Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

Liu Chuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the increasing number of Void Corpses along the way.

These Hollows generally have weak spiritual pressure, and most of them are the lowest-level Hollows.

This indirectly confirms the immense spiritual pressure emanating from ahead—

The mere natural dissipation is enough to create a "death zone" where lower-level voids cannot survive.

Liuchuan maintained his pace and continued forward.

Asito followed closely behind, his expression growing increasingly serious, and he gripped the knife even tighter.

The fact that such a scene could be caused by mere spiritual pressure aftershocks suggests that the true power of the body is likely beyond imagination.

Finally, after crossing a relatively gentle sand ridge, Liuchuan and Asido stopped.

The scene ahead was somewhat different from what I had expected.

It was a relatively open area of ​​hard, grayish-white rock.

In the center of the rocky ground, a figure sat quietly.

It was a figure that looked no different from a human man.

He was wearing a slightly worn gray robe, the hem of which hung casually on the rocks.

He had slightly messy hair, a few short stubbles on his chin, and looked like a human man in his thirties or forties.

It carries a sense of languor, as if one has seen many hardships yet is indifferent to worldly affairs.

What is most striking are his eyes—calm, indifferent, yet seemingly filled with endless time and… loneliness.

He sat casually on the rock, one leg bent, his arm resting on his knee, and the other leg hanging down naturally.

He didn't adopt any fighting or defensive posture, nor did he even look in the direction from which Liuchuan and Asido had come; he simply tilted his head slightly upward.

Gazing at the unchanging sky of Hueco Mundo, it seemed as if it were in a daze, or perhaps pondering some age-old question.

If it weren't for the undeniable hollow hole in his chest and the spiritual pressure emanating from his body as naturally as breathing, belonging to the void, one would understand.

Anyone who sees him at first glance would only think of him as an ordinary middle-aged man immersed in his own world.

Koyat Stark.

The seemingly lazy man before you is one of the top predators in Hueco Mundo's food chain, the ultimate goal that countless Hueco Mundo dream of evolving into.

It is also a nightmare that makes even the Grim Reaper tremble – Vasto Lorde-class Hollow!

Moreover, it is a being that has already completed the "Arrancar" process, possessing a near-human appearance and higher intelligence!

Stark seemed to have finally realized the arrival of the uninvited guests.

He slowly turned his gaze from the sky to Liuchuan and Asido standing on the sand ridge.

There was no hostility in his gaze, not even a flicker of emotion, only a calm indifference to everything.

As he stood up, the cold, heavy spiritual pressure around him seemed to come alive, no longer a uniform oppression, but transformed into a tide like a deep-sea current.

The air hummed with an unbearable strain, and the gray-white rock beneath our feet seemed to sink slightly.

However, despite the spiritual pressure that would terrify even ordinary Shinigami, Yanagawa remained standing still, seemingly unconcerned.

His face showed neither the excitement of a burgeoning fighting spirit nor the solemnity of facing a formidable enemy.

His companion, Asido, was completely different. This former expeditionary force member, who had fought in Hueco Mundo for hundreds of years, had his muscles tense at this moment, as if facing a formidable enemy.

His hand gripping the knife was already poised for battle, the long, narrow blade already drawn three inches from its sheath, exuding a chilling killing intent and the fighting instinct honed through countless life-or-death struggles.

Like a drawn blade, it silently contended with Stark's immense spiritual pressure.

He could sense that the masked man in front of him, who looked like a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man, was extremely dangerous!

But Stark seemed completely unconcerned about Arsidd's hostility and wariness.

His gaze remained fixed on Liu Chuan.

He could sense Yanagawa's spiritual pressure.

Powerful, profound, and possessing a quality distinct from that of ordinary Grim Reapers.

But more importantly, he saw no fear or disgust in the eyes of this Grim Reaper that one should have when facing "Wastod".

It was purely out of interest, as if observing some rare natural phenomenon.

"You...aren't you afraid of me?" Stark finally spoke again.

"Why be afraid?" Liu Chuan asked in a calm and natural tone, as if discussing the weather.

“Your strength is an objective fact, but strength itself is not the same as a threat. At least for now, you have not shown any clear intention to attack.”

Stark was silent for a moment, seemingly intrigued by Liu Chuan's answer.

Throughout his long life, he had seen too many Grim Reapers—those expeditionary forces that broke into Hueco Mundo, or unlucky souls who happened to encounter him.

When they saw him, they either fled in terror, attacked hysterically, or tried to mask their fear with "justice" or "duty."

There are almost none like the one before us, who speaks so calmly about "power" and "threat," and who sees him as a communicable individual with immense power rather than a monster.

“A strange Grim Reaper,” Stark finally muttered.

