The Rhinoceros Beetle was eating the Gillian's corpse at incredible speed, devouring it with such relish that it seemed as though they could hear it eating even from far away.
"What do we do?"
"Record it, then..."
"Run for your lives!!!"
Jun screamed at the top of his lungs.
Soul Reapers had their own strict discipline, especially on an expedition like this. If someone shouted that and you stayed there quibbling about why, you were committing murder.
The entire expedition team fell back in an instant, and the Rhinoceros Beetle across from them gave chase. Jun cast Tenteikūra to explain.
"Faster! That thing's ability is sound-based. We didn't just think we could hear it eating—we really could hear it eating!"
"You heard it too!?" Kensei Muguruma replied.
"Of course! We still don't know exactly what its ability does, but we could hear it eating, and it can hear us talking too!"
Everyone was retreating at full speed, but they all knew the enormous Rhinoceros Beetle was already chasing them. What Jun had said was true.
"Kidō Corps! Shishō Saemon!"
The surviving Kidō Corps members from each squad were immediately carried by their teammates as they ran, and the Kidō Corps members began chanting on the move.
"Eight-sun military camp, no reason to retreat!" The Main Position.
"Blue bolt!" The Azure Dragon Position.
"White bolt!" The White Tiger Position.
"Black bolt!" The Black Tortoise Position.
"Red bolt!" The Vermilion Bird Position.
"Interlock and sink into the sea!" The Main Position.
"Gate of the Dragon Tail!" The Azure Dragon Position.
"Gate of the Tiger Fang!" The White Tiger Position.
"Gate of the Turtle Shell!" The Black Tortoise Position.
"Gate of the Phoenix Wings!" The Vermilion Bird Position.
"Four Holy Beasts, take your positions! Shishō Saemon!" The Main Position.
Five people completed the chant together, and they couldn't get the order wrong. Chanting it this way was actually harder than having one person do it, but this was one of the Kidō Corps' required skills, an instinct ingrained in their bones.
Shishō Saemon took shape in an instant, and then an impact left a bulge in the Azure Dragon Gate facing the group. Shishō Saemon had never been destroyed in Soul Society, simply because those trapped inside it usually had enemies to deal with or weren't strong enough themselves, so they generally didn't attack it. Hueco Mundo was a different story.
Shishō Saemon was being battered relentlessly. Such overwhelming strength made everyone's faces turn grim, and they fled even faster, but whether they could escape today was still uncertain.
After running for a while, however, they realized they weren't heading back the way they had come. Although the direction felt right, they might have taken a considerable detour, and this time they had gone quite deep into the Forest of Menos.
Before long, the Kidō Corps member in the Main Position of Shishō Saemon spat out a mouthful of blood. Everyone knew the thing had broken through. Ten Kidō Corps members had come in all; two had died, leaving eight, and now one of those who could take the Main Position was out of action.
"Keep running! Tendō and I can both take the Main Position. We have three more chances!"
Everyone continued running with all their might. Just as they caught sight of the edge of the Forest of Menos, the Rhinoceros Beetle Menos Grande caught up again and slammed headfirst into a new Shishō Saemon.
"Keep going! Once we reach Upper Hueco Mundo, we can set up a Senkaimon for the return trip. Put your backs into it~~~!"
"Understood~~!!"
The group's spirits soared. Jun was feeling drained too. Once he sensed that thing's Spiritual Power, he knew they weren't on the same level. Jun could reach that intensity of Reiatsu at his limit, but the thing was that strong in its normal state. How could he fight it?
Besides, it had smashed through a Shishō Saemon. Jun didn't even know how long it would take him to break one, or how much Spiritual Power he would have left if he did. And yet this Hollow broke the second one in less than five minutes after smashing the first.
But they had bought enough time. The expedition team returned to the desert of Hueco Mundo, and from far away came the Rhinoceros Beetle's distinctive roar, a wave of vibrations. The thing was still chasing them.
Tendō of the Kidō Corps stepped forward. The four in the supporting positions were exhausted too. This was their last Shishō Saemon.
