Wandenreich

Before long, once the Sternritter led by Haschwalth had moved a certain distance away from Las Noches, their spiritual pressure vanished in an instant.

Only then did the Arrancar finally relax completely.

Though some Arrancar were unwilling to admit it, the combat strength displayed by the Sternritter far surpassed that of Las Noches as it currently stood.

Had Aizen Sōsuke not appeared, that superficial probing would have turned directly into an encirclement and extermination. The entirety of Las Noches might truly have been wiped out in one stroke.

Of course, there were also battle-hungry Arrancar like Grimmjow, whose faces now showed unwillingness and indignation.

In a one-on-one fight, Grimmjow absolutely did not believe he would lose to those bastards.

But the Sternritter had launched a surprise attack on Las Noches. Every Espada who appeared had been besieged by more than two Sternritter members.

More importantly... intelligence!!!

The Sternritter seemed quite familiar with the Espadas' abilities, while the Espada knew absolutely nothing about these attackers.

"Damn it! If I run into those bastards again, I'll tear every last one of them to pieces!"

Grimmjow spoke through gritted teeth.

Aizen Sōsuke ignored all of his subordinates' reactions. He merely walked over to Nel and asked,

"Nel, are you all right?"

Nel froze, unable to react to Aizen Sōsuke's concern for a moment.

It was not until Tier Harribel discreetly nudged Nel with her elbow that Nel came back to her senses and hurriedly said,

"Yes, I'm fine, Lord Aizen."

"Mm."

Aizen Sōsuke nodded, then glanced at the mostly collapsed Las Noches and said in a somewhat gentler tone,

"I'll leave the subsequent repairs of Las Noches to you. Just ensure the defenses are in place. You needn't worry about anything else."

"Yes."

Still somewhat dazed, Nel answered instinctively.

Then, like a ripple,