Riku's POV.

The cool, late afternoon breeze lightly chilled my skin as I strolled through the streets of the Seireitei. I was able to deactivate the rudimentary Blut that came with the recent upgrades, although the hair dust proved far more stubborn.

Not wanting to look incredibly suspicious, I asked the party responsible for the change to constantly conceal the emitted reishi immediately as it is emitted. It's not the ideal solution, but for now, it'll do.

After I left the Tenth division building, I sensed Rangiku recording a message on a hell butterfly. I had to stop the impulse to rush back and kill her. Fortunately for her, she was just informing the Kidō corps Captain of my imminent arrival.

Not wanting to be spooked again, I willed the remnant reiatsu in the room to infect Rangiku. It will be difficult to just kill a Vice-Capatin with that amount of energy, but having it act as a recorder is possible. From now on, if I focus on it, I should be able to spy on her actions. Though right now, it's the equivalent of a video camera that only functions if you are using it. Making the function passive is beyond me at this point.

The fact that I can't make changes in reiatsu permanent has been an issue that's been bothering me for a while now. I think the cause of this impermanence is likely either a lack in my understanding of reishi or, in the worst-case scenario, that is just a limitation of my abilities.

If it is the latter, I'm sure seals can make up for the flaw.

Halfway to my new division, something strange caught my attention. Not far ahead of me, out of direct view, the flow of foot traffic moved in an unnatural pattern. I knew this was a fantasy world, so nothing was truly a coincidence.

Focusing on the area, I felt two very well-concealed reiatsu signatures moving through the crowd. Or, more accurately, the crowd is bending around them as the signatures leisurely walk past. I had an inkling of who they were. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Pausing my steps, I waited for the unknown Shinigami to come closer.

Within a few moments, a brown-haired man emerged around the corner of the street. The glasses and iconic 'kind' expression immediately made it clear who this was.

Aizen. Fuck.

...

Riku's POV. Three months later.

The Kidō corps' main library was eerily silent at this time of night. The crisp sound of turning pages echoed throughout the dusty shelves as I sat at the antique table in the middle of the library.

With a muted thump, I closed the last volume of the book titled 'Intricacies of fourth-dimensional seal matrices'. Looking at the back cover of the needlessly complex book, I started thinking of my situation.

It's about time I leave the Soul Society. The rumours of three Captains deploying to deal with the Quincies have been particularly loud the past few days. The higher state of alert the whole Gotei 13 has been experiencing gives credence to the rumour. However, it also derailed my final middle finger to Soul Society.

Suppressing the urge to drop a cheeky Hadō #88 on Yamamoto's head, I causally put the book back onto its shelf. Even if I'm about to be a wanted fugitive, there's no need to be untidy.

Walking past the book-filled shelves, I still couldn't believe the level of knowledge accessibility the members of this division have. The public library arguably holds information on all types of Kidō developed since antiquity, notably excluding Kidō that influenced time and space, and those numbered 90+.

Even those high-level Kidō weren't difficult to get. The only requirement for me was to converse with the Captain and prove to him that I have a good mastery of 'intermediate' Kidō. The Captain supervised my reading of high-level Kidō texts, and took them back once I was done. Other than that, they was no apparent scrutiny of my actions.

It might be their low member count that encouraged the leadership to take these risks, or they are genuinely indifferent to what their members do, but regardless I have all I need from them.

It took a whole month to record all Kidō scrolls in my mind, and it will likely take a lifetime to truly understand it. Time that I will have in excess, if all goes well.

I decided to stay away from space or time-related Kido. Those Kidō were always placed under heavy lock and key by way of stupidly complex seals. My previous fear that I would need a long time to break through the headquarters seals proved accurate. I suspect past Kidō corps Captains or Vice-Captains keep adding more nodes, different seals or adjustments to current seal matrices during their times in office.

Eventually, this snowballed into an 'unhackable' safe for dangerous spells. And I'm not willing to spend upwards of a year trying to break past the annoying seal.

Walking past the silent hallways, I ignored all the shifty division members skulking around. Previously, I assumed this division was made up of wizards that predominantly take up logistical roles.

It turns out that's not the case.

All the members I've seen are essentially occult fanatics, that reluctantly leave their dark lairs to open a Senkaimon or something when ordered. I'm frankly surprised they haven't summoned some Lovecraftian abomination in the basement yet.

Reaching my quarters, I started meditating on the bed. I'm going to need to be at my best for tonight.

I patiently communicated with my partner until well into the night. Noting the lack of moonlight, I knew it was time for me to make my escape. It honestly makes no difference to my stealth abilities, whether it's light out due to having mastered Bakudō #26. Kyokkō. However, the Hollow pack I've been keeping an eye on seem to be nocturnal.

