The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

If Erlang and the others had only looked on with envy before, now it was pure jealousy. Looking at Bai, who still looked a little confused, his face was filled with the words "I want to take his place." Even the most timid big rabbit was breathing heavily with jealousy.

Although Bai couldn't fully understand what Gu Shi was saying, she could tell from everyone's expressions that she must have indeed gained an incredible ability. So, while sprinting at full speed, she nodded repeatedly with a bright smile.

"Wow! That sounds amazing! If I become super, super powerful, I won't have to worry about anyone bullying me anymore, right? I'm so motivated now! I've decided! I'm going to keep running, and I'll never stop as long as I'm alive!"

Bai's statement sounded very enthusiastic, but no matter how Gu Shi listened, he felt that the child only said it because he thought he wanted to hear it and didn't want to disappoint him. In fact, he didn't really care about things like "powerful" or "limitless potential".

It makes sense when you think about it. Bai looks to be only a little over ten years old. At that age, no matter how sensible he is, he probably wouldn't have a clear understanding of power and wealth, nor would he have a strong desire to pursue the forces that support power and wealth.

Just like when Gu Shisheng was about ten years old, his mother told him every day to study hard so that he could make a lot of money and live a better life in the future, but he did not actually pursue academic excellence because of this.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Shi decided to rephrase it.

"Bai, do you know? The world we live in is not unique. Every star we see when we look up at night is a sun that is incredibly far away from us. And near those suns, there are other 'worlds'. I plan to explore those worlds in the future."

"However, the starry sky is extremely dangerous. Ordinary people who enter the starry sky will definitely die immediately, and even if they don't die, they will be frozen into ice blocks and unable to move at all. Therefore, when I leave, I will only take those who are strong enough to survive in the starry sky with me..."

Before Gu Shi could finish speaking, Bai immediately interrupted him excitedly, expressing his determination at the top of his lungs with far greater enthusiasm than before.

"I will become stronger! I will become incredibly strong! When you leave, Uncle Gu Shi, I will definitely be able to go with you!"

Seeing this, Gu Shi nodded in satisfaction and gave the excited little girl a thumbs up.

"That's right, that's the spirit I'm looking for! The starry sky is very lonely, and I want to travel with my family and friends as much as possible, making it a lively journey. Bai, as long as you're strong enough to protect yourself in the starry sky, you'll definitely have a place by my side!"

Chapter 109 Zanpakuto?

"Gu Shi, are there really other worlds in the starry sky?"

Erlang knew that Gu Shi had set his sights on the starry sky, Tianpeng knew, and even the big rabbit had overheard it while hiding underground. Only Asiduo knew nothing about it. After the little girl ran off happily, he couldn't help but ask Gu Shi in a low voice.

“Of course it’s true, Ashido. The starry sky is incredibly vast. In such a broad concept, the world we live in is so small that it’s not even as small as a speck of dust. Do you really think that only the land beneath our feet can give birth to life in such a vast area? Such a thought is far too arrogant.”

Gu Shi answered Asido's question frankly. He never intended to hide his goals. The reason he hadn't invited Asido before was simply because he understood that Asido's greatest goal and belief in this life was to fight against the illusory beings and protect ordinary people living in the present world.

With such a goal in mind, even if Asido becomes powerful in the future, it is unlikely that he will abandon those ordinary people to explore the starry sky with him. Therefore, inviting him would be a waste of breath and there is no need to go to the trouble.

"Arrogance, is that it?"

Asido pondered Gu Shi's words carefully, and after a long while, he asked a new question.

"Then, are there humans in those worlds too?"

"I can't be sure about that, maybe..."

Before Gu Shi could finish his reply, he saw Asido's eyes suddenly roll back and he collapsed with a thud. Immediately afterward, Gu Shi felt a terrifying pressure enveloping him from below, his consciousness slowed down, and his body became incredibly heavy, as if he too was about to lose control and fall to the ground.

Not far away, Bai, who was sprinting at full speed, immediately collapsed to the ground and lost all life in an instant. Fortunately, the effect of Fullbring was still effective, and she quickly revived and returned. She got up and looked around blankly, seemingly not understanding how she had suddenly died.

"Gu Shi, this...it's that guy again, isn't it?"

Jiro, standing beside him, supported himself on his knees with both hands, his body swaying as he struggled to stay upright. His voice seemed to be stuck as he asked the question with difficulty.

"Yes, it should be him."

Gu Shi's answer was equally difficult. This terrifying sense of oppression, which seemed to envelop the entire world, clearly came from Stark, the strongest in Hueco Mundo.

Even after traversing a long distance equivalent to the height of the Hollow Forest dome and being blocked by the massive white sand of the surface desert, the pressure brought by Stark's spiritual pressure on everyone still made them feel so powerless.

[It seems that the slight spiritual pressure in Stark's voice back then was truly the result of his best efforts to conceal it. I was able to escape then, but now I can't even move an inch.]

