"The Soul Society, huh? "
"Interesting."
Szayelaporro nodded slightly, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. To him, the Soul Society was nothing more than a massive resource factory.
"Does the Soul Society have good food? "
Lilynette tilted her head and asked Yūshirō Shihōin.
"Of course. Plenty of it."
Yūshirō nodded confidently.
"Then I want to go! "
The moment she heard about the abundance of delicious food, Lilynette's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Then we'll leave the rest to you, Szayelaporro."
Yūshirō gave Lilynette a nod before patting Szayelaporro's shoulder.
"Heh! Don't worry, leave it to me."
Szayelaporro grinned, though his smile looked more sinister than reassuring.
"Well then, let's keep eating."
"Hahaha…"
Laughter echoed once more across the barren dunes.
A noble of the Soul Society whose spiritual pressure had already surpassed the limits of a Shinigami and two Vasto Lorde-class Hollows sat on a sand dune, sharing hotpot and singing as if they had not a care in the world. Within a radius of ten miles, not a single soul stirred—such was the oppressive dominance of absolute power.
In the months that followed, Szayelaporro often left to pursue his experiments, returning only occasionally to check on Yūshirō and Lilynette.
Meanwhile, Yūshirō and Lilynette spent their days either indulging in gourmet meals or playing bowling, badminton, and tennis.
Through their relentless "efforts," they managed to control the population of wild Hollows—by killing them in droves. This drove countless surviving Hollows to seek refuge in Las Noches, swelling its population and giving its king, Baraggan Louisenbairn, a massive headache.
Las Noches was now overcrowded.
Hollows were a species that devolved if they stopped fighting, forcing them into perpetual combat. Even under Baraggan's rule, he couldn't stop them from killing and devouring one another. Every Hollow had its own hunting grounds, but with so many driven into Las Noches' territory by Yūshirō and Lilynette, the delicate balance shattered—and war erupted among the Hollows!
"Damn you, Lilynette! Damn you, Yūshirō Shihōin! "
Baraggan's enraged roar shook the throne room. He had learned Yūshirō's name from Szayelaporro, and now his fury burned like wildfire.
Baraggan was not a warmonger. He craved balance—something he had maintained for centuries. And now, thanks to Yūshirō and Lilynette's reckless actions, all his work lay in ruins.
"There's no helping it now… War it is! "
For the first time in ages, Baraggan rose from his throne. He turned to his most trusted warriors—Hollows of Vasto Lorde rank.
"So the day has finally come, my king? "
One of his generals trembled with emotion. A Vasto Lorde-class Hollow and commander of Baraggan's forces, he had waited for this moment far too long.
"Assemble the army. The Great Expedition begins now."
Baraggan's cold voice rang like a death knell. The war he had planned to wage decades from now would instead begin today.
"By your command, my king! "
The Vasto Lorde general dropped to one knee, then vanished to gather the troops.
Months later…
"ROAR!!!"
The air quaked as countless Hollows bellowed. One Vasto Lorde, fifty-five Adjuchas-class Hollows, and an uncountable horde of Gillians stood ready for war.
"Listen well! We march to annihilate the Shinigami outpost near the Forest of Menos! Let their blood drench the sands of Hueco Mundo! "
The general's voice thundered. His mission: obliterate every Shinigami foothold in Hueco Mundo and show the lesser Hollows the supreme might of their king, Baraggan.
"ROAR!!!"
The vast army roared in unison, their steps shaking the white desert as they advanced on their great crusade.
Beyond the Forest of Menos lay a Soul Society outpost in Hueco Mundo. These bases were used to conduct periodic purges to cull the number of weaker Hollows—those unable to survive in Hueco Mundo who preyed on souls in the human world.
The Shinigami rarely dared to touch the Forest of Menos; any Hollow strong enough to live there was no ordinary foe.
Likewise, the Hollows of the forest rarely clashed with the Shinigami. Both sides maintained an unspoken truce.
But today, that fragile peace shattered.
"SHOOOM!"
"BOOM!"
Scarlet Ceros lit up the sky, blasting the outpost into rubble. Screams filled the air as Shinigami were torn apart and devoured.
"Menos! Menos are attacking! "
"They've left the forest! "
"Run! Everyone, run! "
Against the relentless barrage of Ceros, the Shinigami lines crumbled like paper. Even the weakest Gillian-class Menos typically required a pair of seated officers to take down—yet here came dozens, scores, hundreds, accompanied by Adjuchas and a Vasto Lorde.
The sight alone chilled the blood.
"Hahaha! Destroy it all! Reduce everything to dust! "
The Vasto Lorde commander threw back his head and laughed as the Shinigami were slaughtered like insects.
"Quick! Someone—notify the Gotei 13! "
One Shinigami, face pale with despair, shouted to his comrades. He no longer cared about his own life—only that Soul Society be warned.
The Hollows had gone mad.
One month later—Seireitei, First Division Headquarters.
Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, head of the Gotei 13, stood before the assembled captains. Clad in solemn authority, his cane rested firmly in his grasp, his sharp eyes sweeping across the hall.
"Regarding the Hollow uprising in Hueco Mundo… what say you all? "
Thirteen captains stood in two lines before him, their expressions grave.
The silence broke with a deep, booming voice.
"Old man! Leave this to us—the Eleventh Division! "
A towering man, head and shoulders above the rest—easily over seven feet tall—stepped forward from the ranks. His unruly smile masked a savage heart, his seemingly calm gaze burning with the hunger for battle.
This was the current captain of Squad Eleven, the Seventh Kenpachi—Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. Feared across the Soul Society for his overwhelming strength, he was said to be the most powerful Shinigami alive—second only to Yamamoto himself.
"Approved."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed again as his cane struck the floor with a resonant thud, granting Kenpachi his wish.