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"This damn place really hasn't changed at all."
Leaving the Forest of Menos, Ishikawa couldn't help but shake his head as he looked at the boundless white sand before him.
Unlike the Human World and Soul Society, which were constantly changing, Hueco Mundo remained virtually the same even after several years.
Upon reaching the ground, Ishikawa immediately pushed his sensory nerves to their limit, enveloping the entire Hueco Mundo in an instant.
Zaraki and Byakuya were fighting that fellow named Yammy, right?
Among the Espada, Ishikawa had met most of them, and had defeated or killed quite a few, but this one named Yammy was someone Ishikawa had never encountered.
Perhaps Aizen had never allowed him to come into contact with Ishikawa, fearing that he would be eliminated before he could display his true strength.
"Judging by their Reiatsu, they don't seem to need any help."
More accurately speaking…
Ishikawa always felt that with their personalities, if he were to help, they would probably be annoyed.
As for Ichigo…
Hmm?
Ishikawa suddenly paused, turning his head inexplicably towards Ichigo's direction.
Because Ishikawa actually sensed…
He felt an unfamiliar Hollow Mark there, which was currently in an activated state. Although it wasn't engraved by Ishikawa himself, as the creator of the Hollow Mark, Ishikawa could clearly sense that someone had activated it.
However, the Hollow Mark felt incomplete, and if there were no surprises, it should only be effective for a short period of time.
Ishikawa's gaze immediately became somewhat strange.
In the entire Hueco Mundo, only two people knew about the Hollow Mark: Cirucci and Picaro.
It was impossible to imagine Picaro researching the Hollow Mark.
Which meant…
The Hollow Mark left on this person, whose Reiatsu felt unfamiliar to him, must have been left by Cirucci.
Had that fellow researched the Hollow Mark to such an extent without a sound?
After figuring out the origin of the Hollow Mark, Ishikawa shifted his attention to Ichigo, who was with the person using the Hollow Mark, and his opponent.
It wasn't Ulquiorra from his memories, but Grimmjow.
Ishikawa wasn't too surprised. Earlier, when he felt Baraggan's fleeting presence, Ishikawa had already vaguely guessed that the Espada remaining in Hueco Mundo might be slightly different from his memories.
As for other places, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, just as in his memories, had encountered Szayelaporro.
However, unlike Zaraki and the others, Mayuri had already finished his battle.
Captain Unohana was not fighting anyone, but was leading Fourth Division Squad Members to collect and treat the wounded. These wounded included not only Shinigami but also Arrancar, who were also within Unohana's scope of treatment.
This should also be by Captain-Commander Yamamoto's order.
For this decisive battle, Captain-Commander Yamamoto had already decided to eliminate Aizen and his group, which meant most of the Espada would be destroyed in the fight. This could very likely lead to Hueco Mundo becoming incredibly weak.
And sending Unohana to Hueco Mundo to treat the Arrancar was to preserve as many Arrancar as possible within Las Noches. This was indeed something Captain-Commander Yamamoto would do.
As for whether the healed Arrancar would attack the rescue Squad Members after their treatment, there was no need to worry with Unohana present… From this perspective, sending Unohana to Hueco Mundo was perfectly reasonable. Not only could she heal, but she could also casually send away those who didn't know their place…
In the Human World, Captain-Commander Yamamoto would probably also selectively spare some Espada and their Fraccións.
Although it had been said many times, Ishikawa still couldn't help but feel speechless at the fragile balance of the Three Realms, and it was a wonder that the Gotei 13 had managed to maintain this state for so many years.
After some hesitation, Ishikawa did not go to find Unohana, but instead headed directly towards the direction of Cirucci and Picaro.
Ishikawa could sense that Cirucci, Picaro, Rukia, and Orihime were all in the same location, and judging by the aura there, they seemed to have just experienced a very intense battle.
Who were they fighting?
Nnoitra?
To be able to defeat Nnoitra, it seemed Cirucci's Second Cero was much stronger than he had imagined.
To be honest, Ishikawa no longer had much impression of Cirucci's Second Cero.
When he first entered the Captain-level, Cirucci's Second Cero did indeed put a lot of pressure on him, but as his strength grew, Cirucci's Second Cero had gradually been forgotten by Ishikawa.
To be able to fight and win against Nnoitra, this made Ishikawa subtly surprised.
Compared to them, the Reiatsu Crest within his own body basically only served to ensure he would never run out of Reiatsu. This was probably the difference between him and Hollows.
Speeding along, Ishikawa reached Las Noches in just a few minutes.
However, upon entering Las Noches, Ishikawa's footsteps paused.
Because…
Las Noches at this moment looked like ruins.
