Time passed quickly. Ten years had gone by since Ito Makoto joined the Fourth Division as its Vice-Captain, and since Yekawa subjugated Nelliel.
During those ten years, Ito Makoto repeatedly asked Retsu Unohana to teach him Zanjutsu. At first he merely probed the idea cautiously, but later he pestered her relentlessly. No matter how persistent he became, however, Retsu Unohana never accepted. She always insisted calmly that she was not skilled in Zanjutsu.
Although Ito Makoto failed to learn any swordsmanship from her during that decade, she wholeheartedly instructed him in Kidō. Her teachings covered not only healing Kidō but also Hadō and Bakudō.
As a result, Ito Makoto's greatest progress during his time in the Fourth Division was surprisingly his mastery of Kidō.
His Reiatsu had also grown rapidly throughout those ten years. Even without borrowing spiritual pressure from his main body, his own Reiatsu had reached the peak of Fourth-Class Reiatsu three years earlier. He was now only a small step away from true Captain-level Third-Class Reiatsu and stood on the threshold of entering Captain-class power.
Meanwhile, far away in Hueco Mundo, Yekawa's main body had already obtained the third Spirit King fragment through the centipede clone left with Kūgo Ginjō. Now Yekawa needed only one final fragment to complete his transformation into a perfect Arrancar.
...
Hueco Mundo, Great Hollow Home.
The Great Hollow Home stood at the southern edge of Las Noches. It had originally been nothing more than a low hill—Halibel's former habitat.
But ten years later, under Yekawa's leadership and with the support of several Vasto Lorde and numerous Adjuchas, the hill had been transformed into a vast underground palace.
"Lord Yekawa, recently many Arrancar have appeared in the direction of Las Noches. At first I assumed new Vasto Lorde had spontaneously evolved into Arrancar, but after several investigations I discovered they are actually incomplete Arrancar Adjuchas."
Yekawa sat upon a stone throne in the center of the underground palace, while Starrk sat quietly to his left.
Since Yekawa had founded the Great Hollow Home, many Vasto Lorde and Adjuchas referred to him as its leader. Even Starrk, currently the strongest among them, addressed him respectfully as Lord.
The bonfire burning in the hall flickered softly, its flames illuminating the ferocious mask on Yekawa's face, which was etched with dark golden patterns.
"There is no need to worry, Starrk. Those so-called Arrancar are nothing more than clumsy imitations of you."
Yekawa spoke calmly, clearly unconcerned about the sudden appearance of those Arrancar.
Just then, an overwhelming Arrancar Reiatsu erupted into the sky, echoing through the entire underground palace.
The moment he sensed that Reiatsu, Yekawa paused briefly before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"So it has arrived. Why has it happened so many years earlier than in the original timeline? Is it because I gathered all these Vasto Lorde here?"
At the entrance of the Great Hollow Home, an Arrancar with a sword-shaped mark across his mask stood arrogantly. His form was half human and half shark, and violent Reiatsu poured from him without restraint.
This Arrancar had once been one of the Adjuchas who followed Baraggan in attacking Halibel years earlier.
Back then he had insulted Halibel with foul words and was nearly killed by a single slash. Now that he had become an Arrancar, he had returned to seek revenge.
According to the original storyline, Aizen Sōsuke should have appeared at the final moment, killing him instantly before subjugating Halibel.
Based on that timeline, the event should have occurred decades later after Nelliel had already been betrayed by Nnoitra and Szayelaporro and forced out of the Espada.
Yet now Nelliel had not even become an Arrancar, and this fellow had already evolved.
Naturally, that surprised Yekawa.
With a flash of lightning, he appeared at the entrance of the Great Hollow Home. The Adjuchas guarding the gate including the white snake Hollow Sun-Sun, the red goat Puck, and the strange fish Barnes immediately knelt in reverence upon seeing him.
During the past ten years under Yekawa's leadership, the Hollows of the Great Hollow Home had escaped the endless chaos that once ruled their lives. These had been the most stable ten years many of them had ever known.
