Forest of the Hollows

"Nel, we're planning to go to the Forest of the Hollows. Do you want to go see your friend or what?" Tsuna asked, squatting down.

"The Forest of the Hollows? That sounds like a lot of fun. Can I come with you?" Nel didn't ask Tsuna, but instead looked up at Ichigo.

"No, why are you asking me?" Ichigo rubbed his forehead, his head aching. He was about to refuse when he saw Nel's bright eyes and could only quickly say, "Okay, let's go together, but you can't run around."

"Great, Ichigo!" Nel hugged Ichigo's leg and rubbed against it, wiping her snot all over Ichigo's leg despite Ichigo disgusted expression.

"Do you want to say hello to your friends?" Tsuna asked. He had already noticed three Hollows trembling in the distance, seemingly afraid to approach due to Grimmjow's aura.

"Hey! Pesche, Dondochakka, come here right now!" Nel shouted loudly to her subordinates, then explained to everyone, "We were just playing a high jump game together!"

Now it's clear why Nel is here. It's likely that something happened while Nel and the others were playing a game, and Nel jumped over to their side. As a result, the subordinates didn't dare to get any closer.

Nel's subordinates cared deeply for her and stayed by her side even after she lost her memory. After Nel called out to them, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and rush towards Tsuna.

Two humanoid figures, one fat and one thin, were seen swimming towards them aboard a catfish-like creature. Before they even got close, the two subordinates immediately jumped off and rushed to Nel's side.

"This is Ichigo, I'm going to play in the Forest of the Hollows with them~" Nel said briefly before preparing to climb onto the sled.

"No! Lady Nel, the Forest of the Hollows is too dangerous!"

"Yes, that's right! We can't go!"

As expected, the two subordinates could not agree with Nel's decision at all, but Nel did not listen to them at all, and the scene quickly became chaotic, with shouting and yelling.

"Cut!"

A cold snort, accompanied by a terrifying chill, swept over the two subordinates, who trembled and were immediately speechless.

The one who made the sound was Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He was already unhappy about coming to Hueco Mundo, and now this conspicuous person had appeared and wasted his time. How could he possibly tolerate it?

Fortunately, these two subordinates had a strong will to survive; if they had said even a few more words, the poisonous gas from the Pikachū Jizō would have spread to them.

With Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Kurotsuchi Mayuri intervention, Tsuna and the others set off again. A little girl was now on the sled, and a large catfish was hanging far behind it. Thanks to Grimmjow's intimidation, Nel's subordinates were not threatened by any other Hollows along the way.

After traveling for most of the day, Grimmjow stopped in a forest of dead trees.

"We're here." Grimmjow stopped and used his sharp claws to cut the This Rope around his waist. This Rope was never a strong restraint; it was always Tsuna and the others behind him who bound Grimmjow.

"This is the Forest of the Hollows? It doesn't seem like it." Ichigo sighed, looking at the withered trees around him. These scattered branches didn't seem to have anything to do with the word "forest" at all.

"Ha, when did I ever tell you that what's in front of you is the Forest of the Hollows?" Grimmjow scoffed, taking a step forward. "The Forest of the Hollows has never been on the surface, but beneath this sand."

"These withered trees you see are merely branches extending from the sand of the Forest of the Hollows!"

"The Forest of the Hollows is underground?" Tsuna asked. "How do we get in?"

"Look! There's a big hole over there. From there, you can pass through the sand and reach the Forest of the Hollows," Grimmjow said, pointing to a huge pit in the distance.

"Manager?" Tsuna asked Urahara for his opinion.

"Wait a moment, I'll drive an anchor point." Urahara took out a hammer and drove a nail into the ground. "In case we get lost down there, we can use this to find our way back."

"You two over there, could you please stay here and keep watch?" Tsuna called out to Nel's subordinates.

Nel's subordinates certainly didn't want to enter the Forest of the Hollows, and after repeatedly reminding Nel to be careful, they took the big catfish and slipped away to the edge of the Deadwood Forest.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Tsuna released the Quincy power, switching his attribute to Swamp Flame, and eight Swamp Spider Spear extended from his back.

"Let's get ready to go. To avoid getting separated, please each grab a spider leg."

Tsuna's side naturally had no objections. After thinking for a moment, Grimmjow also grabbed a spider leg and agreed to lead the way from beginning to end.

With Tsuna at the center, the group jumped directly into the cave entrance of the Forest of the Hollows. Swamp Spider Spear continuously emitted swamp flames, which fermented in front of Tsuna into a soft, slippery inorganic path. Tsuna slid in by stepping on the swamp.

As they went deeper, the dead tree branches became noticeably thicker.

The cave in the Forest of the Hollows is not completely quiet; occasionally, some Hollows will fly out from it. However, they are not very strong. Before Tsuna could make a move, a red flash destroyed the Hollows blocking his way.

