Death God: Sunny and Cheerful Boy

But the three of them did get along very well, and during those hundreds of years, Stark and Lilinette often went to see "Lin".

Therefore, Yilong can roughly guess Stark's situation...

If Yilong himself was able to "tame his own side as a hollow and allow the power of death to be born from within" because he "restrained the chaotic emotions of the hollow in all aspects", then Stark accidentally "tamed" the power of the hollow by relying on an overly strong emotion that a "hollow" should never have, and this emotion is - sharing!

It was precisely because he hated "loneliness", an emotion that Hollows should be very adaptable to, that he had a strong desire to "share", so he completed the "taming" and, when he became an [Arrancar], he also completed the "sharing".

Another person in a similar situation, Pikaro, was also highly expected by Yilong, but unfortunately...

Picaro not only shares himself, but also truly shares it with many individual consciousnesses. As a virtual being, "it" has too many consciousnesses, which actually increases the difficulty of "taming" it.

"Long time no see. This time I will stay in Hueco Mundo for a month. How about we get together tomorrow?" Yilong was very restrained and not enthusiastic, which was also the standard that Stark liked.

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Stark seemed somewhat relieved. It was really difficult for him to act like he was meeting an old friend.

After Stark's extreme "self-sharing" to the point where even the concept of "self" was shared, his desire for "sharing" was exhausted, making him very withdrawn again.

Even though he is no longer unable to get close to other people due to his inability to control his powerful spiritual pressure, he no longer craves to communicate with other individuals as much as before.

Lilynette is actually the same. Even though she mocks Stark, what Stark is doing is actually what she means. She is just responsible for easing the atmosphere. These two people are in the social phobia state of "being lonely in pairs"...

As for the other [Espada], Stark and Lilinette, they just enjoyed the feeling of "being among them" and didn't make friends with anyone.

He just doesn't like "loneliness", but his desire to "share" has been exhausted, and what's left is... he likes to be in the crowd.

However, they are still on good terms with "Lin". To Yilong, they are like two "very lonely friends who have their own cliques".

Yilong greeted Stark and Lilinette, then passed by indifferently, as if they were not very familiar with each other, yet somewhat familiar with each other, which made Stark and Lilinette very happy.

(End of this chapter)

121. Chapter 121 Strength

121.

2023-09-07

The appearance of Stark and the other two distracted Grimmjow from provoking him. Stark and Lilinette even looked at him expectantly...

Grimmjow also knew that if he forcibly provoked Lin at this time, Stark would definitely teach him a lesson - if he could use teaching Grimmjow a lesson to express the feelings of reuniting with an old friend that he could not express, both Stark and Lilinette would be very happy!

But Grimmjow obviously didn't want to give them this opportunity...

Ulquiorra also broke free of Yammy by this time and chased after his teacher, only to nod when he saw Stark and Grimmjow.

This indifferent, yet not completely ignoring attitude made Stark feel just right - polite yet not polite, not bad...

But it made Grimmjow feel unhappy - does this guy look down on me?

Ulquiorra ignored Grimmjow's thoughts and caught up with the teacher. He happened to see Harribel...

Yilong was chatting with Harribel, who was only wearing half of her clothes. To Harribel, Yilong could be said to be a mentor and friend. Although she was usually taciturn, when facing "Lin", she would not be as inarticulate as Stark. In order to express her importance, she even unzipped the collar that usually covered her mouth.

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Yilong asked without hesitation: "By the way, why did you come to Xuye Palace? There is nothing about Aizen that can attract you, right?"

You know, Harribel has already "self-Hunmin"!

The other "self-Arrancar" who joined the Kyonyakū camp were either Ichiryu's students or introduced by Ichiryu to "join in the fun."

Harribel also admitted: "It's Mira and Sunsun..." and shook her head helplessly.

Yilong also knew the names that Harribel mentioned - they were her three good friends.

The reason why Harribel left Lin's lecture was because a friend had something to do.

When he heard her mention these two names, Yilong could basically guess the cause and effect.