The enormous canopy had completely collapsed, and the grand buildings were more or less damaged, with many even toppled over.
Many Arrancar were hiding throughout Las Noches, not daring to show themselves.
And many other Arrancar had fled outside Las Noches.
"They really made a big mess."
Ishikawa withdrew his gaze and continued towards Cirucci and the others.
However, a hint of confusion appeared between his brows, because even after entering Las Noches, he still hadn't detected Baraggan's presence, as if he wasn't in Hueco Mundo at all.
But the presence he had felt when he first arrived at Las Noches was definitely Baraggan's.
Because his battle with Baraggan was the closest Ishikawa had ever come to death, and Baraggan's unique decaying aura had left a very deep impression on Ishikawa.
In short…
Ishikawa really wanted to try if, with his current Reiatsu intensity, he could forcefully resist Baraggan's aging with Reiatsu, or try to analyze his aging with his Zanpakuto.
Aside from Aizen, Ishikawa rarely fought the same opponent a second time.
It wasn't because he couldn't find them, but because he wasn't interested.
Even opponents who had once brought him to the brink of death were the same.
For example, Ginjo Kūgo, who had given him a tough fight in the Human World. It wasn't hard for Ishikawa to find those Fullbringers, and killing them was effortless. In fact… he could kill them with a single strike.
But precisely because of this, Ishikawa had no interest in fighting them again.
Along the way, the opponents Ishikawa had encountered were basically those who were evenly matched with him, or even far superior in strength, or like the Espada, fighting several at once.
So every battle was extremely difficult, and even if he won in the end, he usually paid a heavy price.
Yet, even so, Ishikawa had no interest in actively seeking out opponents he had once defeated. The only opponent who could interest him and make him want a second confrontation, besides Aizen, was Baraggan.
Of course…
Zaraki and Unohana were exceptions.
When he first arrived in Hueco Mundo, he had felt Baraggan's fleeting decaying aura. Ishikawa was actually quite looking forward to encountering him in Las Noches, but as he walked, he didn't feel the slightest trace of Baraggan's presence.
Had he left Hueco Mundo?
Ishikawa shook his head, not feeling too regretful.
Because with his current Reiatsu and physical strength, defeating Baraggan wouldn't be difficult. The reason he wanted to fight Baraggan again was actually to see if he could, like Aizen, forcefully negate the effects brought by the rules with his own high-density Reiatsu.
Buzz—
Ishikawa's rapidly moving figure paused, stopping at the edge of a huge basin.
Cirucci and the others' presence was within the basin below.
Ishikawa did not rush to find Cirucci, but instead swept his gaze around the battlefield, a strange glint in his eyes.
Although some time had passed since the battle ended, upon arriving at the scene, Ishikawa could still feel the lingering aura of the battle.
This was the residual Reiatsu of Picaro and Baraggan. Ishikawa could even vaguely simulate the battle that had taken place here not long ago from this residual Reiatsu.
Ishikawa didn't know how he managed to do this, and even before arriving here, he didn't know he could do it. But somehow, with just a glance, he had a feeling that he could see the battle that had happened there not long ago.
It wasn't a Zanpakuto ability, but rather a natural ability gained when Reiatsu reached a certain level.
Picaro defeated Baraggan?
This made Ishikawa subtly doubt if his senses were mistaken.
But the situation below the basin made Ishikawa realize that his senses should be correct.
Looking around, he saw Picaro after Picaro lying in the basin below, while Cirucci, Rukia, and Orihime were treating and restoring them.
When did these little fellows become so strong?
Ishikawa's mouth twitched slightly, suppressing the shock in his heart, and he headed down into the basin.
Thud—
The crisp sound of footsteps landing immediately attracted the attention of the three people present.
Cirucci's body tensed, and she abruptly turned to look at Ishikawa. Upon seeing him clearly, she was momentarily stunned:
"Ishikawa?"
"Ishikawa?"
"Mr. Ishikawa?"
Seeing Ishikawa suddenly appear, all three present couldn't help but rejoice.
However, Cirucci's gaze towards Ishikawa was somewhat strange, because before Ishikawa made a sound, she hadn't detected his arrival at all. Even with Ishikawa standing right in front of her, he felt somewhat elusive.
The last person who gave her this feeling was…
Aizen!
He had grown stronger again.
Ishikawa nodded at everyone, walked forward to check the status of the Picaro, and found that these children were merely in a state of lethargy due to extreme fatigue, and there was nothing seriously wrong with them.
"Is Baraggan dead?"
Ishikawa turned to Cirucci and asked.
Cirucci was startled by the question, and subconsciously nodded: "Yes, Picaro defeated him with his Second Cero."
