Ashido's Resolve

"Are you really sure?" Ye Yang looked at Ashido with a heavy expression.

Ashido a soft breath and said gently, "Yes, I've made up my mind. Actually, I've thought about this issue many times before."

"But..." Ye Yang hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Don't try to persuade me, I'm staying!" Ashido said firmly.

Ye Yang shook his head. Everyone has their own ambitions, and no one can force anyone. Not long after Ye Yang out of seclusion, he found the exit of the Forest of Menos according to the route provided by Ulquiorra. When Ye Yang told Ashido about this, he was met with silence. Ashido left without a word and locked himself in his room.

He didn't emerge until three days later, and Ye Yang's answer was that he had to stay there.

"Ye Yang, I've thought about this a lot. At first, I was very excited about being able to leave this place, but after calming down, I wondered, is leaving really that important? I've completely adapted to this place after more than four hundred years of living here. Here, I can hunt Void creatures endlessly, but what value do I have if I leave?"

A resolute glint flashed in Ashido's eyes. "That's why I'll stay here. Every Hollow I hunt here reduces the number of Hollows in World of the Living and Soul Society. In my eyes, we're on the same side. I'm fighting for the safety of Soul Society, for the duty of a Shinigami, where they can't see me. I believe that's where my greatest value lies!"

Ye Yang felt a genuine sense of admiration for this Grim Reaper who fought for his beliefs. There were few people in the world with such a pure heart; in Ye Yang's memory, only Kaien's sunny smile could compare.

"Since you insist, I won't say anything more. Just be careful here, and I'm afraid I won't be able to talk to you anymore in the future," Ye Yang said slowly.

Ashido responded with a bright smile, "Don't worry, I've been doing this for four hundred years. To be honest, I've been very happy to have you here for the past thirty years, and exchanging experiences with you has benefited me greatly."

"Ye Yang, you are an eagle, you shouldn't be confined to this Forest of Menos. Go forth, the azure sky belongs to you, spread your wings and soar!"

Ye Yang slowly walked out of the cave, and Ashido followed him out. "Then I'm leaving. Take care!"

"Take care of yourself!"

Ye Yang took one last look at Ashido before quickly disappearing in Shunpo. A sense of sadness welled up in his heart; after all, they had spent thirty years together. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind, and rushed towards the exit at full speed.

The exit that Ulquiorra provided wasn't actually in a remote place; on the contrary, it was in an extremely easy-to-find location. However, there were also a lot of Menos Grande lurking there, and it was a gathering place for many Menos Grande. This was why Ashido four hundred years; he couldn't possibly be searching for an exit in front of hundreds of Adjuchas- class Menos Grande.

To get out, he first had to get past hundreds of Menos Grande, because the Menos Grande would never let Ye Yang, a Shinigami, leave safely; a fierce battle was inevitable. But Ye Yang had never been afraid thirty years ago, and now, having Ye Yang even greater heights, he was even less afraid.

He gradually encountered more and more Menos Grande on the road. Instead of simply dodging them, he would sometimes take action to help himself reach the exit faster. Soon, he was almost there.

What was unusual was the eerie silence around them. Ye Yang shouted to his surroundings, "Come out, everyone! There's no point in hiding like this." After saying that, Ye Yang looked around.

Ye Yang remained silent after speaking. He sneered, "Hmph!" He then drew his Zanpakuto and swung it in one direction. A silver blade shot out, and an Adjuchas- class Menos Grande appeared from there, blocking the attack with a Cero.

Just then, red light suddenly shone all around. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that hundreds of Menos Grande were gathering Cero, and a series of violent Spiritual Pressures rushed towards Ye Yang. Then, hundreds of Cero collided where Ye Yang was standing, and a huge explosion and a shockwave swept across an area of one kilometer in radius!

Looking around, all that could be seen was that the original forest had vanished, leaving only a huge crater in its place.

At this moment, one of the leaders Menos Grande, said, "Tch! I thought you were something special for sending so many of us, but you're nothing special. You still perished under our Cero."

Another person stepped forward and said, "We can't let our guard down. After all, they came with Vasto-class Menos Grande. It's always better to be cautious."

Someone stepped forward and said, "No matter how powerful he is, he has absolutely no chance of survival under so many Cero. Even Vasto-class Menos Grande would probably be seriously injured under such an attack."

"Who knows? After all, none of us have reached that level, so nobody knows just how strong they really are."

After a while, they still hadn't seen Yao's figure. "Let's go. He should have been reduced to ashes by our Cero. He came with Vasto-class Menos Grande. He won't come looking for us, will he?"