It is likely that Harribel is Zhao Gongming of Hueco Mundo this time, and was completely dragged into this by her friends. She was probably worried about her friends who joined Hueco Mundo, so she came to claim a position - and it just so happened that there was a vacant No. 5 [Espada]!

"Lord Aizen said he wanted to see me. I'll excuse myself now. I'll go to Nellielu's place later and have a chat with Mr. Lin." Compared to Xiao Wu, Harribel's "Lord Aizen" was much more perfunctory. She also asked about Yilong's current residence just now.

Because he had been away from Xuye Palace for a long time, although No.0 had his own palace, he had never lived in it and it was completely empty.

After Harribel left, Xiao Wu saw the teacher turn his head and "look", so he said: "Harribel should directly take over the No. 5 ranking, and Grimmjow will probably get beaten once."

Well, if Harribel directly becomes the No.5 [Espada], both Grimmjow and Yammy will be unhappy, but Xiaowu speculates that only Grimmjow will directly challenge.

Likewise, according to Xiao Wu's assessment, Harribel is much stronger than Grimmjow, and the outcome between the two, even if it's not a crushing victory, is certainly not suspenseful.

After Harribel joined, it basically meant that the [Espada] were completely divided into the upper five and the lower five. Even if Yammy was at full strength, he could only be comparable to No. 6 Aaronilo and could not shake the top five.

(Aronil's strength is mentioned above, the reason will be explained later.)

"Teacher, who do you think is stronger, me or Harribel?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

This was different from Ulquiorra’s “indifference” when Ichiryu praised him as “stronger than Nel” before - Ichiryu understood that with his personality, since he asked, it meant he cared.

In fact, Ulquiorra did care about strength, but... he always thought that he was stronger than Nellie, so naturally he didn't act like he cared when the teacher said that.

"It's hard to say, it depends on your performance... In fact, if the three of you really fight, the outcome is not certain. But I think if you and Harribel face off, she will have a better chance of winning..." Yilong said objectively.

Xiao Wu did not show any dissatisfaction with the teacher's evaluation, but just nodded.

At this moment, Yilong "looked" at him again and added: "Unless you can completely perfect the Second Stage of Returning to the Blade, you can be evenly matched with Harribel."

Xiao Wu, who had been very calm until now, suddenly panicked. A trace of embarrassment flashed across his face, as if a child whose secret had been revealed, but he immediately concealed it.

Ulquiorra didn't expect that even though he only had a slight clue and had started to develop it, the teacher had already seen through it!

"Teacher, I..." Ulquiorra's tone was not as calm as before, but a little embarrassed, but he didn't say it out loud.

"No, I'm not blaming you. If you feel this is important to you, then go ahead and do it." Yilong comforted him instead.

That’s right, Yilong noticed the change in Xiaowu’s power.

And this so-called [Two-stage Return to the Blade] actually has some implications of utilizing the "power of emptiness" at a deeper level.

This is undoubtedly contrary to the teacher's usual teachings, so Ulquiorra did not dare to ask the teacher for advice before.

“I think you are not seeking temporary power, but a greater degree of fusion and absorption with the power of emptiness… maybe that will be a way to reach the realm-breaking level, but you have to work hard on this aspect.” Yilong said, patting Xiao Wu’s shoulder, which made him completely relieved.

At the same time, Ulquiorra was also a little surprised and asked, "Harribel is so strong? If I complete this [Second Stage Blade], can I only win or lose half of the time?"

This name also appeared for the first time, but Ulquiorra directly accepted it.

“Don’t be too arrogant. Even if it reaches your current expectations, it doesn’t mean it will be stronger than ordinary [Return Blade]... Even Nilu will not definitely lose to you, and Stark is even better than you.” Yilong also taught him a lesson.

Compared to Aizen and old man Yamamoto, Stark only loses in terms of ability...

At the "extreme" level, Stark's ability is the weakest. To use an analogy from modern video games, Stark is a very early stage character, while Yamamoto is undoubtedly in the very late stage, and Aizen is a slightly supermodel jack of all trades - and now the levels of the three are absolutely in the "very late stage".

Of course, no matter how Nel, Xiao Wu, and Haribel are ranked in terms of strength, the three of them will have no objection to the current ranking, so they don't have to worry about who is No. 3 and who is No. 5.

