Of course, this was the first time that Halibel and her truly interacted. Even after things returned to normal in Hueco Mundo and Las Noches, Nel and her remained distant, with the former fearing her fracción. This time was different: Halibel's fracción feared Nel because of Silas.
Halibel paused, her gaze sweeping over Pesche and Dondochakka, saying, "However…" Both the fracción stiffened suddenly. "I will make this clear: there will be no fighting between us. This is a peaceful area, and so long as I'm here, no one will harm that peace."
A shiver ran down Pesche's and Dondochakka's spines. They had hoped to keep Nel safe, but they both had the feeling they'd made the situation for her a lot worse!
One week later.
A sense of frustration gnawed at Silas as he scoured the endless sands of Hueco Mundo. He had been trying to find Sol, yet the latter remained elusive. Sol's immense spiritual pressure seemed to have vanished, swallowed by the desolate landscape.
With every passing hour, Silas's impatience grew. Sol was a vital piece of his grand plan, a force of raw, untamed power just waiting to be used. He needed to find him, bind him to his will, and transform him into the weapon he envisioned.
Yet, Hueco Mundo was vast. Days felt like weeks, and weeks like months. Its shifting dunes and twisting canyons were a labyrinth designed to confound and entrap.
Silas found himself questioning his own senses.
"Darn it," he muttered, the expletive lost in the howling wind. He had grown too confident and too reliant on his exceptional tracking abilities. The arrogance of assuming that Hollows would always be detectable was his mistake—a rookie mistake, and one he wouldn't repeat.
He abandoned the search with a sigh of resignation for the time being. He had to think of a new strategy. If Sol wished to vanish and retreat into the darkest corners of this desolate realm, Silas would simply flush him out one day.
• • •
Back in the depths of the laboratory, Silas hunched over a workbench, surrounded by gleaming instruments and vials of luminescent liquids.
Sol wouldn't stay hidden forever. The Great Hollow's destructive spirit wouldn't allow it. But when he did resurface, Silas needed to be ready.
He recalled the story. Because of Sol's toxic power, his unchecked spiritual pressure was dangerous enough to kill lesser Hollows. Such power, while potent, was also volatile and destructive.
A surge of inspiration coursed through Silas. If Sol couldn't control his own power by separating himself, Silas would do it for him.
He envisioned a device—a simple construct yet simple in its purpose. Something to contain the Great Hollow's spiritual pressure and temper the destructive energy that was within him. It was a concept not dissimilar to Zaraki's infamous eyepatch, a device designed by the Soul Reapers from squad twelve to limit that captain's overwhelming power.
With a deft touch and the Hōgyoku's influence, Silas began working tirelessly.
He drew upon his vast knowledge of spiritual physics, his understanding of spirit particle containment, and his own honed scientific expertise that he's acquired in this world.
The device took shape under his ministrations—a simple collar, crafted from a rare alloy found within the deepest chasms of Hueco Mundo, infused with a complex network of spirit-suppressors from the Seireitei.
Within a single day, it was complete. Silas held the collar aloft, its metallic surface reflecting the laboratory's dim light. This was not a device born from meticulous research and gradual refinement. This was a work of intuition, a testament to his understanding of all things in this world.
He had never attempted such a feat before, having succeeded flawlessly on his first try.
The implications were heady. For when Silas first met Sol, he easily measured his power to be twice the level of the average captain.
The only reason why "Starrk" lost his fight against Shunsui in the anime was because of a "poor match-up". Yet based on what Silas felt in Sol, Shinsui would be crushed indefinitely.
Sol would be Silas's weapon, a force of unimaginable power, unleashed or restrained at Silas's whim.
One problem, however, Sol may not accept this device. The concept of willingly wearing something that would suppress his strength was laughable. Silas needed a more creative approach to ensure Sol's compliance.
There was no need for outright dominance, not yet. Instead, he would present the collar as a gift, a means for Sol to finally achieve true control over his untamed powers. He would exploit the Great Hollow's primal instinct to fight rather than make meaningless friends.
With a few carefully chosen words and a bit of manipulation, Sol would put on the collar himself, believing it to be the key to belonging.
As Silas descended back into Hueco Mundo, he couldn't suppress a triumphant grin. Sol Desierto was a prize worth keeping around.
Of all the Espadas, Starrk was ranked number one. However, fans of the series knew that he was definitely not the strongest. The members of the Espada were claimed to have been numbered based on birth. This was strange to believe because their numbers heavily implied how strong they were—hence why Nnoitra constantly kept pursuing a higher rank.
Regardless of which fact came first, Silas recalled who the strongest of the strong were.
Ulqiorra Cifer was undoubtedly number one. Ulquiorra's initial Resurrección was already a formidable force, but he possessed a hidden power: the "Segunda Etapa", a monstrous second release. In this form, his power dwarfed even Las Noches, and he managed to almost slay Ichigo Kurosaki. Though Ichigo later revived and defeated him, Ulquiorra's immense strength was undeniable.
Afterwards came Starrk, who, despite being one half of his original self, still retained rank one in the Espada. There was no denying Starrk's impressive power.
Then came Yammy. Yammy was written to have been a cruel sadist who delights in the suffering of others, as evidenced when he attacked his own Hollows. His Resurrección transforms him into a colossal being with immense power, and he boasts of being the strongest Espada (the "Zeroth"). However, despite his size and claims, Byakuya and Kenpachi ultimately defeated him with relative ease.
Silas could perhaps change the power structure of all the Espadas. But to do that, he would need their cooperation.