It was truly anomalous—ever since Vegapunk started following Beltz, no matter what experiment he conducted, there was nothing but success.
Originally, his and Beltz's expectation was to finish the research on Bloodline Elements within several years. But with Rukia by his side, the progress of his experiments could be described as godspeed.
The ability of the Hogyoku is to read the desires within a person's heart and then manifest them, provided that the person already possesses the potential to achieve it. It is equivalent to accelerating a process.
And Vegapunk happened to be a massive beneficiary. All the experiments he was currently conducting were, in theory, things he would have been able to design on his own in the future. The desire within Vegapunk's heart was incredibly intense. The stronger the wish of those nearby, the more actively the Hogyoku reads it.
If this continued, Vegapunk might complete the Bloodline Element research—which originally required another ten years—in less than a year! To Beltz, this was naturally excellent news.
The Hogyoku... it truly was a magnificent thing. Beltz was genuinely envious. This thing could truly be called the power of a god.
After leaving Rukia in Hueco Mundo, he took the initiative to search for traces of the Soul Reapers. The Gotei 13 had formed investigation teams, primarily to find traces of the World Government. Beltz thought for a moment; since he was also ordered out to find the World Government, he couldn't return empty-handed, could he?
It seemed he would have to give them a few clues at the critical moment. For now, there was no rush. To the people of the Soul Society, one or two years was a very short time. Let them search for another decade or so; he would provide some leads then.
He transformed into the Azure Dragon and soared through the skies of Hueco Mundo. Such a flashy flight made the Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo unable to bear it; many tried to hunt him, but none could pierce the defense of his dragon scales.
Beltz finished them off and continued his flight. In just one day, he located a squad of Soul Reapers.
You'll do!
Beltz accelerated and flew toward them.
The person investigating Hueco Mundo was Shiba Isshin, the Captain of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13. Isshin was walking somewhat aimlessly across the vast, boundless desert with the Soul Reapers of the 10th Division.
"Captain, when is this ever going to end?" Rangiku followed behind, fanning herself with her hand in annoyance. "I'm starting to miss the paperwork back at the division."
"You just want to slack off, don't you?" Isshin said, somewhat speechless. "Even I, your Captain, haven't said anything about resting yet."
"Hehe, I just feel like dumping all the division's work on Toshiro... isn't that a bit mean?"
"As if you'd help Toshiro with the files even if you went back." Isshin exposed Rangiku's true nature once again without mercy, causing the latter to snap in embarrassment:
"Captain, you're the one who treats work with the least amount of respect!"
"But this time..." Isshin thought back to those five giant monsters and the black shadow that eventually merged together; his expression darkened. "This isn't the time for playing around."
The Seireitei being attacked by an unknown enemy was not something they could treat with a casual mind.
"The people in the division have mostly recovered." Seeing Isshin's expression, Rangiku became much more serious. She comforted him: "Captain, you don't need to worry too much."
Back then, Imu had used Domi Reversi in the Seireitei, turning many Soul Reapers into demons. But after some time, Kurotsuchi Mayuri had researched a special medicine. Soul Reapers injected with it slowly reverted from their demonic states. It was still unclear if there were lingering side effects, so they needed a period of observation before moving freely.
"I'm not worried about that, I'm..."
Isshin spoke, then suddenly looked up. "Rangiku, prepare for battle!"
"Eh? Yes!"
Rangiku gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist. In the next moment, a giant creature flew in from the distant sky...
An Azure Dragon?!
"This is..." Isshin recalled Ukitake's report and cried out in shock, "That giant Hollow that suddenly appeared in the Seireitei?"
"It looks a bit strange." Rangiku couldn't help but say, "How come there's no mask on its face? Where's the Hollow Hole?"
When it appeared in the Seireitei, its appearance was too brief; it basically appeared, swallowed Rukia in one bite, and left. Most ordinary Soul Reapers didn't see it clearly, but now that Rangiku and Isshin saw it, they noticed something off.
The Hollow Hole was one thing—while most were on the chest or obvious places, some Hollows had them in hidden spots. But Hollows always had masks in fixed positions; yet, this Azure Dragon had no mask on its face. However, the feeling it gave off was definitely the Reiatsu of a Hollow.
