Bleach: The Path to Transcendence

The massive Hollow worm was enormous—so much so that even its remaining severed half dwarfed Vritra. Compared to it, he seemed minuscule, barely a fraction of its size, perhaps only a seventh or eighth of its full length.

Vritra devoured every last piece of flesh with unrestrained greed. If not for the fact that some of the blood had already seeped into the sand, making it impossible to consume, he might have even considered eating the sand itself.

With his knowledge of the original story, Vritra was well aware that everything in Hueco Mundo was composed of highly concentrated spirit particles. This led him to a wild idea—if he could consume the white sands, would his spiritual pressure increase? He gave it a try, only to end up nearly choking himself to death several times. Frustrated, he abandoned the experiment.

Before long, the massive corpse that had far exceeded his own size was completely devoured. But this time, something was different. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Vritra experienced a genuine sense of fullness.

"ROOOOAAAARRR!!!"

Dark golden spiritual pressure coiled around his body like ethereal tendrils. He couldn't help but throw his head back and let out a triumphant howl.

"I'm... evolving?"

A grin formed beneath the pale mask that covered his monstrous face.

A sudden wave of comfort washed over him—an overwhelming sense of relief and pleasure, as if he had returned to his past life, enjoying a full-body spa treatment.

A column of dark golden energy erupted from his body, enveloping him entirely. Within the radiant pillar, his form began to change, evolving into something new.

The transformation lasted no more than ten seconds before the light faded, the swirling dust settled, and Vritra's new form was revealed.

His once four-to-five-meter-long body had nearly doubled in size. Now, including the centipede-like lower half of his body, he measured around seven to eight meters in total length. His already monstrous form had become even more imposing.

Previously, his pale exoskeleton had been uniform in color, but now streaks of dark golden lightning patterns ran across his centipede limbs. Even the mask-like helm that encased his entire head had gained a similar dark golden lightning pattern.

His upper body—more humanoid in shape—was now marked by intricate interwoven patterns of black and gold, giving him an even more eerie and sinister appearance.

"I've evolved into a Strong Hollow!" Vritra exclaimed, exhilaration shining in his voice.

Through his personal exploration and knowledge from his past life, Vritra had already pieced together an understanding of the Hollow hierarchy.

In the original story, there were only two broad classifications: regular Hollows and Menos-class Hollows. The latter was divided into three subcategories—Gillian (lowest), Adjuchas (mid-tier), and Vasto Lorde (highest).

However, through his own experiences, Vritra realized that even ordinary Hollows had distinct evolutionary stages.

First Stage: Newly Born Hollows – Freshly turned and weak, these Hollows had yet to devour enough souls to grow stronger. Both Vritra and the lizard Hollow he had slain previously belonged to this category. Strength varied depending on the soul's potential before its transformation. Vritra had easily crushed the lizard Hollow simply because his soul had been far stronger as a human.

Second Stage: Strong Hollows – This was where Vritra currently stood, having undergone his first major evolution.

Third Stage: Giant Hollows – The enormous Hollow worm that had been effortlessly obliterated by an evolved Gillian belonged to this category.

Fourth Stage: Gillian-Class Menos – Formed when at least a hundred Giant Hollows cannibalized each other, fusing into a towering, mindless monster. Most Gillians lost all individuality, becoming mere killing machines, often controlled by stronger Adjuchas-class Hollows. However, rare mutant Gillians retained their consciousness and continued devouring their own kind to evolve further—like the one Vritra had encountered earlier.

There was also a unique subset of Gillians—those that had once evolved into Adjuchas but, due to severe injuries, lost power and regressed back into Gillian form. Unlike normal Gillians, they retained their former appearance and were far stronger than their mindless counterparts.

Fifth Stage: Adjuchas-Class Menos – These Hollows had evolved from intelligent Gillians, their bodies smaller than a Gillian's but still larger than most regular Hollows. They could command lesser Gillians and wield high-level Hollow abilities such as Cero and Bala.

However, they lived under constant pressure—if any part of their body was consumed by another Hollow of equal or higher rank, their evolution would permanently halt. Even if they continued devouring others, they would never reach Vasto Lorde. The risk of being stuck in eternal stagnation loomed over every Adjuchas.

Sixth Stage: Vasto Lorde-Class Menos – The ultimate Hollow evolution. Vasto Lordes were either Adjuchas who had successfully advanced or beings naturally born in Hueco Mundo. Their humanoid stature belied their terrifying strength—each one was more powerful than a Soul Reaper captain. However, they were exceedingly rare.

"I still have a long way to go…"

Despite his excitement over evolving into a Strong Hollow, Vritra remained level-headed. He understood that if this were the late stages of the original story's timeline, even a Vasto Lorde-ranked Arrancar wouldn't be strong enough. As for himself—a mere Strong Hollow—he was nothing but an insect.

With no knowledge of his current position in the timeline, there was only one path forward: power. He had to become stronger, as fast as possible. Otherwise, the mere aftershocks of a battle between two Adjuchas could reduce him to dust.

A newfound sense of urgency filled him. Without wasting any time, Vritra focused on adapting to his newly evolved body. To his delight, he discovered two new abilities.

Ability One – Stealth Aura: Vritra could completely suppress his spiritual pressure, rendering himself nearly undetectable. Only beings whose reiatsu exceeded his by a hundredfold or more could perceive his presence. Ability Two – Thunder Coil: He could generate arcs of electricity along the limbs of his centipede-like lower body. Unfortunately, the electricity was limited to his body's surface, making ranged attacks impossible.

Upon realizing these newfound abilities, Vritra was ecstatic. With these powers—especially in combination with the sandy terrain of Hueco Mundo—he had become the ultimate predator, capable of hunting and consuming far more efficiently.

"As for ranged attacks… I already have one."

A barely noticeable smirk formed beneath his mask. He recalled the memory of the mutant Gillian he had encountered earlier, particularly the moment it unleashed its Cero attack.

Raising his right hand, Vritra extended his pale index finger forward. Dark red spiritual energy gathered at the tip.

Five seconds later, a beam of black and crimson light erupted from his fingertip, shooting toward a distant sand dune.

"BOOOOM!!!"

A deafening explosion shook the land, sending sand and debris flying in all directions.