Sensing the spiritual pressure of the two Adjuchas fading into the distance until it vanished completely, Sombravida finally allowed himself to relax.
After confirming that the Gillian beside him was truly Nel, he quickened his movements. Releasing the last of his remaining spiritual pressure, he swept through the battlefield and finished off the exhausted Gillians that remained.
One by one, he tore off their masks and threw them into Nel's mouth.
When only two masks remained in his hands, the fluorescence surrounding Nel finally turned translucent. The shimmering white glow gradually shifted to a soft pink radiance.
Her colossal form — tens of meters tall — began to shrink.
The towering Gillian body compressed, condensed, and folded inward, until what remained was a cocoon of radiant pink light roughly two meters tall.
It resembled a flawless jewel resting in the desolate white sands.
"Phew… she finally evolved?"
Sombravida stared at the cocoon in awe.
"So this is the form a Gillian takes when evolving into an Adjuchas… it's beautiful."
In a world of endless gray and desolation, the sudden appearance of warm pink light felt like a miracle.
A treasure.
A fragment of life in a dead world.
"…Lord Sombravida."
The soft voice brushed against his senses.
"Nel?"
Sombravida froze.
"You've regained consciousness?"
"Mmm."
The gentle response loosened the knot that had gripped Sombravida's heart for years.
"That's wonderful… I thought you might have forgotten me."
For a moment, he felt an unfamiliar sting behind his mask — the echo of emotions he had nearly forgotten in Hueco Mundo's endless darkness.
Memories of the Gillian Stage
"Even if consciousness is lost during the Gillian stage," Nel said softly,
"the memories remain sealed within the soul. When advancing to Adjuchas, those memories return… including everything that happened while I wandered unconsciously."
Her voice carried deep gratitude.
"Thank you, my lord. Thank you for protecting and guiding me all these years. I will never forget your kindness."
Sombravida laughed softly.
"We're comrades, aren't we? Besides… you saved me when we fought Yammy. I never had the chance to thank you."
He paused.
"What happened after I lost consciousness? Why did you become a Gillian… and what happened to Yammy?"
Hibernation Approaches
"Lord Sombravida… I'm sorry," Nel replied gently.
"I cannot explain everything now."
"I… am about to enter deep hibernation. I do not know how long it will last."
An amber membrane of light formed around the outer layer of the pink cocoon. The cocoon slowly began sinking into the sand.
"Please advance as soon as possible," she continued.
"I can feel that your body can no longer contain the spiritual power within you. The path of the Menos is not what you imagine. When you evolve, you will understand more… about Hollows, and about what truly happened."
Sombravida nodded slowly.
He had suppressed advancement countless times while protecting her.
Each time spiritual particles gathered to trigger evolution, he forced them away.
Perhaps… it truly was time.
The Mark Returned
A thread of pink light emerged from the cocoon and returned to Sombravida's claw.
A fragment of armor-like material reformed along his bone blade — the section he had sacrificed years ago to mark Nel for tracking.
"Lord Sombravida," Nel whispered,
"I have left my mark upon you… along with fragments of memory. When I awaken, I will find you — whether you remain in this forest or not."
"Can't I stay here and wait?"
"It is not we who choose which Forest of Menos calls us," she replied softly.
"May fortune follow you in battle."
The cocoon sank deeper.
Her voice faded.
Silence returned.
The Weight Finally Lifts
Sombravida stared upward into Hueco Mundo's endless sky and exhaled.
The tension that had gripped him for years finally loosened.
Without restraint, he began absorbing the surrounding reishi.
Years of pressure lifted in an instant.
And the spiritual power he had suppressed erupted.
Evolution Begins
The air vibrated.
Spiritual particles condensed into pale blue streams, spiraling toward Sombravida's body.
"Heh… I stop suppressing it for one moment and now I'm evolving?"
He smiled beneath his mask.
Then he swallowed the final two Gillian masks.
Fuel.
Power.
Completion.
External reishi, surrounding reishi, and his own condensed spiritual power merged into a spiraling vortex within his core.
Warm.
Vast.
Comforting.
He drifted within the ocean of energy…
…and fell asleep.
Evolution arrived silently.
Awakening
"…mm…"
After an unknown span of time, Sombravida's consciousness returned.
Everything felt different.
Larger.
Heavier.
Clearer.
"What… happened to me?"
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Ancient.
Weathered.
Gentle.
"Child… you have finally awakened."
Sombravida tensed instinctively — then relaxed.
There was no hostility.
Only a vast, quiet compassion.
"You… are the Great Hollow Forest?"
A soft chuckle echoed.
"You may call me that."
The Consciousness of the Forest
"The Forest of Menos is part of the cradle that nurtures my children," the voice said.
"The deeper truths… you will understand when you are stronger."
Sombravida did not press further.
Advancement had already answered many questions.
"May I remain here?"
"Of course, my child. Only those lost on the evolutionary path require my guidance. You may choose your own dwelling."
The voice softened.
"Your origin differs from other children. I will grant you knowledge — the laws of Hueco Mundo and the nature of your abilities.
But remember…
Do not speak of me.
We will meet again."
A gentle white light enveloped Sombravida.
Knowledge poured into his consciousness.
When the light faded, the voice was gone.
A Gillian Unlike Others
Sombravida inhaled deeply.
Looking down, he saw his transformed body:
A towering Menos body over fifteen meters tall.
A black robe-like lower form.
A hollow cavity at his core.
But his mask…
was different.
Instead of the expressionless Gillian mask, his resembled armored plating — layered and reinforced.
"So… I'm a Gillian now."
He raised his arm.
Spiritual energy gathered instinctively.
"Cero… so that's how it works."
Understanding Menos Power
The knowledge granted to him clarified everything:
Each Hollow's Cero differs according to spiritual wavelength.
Mindless Gillians can only fire basic crimson Cero.
Conscious Gillians can shape and enhance their blasts.
Resonant wavelengths between Hollows are extremely rare.
He finally understood why Nel lost consciousness…
…and why her ability activated at the final moment.
What Truly Happened
Using the mark Nel left behind, Sombravida reviewed the truth:
After he fell, Nel exhausted her spiritual power healing him.
To save him, she triggered forced evolution — advancing into a Gillian before her spiritual energy was sufficient.
Such evolution preserves potential…
but causes consciousness to fade.
Yammy, severely wounded by her Cero, fled rather than risk death.
Nel remained beside Sombravida, healing him until her consciousness dissolved completely.
Only then did she depart, summoned by the Forest of Menos.
This explained everything:
Sombravida had not slept for only a week.
Nel had remained beside him until she could no longer remain conscious.
Then she left.
And he chased her across Hueco Mundo.
Why the Final Battle Succeeded
By the time of the final battle:
Nel's spiritual pressure had nearly reached evolution.
Her passive ability — Cero Resonance — remained active even while unconscious.
As long as incoming energy did not exceed her limits, she could absorb and return it amplified.
That passive power saved her.
Saved Sombravida.
And ensured her successful evolution.
Sombravida exhaled slowly.
Now…
it was time to understand his own abilities.