The Garganta slowly opened.
Ichigo was the first to leap out of the passage. His feet landed on the white sand, and he immediately gripped Zangetsu.
Kisuke Urahara followed close behind, raising a hand to hold down his hat brim as he surveyed their surroundings.
Las Noches, once intact, was now nothing but vast stretches of rubble.
Broken stone pillars lay in the sand, and the glow of lingering Reishi flames was still visible in the distance.
"So this is Hueco Mundo?"
Orihime Inoue stepped out of the Garganta, looking worried.
Nel poked her head out from behind her. When she saw the scene around them, her little face immediately went pale.
"It didn't used to be like this."
"Ichigo, Las Noches really has been destroyed."
Ichigo did not answer.
He could sense a great deal of unfamiliar Reiatsu lingering nearby.
That Reiatsu was very pure, yet it made him uncomfortable.
It resembled Uryū Ishida's power.
But it was colder.
"Watch out."
Yasutora Sado suddenly spoke.
The next moment, a red figure shot out from behind the rubble, moving so fast that only an afterimage remained.
"Soul Reaper, die!"
Apache clenched her fist and swung straight at Ichigo's head.
Ichigo turned sideways and raised Zangetsu in front of him.
Bang!
Violent force slammed into the blade, instantly sending the surrounding white sand flying outward.
Apache used the impact to spring back, then charged again as soon as she landed.
"Wait, we're not enemies."
Ichigo frowned as he spoke.
"That's what every Soul Reaper who barges into Hueco Mundo says."
Apache did not believe him at all and kicked at his chest.
Ichigo raised a hand to block the attack. Just as he was about to push her away, a long black whip lashed in from the side.
Yasutora Sado stepped