Even if I messed everything up, someone would bail me out.
Worst case, I could have the Captain Commander use Bankai, wipe the field clean, and flip the whole table!
At this point, apart from the Monk of the Zero Division—Ichibē Hyōsube—no one could reliably overpower the Captain Commander.
With someone that strong behind me, what the hell was I afraid of?
His confidence returned in an instant. Yamabuki Chidori narrowed his eyes and considered what to do next.
The Quincy were hard to pin down. Right now, the most unpredictable factor was Hueco Mundo.
By this world's rules, Hollows would never disappear. They had existed a million years ago, before the Soul King divided the Three Realms. When humans died with powerful obsessions, their souls fell and became Hollows. Getting humans to live without obsessions would be about as easy as getting dogs to stop eating crap.
Soul Society was almost certain to beat the Quincy.
What Yamabuki Chidori feared was that, once both sides had battered each other, the Hollows would rush out and make things worse.
So before the final battle with the Quincy, they had to clear out Hueco Mundo. Killing every Hollow was impossible—even the Soul King couldn't do that—but they could strip the outskirts bare and keep the Hollows from taking advantage.
Right. The one ruling Hueco Mundo now should be... the King of Despair, Baraggan Louisenbarn.
A small fry. Back then, Aizen had marched into Hueco Mundo with two captains and trampled it flat, beating Baraggan into submission.
Look at the lineup I've got now: Shunshun Shidō, Katoru Hatsunoya, Gen'en Kinra, Saitō Fubōfu, Zendouji Yuuhin, and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Saying we could destroy all of Hueco Mundo would be a stretch, but a decapitation strike to take out Baraggan? That would be easy.
If Aizen could do it, there's no reason I can't. His confidence was back.
Yamabuki Chidori gave his opinion outright.
Yamamoto clapped him on the shoulder. "Great minds think alike! That's exactly what I had in mind. We can't keep playing defense against the Hollows. Counterattacking is more my style. We need to show them the tables have turned: if Hollows can come to us, we can go to them. In fact, I've wanted to form a Hueco Mundo Extermination Squad for a long time."
Great minds tended to think alike.
"There's no time to lose. Yamabuki, get a good night's rest. You'll lead the team out first thing tomorrow," Yamamoto said.
Yamabuki Chidori left in high spirits.
As he passed the dining hall, he smelled food cooking inside. Delia was helping out, piling Chōjirō Sasakibe's bowl high with meat.
The kid's grown up. Time to let him see something big.
"Sasakibe, something big is happening with the squad tomorrow. Want in?" Yamabuki Chidori asked with a sly grin.
Chōjirō Sasakibe froze, then lit up. "Of course! But Brother Yamabuki, give me a hint. What's happening?"
Sasakibe wasn't the only one listening. Everyone eating nearby had pricked up their ears. Yamabuki Chidori was the Chief Strategist; every major squad matter passed through his hands.
"Heh. Secret. All I'll say is that it's something good. If you want in, go sign up with the Captain Commander now. Also..." Yamabuki Chidori paused. The Gotei 13 had only a little over six hundred members, trainees included. That was enough to handle scattered Hollows, but what lay ahead was war. Once they returned from Hueco Mundo, they would have to recruit more.
Hearing that something good was coming, everyone hurried through their meals and went to sign up with the Captain Commander. Chōjirō Sasakibe was right behind them.
The day has come to sweep through Hueco Mundo with my underlings! This is going to be fun!
The next day, in front of the Soul Gate.
Yamabuki Chidori waited smugly. After waiting ages, a grand total of two people showed up!
One was Chōjirō Sasakibe.
The other was Hachisato.
"..." Yamabuki Chidori kept looking past them. "Where is everyone? Why is it just you two?"
Chōjirō Sasakibe said awkwardly, "Once everyone heard we were going to attack Hueco Mundo... they all ran off. In the end, only Hachisato and I signed up!"
Those cowards!
Yamabuki Chidori covered his face. Forget it. He hadn't been counting on them anyway.
Just then, the Captain Commander arrived with the squad's senior officers.
"Shihōin, Hatsunoya, Saito, Uncle Gen'en, and the big guy—you all came! Let's go flatten Hueco Mundo," Yamabuki Chidori said excitedly.
Yamamoto remained calm. "Don't get excited yet. We're here to see you off."
"Huh?"
"The Quincy are watching us closely. Defending Seireitei matters more than attacking Hueco Mundo," the Captain Commander said with the air of an old man delivering a lecture.
