After being sent flying by Grimmjow, Toshiro Hitsugaya immediately released his Zanpakuto and drove back the pursuing Grimmjow.
Then, Toshiro Hitsugaya flashed forward, following close behind the ice dragon. His Zanpakuto carved out an arc of ice.
"Ice Dragon Tail Spin!"
"Tch!"
Grimmjow retreated. Watching the ice spread from his blade up his arm, his expression grew more solemn.
"Crack!"
With a burst of reiatsu, he shattered the ice on his arm and Zanpakuto. Only then did Grimmjow seriously look at Toshiro Hitsugaya.
"As expected of a Gotei 13 captain. Your strength cannot be underestimated."
The Espada of Hueco Mundo were created by Lord Aizen to stand against the captains of the Gotei 13.
Every Arrancar knew this.
But before actually encountering a Gotei 13 captain, almost no Arrancar believed those Shinigami captains could rival the Espada.
After all, the war between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society had lasted a million years.
Their war against the Gotei 13 had also continued for a thousand years.
There were quite a few Hollows in Hueco Mundo who had lived for over a thousand years. Not to mention that the three legion commanders of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force often fought the Hueco Mundo forces led by Emperor Baraggan of Las Noches.
Therefore, they knew the strength of the Gotei 13 captains.
After receiving Lord Aizen's help, the Hollows within Las Noches had all evolved into "Arrancar," raising their strength to an entirely new level.
Many of the Fracción in Las Noches now believed they were no weaker than so-called Shinigami captains.
Not to mention the "former Espada" who had been eliminated.
Though these "former Espada" had later been cast out for lacking sufficient strength, stripped of the title of "Espada" and reduced to three-digit Arrancar,
their strength was still comparable to Captain-level