Meanwhile, on the western side of Las Noches.
The Soul Society reinforcements led by Retsu Unohana and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had just arrived at Las Noches, joining up with the advance team including Tōshirō.
They stopped at the first branching corridor. Personnel needed to be divided up.
They knew what came next would likely involve dangerous battles with enemy Arrancar.
The best approach was ensuring each direction had enough combat strength. At minimum, enough to survive.
After a brief discussion, Unohana quickly issued her instructions.
Mayuri seemed dismissive of the arrangement, but had no real objections.
Once assignments were complete, Unohana's expression grew serious as her gaze swept across everyone's faces.
"Remember—our purpose is supporting Captain Segawa, not getting entangled with the Arrancar."
"If an emergency arises, preserving your lives takes priority."
"Whichever team finds Captain Segawa first, use Kidō to notify the other units."
Unohana turned specifically toward Mayuri. "Captain Kurotsuchi, what do you think?"
Mayuri grinned widely. "I have no objections, but... Captain Unohana, you keep saying 'Segawa this' and 'Segawa that.' It's wearing out my ears."
"Come to think of it, doesn't hearing that name constantly annoy you? The syllables sound peaceful enough, but the man himself is anything but peaceful..."
Mayuri rambled on.
Suddenly, Unohana's eyes narrowed into a smile. Her voice dropped to a gentle whisper.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, you seem to be talking too much. If you don't mind, I could help sew your mouth shut with needle and thread."
"?!"
The instant those words left her lips, an eerie aura rose from her body. The temperature seemed to plummet. Everyone felt their blood freeze.
Every face went rigid. Hair stood on end!
Seeing this, Rukia's expression changed. She remembered that feeling from her time in the 4th Division. She swallowed hard.
Even Mayuri, caught in that menacing stare, seemed stunned.
A moment later, cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He turned away, muttering quietly.
"Tch... A healer with such terrifying presence. I don't get it..."
But the instant his words fell—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion roared from the south!
Immediately after came continuous rumbling of collapse and impact, setting the entire quiet Las Noches into chaos.
Tōshirō's expression hardened. His voice turned grave.
"Such massive destruction... Like half a palace collapsing... Could Segawa already be fighting Aizen and the others?!"
Everyone's faces grew stern.
Without question, that was the only possibility.
The moment this realization hit, Unohana's eyes sharpened with renewed determination.
"Everyone, attention! The split formation orders I just gave... are canceled!"
"All personnel will follow me toward the southern passage, advancing toward the explosion's source to support Captain Segawa!"
Her firm words rang out. Without hesitation, Unohana stepped toward the leftmost corridor entrance.
The squad members understood immediately.
"Yes!!"
Tōshirō and the others naturally had no objections. They quickly followed.
Mayuri deliberately positioned himself as far from Unohana as possible. Though his expression showed disdain, he still moved with the group.
Along the way, they encountered some Arrancar subordinates.
But upon contact with this squad, the enemies either chose to flee or were quickly eliminated after brief skirmishes.
Their target remained unchanged—the southern direction.
Before long, they entered an extremely long corridor. When they emerged, they found themselves in a desert.
However, when they saw the distant scenery, their expressions changed immediately.
A vast area of buildings had been reduced to complete ruins!
"That... that's the source of the explosion?"
"This is way too extreme..."
"Just how much power would it take to instantly destroy such a wide area?"
The squad members voiced their amazement.
Since the explosion had only sounded once, these buildings had obviously been destroyed quickly. That was exactly what shocked them.
Not only were they surprised—even Unohana and Mayuri's faces showed subtle changes.
Their power was certainly enough to destroy Las Noches buildings.
But they absolutely couldn't manage such massive destruction in a single instant.
"Was this... Aizen's doing... or Segawa's?"
Unohana frowned slightly.
If Segawa had done this, that would be good—further proof his strength had reached terrifying levels.
But if Aizen's side had caused it, that meant Shigure might be in real danger.
Just then, a figure appeared in the desert ahead.
With each step, he seemed to cross space itself, instantly arriving at the next location. Within moments, he stood before the group.
"Segawa!" "Captain Segawa!" "Captain!"
Joyful shouts rang out. The approaching figure was naturally Segawa Shigure.
From his direction of approach, he'd clearly come from that field of ruined buildings.
But his entire body showed not a trace of dirt or damage. His captain's haori remained pristine. He looked nothing like someone who'd just been through battle.
Shigure's face broke into a smile as he approached, chuckling softly.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. This expedition to Hueco Mundo..."
"Is now complete."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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