"That doesn't matter. I only want to know whether you know where Lilynette is."
Starrk knew Chris was a troublesome opponent, so he immediately entered Resurrection mode.
After separating, he had become able to use Resurrection even without Lilynette at his side.
Then he went straight into the second stage of Resurrection. A faint blue light shone from Starrk's hollow hole, and the zanpakutō at his waist transformed into two pistols.
Crescent-moon patterns that emitted light were engraved on the pistols. When he pulled the triggers, the crescents glowed blue, tinting the very light itself.
As if fully charged, countless bright beams fired in an instant from Starrk's twin guns.
Bam, bam, bam!!!
In the blink of an eye, an endless torrent of flashes erupted one after another like a slanting downpour!
Worried about Lilynette, Starrk went all-out immediately.
Chris stood in front of Starrk without moving, watching Ceros "fall" like a rainstorm—yet it looked as if his body were surrounded by a protective shield.
This Cero was different from ordinary Cero. Compared to a normal Cero it wasn't quite as powerful, but it carried a might that was nearly impossible to disperse!
It was somewhat similar to the "wolf pack" Starrk had created before: a pack that feared no physical attacks, and could gather again even after being scattered.
Moreover, unlike a simple straight-line Cero burst, these Cero flashes also had the function of automatically targeting an enemy. One could say the battle would not end unless the enemy endured these Cero flashes.
After splitting from Lilynette, Starrk had initially weakened—but as time passed his power increased, and after fully recovering he became even stronger.
This was likely because the two who had split each realized their own hearts; driven by each other's existence, they advanced further and further toward their true "direction," and the elevation of their state of mind led to growth in power.
However…
From Angra's point of view, this path would only lead them to the limits of Shinigami; it would not make them a transcendent existence like himself.
To become transcendent, you must reorganize your soul—meaning, destroy your soul's boundary with the power of another soul, then fuse.
Therefore, it was necessary to develop two types of Resurrection blades symbolizing Shinigami power and Hollow power. Through a three-stage Resurrection-blade process, the two powers would be fused and slowly weakened over time—only then could the soul be reborn.
This plan had been specially devised by Urahara Kisuke for Angra. At the time, they knew there was no Hollow other than Angra Manyu who could carry it out.
Starrk was in a similar situation now. His power might surpass the limits of Shinigami, but if he continued evolving like this, he likely still wouldn't be able to cross that final boundary.
Of course, Starrk himself had no such intention.
At this moment, he unleashed countless Cero flashes at Chris—yet Chris did not move, his face expressionless!
Then something unbelievable happened!
Chris merely stood there, but the approaching Cero flashes vanished one after another!?
It was as though they had been thrown into another country. The indestructible, unavoidable Ceros disappeared right at the moment they were about to explode near Chris!
?!
The sight shocked Starrk. He had no intention of pursuing power, but he still had strong confidence in his own strength—yet right before his eyes, something happened that he could not understand at all!
That was…
What kind of power?
From Starrk's perspective, Chris seemed to be surrounded by some invisible, intangible force. Like air, it flowed around him; anything that touched it would be decomposed, erased, and turned into nothingness!
This was Chris's ability.
He had originally been an existence Yoshio separated from Gremmy Thoumeaux using the Blade that Rends the Heart—"life" with a body but without a brain.
Because he had no brain, he had no self-awareness, and moved like a machine by following Yoshio's orders.
Furthermore, his ability was the "Fire of Nothingness," completely different from "Imagination." It melted everything that existed into nothingness!
Starrk's Cero could not be destroyed—but it could not resist the power that turned all things into nothing!
When Chris raised a single index finger, the next moment, an invisible, formless flame ignited on his fingertip.
The flame was crystal-clear, as if condensing a violet radiance, and it seemed to release a terrifying power capable of erasing everything.
With a slight motion of his finger, the void flame swept toward Starrk like a crescent.
Burned by the void flame, it was as if even the space along its path was being annihilated! Starrk did not lower his guard; he kept evading while pulling the triggers!
In an instant, several hundred more Cero flashes were released—yet their fate was the same as the first round: as they neared the Fire of Nothingness, they mysteriously disappeared.
Starrk frowned. How was he supposed to defeat an enemy like this?
