The White Sand Guardian

After a flurry of self-introductions, everyone finally figured out each other's identities.

Ichigo Kurosaki crouched down to be at eye level with Nel, scratched his head, and gave a somewhat embarrassed smile, apologizing for having mistaken her for an enemy earlier.

Nel didn't care at all. Instead, she tugged at his sleeve and curiously examined the Zangetsu in his hand with her bright eyes, her little face full of excitement.

Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki exchanged a few words with Pesche and Dondochakka, and only after confirming that these two seemingly strange guys meant no harm to Nel did they lower their guard.

However, their gazes still occasionally drifted to the tattered skull mask atop Nel's head, their eyes filled with barely concealed curiosity and confusion—why had an Arrancar fallen to the point of being chased by a low-level Hollow? Why was her mask so damaged? Where had her power gone?

These questions lingered in their minds, but no one dared to ask them aloud. Everything in Hueco Mundo was too bizarre; its rules were completely different from the world they knew. To rashly pry into someone's past was perhaps more cruel than anywhere else in this dog-eat-dog world.

Yasutora Sado stood on the periphery of the crowd, silently observing his surroundings. His deep brown eyes reflected the endless desolation of the white desert, keenly capturing every unusual movement. His intuition told him that beneath this seemingly peaceful desert lurked some danger they had yet to detect.

Liu Ziyun stood behind everyone, arms crossed, calmly observing everything. He didn't participate in the conversation, simply standing there quietly, like a silent statue.

But his eyes never stopped observing—observing Nel's every move, observing Pesche and Dondochakka's every expression, observing every subtle fluctuation of Reiatsu in this desert.

In his mind, countless pieces of information were pieced together, disassembled, and recombined like jigsaw puzzle pieces, forming a complete picture that only he could understand. After a short rest, the group continued their journey deeper into Hueco Mundo.

The white sand rustled softly beneath their feet, each step leaving a deep footprint, which was quickly filled in by fresh sand blown in by the wind, as if no one had ever been to this desolate place.

All around was a deathly silence; there were no birdsong, no insect chirps, only the sound of the wind, the rustling of sand, and the occasional low, drawn-out howl of the Xu from afar.

Nel walked beside Ichigo Kurosaki, her small figure appearing particularly petite next to his tall frame.

She chattered incessantly as she walked, introducing everything about Hueco Mundo to these guests from the World of the Living. Her voice was clear and melodious, like a wind chime in the desert, bringing a touch of life to this desolate white wasteland.

Ichigo Kurosaki was initially wary, but he was gradually charmed by Nel's innocence and relaxed considerably. He even began to respond to Nel's questions, asking her some questions about Hueco Mundo, although Nel couldn't answer most of them. She could only tilt her head, look at him with her innocent big eyes, and giggle.

However, this brief period of calm did not last long.

Suddenly, the sand ahead began to tremble violently, as if something enormous was churning underground. The white sand grains rose and fell like boiling water, and cracks spread across the sand, making a tearing sound that made your teeth ache.

Ichigo Kurosaki instinctively shielded Nel behind him, his right hand already gripping the hilt of Zangetsu. Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki also simultaneously entered battle mode, the metallic scraping sound of their Zanpakuto out crisply in the silent desert. Yasutora Sado fist, the distinctive markings of a giant's right arm beginning to appear on his right arm, his Reiatsu surging within him, ready to erupt at any moment.

The tremors on the sand grew more and more violent, and finally—

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the sand dunes seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, and countless grains of sand were thrown into the air, forming a sand curtain that blotted out the sky. Amidst the swirling sand and dust, a massive figure slowly rose to its feet.

It was a void made entirely of sand.

Its size is astonishing; the part protruding from the sand is several stories high. Its body has no fixed shape; it is composed of countless fine sand grains, which gleam with a pale light in the dim yellow light.

Its face was a huge white skull mask, with two eerie blue flames burning in its empty eye sockets, like two will-o'-the-wisps floating in the darkness. Grains of sand constantly slid off its body, while new grains of sand rose from the ground to replenish it, forming a dynamic and ever-changing balance.

"Guardian of the White Sands... Runuganga." A deep, hoarse voice emanated from the massive mask, like sandpaper scraping against rough stone. "This is my territory. No outsider may pass."

Its voice contained neither hostility nor goodwill, only an almost mechanical, emotionless statement. It was not a threat, not a warning, but a statement of a duty it had to perform—to guard this desert and prevent any outsiders from entering the depths of Hueco Mundo.

Ichigo Kurosaki did not hesitate.

His figure left a trail of afterimages on the sand, Zangetsu was already raised high. Golden Reiatsu condensed on the blade, transforming into a huge golden crescent-shaped slash, which, with a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, slammed into Runuganga's massive upper body.

Getsuga Tenshō!

The golden slash pierced through Runuganga's body without resistance, cleaving its sand-based upper body in two. The severed sand grains cascaded down like a waterfall, forming a spectacular sand curtain in the air. Runuganga's body swayed slightly upon impact, and then—

Nothing happened.

The upper body, which had been split in two, began to heal within seconds. Countless grains of sand gathered from all directions, filling the gaps and reforming into a complete form. The two dark blue flames on the mask didn't even ripple, as if the attack had been nothing more than a gentle breeze to them.

"Physical attack... ineffective?" Renji Abarai stared wide-eyed at the scene in disbelief.