Hearing Shimo's words, Harribel felt a subtle tremor in her heart.
Recalling the overwhelming power he had displayed earlier, she had no reason to doubt him.
At the same time, she quickly grasped his true intention.
All the Espada were dead. Aizen had been sealed.
Now, in Las Noches, she was the only remaining Espada.
Once she returned, Harribel would inevitably become the sole ruler of Hueco Mundo.
And Shimo, in turn, would gain a perfectly justified reason to exert control over the entire realm—without having to lift a finger.
His words didn't just shake Harribel—they struck deep fear into the Arrancar behind her.
To them, Aizen had already been the absolute pinnacle of power.
The one who defeated him…
Was a being beyond even their ability to comprehend.
And now, that same being claimed he could open a Garganta and enter Hueco Mundo at any time.
To the Arrancar, it was like a sword hanging above their heads—ready to fall at any moment.
A blade of inevitable judgment.
...
"But you can rest easy."
Shimo seemed to read their thoughts and spoke again:
"I have no intention of interfering with the normal order of Hueco Mundo."
"As long as you behave yourselves, everything will remain as it is."
The tension among the Arrancar eased slightly.
In their eyes, someone like Shimo had no need to deceive them.
After all, it would take him less effort to destroy them outright than to lie.
Harribel lowered her head respectfully.
"We will abide by your will, Lord Shimo."
She held no resentment toward this arrangement—in fact, she welcomed it.
Without Aizen and the other Arrancar disrupting the balance, she was confident she could govern Las Noches properly.
For both Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society, this outcome was far from unfavorable.
As Shimo had said, compared to the other Espada—
Harribel's nature was far more tempered.
She valued her subordinates and despised needless slaughter among Hollows.
Though quiet and reserved, she carried her convictions deep within.
"Good."
Shimo nodded faintly.
"Then open a Garganta and return."
"If you delay any longer… I'm afraid a certain stubborn old man might decide to keep you here by force."
Hearing this, Harribel recalled the terrifying inferno that had once raged across the skies of Karakura Town—
The flames that scorched the heavens and turned the earth to ash.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
In her eyes, the Captain-Commander's power was absolute.
If not for Wonderweiss sealing his flames, Aizen's entire plan might have collapsed long ago.
A Garganta opened silently above the ruins of Karakura Town.
Under the watchful eyes of the Eleventh Division, Harribel raised her hand and tore open the dimensional passage.
The Arrancar filed through one by one, eager to leave this battlefield behind.
Under the pressure of the Shinigami's presence, none of them wished to linger.
Harribel handed the unconscious Mila Rose to the other Fracción and instructed them to go ahead.
She remained behind, holding the Garganta open.
Once the last Arrancar had passed through, she turned back.
Her gaze lingered on Shimo for a moment.
She said nothing.
After a brief pause, she lowered her eyes and stepped into the void.
The Garganta closed.
And with it, the tension in the air finally eased.
...
The Shinigami let out quiet sighs of relief.
Maintaining constant battle readiness had taken a toll on their minds.
After all, not everyone was like the Eleventh Division's battle maniacs.
"Hey, Shimo."
Ikkaku leaned in again, his bald head gleaming under the sunlight.
"Aren't you worried the Captain-Commander will hold you accountable for this?"
Shimo looked at him, puzzled.
"For what?"
Ikkaku scratched his head.
"For letting the Arrancar go, obviously."
A faint, dismissive smile appeared on Shimo's lips.
He glanced sideways at Ikkaku.
"That wasn't my doing."
"It was clearly your lack of strength that allowed them to escape."
"What does that have to do with me?"
He swept his gaze across the surrounding Shinigami.
"I trust everyone here saw that clearly."
His tone carried an unmistakable threat.
The Shinigami immediately nodded in agreement.
"Y-Yes, Lieutenant Madarame wasn't strong enough…"
"Well, it's not entirely his fault—the opponent was an Espada…"
"Everyone shares responsibility here…"
"Captain Shimo is absolutely right!"
Ikkaku stared at them in disbelief.
Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head—his neck cracking audibly.
"You bastards…"
Before he could explode, Shimo cut him off:
"Alright, I'm going to check for any stragglers."
"We can't let any Arrancar slip away."
With that, he vanished using Shunpo, disappearing instantly.
Leaving Ikkaku standing there—frozen in place.
...
With reinforcements arriving, Karakura Town gradually began to recover.
While ordinary Shinigami weren't much help in battle, they were highly experienced in cleanup.
After all, their captains had a habit of reducing entire battlefields to ruins.
Over time, they had become… quite skilled at aftermath management.
---
Soul Society – Outer District, North of Seireitei.
A massive Senkaimon glowed brightly.
Numerous Shinigami stood nearby, preparing to receive the returning captains and lieutenants.
They had already learned the outcome of the battle through Hell Butterflies.
Although Soul Society had emerged victorious—
There was nothing to celebrate.
The losses were the worst in centuries.
Most captains were severely injured.
Even the Captain-Commander himself had suffered grave wounds.
The scale of destruction had shaken the very foundation of Soul Society.
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