"Head Captain Yamamoto, are you in your right mind?"
Naraku Sora abruptly sat up from his lap pillow, looking at Yamamoto in astonishment.
"Lilynette is an Arrancar..."
Before he could finish, Yamamoto forcefully interrupted:
"The antithesis of Soul Reapers? A destined enemy?"
"Has my doing this already violated the laws of the Soul Society?"
"Brat, times have changed."
"Even a stubborn old fool like me has accepted Hollowfication and chosen to embrace the new era. Why are you the one who can't wrap your head around it?"
"According to the original laws, bringing a Menos Grande into the Soul Society without authorization would result in a sentence ranging from the [Hell of Reviving] to the [Hell of Crushing], lasting anywhere from five hundred to a thousand years, depending on the damage caused."
"But what does that matter?"
"I haven't even settled the score with you regarding the total annihilation of Central 46."
Naraku Sora offered an awkward, sheepish smile.
Although the destruction of Central 46 had little to do with him, it was Aizen's doing.
A son paying his father's debts—rounding it up, saying he personally wiped out Central 46 didn't seem too far-fetched.
However, Old Man Yama's psychological tolerance threshold had indeed risen significantly.
After accepting Hollowfication, he seemed to have adopted a reckless, devil-may-care attitude, giving off a certain aesthetic of completely disregarding what others thought.
Setting aside the laws of the Soul Society for a moment.
The dignified Head Captain of the Gotei 13 personally bringing an Arrancar to the Soul Society—what would the other Soul Reapers think?
Those in the know would think Yamamoto had opened his mind; those in the dark might assume the Head Captain had defected to the enemy.
*Wait, defected?*
Naraku Sora's eyes narrowed as he suddenly realized a blind spot.
*Was Old Man Yama planning to self-destruct his reputation in this manner, stepping down from his position as Head Captain out of self-reflection, and then forcing him to take over this massive mess?*
Sensing his rebellious disciple's wary gaze, Yamamoto glared at him in annoyance.
"Fool, stop overthinking things."
"I merely want the Soul Reapers to acknowledge the existence of Arrancars, and then gradually promote the integration of the two worlds."
"That way, if a war with the Quincies breaks out in the future, both sides won't feel constrained when cooperating."
"Every process requires a gradual, step-by-step approach."
"If it were suddenly revealed that you are the King of Hueco Mundo, I worry some people wouldn't be able to accept it."
Beside them, Starrk, who was slouched over the table looking as lazy as ever, hesitated to speak.
He really wanted to say that, given Great King Naraku's persona, nothing he did would be considered surprising.
But if the traditionally stubborn and rigid Head Captain suddenly brought an Arrancar back to the Soul Society...
It would actually be harder for the Soul Reapers to accept right away. They might even suspect the Head Captain had been replaced by an impostor.
But thinking about it carefully, it didn't seem like a big deal either.
With Yamamoto's current strength, did anyone in the Soul Society dare to say "no"?
At most, they would find it unacceptable temporarily, but they would get used to it after a while.
Hearing this, Naraku Sora stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"If that's the case, it's not entirely out of the question."
"However, if only Lilynette goes, it makes this King look a bit too biased."
"So..."
He looked up at the others and grinned.
"Who else wants to go on a sightseeing tour of the Soul Society?"
As soon as these words were spoken, looks of surprise appeared on the others' faces. They subconsciously began to think about whether there was anything they needed in the Soul Society, or anything they wanted to do there.
As Arrancars, openly traveling to the Soul Society was something they wouldn't have even dared to dream of before.
Just as everyone was deep in thought, a burly, muscular old man was the first to raise his hand, indicating:
"Great King Naraku, I would like to sign up."
The person speaking was none other than Espada No. 2, Baraggan Louisenbairn.
"I have always had a wish, and that is to visit the author of 'A Rose-Colored Path'. I have some questions I want to ask face-to-face, and I'd like to present a trivial little gift while I'm at it."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora couldn't help but chuckle.
"Granted. I will personally introduce you to Senior Brother Kyōraku when the time comes."
With one person taking the lead, the others quickly followed suit.
Even the usually calm and composed Harribel requested to go to the Soul Society.
Seeing this, Naraku Sora simply waved his hand grandly.
"Let's all go together! We'll take a good look at the scenery of the Soul Society."
Yamamoto looked at the bustling scene before him and fell into deep thought.
Wait, didn't he originally only plan to take Lilynette back with him?
How did it turn into this?