If even Cero couldn't touch his body, what about Starrk himself?
If he attacked with his own body, would that too be returned to nothingness?
If he couldn't even approach, how could he call it "defeating" him?
Seeing Starrk dodging left and right, Chris said, "Just dodging won't defeat me."
His tone was oddly indifferent, as if he didn't care much about winning or losing.
He remained standing in place; with only a slight movement of his finger, he pursued Starrk relentlessly, leaving him nowhere to run.
Starrk was not shaken by Chris's words. He continued analyzing Chris's weakness.
From the current situation, Chris's weakness was likely "speed."
Not Chris's personal movement speed—he had never demonstrated it. Starrk meant the speed of the Fire of Nothingness.
Fire of Nothingness could annihilate anything it touched, but it wasn't fast. Or rather—Starrk was simply too fast.
Starrk's speed was among the best in his class. He didn't even need maximum speed to easily evade Fire of Nothingness attacks.
He could dodge the pursuing flames, but he was powerless against the Fire of Nothingness that wrapped around Chris.
There was an invisible, intangible flame around Chris's body. Normally it couldn't be seen, but its power was real.
Everything that approached Chris would vanish!
Because even while evading, Starrk kept firing Cero.
None of those Cero flashes could penetrate within three feet of Chris.
Even when Starrk detonated the Cero early to engulf him in blasts and flame, the Cero still vanished without a trace as it neared.
It was as if Chris were encased in invincible defense—or perhaps he existed in a dimensional space completely different from everyone else's!
No one could interfere with the inside from the outside!
Starrk's brain worked like mad; his spiritual energy was being consumed at a terrifying rate. In this tug-of-war, Starrk seemed to be struggling—or perhaps he was slightly distracted by trying to think of a way to break through Chris's defense.
Unable to fully escape the corrosive power of the Fire of Nothingness, a small flame touched one of his legs. Instantly, starting from the point of contact, his right leg began to disappear!
!
Starrk's pupils contracted. He immediately pulled away from the Fire of Nothingness.
But it was too late. The void power that had invaded his body began to erode more broadly.
Just a little—yet nearly half his calf had been worn away!
After putting some distance between them, Starrk paused briefly, but nothing happened.
"Even high-speed regeneration doesn't work?"
Starrk was a little surprised.
In fact, most Hollows lose ultra-high-speed regeneration once destroyed, and Starrk was no exception.
He had lost it as well.
However, during his second release, he regained a small amount of regenerative power.
At first, it was thought that Shinigami power within Arrancar interfered with Hollow power, causing Arrancar to lose the ultra-high-speed regeneration that symbolizes Hollow power.
In Starrk's second Resurrection, though he relied primarily on Shinigami power, the balance between Shinigami and Hollow power was finally achieved, ensuring the two did not interfere with each other.
That meant he regained a portion of ultra-high-speed regeneration—though the effect wasn't great, it should still be enough to heal damage to limbs like this.
And…
That wasn't all.
Even after Starrk and Lilynette completely separated and became independent individuals, they maintained a special connection.
As long as the other was alive, they could use each other's power; when one was in danger, the other's power would flow in—
Granting the injured one "double regeneration speed"!
Yet even with "double-speed regeneration," Starrk could not heal the injury!
Did that mean parts eroded into nothingness couldn't be repaired?
Starrk frowned. This made things even more complicated.
"Los Lobos!"
Starrk suddenly let out a low shout, finally using his ultimate technique!
In an instant, huge numbers of wolf-like creatures appeared around him. The blue wolves stared at Chris with blood-red eyes, gave low growls—and pounced!
Starrk tore his own soul into pieces, transforming it into the strongest wolf pack!
The ability to split one's soul into fragments and manifest them resembled Yhwach's "power to bestow." Unfortunately, Starrk could not stuff these fragments into other people's souls, nor forcibly retrieve them.
Otherwise, he would become another "Yhwach."
These wolves, split from Starrk's soul power, were innately unbelievably strong.
In a blink, it was as if hundreds of ferocious wolves had been divided out; each wolf emitted a blue spiritual glow, with jaws seemingly full of sharp fangs.
They lunged at Chris—but like the earlier Ceros, their bodies began to vanish.