Receiving Cirucci's confirmation, Ishikawa couldn't help but look at the Picaro scattered on the ground, shaking his head with a wry smile:
"You guys really gave me a huge surprise, it's almost a fright."
Cirucci pouted. She had originally planned to tell Ishikawa this herself and watch his shocked expression, but it turned out Ishikawa already knew about it without her explanation, and his reaction wasn't as shocked as she had expected. This inevitably made Cirucci a little disappointed.
"Mr. Ishikawa…"
Orihime asked from the side: "Did you encounter Kurosaki and the others?"
"You don't need to worry about them. Speaking of which…"
Ishikawa paused, then turned to Cirucci: "The unknown Arrancar accompanying Ichigo, was the Hollow Mark on it left by you?"
"Hollow Mark?"
Cirucci was startled at first, then suddenly realized: "Are you talking about Nel?"
Nel?
Ishikawa's eyes immediately lit up: "Are you talking about the former 3rd Espada - Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck?"
Oh, right.
Ishikawa suddenly remembered that the Arrancar who followed Ichigo in his memories was indeed Nel.
However, because the opponent displayed extremely powerful Reiatsu, Ishikawa hadn't connected the opponent with Nel, only assuming that Cirucci had picked up another Arrancar from somewhere, just like she picked up Picaro… After all, ever since she stopped pursuing the position of Espada, Cirucci had always been very keen on picking up people everywhere…
I should have gone to help over there!
I wonder how much experience points Nel's favorability can provide me.
"Huh?"
Just then, Cirucci suddenly asked with some confusion: "Where did Roka go?"
Hearing this, Rukia and Orihime exchanged glances, both showing confused expressions.
"I remember seeing Miss Roka when we first came down."
Rukia shook her head: "I don't know when she left either."
The three of them had just been digging out the scattered Picaro from the ruins in the basin below and then treating and restoring them.
They hadn't noticed when Roka disappeared at all.
"Who is Roka?"
Ishikawa, on the other hand, was a bit confused; he had no impression of that name at all.
"She is my Fracción."
Cirucci explained: "She's a very well-behaved child, but due to certain reasons, she's somewhat incomplete, so I've always thought of having her undergo your modification to perfect her emotional flaws if there was an opportunity." As she spoke, Cirucci released her senses, but as she searched, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
Because there was no trace of Roka's presence in Las Noches at all.
"No need to search."
Ishikawa shook his head slightly: "Before I came here, I had already scanned the entire Las Noches. I only sensed the three of you, and didn't find the Roka you mentioned… Hmm?"
Ishikawa's voice trailed off, and he suddenly turned his head to gaze into the distance.
That was where Ichigo and Grimmjow were fighting. At this moment, in that direction, an extremely terrifying aura was gradually forming, and…
It was rapidly growing stronger!
Familiar yet strange.
Familiar because that Reiatsu belonged to one of the Espada who had once ambushed Ishikawa — Szayelaporro.
Strange because…
The intensity of the opponent's Reiatsu at this moment was completely different from the Szayelaporro in Ishikawa's memory!
"Is that… Szayelaporro?"
Cirucci also sensed the aura coming from outside Las Noches, and her expression immediately changed:
"Oh no!"
Cirucci had long known about Szayelaporro's contingency plan on Roka, but such a contingency would only activate upon Szayelaporro's death, so she had never paid attention to it.
Besides, there was no use in paying attention. She had once tried to remove what Szayelaporro left inside Roka's body, but no matter what she did, she couldn't remove the substance without harming Roka.
At least with her methods, it was completely impossible. The only one who could possibly do it was Ishikawa.
This was precisely why she had sought Roka after seeing Ishikawa, wanting Ishikawa to help Roka eradicate the hidden trouble within her body.
But now it seemed…
It was too late!
Szayelaporro was actually dead, and even his most prized 'Gabriel' couldn't prevent his death. Only then could the contingency he left on Roka be activated.
…
Meanwhile, Las Noches, Sector 8.
"Oh my?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, in a laboratory, tilted his head, watching the 'corpse' rapidly dissipate and disappear into Reishi, his eyeballs darting wildly in their sockets.
"Hehehehe— This is truly interesting."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri stepped out of the laboratory and looked outside Las Noches. He could vaguely see strange fluctuations rising from various substances in Hueco Mundo, such as rocks and quartz trees, and gathering in the same direction.
"I see."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, at some point, held an instrument with a display screen in his hand, looking at the data transmitted from various parts of Hueco Mundo, and muttered to himself: "Saving backups of himself throughout Hueco Mundo via a medium?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had also made similar backups, so he immediately realized the changes occurring in Hueco Mundo.
The only thing that somewhat surprised him was…
The strength Szayelaporro displayed after his resurrection!
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