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"Hmm? Gremmy Thoumeaux?"
Staring blankly at the glowing screen, Hirako Shinji frowned.He'd never even heard the name before, and the confusion slipped straight out of his mouth:
"Who the hell is this clown supposed to be?"
He blinked, trying to scrape his memory for anything—any vague impression.
Nothing.
Not even a similar name. And that nickname—"The Visionary"? First time hearing that too.
Come on—In a place as full of pomp as the Gotei 13, what respectable Shinigami goes around calling himself something that corny? Planning to overthrow old man Yamamoto and become Head Captain or something?
Yeah right. They'd laugh him out of Seireitei.
After a few minutes of fruitless thinking, Shinji gave up and glanced around.
"Hey… anybody here ever heard of this guy?"
"Nope."
"No."
"Not a clue."
Everyone in the Visored group shook their heads.
What Visionary? Sounded like some jobber who'd get one-shot in his first fight.
"Huh…" Shinji sucked in a sharp breath, his confusion only growing. "Weird. Based on the last three rounds, everyone on the list has been Captain-level—and every single one beat an Arrancar."
He paused.
Then a thought hit him.
"Wait… don't tell me this time it's flipped? What if this 'Visionary' is actually an Arrancar?"
"An Arrancar?!"
The others' eyes widened.
Oh.Right.They'd almost forgotten those freaks existed.
And would those creeps even get ranked?
Kensei rubbed his chin. "Shinji, it sounds far-fetched, but… if we really force it, it sorta makes sense."
He nodded—yeah, the possibility was definitely there.None of them had ever been to Hueco Mundo; who knew what lived over there?
And honestly, Gremmy Thoumeaux did sound like some Hollow-realm naming style.
Reasonable enough.
"Don't rush it. Let's wait. The reveal's about to start anyway." Lisa pushed her glasses up, voice cool as ever.
"Yeah, might as well keep watching. Maybe this 'Visionary' is some hidden master living in the human world." Shinji joked.
But the scrolling text had already sunk its hooks into him.
Hueco Mundo
Ever since the new subtitles appeared, Las Noches was buzzing like a kicked hornet's nest.
"Visionary…?"
Ulquiorra stared at the screen, stunned.
That nickname alone guaranteed the guy wasn't an Arrancar.Visionary?No such thing.
Hollows spent their entire existence killing or surviving—who had time to imagine anything?
And on top of that, the name had zero intimidation value.Completely out of tune with Arrancar aesthetics.
Ulquiorra frowned.Just look at the Espada nicknames: Panther King, Shark Empress, Weeping Mantis, Black-Winged Demon, Skeleton Emperor…
Every one of them dripped menace.
But Visionary…That was just embarrassing.
Not far away, Grimmjow smashed his fist into the wall, furious.
"Damn it! Still no Arrancar? What the hell is that author doing?!"
The Panther King was ready to explode.
He'd had the same thought as Ulquiorra the moment he saw the name—no way this was one of them.
Because there was no such Arrancar.Period.
Visionary?Probably another damned Shinigami.
"If the next one's still a Shinigami," Zommari grumbled, "I say we start figuring out how to crush that stupid screen."
Why should Arrancar always get the short end of the stick?
"How about you, Szayelaporro?"Barragan asked calmly—surprisingly calm, considering how annoyed he looked.
Szayel rubbed his forehead, thinking.After a moment he spoke:
"Based on everything I've gathered from past discussions with Lord Aizen… none of the Gotei captains have ever been known as the Visionary."
As Hueco Mundo's resident scientist, he mirrored Mayuri in the Soul Society—collecting intel, cataloging data.
So he was certain:
There was no captain with that name or nickname.
"Hm?"Barragan's brows creased."Then who is this 'Gremmy Thoumeaux' supposed to be if he's not a captain?"
11th Division
"Oh? Finally an Arrancar ranking? The nickname's pretty fresh, I'll give him that."Kenpachi leaned forward, eyeing the screen with interest.
The Visionary, huh?Sounded fun.
"Captain, if he's an Arrancar, he's probably the top-ranked Espada, right?" Ikkaku burst out excitedly.
If Harribel—ranked third—was already a Vasto Lorde-class monster, then the Espada leader had to be even stronger.
"Heh. He'd better be. If he turns out disappointing, I'm dragging him out of Hueco Mundo myself." Kenpachi cracked a grin.
And right then—
The video finally started.
The scene shifted—no longer Karakura Town, but an entirely different location.
And then—
A trembling, terrified voice:
"Wh-who are you?!Please—please leave immediately! That's Captain Furuichō and Captain Kensei's recovery room!"
Inside a barrier-sealed medical unit, the Fourth Division's vice-captain, Kotetsu Isane, stood frozen, blood draining from her face.
Reflected in her widened eyes—
A blond boy sat casually on the edge of the hospital bed.
Hands in his pockets.White cloak draped over his body.Smiling like he owned the place.
He ignored her completely.
Coldly, he asked:
"Are you worried about them?"
"If so…"
He rose to his feet.
The camera followed—
And in the next instant—
Two fountains of blood erupted.
A splash like heavy rain.
Crimson sprayed across the entire room.
The metallic smell flooded the air.
And when the last drop hit the floor, the camera tilted up—
Revealing the two bodies on the bed:
Kensei Muguruma. Love Aikawa.
Both already dead.
"..."
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