Opportunity to Return to the Soul Society

Even though it had not been long since he arrived in this world after death, he had gradually recalled some information regarding it.

Even if the specific details were no longer clear due to the passage of time, Natsuki knew what this world was all about.

Shinigamis, Hollows, and Quincy.

The place where Shinigamis gathered was called the Seireitei, and within the Seireitei, there existed the Gotei 13.

The original goal of its establishment was to protect the nobility, but through subsequent evolution, it gradually developed into an organization dedicated to maintaining the balance between souls. To this end, Shinigamis chose to fight against Hollows; even though the danger was extremely high, they moved forward without hesitation or fear.

Now, after the guidance of Watanabe Yuji, Natsuki could be considered a Shinigami in his own right.

Aside from the Zanpakuto he obtained from other fallen Shinigamis, he even wore the Shihakusho of a deceased Shinigami.

However, he had never registered with the Gotei 13.

Now, hearing Watanabe Yuji say that he had reported the situation to the Soul Society and that reinforcements from the Gotei 13 would arrive soon, Natsuki could not help but feel curious about the incoming reinforcements.

It did not take long for him to see the reinforcements.

Although they were from two completely different worlds.

Shinigamis did not rely solely on Shunpo to travel; if the distance was great, they could use tools like the Senkaimon to open spatial channels and travel directly to another world.

The Garganta opened by the Soul Society reinforcements was located near the gathering place of the Expeditionary Force.

When Natsuki, Watanabe Yuji, and the rest of the Expeditionary Force members returned, another squad of Shinigamis—wearing Shihakusho that lacked the wear and tear born from long stays in Hueco Mundo—appeared before them.

"Yuji, long time no see! You bastard are still alive!"

A young man with reddish-brown short hair, straight, upright eyebrows, and a handsome face greeted Watanabe Yuji directly upon seeing him.

"Ashido, you are the one leading the squad this time?"

Seeing the young man, Watanabe Yuji was somewhat surprised, paying no mind to the teasing tone in the other's words.

"Can't be helped. Since a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande appeared in the Soul Society, the Captain guessed that some unknown changes might have occurred in Hueco Mundo. Fearing that you of the Expeditionary Force wouldn't be able to hold on, he organized a new batch of the Expeditionary Force to come and support you."

"At the same time, if I remember correctly, there are some people in the Expeditionary Force under your command whose terms of atonement have expired and are eligible to return to the Soul Society. Naturally, I had to bring people to replace them."

The young man named Ashido explained the specific situation in just a few words.

Watanabe Yuji was shocked once more.

"A Vasto Lorde actually appeared in the Soul Society?"

He had been in Hueco Mundo for so long and had never encountered a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande.

The most he had ever encountered were Adjuchas.

And that was many years ago.

Although they eventually managed to slay the Adjuchas, their Expeditionary Force had suffered heavy casualties; it was truly not a pleasant memory.

As for the higher-level Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande, they were beings at the very pinnacle of all Menos, and he had never even seen one.

It was truly hard to imagine what kind of terrifying power such a Hollow possessed.

"How are the casualties in the Soul Society?"

Although Watanabe Yuji was in Hueco Mundo, he still cared deeply about the situation in the Soul Society.

A Menos of that level appearing in the Soul Society would definitely cause massive destruction.

"Rest assured, the Soul Society is fine. The moment the Vasto Lorde appeared, the Gotei 13 discovered its tracks and issued a warning. Afterward, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi led us into battle, and the Vasto Lorde was slain by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi himself!"

"It... it was killed?" Watanabe Yuji had initially thought that the appearance of a Vasto Lorde in the Soul Society would cause great turmoil, but he had not expected it to be killed outright. He then reacted, unable to help but exclaim, "As expected of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi!"

"That goes without saying, after all, he is the man who bears the title of the strongest Shinigami!" Ashido also held Kuruyashiki Kenpachi in high esteem.

Kenpachi was a very special title.

Within the Gotei 13, captains of other divisions were appointed either through captaincy exams or the recommendation of a majority of other captains. The 11th Division was the only exception. The captain of the 11th Division was called Kenpachi, a title bestowed upon the strongest Shinigami. Its succession ceremony was the simplest and most brutal: as long as you could defeat the current Kenpachi in the presence of two hundred squad members and one captain, you would become the new Kenpachi.

Before defeating the Kenpachi, it did not matter if you were a Shinigami of the Gotei 13 or a Seated Officer; as long as your strength was sufficient and you could win, you could become the new captain. It could be said that this was a privilege granted to the strong.

Only the strong could hold this position.

Since the inception of the title Kenpachi, this was already the seventh generation.

Following the tradition that each generation was stronger than the last, it was only natural that in the minds of Shinigamis like Watanabe Yuji and Ashido, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was the strongest Kenpachi.

After informing Watanabe Yuji about the situation in the Soul Society, Ashido asked about the changes in Hueco Mundo.

Upon learning that the frequency of Menos appearing on the outskirts of Hueco Mundo had increased recently, Ashido furrowed his brows.

"It seems that some unknown changes have indeed occurred in Hueco Mundo!"

"What exactly is going on?"

Without conducting a specific investigation, he pondered for a while but could not figure out the reason behind it.

Since he could not figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it.

Ashido looked at Watanabe Yuji again and said, "Yuji, you have been stationed in Hueco Mundo for many years. Now that I am here, it is time for you to return."

Watanabe Yuji nodded and said, "I really should go back for a while."

Beyond the fact that he had been away from the Soul Society for many years, he also needed to bring back those Shinigamis who had committed crimes and were exiled to the Expeditionary Force in Hueco Mundo to atone, now that their sentences had been served.

Without much small talk, Watanabe Yuji gathered the members of the Expeditionary Force, explained the situation, and called out several names, informing them that their terms were up and they were cleared to return to the Soul Society.

Unexpectedly, only a few were willing to return to the Soul Society; many refused, choosing instead to remain and serve in the Expeditionary Force. According to them, they were sinners by nature, and merely slaying Hollows was not enough to wash away their guilt. Furthermore, after all these years, they had long grown accustomed to the life of the Expeditionary Force. Returning suddenly would be difficult to adapt to, and rather than going back to an environment that had already become foreign, they preferred to stay.

Moreover, given the current complexity of the situation in Hueco Mundo, they found it difficult to return with a clear conscience.

Watanabe Yuji did not say anything more.

He turned his gaze toward Natsuki, "I can leave the others be, but Natsuki, you must return to the Soul Society with me."

"Yuji, I..."

Natsuki wanted to say something.

Watanabe Yuji cut him off directly, "If you want to become a true Shinigami, you must return with me this time and register with the Gotei 13."

He gave a reason that Natsuki could not refuse.