As Lin Huang completed his evolution within the Inner World, the parasitized body of the Octopus Hollow outside in the Forest of Menos also underwent a tremendous transformation under the effects of Demonic Fetus Parasitism.
The countless gruesome wounds covering its body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Within only a few moments, the horrifying slash that stretched from its neck all the way to its abdomen had completely disappeared as flesh rapidly wriggled and regenerated.
Even the octopus tentacles on its face that had been blasted apart by Lin Huang’s Balas were restored perfectly.
“Roar!” Having completely taken control of this body, Lin Huang let out a deafening roar that caused every wandering Mindless Gillian within several kilometers to tremble in fear.
From the memories he had inherited, he learned that this Octopus Hollow’s name was Rhine Stone.
Rhine Stone was one of the three High Adjuchas serving directly under Derek, a Vasto Lorde who ruled the organization known as the Great Hollow Royal Court.
Under Derek’s command were three High Adjuchas including Rhine Stone, more than fifty Mid Adjuchas, and several hundred Lower Adjuchas.
However, there was not a single Peak Adjuchas among them.
The reason was simple.
Any Menos Grande capable of reaching the Peak Adjuchas stage already possessed the potential to evolve into a Vasto Lorde.
Such beings naturally refused to submit beneath another Vasto Lorde.
In the original timeline, the future Primera, Quinta, Sexta, and Septima Espada under Aizen Sōsuke had all once been Peak Adjuchas before undergoing Arrancarization.
Even before becoming Arrancars, those Peak Adjuchas already possessed combat power at least comparable to powerful lieutenant class Shinigami.
After completing Arrancarization, they undoubtedly stepped into Captain class territory.
Among them, the future Primera, Quinta, and Sexta Espada even surpassed ordinary Captain class combatants, reaching the level of elite Captains.
Although Lin Huang was presently only a Gillian, he already possessed Captain class Spiritual Pressure.
He was fully confident that he could easily defeat any Peak Adjuchas that had yet to become an Arrancar.
What truly interested him now was how he compared against an authentic Vasto Lorde.
As for the Captain class of the Gotei Thirteen, the range of strength among them was absurdly broad.
Leaving aside monsters standing at the pinnacle like Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Aizen Sōsuke, there were also elite Captains such as Jūshirō Ukitake, who carried the Right Arm of the Soul King, and Kyōraku Shunsui, whose Bankai could engulf an enormous area in despair.
At the lower end of the spectrum were Captains such as Kensei Muguruma, who often served as an unfortunate benchmark whenever overwhelming enemies appeared.
All of them belonged to the Captain class despite the enormous differences between them.
Lin Huang estimated that with his current Spiritual Pressure, combined with Stealth and Rhine Stone’s spirit particle tentacles capable of devouring an opponent’s reishi, he possessed enough strength to contend against an ordinary Captain class Shinigami.
Thinking of this, Lin Huang, while controlling Rhine Stone’s body, revealed a terrifying smile beneath the writhing mass of facial tentacles, making the expression appear even more sinister.
From the day he had transmigrated into Hueco Mundo as a newborn Hollow until now, less than a year had passed.
Yet he had already stepped into the realm of Captain class combat power.
Such a rate of growth was astonishing.
Ordinarily, excluding a certain existence who relied upon the Hōgyoku, whether Shinigami from Soul Society or Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo, reaching Captain class generally required at least a century even for exceptional geniuses.
His current accomplishments were already extraordinarily rare.
However, after reaching Captain class, maintaining the same explosive rate of growth would become far more difficult.
Without wasting another moment, Lin Huang manipulated Rhine Stone’s body to collect every shattered Adjuchas mask scattered across the battlefield before swallowing them one after another.
The moment those masks entered his mouth, they dissolved into streams of pure reishi that first nourished Rhine Stone’s body before ultimately being transmitted into Lin Huang’s true body resting inside the Inner World.
“Not bad.” “Rhine Stone’s potential hasn’t been exhausted yet.” “This body can still serve me for some time.” Lin Huang nodded inwardly.
Although Demonic Fetus Parasitism was an absurdly heaven defying ability capable of restoring a dying host, inheriting all of its memories, abilities, and Spiritual Pressure, while also allowing all Spiritual Pressure gained through hunting during the parasitic state to be transferred back to his original body without suffering absorption decay, it still possessed one unavoidable limitation.
It could never break through the natural growth limit of the parasitized host itself.
Once the host’s potential had been completely exhausted, Lin Huang would have no choice but to abandon it and return to his original body if he wished to continue evolving.
After devouring the broken Hollow masks left behind by more than a dozen Adjuchas, Lin Huang once again felt his Spiritual Pressure increase.
However, compared with the dramatic improvements he had experienced while still an ordinary Hollow, the gains now felt relatively insignificant.
The reason was simple.
Although Lin Huang had only recently evolved into a Gillian, he already possessed Captain class Spiritual Pressure.
The Spiritual Pressure contained within a dozen ordinary Adjuchas masks naturally produced only a modest improvement.
“Unless…” “I can devour a large number of Adjuchas.” The instant that thought surfaced, Lin Huang immediately remembered the Great Hollow Royal Court from Rhine Stone’s memories.
That organization commanded several hundred Adjuchas.
“In that case…” “I might as well continue using Rhine Stone’s identity.” “I’ll return to the Great Hollow Royal Court and wait for the perfect opportunity to devour a large number of Adjuchas, allowing my strength to continue increasing rapidly.” Having made up his mind, Lin Huang no longer hesitated.
Controlling Rhine Stone’s body, he activated Sonído and instantly disappeared from the devastated battlefield.
Whoosh!
Far away, Grimmjow was lazily lying beneath a giant gray dead tree branch, absentmindedly swishing his tail while waiting for Lin Huang to return.
Suddenly, the air before him distorted slightly.
A strange Menos Grande over six meters tall appeared without warning, standing upright with countless writhing octopus tentacles covering its face.
The sudden appearance frightened Grimmjow so badly that every hair on his body stood upright.
He immediately tried to leap backward.
However, several spirit particle tentacles suddenly extended from the stranger’s face and effortlessly wrapped around Grimmjow’s body, preventing him from moving.
Feeling the overwhelming Spiritual Pressure radiating from the opponent, Grimmjow’s expression changed drastically.
Seeing no possibility of escape, pale blue Spiritual Pressure instantly erupted from both of his foreclaws as he prepared to unleash his strongest attack, King’s Leopard Claws, in one final desperate struggle.
Yet just as he was about to attack, he sensed an aura hidden beneath that overwhelming Spiritual Pressure that felt incomparably familiar.
At the same moment, a dark purple Spiritual Pressure blade suddenly condensed along one of the spirit particle tentacles restraining him.
That unique Sword Scale Spiritual Pressure belonged only to one person.
“Idiot.” “Don’t attack.” “It’s me.” Feeling that unmistakably familiar Spiritual Pressure, Grimmjow’s leopard face instantly froze in complete disbelief.
He stared at the bizarre face covered in writhing tentacles before blurting out, “Bo…
Boss?!” “How did you end up looking so ugly?!”