"I understand, Lord Aizen!" Sora Inoue replied respectfully, dropping to one knee.
Just as Aizen knew Sora Inoue's position in Hueco Mundo had never been pure, Sora himself had never hidden his relationship with Tsunayoshi and the others in front of Aizen.
Before coming to Hueco Mundo, Tsunayoshi had already told Sora that there was no need to live like a spy under Aizen. He could openly and honestly pass information to Urahara.
For someone like Aizen, as long as he held control over the overall situation, he would not care if the people under him acted slightly out of line. On the contrary, when serving under Aizen, pretending to be clever and trying to deceive him was far more dangerous.
And even if Aizen truly could not tolerate Sora Inoue, that would be fine too. Inside Sora's body was a life-saving Kidō spell left behind by Urahara. When his life was in danger, it would automatically open a Garganta.
And once Urahara discovered that the spell he had left had been triggered, he would be able to bring Orihime over at the fastest possible speed to save Sora Inoue's life.
Just as Sora Inoue rose and prepared to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "Lord Aizen, there is still some distance between here and the main gate. Some of our members should have already reached the entrance by now. Should I stop them?"
At the same time Aizen gave Sora his orders, several Arrancar had already rushed to Tsunayoshi and the others. Unless something unexpected happened, a conflict between them would soon break out.
"Warn those ranked Four and above. The rest do not matter," Aizen said without even thinking.
Arrancar ranked Four and above possessed the strength of Vasto Lorde. As for the other Adjuchas, Aizen did not care in the slightest. With the Hōgyoku, he could create as many Arrancar of that level as he wanted.
"Please rest assured, my lord. Those ranked Four and above will not act rashly."
The Primera Espada, Starrk, was comparatively lazy and would not involve himself in such matters. The Segunda Espada, Baraggan, had once been the King of Hueco Mundo and would disdain going to the gate to welcome an enemy. The Tres Espada, Harribel, was cautious and prudent, and would not actively stir up trouble. As for the Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra, that went without saying. With his somewhat machine-like personality, he would not act on his own without Aizen's orders.
Having received Aizen's permission, Sora Inoue slowed his pace considerably and headed outside in a relaxed, cheerful mood. As for the few Arrancar who had gone out to provoke the enemy, he did not care about them at all.
It would be better if a few of them died. Sora Inoue had long since grown tired of mediating the relationships between these problem children. It was perfect to borrow Tsunayoshi and the others' hands to get rid of a few guys with terrible tempers and no real strength.
At the gate of Las Noches, the Reiatsu Tsunayoshi released vanished as soon as it appeared. He had only come to greet them, not to provoke them. There was no need to continue exerting pressure for long.
However, Tsunayoshi's action was still taken as a provocation. Three Arrancar among the Espada stationed closest to the outer edge of Las Noches had already rushed to the main gate.
"Hey, Grimmjow! The enemy's already at our doorstep. Where do you think you're going?"
Grimmjow had just entered the palace when he saw a large, burly Arrancar calling out to him. He only glanced over before recognizing that the guy with the mask fragment on his jaw was one of the Espada.
The Décima Espada, Yammy Llargo.
However, Grimmjow had absolutely no intention of paying any attention to Yammy. His relationship with Yammy was not good. Yammy was violent and irritable, and in all of Las Noches, only Ulquiorra, who had almost no emotional fluctuations at all, could get along with him.
Since they were only casual acquaintances, Grimmjow had no intention whatsoever of warning Yammy. He swung his foul expression around and continued walking deeper into the palace.
"Damn bastard. I'll beat you flat sooner or later!" Yammy said angrily.
Yammy had long since found Grimmjow's cocky attitude unpleasant. If Ulquiorra had not kept telling him to calm down, his fist would probably have already smashed into Grimmjow's face.
"That's just how a mere Sixth Seat acts. No need to take it to heart."
A voice that made Yammy even more unhappy appeared. Without turning around, Yammy knew it belonged to the Quinta Espada, Nnoitra Gilga.
Long-haired and one-eyed, holding a massive double-crescent scythe, his eyes filled with mockery and derision—that was Nnoitra, an arrogant man who despised the weak. Anyone weaker than him would only receive his relentless ridicule.
When Yammy heard Nnoitra's words, his vision nearly went black. Normally speaking, he was ranked tenth. For Nnoitra, who looked down on the Sixth Espada, to say something like that meant that, in a sense, he had also insulted Yammy, the Tenth Espada.
Forget it. After killing the outside provocateurs, he could slowly settle accounts with Nnoitra. Yammy forcibly suppressed his anger and walked outside.
Behind Nnoitra and Yammy, another figure followed silently. This Arrancar possessed a humanlike body, yet could hardly even be considered humanoid.
Below the neck, everything was still normal. But above the neck, his head was entirely a long cylindrical mask. Beneath the mask was a sealed glass tank containing two brain-like Hollow masks.
This was the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie. Together with Yammy and Nnoitra, the three of them were the Espada closest to the gate, so they had rushed toward the entrance at the first sign of trouble.
Although the three moved in the same direction, their goals were different. Yammy wanted to vent his rage. Nnoitra wanted battle, to tear every enemy to pieces. As for Aaroniero, he would never waste any opportunity to devour power.
"Let's see which blind fool dares challenge Las Noches." Before he had even arrived, Yammy's voice had already carried out.
Tsunayoshi revealed an expression that said, as expected. Someone would always step forward. Constantly plucking wool from one panther was not exactly ideal either. Before Sora Inoue appeared, they might as well play with these Arrancar first.
"Number Ten, is it? It seems the Arrancar are more composed than I imagined," Urahara said. Having long since grasped information related to the Espada, he recognized the towering dark figure as Yammy at a glance.