*What was this, a Las Noches team-building trip?*
In front of the fixed Garganta Senkaimon, Urahara Kisuke respectfully saw off Naraku Sora and the others. Turning to look at the empty palace, his face was written with pure joy.
Naraku Sora was gone, Yamamoto was gone, and even those meddlesome Arrancars had left.
Now he was the only one left in Las Noches. He could finally relax properly.
He was definitely going to slack off hard and make up for all the vacation time he had missed!
Just as Urahara Kisuke was pondering whether to go chat with the other Arrancars about life or go fishing in a nearby lake, a rift silently tore open behind him.
A large hand reached out from within and wrapped around him without a word of explanation.
Feeling the familiar touch on his neck, Urahara Kisuke's expression changed drastically. He immediately prepared to release his Reiatsu and break free from the shackles of fate.
Unfortunately, the gap in their martial prowess was too massive. He wasn't given any chance to resist before being dragged straight into the Garganta.
Gazing at the freedom that was so close at hand, Urahara Kisuke let out a desperate cry:
"No—"
Rukongai, South District 78, Inuzuri.
The outskirts.
In the cloudless blue sky, intersecting rifts suddenly appeared, slowly opening like the bloody maw of a monster, revealing the darkness within.
As the Garganta opened, figures stepped out from it one after another.
A heart-palpitating pressure quickly permeated the wilderness. The ground beneath their feet let out groans of being overwhelmed, and tiny cracks appeared one after another.
Naraku Sora frowned. "Restrain yourselves. The residents of the Rukongai can't withstand your Reiatsu."
Hearing this, the Hollows immediately pulled all their unconsciously leaking Reiatsu back into their bodies, instantly becoming completely unremarkable.
Judging solely by their outward appearance, they didn't look much different from Soul Reapers.
At most, they just had a few extra bone-like ornaments on their faces.
Considering that there was no shortage of eccentric-looking individuals among the Soul Reapers, the way Starrk and the others looked now didn't seem inappropriate at all.
Naraku Sora accepted this premise in just one second.
Yamamoto looked at these Arrancars who executed Naraku Sora's orders without hesitation. He gave a barely noticeable nod, and his tense face relaxed quite a bit.
"Pass through the Rukongai to reach the White Way Gate, and further ahead is the core of the Soul Society, the Seireitei."
"The Gotei 13's barracks and headquarters are located there."
"Let's go."
After saying that, Yamamoto walked forward, taking on the role of a host leading the way.
Naraku Sora, on the other hand, led the Espada on a leisurely stroll through the streets of the Rukongai, occasionally introducing the architectural styles and the local customs of the residents.
Whenever they encountered something they didn't understand, they would just yank Urahara Kisuke over to fill in the gaps.
As for Aizen, he was finishing up an experiment in Hueco Mundo. It was said to be an Anti-Yamamoto Arrancar, considered an enhanced version of the Prince of Extinguishing Flames.
Naraku Sora didn't care much about this.
In his eyes, Old Man Yama was in the same boat as them.
Once you boarded a pirate ship, it wasn't so easy to get off.
Moreover, if the day truly came when they stood against the Zero Division, there was no telling who Yamamoto would help.
Given this old man's sharp tongue but soft heart, things would probably evolve into—
*The leader of the Zero Division is also a worthy opponent to fight.*
A group of people wearing Las Noches uniforms walked down the spacious street. On both sides were somewhat crude buildings, and ordinary residents occasionally cast curious glances their way.
Although they weren't releasing any Reiatsu, their imposing aura made people afraid to approach.
Living in the outer districts, the most crucial survival skill was learning to read the room.
After all, no one knew if the next person they bumped into would be a powerful thug or a lone wandering ronin.
And right now, this group of out-of-place individuals was clearly not to be trifled with.
Even some malicious individuals hiding in the shadows didn't dare to make a rash move.
"This is a bit boring."
Grimmjow placed his hands behind his head and let out a deep yawn.
He originally thought coming to the Soul Society would mean fighting powerful beings, but all he saw were souls so weak they couldn't be any weaker.
Let alone a passionate battle, if he released even a tiny bit of Reiatsu, they probably wouldn't be able to handle it.
He finally understood why Naraku Sora ordered them to restrain their Reiatsu. If they walked around here in their Hueco Mundo state, they would probably kill the residents all along the way.
Grimmjow had absolutely no interest in bullying the weak.
A true Menos Grande should challenge the strong, like Naraku Sora or Yamamoto Shigekuni.
Although he still had a long way to go, sooner or later, he would definitely have a thrilling, all-out battle with them.
Just as Grimmjow was imagining the future, a familiar, strange fluctuation suddenly came from a corner up ahead.
