Deep within the underground cave, Vritra had long since devoured the crocodilian Hollow that had delivered itself to him. Now, he stretched his body fully, his centipede-like tail coiling around a nearby rock pillar, while dark golden spiritual pressure surged around him.
His aura rapidly climbed, reaching its peak in an instant. A pillar of dark golden energy erupted from the underground cave, piercing through the sandy surface and soaring into the sky. The small yellow dog waiting for Vritra's breakthrough in the desert was startled.
"Roar!"
As the dark golden light exploded, the newborn and even the stronger Hollows in the vicinity sensed a spiritual pressure no weaker than a Gillian's and fled in terror.
Not far away, a massive Hollow stood, over five meters tall, with a wingspan exceeding thirty meters. Its four wings made it resemble neither a moth nor a bird but something in between. Upon sensing Vritra's presence, a hint of joy flashed in its eyes before it sped toward him.
"A giant-class Hollow is ascending to Gillian? Why would a Gillian appear in a newborn territory? Truly, fortune smiles upon me! At this moment, that newly ascended Gillian will be at its weakest. If I devour it, I will surely become a Gillian myself!"
Cirucci Sanderwicci quickened her flight at the thought, clearly mistaking Vritra for a Gillian in the process of evolving.
"Woof woof woof!"
By now, the dark golden pillar of spiritual pressure was gradually retracting. The small yellow dog, still waiting on the desert's edge, sensed the overwhelming presence drawing closer. Anxiously, it barked to warn Vritra.
"Chirp!"
In the next instant, the sky darkened as if night had fallen in a blink. Cirucci Sanderwicci had arrived, her massive wings casting a shadow that blotted out the heavens. Feeling the oppressive presence above, the small yellow dog barked even more urgently.
Two razor-sharp iron feathers slashed down from Cirucci's wings, aiming to kill the insignificant canine Hollow below. But the small yellow dog reacted swiftly, rolling to the side in a narrow escape.
"Woof woof woof!"
Even after being attacked, the little dog did not stop its frantic cries, trying to alert Vritra.
Cirucci Sanderwicci, seeing how slippery the small dog was, had no patience to waste on such an insignificant Hollow. Instead, she locked her gaze onto the dissipating spiritual pressure pillar and dove straight down.
She intended to devour the newly ascended Gillian while it was at its weakest.
"Iron Swallow Feather Strike!"
Cirucci Sanderwicci flicked her wings once more, launching dozens of iron-like feathers like arrows toward the very core of the spiritual pressure pillar.
This was her ultimate technique, one that had felled countless giant-class Hollows of the same tier. Now, using it against a newly formed Gillian, she was confident of victory. After all, most Gillians were mindless fools.
However, the expected scene of countless iron feathers piercing flesh, followed by the agonized roar of the "Gillian," never came. Instead, a metallic clang rang out.
As the dust settled, a towering figure emerged—over twenty meters in length, with a humanoid upper body and a centipede-like lower half, its entire form marked with golden patterns.
Cirucci Sanderwicci's expression froze.
"Not a Gillian?! Another giant-class Hollow like me? But… this spiritual pressure is at the Adjuchas level!"
Before she could dwell on it, she immediately realized that this monstrous giant-class Hollow was not to be trifled with. She launched another Iron Swallow Feather Strike, this time aiming directly at its most vulnerable point—its eyes.
Yet, as the dozens of razor-sharp feathers hurtled toward him, Vritra remained motionless, as if he didn't even acknowledge them.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
With a casual flick of his right arm, he effortlessly deflected every single iron feather. Cirucci Sanderwicci's heart sank—her feathers, which had cut through so many of her peers, hadn't even left a scratch on his arm.
"Can we… talk this out?"
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. Everything about this Hollow indicated it was intelligent, just like her.
"You attacked my pet. You interfered with my evolution. And now you want to 'talk it out'?"
Vritra looked coldly at the giant bird-like Hollow hovering in the sky.
"We could hunt the mindless ones together! If we join forces, even Gillians wouldn't stand a chance against us!"
Cirucci Sanderwicci continued trying to persuade him.
"What meaningless drivel. So the smarter a Hollow is, the more it fears death?"
Vritra shook his head in disdain. His centipede tail lashed out, and in an instant, a lightning whip shot toward the bird in the sky.
"Chirp—!"
The attack struck her directly, sending Cirucci Sanderwicci plummeting from the sky and crashing hard into the desert below.
Vritra wasted no time—activating Sonído, he instantly appeared before her, grabbed her bird-like head with his right hand, and fired a Cero at point-blank range.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted, shrouding the area in dust and debris.
A powerful gust of wind blew away the smoke, revealing Cirucci Sanderwicci, her head now pierced by a gaping, bloodied hole. Desperately, she flapped her wings, retreating at full speed, trying to put distance between herself and Vritra.
But it was futile. Against an opponent who had already mastered Sonído, her so-called "speed" was laughable.
"N-no way… You're not even an Adjuchas—how do you know Sonído and Cero?!"
Cirucci Sanderwicci, seeing Vritra unleash advanced techniques back to back, instantly lost all will to resist.
"I… I submit! Cirucci Sanderwicci submits to you! I will serve you as my master, my powerful lord!"
Vritra, about to land the finishing blow, paused upon hearing her words.
"Cirucci Sanderwicci?"
"Yes! That is my name, my future master!"
Hearing her confirmation, a glimmer of excitement flashed in Vritra's eyes.
But he had no intention of sparing her. His centipede tail lashed out once more, launching a second lightning whip. This time, Cirucci Sanderwicci abandoned her wings entirely—they detached from her back, granting her a brief but explosive burst of speed to evade the attack.
Vritra observed her with amusement. The wingless form of the bird-like Hollow was somewhat odd-looking.
"Decisive, aren't you?"
Her willingness to sacrifice her own wings granted her a momentary escape. But what about the second strike?
With another Sonído, Vritra closed the gap and lashed out again. This time, Cirucci Sanderwicci gritted her teeth—her tail swung like a whip to meet his attack.
"Rip—!"
The lightning whip severed her tail cleanly.
Vritra wasted no more time. Seizing her bird head with both hands, he twisted forcefully—her body fell limp, her head now separated from her neck.
He studied her lifeless form. Indeed, her appearance matched that of the Cirucci Sanderwicci from the original story.
In the original, she had been No. 105 of the former Espada, an Arrancar who had evolved from an Adjuchas. But here and now, she hadn't even reached the Gillian stage, confirming that Vritra's current timeline was far removed from the main events.
This was perfect. It meant he had plenty of time to grow stronger.
Vritra cared little for how his actions would alter the story. Cirucci had provoked him—so she died.
With that thought, his centipede tail extended, piercing into Cirucci's corpse. In an instant, her body disintegrated into nothingness.
This was one of the new abilities he had gained upon evolving into a giant-class Hollow—Soul Devour. It allowed him to absorb an opponent's Reishi perfectly, without any waste.
Moreover, Soul Devour granted him the ability to permanently steal one power from his prey—but it could only be used once per opponent, making his choice critical.
He had also gained another ability—Cloning. He could split his body to create a clone that shared his soul, but doing so consumed his spiritual energy. Given that he had just evolved, he had no intention of using it recklessly.
Additionally, his old abilities had improved—his Spirit Concealment and Flash Thunder techniques had both strengthened. His Flash Thunder could now take the form of a lightning whip for long-range combat.
And he had already mastered Sonído!
Vritra estimated that he could now fight and defeat a Gillian with ease.
.......
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