[Thankfully, we've been moved to the surface desert. It seems their spiritual pressure gets out of control when they transform into Arrancar. The Forest of Menreiki is probably littered with corpses by now.]

[I wonder how things are going with Batman. He's clearly skipped the Killian stage and is evolving directly towards a higher level. He won't be able to escape even if he wanted to until he completes that evolution. Hopefully, the place where Stark became an Arrancar is some distance away from Batman.]

Even though Stark's spiritual pressure made Gu Shi's thinking increasingly sluggish, his mind still couldn't stop, constantly thinking about all sorts of things.

As he was thinking, the suffocating spiritual pressure suddenly surged back rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, the world before him became clear again. Gu Shi, like someone who had been drowning and had finally been rescued, subconsciously began to gasp for air.

Beside him, the large rabbit, who had already fallen to the ground, was filled with the relief of escaping death. He gasped for breath and shouted out his innermost thoughts.

"He's alive! He's back to life!"

"Uncle, are you alright? What happened just now? You both look like you're in a lot of pain."

Bai, the only one oblivious to the situation, moved closer to Gu Shi, her small face filled with worry as she braved the strong wind from Gu Shi's heavy breathing.

The moment Stark's spiritual pressure descended, the little girl died once before she even had a chance to feel the pain due to the huge difference in power. After being resurrected, she immediately became immune to the pressure of spiritual pressure, so she was completely unable to understand the pain of Gu Shi and the others.

Seeing Bai's concerned gaze, Gu Shi could only manage a wry smile, unsure how to react. He took a few deep breaths before finally calming himself down.

"I'm fine, go check on Asido."

The weakest of them all, Ashido, is still asleep, lying motionless on the ground. Gu Shi is a little worried that he might have been crushed to death by the spiritual pressure.

"Uncle Asido is alright. I just checked on him, and he should wake up in a little while."

Gu Shi and the others were still able to stand, but Axido had fallen. The little girl's first concern was, of course, Axido's condition. To prevent Axido from suffocating in the sand after falling face down, Bai thoughtfully turned him over.

However, while Bai was doing these things, Gu Shi and the others were in terrible condition and didn't notice her actions at all.

Gu Shi finally relaxed completely. Since even Ashido was alright, then this crisis could be considered a perfect victory. Everyone survived without any casualties. As long as they waited a while longer until Stark, who had completed his Arrancar mission, left, they should be able to return to the Forest of Menos.

However, with Stark's spiritual pressure pressing down like that, a huge blank patch of land has definitely appeared in the Hollow Forest beneath their feet. To find a place with a large number of Kyrians where they can hunt freely, they'll probably have to migrate a considerable distance.

Oh, and I also need to go back to the bats' area to check if they've survived.

As Gu Shi was planning for the future, a girl's voice, full of innocence and vitality yet seemingly suppressing some restless emotions, suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Huh, is this our benefactor? He looks quite ordinary."

A chill ran through him instantly, and Gu Shi instinctively wanted to throw a feint backward, but he suppressed the urge to retaliate the moment his spiritual energy gathered.

The voice was already close at hand, but he couldn't feel any spiritual pressure. An enemy of this level was definitely not someone he could deal with. A rash counterattack would only provoke the opponent and would be pointless.

Somewhat stiff, Gu Shi turned his head and looked behind him.

Before my eyes, I saw two figures, one large and one small, covered in tattered fur, standing at eye level with me, staring at me.

The shorter one appears to be a girl with short, light green hair that reaches her neck. She wears a white bone armor plate on her head that resembles a bull's horn helmet. The right horn is smooth and long, while the left horn is broken off at the root.

The taller one was a middle-aged man with long brown hair that fell over his shoulders. There were no bone fragments left on his face, only a pale jawbone ring around his neck that looked like a necklace.

In an instant, Gu Shi confirmed the identities of the two: the future First Espada Stark, and Lilynette, a "soulmate" split from his soul.

Although Lilynette looked slightly different from how she appeared in the comics before her death—the bone fragment that should have covered her left eye was gone, and there were no remaining bones on her face—these were minor details. What truly concerned Gu Shi was—

Why are both of them wearing Zanpakuto at their waists?

Chapter 110 Friend Candidate

It seems natural that Arrancar possess Zanpakuto, since the definition of an Arrancar is that a Hollow has broken the boundary between himself and a Shinigami and has mastered the power of a Shinigami.

Even the Arrancar, who was killed by the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki's father in the story and didn't even have a rough human form, with his mask completely intact and only a degraded half-finished product, still had a huge Zanpakuto.

As a Hollow who becomes an Arrancar, it seems that he should rightfully receive the Zanpakuto that originally belonged to the Shinigami.

However, among these many Arrancar, there are two anomalies who do not have Zanpakuto.