"Then...what about the teacher?" Xiao Wu's tone was calm at this time, but he was actually a little nervous - mainly out of respect for the teacher, this question was asked bravely, and then he added: "How does he compare to Master Aizen?"

Ichiryuu was stunned when he heard that, then he laughed and said, "Hahaha, Xiaowu...you think the teacher is too strong. In fact, if we really fight in the [Arrancar] state, the teacher is not stronger than Nel and you. After all, the teacher is only an Achukas."

"Teacher, if one can self-Henma, then even if the mask has been damaged, it should be able to evolve, right?" Xiao Wu couldn't help but ask - he never understood why the teacher was still Achukas.

"Generally speaking, this is the case..." Yilong didn't say much at this time.

Seeing this, Xiaowu did not ask any more questions. At the same time, as he had been with his teacher for a long time, he also understood the teacher's subtext - "If you fight in the [Arrancar] state", that is to say, there are other states...

At the same time, inside the throne room, Tosen Kaname was also asking Aizen, "Lord Aizen, there are probably more than two obstacles in Soul Society, right?"

A tuft of hair fell from Aizen's forehead at this moment, and he smiled wickedly and arrogantly and said, "Indeed, it is actually two and a half... but that half will not be a real obstacle after all."

What Tosen wanted to remind Aizen about was naturally Shihoin Ichiryu, and what Aizen was talking about was indeed Shihoin Ichiryu!

Unlike Ulquiorra and Tosen Kaname, even though they have known Yilong for a long time, they are still confused about his strength.

Aizen really didn't dare to say that he fully understood Ichiryu. After all, most of his life trajectory was not in Soul Society, and the Great Spirit Book Corridor would not record it.

However...Aizen can at least be sure that although Ichiryu is mysterious, he has obvious weaknesses - his spiritual pressure will definitely not reach the "extreme". For some reason, not only can he not evolve into "Vastold", but his spiritual pressure ceiling is also lower.

Whether or not he reaches the "extreme", the difference in combat power that can be exerted is huge. Moreover, with such spiritual pressure, no matter how many methods he has, he cannot change the fact that he will be affected by [Mirror Flower Water Moon]...

(End of this chapter)

122. Chapter 122 Old Grudge

122.

2023-09-07

After Ichilong returned to the palace of Nel No.3 Espada, Harribel came to visit again not long after.

Upon learning that Harribel had also become an Espada, Nel was very happy and generously offered to give her the No. 4 position...

Like Nel, Harribel is the type who values ​​"friends".

The next day, Stark also came over and even had a few drinks with Yilong - drinking with "Stark" can't be considered drinking with a man, because... Stark is a "man + woman" combination.

Although Stark was also idling in his own palace, but since they had agreed to meet up the next day, he would definitely come the next day, and... even if Stark was dazed every day, he still liked to make an appointment to meet up one day in advance, otherwise he would feel uncomfortable.

Upon learning of No.0's return, many of the Espada, as well as three-digit Arrancar, came to visit.

But it's not as much as the lecture...

Yilong was not surprised by this, and it could be said that he had expected it.

After all, if they were really that good at being human, they would have succeeded in "self-transcendence" long ago!

"Being unkind and disloyal" is the instinct of creatures like Xu. Even if they want to be grateful and respect their teachers, they need to overcome their instincts to a certain extent.

Among the [Espada], besides Nel, Uzumaki, Harribel, and Stark whom Ilryuu had seen on the first day, there were also Yammy and Grimmjow who had failed to provoke him, and Sar Apollo who had burned a knife...

Ichiryuu never saw the other three [Espada].

Yilong didn't find this strange at all!

For Yilong, among the Ten Espada, he is undoubtedly closest to Nel, Uzumaki, and Harribel, and he is closest to No. 1 Stark...

No matter who had met Yilong before or who had not met him this time, the other people all had a cold relationship with Yilong, or even had some hostility towards him!

No.7 Grimmjow is just like the dead Nnoitra. When he was still a Hollow, he once challenged Ichiryu unconvinced. However, Grimmjow was not as persistent as Nnoitra. He was more like an unconvinced and angry middle school boy.