A small crack continuously expanded in the air, quickly forming a massive, pitch-black rift.
A tyrannical aura spread from deep within, and a massive, grotesque Hollow stepped out.
In an instant, ear-piercing screams erupted on the street.
"A Hollow! It's a Hollow!"
"Notify the patrolling Soul Reaper lords immediately!"
"Run!"
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow and looked at the displeased old man beside him.
"To think we'd encounter a Hollow invading the Rukongai at a time like this."
"Talk about bad timing."
The grotesque Hollow let out a deafening roar, staring greedily at the souls fleeing in all directions on the street, as if looking at an all-you-can-eat buffet with no time limit.
However, just as it was about to dig in, a figure suddenly appeared in front of it.
An expressionless blonde woman was looking at it with icy eyes.
Although she didn't emit a single trace of Reiatsu, the aura she exuded instantly froze it in place, causing even its breathing to stop.
In the next second, before the grotesque Hollow could even open its mouth, it instantly exploded into a mist of blood, completely vanishing into the air without leaving a single trace behind.
Meanwhile, Nelliel retrieved an unconscious woman from the corner.
"Lord Naraku, she looks like she's about to die."
Urahara Kisuke leaned in for a look and immediately diagnosed the issue.
Her soul was too weak to begin with, coupled with a chronic lack of water. When the Hollow appeared, she was caught in the shockwave of its Reiatsu and fainted.
Although she wouldn't die immediately, judging from her life force, it seemed she didn't have many years left to live anyway.
Urahara Kisuke shook his head.
This kind of thing was very common in the outer districts of the Rukongai.
The Gotei 13 had a limited number of squad members and simply couldn't attend to everything.
Furthermore, the root cause was the extremely harsh environment. Even if they wanted to change it, it wasn't something that could be done overnight.
Perhaps he could consider a related project later.
Given a certain someone's personality, he would probably approve the research funding in a heartbeat.
Just as Kisuke was calculating how much to apply for, Naraku Sora had already arrived in front of Nelliel, looking curiously into her arms.
When he saw the woman's face clearly, his eyes widened in shock.
"This iconic onion-shaped hair..."
Seeing Naraku Sora's reaction, Yamamoto frowned, seemingly recalling something.
If he remembered correctly, Naraku Sora had a special knack for recognizing people and often picked up geniuses from the Rukongai.
A long time ago, he had sent him to the Rukongai to recruit personnel.
He hadn't expected much, but this guy brought back a Zaraki Kenpachi and a Komamura Sajin.
By that logic...
After briefly checking her condition, Naraku Sora directly began treating her.
Ever since he comprehended Rinne Tensei, his Kaidō skills had advanced by leaps and bounds. Now, he was no weaker than the Lieutenant of Squad 4, Yamada Seinosuke.
Treating a minor issue like this was a piece of cake.
Before long, the woman's breathing steadied, and she recovered. However, the moment she opened her eyes, she saw an incomprehensible scene.
Over a dozen inexplicable gazes were fixed on her, as if looking at some rare artifact.
Her breath hitched, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.
Although she didn't know these people, judging from the auras they unconsciously exuded, none of them were simple figures.
She was just an ordinary resident of the Rukongai without even a hint of spiritual talent. What right did she have to draw the attention of so many terrifying individuals?
*Could it be...*
The young woman subconsciously clutched her coarse cloth garments tighter, a terrified expression appearing on her face.
Naraku Sora's face instantly darkened.
*What was that supposed to mean?*
*Where did you get the idea that I'm into this?*
*A flat plain even worse than Soifon's is absolutely not this Prison Warden's type!*
Despite his dissatisfaction, Naraku Sora patiently explained:
"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad guy."
"You were shocked by the sudden outburst of the Hollow's Reiatsu just now. Your soul was too weak, which caused you to faint. I was the one who saved you."
Recalling what had just happened, the young woman's expression relaxed significantly.
It seemed the person in front of her was indeed not a bad guy.
Immediately after, a hint of apology appeared on her face, feeling ashamed of her previous suspicions.
"I am very sorry, my lord..."
"Don't worry about it. I just happen to have a few questions I want to ask."
Naraku Sora waved his hand, gesturing. "Just answer truthfully."
The young woman nodded repeatedly.
*Repaying a life-saving grace with just a few questions—although his aura seemed a bit fierce, he was actually a very good person.*
Naraku Sora asked, "Your name?"
The young woman paused for a moment, not understanding the point of this question, but she answered truthfully anyway:
"My name is Hisana..."