One of them is Stark, the first Espada. Although he also carries a sword in the story, it is mostly a replica made for him by Aizen. His real Zanpakuto is actually Lilynette, which he split off when he became an Arrancar.

Another outlier is Lilynette. Although she can pull a curved sword from the broken horn on her head during battle, the sword cannot be released and cannot be considered a Zanpakuto.

But now, Stark and Lilynette, who were standing in front of Gu Shi, each had a long sword that was still sheathed at their waists.

At this point in time, it's hard to say whether Aizen has even entered the Shinigami Academy, but no one would come to Hueco Mundo to forge swords for Stark and the others. The longswords they carry can only be Zanpakuto that are automatically generated when they become Arrancar.

But...why?

Gu Shi was filled with confusion. Could it be that the difference between having a Zanpakuto in the form of a "blade" is the difference between autonomously breaking through and using the Hogyoku to break through?

But isn't Ulquiorra also an Arrancar who acts independently? He not only possesses a Zanpakuto that can be released, but he can even perform a second release. So, the difference shouldn't lie in being an Arrancar who acts independently.

Are there other influencing factors?

Gu Shi was filled with doubt, but he did not forget the two broken-faced people in front of him. Seeing that they did not seem to have any ill intentions, he took the initiative to raise his hand and greet them.

"Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Gu Shi, the Hollow who provided the blue crystal formula. It seems you're the owner of that voice from before? Congratulations on becoming an Arrancar. And who is this cute little girl beside you?"

“...My name is Koyatai Stark, and this is Lilynette, my...partner.”

A century of living alone seemed to have severely degraded Stark's communication skills. He remained silent for several seconds before organizing his thoughts and responding to Gu Shi's words.

In stark contrast to the lifeless Stark was Lilynette beside him. This girl, who was probably less than an hour old, was bursting with energy. Her eyes lit up immediately when Gu Shi called her cute.

Forcefully freeing herself from Stark's hand on her head, Lilynette scrambled up his body like a tree, her small body perched on his left shoulder. Her slender legs were raised and straightened, and she lightly touched her cheek with one hand, striking a pose that she thought was charming, but which others found clumsy and adorable.

"Hey hey! This is the super cute Lilynette! Gu Shi, you have great taste! Come on, praise me some more!"

The Hollows don't understand humility or tact. If they want something, they'll get it using the simplest and most brutal methods. Lilyne, who wanted praise, didn't say "I'll kill you if you don't praise me," which is considered kind to the point of being harmless among the Hollows.

A few words of praise were no problem for Gu Shi, and besides, Lilynette was indeed adorable. So he went on to praise Lilynette from head to toe, from her appearance to her personality, and offered sincere advice on her future clothing and style before finally stopping, still feeling a bit unsatisfied.

As a child who was less than an hour old, even though Lilynette had inherited some basic common sense from Stark and had a certain "maturity" beyond her years, she was still blushed and somewhat dazed by Gu Shi's praise. She couldn't even maintain her balance and was swaying precariously on Stark's shoulders.

Stark, who was being used as a pedestal to showcase Lilynette's "charm," quietly helped her sit up straight, and his gaze toward Gu Shi was now full of friendliness compared to a moment ago.

Lilynette is Stark's only companion, his other half, and the person he cares about most. When Lilynette is happy, Stark is happy too.

Just moments ago, in Stark's eyes, Gu Shi was merely a benefactor who provided the blue crystal formula. Apart from fulfilling his initial promise to help Gu Shi evolve into a Vasto Lorde, the two had no further connection.

But now, in Stark's eyes, Gu Shi can already be considered a potential friend.

The reason he is a "substitute" is simply because in Stark's mind, to become his friend and stand shoulder to shoulder with him, one must have great strength. He cannot simply stretch or yawn and accidentally reveal a little spiritual pressure, causing the other party to be crushed to death.

If Gu Shi were strong enough, he could probably become Stark's friend on the spot.

"Thank you."

After thanking Gu Shi for praising Lilynette, Stark began to press for details about the word that had been bothering him.

What does "broken face" mean?

Gu Shi had already prepared his explanation the moment he saw Stark, so when asked, he immediately gave an explanation without any hesitation.

"The term 'Arrancar' is one I coined. In my view, both Hollows and Shinigami are just one aspect of the soul. They should have something in common, but there is a certain barrier between them, which makes Hollows and Shinigami seem like two opposing groups."

"In my mind, as long as this barrier can be broken, the Hollows and the Shinigami should be able to obtain each other's power. The term 'Arrancar' is what I call the Hollows who break the barrier."

Upon hearing this, Stark carefully sensed the spiritual power within his body, gripped the Zanpakuto at his waist, and nodded slightly in agreement.

"Your idea is correct. My current power does indeed contain some characteristics of the Grim Reaper."

"That's really good news. Although it might sound like I'm taking advantage of your kindness, I still want to ask you, could you describe in detail the process of becoming an Arrancar?"