"Quincy…"
"Can't find them…"
"Where the hell would there be Quincy in a place like this…?"
Inside Seireitei.
A massive number of Shinigami were about to cough up blood.
Because of the Captain-Commander's order, every single Shinigami in Seireitei had been mobilized to search for the Quincy's traces and territory.
With a sweep on that scale, they had practically turned Soul Society upside down.
They were one step away from digging the whole place three feet deep.
But forget finding the Quincy's base or a single Quincy
They hadn't even seen a single strand of Quincy hair.
"Still… it really is kind of weird."
Beneath the shadow of a certain wall, Yumichika leaned against it, arms crossed, looking like he had a headache.
"The Captain-Commander said the spatial aura he sensed only existed within Soul Society. But the problem is, if a whole Quincy Empire is really hiding in Soul Society… how could there be no news at all for a thousand years?"
Ikkaku rubbed his head too, equally annoyed.
"Yeah. This isn't one or two years. It's over a thousand. How could nothing leak out?"
The two exchanged a look, both seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.
If a force like that really existed, then where in the world had they been hiding
To evade Seireitei for a thousand years?
And if they truly hid that perfectly…
How were the Shinigami supposed to find them at all?
They let out a breath, shook their heads, and the topic shifted to the two "missing" captains and Cole.
"Come to think of it, it's already been a whole day. Why haven't Captain Unohana and Captain Soi fong come back yet?"
"Exactly. And that Cole brat—doesn't he love rushing in where the action is?"
While they whispered like that
Within the shadows they were leaning against, several thousand Soldat were hiding, staring coldly at Seireitei.
And beyond them, more than twenty Sternritter stood in formation, fully prepared.
All they had to do was wait for Yhwach's order
And they would cross through the shadows, invade Seireitei, and begin the decisive war.
Elsewhere.
Before another stretch of shadow, the Sternritter and the Hueco Mundo Hunting Force were also ready, staring at the darkness with fanatical excitement.
Behind them, Quilge and Driscoll stared at Uryu in annoyance.
"Why is it you delivering the notice? Where's Haschwalth!?"
They despised him.
Not only because Uryu was a "traitor," but also because of how much favor His Majesty showed him.
They had followed His Majesty through life-and-death battles countless times just to earn a cup of Blood Wine.
Yet this guy had been granted Blood Wine anyway.
It was like he'd stepped in a pile of dog shit and struck gold.
Uryu said calmly, "Haschwalth has his matters. His Majesty ordered me to inform you—take Hueco Mundo as soon as possible."
Driscoll clicked his tongue.
"That wasteland? Why take it?"
If the Wandenreich defeated Soul Society, fine that land could support Quincy survival.
But Hueco Mundo?
To Quincy, it was a dead wasteland with no value.
Unlike Shinigami, Quincy still had human bodies. They needed to eat food every day.
And Hueco Mundo had no crops fit for consumption.
Uryu glanced at the star-shaped badges on Quilge and Driscoll and spoke flatly:
"Did you two forget?"
"The star medals the Quincy developed can easily steal a Shinigami's Bankai."
"But they're useless against a Hollow's power."
"So as long as the Shinigami research Hollow power, they can easily break the star medal system. That's exactly why Hueco Mundo must be taken."
Then Uryu's expression turned cold as he stared at Driscoll.
"And don't forget you're a sinner. If not for His Majesty's mercy your failure in Soul Society would've been enough for a public execution."
Driscoll's face went white instantly, and he didn't dare speak back.
Because he knew Uryu was right.
If it were a thousand years ago, he'd already be dead.
And in that moment, his hatred for the suddenly appearing Ichigo flared so hard his teeth ground.
If that bastard hadn't shown up and saved Chōjirō…
How would Driscoll have fallen this far, reduced to being dispatched to Hueco Mundo?
Both of them wore dark expressions and, without hesitation, led their Soldat forward.
They took a single step
And left the Wandenreich's territory.
With that step, they passed through the shadows and arrived inside Las Noches.
Over the thousand years, the Wandenreich had already connected its shadows tightly to all three worlds, more convenient than a Senkaimon.
"Too few people…"
Quilge looked at the Soldat following them and shook his head.
In the past, he had over two thousand Soldat under his command.
Now, only a few hundred remained.
The rest had defected to the Military Police.
Driscoll snorted, staring at the environment of Las Noches with disgust.
"They're just Hueco Mundo beasts. Even if we only have a few hundred Soldat, it's enough. Hell, even if we had none, just the two of us would still be plenty."
Quilge didn't refute him.
He thought the same.
A Las Noches full of savage beasts with no organization and no discipline, how could it possibly defeat the Wandenreich?
As they spoke, a female Arrancar with a youthful form and a white Hollow mask fragment at the corner of her left eye stopped in the distance.