However, unlike simple Cero, the wolves did not disappear instantly; instead, they gradually decomposed and dissolved until they completely lost form.
Chris did not flinch at the wolves' fangs, as if he had long been certain they could not hurt him.
But their numbers blocked his view, so Chris waved his hand as if fanning.
With that gentle fanning motion, the void flame billowed and shifted like clouds.
It was as though space itself advanced forward; Los Lobos vanished even faster. In an instant, the ferocious wolves were gone!
"Gran Rey Cero."
But as Chris swept away the wolves, Starrk suddenly appeared behind him!
?!
This was extremely close to Chris's position—Starrk had reached into Chris's domain!
The power of nothingness eroded Starrk's arm. Unlike Barragan's power of death, which eroded yet left flesh and bone behind so one could witness corrosion and aging, this power of nothingness had no form—untouchable. And whatever it touched also became formless and untouchable.
From the outermost layer, Starrk's hand vanished instantly!
Starrk didn't even feel pain. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he might not have realized his body was disappearing!
Yet even facing this horrifying scene, Starrk stayed resolute, extending his hand to fire a Cero!
Ray Cero—an ability only an Arrancar who had achieved a second Resurrection through Shinigami power could use!
It wasn't something learned automatically; it could only be understood through study. In essence, it could be said to combine Shinigami Kidō with Cero.
Because Starrk had chosen the death-aspect power "Return to the Source" for his second Resurrection, his abilities naturally incorporated death power.
If Shinigami could use Kidō, then Starrk should be able to as well.
The Shinigami developed Kidō, and though Starrk did not develop Kidō himself, he had enough to combine Kidō's mental force with Cero to create a stronger Cero!
He drew inspiration from Tokinada Tsunayashiro, who had previously combined Kidō and Cero at a high level—like the Raikōhō and Senju Kōten Taihō—forming unbelievably powerful attacks by combining strong Hadō with Cero.
Starrk had also witnessed the battle at Karakura Town, which gave him this inspiration.
But he was different from Tokinada. Tokinada had originally been a Shinigami, and though he became a Hollow through his ability, he possessed an extraordinarily deep understanding of Shinigami techniques.
Starrk could ask Yoshio or obtain learning materials from Shinigami, but mastering advanced Kidō was not that easy.
He combined a thunder roar cannon with Cero to form his current "Thunder Cero." "Inside" indicated it was a "secret" technique—usable only by him and a very small number of others.
Perhaps in the future, he could develop Cero combined with the surging power of the earth, or Cero combined with twin-lotus flames…
Because time in the Hollow Ring was almost infinite, he could also develop unique Cero variants.
Moreover, at this point Starrk had only one gun left.
In the past, his two guns represented the split between Lilynette and Starrk. After splitting, Starrk could still fight with two guns—but…
They also had the function of combining into one.
By merging the two pistols into a single firearm, the gun became larger and its caliber increased.
Boom!
Lightning clung like an afterimage—then vanished in an instant.
Though fired within the void, the attack was eroded and annihilated by the void the moment it was released!
But the attack still went off!
It might sound like a long process, but in reality it was just extending his hand and pulling the trigger.
Yet because the action was so simple—and because of Starrk's incredible speed—the arm he had thrust into the void was completely erased!
Not only his arm: even the gun began to vanish!
The gun was Starrk's zanpakutō; the zanpakutō was a Hollow's broken mask; and the mask was directly connected to a Hollow's shattered soul—meaning Starrk's soul!
So it wasn't merely the problem of losing an arm. In that moment, Starrk took a tremendous blow; blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Though he was still in Resurrection, he could no longer use the ability to infinitely replenish Cero!
He was gambling!
Starrk had deliberately taken a slight "bath" in the Fire of Nothingness to judge the speed at which it corroded him.
Then he used Los Lobos to block Chris's vision, and to test the speed at which the void flame eroded objects around Chris.
The result satisfied Starrk: the greater the mass and spiritual pressure, the longer it took for such things to be eliminated.
That was why Starrk took the risk at this moment—thrusting his arm in to unleash a point-blank killing move!
At this distance, the void power's erosion was too slow to stop lightning.
In a blurred space where it felt like overlapping dimensions, a shocking explosion occurred, accompanied by a deafening roar.