No.10 Yami is not interested in the fact that there is a mysterious great Hollow giving lectures on how to break through. He is the only one among the Ten Espada who has never met Ichiryuu in front of an unbroken figure. He also cannot get along with anyone in the Karate Palace. He has a typical Hollow personality and there is no such thing as "closeness".

Xiao Wu, on the other hand, barely had a good relationship with him...

Yammy and Grimmjow were merely "unconvinced", while the others simply had "old grudges" against Yilong.

No.2 Bylergan was once the king of Hueco Mundo!

He is also very domineering and wants to control all other Vastodes. Two thousand years ago, there was a brief period of time when two strong powers coexisted in the Hueco Mundo.

And eighteen hundred years ago, the Hollow, whose name everyone has forgotten, rushed into Soul Society and was sealed. Since then, the situation in Hueco Mundo has basically been in a state of opposition between "the huge country with Bylergan as its king" and "the free Hollows who resist Bylergan".

It is conceivable that when Ichiryu just started teaching in Hueco Mundo, Bylergan naturally regarded him as a thorn in his side. They clashed several times, and when he saw that he could do nothing to them, Bylergan gave up, but the two sides have been in hostility ever since.

After Aizen arrived in Hueco Mundo, he defeated Bylergan directly and even forced him to surrender. He also placed Sar Apollo and Stark ahead of him one after another. This made him lose face, but he also wanted to regain the title of "King of Hueco Mundo" all the time...

Needless to say, No.8 Sal Apollo had long regarded Yilong as a thorn in his side, and Yilong had just burned him half to death - if killing him hadn't been so difficult and required a careful plan, Yilong would have done it long ago!

No.9 Zomali is very extreme in some aspects. He once highly praised Yilong's ideas, but later parted ways with Yilong because of different concepts.

Although Ikryu believed in "freedom to come and go", Somali still persuaded other Hollows to leave at that time. And unlike Harribel who left because of something or other Hollows who left because they could not learn, Somali directly refuted Ikryu's theory. So even though he had no obvious hostility towards Ikryu, Nel, Xiaowu, Harribel and others were very resistant to him.

No.6 Aaronilo, Yilong unilaterally despised him...

Even if he completed the Arrancar with the catalysis of the Hogyoku, it would not make Aaronilo look like a human being!

In the current terms of Hueco Mundo, Aaronilo is the only Killian among the Ten Espada - this is indeed precious when there is also Vastrode and many Achukas in the "three-digit" number, and most of the subordinates are Achukas.

But in fact, Yilong knows best that this matter cannot be considered in this way...

Aronillo was the one who was so arrogant that he attacked the Spirit King Palace. After being sealed by the monk, he became another "Hollow"!

"Ghoul Hollows" are different from ordinary Hollows. They will not evolve into Achukas and make themselves smaller. Instead, they will keep eating and growing bigger and bigger...

But Aroniello is no match for the Hollow back then. Even if he eats for another thousand years, he still won’t be able to catch up. That Hollow back then ate enough to become someone who dared to challenge the Soul King in just two hundred years.

If that was all, Yilong wouldn't despise him specifically, the main reason was...

When Yilong was teaching in Hueco Mundo, Aaronilo was lying in ambush on the periphery, devouring large numbers of Hollows who wanted to attend the class but were not strong enough!

Because Aronillo is very "sensible" - he never provokes strong opponents, and he will go as far away as Yilong tells him to, and he will never hunt within the range stipulated by Yilong that "no killing each other", so Yilong and students such as Nilu did not go out of their way to hunt him.

This is how it is in Hueco Mundo. After all, Yilong is just teaching, and he can't make the scope too large. If people are outside the scope, they are outside the scope. Otherwise, he can't control them at all.

At the same time, Yilong also came to his senses - there was a test, or "intimidation", to scare off the weak Hollows...

Otherwise, the weaker the Hollow is, the more difficult it is to control his desires - as mentioned before, the reason why the sudden eating of "classmates" is only common in the early stages of teaching is because of the addition of the screening step of Aronilo.