For a time, the name of the Great Hollow Home had even overshadowed Las Noches itself.
Because of that, every Hollow here respected Yekawa wholeheartedly.
"Pathetic Vasto Lorde! Tell her to come out and die!"
The shark Arrancar released his Reiatsu wildly, the pressure nearly solidifying as it crushed down upon the gathered Adjuchas and Yekawa.
"This Reiatsu…"
Yekawa quietly examined the spiritual pressure emanating from the shark Hollow. It was far stronger than that of the two Arrancar who had attacked Nelliel ten years ago. Indeed, it had surpassed the limits of an Adjuchas and reached a level capable of barely challenging a Vasto Lorde.
However, it was still far weaker than the level shown in the original storyline, where such an Arrancar could suppress Halibel before she evolved.
"So because of my influence the event occurred earlier… but his development didn't keep up?"
Once he understood the situation, Yekawa completely lost interest in the incomplete Arrancar.
He glanced at him lazily and sneered.
"There are plenty of Vasto Lorde in my Great Hollow Home. Which one are you looking for?"
"Everyone, a guest has arrived looking for a Vasto Lorde. Why not come out and greet him?"
As soon as he finished speaking, three massive pillars of Reiatsu rose from deep within the Great Hollow Home behind him.
Halibel.
Nelliel.
Ulquiorra.
Each of their spiritual pressures surged skyward.
"This… how is that possible?"
Before the shark Arrancar could recover from his shock, a fourth Reiatsu suddenly appeared.
This one belonged to Starrk the fully evolved Arrancar.
The immense and profound pressure terrified the shark Hollow so badly that his legs began to tremble.
The overwhelming joy he had felt from becoming an Arrancar vanished instantly.
Without hesitation, he used Sonido and attempted to flee.
He performed seven consecutive Sonido steps
Yet he had not moved even a single inch.
Instead, his body had shrunk to the size of a mosquito, trapped within the palm of a mysterious humanoid Hollow.
Yekawa closed his right hand.
The shark Arrancar who had been shouting arrogantly moments earlier was crushed like an insect.
Following his usual rule of wasting nothing, Yekawa immediately devoured the remains with Soul Eater.
However, the incomplete Arrancar provided very little improvement to his strength.
After killing the shark Arrancar, Yekawa did not relax.
If such an Arrancar appeared here at this moment, it could only mean one thing.
Aizen was nearby.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Yekawa looked toward the empty space ahead and smiled faintly.
"Thunder Sea Domain."
In an instant, dark golden pillars of lightning erupted from the ground around the Great Hollow Home, spreading outward to destroy everything outside the underground palace.
This place was Yekawa's territory. Long ago he had planted lightning seeds throughout the surrounding land. Once activated against a powerful enemy, they would unleash devastating attacks without warning.
Back when he had only been a Gillian, this same technique had slaughtered more than sixty Adjuchas inside Las Noches.
Now that Yekawa had grown far stronger, the power of the move had multiplied accordingly.
Even if three to five ordinary Captains from Soul Society entered the Thunder Sea Domain unprepared, they would likely be annihilated instantly.
But Yekawa knew perfectly well that such a move could never kill Aizen Sōsuke.
He did not expect to kill him.
He merely intended to send a warning.
Sure enough, Aizen who had been concealing his presence with Kidō soon appeared amid the lightning storm.
Facing the endless sea of dark golden thunder, Aizen still wore the same calm smile.
"Hadō #90 Kurohitsugi."
As Aizen spoke softly, a gigantic black coffin hundreds of feet tall materialized instantly in the sky. Countless pitch-black spikes pierced outward from its surface.
Bang!
The infinite thunder sea and the colossal Kurohitsugi collided violently before exploding simultaneously.
The giant black coffin shattered and vanished.
The eighty-one lightning seeds Yekawa had planted across the land were also completely destroyed.
In the next moment, a terrifying hurricane erupted and swept across the entire desert.