Lightning flashed everywhere; overwhelming spiritual power surged outward—but it could not escape the void.
Before, it was impossible to break in; now, it was impossible to break out. All the force and destruction exploded inside the void.
Starrk was in a miserable state—missing one arm and one leg, even his zanpakutō drawn back into his body. He panted, yet his eyes were fixed on the explosion's center.
In truth, he had another reason for doing this.
Abilities like Chris's often have weaknesses.
For example, Barragan's death aura was nearly invincible: everything that approached corroded, aged, and rotted.
His body was covered by a special membrane that protected him from the influence of death power, so his own body was not affected.
Or Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura, which could form a defensive zone to prevent others from approaching.
But even that defense had a weakness: if the high-speed Senbonzakura came too close, it might become difficult to control.
This could cause the thousands of blades to injure him, creating a maximum "safe distance" between the falling cherry petals and his own body.
That safe distance was called the "undamaged zone."
Starrk didn't know much about Chris's ability, but he believed there was no truly invincible ability, and that Chris's ability must have some weakness—possibly within the Fire of Nothingness domain itself.
However, the result was astonishing.
Starrk stared blankly at what happened. After the Cero and lightning vanished, Chris was still standing there. His body…
Had no injuries at all!
Hands in his pockets, he seemed completely unmoved by the strike that had nearly taken Starrk's life.
It was as though he were strolling along a riverbank, his eyes filled with appreciation and gratitude for the scenery.
"…"
Starrk gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected that an attack bought at the cost of one arm and his zanpakutō wouldn't even scratch the other man's hair!
"There's no need to be disappointed or discouraged." Seeing Starrk's expression, Chris smiled. "You did well. Your fangs, lone wolf, touched me splendidly."
Then Chris said, "As a reward, I'll answer your question now."
"…?" Starrk was stunned. "Is it over?"
"Yes," Angra said from the side. "He has his own standard for judging strength."
"Most likely, what he wanted from you was simply to touch him."
"Right." Chris twisted his lips slightly and looked back at Angra. "Now you must defeat me first."
Angra shrugged, looking as if he had no objection.
Starrk realized the thing that had "saved" him was—his "weakness."
Because…
If I were weak, could I have defeated Chris just by touching him?
Starrk didn't care about being called weak. He didn't care about strength or weakness; he'd even once thought about becoming weaker.
If others said he was weak, why should he care?
At that moment, Starrk hurriedly said, "I want to know where Lilynette is."
"She's in the Tower of Death," Chris said. "Don't worry. The Tower of Death isn't a dangerous place."
"…" Starrk stayed silent.
The Tower of Death? Just hearing the name made it sound dangerous. Was this really "not a dangerous place"?
Chris seemed to notice Starrk's expression and continued: "The Tower of Death is a tower built by the God of Death himself, located between the inner world and the outer world. Perhaps the God of Death once intended to use the Tower of Death to enter the Three Realms."
"How do you get in? How do you get out?"
"Someone chosen by the God of Death—how could they be released so easily?" Chris chuckled. "But I can help you."
"…So what's the price?"
"You're smart. You understand there's no free lunch. You're smarter than 99% of people in this world."
Chris clapped his hands. "I want you to help me search for something."
"…" So they really were searching for something.
Starrk couldn't help asking, "What are you looking for?"
"I'll tell you when I know what it is," Chris said gently. "When that time comes, I'll definitely need your help."
Not only one side was searching for "that thing." Once one side began to act, the others would act too.
Starrk remembered that the God of Death had cultivated the Nergal civilization in Hueco Mundo, but Orochi intervened quickly and ultimately destroyed Nergal civilization.
When other gods acted, the remaining gods would respond.
That meant once one god found "that thing," a battle to seize it would immediately begin!
Then it would come down to which side was stronger.
The God of Death built the Tower of Death and gathered the strongest from the three worlds.
And the Great Orochi came looking for it too…
Were there other humans or gods among them?
Starrk felt conflicted, but for Lilynette's sake he decided to get involved.
"Fine. I agree."
"The entrance to the Tower of Death is easy to find. It's in the direction the Shinigami who came with you went. As for escaping… I'll help."
"When you find Lilynette and hold her hand, I'll send you out naturally."
