? She definitely didn't look Japanese. She smiled broadly, practically glowing from within. "Hi! You're Karasumaru, right? Are you really going to fight Sakamoto-san?! When? Where? Why? What for? I'm Angie! Who are you? Oh, right, you're Karasumaru! When the fight happens, call me! I really want to see it! Okay, I have to go! Good luck! Bye!" she babbled, then darted away.
My brain almost melted into a puddle. And I wasn't the only one — everyone next to me stared after the girl as she ran off.
"Abyss," I rubbed my nose. "What was that?"
"That's a pain in the ass named Angie Weiss," Hebiko grimaced. "She's from second Class. Incredibly noisy. If you weren't meditating over Doe, you would have noticed the corpse under the table. That girl can't stay quiet at all, and she nearly dies of boredom in Doe's classes. Once she even fell out the window. No one noticed."
"Ah, I remember," I sighed. "The very hyperactive girl. She's the one who runs ahead of everyone during physical training."
"And runs out of breath just as fast," Kira added. "After that, she can barely walk. She has a lot of energy but can't control it. She talks nonstop. By the way, she's the only one who got a passing grade from Doe, having managed to literally drive her crazy."
"Yeah," Renji chuckled. "She talked so much that Doe had to give her a passing grade just to shut Weiss up."
"It was after her that the rest of us had to suffer from the Horned One's bad mood," Rukia added. "Now many people want to give her a 'hemp necktie.'"
"And for good reason," snorted Hebiko. Ah, yes. She went after her and felt Doe's full wrath.
"Hmm." I scratched the back of my head. "Let's go."