"No… impossible… A mere asauchi that hasn't even been released can actually injure me! Damn it—"
With green blood at the corner of his mouth, Kaname Tōsen slowly collapsed to the ground, looking for all the world as if he were dead.
"What a strange Hollow… It even knows about a Shinigami's Shikai release?"
The "Arrancar" wearing an antelope-shaped mask studied Tōsen's corpse in astonishment.
"You… are…"
Saitō Keichirō stared in shock at the sudden appearance of the antelope-masked "Arrancar."
"Are you a Shinigami who fell, just like Tōsen?"
"No! My name is Ashido. As you can see… I am a Shinigami!"
Ashido raised his left hand and removed the antelope mask, revealing a youthful and rather handsome face.
Though he had reddish-brown, delinquent-style messy hair, his straight, sword-like eyebrows gave him an air of upright righteousness—instantly inspiring goodwill in anyone who saw him.
"A Shinigami... I see."
Keichirō examined Ashido's unusual attire, forcibly suppressing his intense curiosity, and said gratefully:
"I am Saitō Keichirō, Third Seat of the Ninth Division in the Seireitei! Thank you for saving me just now!!"
"We're comrades. There's no need to be so polite."
Ashido replied calmly, then glanced toward the expeditionary force fighting desperately against the Hollow horde in the distance.
"Although I would very much like to ask you about the current situation of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi and the state of the Soul Society… your companions seem to be in trouble. We'll talk another time."
"Kuruyashiki Kenpachi? One of the former Captains of the Eleventh Division?"
It was the first time Keichirō had heard the name "Kuruyashiki Kenpachi," and confusion filled his mind.
In his memory, the current Eleventh Division captain, Zaraki Kenpachi, had defeated the previous captain, Kiganjō Kenpachi, to claim the title—
Before Kiganjō, the captain had been Hayakawa Gosuke, said to be the only Shinigami to obtain the title "Kenpachi" without defeating his predecessor in single combat.
But as for who had held the position before Hayakawa—Keichirō had no idea. That had been over 200 years ago!
Since the "Kuruyashiki Kenpachi" Ashido mentioned bore the title Kenpachi, he must have been captain even before Hayakawa… Did that mean Ashido was a Shinigami who came to Hueco Mundo 300 years ago?!
"Mm… Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was one of the few close friends I had in the Soul Society."
A trace of nostalgia flashed through Ashido's eyes. Then his expression turned resolute as he declared:
"Enough talk! Until your comrades are out of danger, allow me to assist you!"
"Ah… Senior Ashido, actually we're just bait. The main force is still—"
Before Keichirō could finish, a jet-black claw tore across his back. A spray of bright red blood burst into the air, splattering onto the rubble beneath his feet.
"What?!"
Ashido leapt forward, grabbed Keichirō, and retreated dozens of meters in an instant.
Behind them, the "revived" Tōsen waved his four pitch-black forelimbs and let out a sinister cackle.
"Keh keh keh… You thought that level of sneak attack could kill me? I must say—you're truly naïve!"
Licking the blood lingering on his forelimbs, Tōsen said in a low voice:
"After releasing my Resurrección, I gained a regeneration ability comparable to that of a 'god.' No matter how grievous the wound, my body can heal instantly!"
Ashido gently set Keichirō down and raised his Zanpakutō toward Tōsen.
"Instant regeneration… Is that the ability of a Vasto Lorde? And yet… you once seemed to be a Shinigami. Why did you choose to fall so far??"
"Fall? Is that how you perceive me? Ke-ke-ke... ignorance truly is bliss."
Tōsen regarded Ashido with a playful gaze.
"A Shinigami who can't even release his Zanpakutō... dares to judge me, one who has broken the boundaries of a Shinigami—"
"Sorry. Whatever you're obsessed with… doesn't concern me in the slightest."
Ashido interrupted him firmly.
"What I care about has always been a Shinigami's resolve! Now then—let us fight, Hollow!!"
"You bastard! Don't call me by that lowly name, AAAAAAH!!"
Tōsen let out a sky-rending roar. His massive frame blurred, appearing instantly in front of Ashido. His green eyes erupted with dual Ceros—
"Face the wind!" With a sharp shout, Fūjin Taichi suddenly appeared at Ashido's side. Raising his hand, he conjured a 56-meter wind wall before them, neutralizing Tōsen's Cero.
"You... Fūjin Taichi!!!"
The moment Kaname Tōsen's bean-sized green eyes caught sight of Fūjin Taichi, they flared with boundless murderous intent. He unleashed La Mirada once more—
A green shockwave of tremendous impact burst violently from Tōsen's mouth, slamming straight into Fūjin Taichi's invisible wind wall and dissipating instantly!!
"It seems your intellect is as sharp as your eyesight, Tōsen. You already learned your lesson about my wind wall at Sōkyoku Hill, yet you still haven't changed your ways?"
Standing firmly behind the wind wall, Fūjin Taichi cast a sideways glance at the severely wounded Saitō Keichirō lying on the ground, then shifted his gaze back to Tōsen and sneered:
"Or did you think that by evolving into a 'Grand Daiguren Cricket Monster,' you could actually take me on? Heh... did Captain Aizen give you that courage too?"
"Fūjin… Taichi!!!"
Tōsen's green eyes were shot through with red veins. With a low growl, he used Sonído to appear behind Taichi. His four membranous wings snapped forward, firing countless razor-sharp blades: "Los Nueve Aspectos!"
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
Fūjin Taichi slightly turned his body, raised his left hand, and spread his fingers behind him. Instantly casting the spell without incantation, he erected a massive defensive air wall that completely blocked Tōsen's attack!
"Impossible! Impossible!! I now possess power that surpasses the Shinigamis—you—
A Bakudō cast without incantation… how could it possibly block my Arbol?!"
Seeing his attack neutralized yet again, Tōsen's eyes seemed to spit fire as he shouted in disbelief.
"Tōsen, it seems Aizen really fooled you thoroughly…"
Fūjin Taichi tilted his head up to look at the enraged Tōsen and curled his lips into a faint smile.
"The Hollowfication you're so proud of… we've already grown bored of playing with it!"
"What?!"
"Oh—sorry about that. As for this so-called 'limit of the Shinigamis'? I crossed it quite casually myself."
As he spoke, Fūjin Taichi raised his left hand. Amid flashes of violet light, a white skull mask with red markings began to condense in his palm!!
"W-What?! You—"
Tōsen stared in shock at the skull mask in Fūjin Taichi's hand. A storm of disbelief surged through his heart.
That… is that Hollowfication? How is that possible?!
"Now then... Blazing Flame · First Layer · Hikizokure!"
After placing the skull mask upon his face, Fūjin Taichi murmured the incantation softly. He then raised his Zanpakutō and slashed diagonally toward Tōsen—