From within the Garganta, three figures stepped out.
Leading them was a languid-looking man—unkempt stubble on his face, short dark-brown curly hair, and a gray-and-white cloak resembling a wolf's pelt draped over his shoulders. His outfit carried a strange mix of hunter and pirate aesthetics.
What stood out most, however—
Were the two pistols in his hands.
Black-bodied, adorned with silver jet-like patterns and wolf-head motifs.
Sawada Tsunayoshi raised an eyebrow.
He recognized them immediately.
They were Hollows—or more precisely—
Arrancar.
Hollows who had shattered their masks and evolved toward a Shinigami-like existence.
The man at the front—
Was none other than the Primera Espada:
Coyote Starrk.
The "eyepatch" over his left eye was actually his Hollow hole. Another hole marked his chest.
And his current form—
Was clearly Resurrección.
Resurrección could be roughly compared to Shikai and Bankai—
But the principle was the opposite.
A Shinigami releases power from their Zanpakutō.
An Arrancar, upon release, returns the sealed power back into their body, reverting closer to their original Hollow form.
In simple terms—
Starrk, as the Primera Espada, was now operating at a level comparable to a Bankai-level captain.
Tsunayoshi immediately understood the earlier attacks.
Those Cero blasts—
Came from Starrk's guns.
Among all Arrancar, Starrk's most terrifying trait was his limitless Cero output.
For most Hollows, Cero required charging and consumed significant Reiatsu.
But for Starrk—
It was as effortless as breathing.
Beside him stood another unmistakable figure:
Ulquiorra Cifer — the Fourth Espada.
Cold. Emotionless. Almost devoid of human expression.
And the third—
Tsunayoshi had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing.
That man was—
Inoue Hiro.
With the help of Tsunayoshi and Urahara Kisuke, he had undergone Hollowfication using a human soul—
Shattered his mask—
Regained his consciousness—
And walked a completely different path.
To repay Urahara, he had willingly infiltrated Hueco Mundo.
Now—
He had successfully embedded himself within Aizen's inner circle.
The moment Kurosaki Ichigo saw him—
He covered his mouth.
To outsiders, it looked like shock.
But in truth—
It was restraint.
The group from the Human World forced themselves to remain composed.
Inoue Orihime even hid behind Arisawa Tatsuki—
Afraid she might accidentally call out "big brother."
Thankfully, Tsunayoshi and Urahara had informed them beforehand.
Otherwise—
Ichigo would've already rushed forward demanding answers.
Even so—
Inoue Hiro himself was also suppressing his emotions.
Only when his gaze briefly passed over Orihime—
Did a faint, nearly imperceptible softness appear.
Under Urahara's training, he operated under the alias "Hao."
Within Hueco Mundo, no one suspected his origins.
Through sheer ability, he rose as a naturally evolved Arrancar—
Earning Aizen's attention.
Interestingly—
All three Arrancar present were natural evolutions.
Even Ulquiorra—
A partial Arrancar—
Had only been elevated using half of the Hōgyoku 's power.
These three—
Were Aizen's most trusted subordinates.
Before meeting him, they were already powerful.
And Aizen had invested significant effort in recruiting them.
In Aizen's eyes—
Their loyalty wasn't born from power or reward—
But from his charisma.
When he called for aid—
Only these three answered.
The rest of Hueco Mundo?
Unreliable at best.
They might betray him rather than save him.
Starrk's arrival brought visible relief to Aizen Sōsuke.
He had only just realized—
Kyōraku Shunsui had silently cut off his escape.
Now—
That weakness was covered.
At the same time—
Aizen quietly released Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis again.
The moment Urahara's group saw the Arrancar—
They had already fallen under its influence.
They just didn't realize it yet.
Meanwhile—
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni narrowed his eyes.
"These… are Hollows?"
Then his expression hardened.
"Aizen… you've allied with Hueco Mundo?"
His anger surged.
The flames around him intensified.
To him—
Betrayal was one thing.
But siding with Hollows?
Unforgivable.
Suddenly—
Aizen appeared before him.
"Head Captain… if you don't restrain yourself, Soul Society will be destroyed first."
Yamamoto knew—
He was under illusion again.
And without the barrier—
He couldn't pinpoint Aizen's real body.
He extinguished his flames.
Even sealing away Ryūjin Jakka.
In an illusion—
Wide-scale fire attacks could harm allies.
But Yamamoto wasn't helpless.
As he withdrew his flames—
A brief heat signal passed through:
Unohana Retsu
Zaraki Kenpachi
A silent message.
Still—
It wasn't enough.
Three Arrancar.
Plus Aizen.
Then—
He spoke:
"Tsunayoshi… I wish to make a deal."
Aizen's expression changed instantly.
"Starrk—kill him."
Starrk sighed internally.
But complied.
He raised his gun—
And fired a fully charged Cero.
Before it could land—
Tsunayoshi stepped in.
And slapped it aside.
"I'm just making a deal," he said calmly.
A massive beam followed—
Over five meters wide.
A true Cero blast.
Tsunayoshi exhaled.
These people really didn't like letting others finish speaking.
He raised both hands.
Rear hand—soft flame output.
Front hand—hard Sky Flame.
X-Burner.
The two attacks collided—
Engulfing Sōkyoku Hill in blinding white light.
Shockwaves spread across Soul Society.
Yamamoto heard the rest of Tsunayoshi's reply.
Three conditions:
Grant Ichigo and Tsunayoshi Substitute Shinigami authorityAllow free access to Soul Society with captain-level privilegesClear Urahara and the Visored of past crimes
Tsunayoshi accepted—
But added:
"I won't fight Aizen. That's our deal."
At that moment—
Warm orange flames covered Yamamoto's body.
Harmonization.
His senses returned briefly.
"Agreed."
Then—
Without warning—
Tsunayoshi kicked him.
Yamamoto was sent flying—
Out of Sōkyoku Hill—
Toward Seireitei.
He cursed inwardly—
But understood.
Urahara's group had already failed.
To recreate a sealed space—
Yamamoto needed time.
And manpower.
That kick—
Was the opening he needed.
With Unohana Retsu and Zaraki Kenpachi pressing Aizen—
Even he couldn't maintain long-range hypnosis perfectly.
The battlefield—
Had shifted once again.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789