Forest of Menos.
Lisa Yadōmaru, Isane Kotetsu, Munehiro Kyōraku, Tetsuzaemon Iba, and Maki Ichinose fought as they retreated. They needed to lead the Hollow army to a predetermined location.
All five had released their Zanpakutō. The number of Hollows was too great, and the pressure was immense. There was no room to hold back.
Lisa Yadōmaru wielded her naginata, weaving through the Hollow swarm like a dragon.
Her speed was a great advantage when mowing them down. After the stronger Hollows in the army were intercepted by the Professor, Isshin Shiba, and Sajin Komamura, the most powerful remaining ones were Gillians. Gillians were slow and couldn't even touch the corner of her clothes.
Lisa Yadōmaru swung her naginata, knocking away a dozen or so Hollows that lunged at her.
Her figure flashed, and the dozen or so Hollows that were sent flying were all split into several pieces in mid-air.
Hollow blood splattered everywhere, but not a single drop landed on her pure white academy uniform.
A Gillian Menos opened its massive mouth, and a red flash of light gathered within.
Lisa Yadōmaru landed on the Gillian's head and stomped down hard. The Gillian was forced to change its aim, firing the Cero into its own swarm.
Boom—
The red Cero exploded within the Hollow group, instantly annihilating twenty to thirty Hollows that couldn't dodge in time.
"Lisa, don't go in too deep!"
Isane Kotetsu shouted a reminder.
Their mission wasn't too difficult. Although there were many Hollows, they only needed to lead the army to the designated spot for the expeditionary force's Kidō cannons to eliminate them, not fight the army to the death.
Lisa rushing into the Hollow swarm would actually slow down their pace.
"Got it!"
Lisa Yadōmaru glanced back, noticed she was a bit separated from her comrades, and immediately started moving back towards them.
...
While Sora was fighting the red-tentacled Hollow, Isshin Shiba and Sajin Komamura on the other side were caught in a bitter struggle.
The oval-skulled Hollow was powerful, and the two of them were being suppressed even when fighting together.
The giant blade of Tenken swung rapidly towards the oval-skulled Hollow.
However, the Hollow was faster than the blade's slash. With a flash, it dodged and stepped onto the blade of Tenken itself.
Swoosh—
Isshin Shiba appeared behind the Hollow, his Zanpakutō blazing with fire. He swung his blade, sending a fiery crescent moon at the Hollow.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Thump—
The Hollow used Sonído to teleport to Isshin's right side, dodging the fiery crescent.
It then grabbed Isshin's arm and threw him towards the descending blade of Tenken.
Sajin Komamura frowned and had to stop his attack to avoid hitting his comrade.
"He's too fast, my Getsuga Tenshō can't hit him!" Isshin adjusted himself in mid-air and retreated to Sajin's side. "We need to find a way to limit his speed and movement!"
"Wait!"
Sajin Komamura said only one word, but it reminded Isshin of what had happened before the battle started.
Isshin discreetly surveyed the surrounding stone forest.
That's right!
The Professor had set up a 'Hyakujō Kōrō' Kidō in the stone forest. The oval-skulled Hollow was currently within its range.
If they could just drag it out until the Professor activated 'Hyakujō Kōrō', they could use that opportunity to kill the Hollow!
The Hollow didn't plan to give them a chance to breathe. It teleported behind Isshin, swinging a large bone hammer at the back of his head.
Isshin quickly turned, blocking with his Zanpakutō in front of him.
"DONG—!!!"
An unstoppable force came from the blade, sending him flying backward, knocking down several rock trees.
"Hah—!"
Sajin Komamura's eyes widened in anger. His Zanpakutō ignited with fierce flames as he swung it violently at the Hollow.
The flames closed in, but the Hollow easily dodged.
After evading, it spun around with a side kick.
It kicked Sajin Komamura hard.
Thud—
The Hollow had underestimated Sajin's durability. The kick surprisingly failed to send him flying.
Sajin took the blow head-on and used the opportunity to grab the Hollow's leg.
"Got you!" Sajin swung his blade again at the oval-skulled Hollow.
"Pretty tough! Then have a taste of this!"
A Cero formed at the tip of the oval-skulled Hollow's finger, forcing Sajin to abandon his follow-up attack.
He knew that another slash might not kill the Hollow, but he definitely couldn't take a Cero at such close range.
With no other choice, Sajin released the Hollow's leg and quickly dodged the Cero.
Just then.
The surrounding stone forest suddenly lit up with the faint glow of Kidō.
On the other side, Katori Sora, who was fighting the red-tentacled Hollow, had activated 'Hyakujō Kōrō'!
Dozens of light panels made of reishi appeared in the air. The oval-skulled Hollow was shocked and immediately teleported, trying to dodge them.
However, there were too many light panels.
Relying on his incredible speed, the oval-skulled Hollow dodged more than ten of them, but another dozen still pierced its body.
The oval-skulled Hollow was pinned to the ground, temporarily unable to move.
"Now!!!"
Isshin Shiba, who had been preparing, leaped out from a pile of rubble.
