Even though it hadn't been long since he died and came to this world, he had gradually recalled some things about it.
Although the memories were so old that many specific details had become hazy, Natsuki knew what kind of world this was.
Soul Reapers, Hollows, and Quincies.
The place where Soul Reapers gathered was called the Seireitei. Within the Seireitei stood the Gotei 13.
They had originally been established to protect the nobility, but over time their purpose had gradually evolved. They now devoted themselves to maintaining the balance between souls. To that end, Soul Reapers chose to fight Hollows, no matter how dangerous it was. They did so without hesitation or fear.
After receiving instruction from Watanabe Yuji, Natsuki could now be considered a bona fide Soul Reaper.
Besides the Zanpakuto he had acquired from other Soul Reapers, he also wore the Shihakusho of a fallen Soul Reaper.
But he had never registered with the Gotei 13.
Now that he'd heard Watanabe Yuji say he had reported their situation to Soul Society and that reinforcements from the Gotei 13 would soon arrive, Natsuki couldn't help but feel curious about the incoming troops.
It wasn't long before he saw them.
Though the two worlds were completely different,
Soul Reapers didn't rely solely on Shunpo to travel. When the distance was great, they could also use tools such as a Senkaimon to open a spatial passage and travel directly to another world.
The Garganta opened by Soul Society's reinforcements was near the Expeditionary Force's base.
As Natsuki, Watanabe Yuji, and the other members of the Expeditionary Force returned, another group of Soul Reapers wearing Shihakusho came to meet them. Their faces bore none of the weathered look that came from spending too long in Hueco Mundo.
"Yuji, long time no see! You're still alive, huh?"
A handsome young man with short reddish-brown hair and straight, prominent eyebrows greeted Watanabe Yuji as soon as he saw him.
"Ashido, you're leading the group this time?"
Watanabe Yuji was a little surprised to see the young man, but paid no mind to the teasing in his words.
"Can't be helped. A Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande showed up in Soul Society, after all. The captain suspects that something's happened in Hueco Mundo that we don't know about. He was worried you Expeditionary Force members wouldn't be able to hold out, so he organized another group to come support you."
"And if I remember right, some of the people in the Expeditionary Force under your command have already finished serving their sentences. They're allowed to return to Soul Society, of course, so we had to bring people to take their places."
The young man named Ashido explained the situation in just a few words.
Watanabe Yuji was surprised once again.
"A Vasto Lorde appeared in Soul Society?"
He'd spent a long time in Hueco Mundo and had never encountered a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande.
The most he'd come across was an Adjuchas.
That had been many years ago.
Though the Adjuchas had ultimately been killed, the Expeditionary Force had suffered heavy casualties. It had been a deeply unpleasant memory.
As for the higher-level Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande, they stood at the very peak of all Menos. He had never even seen one.
It was difficult to imagine just how terrifyingly powerful such a Hollow could be.
"How bad were the casualties in Soul Society?"
Though Watanabe Yuji was in Hueco Mundo, he was still concerned about Soul Society.
A Menos Grande of that level appearing in Soul Society would surely cause tremendous destruction.
"Don't worry, Soul Society's fine. The moment the Vasto Lorde appeared, the Gotei 13 discovered it and issued a warning. Then Kuruyashiki Kenpachi led us into battle, and the Vasto Lorde was killed by him!"
"D-dead?" When Watanabe Yuji first heard that a Vasto Lorde had appeared in Soul Society, he'd thought it would cause a great upheaval. He hadn't expected it to be killed outright. Then he realized what that meant and couldn't help exclaiming, "As expected of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi!"
"Of course! He's the man who bears the title of the strongest Soul Reaper, after all!" Ashido, too, held Kuruyashiki Kenpachi in the highest regard.
Kenpachi was an extremely special title.
In the Gotei 13, the captains of the other Divisions took their positions either by passing a captain's examination or by being nominated jointly by most of the captains. The 11th Division was the sole exception. Its captain was called Kenpachi, a title reserved for the strongest Soul Reaper. The succession ritual was also the simplest and most brutal of all: all you had to do was defeat the current Kenpachi in front of two hundred squad members and one captain, and you became the new Kenpachi.
Before defeating the Kenpachi, it didn't matter whether you were a Soul Reaper in the Gotei 13 or a Seated Officer. As long as you were strong enough and could win, you could become the new captain. It was, one could say, a privilege granted to the strong.
Only the strong could be worthy of the position.
The title of Kenpachi had now reached its seventh bearer.
Given the usual pattern of each generation being stronger than the last, it was only natural that Watanabe Yuji, Ashido, and the other Soul Reapers considered Kuruyashiki Kenpachi the strongest Kenpachi of all.
After telling Watanabe Yuji about the situation in Soul Society, Ashido asked him about the changes in Hueco Mundo.
When he learned that Menos Grande had been appearing more frequently in the outskirts of Hueco Mundo lately, Ashido furrowed his brows.
"It seems something really has changed in Hueco Mundo, something we don't know about!"
"What could it be?"
Without any concrete exploration, he thought it over for a while but still couldn't figure out the cause.
Since he couldn't work it out, he simply stopped trying.
Ashido looked at Watanabe Yuji again. "Yuji, you've been stationed in Hueco Mundo for many years. Now that I've arrived, it's time for you to go back."
Watanabe Yuji nodded. "I really should go back."
Aside from having been away from Soul Society for many years, he also needed to bring back the Soul Reapers who had originally committed crimes, been exiled to the Expeditionary Force in Hueco Mundo to atone for them, and now had served their full sentences.
After exchanging only a few brief pleasantries, Watanabe Yuji gathered the original members of the Expeditionary Force, explained the situation, and named some of them, telling them their terms had ended and they could return to Soul Society.
Unexpectedly, only a few were willing to return. Many refused, choosing instead to remain with the Expeditionary Force. As they put it, they were sinners to begin with, and simply killing Hollows wasn't enough to cleanse them of their guilt. Besides, after all these years, they had long grown used to life in the Expeditionary Force. They would find it hard to adjust if they suddenly went back. Rather than return to an environment that had become unfamiliar, they would rather stay here.
And with the situation in Hueco Mundo so complicated lately, they couldn't bring themselves to return without a care.
Watanabe Yuji said no more.
Then he looked at Natsuki. "I can let the others do as they please, but you, Natsuki, have to come back to Soul Society with me."
"Yuji, I..."
Natsuki tried to say something.
Watanabe Yuji cut him off at once. "You want to become a true Soul Reaper. This time, you have to come back with me and register with the Gotei 13."
He gave Natsuki a reason he couldn't refuse.
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