He sat back down on the flat rock, resuming his previous languid posture, as if the dangerous aura he had just exuded was merely an illusion.

"Sit down." He raised his chin, gesturing to another relatively flat rock next to the main rock, his tone as casual as if he were greeting a neighbor.

Without hesitation, Liu Chuan walked over and sat down calmly on the rock, even casually brushing away non-existent dust.

Upon seeing this, Asido frowned, his grip on the knife loosened slightly, but he remained vigilant, not approaching, but simply standing in place, monitoring Stark's every move.

Chapter 91 The Lone Wolf

"What's your name?" Liu Chuan asked first, as if starting a casual chat.

"Koyate Stark," Stark responded, gazing at the distant sea of ​​sand, his voice tinged with weariness.

"No one has called my name in a long time, and anyway, nobody cares."

"Self-destruction?" Liu Chuan's gaze fell on the hollow hole in Stark's chest, the edges of which were smooth, as if they were naturally integrated with his body.

"Moreover, the level of completion is quite high. The spiritual pressure, physical form, and rationality have all reached a perfect balance. It is truly... an amazing evolution."

Stark turned his head and glanced at Liu Chuan, his curiosity deepening: "You know about the 'Breaking Faces'?"

“I have done some research,” Yanagawa said calmly. “The evolutionary path of the Hollows, from the lowest level Hollows to the Kyrians, the Adjuchas, and finally the Vastodes.”

The vast majority of Hollows evolve under the influence of instinct and the desire to devour, but the 'Arrancar'..." He paused, organizing his thoughts.

"That is a higher level of 'evolution' or 'return' that touches the essence of the soul."

Liu Chuan's gaze seemed to penetrate Stark's body, seeing the essence of his power.

“The void is a soul that has fallen and lost its heart, with a ‘hole’ in its chest that yearns to fill the emptiness.”

The term "Broken Face" signifies the rediscovery of a form closer to humanity and a higher level of rationality.

This usually requires external intervention, but it can be accomplished autonomously…

His tone carried undisguised admiration and a thirst for knowledge:

"This means that, over the long years, you have single-handedly reversed the degenerate nature of the void and broken through the shackles of evolution through your own strength and will."

The difficulty of this is far beyond imagination.

"Ah... I guess so. Being too strong isn't a good thing either. If you get too close, they... shatter."

He raised his hand and casually pointed to the empty rocky ground around him, and further away, to the weathering Void corpses on the sand.

"I want to find someone to talk to... but there's no one. I sleep, wake up, and just space out... and the cycle repeats itself."

As time went by, I almost forgot why I even existed.

His words were plain, without complaint or sorrow, simply stating a fact.

But that deep-seated sense of emptiness and loneliness spread silently like a cold tide.

As Asido listened, his grip on the knife tightened and loosened slightly, his eyes flickering as if he were recalling his centuries-long journey through the Great Void Forest.

The years spent in solitude and companionship were merely moments of loneliness, yet his solitude was supported by the struggles of "hunting" and "protecting."

The loneliness of the masked figure before us is a true, utter "nothingness."

Looking at Stark, at his languid demeanor so contrary to his immense power, Liu Chuan suddenly felt a sense of resonance that even surprised himself.

It wasn't sympathy or pity, but rather a sense of familiarity, as if I were seeing traces of some kind of "kind".

He thought of his past self.

I recalled how out of place I felt when I first arrived in this world.

They were all "outcasts." The Starks were ostracized by their own kind because they were too powerful, and they were alone for many years.

Liu Chuan suddenly spoke, his voice calm:

“Excessive power will create a ‘disconnect’ between you and the world around you, making it difficult to establish ordinary connections.”

Stark's eyes shifted slightly, refocusing on Liu Chuan's face.

This time, the inquisitive glint in his eyes was no longer just curiosity about the "powerful Grim Reaper".

“You…” Stark spoke slowly, his tone no longer completely indifferent, but carrying a barely perceptible hesitation and confirmation, “It seems… I understand?”

Liuchuan did not answer directly.

"I wouldn't say I understand. It's just..."

He paused, gazing at the eternally pale sky of Hueco Mundo.

"Coincidentally, I was also walking on a road that few people walked on, and occasionally I felt... a bit lonely."

Silence fell upon the rocky ground.

Only the wind continues to blow tirelessly, stirring up fine sand, sweeping across the lonely broken face, the calm Grim Reaper, and the silent watchman.

A dialogue about power, loneliness, and existence that transcends race and stance quietly unfolds in this desolate land of Hueco Mundo.

Stark's unfathomable loneliness resonated with the desolation of a "lone wolf" in Liu Chuan's words, creating an indescribable connection in the air.

At that moment, Liu Chuan suddenly raised his head and looked calmly at Stark.