Several months had passed since Sombravida left the forest and began his westward journey.
Although he possessed Shadow Step, the technique consumed spiritual energy. Unless he was certain an area was completely barren, he conserved his power and traveled on foot. Only in lifeless regions did he move at full speed.
Yet even traveling cautiously, Sombravida gradually realized something unsettling:
Hueco Mundo was far larger than he had imagined.
To maintain balance with the Human World and Soul Society, the number of souls cycling through existence had to remain constant. In his previous life, humanity alone had exceeded seven billion.
If Hueco Mundo reflected that balance…
Then the number of Hollows wandering this endless desert might be beyond comprehension.
And unlike Earth—
there were no oceans.
Only endless land.
Months of Solitude
Over the past months, Sombravida passed through many Hollow gathering grounds.
Traveling alone, he never entered deeply.
He could defeat a Gillian.
But being hunted by dozens… hundreds… in endless pursuit would exhaust even him.
So he hunted only along the outskirts before moving on.
Most high-level Hollows chose not to interfere.
The newcomer's spiritual pressure marked him as dangerous — perhaps even stronger than themselves.
Provoking such an enemy was unnecessary.
Erosion of Emotion
Months passed.
Silence became his only companion.
No conversation.
No allies.
Only hunting… devouring… moving forward.
Sometimes he heard the last words of dying Hollows.
That was the closest thing to dialogue he had.
The monotony was suffocating.
Yet he never forgot his goal:
Reach a region distant from the Menos Forest…
Advance…
Increase survival odds.
He believed he would continue like this until evolution.
Then the silence broke.
A Battle in the Sandstorm
The desert stretched endlessly, swallowed by sandstorms.
To hasten his journey, Sombravida used Shadow Step repeatedly across this lifeless wasteland.
Then—
he stopped.
Two spiritual pressures clashed beyond a dune.
From their intensity, Sombravida judged:
one newly advanced high-level Hollow
one peak elite Hollow
The difference was small in rank…
but enormous in power.
Sombravida concealed his spiritual pressure and approached.
Behind the dune, he saw:
A half-human, half-lizard Hollow
battling
an antelope-like Hollow.
The antelope was near collapse.
Without interference, it would fall within ten exchanges.
Unless…
an unforeseen factor intervened.
Sombravida was that factor.
Predator's Opportunity
He circled behind the lizard Hollow, waiting.
Days without prey had left him spiritually hollow. While Hollows could survive without feeding, the hunger never truly faded.
This encounter was fate.
The newly evolved lizard Hollow had not yet mastered its power. Meanwhile, the antelope Hollow avoided direct confrontation, relying on agility and its horns to block attacks — attempting to exhaust its opponent.
After several more exchanges, Sombravida grew impatient.
"…Enough."
He leapt from the dune.
The sudden surge of spiritual pressure startled both combatants.
The lizard Hollow fled instantly.
Too slow.
Sombravida appeared beside it.
Shattering Slash.
The Hollow split in two.
Sombravida seized the mask and devoured it in one motion.
Then he turned.
Eyes Beneath the Mask
The antelope Hollow did not run.
Its legs trembled violently.
Not defiance.
Not courage.
Exhaustion.
Sombravida raised his claw to finish it—
Then paused.
Beneath the mask, faint spiritual flickers formed the impression of pleading eyes.
Intelligence.
"…You can go."
The words surprised even him.
Perhaps he had gone too long without speaking to another conscious being.
He turned to leave.
"The corpse is yours."
A Voice in the Desert
"…Thank you."
Sombravida stopped.
He turned sharply, spiritual pressure locking onto the source.
"You can speak? What did you say?"
"I… thank you for sparing my life."
The antelope Hollow trembled but continued.
"Cades was your prey. I have no right to it."
"Cades?" Sombravida glanced at the corpse. "You knew each other?"
"Yes."
She explained:
They had cooperated in hunting.
After his evolution, hunger drove Cades to betray her.
Sombravida's interest grew.
"You cooperated? Explain."
"He paralyzed prey with poison. I restrained them until they collapsed."
"And the poison didn't affect you?"
"I possess partial immunity… and healing ability."
Sombravida's claw flicked.
A shallow cut opened on his hand.
He extended it.
The antelope Hollow hesitated… then stepped forward and licked the wound.
It healed instantly.
Sombravida's eyes sharpened.
"A healing ability… rare."
He studied her.
"So you understand your situation."
"I had no choice."
"My lord… I am willing to serve you."
A New Companion
Sombravida circled her thoughtfully.
A Hollow with healing abilities was extraordinarily rare.
Even as an elite Hollow, her value was immense.
He leapt lightly onto her back.
She stumbled slightly, then steadied.
Strength ruled Hueco Mundo. She did not resist.
"Let's go. That corpse is yours."
She approached the body — but instead of tearing it apart, spiritual particles flowed directly into her mouth.
Sombravida narrowed his eyes.
"What ability is that?"
"I do not know. It absorbs spiritual particles efficiently… preventing waste."
Sombravida's thoughts sharpened.
No scent trail.
No particle leakage.
No predators drawn by residue.
This was more than efficient.
It was survival perfection.
"…Keeping you alive was an excellent decision."
Names
"My name is Ace Sombravida. Call me Sombravida."
"Yes, Master Sombravida."
"And you?"
"…Nelliel. Tu Odelschwanck."
"If you permit… call me Nel."
Sombravida froze.
Nel.
The name echoed in his memory.
Antelope mask. Healing saliva. Compassion.
A future Vasto Lorde-class Arran—
His eyes widened.
"…Nel?"
"…NEL?!"
He nearly lost balance.
I picked up Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck… in the desert… and rode her like a mount…
Sombravida burst into laughter.
"HAHAHA! I struck gold!"
Nel blinked, utterly confused.
"Master Sombravida…?"
"Nothing. Just fate."
She did not understand — but sensed her life had just changed.
Moving Forward
"Where do we go?" Nel asked after feeding.
"West."
Sombravida gazed toward the endless white horizon.
"We find a small forest. Rest. Prepare."
"Yes."
She kicked off the sand and began running westward.
Behind them, the desert returned to silence.
Ahead—
fate continued to unfold.