It seems that Grimmjow has adapted very well to the role of tour guide, and is able to give full play to his initiative in providing a comfortable tour route for visitors from the World of the Living and Soul Society.

After passing through the sand, the group landed on a huge branch. All around them were these tangled, enormous branches, each capable of supporting hundreds of people.

This is the true Forest of the Hollows. Just standing on the branches makes you feel like you are in a forest that has existed for countless ages. Every "tree" here is unimaginably huge.

The reason they are called "trees" is that, strictly speaking, the trees in the Forest of the Hollows are not wood products, but rather tree-like crystals that are closer to quartz. When struck, these "trees" do not break, but shatter like stone objects.

As soon as they regained their footing, countless sharp eyes lit up from the surrounding shadows, like Wolf Pack surrounding them, except that they were surrounded not by wolves, but by illusions.

Urahara Kisuke casually tossed out a burst of fluorescent light, illuminating the surrounding space. From the moment they entered the Forest of the Hollows, they had already fallen into the Hollows' encirclement.

The bad news is that we're surrounded by enemies; the good news is that they're all just grunts who don't seem to have much fighting power.

Ichigo and Uryū instantly prepared their Hirenkyaku, ready to unleash a full-scale red and blue ocean attack at a single command.

"Wait, wait a moment," Urahara Kisuke quickly interjected, "Because of Grimmjow's presence, these Hollows dare not act rashly. If we act rashly, it will only provoke the dissatisfaction of the true inhabitants of the Forest of the Hollows."

The place known as the Forest of the Hollows is primarily inhabited by Gillian, and deep within the Forest of the Hollows lie countless Gillian asleep.

"They reacted pretty quickly," Grimmjow said with some regret. He was prepared to see them make a fool of themselves. After all, he was only responsible for leading the way and had never promised to protect these people. He was quite happy to see them make a fool of themselves after provoking the Gillian.

The reason they were merely in a sorry state was because Grimmjow didn't believe the Gillian could truly kill these people, since he himself was confident he could survive in the Forest of the Hollows.

What can cause trouble for Tsuna is the innumerable number of the Gillian Count.

"We'll trouble Grimmjow to clear the way. We'll capture a Gillian first and try it out." Urahara showed no anger at Grimmjow's words, but instead respectfully requested Grimmjow help.

"Ugh, what a hassle. Why come all the way to the Forest of the Hollows if you just want to catch Gillian?"

That being said, Grimmjow still did his job as a guide, taking the lead and heading deeper into the branches.

Grimmjow's complaints were not without merit. He himself could summon several Gillian to appear in the outside world to fight together using his own aura, so there was no need for him to come to this so-called Forest of the Hollows.

"Since it's an experiment, it's more appropriate to conduct it at the target location, which can minimize the impact of additional factors," Urahara casually explained in words that Grimmjow couldn't understand.

However, before they had gone far, they heard someone trying to stop them.

"Hey, don't go any further! There are countless Gillian inside, you'll die!" The voice was a very clear human voice.

Before they completed their Arrancar transformation, the Hollows were still monsters. Even if they could speak, their voices had a strange hoarse quality. Such clear voices indicated that their owners were at least humanoid beings.

Another Self-Arrancar? Tsuna was somewhat puzzled. It wasn't impossible for an Self-Arrancar to appear in the Forest of the Hollows. He wondered if it was because of his appearance that another Hollow with extraordinary talent appeared in the Forest of the Hollows.

Following the sound, Urahara activated the fluorescent light he emitted, and under its illumination, a person stood on a tree branch to the left of the group.

The man was wearing a brown fur cloak and Visored an antelope, which at first glance made him appear to be an imposter.

"Shinigami Uniform? Which squad are you from?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri suddenly asked, seeing the black clothing hidden under the fur, which was clearly the Shinigami Uniform that only Bleach would wear.

Reminded by Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Tsuna also remembered that there really was a Bleach in the Forest of the Hollows of Forest of the Hollows, who lived there year-round and fought a nearly futile battle against countless Hollows.

Ashido, a man forever trapped in the Forest of the Hollows by the obsession born of the death of his comrade, a man who spent his entire life fighting for his faith in the Bleach.

Ashido stared at Kurotsuchi Mayuri for a long time before recognizing the Captain's Haori on Kurotsuchi Mayuri's body. He hadn't seen anyone from Soul Society for who knows how many years.

"My name is Ashido, formerly a member of the Squad 11. I joined the expeditionary force to conquer Hueco Mundo Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, and have been there ever since." Ashido removed his Antelope Visored, revealing short reddish-brown hair and a handsome face, and spoke very respectfully.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was completely unfazed by Ashido's respectful attitude. He rolled his eyes and asked Urahara Kisuke, "The Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force? Haven't heard of them in two hundred years, have you?"