Casting the invisibility spell anyway, I silently made it past the Seireitei and into the first northern district of the Rukongai.

Throughout my escape, I kept track of the patrolling Shinigami, especially the two Captains (Ninth and Third division, respectively). Aside from some division Captains, it's never clear which Captains will go on patrol before they actually start patrolling. So I'm glad Unohana is not on duty for the night.

Once I left the first few districts, I knew I was home free. The Gotei 13 very rarely go past the Tenth districts, and when they do, it's only to subjugate rebels and large Hollow packs. The specific Hollow pack I was tracking had only five Hollows in total. It had a 'peak' Gillian, with four other standard Hollows.

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I say 'peak' because the Gillian is sentient, meaning one soul is nearly powerful enough to subsume all the others that make up the Gillian. All it needs is a few more powerful souls before the creature can evolve into an Adjuchas.

It's close to achieving every Hollow's dream, making it very desperate. Desperation I fully intend on capitalizing on.

Slowing down my Shunpo, I started waiting for the Gillian to show itself. In the past, it was smart enough to keep its attacks limited to the fringes of the Rukongai. But I reckon it'll push further today.

I didn't have to wait for long. Thirty minutes after I stopped in the forty-seventh district, I felt a 'strong' Hollow reiatsu flare up a few kilometres away. Well past the fringes.

Flashing away from the rundown roof I was standing on, I rushed to the Gillian. The Twelfth division will probably not continue ignoring the creature now that it's pushed closer to the Seireitei. The greedy creature is doomed regardless, but fate has dictated that its death will benefit me at least.

Judging by the Tenth division's policy on exterminations, I have maybe an hour with the Hollow before a Vice-Captain arrives.

With my Shunpo speed, it took a few seconds to transverse the eight-kilometre distance between me and it. I was still invisible and had concealed my reiatsu, so the creature remained oblivious even when I landed right in front of it.

The Gillian was a massive black-and-white monstrosity. Its mask had started deviating from the standard design to a more animalistic one, looking somewhat like a jackal. Symbolising how close it was to evolving.

Paying attention to contain the range of my power, I unleashed my reiatsu. The air seemed to struggle to withstand my murky grey reiatsu. The ground wasn't spared, either. Large cracks formed around me. Some forming deep valleys and trenches.

The four standard Hollows, I was previously ignoring immediately turned to dust with sort-lived but horrific squeals. In contrast, the Gillian was quickly brought to its knees. Roaring in pain all the while.

I didn't want it dead yet, so I eased up on it.

Making sure the beast looks me in the eyes, I started explaining its situation. "Hollow, I need you to pay close attention. Your continued existence relies solely on the next actions you take."

"Scream or roar again, and I will grind your limbs to dust."

"Try to escape, and I will burn you alive." I conjured a flaming Shakkahō in my palm, before dispersing it.

"Try to have your buddies summon a Negación, and that throbbing headache you are feeling becomes much more deadly". I willed the reiatsu I infected the Hollow with (hereafter referred to as 'infection') to stimulate the beast's pain receptors.

I mentally applauded the Gillian for not screaming out in pain after experiencing what I calculate to be the equivalent of acid running through your veins. Seeing the Hollow thrash around but keeping its mouth shut. I now knew that the beast is likely to be cooperative.

Giving the Hollow a few moments to compose itself, I continued. "Here's what is going to happen. You will open a Garganta to Hueco Mundo, right here, right now. We will enter it, and you'll be set free once I officially enter Hueco Mundo."

Glancing at the remnant stains of what used to be its pack members, the Hollow, in a ragged and hoarse voice, spoke.

"Deal, Shinigami." With a voice dripping in venom, it finished off its response.

"You have deal..."

Wasting no time, I ordered the Hollow to open the Garganta. The air almost seventy meters above up, twisted and churned. Black nebulous mist seeped from the cracks in the air, forming a roughly five-meter-long horizontal line.

With a sound similar to an old scratched vinyl disc playing an unrecognizable melody, the black mist forcefully enlarged the line. The air ripped apart, revealing a pitch-black space resembling an open maw.

The vertical black mist extensions that look like teeth added to the beastly appearance.

But looking past the surface, only then can one really appreciate the ingenuity. I'm sure the Hollow itself has no idea of the complexities involved in using reishi to interact with space in a predictable and safe way.

In fact, even when standing witness, it's hard to understand what happened. I could follow as the Hollow converted its reiatsu into that black mist, but after that, things became strange. That black mist is probably not reiatsu. At least not reiatsu in a form I'm familiar with.