A terrifying aura emanated from him, so hot it distorted the air.
Flames gathered on his blade as a massive amount of spiritual pressure surged through his hands into his Zanpakutō.
The very air in the stone forest felt like it was being sucked dry by the flames.
Spiritual pressure and fire intertwined, forming a crimson blade of light that erupted from the edge of his sword.
The crimson crescent moon left the blade, flying towards the oval-skulled Hollow.
"Sekichō: Getsuga Tenshō!"
The oval-skulled Hollow stared in horror at the crimson crescent moon. The spiritual pressure around it became chaotic as it desperately tried to break free from the binding light panels.
But just as the first crack appeared on the panels, the crimson crescent moon had already passed through the oval-skulled Hollow's body.
A clean-cut surface appeared on the Hollow's body, from top to bottom.
The surface was carbonized by the high heat, and not a single drop of blood flowed out.
The bisected corpse slowly fell to the ground.
"Hah— haha— thank goodness— for the Professor's— Kidō!" Isshin panted heavily.
This Hollow specialized in speed and power. It was so fast that Isshin and Sajin couldn't do much against it.
Thankfully, the 'Hyakujō Kōrō' the Professor had set up beforehand restricted its movement, allowing Isshin to kill it.
"The Professor's fight is over too."
Sajin Komamura sensed that the red-tentacled Hollow's spiritual pressure had vanished.
Swoosh—
Katori Sora appeared before the two of them.
"Not bad, you two. You took care of this Hollow!"
Sora chuckled lightly.
He had released his Bankai long ago. Since Isshin and Sajin weren't far from him, he could see their situation clearly through his shadows. If necessary, he could even intervene with a shadow clone.
But they held out until he activated 'Hyakujō Kōrō' and seized the opportunity to kill the oval-skulled Hollow in one fell swoop.
"It was thanks to your Kidō, Professor. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for us to limit its speed," said Sajin Komamura.
"Yeah, that Hollow was way too fast. My Getsuga Tenshō couldn't hit him at all."
Isshin had also caught his breath.
"Kidō seems really useful in situations like this. I feel like I really need to learn it!"
Isshin was a bit troubled. He didn't really like Kidō and hadn't spent much time on it before, only knowing some low-level spells.
"Having more techniques allows you to handle more diverse problems," Sora nodded.
He checked on Lisa Yadōmaru's group. Their part of the mission was proceeding smoothly. They were fighting and retreating, and were about to lead the Hollow army to the designated location.
"Let's go regroup with the others. If the Hollow armies from the other two entrances haven't been led to their spots yet, we might have to hold the line there for a while. The main camp will only fire the Kidō cannons after all three armies have converged," Sora said.
Just then, Sora's spiritual sense twitched. He sensed a familiar, yet slightly different, spiritual pressure approaching rapidly.
A flash of lightning shot through the stone forest, arriving in front of Sora in the blink of an eye.
"Professor!!!"
A figure shimmering with lightning leaped onto Sora.
"Yoruichi?!"
Sora subconsciously reached out to catch Yoruichi as she jumped on him.
A pair of long legs clamped around Sora's waist, and the lightning enveloping them immediately transferred to his body.
Zzzzzzt—
Sora was numbed by the lightning coursing through him.
However, Sora's Raikiri was already at the grandmaster level, giving him extremely high resistance to lightning. He could barely handle the effect.
Anyone else would probably have been fried to a crisp by now.
Yoruichi seemed to have turned into a clingy cat, constantly rubbing her head against him.
"Professor, we'll go provide support first."
Isshin and Sajin Komamura tactfully made themselves scarce.
"What's going on with this form of yours?!"
"This is my Bankai, meow~"
"You've mastered Bankai!"
Sora was shocked. He could tell that Yoruichi was currently in her Shunkō form, but this variant of Shunkō was a technique that the Yoruichi of the future Blood War arc should be the one to master!
And yet, she had now combined her Bankai's ability with her Shunkō form to unleash a technique she should only master in the future.
However, her current base abilities hadn't reached their peak yet. Even if she could use this form, it was still considerably weaker than the Blood War Yoruichi's strength.
"A very powerful form! Your speed is even faster than mine. You could truly be called Shunshin!"
Sora could sense the terrifying power contained within her body.
"Shunshin Yoruichi! I like that name! Meow~"
Sora pushed Yoruichi's approaching face away and blocked her incoming tongue.
When cats express affection, they like to mark scents with their tongues.
"You don't seem to be in your right mind."
Although Yoruichi's personality was already one to boldly express her feelings, the current Yoruichi was a bit too enthusiastic!
"I'm perfectly normal! This is just how much I like you, Professor!"
Yoruichi was completely unaware of her own change.
"Wait— this is a battlefield! Calm down!"
Just then, the lightning battle suit on Yoruichi's body suddenly dissipated.
She had only just learned Bankai and had limited control over it.
This state couldn't be maintained for very long.
Yoruichi's head, which had been leaning in, froze.
Since Yoruichi was pressed entirely against Sora, he naturally noticed the change in her body.
