Chapter 2 Cautious
Over the next two days, Sombravida carefully circled the outer perimeter of the jungle, moving with extreme caution as he familiarized himself with the terrain beyond the forest's borders.
The jungle itself was not particularly vast—only several kilometers in radius. In Hueco Mundo, especially in its lower strata, such fragmented ecosystems were common. They were typically occupied by low-tier Hollows that survived by scavenging, ambushing, or preying on one another in endless cycles of consumption.
Yet those two days were not spent slowly out of inexperience.
Rather, it was because within just a few hundred meters of the jungle's edge, Sombravida had scarcely encountered a single Hollow he could confidently label as weak.
The few that did appear were massive, malformed Hollows with oppressive spiritual pressure—far beyond what Sombravida was willing to confront. Fortunately, those Hollows either ignored the forest entirely or had already entered it, never once detecting Sombravida's presence.
During that time, Sombravida also observed more than a dozen grotesquely shaped Hollows passing through the area. Some clashed briefly before disappearing into the jungle, their howls and bursts of Reiatsu echoing faintly through the dead-white landscape.
Sombravida did not move to exploit those battles.
His purpose was not to gamble on scavenger victories, nor to steal kills. Right now, his priority was simple and absolute: determine his own limits.
And judging by the last two days, Sombravida had clearly overestimated himself.
After transmigrating into this world, he had received no system, no external guidance, no sudden surge of power. There were no so-called "cheat abilities." What he possessed—all he possessed—was instinct, restraint, and the will to survive.
If his judgment was correct, then at this moment, he might truly be among the weakest beings in all of Hueco Mundo.
Another day passed.
At last, Sombravida found his opportunity amid a cluster of half-buried ruins—remnants of structures long eroded by the shifting sands. Perched atop a dead, petrified tree was a Hollow resembling a massive lizard.
Sombravida remained motionless for a long time, suppressing his Reiatsu as he observed it.
The creature showed no sign of intelligence. Its movements were mechanical, repetitive—driven purely by instinct. This was likely a basic Beast-type Hollow, one that had never progressed beyond its most primitive state.
It measured just under a meter in length.
That size alone was enough for Sombravida to make a decision.
After confirming that no other Hollows lingered nearby, Sombravida lowered his body and began to approach from behind, each step measured, silent.
"If it's something like this…" Sombravida thought, tightening his claws.
"…I should be able to handle it."
One step.
Two.
Just as he closed the distance—
The lizard Hollow snapped its head around.
A faint but unmistakable surge of Reiatsu burst outward.
Sombravida froze for an instant—then charged.
That single exchange of spiritual pressure told him everything he needed to know. The Hollow's Reiatsu was weaker than his own—unstable, shallow, barely cohesive.
No hesitation.
Sombravida stepped in, angling to the creature's flank, his left arm pulling back for a strike—
—but the Hollow opened its mouth.
A jet of black, viscous fluid erupted outward, infused with corrosive spiritual energy.
Sombravida reacted instantly.
Pushing off the sand, he shifted sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding the attack. Using the momentum, he pivoted on his left foot, his body twisting as his right arm swept forward.
His bladed claw tore through the air.
Pfft—!!
The Hollow, along with the dead tree beneath it, was cleaved apart in a single motion.
Five pieces fell to the ground.
The severed head writhed violently, crimson fluid splattering across the pale sand as its body spasmed in reflexive agony. After several dozen seconds, the movements finally ceased.
Silence returned.
"…Haa." Sombravida exhaled slowly.
"I didn't expect even a bottom-tier Hollow to have a ranged attack."
His gaze shifted to the black liquid that had narrowly missed him. Where it splashed against the white sand, it hissed violently, eating into the surface.
Sombravida cautiously dipped the tip of his claw into it.
White smoke rose instantly.
He pulled back at once, wiping the residue into the sand and shaking his hand before approaching the corpse.
Kneeling, Sombravida examined the remains carefully.
"In the anime and manga…" he muttered, "…Hollows killed by a Shinigami's Zanpakutō disperse immediately into Reishi."
But this corpse remained.
"Which means Hollows killed by other Hollows don't instantly break down. So it really is the Zanpakutō's purification effect."
His eyes drifted to the portion of the body still connected to the mask.
Sombravida swallowed.
For days now, he had consumed nothing.
As spiritual beings, Hollows required enormous amounts of energy to sustain their existence. That energy came from souls—from spiritually active lifeforms—or from devouring their own kind.
Sombravida knew this.
Yet staring at the mutilated remains, slick with unknown red fluid, his stomach twisted.
Time passed.
One by one, the other fragments began dissolving into spiritual particles, scattering into the air like pale embers. Only the portion connected to the mask remained intact.
"…Tch."
Sombravida clicked his tongue.
"If I can't handle it, I'll just spit it out."
With visible reluctance, he opened his mouth and bit down.
Hiss.
There was no resistance.
The flesh yielded instantly, dissolving almost the moment it entered his mouth. It didn't feel like biting into meat at all—more like sinking into softened mist.
The moment it passed his throat, it transformed completely into raw spiritual energy, flowing through his body in a warm current.
There was no taste.
Only heat.
Still, the act itself sent chills crawling up Sombravida's spine.
But he didn't stop.
Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to continue, tearing into the remains until warmth spread through his limbs and core alike. Eventually, only the head and mask were left.
The instant Sombravida tore the mask free—
The head disintegrated, dissolving entirely into Reishi.
Only the stark white mask remained in his hands.
Sombravida stared at it, realization dawning.
"…So most of a Hollow's power is concentrated in the mask."
Even after devouring nearly the entire body, the spiritual gain paled in comparison to what radiated from the mask alone.
Primitive Hollows devoured everything indiscriminately, guided by instinct alone. Sombravida, possessing reason, noted the inefficiency—but that thought was irrelevant now.
He opened his mouth and bit down.
The mask shattered into a torrent of dense spiritual particles.
The sensation was overwhelming.
Warmth surged through him, deeper and richer than before, to the point where Sombravida nearly cried out.
As the last of the energy settled, Sombravida straightened slowly.
"…Never again," he muttered, voice hoarse.
"Unless I'm absolutely forced to… I'm never biting into Hollow flesh again."