The Broken Mask

Within the Soul King's Palace above the heavens, whispers never ceased.

Meanwhile, in the world below—

Seiya clutched his head as if it were about to split open, his pain so intense that he couldn't help but collapse to his knees. His fingers spread apart, covering his cheeks from both sides, his expression twisted in agony.

It felt as though his skull were being torn apart.

Even though he tried to suppress his emotions, he couldn't stop the pained groans escaping from his throat.

"Seiya…"

Tōsen Kaname crouched down slightly, as if about to place a hand on him in comfort.

However, Seiya didn't seem to need such assistance.

Turning his right hand over, he took deep, shaky breaths, drenched in cold sweat as he forced out a response.

"It's fine… I just haven't adjusted yet… don't worry."

Given the circumstances, Seiya wasn't particularly surprised by his current state.

—This was merely the price he had to pay for gaining power.

Before long, his breathing steadied.

Raising his head slightly, his expression returned to normal.

Adaptation was just a process, and now, Seiya had fully acclimated to the ability to shift between perspectives.

So then…

What form had this newly born version of himself taken?

His vision focused, narrowing in—

The expanding air around him shattered completely, dispersing like a burst bubble.

At the same time—

His Yaksha manifestation had fully revealed its true form.

"Hiss…"

Even its breathing was hoarse, like bellows scraping against metal.

Its blood-red eyes gleamed, slowly emerging from the haze.

Slender claws extended outward, crushing the rubble beneath them to fine dust.

Its entire form was cloaked in pure white.

There wasn't a trace of any other color—its body radiated a bright, untainted glow, as if sculpted from fresh snow.

There was no doubt—the Hōgyoku's transformation had succeeded. Seiya's manifestation had indeed become a Hollow.

Yet at the same time—

Aizen frowned.

For a rare moment, Aizen Sōsuke hesitated, as if weighing something in his mind.

Then, as if making a final decision, he spoke softly.

"This is… slightly different from what I had anticipated."

His voice was calm, but the situation was anything but.

After all, for Aizen to say something was "unexpected"—that alone was proof of how bizarre and unprecedented this was.

But upon closer analysis, perhaps it wasn't entirely shocking.

Because standing before them… was not a humanoid figure.

What emerged was something even thinner than a serpent, exuding an eerie presence.

It coiled above the ruins, yet its body seemed to float in the air rather than rest upon it.

Aizen's gaze sharpened.

He quickly realized the source of his miscalculation.

"I see… those aren't scales… that's skin?"

Indeed, it was.

The creature's body was covered in tightly packed, fine scales, each no larger than a grain of rice, creating an almost seamless surface.

"I haven't seen too many creatures like this, but… this form reminds me of something I once read about."

Aizen mused aloud.

"In certain countries of the living world, an image like this was once worshipped as a sacred totem."

If he were to describe it another way—

Perhaps the term 'Eastern Dragon' would be more appropriate.

In the dimly lit underground chamber, a milky-white Eastern dragon coiled above the ruins.

Its scales shimmered, radiating a soft silver glow, like shattered stardust reflecting light.

Long, flowing whiskers drifted along the sides of its elongated snout, giving it an air of grace and fluidity.

Its limbs—each adorned with sharp, elegant claws—hovered lightly in the air, flexing now and then in a subtle gripping motion.

An aura of majesty and inviolability surrounded it.

It exuded something almost… divine.

For a moment, it felt as though they were witnessing something that should not have been born in a place like this.

As if this being belonged not in this world, but soaring through the heavens above.

However—this sensation did not last long.

Because the half-mask upon its head was monstrous.

Like an exposed skull, the stark white bone structure jutted out in jagged, uneven formations.

And within its revealed eyes—there was no trace of reason, only a blinding, bloodthirsty red.

Its form was already unsettling enough—

But what shocked Aizen even more was something else entirely.

The Hollow mask… was broken.

As though he had just stumbled upon something never seen before, Aizen's brow furrowed deeply.

A flicker of realization flashed in his mind, but the situation didn't allow him to dwell on it.

For now, Seiya and his manifestation took priority.

After a brief pause, Aizen finally spoke.

"Seiya-kun, I'm sure you already know this… but just in case—"

"I should remind you of something important."

"You are aware that Hollows have a hierarchical classification, correct?"

Seiya took a deep breath, steadying himself as he shakily stood.

His head still throbbed, but it was improving.

Speaking was no issue.

"Yeah… I remember."

It only took a quick mental analysis to understand the key points.

Hollows, at their core, could be categorized into two major types.

Those with weak abilities, capable only of preying on ordinary humans but incapable of posing a threat to Soul Reapers—

They were simply known as regular Hollows.

And above them—

Those with the power to fight Soul Reapers, possessing unique abilities and greater strength—

These were known as Menos Grande.

That was the extent of knowledge possessed by most Soul Reapers.

