"—Shhk!"
With a faint tearing sound cutting through the air, a dazzling blade shot out from beneath Gin Ichimaru's arm, piercing straight through Kanjuro's chest with unstoppable force.
Pfft!
A crimson mist of blood burst forth like blooming plum blossoms before drifting down, staining the granite floor red.
"Y-You bastard?!"
Kanjuro stared in disbelief at the silver blade impaling him, his red eyes wide.
"Aizen… you… you dare strike me—"
"What?!"
Seeing the situation turn dire, Raizō hurriedly drew his short tachi and pointed it diagonally at Gin.
"Turn justice into thunder! Raidomaru!"
In an instant, the short blade morphed into a barbed thunder whip crackling with blue lightning under his swings.
"Aizen! Witness my Fivefold Lightning Whip! First strike—!"
"Trash."
A quiet murmur echoed as a flash of white light streaked through Las Noches. In the next moment, Ulquiorra Cifer calmly sheathed his Zanpakutō. Without sparing Raizō a glance, he walked toward Aizen.
"Aizen… you've betrayed Lord Momonosuke… damn you… damn you all!!!" Raizō's eyes bulged as he stared at Ulquiorra's back, opening his mouth as if to speak—
But in the next instant, a torrent of blood erupted from his body. He collapsed face-first onto the floor, dead.
"You were too merciful, Ichimaru," Ulquiorra said indifferently as he arrived below the throne.
"Oh?"
Gin still wore his trademark smile, offering no explanation. His narrowed eyes opened slightly as he gazed at Raizō's corpse—though what he was thinking remained unclear.
"It's fine, Ulquiorra," said Sōsuke Aizen gently. "Your timing is perfect. I have a task for you."
Ulquiorra did not respond verbally, but his left arm moved across his chest in silent acknowledgment.
"Go immediately to the Human Worl and observe a human named Ichigo Kurosaki. Determine whether he poses a sufficient threat to us."
"Understood."
Ulquiorra nodded and left Las Noches. Outside, he found Yammy Llargo leaning against a wall as if waiting.
"Oi, Ulquiorra. We moving out?" Yammy asked.
"None of your concern," Ulquiorra replied coolly, hands in the pockets of his pale trousers.
"Oh?"
Yammy stood abruptly and stepped beside him. At 2.3 meters tall, his massive frame dwarfed Ulquiorra's 169 cm height, creating an imposing contrast.
"Yammy, your sensory abilities are too weak. You'd be useless for my assignment," Ulquiorra stated flatly.
"Tch. Don't need that stuff. So where we headed?"
"Karakura Town. If you're bored, follow if you like."
As Ulquiorra spoke, he opened a Garganta—a black, irregular rift tearing open space before them.
"Yammy. Coordinates: Eastern Karakura Town. Target: Ichigo Kurosaki. Let's go."
Ulquiorra stepped through first, Yammy close behind. Soon, both vanished along with the closing Garganta.
…
Meanwhile, at an oasis along the desolate edge of Hueco Mundo's vast desert, Fūjin Taichi divided the more than four thousand expeditionary troops into four units.
Each was led respectively by Saitō Keichirō, Nemu Kurotsuchi, Tsunayashiro Tokio, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Keichirō—you'll take one thousand men as bait. Head to the Forest of Menos and lure the Hollow hordes into our ambush. Remember: fight while retreating. You are allowed to lose—but not to win!"
"Yesss…"
Resting under the shade, Saitō Keichirō lazily fanned himself and complained:
"Captain, do you really hate me that much? Couldn't you let Third Seat Tsunayashiro handle this instead?"
"No. He's too fat."
Fūjin Taichi rejected the suggestion instantly, glancing toward Tsunayashiro Tokio, who was drinking water inside a tent nearby.
"Besides, letting the pampered noble and his 'donkey' stay in camp to conserve energy is a privilege of the Great Houses!"
"Bastard! I can hear you—! Don't think becoming captain gives you the right to slander people behind their backs!"
Tsunayashiro tossed aside his water flask and shouted angrily.
Taichi said nothing.
Staring out over the endless desert, a contemplative look crossed his face.
This is already the third day… and we haven't seen a single trace of the so-called 'Arrancar army.'
Why…?
Along the way, the strongest Hollow they had encountered was nothing more than a dim-witted "long-nosed faceless creature." So where had the so-called "Arrancar army" that wiped out three expeditionary divisions gone?
"Oh… come to think of it, for the young master of the great noble Tsunayashiro clan to voluntarily apply to join the expeditionary force—now that truly surprised me!" Saitō Keichirō stroked his chin and sighed to himself when he saw Fūjin Taichi remaining silent.
"Keichirō, forget about that for now! You—set out immediately. No matter what, we must take the initiative today. It'll also let us test the true situation in Hueco Mundo!"
After urging Saitō to depart, Fūjin Taichi turned to Nemu and Tsunayashiro Tokio:
"Nemu, take Kidō Unit One and lie in ambush on the left side of the valley ahead. Once Keichirō lures the Hollow horde into the valley, unleash your attack!
Third Seat Tsunayashiro, you'll take Kidō Unit Two and hide on the right side of the valley. Once Nemu gives the signal, begin your assault!"
"Understood, Captain Fūjin."
Nemu Kurotsuchi nodded and led over a thousand soldiers out of camp, heading toward the Terror Valley roughly sixty li from the Forest of Menos.
"Ta—"
Tsunayashiro Tokio opened his mouth, intending to call out "Taichi," but swallowed the words at the last second. Instead, he resentfully corrected himself:
"Captain Fūjin." Then he led the second unit out of camp.
"And Captain Kurotsuchi… I'll leave the camp to you?" Fūjin Taichi cast a sideways glance toward Mayuri Kurotsuchi's tent. Seeing him fully absorbed in examining an unidentified corpse, Taichi shook his head and prepared to leave.
"Captain Fūjin!"
Mayuri suddenly lifted his gaze.
"You're not under the impression that I'm your subordinate, are you?"
"Of course not, Captain Kurotsuchi."
Taichi paused and turned slightly.
"I've always just regarded you as a pervert."
"You—!"
"Captain Kurotsuchi! I was appointed supreme commander of this expedition by Old Man Yamamoto. No matter what your objective is, don't play tricks behind my back. Thank you."
"Tch… how absurd."
Mayuri shrugged indifferently.
"Very well. There's no harm in letting you know."
"What?"
"Half an hour before the expeditionary force assembled, Captain-Commander Yamamoto personally assigned me a secret mission."
He paused, a strange smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"It concerns you, Captain Fūjin—"
Taichi stared at him in silence, though a sense of foreboding rose in his chest.
"Hollowfication."
Mayuri's voice lowered.
"If I recall correctly, Kisuke Urahara once mentioned a 'state achieved when a Shinigami breaks through their limits'—he called it Hollowfication.
Now then, Captain Fūjin… judging from the recorded footage of your battle against Captain-Commander Yamamoto at Sōkyoku Hill—
You… have already undergone Hollowfication, haven't you?"
"!!!"