Deep within the Forest of Menos, in a certain region, over a dozen Adjuchas were locked in a brutal free-for-all.
The pale giant trees that had once stood twisted and withered had long since vanished, leaving behind only shattered, charred remnants scattered across the devastated sandy ground.
Clearly, those enormous trees had already been reduced to dust under the violent clashes of the Adjuchas’ Spiritual Pressure.
“Roar!” “Rumble!” Furious roars and the deafening explosions of colliding Ceros echoed without end.
The surging Spiritual Pressure caused the ground for several miles around the battlefield to tremble continuously.
Maintaining Stealth, Lin Huang completely concealed his aura, quietly hiding in the shadows while calmly observing the chaotic slaughter.
There were twelve Adjuchas on the battlefield.
Ten possessed Mid Adjuchas level Spiritual Pressure, while the remaining two radiated the overwhelming aura of High Adjuchas.
Even the Mindless Gillians wandering nearby trembled in fear beneath the pressure released by these twelve Adjuchas, not daring to approach the battlefield.
After observing for a while, Lin Huang quickly understood the situation.
The twelve Adjuchas were clearly divided into two opposing camps, each consisting of six members.
Leading the group on the left was a humanoid High Adjuchas whose face was covered with constantly writhing octopus tentacles.
It stared coldly at the leader of the opposing force, a savage jackal shaped High Adjuchas standing upright, and barked sharply.
“You lackeys of Baraggan!
Instead of staying obediently inside Las Noches, you dare trespass into the territory of the Great Hollow Royal Court!” “Does that old skeleton Baraggan intend to formally wage war against Lord Derek?” The jackal shaped High Adjuchas sneered contemptuously.
“What Great Hollow Royal Court?” “Hueco Mundo has only one ruler, Lord Baraggan.
Derek is nothing more than a loser who was defeated by Lord Baraggan long ago, yet he actually dares proclaim himself king.
Ridiculous!” “You seek death!” Hearing those words, killing intent instantly erupted from the Octopus Hollow.
Using Sonído repeatedly, it appeared directly before the jackal Hollow as its enormous pale claws slashed straight toward the other’s face.
The jackal Hollow refused to yield, swinging its steel-like claws head-on to meet the attack.
The two High Adjuchas instantly collided in an earth-shaking close combat.
Hidden within the shadows, Lin Huang heard every word clearly.
“The Great Hollow Royal Court…
could this be the organization established within the Forest of Menos by that Vasto Lorde named Derek?” From their conversation, Lin Huang quickly pieced together the situation.
Six of the Adjuchas served under Baraggan, while the other six were subordinates of the Vasto Lorde called Derek.
For some unknown reason, both factions had broken into a battle to the death.
Seeing this, Lin Huang remained concealed beneath Stealth and quietly entered spectator mode.
Encountering more than a dozen Adjuchas gathered in one place was an opportunity that rarely appeared.
If he didn’t become the fisherman who reaped the benefits, he would truly be wasting heaven’s gift.
“Today…
I will advance into a Gillian.” He had already decided to wait patiently until both sides exhausted each other before making his move to seize the final victory.
With more than a dozen Adjuchas serving as nourishment, his advancement this time was practically guaranteed.
The bloody battle continued for several hours.
During the fierce fighting, an earthworm shaped Adjuchas under Derek’s command suddenly wrapped itself around a hippopotamus Hollow from Baraggan’s side, strangling it to death.
Immediately afterward, that earthworm Adjuchas was trampled beneath the feet of a bull shaped Adjuchas and forcibly torn into two pieces.
The battlefield instantly descended into even greater chaos.
The fiercest battle naturally remained the duel between the Octopus Hollow and the jackal Hollow.
Crimson Astral Wind constantly swirled around the jackal Hollow’s claws.
Each swing unleashed four tornado-like wind blades that tore through the battlefield with astonishing speed.
One slash instantly severed one of the Octopus Hollow’s arms.
“Die!” The jackal Hollow stared savagely at its opponent.
However, despite losing an arm, the Octopus Hollow’s expression remained calm.
