With extensive combat experience, he deftly dodged the attack by sidestepping.
Then, he moved along the chain, closing in on Ōmaeda, and like kicking a ball, he unleashed a powerful kick directly to his face, sending him flying over a hundred meters into the forest, creating a bloody path through the trees.
"Damn it, he hit my face!"
Ōmaeda wiped his nosebleed, cursing under his breath, his heart growing heavier with unease.
He's too strong.
Aside from being a bit slow, I haven't found any weaknesses yet.
The probability of a counter-kill is very low, but the probability of dying is very high.
When encountering such an opponent, it's best to retreat.
Just as Ōmaeda was about to continue fleeing, the Menos Grande suddenly surged, its speed more than double what it was before!
"What?!"
This change made Ōmaeda's pupils contract.
Almost the next moment, the Menos Grande appeared before him.
How could this speed be described as "a bit slow"? It was incredibly fast!
"You want to stall for time, and I also want to get further away from Seireitei, so you won't discover my secret."
The Menos Grande grabbed Ōmaeda's wrist, which was instinctively trying to counterattack with his Zanpakuto, holding it firmly in mid-air.
Secret? What secret?
Ōmaeda didn't understand, but he knew he had been tricked.
The opponent had simply realized that the Onmitsukidō members were difficult to catch, and he didn't want to miss anyone, which could lead to some secrets being exposed during the hunt and later reported, drawing the special attention of the Gotei 13.
That would certainly bring unnecessary trouble to the opponent, leading to a loss of interests.
So, he deliberately let the others go, then forced himself away from the main group, creating a private one-on-one environment where he could act freely and recklessly.
"You bastard..."
Suddenly, Ōmaeda again caught the opponent's unusual gaze.
This time, being closer, he understood its meaning.
The curses on his lips turned into a gasp.
"Your objective, you bastard, is my Zanpakuto?"
Yes, the opponent was looking at his Gogonin-gashira with an unusual gaze.
"See? It's too easy to be discovered, but instinct is really hard to control, so I must be careful, otherwise if the Shinigami discover me, it won't be good for me."
The Menos Grande grinned.
The sight of its three heads smiling simultaneously was terrifying.
But its objective was even more chilling to ponder.
"What good does doing something like this do for you?!"
A hint of panic welled up in Ōmaeda's heart; this was the first time a Hollow had coveted a Shinigami's weapon. Could it be that...
"Why ask? Of course, it's... to eat."
The Menos Grande extended its three tongues, licking its teeth, its cruel and greedy gaze lingering on Gogonin-gashira.
"I'm surprised myself that as a Hollow, I can evolve by devouring Shinigami's weapons. But this is also related to my ability to consume metal and the fact that Shinigami's swords appear to be made of metal."
"Zanpakuto tastes much better than metal, especially the swords held by powerful Shinigami. It's just a pity I only realized this a few years ago. If it had been a thousand or even two thousand years ago, I would have already become the King of Hueco Mundo."
"So, the missing students and administrators were all captured by you, their swords taken, and then brutally murdered?!"
Ōmaeda's pupils dilated in shock.
"My original intention was to capture them and force them to attract stronger Shinigami, but I didn't expect the seemingly easier-to-bully brats to be surprisingly difficult. Even with conflicts among themselves, they showed no sign of giving up. They're truly uncooperative."
"On the other hand, that older Shinigami was much better than those two brats, with a tendency to soften his attitude, so I confined him in the cave, planning to slowly persuade him."
The Menos Grande's tone was filled with regret.
"Just at this moment, you arrived. To be honest, I'm both angry and happy. Although my plan was interrupted, my objective seems to have been achieved."
"So, do you want to cooperate with me? You're much stronger than that guy who might already be buried under rubble, and you should be more sensible, more suitable as my partner—I, the future King of Hueco Mundo, Ckes Kucabara."
Ōmaeda was stunned by the words, then a realization dawned on him.
"Is that why you're telling me so much?"
"So, your answer is...?"
Ckes's expectant expression was mixed with chilling killing intent.
To be honest, being forced to endure such an ominous and powerful spiritual pressure at close range was very uncomfortable.
A sword at his throat would be more comfortable than this.
However, Ōmaeda, surprisingly, showed no fear, even feeling a little like laughing, his rough voice tinged with disdain.
"Hey, Menos Grande."
"It's Ckes Kucabara."
"I don't care what you're called. In my eyes, you're just a brutal Hollow. I don't know what choice that unfortunate guy who got smashed made, but if because of me, you look down on Shinigami, especially high-ranking Shinigami, the Captain will definitely kill me."
"Then you mean to refuse?"
"If I have to say, I've made the same choice as those two unyielding brats."
"...Is that so? Then all of you shall die."
Ckes was silent for a moment, then his left and right heads began to gather dazzling crimson light.
"Well, I guessed this reaction."
Ōmaeda took a deep breath, then raised his spiritual pressure to its peak. No matter what, he couldn't just sit there and wait to die.
"To actually think you can recruit Shinigami, a senseless Hollow like you needs to be shown the backbone of the Second Division!"
Pfft!
Suddenly, almost without warning, a sharp blade tip pierced through Ckes's chest.
