The Big Mushroom, though speechless, had developed self-awareness and a degree of intelligence. It could sense the threat from Zero because it had rendered the Gillian immobile.
"May I have your name?"
"Crunch, crunch!"
Zero's question only elicited a few strange noises from the mushroom -Menos Grande, causing Zero to frown.
'This kind of illusory intelligence is not as high as that of a normal Adjuchas, at most like that of a three- or four-year-old human child, and it rarely communicates with language. Instead, it sends your consciousness directly through a small amount of Reiatsu, and it can understand the meaning.'
'I see.'
Just as Zero was about to ask a question, Yanis answered, and Zero, following his instructions, indeed received a faint Reiatsu response...
After a brief exchange, Mushroom Menos Grande was brought under Zero's command; since he had no name, Zero thought he looked like a mushroom, so he named him Mushroom Head.
"A creature that moves even slower than a Gillian has been added."
"Don't say that, we're comrades after all."
Grimmjow's sarcastic remark sent a shiver down the Mushroom Head. This was Vasto Lorde, after all. He only breathed a slight sigh of relief after Ulquiorra acknowledged him.
Mushroom Head, who now has a name and powerful companions, is constantly excited and often tries to communicate with other Hollows by transmitting his consciousness through Reiatsu, a method he has just learned. However, he usually gets the cold shoulder.
Because the Adjuchas all looked down on him, a slow-witted Menos Grande like him would normally be at the mercy of the other Adjuchas.
If Zero hadn't come and communicated with him using Reiatsu, he probably would have died alone with the mindless Gillian. He was truly grateful to Zero.
Mushroom Head is also Adjuchas. Because he can only move slowly and cannot communicate verbally, he evolved the ability to devour Ragged Hollows and fuse them into Gillian within his body before spitting it out, essentially making Gillian manufacturing plant.
He relies on creating a large number of Gillian to protect himself from being hunted. There are many Menos Grande like Mushroom Head, who are not very intelligent and move slowly. They will also evolve various classic survival abilities.
Many of these Adjuchas have also evolved advanced intelligence comparable to that of humans through continuous devouring and growth.
Mushroom Head moved slowly, only able to wriggle around using its roots, several times slower than the fast-moving Gillian. So Zero had Mushroom Head control several Gillians to carry it, which made things a little better.
Having learned a new trick, Mushroom Head had four Gillians carry him across the desert, experiencing the joy of chasing the wind.
In just over a month, the number of Hollows arriving in Soul Society and the World of the Living has decreased by several times, finally allowing the exhausted Gotei 13 to catch their breath.
Standing in his office, Yama-jii looked down at Seireitei. Some people were laughing and talking, some were grieving, and some were silent. This was Seireitei after the war.
The cheering and laughing were mostly from nobles unaware of the battle ahead, while the Soul Reapers were mostly in mourning, their comrades having fallen in battle.
Yama-jii secretly wondered: ' The Kidō Corps I sent out have all returned, but they haven't found that brat Nangong, and the void is no longer emerging. It seems he's encountered some problems!'
On his desk was the leave slip that Zero had asked Kiganjō to deliver. In Yama-jii's mind, he had already assumed that Zero was dedicating himself to the Seireitei.
In places like Hueco Mundo, Menos Grande and countless individuals with unusual abilities. Yama-jii remembers losing to an Adjuchas in his youth.
Afterwards, that Adjuchas continued to devour and grow stronger. Due to its special nature, it did not become Vasto Lorde, but remained at the Adjuchas level, but its strength far exceeded that of Vasto Lorde.
That Hollow attacked all the way to the Soul King Palace before finally being sealed away by the Monk... This shows just how dangerous Hueco Mundo is.
As Yama-jii was deep in thought, a figure suddenly appeared in the office, knelt down, and shouted, "Report!"
"Second Division Captain, Kiyoki Shihoin, was attacked by three Adjuchas. Although he killed the enemies, he was seriously injured, most severely injuring his left arm and having his abdomen pierced. Captain Unohana is currently receiving treatment..."
"Okay, go down!"
Upon hearing this, Yama-jii immediately opened his eyes. On the surface, he remained calm, but in reality, he was Kiyoyasu annoyed that Qing Yan had been so careless; even though the Ragged Hollows had stopped surging out in large quantities, he had still managed to be ambushed and seriously injured.
Not only Kiyoyasu, Senjumaru Shutara was also injured, though not as severely as Kiyoyasu... Due to the material, her metal arm was shattered, which was a significant blow to her at the moment.
"Chōjirō, let's go to the Fourth Division."
"Yes!"
Yama-jii called out to his adjutant, and then the two of them slowly walked towards the Fourth Division Barracks behind Sōkyoku Hill, which was hidden in a small grove and very secluded.
When they arrived, Unohana had just finished providing emergency care to Kiyoyasu. His life was fine, but his left hand was missing and could not be repaired.
Kiyoyasu's left hand was severed by a sneak attack, and then hit by Cero, causing severe burns that could not be repaired... Although the concentration of Reishi that make up Captain-level body is high enough that his arm did not turn into dust directly, the Adjuchas- class Cero still burned his flesh and blood.