"…Understood." Starrk nodded and watched Chris turn around and walk toward the surrounding ring. Taking a step, he re-entered the mural.
Starrk looked and saw that Chris inside the mural seemed to be watching him.
"We're leaving."
Starrk said to Angra.
Angra didn't care. "Go ahead. I still have to figure out how to defeat Chris."
Starrk nodded. The next moment, he vanished from the golden altar.
Suddenly the world changed. After walking only two or three meters, the golden altar disappeared and he reappeared in the underground passage.
Looking back, the space in front of him was still distorted—rather, it looked like multiple spaces overlapped.
It was awe-inspiring. Especially because Starrk had fought Chris before; he was even more amazed by their power.
Chris was a messenger of the Orochi. If even a mere messenger was that strong, how strong was the "god" they spoke of?
Starrk didn't want to be involved—but now he had no choice.
Having steeled himself, Starrk quickly retraced his steps and soon reached the fork in the path.
Without hesitation, he headed straight in the direction Yoshio—the Shinigami's route—had entered!
A terrifying force permeated the area, but much of it was neutralized, and it didn't affect Starrk.
After leaving the golden altar, Starrk's wounds finally began to heal.
The missing half of his leg and his entire right arm returned, but his gun still did not.
In theory, the second release was similar to a Shinigami's Bankai. A zanpakutō damaged in Bankai cannot be repaired.
But Hollows were different. They were all directly connected to their zanpakutō; it could be said the zanpakutō was an incarnation of their soul!
This resembled Komamura Sajin's Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō: because the Bankai was directly linked to the user, even if it was damaged it could be repaired!
However, it wouldn't recover immediately.
Repairing a zanpakutō took much longer than repairing arms and legs.
At least, by the time Starrk met Yoshio again, his zanpakutō still wasn't repaired!
…
At this moment, Yoshio seemed trapped somewhere.
He sat cross-legged with his hands on his knees. In front of him was a massive door emitting some kind of force.
"Yoshio…"
Starrk walked over and frowned at the sight.
Yoshio opened his eyes and looked at Starrk, then said in a low voice, "Do you know where Lilynette is now?"
"Yes." Starrk nodded. "She should be inside this door."
"Figured." Yoshio said quietly. "After coming here, I was drawn by a certain force. At the same time, I was drawn by a powerful force of death."
Even without Yoshio saying it, Starrk could feel it.
A powerful force of death emanated from Yoshio—far stronger than Barragan's death power!
That force pinned the door in place, as if embodying the will the door conveyed:
If you don't enter, you'll die!
"Not all the Hollows in the Nergal ruins are dead. At least some must have entered through this door. We don't know what will happen inside," Yoshio said.
"If we enter, we may not be able to escape."
Starrk nodded. That was true.
Then Chris's voice was heard again—rather, it echoed directly in Starrk's mind.
Starrk immediately asked, "Yoshio, can you still hold on?"
"…How?"
"We have to go in and bring Lilynette out, but during that time, we have to keep this door open."
Chris said, "To leave the Tower of Death, the door must be open."
In other words, once they entered, Yoshio had to hold the door open so they could escape together with Lilynette.
After Starrk explained the situation, Yoshio answered immediately: "Of course. I'll hold on until you return."
"Thank you!" Starrk thanked Yoshio from the bottom of his heart!
Yoshio noticed Starrk's affection rising!
Amazing—improved to 90!
Finally reached level 90. But Yoshio needed to stabilize at level 90. That wasn't difficult; he just had to maintain a friendly aura.
Under the effect of "Friendly Aura," future favorability would increase more easily!
My actions were definitely correct!
Moreover, Lilynette's soul also fluctuated, indicating changes in her abilities were imminent. This time, it directly raised both of their favorability, so it was truly good.
Of course, Starrk had no idea what Yoshio was thinking. He only felt heartfelt gratitude—because Yoshio's power was extraordinary.
For Yoshio, enduring this force was by no means easy.
So Starrk had to move quickly—bring Lilynette out as fast as possible!
Without hesitation, he immediately stepped into the Tower of Death!
In an instant, the world spun and everything before him changed.
An ancient, dark palace appeared—rather, he appeared inside it.
Before him stood fantastical yet alien creatures.
The monsters wore masks on their faces, radiating an extremely evil aura—like the power of annihilation.
