Haruto was completely wrapped in spider silk, being dragged deeper into the mountain by the Spider Hollow. After a series of stumbles, he was brought into a cave filled with many cocoons woven from the same silk, which appeared to be other people the Hollow had captured.
"Self-righteous Shinigami, just wait to be eaten!" The Spider Hollow opened its large mouth, revealing two rows of sharp venomous fangs and preparing to inject venom into Haruto's body.
Suddenly, a flash of blade light sliced through the cocoon, and Haruto easily broke free. "Looks like this is your lair! Good feng shui for your grave." He looked at the Spider Hollow with a chuckle.
The Spider Hollow stared at him with a terrified expression. "My spider silk has a powerful anesthetic effect; how are you not affected?"
"You didn't even consider how much higher my spiritual pressure is than yours. A Shinigami's battle is a battle of spiritual pressure, and that applies to Hollows, too. If I weren't trying to rescue these people, do you think I would have intentionally let you capture me?" Haruto said mockingly. "But you still maintain the spider's habit of storing food."
"You tricked me! How dare you trick me!" The Spider Hollow let out a sharp roar, its eight spider legs moving in unison as it charged toward Haruto.
Haruto used Shunpo to instantly appear above its head and with a downward slash, split the spider in two. The battle was truly over. The two halves of the Spider Hollow's body twitched on the ground for a moment before becoming completely still, ending its sinful life.
Holding his Zanpakutō, Haruto cut open a cocoon. Inside was a middle-aged woman in a semi-conscious state, but still breathing. As long as she was alive, that was enough. The Spider Hollow's venom had an anesthetic effect, and these people would wake up soon. There were a total of over a dozen cocoons in the cave, but it was unknown if Hana was among them.
The stronger individuals woke up first. When they saw that they were still alive and saw Haruto with his sword nearby, they mistakenly thought the nobles of Seireitei had rescued them. Seeing a great opportunity to advertise for the Gotei 13, Haruto quickly took it.
"Everyone, you don't need to thank me. I am a Shinigami of the Gotei 13. Slaying Hollows is our duty. Is there a girl named Hana among you?" Haruto asked.
The youngest girl raised her hand and timidly said, "I am Hana." This girl was only six or seven years old, very cute, with two pigtails and a pair of ill-fitting shoes.
"Your brother is waiting for you at home. Let's go home together," Haruto said.
Upon hearing they could go home, everyone was excited. But only Hana said with a terrified expression, "But, but…"
"What's wrong, Hana? Is there anything else? Don't be afraid, the Hollow has been killed by me," Haruto said gently.
Hana whispered, "But… what if we get eaten by a stronger one when we leave the cave? The day I was captured, I saw this spider kneeling before an incredibly huge Hollow!"
At these words, the cave fell silent.
Haruto frowned deeply. I should have thought of it earlier. How could a Hollow resist eating food right in front of it? A higher-level Hollow must have ordered it to gather the food here. He forced himself to stay calm. If he panicked, these ordinary people would surely panic even more.
"It's okay, I'll protect you all. That Menos Grande might not come at this time. Let's take this opportunity to leave here first." Haruto said to the people.
As the group just left the cave, Hana suddenly said, "Look at the sky, why is there a red moon?" Everyone looked up, only to see a scarlet moon in the sky, falling at an extremely fast speed.
Haruto's face turned grim; that was not a moon at all. It was a Cero!
"Everyone, get back! Quickly, back into the cave!" Haruto drew his Zanpakutō, gathered all his spiritual pressure, and leaped into the air, slashing toward the Cero. If the blast were to hit the ground, everyone but himself would die!
An unprecedented sense of crisis struck. The blade struck the Cero, and the immense pressure made Haruto clench his teeth. Finally, with all his strength, he managed to deflect the Cero. The blast turned into an arc and landed in the distant forest, and the massive explosion instantly leveled the trees.
"This… is the power of a Cero?" Haruto's expression was solemn. He looked up and saw a Menos Grande staring directly at him. A Menos Grande has appeared in Soul Society!
Haruto had thought there were only ordinary Hollows here. But then he slapped himself on the head. How could I be so foolish? Years ago, an ancient Menos Grande came to Soul Society, defeated a young Yamamoto, killed its way to the Soul King Palace, and even swallowed the Soul King. Thanks to the Zero Squad and the Monk's intervention, the Soul King was rescued, and the ancient Menos Grande's name was taken, eventually forged into a Zanpakutō by the Sword God, Hisagomaru. Since that level of Menos Grande could enter Soul Society, then this type of basic Menos Grande, a Gillian, could naturally also enter.
"Fortunately, it's just a Gillian. I can handle it," Haruto breathed a slight sigh of relief. With his Vice-Captain-level strength, dealing with a Gillian was not difficult. It seemed this Gillian was the final boss of this mission.
Just as Haruto was about to fight the Gillian, he noticed that the Menos Grande was actually smiling at him. In an instant, Haruto felt a chill down his spine. It was smiling at him! Did this Menos Grande possess intelligence?
Most Hollows have no intelligence and act only on instinct. After devouring a certain number of Hollows or spiritual bodies, they evolve into a low-level Menos Grande, a Gillian. The intelligence of a Gillian is also very low, but among thousands of them, there are always one or two that develop intelligence. They will devour their own kind, and after devouring hundreds or thousands of them, they can evolve into an Adjuchas. Adjuchas possess Captain-level strength. Further evolution from an Adjuchas is a Vasto Lorde, who possesses strength beyond that of a Captain.
This Gillian smiling at him meant it likely possessed intelligence. If left unchecked, it would most likely evolve into an Adjuchas, and by then, it would certainly become a great threat. He couldn't let it go!
"Sekienton!"
Haruto released Kido to conceal his tracks, then used Shunpo to appear behind the Menos Grande, preparing to finish it with one strike!