14 Beneath the False Skies

Finally, she turned back to him and said, "Agreed. Six years, we shall wait. Until that time, we'll be looking forward… Ichigo."

It didn't take a mind reader to know she was willing to see things through. Silas slowly turned around, saying, "Glad you understand the stakes, Tier Halibel."

In those words, the sand swirled under his feet until the Hollows couldn't see his figure. The other three were forced to shield their faces as the storm grew larger.

By the time it ceased, Silas had already vanished.

In a realm governed by unset laws and strength, loyalty was a luxury few could attain. Yet, for this moment at least, a fragile thread of it existed. And that, for Silas, was just enough.

• • •

Among the sea of endless sand and pale trees, Silas was walking casually. The events that occurred between Halibel and him took place more than two weeks ago.

Since then, he's been searching for Las Noches.

In his search, he gave thought to two things. The first was having shown those Hollows his mask. It was something he could casually draw upon at any time, but it didn't do much.

His powers were a combination of all the races that made up Ichigo Kurosaki. Then there were his Zanpakutōs, Zangestu and Enrakyōten. Afterwards, there was the Sacred Bow that came from the manifestation. Because of the Hōgyoku, he could freely use them in any combination.

If he were to use his Hollow mask in conjunction, there wouldn't be any boost in power—only a simple decoration on his face.

The second thing on his mind was Las Noches.

Las Noches, a colossal fortress in Hueco Mundo, served as the base of operations for Sōsuke Aizen and his allies, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, after their betrayal in the Soul Society.

This sprawling complex housed the Espada, an Arrancar army, medical facilities, and even detention areas. Originally, the domain belonged to Baraggan, and the fortress at that time lacked walls or a roof. As a king, Baraggan saw the open sky as his rightful ceiling.

Las Noches dominates the landscape, visible from miles away. Yet despite that, Silas still hadn't been able to find it.

The central structure boasts a large domed core, flanked by numerous towers. Five smaller towers rise from the dome's apex, housing areas such as a throne room and the Espada's meeting hall.

By now, almost everything would have been constructed. Reason for this is because it was stated that Aizen had been planning to assimilate with the Hōgyoku for years. This was before he left the Soul Society.

During that time, he had already confronted Barraggan, made a fool of the Great Hollow, and released his Kyōka Suigetsu. This was done with Gin and Tōsen as witnesses, of which both had become captains already.

Like other structures in Hueco Mundo, Las Noches maintains a stark, white coloration.

The fortress is deceivingly vast. Its sheer size compares to (or even surpasses) the Seireitei in Soul Society. According to a certain Arrancar named Nel Tu, travel between even basic locations within the fortress can take days.

Inside the dome, a simulated blue sky mimics Karakura Town—an illusion designed to allow for observation. Further adding to its adaptability, Las Noches' halls can be rearranged to disorient intruders.

The walls themselves do not contain any sekkiseki (spirit reduction stones), allowing for unrestricted spiritual pressure sensing. These stones are a special mineral with properties that allow them to repel one's spiritual powers.

Hence Las Noches' uniqueness.

Following Aizen's defeat in the original story, the Wandenreich conquered Hueco Mundo, conscripting a strong Arrancar for their cause. Nineteen months later, Las Noches lied in partial ruin, with the Wandenreich's first Jagdarmee-making camp within its remains.

After several more days of traveling on foot, Silas finally saw a tiny glimpse of a structure.

This was bad. He had an endless amount of resources, the untamed Hollows, to use as fuel for the Hōgyoku, but to spot only a fraction of Las Noches from here would mean it would take weeks to reach it.

His only purpose for having traveled on foot was to scan the land for unknown Great Hollows. Hueco Mundo was a huge territory, one that could foster strong foes like Sol. Silas didn't want to miss an opportunity to discover one.

But after that time, he was lost with no one special around; he had to make haste. So he took to the skies and jetted forward.

There was no need to worry about being spotted. His spiritual pressure couldn't even be sensed by Aizen when Silas was in his Bankai state. That state paled in comparison to his Hōgyoku form.

Assuming that Aizen was lurking about in Hueco Mundo, he'd be blinded to Silas's presence. Better yet, Silas would have sensed anyone around him before they could spot his figure, giving him an element of surprise.

What was meant to be weeks turned into only a few days.

Silas could no longer spend too much time in Hueco Mundo. He had to eventually return to the Soul Society and discover what unfolded with Retsu's Zanpakutō.

Upon making it to the very edges of a building, he wasted no time creating a hole to the inside. It was great enough to fit his body and was smoothly cut to return it to its place.

Looking around, he verified that he was at one of the many entrances. There were light fixtures, brightening the wide halls, and the floor was covered in tile. Undoubtedly, this was Las Noches.

Silas was sure he hadn't set off any alarms, but he had to be positive.

Las Noches was a place that had a lot of locations. It was so grand that an Espada's room was big enough to be considered a palace. And there were a few specific palaces that Silas needed to venture into.

But before that, he had to find the control rooms. These rooms should have already been built, considering how large the outside was already.

If Silas remembered correctly, these rooms should be around the fifth tower, in the same area where Aizen had set up his thrones.