Yoruichi's body quickly tensed and stiffened.
Sora felt the legs around his waist squeeze tighter and tighter.
"Pro... Professor..."
Yoruichi's voice became almost inaudible, and her wheat-colored skin rapidly heated up.
"So you do know how to be shy!"
Sora helplessly pried off the pair of long legs that were clamping down ever more tightly.
"S... Sorry! I lost control!"
Yoruichi didn't dare to look up, her ears turning bright red.
"It seems this state of yours amplifies your cat-like tendencies."
Sora pretended to be casual, easing some of Yoruichi's embarrassment.
"Yes... that seems to be the case," Yoruichi accepted the excuse.
"You should change your clothes first!"
Sora took out a full-body cloak from his reishi-space pocket.
The lightning battle suit had destroyed Yoruichi's Onmitsukidō Shihakushō.
When the lightning suit was active, it could cover the vital parts of her body. Now that it was gone, her full and agile figure was on complete display.
Yoruichi hurriedly took the cloak and put it on.
"Did you encounter a strong enemy? For it to force you to learn Bankai."
Sora was quite familiar with Yoruichi's training progress. According to the traditional training method, she should still need some more time to bond with her Zanpakutō.
For her to have learned Bankai now, she must have been pushed to it.
Besides training, fighting strong enemies was another way to grow quickly.
"We ran into a Hollow that can make Cero bombs... Oh right! My subordinates are still lying in the Hueco Mundo desert!"
Yoruichi suddenly remembered her subordinates were still on the desert floor, awaiting her rescue. "I'll go rescue them now!"
Swoosh—
Yoruichi left in a hurry.
"A Hollow that can make Cero bombs?" Sora recalled the ambush they faced when they first entered the Forest of Menos. "It must be the same one."
Sora sensed the locations of Isshin Shiba and Sajin Komamura.
Isshin and Sajin had already regrouped with Lisa Yadōmaru and the others.
By the time Sora reached his students, they had already led the Hollow army to the designated spot.
"Did another route get here first?"
Sora looked over and saw that the expeditionary force unit led by Lieutenant Yūtarō had already led the Hollow army from the southern entrance to this location.
"Lieutenant Yūtarō, you all were quite fast!"
Sora walked over to Yūtarō's side.
"Our route was the closest to this point. And it was also thanks to Captain Ashido!"
Yūtarō shook his head. "We encountered two powerful Hollows on our side, but Captain Ashido came to help."
"There are strong Hollows at the south entrance? I wonder if Ashido needs help."
Sora took out his Denreishinki, wanting to contact Ashido.
Just then, Sora's Denreishinki buzzed with a call from Sōjun Kuchiki:
"Baraggan has appeared, at the northern entrance! The northern entrance requests backup!"
"Baraggan has appeared on Lieutenant Kuchiki's side!" Yūtarō's face changed instantly, and he hurriedly said to Katori Sora, "Professor Katori, you should go support Lieutenant Kuchiki!"
"Baraggan..." Sora also felt it was necessary to go support the northern front. Sōjun Kuchiki and the seated officers of the 6th Division alone couldn't hold off Baraggan. "Then I'll leave this to you all. Lieutenant Yūtarō, please help me look after my students. I'm going to support Lieutenant Kuchiki."
"Alright! Be careful, Professor Katori. We'll hold the line here!" Yūtarō nodded.
Swoosh—
Sora used Shunpo to race towards the north.
Baraggan was one of the most powerful Hollows in Hueco Mundo. Even with Sora's strength, he needed to be cautious. Sōjun Kuchiki and the 6th Division couldn't hold out for long.
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Note from Lizbeth
This message is for one person who, after watching just one episode, thinks they know the worth of everything I do. But it's one thing to dislike something — and another to lie, make things up, or spread hate. That's never okay, under any circumstances.
We can all have different opinions, but anyone with common sense knows that lying is never acceptable.
I take the time to edit, check, correct, and make sure everything is fine before uploading. I don't do it carelessly. While some people waste time criticizing or making up things, I'm working hard to deliver something with quality.
I know I can make mistakes sometimes, but I always try to do my best and improve every day. Everything I post has time, effort, and dedication behind it.
I understand that not everyone will like what I do, and that's fine. But going to the reviews to lie or make things up just because you don't like something isn't giving an opinion — it's acting in bad faith.
There's also another person who keeps complaining because I delete their reviews. Of course I delete them if all they do is insult or spread hate. If you spend all day watching what I do, then my work can't be that bad.
I accept respectful criticism, but if you come just to spread hate or lies, your message goes straight to the trash.
I put a lot of effort into everything I do, and I won't let someone who knows nothing come and say my work has no value.
If you don't like it, don't watch it. My work has value, and I'll keep doing it — with or without your approval.
This message is for two people who've been doing the same thing for weeks. I'm not mentioning names because I don't like to.
To everyone else who leaves kind comments, constructive criticism, or points out mistakes — thank you so much. Thanks to you, I can see the errors I make and correct them. Sending a kiss, your friend Lizbeth.