The Shinigami all looked at the two cloaked figures behind them.
The person on the left lifted their hood, revealing the face of Katori Sora.
"Pardon the intrusion, everyone."
Sora said with a smile.
"Captain Katori!"
The Onmitsukidō Shinigami immediately stood at attention.
"No need to be so formal. We're all acquaintances."
Sora waved his hand. These faces were all familiar; they were Yoruichi's direct subordinates.
"What's the situation over there?"
Sora sensed several violent spiritual pressure fluctuations coming from the distant dunes. It was clear that Menos were fighting.
"They just started fighting each other. Are you here to eliminate these Hollows?"
An Onmitsukidō Shinigami asked.
"Yes. I've brought my disciple here for some training."
Sora nodded slightly.
The Onmitsukidō Shinigami looked at the person next to him.
That person, like Sora, was wearing the same special invisibility cloak used by the Onmitsukidō.
Their face was hidden under the hood, revealing only a smooth chin and pink lips.
The person Sora had brought was Nelliel.
Nelliel was a Hollow, so Shinigami training methods could not be directly applied to her.
Therefore, when Sora heard from Yoruichi that a group of Menos had left Las Noches, he decided to bring Nelliel to Hueco Mundo for some practical experience.
Nelliel's cloak shielded her spiritual pressure, so the Shinigami did not discover her identity.
"Yoruichi asked me to pass on a message. Your current surveillance mission is complete. You can return and report," Sora paused. "Oh, and I believe she mentioned a three-month vacation!"
"Great, we're being relieved!"
"We can finally rest!"
Hearing that a vacation was imminent, the Shinigami all cheered.
"Captain Katori, we'll leave this to you then."
"No problem, leave it to me."
No one asked the stupid question of whether Sora could handle these Menos. A person that foolish could never become one of Yoruichi's trusted subordinates.
"They're about to finish fighting over there. Let's go, Nelliel," Sora sensed that the battle on the dunes was almost over.
"Okay!" Nelliel was also looking forward to a real fight. Since learning swordsmanship, she had not yet fought a Menos and had no clear concept of her own progress.
The two walked towards the Silent Dunes.
...
The Silent Dunes.
The Giant Snake Hollow whipped its long tail, lashing out violently at Grimmjow.
The tail, over ten meters long, was terrifying. It was confident that a single blow could crush this damned panther.
Grimmjow dodged the snake's tail with a single leap.
The Giant Snake turned its head to bite. Grimmjow kicked off the air, flipping his body and dodging the attack.
His panther feet landed on the snake's head. He leaped again, dodging a poisonous stinger that came from the side.
"Are you a mouse that can only run?!"
The Giant Snake roared in anger.
"Heh, then what does that make you, who is being toyed with by a 'mouse'?" Grimmjow gave it a cold glance, and his figure vanished.
The next moment, the white panther appeared on the back of a crocodile-like Menos.
His fangs instantly tore through the crocodile's hard, bony scales.
"Aaargh!!!"
The Crocodile Hollow screamed in pain, its body thrashing violently, trying to shake the panther off its back.
Rip—
Grimmjow tore open the crocodile's back, and blood rained down.
Thump—
Grimmjow disappeared, using Sonído to leave the crocodile's back.
The next instant, several Ceros blasted towards the Crocodile Hollow.
"BOOM—!"
The crocodile was blown to pieces by its comrades' Ceros.
The white panther stood on the head of a giant Menos, slowly chewing the food in its mouth.
Seeing the panther's cold eyes, the other Menos couldn't help but feel a chill. It was the look one gives to food.
Grimmjow didn't see them as a threat at all!
"Damned mouse!"
The Giant Snake opened its mouth, quickly forming a Cero.
Grimmjow vanished again, and the Cero hit the giant Menos instead.
"Aaargh!!!"
The giant Menos let out a cry of pain before being blasted to bits by the Cero.
Even when surrounded by over a dozen Menos, Grimmjow moved with ease.
The five Menos he had been talking to earlier were the main force of the group and were not weak.
But none of them were as fast as Grimmjow.
Relying on his agile body, Grimmjow dodged their attacks while preying on the weaker ones.
The number of living Menos decreased rapidly.
Soon, only the five strongest Menos remained.
"Now it's your turn, small fry."
The corners of the panther's mouth turned up slightly, revealing the fangs within.
...
When Sora and Nelliel arrived at the Silent Dunes, all they saw was a single panther gnawing on the corpse of a Menos.
"Looks a little familiar... could it be..."
Sora raised an eyebrow, studying the white panther.
The Hollow's hole was on its back. It had no fur; its entire body was a white, bony structure, yet this structure had a muscular aesthetic.
The white panther noticed their arrival and stopped eating.
"Shinigami..."
Grimmjow saw the sword hilts at their waists, and his eyes instantly turned cold.
"Are you here to hunt me... I don't think I've ever tasted a Shinigami before..."
Grimmjow grinned, green blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Hearing the reverberating, electronic quality of the voice, Sora became even more certain of his suspicion.
"Do you have a name, Mr. Panther?"
Sora said gently.
"A name? Do you think I'm one of those mindless, low-level creatures?!" Grimmjow frowned, thinking he was being looked down upon. "The name's Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!"
"Grimmjow, huh..."
Sora understood. This panther was indeed the future 6th Espada.
"Daring to interrupt my meal..." Grimmjow bared his fangs. "Then have a taste of my power!"
He couldn't read the spiritual pressure of these two Shinigami, but he wasn't willing to abandon this food and leave.
Although he had already decided to go to the Forest of Menos to hunt other Menos and continue evolving,
he also knew that a Shinigami army was stationed there. The outskirts were probably already cleared of Menos. To hunt, he would have to go deep into the forest.
The depths of the Forest of Menos were extremely dangerous. Every bit of power he could gain now by devouring these Hollows would increase his chances of survival.
"Such strong fighting spirit," Sora's hand rested on his sword hilt. "But I'm not the one who will be fighting you."
The next moment, his sword dissolved into shadow, spilling across the ground.
The ink-like shadow expanded rapidly, forming a three-dimensional space that enveloped the one Shinigami and two Hollows.
Sora used his shadow space to isolate the battlefield from the outside world.
Nelliel was going to show her strength here, and he didn't want anyone else to see her form.
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