"No way... the sky is splitting open?"
A young member of the 13th Division looked up. His throat was dry and his voice felt stuck in his chest.
His companion observed the sky intensely. The sword in his hand was shaking.
"What... what is that creature? A Hollow? Isn't that size a bit too much?!"
"I... I want to go back..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a heavy Spiritual Pressure came from the Special Garganta. It crashed down onto the entire battlefield.
Below, the movements of both Shinigami and Hollows stopped immediately.
Squad members with weak power were forced directly into the ground. Their faces were pressed against the bloody mud. They could not lift their heads.
The low-level Hollows had a worse fate. Several near the Special Garganta were destroyed instantly. They turned into shattered Reishi without a chance to scream.
Those who could stay standing were at least Seat-officer rank.
Even so, they were only standing. The veins on their necks were visible as they slowly looked toward the sky.
Then, they saw it.
A massive, pale-white bone mask slowly emerged from the giant black Special Garganta.
"It's over..." someone whispered with despair. "That's definitely... the 'Menos Grande' mentioned in the textbooks."
"The kind that even a Captain might not be able to handle..."
"It looks like... we really are going to die here today."
The members of the 13th Division turned very pale. Their bodies tried to retreat, but fear and the heavy pressure pinned their feet in place.
In contrast, the members of the 11th Division looked serious. They bit their teeth and gripped their swords tighter.
There was no retreat in their eyes. They looked stubborn and fierce. Even if they were going to die, they wanted to hurt that monster.
But the despair was tangible.
The giant face was likely dozens of meters high. it nearly filled the entire Special Garganta.
Immediately after, two massive hands came from the sides of the head. They grabbed the edges of the Special Garganta and pulled outward with a violent jerk.
Crack!
The sky was truly ripped open.
A black opening stayed in the sky like a permanent scar.
Then, a massive foot stepped out from the Special Garganta. The height of the toenails was greater than the height of a normal Shinigami.
When it arrived in the Living World, the weight of the Spiritual Pressure increased again.
Several Hollows that were already weak were flattened into Reishi remnants instantly.
"Whew."
Mirai assisted the exhausted and unstable Ashido. They landed firmly near Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
The Captain of the 11th Division tilted his head. He used one hand to steady his neck as he rotated it. His spine made several sharp sounds. He had a relaxed expression, like someone who had a stiff neck after sleeping.
The worry in Mirai's heart disappeared.
The jinx was true; a Menos had arrived.
But at this level, it was impossible for the monster to kill Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. It was a question of whether it could make him fight seriously.
Unless a Vasto Lorde level Menos appeared, this giant was only a warm-up for the "Kenpachi."
"Captain Kuruyashiki!"
Shiba Kaien walked over. He was sweating. He found it difficult to move under the Menos's Spiritual Pressure.
When he saw Kuruyashiki Kenpachi warming up casually, he felt better.
However, he looked to the side. He saw Lieutenant Ashido gasping for air, but Mirai looked perfectly normal. His hair was neat.
Kaien's eyes were wide with shock.
"How are you unaffected?"
Mirai kept his cold, noble face. He looked at Kaien and spoke calmly.
"Because I'm handsome."
Kaien stopped. He almost choked. "I admit you're good-looking! But what does being handsome have to do with withstanding a Menos's Spiritual Pressure?!"
Mirai turned his face. He looked at him with emotionless eyes and added three more words.
"Handsome is power."
Kaien opened his mouth. He could not find an argument for such strange arrogance.
Mirai ignored him. He turned to Kuruyashiki, who was still stretching his neck.
"Captain, you should probably move. If this drags on any longer, people really won't be able to hold out."
"Oh? Sorry, sorry," Kuruyashiki Kenpachi laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
"It's an old habit. I always want to see if the other side can pull out something interesting."
The reason he had not moved yet was that he was waiting for the opponent to attack first. He did this when he met that young man in the Zaraki District.
He stopped and looked at the Menos Grande. It was looking down at the battlefield and picking out snacks. His smile became bored.
"Still, it's impolite to keep a guest waiting too long."
He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and raised it above his head.
There was no chant. There was no gathering of energy. He did not use a complex stance.
He simply swung the blade down at the giant shadow in the distance.
The air froze in that instant.
Then, a shockwave of Spiritual Pressure cut through the earth and the air. It moved silently toward the Menos's neck.
Everywhere it passed, even the light seemed to be severed.
The purple light from Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's blade hit the Menos's throat.
Immediately, the heavy pressure on everyone's shoulders vanished.
Many Shinigami who were resisting the force suddenly lost the weight. Their bodies moved forward, and they fell to the ground with cries of pain.
"ROAR!"
A muffled howl came from high above.
The massive white shadow began to disintegrate from the neck up. It rapidly turned into blue Reishi particles that disappeared into the smoke.
"Tch. Boring as expected." Kuruyashiki Kenpachi rested his sword on his shoulder and looked disappointed.
The strike felt like cutting an ordinary Hollow. The target was just larger.
His heart did not beat faster. He did not feel excited at all.
He had enjoyed cutting the ordinary Hollows earlier because there were many of them. It was good exercise.
But this was like stepping on ants. Stepping on a hundred versus stepping on one was the same "fun." It could not start his hunger for battle.
"Ashido," he called without turning around, "take some men and clear the surrounding area. It's about time to head back. This place smells terrible."
"Yes, Captain," Ashido responded steadily. He began to organize the squad members who could still move.
The Shinigami who survived finally realized what happened.
"Did... did you see that? One hit! Just one hit!"
"So strong! That's the 'Kenpachi'! The strongest Shinigami!"
"What 'Menos Grande'? It's just trash in front of Captain Kuruyashiki!"
"I really thought I was going to die just now... sniff..."
The battlefield was full of excitement, worship, fear, and exhaustion.
Many squad members sat on the ground to breathe. Their faces were covered in sweat and mud, but they had relieved smiles.
Shiba Kaien wiped the sweat from his forehead. He directed the 13th Division members to help their friends.
However, Mirai did not look at the cheering crowd. He did not look at Kuruyashiki.
He watched the sky.
The Special Garganta was still there. It did not show any sign of closing