"Do you think Vasto Lorde- class Menos Grande would have that kind of skill? Besides, even if he came, he probably wouldn't be able to handle so many of us."

Suddenly, two words floated out from behind them. "Is that so?"

"Who?"

The Menos Grande turned around and looked at Menos Grande Ye Yang in horror. He was completely unharmed, without even a tear in his clothes.

"How is this possible? How can you be alright?"

"Why is it impossible?" Ye Yang retorted, "Nothing is impossible in this world, because the facts are right in front of you." In fact, their surprise attack was quite unexpected. If it were any other ordinary captain, they would be seriously injured even if they didn't die, but they ran into Ye Yang.

He was on high alert from the start, and the release speed of the Cero was not fast, so it gave Ye Yang enough time. He directly used Spatial Jump and moved more than a kilometer away.

Ye Yang slowly said, "Then, it's my turn to fight back!"

"Break free from your shackles— Silver Rend!" Ye Yang hadn't fully Shikai his Shikai against these Menos Grande, because they couldn't force Ye Yang to use his full power!

With a wave of his Silver Rend, Spatial Rift appeared, instantly swallowing up the leader who had been shouting earlier. He didn't even have time to scream before being completely devoured.

The Menos Grande panicked. In the blink of an eye, a Menos Grande of equal rank to themselves vanished. Faced with the Shinigami before them, they had no chance to retaliate.

"Don't be afraid of him! There are so many of us, even if he's powerful, one kick from each of us and he'll be dead! Charge! Destroy the Grim Reaper!" A leader, Menos Grande, encouraged them, feigning composure, but his trembling body betrayed him. After all, their collective sneak attack had failed, and they all knew that this was no longer a matter of numbers.

Suddenly, Ye Yang vanished from his spot! "Watch out!" some Menos Grande shouted warnings, but it was too late. Ye Yang's figure had already appeared behind the Menos Grande who had just been rallying morale, and with a single, effortless strike, he ended his life. Then, he vanished in an instant, his ghostly figure deeply etched into their hearts.

"Run! We're no match for them!" Someone shouted, and as soon as the words were spoken, several Menos Grande began to flee. Once someone took the lead, some Menos Grande with weak wills also ran away, and then more and more Menos Grande fled, creating complete chaos. In such an environment, who would remember to kill the Shinigami? It was good enough if they weren't killed by him. The Menos Grande fled for their lives, and the retreat was completely disorderly. Some were even injured by their own comrades and then trampled to death by the fleeing army.

Ye Yang felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Even if he wanted to kill so many Menos Grande, it would have taken some effort, but their self-inflicted chaos was tantamount to digging their own graves!

How could Ye Yang let them go so easily? He immediately gripped the Silver Rend and began the pursuit. It was a one-sided massacre. Ye Yang charged into the fray like a tiger among sheep, sweeping away everything in his path. A killing storm unfolded around Ye Yang! The storm ravaged the entire Menos Grande, leaving countless drops of blood, broken pieces, and corpses!

Ye Yang didn't know how many Menos Grande he had killed, only that his hands were tired. This was when the results of Ye Yang's seclusion were evident. His Spiritual Power was thick and abundant. Even after killing for so long, he didn't feel any exhaustion of his Spiritual Power. A small Golden Core was shining brightly in his dantian.

Finally, Ye Yang stopped killing only when he was completely numb. Of the hundreds of Menos Grande cultivators who originally came to attack Ye Yang, less than a hundred remained, and a few dozen remnants fled back to the depths of the Forest of Menos.

This can be said to be Ye Yang's first battle since emerging from seclusion. He only used it as a small test and yet it was so powerful. Compared to before, he has become more composed and less impetuous.

He ignored the corpses scattered on the ground and went alone to the exit of the Forest of Menos. In fact, this was the stronghold of those Menos Grande beings, but now they no longer existed.

Looking at the space above, Ye Yang waved the Silver Rend in his hand towards the sky, and a crack appeared in the dark sky, which was the road leading to the ground.

In a few Shunpo, Ye Yang arrived at the exit. He looked back one last time at the Forest of Menos he had lived for more than thirty years. Perhaps he would never return. Thinking of his time in the Forest of Menos, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

Unbeknownst to him, Ye Yang had already walked out of the exit. Looking at the vast desert on the ground and then at the dense black forest below, it was truly two different worlds! Just like the Rukongai and Seireien in Soul Society, they were also two different worlds, except that in Hueco Mundo, killing was everywhere you went!

Ye Yang's lips curled into a slight smile. "I'm back!"

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