When Beltz appeared, he used his Subconscious ability to make the two believe he was a Hollow. This kind of psychological cue was easy to pull off because they were already influenced by the 13th Division's report and already viewed him as a Hollow. This was the first impression stored in their minds. Even if they noticed the lack of a mask, they would simply consider him a special type of Hollow.
"Is that the thing that ate Rukia?" Isshin said in a low voice. "Rangiku, don't interfere. I'll take him down!"
Isshin actually knew Rukia. After all, Rukia was once close with his nephew, Shiba Kaien. Furthermore, Rukia had arrived at the Shiba house covered in blood, carrying Kaien's corpse with a grim face and saying, "I killed Lord Kaien." It was hard for the Shiba family not to know her.
Actually, regarding the incident with Kaien, he had already learned the full story from Ukitake, so he didn't blame Rukia. It was just that Rukia couldn't forgive herself.
And now, this monster had actually eaten Rukia!
"Soul Reaper!" Beltz put on an act of rage. "Damn Soul Reapers again! The last one got away; this time, I'm going to eat you both!"
What?
Isshin, who was about to swing his sword, froze for a split second. He hurriedly asked, "The last Soul Reaper? Are you talking about Rukia?"
Dragon Breath!
Boom!
Beltz directly spat out a breath of fire, a blazing cannon of flame roaring toward Shiba Isshin.
Slash!
Isshin swung his sword once, directly dispersing the dragon breath aimed below! His expression turned grim as he said firmly, "Hey, Dragon-shaped Menos, I'll ask you a question!"
"If you answer honestly, I'll spare your life!"
"Accursed Soul Reapers!" Beltz manipulated the wind to attack Shiba Isshin, condensing a vast number of wind blades.
Shatter!
Isshin easily blocked the wind blades. "It seems you won't listen unless I use some force."
He instantly soared into the sky and delivered a slash toward the soaring Beltz!
Squelch!
A massive gash opened on Beltz's body! Blood sprayed from the wound instantly!
The Dragon Form was Beltz's weakest state; even Kaido's dragon form was essentially used to soak up damage. Thus, it was known as the "Sandbag Form." Furthermore, Beltz had come here specifically to get hit.
Isshin's slash was as if it hit a major artery; blood poured out like it was free. Beltz marveled internally—as expected of the protagonist's father, his strength was terrifying.
Isshin's power was immense. In a dozen years, even with a Spirit Ribbon seal limiting him to one-fifth of his Reiatsu, he could battle White Ichigo. Later, after regaining his Soul Reaper powers, he could push Aizen to his limit as a Soul Reaper. Even though Aizen had fought several captains, been blasted by Yamamoto's Itto Kaso, and slashed by Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho at the time, and was weakened, he still possessed power far above an average captain! Isshin's ability to push that Aizen to the limit proved his strength.
Taking this slash now, Beltz truly felt his body burning.
"Can you answer my question now?" Isshin asked.
"Damn Soul Reaper..." Beltz spoke with an act of fury.
"I'm asking you, did you swallow a female Soul Reaper before?" Isshin ignored Beltz and just asked.
"I ate her, so what?"
"And then?"
"Hmph, that brat... for some reason, she suddenly erupted with a powerful force that almost froze my stomach. I could only spit her out." Beltz said, "But don't expect to find her. There are countless Hollows in Hueco Mundo stronger than me. Even if she became stronger, she won't survive long in this desert."
"Talkative," Isshin said. "Nothing left for you. Go!"
Isshin indeed did not kill the giant Hollow. The duty of a Soul Reaper is not simply to kill Hollows. Their duty is to maintain the balance of the three realms; at critical moments, they must not only refrain from killing Hollows but even protect them from being killed. Only the most shallow Soul Reapers think killing Hollows is their primary job.
Furthermore, Isshin was a member of the Shiba family. The Shiba family motto was "Hollows have hearts too," so he naturally lacked a strong killing intent toward them. Since he promised not to kill him, Isshin wouldn't act. He had heard good news from this Hollow's mouth, and that was enough.
He had to tell Ukitake and Kuchiki this news; they would surely be very happy. Rukia was likely still alive! There were too few of them here; they needed to mobilize more Soul Reapers!
Watching Shiba Isshin and Rangiku fade into the distance, Beltz stopped his facade. With this, the foundation should be set. When Rukia reappeared later, they shouldn't be too surprised.
Right, time to find Rukia!
And then, back to One Piece to wait for Vegapunk's research to be completed!