Kensei Muguruma and the three First Division Bigwigs hurriedly pulled out four objects resembling iron rods, planted them in the ground, and picked four people at random to pour Spiritual Power into them.
Kensei and the three Bigwigs prepared to fight. If the thing broke through Shishō Saemon again before the Senkaimon was ready, the four of them would have to hold it off.
The Rhinoceros Beetle appeared, and so did Shishō Saemon. It charged as before, but this was the first time they had seen the full force of the impact up close. Every time it struck, the deformation of Shishō Saemon felt like a heavy hammer smashing into their chests.
Then, suddenly, there seemed to be another wolf's howl, and Shishō Saemon fell silent. Before anyone knew why, the Rhinoceros Beetle went berserk, and a surge of inky-black Reiatsu burst straight through Shishō Saemon!
Kensei Muguruma and the three Bigwigs braced themselves, but the Rhinoceros Beetle disappeared without a backward glance. Just then, the Senkaimon was ready.
While everyone else was still standing there in a daze, Jun shouted desperately through Tenteikūra.
"Run!!!!!!! Hurry!!!"
"That thing's running for its life! A Vasto Lorde is here!!!"
The title of Vasto Lorde had a strange power to it. In an instant, it shattered everyone's resolve.
Because only moments ago, everyone in the expedition team had realized that even with their combined strength, they might not be a match for a single Adjuchas.
The expedition team erupted into chaos. Everyone fled into the Senkaimon like headless flies. It was only natural; they couldn't be blamed.
Kensei Muguruma and the three Bigwigs wore the resolve to die on their faces. This was their duty.
Jun spotted a figure in the distance. It stood upright and looked just like a human.
"Shimizu! You go too!" Kensei Muguruma shouted.
"How long does it take the Senkaimon to close?" Jun didn't run. Instead, he asked a question.
"Five minutes. That's to make sure no one gets left behind because it closes too soon."
"Five minutes? What if that thing enters the Senkaimon too?"
Kensei swallowed. "Maybe the Captain-Commander would have a way to deal with it."
"I know some Space Kidō. I can force the Senkaimon shut. You all go."
"What!? You—"
"I can only close it from outside. If you don't go in, I'll close it right now."
Kensei grabbed Jun by the shoulder. "I'm not going! I'm leading this expedition! I won't leave you alone in Hueco Mundo."
Jun saw that the three First Division Bigwigs were already inclined to retreat. He gave a derisive laugh and patted Kensei on the shoulder in return. In that instant, Jun forced a surge of powerful Reiatsu into Kensei's body, shaking him hard enough to give him a concussion.
Jun tossed the limp Kensei to a First Division Bigwig. "Heh. You may be older, Kensei, but your strength is still a little green. You can't even withstand that much, so who could you stop? You'd only get in the way if you stayed. Please, all of you, go. This is your last chance. That one seems pretty calm."
The leader of the three hoisted Kenshin onto his back and bowed to Jun. "Take care!"
"Heh." Jun waved, and the three immediately disappeared into the Senkaimon.
Jun watched the figure in the distance, which had drawn much closer. He also saw a second figure, walking upright as well, but only as tall as the first one's waist.
"Wolf howls~ One big and one small. Is it you two? I'm betting on it!" Jun could feel himself trembling as he spoke. He knew he was dancing the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss on the edge of death, but he just couldn't stop.
"Ah~ There's definitely something wrong with my thinking. I knew it—too much philosophical contemplation would get me killed. Why can't I make my legs run for their lives? Why did my hand close the Senkaimon!? Am I still myself? Damn it!"
Talking to himself to bolster his courage, Jun reached out and closed the Senkaimon as he spoke. Instructor Hanazawa's research into Space Kidō was extensive, encompassing both Rending Space Realm, which allowed travel within Soul Society, and Space-Breaking World, which could open the Dangai. Naturally, what could be opened could also be closed.
And although the names were different, their effects were actually much the same as Kisuke Urahara's Kikai in the original story. Anyone skilled with Kidō would study Space Kidō sooner or later.
Jun hadn't exactly cut off his own escape route. Whether he would get a chance to open it again depended on the ones across from him.
