The Arrancar Retreat (Part One)

A man in a gray coat with long blond hair slowly emerged from the woods. He held his Zanpakuto in one hand and twirled his hat in the other, a perpetually languid smile on his face, as if he were simply out for a stroll rather than to participate in a life-or-death battle.

Shinji Hirako.

Grimmjow steadied himself, his gaze turning grim as he looked at the uninvited guest. "Who are you?"

Shinji Hirako put his hat on, tilted his head slightly, and said with his smile unchanged, "Just a passerby. I was passing by and saw someone bullying a child, so I just did my part."

"A passerby?" Grimmjow sneered. "Whoever you are!"

He raised his Zanpakuto and charged at Shinji Hirako like a maddened beast. One strike, two strikes, three strikes—his attacks were fierce and frenzied, each strike carrying a determination to kill.

However, Shinji Hirako simply Zanpakuto, deflecting all the attacks one by one. His movements were fluid and effortless, as if he were not fighting, but performing an elegant dance.

Grimmjow. He realized that every strike he made was easily blocked, and every attack was anticipated. This seemingly lazy man possessed unfathomable strength.

Just as the two were locked in fierce combat, a black figure appeared beside Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Ichigo!" Rukia Kuchiki's voice was filled with concern, "Are you alright? Who was that person?"

Ichigo Kurosaki shook his head, indicating that he could still hold on. He looked at Shinji Hirako, who was fighting Grimmjow, and said, "His name is Shinji Hirako, he's a friend of my teacher. Don't worry, he's very strong."

Rukia's gaze fell on Shinji Hirako, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She could sense that this man's Reiatsu was powerful and profound, far surpassing that of ordinary Soul Reaper. Moreover... his fighting style always had an inexplicable eeriness about it.

Just then, Shinji Hirako suddenly exerted his strength, sending Grimmjow staggering back several steps with a single strike. Grimmjow staggered backward, and before he could regain his footing, he saw Shinji Hirako place his hand on his forehead—

A series of blue Reiatsu began to gather on his forehead, growing stronger and more solid. The Reiatsu eventually condensed into a half- Visored of Hollows, covering the left side of his face. The Visored's patterns were simple yet sharp, radiating an aura completely different from that of Ichigo Kurosaki.

Grimmjow's pupils contracted sharply, and his body involuntarily paused for a moment. Another Hollowfication Soul Reaper? Just who are these guys?

After donning the Visored, Shinji Hirako's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. His smile deepened, but his tone became serious. "Your skills are impressive. It seems I'll have to finish this quickly."

He Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him, and red light began to gather on its blade— Cero! A powerful Cero roared out from the blade, carrying an aura of annihilation as it hurtled towards Grimmjow.

Grimmjow knew he couldn't take this Cero head-on, but it was too late to dodge. He gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and conjured a Cero, colliding it head-on with Shinji Hirako Cero.

Boom!!

The two Ceros collided, unleashing a deafening roar. The red light illuminated the entire sky. Grimmjow's Cero only lasted a moment before being shattered by Shinji Hirako's Cero, the red light striking him directly and slamming him into the ground.

A huge crater was blasted into the ground, Grimmjow lay at the bottom of the crater, covered in wounds and unable to move.

Shinji Hirako removed his Visored, walked to the edge of the pit, and looked down at Grimmjow, his tone carrying a hint of approval. "Your reaction was quick. You actually managed to condense a Cero to block my attack in such a short time. Although you still lost, it wasn't bad."

Grimmjow stood up angrily, radiating a violent aura. He raised his Zanpakuto, and the blade began to glow with a blue light—a sign that he was about to unleash his Zanpakuto. His Reiatsu began to surge wildly, distorting the surrounding air. He was going to get serious, to end this battle with his true strength.

Shinji Hirako, Ichigo Kurosaki Rukia Kuchiki were all startled—they could sense that Grimmjow's next attack would definitely not be simple.

However, just as Grimmjow was about to unleash his Zanpakuto—

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and grasped Grimmjow's hand as he Zanpakuto.

Grimmjow shuddered and whirled around—

A man with brown skin, silver hair, and a languid gaze stood behind him. His face was expressionless, as if he had simply done something perfectly ordinary. But Grimmjow knew that anyone who could appear silently behind him and grasp his hand without him noticing was definitely not simple.

The Number One Espada – Koyatai Coyote Starrk.

"The mission is complete," Koyatai Coyote Starrk said lazily, as if he had no interest whatsoever. "Time to go back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping him and Grimmjow. It was the Negación —a special method used by the Arrancar for retreat; once enveloped by the Negación, no external attack could penetrate it.

Grimmjow tried to struggle, to break free from Coyote Starrk's grasp, to continue fighting. But his injuries rendered his struggles futile. He could only watch helplessly as Ichigo Kurosaki, Shinji Hirako, and the boy who had caused him such a great loss became increasingly blurry in the golden light.

"Next time," Grimmjow's voice came from the Negación, filled with resentment and anticipation, "Next time I will definitely kill you, Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Just as Liu Ziyun was facing off against Ulquiorra Cifer, the wind direction over the battlefield suddenly changed.

An invisible sense of oppression poured down from the sky, as if an invisible hand reached out from the clouds, wanting to grasp the entire battlefield in its palm.

Liu Ziyun sharply raised his head, his gaze piercing through the layers of war clouds, looking directly at the distorting sky.

Golden light began to seep through the gaps in the clouds, initially just thin streaks of light, like the first rays of dawn on the horizon.

But the light expanded at an astonishing speed—in the blink of an eye, a thick golden beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Ulquiorra Cifer entirely.

The Negación is a method used by Menos Grande to rescue their comrades, but it is also the ultimate means for Arrancars to retreat. Once enveloped by the Negación, the inside and outside of the pillar of light are separated by an insurmountable barrier - no attack from the outside can penetrate that seemingly thin golden light wall, and those inside cannot leave before the pillar of light dissipates.