In the very next moment, the pale stump wriggled violently before instantly restoring itself completely.
“Is that…
High-Speed Regeneration?” Watching from concealment, Lin Huang narrowed his snake-like pupils.
Soon afterward, however, he realized something was wrong.
Just as the Octopus Hollow finished restoring its arm, a bird shaped Adjuchas from Baraggan’s faction seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, flapping its wings as it charged forward.
Yet the instant it approached the Octopus Hollow, its wings suddenly began withering at a visible rate.
The bird Hollow stumbled and crashed onto the ground before the tentacles covering the Octopus Hollow’s face pierced directly into its brain, killing it instantly.
“No…
that’s not High-Speed Regeneration.” Lin Huang immediately focused his Spiritual Sense to its limit.
Only then did he discover dozens of invisible spirit particle tentacles extending outward from the Octopus Hollow’s body.
Those invisible tentacles had quietly wrapped around the bird Hollow’s wings, frantically devouring its reishi before transferring the stolen energy back into the severed arm to instantly complete the regeneration.
“So that’s how it works.” “It devours another Hollow’s reishi to repair its own injuries while simultaneously replenishing its Spiritual Pressure…” “This ability…” Lin Huang immediately thought of Ayasegawa Yumichika’s true Shikai, Ruri’iro Kujaku.
The two abilities were remarkably similar.
The only difference was that these spirit particle tentacles were completely invisible, making them even more insidious and difficult to guard against.
“What an excellent ability.” Lin Huang’s gaze toward the Octopus Hollow immediately changed.
After spending so long inside the Forest of Menos, he had finally encountered another Hollow worthy of using Demonic Fetus Parasitism upon.
Compared to that, although the jackal Hollow’s Astral Wind manipulation possessed considerable offensive power, it ultimately remained nothing more than a straightforward destructive ability.
He would have countless future opportunities to obtain similar powers.
As time passed, the battlefield grew even more tragic.
Eventually, ten of the twelve Adjuchas lay motionless upon the ground.
Only the Octopus Hollow and the jackal Hollow remained standing.
Using Sonído repeatedly, they continued exchanging fierce close combat attacks.
Every slash from the jackal Hollow generated violent Astral Wind, making its offensive incredibly fierce.
The Octopus Hollow remained mostly on the defensive, barely blocking every attack while constantly relying on its invisible devouring tentacles to absorb the reishi leaking from the jackal Hollow’s body, replenishing both its Spiritual Pressure and physical condition.
Gradually, the jackal Hollow’s breathing became heavier, and its Spiritual Pressure visibly weakened.
Meanwhile, the Octopus Hollow maintained an excellent condition throughout the battle thanks to its continuous absorption.
As one side weakened while the other steadily recovered, the jackal Hollow finally fell completely into a disadvantage.
Although its offensive power remained formidable, it simply couldn’t finish the battle instantly.
Once dragged into a prolonged battle of attrition, defeat became inevitable.
“Puchi!” The Octopus Hollow’s facial tentacles suddenly shot outward, seizing an opening to violently pierce through the jackal Hollow’s limbs.
“Ah!” The jackal Hollow immediately let out a miserable scream.
“You worthless dog who dared insult Lord Derek’s dignity…” “Die!” The Octopus Hollow spoke coldly while using the tentacles to firmly pin the jackal Hollow in place.
At the same time, its enormous mouth opened as an intensely condensed blackish red Cero rapidly formed within.
It was aimed directly at the jackal Hollow’s head.
Boom!
The destructive Cero exploded violently.
The jackal Hollow was instantly blasted into pieces, leaving behind only a broken fragment of its Hollow mask that tumbled onto the ground.
After an exhausting battle, the Octopus Hollow finally became the sole survivor among the twelve Adjuchas.
It slowly exhaled, allowing its tightly stretched nerves to relax slightly after securing victory.
But at that exact moment…
A Sword Scale wrapped in dark purple Spiritual Pressure suddenly burst from the shadows behind it, descending toward its neck with the speed of a thunderbolt.
Lin Huang, who had patiently waited for the perfect opportunity all this time, finally made his move.