The few Death Gods standing nearby all wore expressions of doubt upon hearing Urahara Byakuya’s words.
This Vice-Commander, while quite famous, didn’t seem like he was particularly strong, no matter how you looked at it.
After all, this Seventh Seat’s aura was vastly inferior to that of Captain Kyoraku and the other members of the Eleventh Division.
Could it be that this boastful statement was nothing but a lie?
Similar doubts arose among the Eleventh Division’s squad members.
This group of hot-tempered, powerful brutes didn’t bother concealing their thoughts and directly shouted:
“That pretty boy obviously doesn’t have any real skill, this Vice-Commander position should be held by Captain Kyoraku.”
“Vice-Commander? Captain Kyoraku should be the overall Commander, after all, he is Kenpachi!”
“That’s right, Captain Kyoraku is the strongest!”
…
Hearing these people's undisguised contempt and ridicule for Urahara Byakuya, Ikkaku Madarame coldly said:
“Don’t blame me for not reminding you, you absolutely must not say those words in front of that Urahara Byakuya.
From now on, you guys should try to stay away from him as well.
I don’t want to go fishing for you guys in the river!”
The memory of their last defeat was still fresh in his mind.
If Urahara Byakuya was incompetent, then what was he, Ikkaku Madarame?
A baby?
Ayasegawa Yumichika, standing beside him, also warned:
“It’s not at all beautiful to talk bad about someone behind their back.
The Eleventh Division has no need for such members.”
At this moment, Kenpachi Kyoraku had already charged to a great distance away.
Behind the Eleventh Division was a row upon row of temporary camps securely protected by barriers.
…
At the temporary headquarters of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, Urahara Byakuya walked in with Ise Nanao.
“Actually, it wouldn’t hurt for you to stay in Seireitei.”
Kyoraku Shunsui still hoped that his niece could stay in Seireitei.
Urahara Byakuya raised an eyebrow, “You’re saying that now, but when the Captain-Commander put me in this predicament, you were the one laughing the hardest.”
The old man’s arrangement this time really caught him off guard.
You know, the current Gotei 13 was much more benevolent than the original group of "all-villain" members.
But no matter what, it couldn’t change the fact that the Gotei 13 was a military armed group.
Here, if you’re not qualified, you really will get your throat cut.
Just look at how Oniwaka perished.
If Urahara Byakuya's strength was insufficient, this Vice-Commander bait would become a noose around his neck.
“This appointment of yours even surprised me,” Kyoraku Shunsui said with his usual nonchalant tone:
“The old man really has high hopes for you.
Maybe I’ll have to watch your face when I act in the future, little bro Byakuya!”
Besides him, the overall Commander, no one else in the expeditionary force could command Urahara Byakuya.
“When that time comes, you’ll have it rough.” Urahara Byakuya first threw out a stern warning.
Then, he looked at the surrounding barriers and analyzed:
“The concentration of spiritual pressure in Hueco Mundo is indeed much higher than in Soul Society.
Here, both our strength and the defenses of the barriers have been enhanced.
But this is still the home turf of the Hollows, have you figured out what to do, Commander?”
Normally, even if Urahara Byakuya had been appointed Vice-Commander, he wouldn’t be so proactive.
But in order to enhance the Shinigami powers and the power of the omni-potent barrier, it wouldn’t hurt to be slightly more active.
Kyoraku Shunsui said seriously, “The vanguard investigative team from the Onmitsukidō has already been dispatched, all we need to do is follow the established plan.”
The best strategy when fighting on unfamiliar territory is to proceed steadily.
This was the tactic they had discussed before.
Regarding those tactics that emphasized surprise attacks and using the weak to defeat the strong, Urahara Byakuya scoffed at them all, stating that the only true path was to crush them fairly and squarely.
Kyoraku Shunsui agreed wholeheartedly.
“I’ve bothered you enough, I’ll be taking my leave!” The questions he had just asked had already exhausted Urahara Byakuya’s meager work enthusiasm.
Before Kyoraku Shunsui could even react, Urahara Byakuya had already vanished.
Ise Nanao had been recording the conversation between the two.
Seeing Urahara Byakuya leave, she quickly put down her pen and closed her notebook, bowing to Kyoraku Shunsui:
“Captain, I’ll go too! Teacher Urahara, wait for me…”
Watching the two rush off, then looking at the thick pile of documents on his desk, Kyoraku Shunsui instantly turned into a bitter gourd face.
Only endless work, no beautiful women or fine wine, when would this life ever end?
In the Hueco Mundo desert, seeing his little apprentice rushing towards him, Urahara Byakuya extended a finger and lightly pointed it forward: “Hado #4: Byakurai!”
In an instant, a white bolt of lightning flew past Ise Nanao’s body, directly piercing the stone pillar beside her.
“Teacher Urahara, I’m sorry…” Ise Nanao was startled.
Thinking that she had angered Urahara Byakuya, she quickly apologized.
Just then, the stone pillar beside her instantly shattered, turning into a mass of "pixels" where one could barely make out a white mask and a Hollow hole.
A chaotic, heavy, abnormal, and ominous spiritual pressure vanished in an instant.
Ise Nanao looked at the horrifying monster that quickly vanished into spiritual particles, her face full of fear and shock.
The stone pillar was actually a Hollow?
She had walked past it without noticing anything at all.
If Teacher Urahara hadn’t intervened, she would have been in danger!
“From now on, you also need to pay attention to things that don’t move. If you see anything out of the ordinary, blast it, don’t hesitate.”
Just now, Urahara Byakuya had deliberately left that Hollow there as a lesson for his student.
This was what a good teacher should do.
“Yes, Teacher Urahara!” Urahara Byakuya’s simple sentence filled Ise Nanao with renewed strength.
The two then wandered around Hueco Mundo.
This place was definitely not a pleasant one.
While the spiritual pressure concentration was high, there was only night, no day, and the surroundings were filled with a suffocating atmosphere.
However, Hueco Mundo was not truly a barren wasteland.
Aside from some low-level Hollows who knew how to set traps and ambush, there were also some small animals hidden in the cracks of the rocks and the sand.
These small animals also had masks and Hollow holes, proving they were also Hollows.
They were the bottommost layer of Hollows in Hueco Mundo, eventually growing into low-level Hollows by devouring each other.
Devouring their own kind, this was the way Hollows evolved.
Besides that, occasionally a stunted tree would suddenly appear in the spiritual particle desert.
“There are actually trees here!”
Looking at the small stone tree in front of her, Ise Nanao was full of curiosity.
“That’s not a tree, it’s a branch!” At this point, Urahara Byakuya’s expression changed.
He had actually received a mission prompt at this time!
【Search for the Great Hollow Forest (Special Mission 9)】
【Finally arriving in Hueco Mundo, the host has decided to visit the Great Hollow Forest to see the Hueco Mundo specialty 'giant clown' and try some Hueco Mundo cuisine.】
【Reward: Random ability or item.】