A few drops of blood splattered on Ōmaeda's face.
The latter was so shocked he lost his voice, his intensely erupting spiritual pressure momentarily stagnating.
"What?"
This time it was Ckes's turn to be furious and shocked.
He grabbed Ōmaeda's arm and flung him behind him.
But the attacker, having anticipated this, drew his sword and crouched low, avoiding being hit.
Judging by his posture, it was clearly Shimiya Takeru.
"Waaah!"
Ōmaeda, transformed into a human cannonball, screamed in terror in mid-air, completely devoid of his previous brave defiance against the Menos Grande.
Shimiya Takeru's pupils glowed blue as his spiritual pressure surged to its maximum.
His low-crouched body sprang up like a leopard, his Zanpakuto slashing upwards. A cold glint flashed and vanished, more beautiful than moonlight, directly cutting the inside of Ckes's wrist. The wound was deep enough to expose bone, and dark red blood splattered in the air.
Ckes cried out in pain and released Ōmaeda, sending him flying uncontrollably.
Fortunately, Hachihara reached out from a tree and accurately grabbed his collar, then, like Tarzan, swiftly disappeared into the forest.
"You're asking for death!"
The enraged Menos Grande, about to counterattack Shimiya Takeru, had its feet encased by rocks that burst from the ground.
Although he broke free from Rindo Yu's full-power, unknown Bakudo in less than two seconds.
But during that time, a thick golden lightning bolt struck from afar, immensely powerful, charging at Ckes like a thunder beast.
Accompanied by dazzling electric sparks and charred flesh fragments.
The heavily injured Ckes followed in Ōmaeda's footsteps, flying far away like a kite with a broken string.
This was still not the end.
In the direction he flew, Ichigo, who had been waiting, did not miss the opportunity. He leapt out of the bushes without hesitation, flashing forward with a horizontal slash, dividing Ckes's shattered body into two halves.
Five minutes earlier.
In the thickets of the dark forest, Shimiya Takeru, Shiba Kūkaku, Ichigo, Hachihara, and Rindo Yu, the five of them, suppressed their spiritual pressure as much as possible, eliminating their presence.
"They're here!"
Seeing Ōmaeda and the Hollow chasing each other to this spot, everyone's spirits lifted.
"You guessed right again."
Shiba Kūkaku muttered softly.
"Thanks to Rindo for providing the vision."
Shimiya Takeru did not take all the credit.
Indeed, although he had deduced that Ōmaeda would not abandon his subordinates to escape alone, but would instead try to lure the opponent away, then consider how to escape or even counter-kill.
However, ambushing them along their inevitable path was not a simple matter.
Thanks to Rindo Yu's ability to communicate with animals, using the countless small animals in the wilds of Rukongai as ears and eyes to transmit information and constantly monitor the movements of Ōmaeda and the Hollow, they were able to make a certain degree of pre-judgment.
"That's true, but you also guessed that Ōmaeda would change his route here, right?"
Shiba Kūkaku's tone was quite certain.
Shimiya Takeru replied with a seemingly disjointed sentence.
"Any further and we'll leave Junrinan territory. It's too far, not safe."
"What does that mean?"
Ichigo didn't quite understand.
"It means that guy is a coward. He doesn't want to get entangled with the enemy for too long; he just wants to quickly lead the enemy to reinforcements. So, seeing that he's about to leave Junrinan, he'll definitely be tempted to change his route."
Hachihara covered his mouth, chuckling.
"I get it now."
Ichigo suddenly understood.
"Prepare to act."
Shimiya Takeru's words made everyone's expressions serious.
"I'll make the first move later, looking for an opportunity to ambush. Even if I can't kill the opponent, I should be able to save Ōmaeda."
"Hachihara, pay attention to coordinating with me. Take Ōmaeda away and don't give the opponent a chance to take hostages."
"Rindo, find a way to restrain the target, assist me in retreating, and then you and I will attract the opponent's attention, creating an opportunity for Miss Kūkaku to strive for a decisive kill."
"To be safe, if Miss Kūkaku attacks from this side, then Brother Kurosaki should go further ahead to block the opponent's escape route. At that time, no matter the opponent's condition, if you see him, deliver the finishing blow. Understood?"
Ambush, assassination, finishing blow.
The triple offense was a chain of interlocking steps, not high in difficulty, but very practical.
Shiba Kūkaku opened her mouth, but in the end, she only managed to blurt out one sentence: "Didn't we agree that I would be in command?"
"If Miss Kūkaku has a better strategy, feel free to share it, but I suggest you explain it clearly within a hundred words. We have plenty of time, but Ōmaeda's time is running out."
Shimiya Takeru's tone was flat. As luck would have it, Ōmaeda, within everyone's sight, was being held by the arm by the Menos Grande, appearing to be half a captive already, the situation quite dire.
"Alright, we'll do as you say, but how will you ambush the opponent?"
Shiba Kūkaku questioned suspiciously.
"I admit you all are very perceptive. Even with last-minute cramming, you can apply some of the experience I taught you about eliminating presence and suppressing spiritual pressure."
"But ambushing a seemingly formidable Adjuchas from behind, I estimate only the Onmitsukidō Commander-in-Chief could accomplish that. I can't help you with that."