Only Number Ten had come, which left Urahara somewhat disappointed. According to their information, most of the lower-ranked Espada had emotional defects. Their hostility could basically be stirred up with a single poke.
If it was only Yammy, that would not be enough for them to greet Aizen properly.
From Urahara's tone, Tsunayoshi understood that Urahara felt a single Yammy was not enough to demonstrate their strength. Negotiation needed strength as its foundation. Showing off some muscle in moderation was a good choice.
But Tsunayoshi had no intention of underestimating Yammy. The intelligence Sora Inoue could obtain was ultimately superficial. Urahara did not have the information that, after Yammy released his Resurrección, the number on his shoulder would change from 10 to 0.
Yammy was a special Arrancar. His combat power was tied to his rage, similar to a certain green giant next door. The stronger his anger, the stronger his combat power. In theory, it had no upper limit. At the same time, he was also the first existence confirmed as an Espada, which was why he had the special Number Zero.
Just as Tsunayoshi's thoughts were wandering, a cold, scummy voice suddenly said, "Looks like you're not very satisfied."
With a sharp clang, Urahara drew Benihime and blocked a massive double-crescent scythe. Beneath the shadow of his hat, only one of his eyes was visible as he said casually, "Number Five, is it? That's passable."
"A Shinigami, huh? You seem worth killing."
The one who had suddenly attacked was Nnoitra. To him, sneak attacks and taking advantage of openings were common tactics. He had used Yammy's huge body to block Tsunayoshi and the others' line of sight, then suddenly used Sonído to launch an assault.
However, Nnoitra's little trick had been seen through from the very beginning. In Tsunayoshi's squad, aside from Nel, every member was capable of standing on their own. A mere Sonído sneak attack could not do anything to them.
After his sneak attack failed, Nnoitra leapt back toward Las Noches with a strange smile. His gaze swept over every member of Tsunayoshi's group, as if he were selecting a dish that satisfied him.
Nnoitra's gaze made people extremely uncomfortable. Tsunayoshi did not even look at him, but in his heart, he had already sentenced this vicious man to death.
"Ichigo, that one-eyed freak is the one who injured Nel. If she hadn't been lucky, she might not have survived," Tsunayoshi suddenly said.
"Nel?"
Only then did Ichigo notice that Nel, in his arms, had already buried her head and was trembling. Although they had known each other for only half a day, Ichigo and Nel had undoubtedly become very good friends. Combining that with Nel's current state, he understood what Tsunayoshi meant.
Having grown up playing together with Tsunayoshi since childhood, Ichigo had long since become used to listening to Tsunayoshi's advice at critical moments. His gaze sharpened as he glared at Nnoitra and asked Tsunayoshi.
"No need to defeat him?"
"No need."
If there was no need to defeat him, then there was only one result.
Kill him.
Ichigo gently patted Nel's back and said softly, "Nel, I'll take you to get revenge."
Fighting spirit erupted from within him. After saving Rukia, Ichigo once again obtained the "protecting a friend" buff. In this state, Ichigo was invincible.
Ichigo directly hurled Zangetsu at Nnoitra. Of course, an attack that had already announced itself with his fighting spirit ahead of time could not produce much effect.
Retrieving Zangetsu after Nnoitra knocked it aside, Ichigo pointed his blade at him and said, "You. Come out."
At first, Nnoitra had not known where Ichigo's inexplicable hostility came from. Then he saw the trembling child in Ichigo's arms, as well as the familiar blade wound on the mask fragment atop her head, and his smile became playful.
"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. I thought you were too afraid to show yourself. So you found yourself a Shinigami backer." Nnoitra shouldered his scythe and walked toward the open ground outside Las Noches. "Come then, Shinigami. Let me see how much strength you have to protect her."
Nnoitra's attitude of treating Nel as a trophy of victory made Ichigo even more displeased. His steps grew heavier as he made up his mind to let Nel vent her anger.
In front of Las Noches' gate, neither side paid attention to their departing members. Both sides had absolute confidence in their own people.
"Nnoitra, remember to leave his corpse for us," Aaroniero said. Because he had two brains, he referred to himself as "us."
"No problem," Nnoitra said generously. He could treat it as a reward for these low-strength weaklings. In any case, he would be the winner.
"Number Nine, is it? That amount of weight is just about right," Urahara said. Taking down three Arrancar as a greeting gift for Aizen was something presentable.
"Rukia, you handle that disgusting thing. Uryū, keep an eye on her."
Tsunayoshi's words brought Rukia back to herself. Without even thinking, she stepped forward, drew her blade, and said, "Understood."
As Rukia prepared to step forward and draw the enemy away, Tsunayoshi reminded her, "That Arrancar is the reason I asked you to come to Hueco Mundo. He has Kaien Shiba's Reishi inside him."
Tsunayoshi's words stirred a tremendous wave in Rukia's heart.
Kaien Shiba.
That senior who had been so gentle to her. Even now, she still felt ashamed over Kaien's death.
And now Kaien's Reishi had appeared within a Hollow. She had to take Kaien's place and thoroughly purify this hateful Hollow, to console Kaien's spirit in heaven.
Wait.
Reishi?
Rukia asked somewhat uneasily, "Lieutenant Shiba's Reishi? Does that mean…?"
Having just experienced Hisana's revival, Rukia could not help but think further. Tsunayoshi nodded slightly. "Leave him with one breath. He is Ichigo's cousin, after all. Whether it succeeds or not, we still have to try."
Tsunayoshi's vague words gave Rukia immense courage.
It would definitely work.
The lieutenant of Squad Thirteen would definitely be able to return!
With that conviction, Rukia pointed at the humanoid Aaroniero with great momentum.
"You're Number Nine, right? Come out!"
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