When he arrived, Zero had already removed his tattered clothes. The armor that had materialized from his Reiatsu was incredibly powerful. He could freely change the shape of his protective Reiatsu, and it could even transform into clothing.
His hair had turned a reflective red, as had his pupils, and the black crescent mark between his brows resembled a tightly closed Vertical Eye. Despite these features, Ulquiorra still recognized Zero.
"Welcome back, Lord Nangong. I'm sorry I couldn't protect Las Noches..."
Looking at the person in front of him, Ulquiorra's face was cold, but his pupils revealed an emotion called joy, which even he himself could not feel.
"It's not your fault, I destroyed it on my own. Grimmjow was nearby too, wasn't he? I could feel his Reiatsu."
Zero interrupted with a smile, without blaming him for the failure to protect Las Noches.
"Down below."
As soon as Ulquiorra finished speaking, a figure leaped out of the desert—it was Grimmjow.
"So you're still alive?"
"Then you may be disappointed, it's impossible for me to be killed."
"Tch, who are you trying to scare!"
A sarcastic greeting came from Grimmjow's mouth, but Zero wasn't angry. Instead, he was slightly annoyed when he seriously described how his skills weren't being recognized.
"You think you're capable again."
Zero adjusted and lowered the Reiatsu intensity, which shocked all the Reishi particles in the surrounding space, including Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.
The intimidation lasted only a brief moment, making Grimmjow realize that the gap between the two had not narrowed because of his gluttonous eating.
"Boss, you're finally back! I was so worried that the Hōgyoku would take your body away, boohoo~"
As soon as the Reiatsu pressure dissipated, Yanis emerged from the sand, tears streaming down his white mask with vertical lines, as if afraid Zero wouldn't know how excited he was.
"Don't come near me. You seem quite happy. When you split, you were at most at the Gillian level, but in such a short time you've already reached the high-level Adjuchas. You must have eaten quite a bit!"
Zero saw through Yanis's exaggerated acting and consciously reduced the range of his Reiatsu, fearing that this weakling would be crushed instantly.
"No, no."
Yanis also looked embarrassed and didn't dare to say anything more... Afterwards, Zero asked Ulquiorra for some information about the situation after the war.
Nnoitra and Dordoni, the weaker members of the Espada, were confirmed to have died in battle, their bodies taken by the Soul Reaper. Szayelaporro had recovered during the war, remained missing. In the end Starrk was defeated by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and his fate is unknown.
Ulquiorra won the battle but failed to finish off his opponent. He also won against Baraggan, killing only the Vice-Captain. As for the others, the battles were mostly undecided.
Finally, there's the battle between Picaro and Baraggan. Because Zero is absent, their conflict erupts completely. Picaro ultimately fails to kill Baraggan and temporarily escapes...
After learning about the recent situation, Nel and the others were sent by Ulquiorra and his two companions, while Zero went alone to the Menos Grande Forest to find Picaro.
Zero's speed was too fast. After subduing the Hōgyoku, his body underwent a comprehensive enhancement, allowing him to move at supersonic speeds. Finding Picaro was incredibly easy for him.
Each movement of Zero is equivalent to a flashing point of light, and the range of the spiritual scan is large enough that it scanned one-tenth of the area of Hueco Mundo in just a few minutes.
Picaro, who was in the middle of killing several Adjuchas, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. The Adjuchas took advantage of his moment of surprise and confusion to escape. Just as Picaro was about to give chase, Zero appeared behind him.
"Stop chasing, come with me!"
Zero's voice was gentle, but it could still instill fear in Picaro... Even though Picaro didn't sense the Reiatsu, the feeling of being bound by death returned.
There was no answer, no resistance; Picaro simply followed behind Zero, knowing it was all in vain...
Upon returning to the shattered Las Noches, Picaro looked at Baraggan and his men with a defiant expression. As the saying goes, enemies are especially hostile when they meet, but both sides only felt hatred and dared not actually make a move.
Soon after, a group of people returned with Ulquiorra and his group. Apart from Szayelaporro, who had never appeared before, the Espada were now reunited, and their leader had returned...
Zero had taken Baraggan's throne, and he sat there nonchalantly, surveying the people below the steps.
Nel and Tier Harribel's allies were all dressed in gray trench coats. Besides them, the eight people who came with them were all Arrancar: Tier Harribel's Three Divine Beasts Fracción, Nel's two Fracción, and three new recruits.
"Your presence here indicates you are mentally prepared. My forces have never coerced anyone into joining. Anyone who does not wish to participate in the upcoming operations can withdraw now..."
Zero's voice echoed throughout the ruins of Las Noches, but Baraggan had already thought to himself, "Bullshit..." Zero did indeed give them the right to choose, but that was for those who joined later.
Zero won't give overly self-centered surrendered generals like Baraggan and Picaro much of a choice; he'll just use them as swords until they're smashed to pieces or worn down.
Picaro may not have this self-awareness, but Baraggan certainly does, so he can only hope that he is the sword that cuts through the target, rather than the dull blade.
After a long wait, no one suggested quitting. Yanis roared, "Lord Nangong, just tell us the direction! Even if we are shattered to pieces, we will still bravely move forward..."
