Breaking Through

"Vasto Lorde... How did you know? Are you sure?" Shusuke Amagai was still unwilling to give up, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Ye Yang said in a heavy tone, "Absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false? And it's definitely not like the Menos Grande we tried to eliminate a month ago. This is a Menos Grande who has been in Vasto Lorde's territory for many years, calling himself Emperor Baraggan of Hueco Mundo."

"What!" Shusuke Amagai exclaimed in surprise. It seemed he was well aware of the Menos Grande's power. Ye Yang asked, "Do you know him? Tell me about him quickly."

Shusuke Amagai's voice was now filled with despair. "That guy is the Hollow King, known as the Skeleton Emperor. He has occupied most of Hueco Mundo, and his subordinates are countless Adjuchas- class Menos Grande. It is said that there is no one in Hueco Mundo who can match him. If it is him, we are really doomed this time."

Ye Yang fell silent. Judging from his feeling just now, he was indeed a very powerful guy, probably one of the top experts in Hueco Mundo. However, he shouldn't be so powerful as to be invincible. Hueco Mundo is also full of hidden talents. Anyone who dares to say that they are invincible may be crushed to death the next moment. True strong people don't bother to do such things.

Seeing Shusuke Amagai's dejected look, Ye Yang couldn't help but say, "Cheer up! We still have a lot to do. Giving up without doing anything is the same as failure. We might as well give it a shot; maybe there'll be a glimmer of hope. Besides, even if we fail, we absolutely cannot let them get away with it. Even if it's a tiger's mouth, I'll break off a few teeth!"

Ye Yang's words were resounding and instantly ignited Shusuke Amagai's fighting spirit. Yes, even if it meant his own death, he would never let them get away with it! With this belief, Shusuke Amagai's previously dejected heart was instantly revitalized!

Seeing the sharpening look in Shusuke Amagai's eyes, Ye Yang knew there was still hope! It was this unwavering courage that often allowed him to unleash 120% of his full potential!

Ye Yang and Shusuke Amagai then began rescuing people everywhere. By this time, the battlefield had become one-sided. The Expeditionary Force members were simply unable to withstand the onslaught of the Menos Grande. The battle was too fierce. The Expeditionary Force, which originally numbered four hundred, was now reduced to less than two hundred! And this number of less than two hundred included the wounded members. In reality, the number of people who could participate in the battle was only a little over one hundred.

Suddenly, Ye Yang's gaze shifted, and he saw a pale figure flashing by. It was none other than Ikeda Kawai, the commander-in-chief of the Expeditionary Force. Even at his advanced age, he was still fighting, but after many years of not participating in battle, he was clearly somewhat powerless. He could only barely hold his own against an Adjuchas- class Menos Grande.

He immediately used Shunpo to help him defeat the Menos Grande and asked, "Are you alright, Commander-General Ikeda?"

The old man shook his head. "It's nothing, but I have to admit I'm getting old. When I was younger, I wouldn't have let myself get bogged down by this kind of trash. By the way, is the retreat preparation complete?"

"Some problems have arisen."

"Hmm?" A glint flashed in the old man's eyes. "What's the problem?"

"On our only possible retreat route, there's a Vasto-class Menos Grande guarding it. His strength is definitely beyond that of Captain-level. He must have reached the Vasto Lorde level a long time ago, and he calls himself the Skeleton Emperor," Ye Yang said with a wry smile.

Ikeda Kawai looked surprised, then understood. "I was wondering who had the resources to mobilize so Menos Grande to attack. No wonder, with him around, our chances of retreating are extremely slim..."

"No matter what, let's gather all the team members and give it a shot. How will we know we can't make it if we don't try?" Ye Yang retorted.

The old man sighed, "That's all we can do." He then took out a signal flare and fired it into the sky. A purple firework bloomed in the sky, signaling the assembly.

The group had a rule that anyone who saw a purple signal flare must immediately return to the main camp to assemble, no matter what they were doing. Soon all the team members gathered together, and Ye Yang set up defensive Kidō around them, but they could only hold out for a minute at most. That minute was enough for Ye Yang to finish speaking.

Ye Yang stepped forward and looked at the team members below. At this time, there were less than a hundred people left with combat capabilities, and dozens of wounded. The medical team members were treating them, but unfortunately, there were too many wounded, and only a dozen or so medical personnel were simply a drop in the ocean.

At this moment, Ye Yang spoke up, "Fellow members of the Expeditionary Force, we are currently facing a tremendous disaster. Such a massive offensive is indeed beyond our ability to withstand. Therefore, we have decided to retreat to preserve our remaining strength. For the future of our Expeditionary Force, for your own future, and for the peace of the entire Soul Society, we will fight without hesitation! So please fight your way out with your lives! If you are a man, then fight!"