Which means that I will have to trust my 'cannon' knowledge when it comes to transversing the Garganta. I suspect the Twelve division has information on the technique, but I couldn't risk trespassing into a compound with cutting-edge technology at its disposal. It's just not worth the risk.

Once the Garganta formed, I cast a quick Hōrin, firmly binding the Gillian's appendages to its torso. I further infused the energy tendril with a basic reiatsu seal to make sure the creature doesn't try to play me. Casting my improved Seki rockets, I started steadily levitating off the ground.

Grabbing hold of the Hōrin, I channelled more reiatsu to the rockets. With a loud boom, characteristic of hypersonic flight, I quickly blasted off into the pitch-black opening of the Garganta. Dragging my hapless hostage with me.

Once we entered the Garganta, the maw of the entrance snapped shut. Trapping me in a sort of dimension between dimensions. This part is by far the riskiest part of my plan. If the Gillian decides to be suicidal, there's a good chance it can trap me here for decades or centuries - depending on the difficulty of mastering space-Kidō from scratch.

As if perceiving my apprehension, the Hollow spoke slowly in a deep gravelly voice.

"Bridge. Build a bridge."

It's weird that I would need a bridge when I'm holding us a float, but I tried it out anyway. The moment I released a good chunk of reiatsu, the surrounding space gave me a feeling of where to go.

Ignoring the chilling thought of this space containing some kind of sentient being, I followed the prompt. My reiatsu immediately coalesced into a wide bridge. The reishi bridge was detailed enough to feel like the actual structure, if not for the bright blue colouration.

A proud light hum in the back of my mind made it clear who was responsible.

The pitch-black space around the bridge felt boundless but also claustrophobic. For some reason, the light from the bridge didn't illuminate an area of more than a few metres away from the structure. Any light going further than that seemed to just disappear.

Regardless of my desire to stay here and experiment, there was no reason to take the risk. I couldn't trip myself up when I was so close to the finish line.

...

Riku's POV. A few days later.

After travelling for what I assume is three days, I felt a familiar 'prompt' from the Garganta itself telling me that I'm close to the exit. Looking at my hostage, I can tell by its flickering reiatsu that it received similar information. Looking into its enraged and maniacal eyes, I spoke with as much sincerity as I could fake. "You know the deal. Open the channel, and you'll go free." Grabbing onto Sōten ni zase, I tapped the sheath against the Hollow's mask.

"You're so close to evolving... Surely you wouldn't want to risk it."

The Gillian's bright red eyes flickered with each word I uttered. It was desperate, and we both knew it. Very few Hollows would give up a chance to get stronger. That was unless they were given strong enough stimulus.

I sensed that the hatred in the Hollow's eyes intensified when I looked away from it after I delivered the threat. I didn't need the creature to be happy, just compliant.

"Deal. After deal, you release me, Shinigami..."

Not bothering to look at the creature, I partially released the seal on its reiatsu. Furthermore, I willed my infection to shred the Hollow's brain a minute after I arrived in Hueco Mundo.

The familiar black mist floated past the well-lit bridge and came to a stop two meters off the ground. The eerie crackling rang out again as the Garganta was torn apart. Through the open channel, I could see the purgatory of this god-forsaken world.

The iconic moonlit grey dunes of Hueco Mundo appeared in my vision. Seeing nothing aside from some dried-up trees, I floated out of the Garganta and levitated a few centimetres off the sandy landscape. Before I could activate my scanning abilities, the Gillian broke into a sinister laugh.

With its body halfway through the Garganta, it forced the channel shut. Even with only half its torse left, it didn't stop laughing. Through its dying breaths, it managed to speak.

"I know you Shinigami. You all lairs and thieves!" Its madness was no longer restricted to its eyes. Stone-faced, I watched the creature throw a tantrum. It was by far weaker than me, so whatever it was trying to achieve probably posed very little threat to me.

"I know that look. That look that sees me as an insect."

It paused its ravings for a moment. Its focus shifted from me. As its reiatsu signature dwindled, it turned to gaze at the night sky. In a considerably weaker voice, it continued.

"It's true I'm weak. I know I can't kill you."

"But the King...The King will reduce your bones to-" Interrupting the creature's rant, I finished it off. Keeping my promise would take too much work, so I'll settle for a quick death.

"Hadō #33. Sōkatsui."

Sighing at the smouldering remains, I let the dry heat of the desert wash over me. Closing my eyes, I could feel the weight lift off my shoulders. So many decades trapped in that stagnant world...

But it was over. I was finally free.

Hearing Sōten ni zase's jubilant hums ring out not only in my head but in our surroundings as well. I knew he was experiencing the same level of relief as I was.

Focusing a bit, I started up my scan. Although I think I know who this 'King' is. I need to be sure...