Ivan first began digging through the sand to unearth the little yellow dog, which had been completely buried by the shockwaves of the chaotic battle.
Once Buddy was dug out, Ivan tossed over his remaining prize: Cirucci Sanderwicci’s severed bird head.
During the critical moment of his evolution, it was Buddy’s frantic barking that had given Ivan the split-second warning needed to brace against Cirucci’s sneak attack.
This giant mask, which contained half of the former Arrancar’s total Reiatsu, was his reward to the pup.
Buddy trotted over happily toward the massive bird head.
Suddenly, a wave of pale yellow Reiatsu erupted from the dog’s body, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, a magnificent, dark yellow giant hound—standing three meters tall and over eight meters long—was revealed.
The massive beast opened its jaws and swallowed the giant bird head whole.
This was Buddy’s true form.
The pup had followed Ivan around, helping him hunt various Hollows.
Even though the dog had only ever gotten scraps and leftovers, it was still enough to fuel a terrifying rate of growth.
The pup was no longer the weak Newborn Hollow Ivan had first met; it had evolved into a Strong Hollow.
And now, after devouring Cirucci Sanderwicci’s head, evolving into a Giant Hollow was only a matter of time.
After digesting the giant head, Buddy reverted back to the form of a small yellow pup, happily wagging its nonexistent tail at Ivan.
“With my current strength, a Giant Hollow like Cirucci Sanderwicci couldn’t even survive a single exchange with me.
It’s time.
I’m heading to that place!” Having made up his mind, Ivan didn’t hesitate.
He looked down at the little yellow dog and spoke slowly.
“Where I’m going next is way too dangerous for you.
This is where we part ways.
With your current strength, as long as you stay out here in the Newborn Zone, you’re more than capable of protecting yourself.” Woof, woof, woof!
Hearing this, Buddy barked wildly, its voice filled with clear reluctance.
Ivan bent down and gently rubbed the little dog’s head with a single massive finger.
Buddy leaned into the touch, affectionately licking Ivan’s hand.
“You’re a tough little dog.
Make sure you stay alive!” Ivan waved his hand, bidding a final farewell to the Hollow pup that looked so exactly like the Buddy from his past life.
Without another word, he violently plunged into the sea of sand.
The sorrowful whining of the yellow dog echoed faintly from the surface before fading away entirely.
Ivan didn’t look back.
The only reason he had brought the little dog along in the first place was twofold: first, looking at it reminded him of his old dog, and he had honestly felt a rare moment of pity; second, he needed the weak Newborn Hollow to act as bait and draw out prey.
Now that Ivan had evolved into a Giant Hollow and his true combat power rivaled that of a Menos Grande, he obviously didn’t need Buddy to act as bait anymore.
Furthermore, with Buddy’s current stats, as long as the dog didn’t wander out of the Newborn Zone, there was practically nothing out there that could threaten it.
Because of this, Ivan didn’t feel any hesitation about splitting up.
After all, his grand plan to transcend this world was his absolute priority!
His current destination was located at the absolute bottom of the sea of sand: the Forest of Menos!
Ivan plunged downward at maximum speed.
Previously, because he lacked the strength to defend himself, he had only ever dared to tunnel just below the surface.
This was his first time diving this deep.
He lost track of how long he had been swimming.
He only knew that he had been plunging downward non-stop, yet he still hadn’t broken through into the legendary Forest of Menos.
If he didn’t know the canon lore like the back of his hand—knowing for a fact that the forest was located directly beneath the desert—he would have started doubting if he was going the wrong way.
Finally, after diving continuously day and night, he hit a wall.
He literally couldn’t dig any deeper!
“Is this bedrock?” Ivan rammed his massive, masked head against the rock layer blocking his path.
It was incredibly sturdy; there was no way he could tunnel through it.
Having traveled for so long, Ivan’s patience had worn paper-thin.
Fully irritated, he pointed his hand at the rock ceiling and fired a point-blank Cero.
Boom!
A sharp, cracking sound echoed out.
The ground vanished completely beneath him, and Ivan’s massive body plummeted into empty air.
As he fell, Ivan caught a glimpse of his surroundings.
Towering, crystalline trees spanning hundreds of meters tall stretched endlessly into the distance.
The sky above was as dim and gloomy as always.
“This is the Forest of Menos.
I actually made it!” Ivan quickly whipped his centipede tail out, hooking it tightly around a nearby tree trunk and swinging himself down to a smooth landing.
Except, the moment his feet touched the ground, he realized he had landed smack in the middle of a massive brawl between a dozen Giant Hollows.
Because the drop had caught him off guard, he hadn’t activated his Reiatsu Concealment in time.
He just dropped right into the middle of their fight, completely exposed.
“Yo, boys.
Looks like you’re in the middle of something?” The pack of Giant Hollows, which had been furiously tearing each other apart just a second ago, immediately stopped fighting.
They all turned in unison and launched a coordinated attack on the uninvited guest!
A squid-shaped Giant Hollow opened its beak and spat a stream of highly corrosive, black ink straight at his face.
Ivan didn’t retreat; he advanced.
He hooked his tail around the tree trunk again, easily swinging out of the way of the blast.
Instantly, his entire body was engulfed in crackling golden lightning.
He swung his lightning whip, viciously lashing the squid Hollow and nearly scaring it half to death.
Before the squid could recover, Ivan drove his tail directly into its flesh, activated Soul Devour, and instantly sucked it completely dry.
Even though this squid Hollow was in the exact same tier as Ivan, its combat power was absolute garbage compared to Cirucci Sanderwicci, let alone Ivan himself.
It was obliterated in a single exchange.
“That’s one down.
You guys are next!” A savage grin spread across Ivan’s mask as he charged headlong into the remaining dozen Giant Hollows.
He was absolutely thrilled with this welcoming gift on his first day in the Forest of Menos.
He was going to eat like a king.