She stared at them with grim eyes, gripping the zanpakuto at her waist.
"Who are you? Why are you in Las Noches? Are you Shinigami from Soul Society?"
It was Loly—someone who had fought Cole before, then gotten bullied by him afterward.
She stared hard at the Quincy, instinct screaming danger—like they were Hollows' natural predators.
"So we ran into Arrancar already?"
Quilge looked down at Loly arrogantly and said indifferently:
"Capture her."
Their invasion wasn't just to conquer Hueco Mundo.
It was to turn Hueco Mundo into combat power for the Wandenreich.
"Yes!"
The Soldat answered.
Those in the front row instantly summoned spirit bows, drew, and unleashed countless Heilig Pfeil (Sacred Extinguishing Arrows).
Loly's face changed sharply. She already knew these weren't Shinigami.
After all, their "king" was a Shinigami—if Seireitei planned to move against Hueco Mundo, there was no way they wouldn't notify Cole.
No more hesitation.
Loly drew her zanpakuto and shouted:
"Poison him… Escolopendra (Hundred-Stinger Poison Bitch)!"
In an instant, her body warped.
Her clothes turned pure white, and both hands transformed into massive white centipede legs.
Her feet became knotted and segmented, and a white Hollow mask formed like ornamentation across her face.
She looked grotesque—carrying a bizarre, eerie beauty, like facing a demon.
Seeing her transformation, Quilge and Driscoll shook their heads and judged her from above.
"Ugly."
"You finally got a human shape, and you still revert to a beast."
Loly whipped her white centipede limbs. From joints and spikes, purple poison sprayed in torrents.
Anything the poison touched was corroded.
But before the Quincy's Heilig Pfeil (Sacred Extinguishing Arrows), her poison met its natural enemy and was purified instantly by blue light.
Loly's pupils shrank.
Before she could retreat, her centipede limbs were struck by countless arrows.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
Loly screamed in agony as she was pinned to the ground by the arrows.
The battle ended almost instantly.
A proud Adjuchas-class Arrancar… had nearly no ability to resist.
Quilge was about to order them to seize her and send her to the Wandenreich for research
When another Arrancar arrived.
A female Arrancar with golden, shattered hair stopped in the distance, staring at the scene in shock.
"Loly! Who are these people!?"
Loly gritted her teeth and shouted desperately:
"Menoly, run! I know who they are—these guys are Quincy! Hurry and go notify Lady Harribel…!"
She remembered Ishida Ryūken from before—these people looked the same.
Before her words even finished, she screamed again as more arrows struck her.
Menoly's face twisted with panic, but she could only grit her teeth and run, shouting as she fled:
"Loly, hang on! I'll find someone to save you…!"
"Lady Harribel!!!"
"Lord Grimmjow!!!"
"Lord Nnoitra!!!"
"Lord Yammy!!!"
"Lady Nelliel!!!"
"Lord Starrk!!!"
Hearing her frantic cries, Quilge's interest sparked.
"The ones she's calling for… are they stronger Arrancar? Could they be Vasto Lorde-class?"
Over the thousand years, the Hueco Mundo Hunting Force had captured many Hollows.
But they had never captured a Vasto Lorde.
Thinking that, Quilge raised his left hand then drew with his right, aiming at Menoly's leg.
He didn't want to kill her.
He wanted her as bait.
To lure more Arrancar to them.
Whoosh!
A sky-blue Heilig Pfeil (Sacred Extinguishing Arrow) shot out.
Loly's eyes widened to the point of tearing.
Even though her centipede limbs were pinned to the earth, she still struggled violently and screamed:
"Menoly, watch out—release your Resurrección (Return Blade)!!!"
But the arrow was faster than her voice.
So she could only watch that sky-blue arrow get closer and closer to Menoly…
Right at the critical moment
A purple beam tore down from the sky and collided with the arrow.
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Menoly, closest to the blast, screamed as she was blown away, smashing into the walls of Las Noches.
Quilge's eyes lit up, surprise and excitement rising.
"What a strong attack… So it really is Vasto Lorde-class? I thought Hueco Mundo already went extinct."
In the distance, a graceful figure rushed in and stood in front of Menoly.
It was Nelliel—adult form.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.
In her mature, onee-san form, her Hollow mask sat atop her head like a half-broken antelope skull, with a scar running from her forehead down the right side of her face.
Her lake-green hair flowed to her waist.
Her eyes were gray-brown, and rose-colored stripes ran horizontally across her face.
Unlike her child form, this Nelliel's expression was cold—like an ice queen.
She glanced at Loly, pinned to the ground by arrows, then drew her zanpakuto and leveled it at the Quincy.
Her voice was flat and chilling.
"You… are enemies?"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]