_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twelfth Division.Department of Research and Development.Surveillance Control Room.
"Alert—!!""Alert—!!""Alert—!!"
Before one crisis could settle, another erupted.
As the technicians were still busy analyzing the transparent light screen, the massive monitor responsible for observing the Human World suddenly lit up with flashing red warning signals.
The shrill alarm echoed through the entire room, drawing everyone's attention, including Third Seat Akon and Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"The Human World has been invaded?!" Bathed in red light, Akon's face went pale as his eyes widened in shock.
Damn it.
Arrancar invading the Human World at a time like this was something he never could have predicted.
"They're probably targeting Kurosaki Ichigo," Mayuri said calmly, eyes gleaming behind his lenses. "Possibly even Ishida Uryū."
Unlike the panicking subordinates behind him, Mayuri remained perfectly composed. Clearly, this development was something he had anticipated.
He was only irritated by the idea of Ishida Uryū's future growth. That was why he had stubbornly chosen not to issue a warning earlier.
"Captain, what should we do?" Akon asked anxiously, sweat pouring down his face. He glanced at the alert level on the screen and nearly lost his nerve."The Shudora threat level is maxed out. That means at least three Adjuchas-level spiritual pressures are present in the Human World!"
He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly bone-dry.
Three Adjuchas-class Arrancar appearing in a human-populated world was an unprecedented event, something that hadn't happened in nearly a hundred years.
"So what?"Mayuri's eyes rolled slightly as he replied coldly, "Akon, are you so flustered that you forgot Byakuya Kuchiki and the others just departed not long ago?"
"Against two Soul Reapers who already made the rankings," he continued with a sneer,"even the Arrancar, no matter how arrogant, won't dare act recklessly once they run into them."
It was obvious.
Mayuri had no intention of reporting the invasion.
Reinforcements? Don't be ridiculous.
What does any of this have to do with Mayuri Kurotsuchi?
If you had the ability to make the rankings, then deal with it yourselves.
"…"
Akon was speechless.
He wanted to argue, but didn't dare make a sound. In the end, he could only shake his head and leave in frustration.
"Heh heh…"
After Akon left, Mayuri stared at the blinking red lights on the monitor and laughed softly.
"Ishida Uryū…If you happen to die in the chaos, that would be perfect. Saves me the trouble of doing it myself."
————
At the same time.
Inside the Dangai barrier.
"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Hitsugaya," one seated officer reported respectfully."About two hundred meters ahead, we should reach Karakura Town. Our target coordinates are near the city district."
"Good," Hitsugaya Tōshirō said with a nod, his expression stern."Proceed according to plan. Use the city center as the base point and expand outward until we locate Kurosaki Ichigo."
This mission had been personally ordered by the Captain-Commander. Its importance went without saying.
No matter what, failure was not an option.
Beside him, Byakuya Kuchiki, draped in his silver-white scarf, spoke calmly, "Renji, you'll search the eastern sector with me."
"Roger!"Abarai Renji clenched his fists excitedly.
This was his first time entering the Human World, and he had already been itching with anticipation ever since passing through the Senkaimon.
With plans finalized, the group, led by the two captains, quickly reached the exit of the passage.
The stage was set.
But then…
What happened next left everyone utterly stunned.
"Rip—!!!"
A pitch-black passage tore open in midair.
One after another, a squad of Soul Reapers stepped out of the darkness.
Yet before they could even land properly—
Two figures suddenly shot past in the distance, moving like streaks of light, accompanied by a crushing surge of spiritual pressure!
"This is… an Espada?!"
The moment he got a clear look at them, Hitsugaya Toshiro's eyes went wide, cold sweat breaking out across his back.
The one on the left was massive and grotesque, his body hulking and brutal. Fragments of a broken Hollow mask still clung to his jaw.
"That guy…"
"Isn't that Yammy?! The Espada who got beaten to a pulp the moment he showed up in Urahara Kisuke's ranking video?!" Hitsugaya recognized him instantly.
But what truly set his nerves on edge was the figure beside Yammy.
Short, jet-black hair. Two dark green tear-like streaks running down his face. A white long coat, a Zanpakuto hanging calmly at his waist.
Ulquiorra.
An Espada he had never seen before.
Yet the aura leaking from him without effort was several times more oppressive than Yammy's.
"Who… who is this guy?!"
Wariness filled Hitsugaya's turquoise eyes.
The instant his gaze settled on Ulquiorra, his body reacted on instinct. His hand snapped to his waist and drew Hyorinmaru without hesitation.
Among the strong, perception goes both ways.
From just that brief glance, Hitsugaya could already feel it. The overwhelming power of the Black-Winged Demon.
His instincts screamed a single, terrifying truth.
Even if he and Kuchiki Byakuya fought together at full strength, there was no guarantee they could defeat this melancholic Arrancar.
"He's a Vasto Lorde," Kuchiki Byakuya said grimly. "It seems that after watching the ranking video, the Arrancar came to the same conclusion we did. They're after Kurosaki Ichigo as well."
Then he turned toward Hitsugaya, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
"Let's work together again. Just like in the video. We'll stop these two Espada here."
"Unless we both fall…"
"We will not allow that Vasto Lorde to take a single step further."
—
At the same time…
As the Soul Reapers braced for battle, Yammy and Ulquiorra had already noticed them.
"Huh?!"
"Aren't those the two Soul Reaper captains who teamed up and wiped out the Royal Guard in the ranking video?"
"Why are they here?!"
Yammy froze, his brain short-circuiting.
Not long ago, after leaving the Garganta, the Arrancar had split into three groups, flying recklessly above Karakura Town in an attempt to find Kurosaki Ichigo as quickly as possible.
Later, worried that Yammy would cause unnecessary chaos, Ulquiorra chose to stick with him, just like they usually did in Hueco Mundo.
But who would have thought—
They had barely reached the city when they ran straight into a group of Soul Reapers who had just arrived.
Talk about enemies meeting on a narrow road.
"Yammy, don't panic," Ulquiorra said calmly. "There are four captain-class Soul Reapers, but two of them are so weak they can be ignored."
"As for Kuchiki Byakuya and Hitsugaya Toshiro…"
One hand still tucked casually into his pocket, Ulquiorra hovered in midair, his expression cold and unchanged.
With absolute confidence, he continued, his voice flat and merciless.
"It doesn't matter. I'll handle them."
"This is the present, not the future. Right now, they're nothing to fear."
"In a moment, I'll carve a Hollow hole into each of their chests."
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________