So this is the Tower of Death?
Starrk didn't want to deal with these monsters any further, so he immediately fired a Cero.
He no longer had his zanpakutō, but he could still use Cero. It was normal for Hollows to use Cero even without a zanpakutō.
With that, the monster was instantly killed!
Boom!
At that moment, the remaining monsters swarmed. Starrk clenched his right hand, and the next instant a spiritual blade appeared.
He slashed horizontally. In an instant he passed through their bodies, and at that moment their bodies split apart!
One Cero, one slash—he wiped out every monster on this floor!
Starrk immediately looked up to the next level.
It was a tower; if Lilynette wasn't on the first floor, then she had to be higher!
Starrk sprinted upward at once!
…
Currently: Floor 3
Lilynette and Rukia are fighting Ashido.
Lilynette recognized Ashido at once, but Ashido had completely forgotten Lilynette.
After all, too much time had passed for Ashido.
But for Lilynette, it had only been a few days.
Yet after only a few days, Ashido seemed completely transformed!
Before, Lilynette could suppress Ashido easily with Cero—but now Ashido blocked Cero effortlessly!
"Damn it! Are you being controlled?"
Lilynette was deeply confused. Even if three days apart meant you should see someone in a new light, this change was far too dramatic.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"
In that instant, Rukia swung her sword. A faint, translucent light shimmered; each crystal seemed to carry an aura of extreme cold.
But with swift movement, Ashido evaded Rukia's attack.
Unlike the other monsters—mere toys Yoshio made at random—Ashido was a genuine "guardian of the third level," and currently the only guardian of the Tree of Life.
That meant when he was here, he also harmonized with the power of "Honor."
Though the time was short, the moment they fused, Ashido was granted the possibility of surpassing Shinigami.
That significantly boosted his current strength.
Of course, further progress would not be so fast. To gradually increase power and ultimately become a true "angel" would take an extremely long time.
Thus, in just a few days, Ashido became far stronger and no longer feared Lilynette, who had once suppressed him.
"I'm not being controlled. Rather… I belong here," Ashido told Lilynette.
That wasn't nonsense. Yoshio had invited him here precisely because he suited the sacred "Honor" rank.
For the honor of being a Shinigami, he had remained alone in Hueco Mundo for centuries. Without strong will, how could that be possible?
In a world full of enemies, with no one to confide in, doing monotonous, boring work every day—yet in the end, without resentment, never thinking of returning to Soul Society.
Such a person must hold deep reverence for death.
Therefore, he suited this level quite well, and could feel it himself.
He knew nothing about the Tree of Life, yet instinctively felt this was where he should be.
And…
After long years, his memories of the outside world had become very vague; he no longer felt attachment to it.
In Hueco Mundo… there didn't seem to be a difference between here and there. At least here, there was still a "Number 4" who could communicate and exchange with him.
Rukia had never heard Hitsugaya talk about Ashido, so she didn't know he existed. But from their encounter, it was clear Ashido was a Shinigami.
At that moment, she couldn't help asking, "Was this tower built by the Death? Or by you?"
After speaking, she realized her question was a bit foolish. This was only the third level, and there were clearly higher levels beyond it.
If he built it, why would he be on such a low floor?
Besides, Rukia knew that even if Ashido was powerful, he wasn't powerful enough to kidnap her directly from Soul Society.
So he couldn't be the mastermind behind it all!
"Shinigami and God of Death—those two are different," Ashido said quietly. "Shinigami are gods who maintain balance. The God of Death is the god who puts an end to all things."
"God of Death…"
Rukia paused.
A God of Death? What kind of god was that?
Soul Society had no mainstream gods. Even the Soul King wasn't treated as a god to worship, but as a noble king.
There were some priestly lineages, but they weren't officially recognized in Soul Society.
Some lineages practiced ancestor worship—for example, the Kuchiki clan had land dedicated to ancestor veneration, but that was mainly for worshipping clan ancestors.
Thus, even as a member of the Kuchiki clan, Rukia had never heard of a "God of Death" in Soul Society.
Worship death as a god—wasn't that too arrogant?
After all, in Soul Society, death belonged to Shinigami—the death gods…
Wouldn't that be them?
So what was this?
And what was the Soul King?
…