In the Twelfth Division's Technology Development Bureau monitoring hall:
"Alert! Alert! Alert!"
As one crisis subsided, another arose. While the bureau worked to crack the transparent screen, the human world monitoring system blared with piercing red alarms.
The shrill sound filled the hall, drawing all eyes, including Akon and Mayuri's.
"The human world's been invaded?!"
Bathed in the red alert's glow, Akon's face flushed, his pupils shaking.
Damn it! The Arrancars are invading now?!
He hadn't anticipated this.
"They're likely after Kurosaki Ichigo, maybe even Ishida Uryū," Mayuri analyzed calmly, his eyes glinting.
Unlike his panicked subordinates, Mayuri was unfazed, having foreseen this possibility but refusing to warn anyone due to his obsession with Uryū's future rise.
"Captain, what do we do?" Akon, sweating, glanced at the max-level alert on the screen. "The alert's at Shūtora level! That means at least three Adjuchas-level Arrancars are in the human world!"
He swallowed hard, his throat dry. Three Adjuchas in the human world was a major event, unseen in nearly a century!
"So what?" Mayuri's eyes flicked. "Akon, are you so panicked you forgot Kuchiki Byakuya's team just left for the human world?"
"Facing two ranked Shinigami captains, those Arrancars won't dare act rashly." He sneered mockingly.
Clearly, he had no intention of reporting the invasion or sending reinforcements.
Reinforcements? Dream on!
It's not my problem! If you're strong enough to rank, deal with it yourselves!
"…"
Akon was speechless, wanting to argue but not daring to. He shook his head and left helplessly.
After Akon's departure, Mayuri stared at the flashing red screen, sneering.
"Ishida Uryū… if you die in this chaos, all the better. Saves me the trouble of doing it myself!"
---
In the Dangai, the Shinigami team advanced.
"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Hitsugaya… about two hundred meters more, and we'll reach Karakura Town, likely near the city center," a squad officer reported respectfully.
"Good. Stick to the plan. Search outward from the city center until we find Kurosaki Ichigo," Hitsugaya ordered sternly.
This mission, directly ordered by the Head Captain, was critical. Failure wasn't an option.
Byakuya, draped in his silver-white scarf, added calmly, "Renji, you and I will search eastward."
"Got it!" Renji rubbed his hands, eager. His first trip to the human world had him buzzing since entering the Senkaimon.
After finalizing plans, the team reached the tunnel's exit.
But what happened next shocked them all.
Rip!
The black tunnel opened, and the Shinigami team emerged.
Before they could stabilize, two figures flashed by in the distance, accompanied by a savage spiritual pressure.
"Espada?!"
Recognizing their appearances, Hitsugaya froze, breaking into a cold sweat.
The figure on the left—gruesome face, massive build, with mask fragments on his chin—was Yammy Llargo, the Espada beaten by Urahara in the rankings.
But the figure beside him was far more daunting. Black short hair, two emerald tear streaks, a white coat, and a Zanpakutō at his waist—Ulquiorra Cifer.
A new Espada, yet his casual aura dwarfed Yammy's by miles.
"Who's this guy?!"
Hitsugaya's green eyes filled with wariness, his hand instinctively gripping Hyōrinmaru.
Strong fighters sensed each other's power. One glance told Hitsugaya this melancholic Arrancar was a threat. Even with Byakuya, they might not win, even at full strength.
"He's a Vasto Lorde," Byakuya warned gravely. "It seems the Arrancars, like us, watched the rankings and want Kurosaki Ichigo."
He turned to Hitsugaya, resolute. "Let's team up again, recreate the glory from the rankings, and stop these Espada!"
"Unless we both fall, we won't let this Vasto Lorde take a single step!"
---
As the Shinigami prepared, Yammy and Ulquiorra noticed them.
"?!"
"Aren't those the captains who teamed up to kill the Schutzstaffel in the rankings?!"
"Why are they here?!"
Yammy was dumbfounded. After exiting the Garganta, the Arrancars had split up, scouring Karakura Town's skies for Ichigo.
Fearing Yammy's recklessness, Ulquiorra paired with him, as they often did in Hueco Mundo.
But they hadn't expected to run into the Shinigami team right after landing!
Talk about bad luck!
"Yammy, don't panic. They have four captain-level Shinigami, but two are negligible," Ulquiorra said coolly, hands in pockets, standing arrogantly in midair.
"As for Kuchiki Byakuya and Hitsugaya Tōshirō…"
His voice dripped with confidence. "No matter. I'll handle them."
"This isn't the future. They're no threat now!"
"I'll carve a Hollow hole in each of their chests!"
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