Ye Yang didn't tell them that they were about to face a Vasto-class Menos Grande. Saying it directly would be too demoralizing. Even Shusuke Amagai and Ikeda Kawai felt despair, let alone them. If they lost their fighting spirit, they would be a bunch of lambs to the slaughter. It wasn't that Ye Yang couldn't leave alone using his speed, but he would never do it!

Ye Yang pointed ahead. "Go! Victory is just ahead!"

Ye Yang's words ignited the fighting spirit of the team members. A minute later, the breakout began. This time, the team members were like madmen, only knowing how to kill the enemies in front of them, ignoring everything else. Even if there was a Menos Grande behind them, they would definitely not hesitate to cut down the Hollow in front of them first. It was a completely reckless fighting style. This fighting style directly increased the combat capability of the entire team by fifty percent! It is no exaggeration to describe the Expeditionary Force as a tiger and wolf army.

During the charge, some severely injured team members even used their own bodies to clear a path for their teammates! Even if it meant losing their own lives, they would drag one down with them. Ye Yang also used his speed advantage to cut through the swarm of enemies, his ghostly figure seemingly transforming into a battlefield reaper, and no one could stop him.

However, he did not hunt indiscriminately, because he knew that this mission was not to hunt but to retreat. Ye Yang frequently appeared beside his teammates to save them. It could be said that he saved more people than he killed the Void. Because of this, the mortality rate of the entire team was greatly reduced.

The other figure with him was Ikeda Kawai. Unexpectedly, he was also a speed-type Grim Reaper, and his mastery of Shunpo was only slightly inferior to Ye Yang's. One can imagine the old man's prowess in his youth.

At this moment Ye Yang and Ikeda Kawai old man, back to back, spoke up, "Commander Ye Yang, have you thought of a way to deal with that Vasto Lorde? With him around, they won't be able to break through. I do have a way to stall him."

"What method?" Ye Yang asked.

But then he stopped talking and went to support the team members in the distance. Suddenly, Ye Yang realized something. This old commander probably wanted to hold off Baraggan so that they could retreat. Ye Yang smiled bitterly to himself. He didn't expect that the old commander had the same idea as him. He would first use the Spatial Domain to trap Baraggan, and then use his speed advantage to escape after they had all retreated.

Regardless, breaking through the encirclement should be the priority. Ye Yang then threw himself into the frantic efforts to rescue people from the Killing Void.

After a fierce battle, the group finally reached the entrance of the barrier. At this point, only about a hundred people remained in the group, meaning that nearly half of them had perished in the breakout attempt. This was only because Ye Yang and the old commander had risked their lives to rescue them; otherwise, it would have been good if fifty people were still alive.

At this moment, Ikeda Kawai gathered the commanders and deputy commanders of each regiment together and said, "Everyone, we have arrived here. According to Commander Ye Yang, there is a Vasto-class Menos Grande guarding the outside. He is our last and most dangerous obstacle, so I have decided that I will hold him off. You all take your teams and retreat immediately!"

"No!" Shusuke Amagai objected first. "You are the commander-in-chief of the entire Expeditionary Force, how can you cover the rear? Let me do it!"

The other commanders echoed, saying it was inappropriate, but Ikeda Kawai insisted, "No, you can't hold him off with your strength. You know the gap between you. I'm old, I've lived long enough, and even if something unexpected happens, I won't have any regrets. You are still young, and there are better things waiting for you to do."

Everyone fell silent. Apart from Ye Yang, their strength was absolutely insufficient to hold off Baraggan. Seeing their silence, the old man continued, "This matter is settled. My Bankai should be able to restrain him for a while. You should take this opportunity to leave quickly. If anything happens to me, Ye Yang Shihoin will take over as Commander-in-Chief and continue leading the Expeditionary Force. Ye Yang Shihoin, will you take over?"

Several regimental commanders were already shedding tears, clearly making their final arrangements; it seemed they had given up all hope for themselves.

"I won't accept!" Ye Yang said, uttering a statement that surprised everyone present. "I cannot accept this position. When it comes to staying behind to cover the retreat, I am more suitable than you!"

"But you..."

"First of all, you are the commander-in-chief of our Expeditionary Force. Without you, we would be a disorganized mess. As for the issue of strength you mentioned, I believe I have the strength to hold off Baraggan," Ye Yang said.

Ikeda Kawai sighed, "You don't know how strong Baraggan is. His strength far surpasses that of an ordinary captain; he's the king of Hueco Mundo! No one can hold him off without Captain-level strength. Vice-Commander Ye Yang, I know you're very strong, but you probably haven't reached Captain-level yet. Only Bankai can fight him! Although I'm old, I can still use Bankai."

Ye Yang shook his head and slowly said, "What if I knew Bankai?"

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