After devouring the newly formed Hollow, Velkior spent nearly a week roaming the surrounding dunes.
During that time, he hunted numerous low-level Hollows—mindless, beast-like creatures driven purely by instinct. One of them had an appearance so grotesque it reminded him of an alien lifeform.
With each kill, he absorbed their dispersed reishi.
His body gradually expanded to nearly four meters in length.
As his strength increased, he paid closer attention to his own anatomy.
Like all Hollows, he possessed a Hollow hole—located along the lower portion of his serpentine torso, partially concealed by bone-like plating. At first, he had failed to notice it amidst the chaos of battle.
The presence of the hole was undeniable proof.
He was a true Hollow.
Velkior exhaled slowly and dismissed further thoughts about it.
Whether he accepted it or not, this was his reality.
Over the week, he gained a rough understanding of the area.
Most of the Hollows here were weak and newly formed. Their reiatsu was unstable, and none displayed advanced intelligence.
Compared to what he remembered of Hueco Mundo's dangers, this region seemed relatively safe.
That illusion shattered abruptly.
Three powerful surges of reiatsu suddenly pressed against the desert winds.
One of them was especially oppressive—dense and heavy.
Velkior immediately suppressed his own reiatsu and slithered up a dune, cautiously peering into the distance.
Three figures were approaching.
The largest among them was a towering humanoid Hollow with thick bone armor and a massive mask.
Beside him were two beast-type Hollows.
The humanoid Hollow spoke first.
"Why have so many low-level Hollows disappeared from this territory? Booz… did you consume them?"
His voice was deep and laced with killing intent.
The dog-shaped Hollow stiffened.
"Lord Kane, I wouldn't dare! Even if I had a hundred lives!"
So the humanoid Hollow was Kane—the dominant predator of this region.
Velkior narrowed his eyes.
Territory.
Hierarchy.
Even among low-level Hollows, there were rulers.
Booz continued nervously, "I only left briefly to hunt in the World of the Living… I swear I did not touch your reserves."
Before Kane could respond—
"ROAR!"
A newly formed Hollow burst from the sand and lunged at them in blind instinct.
Kane did not even turn fully.
With a single backhand strike, he crushed the Hollow's mask.
The creature collapsed.
Instead of waiting for the body to dissipate naturally, Kane grabbed the broken mask and tore into it, devouring it directly.
Velkior's pupils contracted.
So that was the orthodox method.
Hollows consumed flesh and masks to absorb reiryoku.
As Kane finished eating, the remaining corpse gradually broke down into reishi and scattered into the desert.
Velkior glanced at his own body.
Unlike Kane, he seemed able to absorb dispersed reishi directly once a Hollow was destroyed.
An abnormality.
But now was not the time to dwell on it.
He slowly retreated.
If Kane ruled this region, then staying here meant eventual death.
However—
The moment he shifted his reiatsu slightly—
Kane's head snapped toward his direction.
A pulse of perception spread outward.
Pesquisa.
Though crude compared to Arrancar, Hollows of sufficient strength could sense fluctuations in reiatsu across a wide radius.
"A spiritual fluctuation is moving away," Kane muttered coldly.
He pointed toward Velkior's direction.
"Bring it back. Whether it's the culprit or not."
"Yes!"
The two beast-type Hollows released their reiatsu and accelerated.
Velkior felt it instantly.
Two signatures were closing in.
Faster than him.
His heart sank.
If they caught him in open desert, a two-on-one battle would be disastrous.
Then—
Ahead, several weak reiatsu signatures clashed violently.
A chaotic battle between newly formed Hollows.
A chance.
Without hesitation, Velkior charged into the fray.
His power now vastly exceeded theirs.
He crushed one. Then another.
Masks shattered.
Reishi dispersed.
He absorbed everything without restraint.
His body elongated further, reaching nearly five meters before stabilizing.
The increase in reiatsu was far more substantial than before.
And then—
Fragments of instinctive knowledge surfaced within his mind.
A technique.
A method of compressing reiatsu to its limit and releasing it in a destructive beam.
"…Cero?"
The concept clarified itself as the memory solidified.
Cero was the signature attack of Menos-class Hollows—Gillian and above—requiring immense reiatsu compression.
Strictly speaking, he should not yet qualify as a Menos.
Yet the knowledge was there.
Incomplete.
Crude.
But usable.
A faint glow gathered at the edge of his mask before he forcibly suppressed it.
Confidence surged within him.
He no longer needed to run blindly.
Moments later, two figures appeared over the dunes.
A dog-shaped Hollow and a leopard-shaped Hollow approached cautiously.
"You little worm… you run well," the dog-shaped Hollow growled.
It was Booz.
The leopard-shaped Hollow scanned the area.
"There was fighting here. The reiatsu is still unsettled."
But there were no other Hollows remaining.
Only Velkior.
"He's just a recently strengthened low-level Hollow," Booz said dismissively. "Capture him and present him to Lord Kane."
In this territory, only Kane stood above them.
Neither Booz nor his companion sensed anything that could threaten them.
They slowly separated.
Flanking from the left and right.
Closing in on their prey.