CHAPTER 2: Hueco Mundo

Following events happened prior to Kazuya's awakening.

Hollows thrived on Reishi, the mystical substance that wove itself into the very soul of every being. The high concentration of Reishi in Hueco Mundo allowed even the weakest Hollows to convert the ambient energy into their Reiryoku.

Hollows dwelling in Hueco Mundo could survive without consuming souls, unlike their ravenous counterparts that haunted the living world. However, there were those whose insatiable hunger could not be sated by mere Reishi or human souls. Compelled by a gnawing void, these Hollows resorted to cannibalism, feasting on their own kind. This grisly act of predation spurred their evolution into a new and terrifying breed: the Menos.

The Gillians and Adjuchas existed in a perpetual state of predation, each driven by the desire for evolution. Aloof and enigmatic, the Vasto Lorde surveyed the lesser beings from their lofty perch, seldom finding a soul worthy of increasing their immense power. This relentless cycle of devouring and being devoured was the unspoken law that governed Hueco Mundo, where the weak were inevitably consumed by the strong.

The weak become a part of the strong.

Among the countless Hollows, one was named Emilou Apacci. She knew nothing about the origin of her name but she certainly had a bit of attachment to it. In the hierarchy of Hollows, Apacci was no weakling — she had triumphed in many battles. Yet it was the sting of her losses that etched deeper grooves into her soul.

Over time, Apacci developed a cunning strategy for survival — avoiding formidable foes with her lithe, deer-like form. When fleeing was impossible, she channeled spiritual energy into her horns, unleashing devastating torrents of Cero. As an Adjuchas, she possessed immense power, but she chose to subsist on the ambient Reishi rather than devouring others.

Today has been an easygoing day for the peace-loving deer. She gracefully traversed the vast, moonlit desert, her hooves crunching softly upon the pristine white sands. The pale moon hung low in the sky, casting a ghostly light upon the barren expanse. Abruptly, she halted, her heart pounding in her chest as she caught sight of two cerulean legs protruding from a nearby dune, as if their owner had been entombed alive.

With her eyes narrowed to mere slits, Apacci scanned the desolate horizon, her senses on high alert as she sought to detect the sinister Hollows responsible for this trap.

'I'm no fool.'

As an Adjuchas, her keen senses could vaguely pick up Hollows' presences, even those unseen by her eyes. The result, however, left her stunned.

'What? There's no one here?'

Her curiosity piqued, she twisted her elegant neck to survey the surroundings once more before returning her gaze to the slender legs, which seemed too delicate to belong to a Hollow.

"It's none of my damned business," she muttered, turning away and storming off. Yet a minute later, she found herself inexplicably drawn back to the mysterious legs, which remained motionless and unchanged.

'What on earth is their problem?'

Unable to quell her curiosity any longer, Apacci clamped her teeth into the blue cloth wrapping the leg and yanked its owner free from the sands, finally getting a good look at the stranger.

To her amazement, this was a Hollow unlike any she had encountered before. Every aspect of his appearance, from his tattered clothes to his disheveled, silvery hair, whispered of humanity. His mask, adorned with twisted horns and wicked teeth, signified his true nature as a Hollow. And she couldn't help but notice the striking black wings upon his back.

"A male..."

Apacci's experiences with male Hollows in Hueco Mundo had been nothing short of disastrous, as they had all sought to eat her in a literal sense. However, this one seemed different. His serene and refined features exuded no aggression, and his weak Reiatsu gave her pause, making her question whether to kill and consume him.

"He's unconscious... and his legs..." Her eyes widened in shock. "What a terrible fate to suffer."

Two translucent holes marred his thighs, reminiscent of a Hollow's symbolic heart. While such holes typically caused no interference in daily life, the gaping voids in his legs seemed destined to have dire consequences, as there was scarcely any flesh left to support him.

A distant howl sent shivers down Apacci's spine, her body tensing with fear. A formidable predator—an Adjuchas who preyed on weaker Adjuchas like her—was nearby.

'I have to go.'

Casting a fleeting glance at the unconscious man, she bit his shirt and tossed him into the air. As he landed on her back, she dashed across the moonlit sands.

'I'll use him as bait,' she rationalized, attempting to justify the unexpected surge of compassion that swelled within her for the stranger. In her mind, she reasoned that he would surely perish without assistance in this unforgiving realm.

***

"Hey, you. You're finally awake."

Kazuya might have mistaken everything for Skyrim opening if the voice speaking to him didn't have a feminine touch.

'Well, being a Dragonborn would have been a fine fate.'

Kazuya adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on his unexpected mount, a deer-like creature adorned with brown fur on its back and gray skin on its front. Two striking white antlers crowned its head. As he surveyed his surroundings, he realized there was no rider directing the creature—only himself.

Apacci turned her head, catching a glimpse of Kazuya in her peripheral vision. "Are you a Vasto Lorde?" she inquired in a slow, husky tone, noting that his size matched the rumored dimensions of the powerful Hollows. "Your Reiatsu doesn't line up with that."

"Vasto Lorde?" Kazuya furrowed his brow, trying to remember where he had heard the term. It was a familiar phrase, one that lingered on the edge of his memory, but the details remained frustratingly elusive. He strained to dredge it up from the depths of his recollection. "Ugh, where did I hear that?"

At the sound of his whispered question, Apacci stopped in her tracks, her ears nearly melting from the pleasant timbre of his voice. 'His voice is so nice... what am I doing?!'

Snapping out of her reverie, she shook her head vigorously, her ears flapping against her face. "Do you not know Vasto Lorde? Is this your first day in Hueco Mundo? That can't be right. Menos aren't born with small humanoid forms like yours."

As Apacci explained the nature of Hollows and their various forms, she wondered if, by some miracle, she had misread the man's Reiatsu. After all, Kazuya was significantly smaller than a typical Gillian and lacked the wildness of an Adjuchas.

Behind his mask, Kazuya's eyes narrowed in thought. The mention of Hueco Mundo and Menos swept away the fog obscuring his memories, and he gazed around in disbelief. The stark white landscape, with rolling dunes punctuated by barren trees and enormous boulders, seemed surreal yet eerily familiar. The sand appeared lifeless, and the air was still and clear as if made of glass. It was as if he had stepped into a vivid world that mirrored his own reality.

In a sudden moment of clarity, he realized that this place perfectly matched the world from a specific anime.

'Ah.'

Kazuya barely managed to suppress the urge to scream at the top of his lungs, as his current situation demanded an extreme reaction. Somehow, he had been transported to the world of Shinigami, Hollows, and Quincy—the world of Bleach. It had taken a bullet to his head, but he was finally free from his grandfather's grasp.

'Is this my reward for putting up with all the bullshit?'

He drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold, dusty air that permeated Hueco Mundo. This was neither a dream nor a fabrication of his dying mind.

As the reality of his situation settled in, he let out a long sigh. "Dear Deer, may I ask your name?"

Politeness was necessary when one didn't know what the fuck was happening. A little respect went a long way in building trust and preventing unnecessary conflicts.

The owner of the voice considered his request for a few seconds. "...Apacci."