—Though it might seem absurd, this was the truth.

Intelligence and knowledge were powerful assets.

Without access to proper information, imbalance and ignorance were inevitable.

(This was similar to how Rukia initially believed that only the Royal Special Forces could handle Menos Grande.)

Thus, the deeper classifications were considered Aizen's personal research—knowledge not shared outside his circle.

"Menos Grande are further divided into three subtypes."

Seiya declined Tōsen's offer to help him up, instead tilting his head slightly as he took a deep breath.

"The lowest-ranked are Gillian."

Their appearances were nearly identical, with enormous, hulking bodies and slow movements.

Intelligence-wise, they were no different from wild beasts.

Covered in black cloaks and donning long-nosed white masks, they initially seemed terrifying—

But as the story progressed, they were quickly relegated to mere fodder.

"Some Gillian develop a unique trait—by consuming others of their kind, they begin to change form."

Through continuous devouring and evolution, a Gillian could break free from its base form and take on a more beastlike, armored appearance.

(Though exceptions existed—such as Aaroniero Arruruerie, the Ninth Espada, who remained a Gillian due to his unique absorption ability.)

"And then, there's the middle-tier—Adjuchas."

Unlike Gillian, Adjuchas possessed high intelligence and exhibited individualized forms.

Most Arrancar in Aizen's army were of this classification.

They were capable of commanding and dominating Gillian, their strength undeniable.

But even this was not the final stage.

"They must continue to devour and evolve further."

Adjuchas had an insatiable hunger—and an equally unrelenting fear of being devoured themselves.

This made them even more ruthless and predatory.

"If an Adjuchas reaches its absolute limit, it has a chance to advance to the next level."

"But those who fail… remain Adjuchas forever."

For them, stagnation meant permanent regression.

"A truly cruel fate…"

Such was the nature of Hollows—

A world built upon the law of the jungle.

"And finally, the ultimate form of Menos—Vasto Lorde."

"These are, in every sense, the pinnacle of Hollow evolution."

"Unlike the massive forms of other Menos, Vasto Lorde are small—humanoid in size."

Yet their strength is overwhelming.

Within the hierarchy of Hollows, Vasto Lorde stood unchallenged—

Just as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were the elite among all Soul Reapers.

And judging by appearances—

Seiya's Yaksha manifestation had yet to achieve this ultimate form.

Seiya fell silent for a moment, processing all the information.

The structure of Hollow evolution was clear—

To reach the top, one had to devour their own kind relentlessly, clawing their way upward in a brutal survival game.

Vasto Lorde were the smallest yet strongest of all Menos—

A stark contrast to the towering Gillian that lacked intelligence or individuality.

Their power was immense, standing at the absolute peak of Hollowkind.

Even within Hueco Mundo, they were incredibly rare.

According to the known data—

The top four Espada under Aizen were all Vasto Lorde-class before their transformation into Arrancar.

It was a clear-cut hierarchy.

Those who took on more human-like forms tended to possess greater power.

Seiya's Yaksha manifestation, however—

Its form was beastly, not humanoid.

That fact alone raised a troubling implication.

Aizen was concerned that Seiya's Hollow form lacked the necessary potential to reach the highest tier.

Though he remained composed, his slight frown made his thoughts evident.

For all his calculated expectations—

This outcome was not what he had envisioned.

Seiya could understand why.

After all, the prototype for this experiment—White—had retained a humanoid form from the very start.

Compared to that, Seiya's form now seemed… flawed.

This realization made Aizen's emotions even more complex.

Was he disappointed?

Perhaps, to some extent.

He had expected something extraordinary—something that could surpass even his finest creations.

And yet, faced with this result…

His first reaction was self-reproach.

If he had known the outcome in advance—

Then as Aizen Sōsuke, he would have never allowed Seiya to go through with this experiment.

No amount of research progress was worth subjecting his student to unnecessary suffering.

What an oversight.

What an error.

Looking at Aizen's uncharacteristically silent expression, Seiya wanted to say something—

But before he could even part his lips—

A sudden, guttural roar filled the air.

"GRAAAAH!!"

BOOM!!!

The walls of the underground chamber shattered—

Stone and dust erupted in all directions.

Tōsen reacted instantly, grabbing Seiya's shoulder and shielding him.

Aizen, however—

Took two calm steps forward.

With a single wave of his hand—

A surging wave of blue spiritual energy rushed forth, forming an invisible barrier that repelled the airborne debris.

Tōsen's expression was tense.

He had been slower to react—

And with his reliance on senses other than sight, he couldn't immediately grasp what had just happened.

So he asked—

"What was that?!"

The answer came from Aizen, spoken with quiet amusement.

"It seems… our other creation has arrived."

His eyes gleamed with interest.

"White."

"It came straight for us?"

----------

Powerstones?

For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates