Meanwhile.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kisuke Urahara entered Hueco Mundo one after another.
What appeared before them was a vast, boundless silver-white desert.
"Ah…"
Even though it wasn't his first time seeing it, Kisuke Urahara still let out a sigh of admiration. He took a deep breath, instantly feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
Stepping on the soft sand, he turned around and asked Yoriichi Tsugikuni:
"Since you are the initiator of this mission, where should we go first?"
It was unlikely they would go directly to fight Aizen, as there was no point. Aizen's Vasto Lorde subordinates alone would be enough to give them a hard time.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni might be able to defeat them, but that didn't mean he could as well.
According to the fragmented confessions from the Vasto Lorde who previously infiltrated Soul Society, it could be confirmed that:
All the Menos Grande under Baraggan had already fallen into Aizen's hands.
Plus Baraggan himself… there were at least two Vasto Lorde.
Moreover, this didn't even account for the unknown individuals. Kisuke Urahara didn't believe that the Vasto Lorde on the surface were Aizen's entire military force.
Regarding this.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni pondered for a moment, looked around, and asked:
"Where are we now?"
"This mission is to eliminate Aizen's wings and, while we're at it, find those neutral Menos Grande. The former can be done anytime, but the latter is the main focus…"
"I know two of them, Kisuke, you should write them down first."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni quickly reported the appearances, characteristics, and names of Coyote Starrk and Tier Harribel to Kisuke Urahara.
Although the mission was to be carried out by both of them, they couldn't rule out unexpected situations that might lead to them splitting up midway.
In such a case, they would need to act separately.
Kisuke recognized them.
Even if he met them, he wouldn't immediately start fighting, so as not to affect the mission… though given his personality, he wouldn't do that anyway. Still, it was always good to be prepared.
Kisuke Urahara listened quietly, quickly understanding everything.
He took out a map from his backpack, determined their direction, and then walked in one particular direction:
"If what you said is true, the Tier Harribel you met last time should be near the Kronndal Ruins."
"It's currently uncertain if she's still there, so let's go check first."
"As for Coyote Starrk… that's up to luck. A Menos Grande comparable to Captain-Commander Yamamoto, this Hueco Mundo truly is a place of outstanding individuals…"
Kisuke Urahara shook his head bitterly. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he encountered him.
If not for Yoriichi Tsugikuni's reminder, he would probably consider him the most dangerous enemy he had ever seen.
Thinking of this, Kisuke Urahara couldn't help but feel a hint of pressure.
Yoriichi didn't respond to his words, but followed closely behind him, heading towards the Kronndal Ruins.
Several hours later, they arrived at their target location and saw their target.
However, it wasn't Tier Harribel.
Instead, it was Aizen's wings.
… …
"Yoriichi, do you think she's gotten into trouble?"
Behind a massive quartz stone, Kisuke Urahara watched several Menos Grande guarding Tier Harribel's base, seemingly lying in wait, and his mouth twitched twice.
Even if he didn't understand what the scene before him represented, or what exactly had happened here, judging by the pervasive atmosphere around them…
Oppressive, heavy, vigilant…
This was likely either a pursuit or a manhunt.
Kisuke Urahara had intended to observe for a while longer, as he was a researcher, skilled at solving problems with his mind.
But he didn't expect Yoriichi Tsugikuni to walk out without hesitation.
"Eh!"
Seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni's back, Kisuke Urahara was somewhat surprised.
Yoriichi, however, answered him with a calm tone: "No matter what happened, we just need to capture them all."
With that, he instantly vanished from his spot, swiftly capturing all the Menos Grande in a flash. When he returned, Kisuke Urahara still looked somewhat disbelieving.
Seriously, that decisive?
I thought we'd have to maneuver a bit, because with so many Hollows on the surface, who knows if there are more hidden in the shadows…
But then…
"Bang."
With a soft sound, amidst the dust kicked up by the flying sand, Yoriichi tossed all the Menos Grande in front of Kisuke Urahara and said softly:
"They're yours. I'm not good at interrogation."
This sound jolted Kisuke Urahara back to reality.
He quickly gathered his scattered thoughts, inwardly thinking that he had indeed overthought things. How could there be a 'catching a turtle in a jar' situation in a place like this?
He quickly nodded and said, "Understood."
"Leave it to me."
Soon, after a period of interrogation, the two learned everything.
Then, Kisuke Urahara looked up blankly:
"Um…"
"If I'm not mistaken, the Szayelaporro Granz they mentioned was killed by you, right?"
The timing, a year ago, was too sensitive; it was no wonder Kisuke Urahara made that connection.
Yoriichi nodded faintly upon hearing this: "It should be. But it doesn't matter. At least his death meant Aizen lost a general…"
"Let's go find Tier Harribel."
"What about these Hollows?"
"Kill them, or send them to Hell. Considering the Hell Gate's imposing presence, let's just kill them. We came for this, didn't we?"
That was true.
So, as blood splattered, several Adjuchas turned to dust and vanished, and the two immediately pursued in one direction.
… …
At the same time.
Inside a cave, Tier Harribel's eyelids twitched, subtly sensing that something bad was about to happen.
She sat up, leaning on her bone blade, her pale blue, star-like eyes sweeping over the several Adjuchas resting inside the cave.
Apacci was there…
Mila Rose was there…
Sung-Sung…
"Hm?"
"Where's Sung-Sung?"
Sung-Sung's usual resting spot was now empty, which made Harribel couldn't help but ask.
Beside her, Apacci and Mila Rose, these two Adjuchas, were startled awake.
Apacci was a brown deer, her head and shoulders covered in a layer of silver-white bone armor.
Facing Harribel's question, she recalled briefly and said:
"She must have gone out to hunt. Although you, Lady Harribel, have said you don't wish to gain power by harming others, that's only based on your status as a Vasto Lorde."
"If we Adjuchas cannot replenish our power in time, we will degenerate. There's no helping it."
"Besides, Sung-Sung is a snake, and before she met you, she was best at hunting. You don't need to worry."
Although she said that, Harribel still couldn't rest easy. She had joined forces with the three precisely to reduce the risk of being attacked by Hollows.
But now Sung-Sung had gone out on her own…
Apacci was still speaking.
Boom!
A roar came from outside.
This sound seemed to herald the arrival of enemies, and the subsequent burst of reishi instantly cut off their conversation.
Harribel's expression changed drastically.
—Not good!
… …
"Hahaha, utterly weak and pathetic! Does she really know where Tier Harribel is?"
Outside, Yammy looked at the python he had casually thrown away, a wild, excited grin on his face.
Though the python bit fiercely, it couldn't even pierce his Hierro.
However, watching a weakling exert their full effort only to be effortlessly killed by him, this feeling of controlling life and death was, for Yammy, one of life's great pleasures.
Ulquiorra Cifer watched everything before him quietly, his voice sounding indifferent:
"Perhaps. The intelligence states she once lived with Tier Harribel."
"Although it's unclear why she's the only one left now, it's still an opportunity."
"Let's capture her first."
Though he said this, Ulquiorra had no intention of making a move himself.
He merely surveyed his surroundings quietly, assessing where Harribel might appear.
Suddenly, a hidden cave caught his attention.
This cave blended almost perfectly with the white rock wall; if his eyesight hadn't been exceptionally good, he might have overlooked it.
Slightly narrowing his eyes, Ulquiorra didn't concern himself with how Sung-Sung would be beaten by Yammy, as long as she wasn't killed.
In his opinion, this python might become a means to control Harribel.
Rustle…
The white sand ground slightly depressed. Ulquiorra affirmed the thought in his mind, then walked towards the cave.
With every step, the reishi fluctuations emanating from his body surged, as if announcing his arrival to the entire world.
Behind him.
"Pah!"
Sung-Sung gritted her teeth, her furious tone filled with an unyielding stubbornness.
Yammy's fists rained down on her body. Despite her best efforts to dodge, Sung-Sung was still beaten to the point of spitting out large amounts of blood.
The curses were so loud they could be clearly heard hundreds of meters away.
… …
Inside the cave, Tier Harribel gritted her teeth, the anger in her heart intensifying with each sound.
She didn't care who was outside, nor how powerful these suddenly appearing enemies were. She had only one thought in her mind: to rescue Sung-Sung.
With a "bang," she shot out of the cave like an arrow from a bowstring, swinging her bone blade fiercely at Ulquiorra Cifer who was walking towards her!
… …
Not far away, as the sand rose, the blurred figures of the two could be vaguely seen.
Although everything in sight was a white desert, by the descriptions of those few Menos Grande, they could roughly determine Tier Harribel's current direction.
As they galloped.
Boom!
A majestic reishi burst forth from the silver-white desert ahead.
A brief gust of wind blew, and Yoriichi paused slightly, instantly understanding everything that was happening over there.
He slightly tightened his Zanpakuto, turned to give Kisuke Urahara a meaningful glance, and then suddenly vanished from his spot.
… …
"Are you Tier Harribel?"
Looking at the person who rushed out of the cave, Ulquiorra calmly asked a question.
Harribel didn't answer him. In a flash, she arrived before him, slashing her blade at his chest!
Ulquiorra wasn't angered. He merely silently condensed reishi in his palm, instantly forming a light sword to block Harribel's slash.
"Clang!"
The reishi light sword and the bone blade clashed fiercely, trembling twice, yet remained completely intact.
His emotionless eyes reflected Harribel's gritted teeth, and he gently shook his head:
"Surrender."
"You are not my opponent."
With a casual swing, immense force was transmitted along the light sword to Harribel's bone blade.
Ulquiorra had expected Harribel to retreat, but to his surprise, she used that force to launch herself beside Yammy.
A chilling slash arrived in an instant!
The air fell silent.
Yammy "Tch-ed" softly.
Although his attention was entirely focused on beating Sung-Sung, when Ulquiorra entered combat, he quickly reacted.
Without turning around, Yammy simply extended his arm.
"Splat!"
Harribel's slash landed squarely, her bone blade cutting through Yammy's Hierro, but not deeply into his flesh.
Yammy bared his teeth, his muscles instantly contracting, his smile incredibly ferocious.
He shouted loudly to Ulquiorra: "Hey! You saw it, right? I didn't attack first!"
"Since this guy made the first move, I'll beat her half to death, and I'm sure Lord Aizen won't say anything!"
Ulquiorra didn't answer him.
However, silence was the best answer.
Yammy instantly swung his fist, completely disregarding Harribel's identity and gender, and punched her chest!
The wind from his fist roared like a giant dragon. Harribel tried to block, but unexpectedly, she pulled her bone blade with all her might but couldn't move it.
It turned out that the bone blade was firmly locked by Yammy's incredibly dense muscles!
Seeing this, Harribel's pupils suddenly contracted.
The fist reflected in her eyes was almost upon her.
Yammy's muscles tensed, releasing power like a spring. He felt as if he could already feel the satisfying sensation of Harribel being sent flying by his punch!
The smile curling at the corners of his mouth became even more sinister at this moment.
Unfortunately, this imagined outcome did not materialize.
The second before the fist connected.
Whoosh!
A blurry figure flashed between the two. Before Yammy could clearly see, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.
"What?"
As blood splattered and stained the air, Yammy's shoulder suddenly shattered like building blocks.
He stared at all of this in a daze, then let out a muffled grunt. His entire body's muscles suddenly went slightly out of control at this moment, and Harribel took the opportunity to break free from her restraints.
"Thump!"
Sonido activated.
She vanished from the ground, reappearing beside Sung-Sung, and whisking her away with lightning speed.
Although she didn't know what had just happened, she knew that now was the best opportunity; that large brute was injured.
These fellows were truly hateful, relying on their powerful strength to bully her companion. Harribel didn't know what she had done wrong, but this was definitely not a normal situation.
Because these two Menos Grande clearly came for her.
Whew… Her breathing was somewhat ragged. After placing Sung-Sung in a relatively safe spot, she finally turned back to look at the battlefield.
She saw that the green-eyed Menos Grande she had been fighting no longer had his attention on her.
Ulquiorra quietly watched the third party who had entered the battlefield. His usually calm eyes now showed a slight ripple.
His right hand, gripping the reishi light sword, imperceptibly tightened as he murmured:
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni, it's you."
"You actually pursued me into Hueco Mundo…"
He couldn't articulate the emotion stirring within him now, but clearly…
His gaze swept over Yammy's severed arm, the crimson blood reflecting in his eyes, and an ominous thought arose—they were in danger!