"So..."
"So this Hueco Mundo Extermination Squad consists of the three of you!" Yamamoto pointed at Yamabuki, Sasakibe, and Hachisato.
"Captain Commander... you... you tricked me! That's Baraggan, the King of Despair! You expect the three of us to—"
"What are you panicking for? You'll have my support in spirit," Yamamoto said with a faint smile.
"Captain Commander... you can keep next month's pay. How about we cancel this mission?" Yamabuki Chidori asked bitterly.
"You proposed it yourself. How can you back out now? Look behind you," Yamamoto said.
Yamabuki Chidori turned and saw that the Soul Gate had opened.
Yamamoto kicked him hard in the backside, sending him straight through it.
"GENRYŪSAI SHIGEKUNI YAMAMOTO! I'LL REMEMBER THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"
Another novel was going up for paid release.
I chose the relatively niche subject of Bleach and started the story a thousand years in the past mainly because I wanted to flesh out the story of the Original Gotei 13. It would have been too much of a shame not to.
As it happened, the second season of the Thousand-Year Blood War was airing in July, so maybe I could catch some of that attention too.
Also, Old Cat's greatest strength was that I wouldn't abandon a story. As long as it got a contract and went up for paid release, I would see it through. Even if only one reader remained, I'd do my utmost to write the best story I could for them. You could subscribe with confidence.
Finally, I hoped everyone would support the story. If money was tight, a recommendation or bookmark would mean a lot. If you had some to spare, a monthly ticket or full subscription would be wonderful. Your support was Old Cat's biggest motivation to keep updating! Thank you all in advance.
May all your wishes come true, may you get rich overnight, and then may you give me a couple more monthly tickets. (Please don't hurt me.)
Let's set up a bonus-chapter challenge.
One chapter for every 100 monthly tickets.
One chapter for every 300 recommendations.
One chapter for every 1,000 in tips.
And most importantly, the limit was seven bonus chapters a week. I already posted quite a lot as it was.
Today was Friday, and the challenge would run through next Friday. I'd start making up the bonus chapters the following Saturday.
It would be awkward if nobody joined in, so I hoped you'd all support it.
This challenge would remain open indefinitely.
Gen'en Kinra asked with some concern, "Captain Commander, will Yamabuki be all right going to Hueco Mundo with just those two?"
Yamamoto answered calmly, "Don't worry. That boy Yamabuki has a great deal of untapped potential. Didn't you notice how much his Reiatsu grew after he returned from the Human World? I suspect his fight with Zendouji Yuuhin brought it out. I sent him to Hueco Mundo this time to train him further! After all, Soul Society may soon face a catastrophe."
The captains fell silent. The Captain Commander had already told them about the Quincy. They hadn't expected the Soul Reapers to have enemies like that.
"All right, let's head back." Yamamoto turned to leave.
"Captain Commander, where are you going?" Shunshun Shidō asked curiously.
"To drink tea, of course. Let me know when that boy Yamabuki gets back." Yamamoto left without looking back.
Yamabuki Chidori finally arrived in Hueco Mundo with his two not-so-useful underlings. He had only ever seen Hueco Mundo in anime and knew it was desolate, but he hadn't imagined it would be this desolate. There was nothing in sight but white sand. Even the occasional tree had long since died and dried out completely.
"Most important question first: did either of you bring food?" Yamabuki Chidori asked, turning to them.
He had expected a lot more squad members to come, so he hadn't brought a thing. Hachisato opened his pack. It held rations, water, a hat to keep out the wind and sand, and every sort of hidden weapon and poison. The former assassin really had thought things through more carefully than most people.
At least they had supplies. Yamabuki Chidori looked around. There was no daytime in Hueco Mundo. A huge moon hung overhead, and for some reason the sight made his scalp prickle.
"Chief Strategist, which way should we go?" Hachisato asked quietly.
How should I know? This is my first time in Hueco Mundo too. I can't even tell north from south. Forget it—I'll just pick a direction!
"That way," Yamabuki Chidori said, pointing at random. Chōjirō Sasakibe gripped his Zanpakuto nervously, afraid a vicious Hollow might spring from some hidden corner. But along the way, they saw not a Hollow, not even a grasshopper. There was only empty sand stretching in every direction!
"Where the hell did the Old Man kick me? How come there isn't a single Hollow in sight?" Yamabuki Chidori was starting to wonder too. Hueco Mundo without Hollows? What kind of joke was that?