The two figures drew closer and closer. Jun could see the taller one's brown hair. The much shorter one was completely covered by a cloak, but something pointed on top of her head pushed the cloak into a peak.
Jun wanted to smile, but suddenly a powerful Reiatsu descended, and he felt as though even his breathing had begun to seize up.
The two across from him drew closer, and Jun felt worse and worse. Gradually, he bent forward and braced his hands on his knees, raising all his Reiatsu to withstand theirs. He didn't know how much time passed. He was focused on resisting the Reiatsu, but he saw four feet in front of him.
"This guy's about to die, right?" It was a little girl.
"No, he's still alive and well," came a lazy man's voice.
"What is this guy?"
"I think I remember they're called Soul Reapers."
Jun listened to the conversation between the big and small figures in front of him, drew a breath, and said with difficulty, "That's right, I'm a Soul Reaper."
"Oh~~" The little one sounded surprised. "Look~ He can talk!"
"Yeah~ Soul Reapers can all talk."
"Is talking rare?" Saying a single sentence felt like running five thousand meters, the way it had felt when Jun was alive.
"What's rare?"
"A word I don't understand."
"Rare means you don't see it often."
"Often? Oh~ You're rare~"
"Yeah, very rare."
Jun really couldn't take it anymore. "Um, couldn't you control your Reiatsu a little?"
"Reiatsu? What's that?"
"Probably the power that kills everything around us?"
"Oh~ That's called Reiatsu? I can't control it. I was born with it."
"Yeah, I can't control it."
Of course Jun knew Starrk. Yes, these two in front of him were the future First Espada, Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck. They couldn't suppress their Reiatsu; it was only after Aizen found them and trained them that they gained control over it.
But that also illustrated, in a way, the Reiatsu seas of Hollows. Hollows all had Reiatsu seas. Even a random Adjuchas had more of a Reiatsu sea than Shunsui Kyōraku's Spiritual Pool, the greatest Reiatsu sea in Soul Society. Every single one did.
"Then could you two step back? If you still want me to be able to talk to you."
"What do we do? Do we want to talk to him?"
"I don't know. Do you want to talk to him?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Then let's step back."
As soon as Starrk finished speaking, the two vanished from Jun's sight. Jun took a sudden deep breath and looked into the distance. They hadn't actually gone far, just enough that if Jun took a single step forward, even one centimeter, he would enter the range of their Reiatsu.
Jun used Tenteikūra, but instead of extending it directly to the two of them, he advanced it bit by bit. Then, in an instant, Starrk and Lilynette were back in front of him.
Jun dropped to his knees.
"What are you doing?"
"What's that Spiritual Power floating in the sky?"
"That's Tenteikūra. It's an ability that lets me talk to you even when we're far apart."
"Really? Starrk, is he telling the truth?"
"Probably. Before, when we saw those Soul Reapers talking, they used Spiritual Power."
"Then let's try it."
"Okay."
The two vanished again in an instant. Jun immediately extended Tenteikūra over both of them, then brought it back to himself, allowing them all to talk together.
"Hello there~"
"Ah! Starrk, I really can hear him! Ah! Starrk, I can talk without opening my mouth!"
"Yeah, I can too."
"Amazing! Soul Reapers are amazing!"
"Yeah, amazing."
"Starrk, he can play with us. He feels kind of weak, but he's strong. He won't die, and he won't run away when he sees us."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Hey~ What's your name? You have a name, right? I'm Lilynette, Lilynette Gingerbuck. He's Starrk, Coyote Starrk."
"I'm Jun, Jun Shimizu."
"Jun? Why not Shimizu? We both use the first part of our names."
"Uh, Soul Reapers are different."
"Oh, is that right? Starrk?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Jun, Shimizu, Jun, Shimizu... I'll call you Jun, then. One syllable is easy to say."
"Ha~ Is that so? Well, thanks a lot. Um, Lilynette, right?"
"Yeah, Jun, you can call me Lilynette. Right, Starrk?"
"Yeah, you can call me Starrk too."
"Hello, Starrk."
"Hello, Jun."
Jun rolled over and lay on the sand, chuckling foolishly a few times.
"I survived! It's good to be alive!"