"Yes, wipe out the Gotei 13."
"Back when I was just Ragged Hollows, I was chased for over ten blocks by someone with an afro in the World of the Living."
"What's that? I had eight arms back then, but a bald guy chopped them off, leaving me with only one. If I hadn't been lucky enough to jump into the water, I would be dead by now."
Yanis's joke immediately stirred up the crowd. Every Arrancar was the protagonist of their own life, with their own story.
To stand out from countless Ragged Hollows to become Menos Grande, and finally to become Arrancar standing before Zero, proves that they are all chosen Hollows.
Seeing the situation before him, Grimmjow's lips curled into a smirk, seemingly disdainful of such grand pronouncements... Ulquiorra's eyes shifted from confusion to understanding, as if he grasped something...
Damn it, is there a shill involved!?
Zero laughed loudly, "Alright, since that's the case, then listen to my next plan..."
Arrancar over a hundred Adjuchas present, along with more than a dozen excellent Adjuchas. Apart from Nel and her group, they were all subordinates of Baraggan. Zero also selected a few outstanding individuals from among them.
The same old formula: an army of hundreds of Arrancars attacks Soul Society, while the main force targets the Soul King Palace...
To attack the Soul King Palace Heavenly Heights, a mobile vehicle capable of continuously flying upwards is naturally needed.
The Sixth Valley of Screams space, which was composed of Blanks, was transformed into the 'Great War Spear' by Zero. He could also use his own power to help it shatter space and break through from the Dangai into the Hueco Mundo, a large world. This was a mobile tool that had been prepared in advance.
If you calculate the location of the Soul King Palace correctly, find that point in the Dangai, and then directly dash there, you can reach the Soul King Palace.
Fortunately, the location of the Soul King Palace is not difficult to determine; it definitely exists above the Seireitei...
Three months later, Yanis, who had become Arrancar, remained in Hueco Mundo, while Nel led a mixed army of over a hundred Arrancars and sixty Adjuchas to begin their march towards Soul Society.
As for the other Espada, they were with Zero...
Due to technological limitations, the Soul Society's Research and Development Institute is unable to monitor Hueco Mundo's activities. Furthermore, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's focus has never been on Hueco Mundo; he's been searching for Quincy...
During the previous attack on Hueco Mundo, Mayuri Kurotsuchi ambushed Dordoni, who was dueling with Byakuya, and subsequently collected a lot of important information from Dordoni's corpse... Reading memories from someone's mind is a piece of cake for Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
One of the most important points is that about fifty years ago, a large number of Quincy attacked Hueco Mundo. Although they were repelled, several Espada were killed in the battle.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi exactly what level the Espada were at. Even if the Espada weren't as strong back then as they are now, they were still quite formidable. Nangong Ling would never allow a piece of trash to become Espada.
Based on the memories of Dordoni and some Arrancar, Mayuri Kurotsuchi deduced the level of some Quincy and analyzed that they all had the strength to fight against Captain-level opponents.
He then reported this to the Captain-Commander, alarmed by the rapid expansion of the Quincy, ordered the Research and Development Institute to locate the Quincy's hideout.
Taking advantage of their current strength, the Captain-Commander wants to eliminate all potential threats...
At the training grounds of the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy, a large group of students were watching a duel taking place, as they were undergoing Zanjutsu assessment.
"Haha, take this!"
Renji Abarai, with his red hair, was attacking excitedly, slashing and thrusting continuously, but his opponent Izuru Kira, was not bad either, able to defend against his savage attacks.
The teacher, who was observing from the side, kept nodding. These two students were very talented and already had a certain level of ability; at least graduating wouldn't be a problem.
Regarding Renji Abarai's poor Kidō), the proctor felt he could easily cover it up with his Zanjutsu. Although his Shunpo) was still at a beginner level, he would eventually make greater progress.
"Alright, stop now. You two both get excellent grades. Next group."
"Haha, that's great, thank you teacher."
"Thank you so much."
Seeing the two of them panting heavily, the proctor ordered them to stop. After thanking him, the two vacated the area, and Izuru Kira joined in with his classmates.
Renji was about to run to the neighboring noble class to tell Rukia the good news, but he involuntarily stopped in his tracks. He had almost forgotten... that the two of them were now worlds apart in terms of status.
Rukia refused Byakuya's offer to let her graduate early, determined to graduate with passing grades on her own, a decision that Byakuya and Hisana both agreed with.
The elite class is also conducting combat tests. Rukia's opponent's fighting power instantly plummeted by half upon hearing her surname Kuchiki, allowing her to easily achieve a perfect score... but no one around her shared her joy.
Just as Rukia was about to take a break, a sound of space tearing came from around her, and a Hollow with a mask that resembled a clown's smile instantly appeared, its Reiatsu filling the entire area, forcing the assessment to stop...
"Heh, I didn't expect to be the fastest, and I've come to a good place! It's full of weaklings."
This was an Adjuchas, whose Reiatsu was extraordinary and who could speak human language. This immediately terrified the group of students from Shin'ō, as it was the first time they had ever seen a Hollow with such strong Reiatsu.