Losing an arm might still give Kiyoyasu an overwhelming advantage against Grunts, but against Captain-level enemies, his weakness will definitely become apparent.
"Captain-Commander!"
Kiyoyasu, who was in the hospital bed, had regained consciousness. When he saw the Captain-Commander arrive, he simply nodded slightly, mainly because he couldn't move around too much right now.
"Hmm, what a troublesome bunch of team members. The Captain the 11th Division went to Hueco Mundo without permission, the Captain of the Seventh Division is missing, and now it's your turn... who will lead the Second Division?"
Yama-jii started rambling on, but all of this was just a prelude; he was mainly there for the sentence he was about to say.
For a short time, the three Squads were leaderless, especially the Second Division, which included the Punishment Force troops, a very important force. Yama-jii needed to check whether they were still stable while Kiyoyasu was injured.
"Under the command of the Second Division Third Seat, Yoruichi Shihōin!" After Kiyoyasu called out in a low voice, "Yoruichi, come out and greet the Captain-Commander!"
Suddenly, a slender black figure appeared. Like most of the Punishment Force, she was wearing a headscarf that covered her mouth and nose.
"Greetings, Captain-Commander!"
After Yoruichi appeared, she pulled back her headscarf and mask, revealing short purple hair and brown skin. She bowed slightly to the Captain-Commander and Kiyoyasu as a sign of respect.
"That's truly excellent Shunpo. Then I can rest assured."
Yama-jii sized up the girl and didn't hold back his praise.
To be honest, he didn't notice Yoruichi hiding in the tree outside the ward until Yoruichi came out. Perhaps it was partly due to his own carelessness, but in any case, it showed Yoruichi's ability.
Considering the extent of his Shunpo, Yama-jii believed that his strength was indeed sufficient to stabilize the Second Division.
"Thank you for the compliment, Captain-Commander!"
Yoruichi appeared serious, but inside she was overjoyed to receive approval.
Kiyoyasu then inquired about Zero's unauthorized trip to Hueco Mundo. Upon learning that he had gone there specifically to stop the Menos Grande War, he was shocked by Zero's audacious act.
They, Captain-level, all knew that joining the expeditionary force to kill Hollows in Hueco Mundo was nothing special, because most of the time they were just killing Ragged Hollows on the fringes.
If they were to enter the Menos Grande Forest or the central area of Hueco Mundo, they would likely face an endless siege by the Menos Grande Legion. Even with the strength of Captain-level, there would be no chance of survival... At least that's what Kiyoyasu, who was seriously injured by a sneak attack from three Adjuchas, thought.
Zero was unaware that his so-called 'goal' in Hueco Mundo had already been achieved, because the battlefield had been withdrawn from the Menos Grande Forest, the Ragged Hollows were no longer afraid, and naturally they would no longer flee to the World of the Living.
Unaware of the events in Soul Society, another month passed, and they were already approaching the rock-built walls of Las Noches, without encountering a single act of resistance.
... This city wall was the foundation of Aizen's Las Noches in the original timeline. At this time, it was still very short, less than one-fifth the size of the later version, but even so, it was still over a thousand meters high.
In the later timeline of the original story, after Aizen arrived, he ordered the Hollows to find rocks, complete the Las Noches, and create a Blue Sky and non-floating White Clouds under the Sky Cover...
Zero and his team judged that Baraggan wanted to take full advantage of the terrain for a decisive battle, and they had recently devised several plans for the enemy... Unless they had another sealing ability like Wonderweiss, Zero's Bankai would still be devastating.
The two sides quickly came to a standoff. Baraggan's side stood on the city wall, while Zero's side stood below. There were no banners fluttering or thunderous war drums; the atmosphere was tense and deadly.
"Enough with the nonsense, Baraggan. I'll give you a chance to live: submit to me, or you're dead."
Zero had already Hollowfication; his Reiatsu resembled that of a high-ranking Vasto Lorde, exuding a sense of ferocity and bloodlust.
In fact, apart from Grimmjow and Dordoni, along with the current core members of the Blood Panther Group, none of the other Adjuchas have ever seen Zero's true face.
"Haha, how utterly hilarious!"
Baraggan burst into laughter, which made the Adjuchas around him laugh even harder. It was always the Las Noches Expedition others and made them surrender. This was the first time the situation had been reversed.
After laughing Baraggan roared, "How dare a mere Soul Reaper utter such lies? Although I don't know how you stole the power of the Hollow, it is you scoundrels who will surely perish today."
"Minions, charge! Slay the enemy Las Noches! Proclaim to Hueco Mundo who truly reigns supreme in this world!"
"Yes, Emperor Baraggan is the King of Hueco Mundo!"
At Baraggan's command, the Adjuchas echoed his order and leaped down the thousand-meter-high city wall, fearless of the thousands of Gillian, to launch a preemptive attack on the Blood Panther Group.
"Gillian, Cero!"
With a roar, Dordoni summoned three thousand Gillian, some of whom moved forward to form a first row of over a thousand, opening their mouths to condense Cero.
Zero, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow stood still. Baraggan had appeared, but Szayelaporro and Picaro were still nowhere to be seen. They had to be wary of a sneak attack if they took the initiative.