Suddenly, Chōjirō Sasakibe cried out, "Brother Yamabuki, look at this!"
Yamabuki Chidori went over to look. It was a lizardlike Hollow no longer than his thumb. A white mask sat on its head, and it bared its teeth at the three of them.
"It's so cute! I didn't know Hueco Mundo had Hollows like this. I thought they were all vicious monsters. Brother Yamabuki, could I catch one and take it back for Delia?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked.
"What are you thinking? It's still a Hollow, however small it is, and it can evolve. What if it hurts Delia?" Yamabuki Chidori said. "Stop playing with it. Either let it go or kill it!"
Chōjirō Sasakibe couldn't bring himself to kill such a cute little Hollow, so he let it burrow into the sand and escape.
"Something's not right! Even if Hueco Mundo is desolate, we shouldn't have walked this far without seeing a single Hollow. What's going on?" Yamabuki Chidori chose to ignore the little creature that hadn't even been as long as a finger.
Hachisato raised his hand. "Chief Strategist, I have a theory, though I don't know if it's right."
"Go on!"
"Large predators often have territories and won't let others of their kind enter. Could there be an exceptionally powerful Hollow hiding somewhere in this area?" Hachisato asked.
Yamabuki Chidori thought for a moment. It was possible, but the landscape stretched endlessly in every direction. He couldn't see any powerful Hollow.
With my current strength, no one short of a Vastolorde is a match for me. Nothing to worry about!
Chōjirō Sasakibe cried out again. Without turning around, Yamabuki Chidori asked, "What now? I already told you that you can't take a Hollow home as a pet—"
But the next instant, Sasakibe's cry turned into a plea for help. "Help! There's something under the sand!"
Yamabuki Chidori whipped around. The pale sand beneath their feet had risen into a massive mound more than ten meters across.
Crap. Hachisato was right. There really is a powerful Hollow here. Its true form hadn't appeared yet, but Yamabuki Chidori could already feel its Reiatsu. It wasn't particularly strong—Menos Grande level at most—but for Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato, it would be a real challenge.
Boom!
A huge lizard burst out of the white sand and lunged at the three of them with its enormous jaws wide open. All three used Flash Step at once to evade the Lizard Menos Grande's attack.
The Lizard Menos Grande was more than ten meters long and over three meters tall, built like a heavy truck. Its eyes were bloodred, and it wore a white mask as it advanced on them step by step.
"I thought it would be something impressive. It's just this thing. You two can handle it." Yamabuki Chidori sheathed his Zanpakuto. Both of them ranked above average in the Gotei 13; one Menos Grande shouldn't be a problem.
"Pierce, Genryūmaru!"
"Poison it, Hyakko Hachi!"
It was the first time Yamabuki Chidori had seen Hachisato release his Zanpakuto. Its blade became a two-foot-long crimson cylindrical syringe, with the back end fitted over Hachisato's arm.
The two attacked at once. The Lizard Menos Grande was enormous, but in the world of Soul Reapers, size wasn't everything. Reiatsu mattered most.
Dust billowed across the desert. Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato darted above and below their foe, dodging its attacks while searching for an opening.
Electricity crackled along Genryūmaru as Sasakibe drove it through the Lizard Menos Grande's leg. Hachisato seized the chance to close in and struck the wound with his Zanpakuto. Crimson venom flooded into the Menos Grande's body, and Hyakko Hachi turned white.
Replenishing the venom would cost its wielder Reiatsu.
"No wonder he's an assassin!" Yamabuki Chidori watched Hachisato in surprise. That blade's ability was perfect for assassination: a sudden strike that landed true, followed by a venom strong enough to finish the victim even if the blow didn't. Paired with his excellent Flash Step, it was an ideal match.
Unlike a certain someone whose Shikai needed two hits to kill, while her Bankai amounted to carrying a nuclear warhead into an assassination. Was that even assassination?
Don't hide. I'm talking about you, Soi Fon.
Sure enough, after the venom went in, the Lizard Menos Grande staggered as if drunk. Within minutes, it collapsed and lay still.
Seeing the Lizard Menos Grande fall, Chōjirō Sasakibe moved in to finish it off. Yamabuki Chidori suddenly asked, "Is it dead?"
Hachisato answered, "No. It has some resistance to the venom, so it's only unconscious. If we don't kill it quickly, we'll be in trouble when it wakes up."
A bold idea occurred to Yamabuki Chidori. "Don't kill it yet. Don't you think our little team is missing something?"
Before you continue