Uehara Shirayuki had long anticipated a special mission during his time in Hueco Mundo.
After all, it was a crucial part of the Soul Society world.
However, he hadn't expected the mission to be triggered through his interaction with Ise Nanao.
Uehara Shirayuki's gaze towards Ise Nanao held a subtle nuance.
Could this literary girl truly be a "lucky charm"?
Regardless, a special mission was a good thing, worth celebrating.
Noticing Uehara Shirayuki's look, Ise Nanao asked with a bewildered expression, "Why do you call this a branch?"
Uehara Shirayuki, having just activated the special mission, was in a cheerful and patient mood, explaining:
"Hueco Mundo is actually divided into two layers: the surface and the underground.
The surface is the vast desert we see before us, filled with small Hollows.
Beneath the desert lies an expansive underground space known as the Great Hollow Forest.
The Great Hollow Forest is home to countless large Hollows known as Gillian, as well as towering stone trees.
These underground trees continue to grow, eventually pushing their canopies through the surface sand, with their branches extending outwards to form the stone branches we see before us."
"Great Hollow Forest?! Mr. Uehara, is it the same Great Hollow Forest I know?" Ise Nanao's face turned pale.
She had only seen illustrations of these terrifying monsters in the textbooks at the Soul Society Academy.
The books mentioned that only captains or Royal Guard members could handle such creatures.
"Those are all relics from a thousand years ago, like the Captain Commander – outdated," Uehara Shirayuki shook his head, "Don't believe everything you read. You'll get to experience it firsthand in a bit."
The Soul Society Academy textbooks hadn't been updated in a long time. They had exaggerated the strength of low-level Hollows, probably to prevent students from being reckless and risking their lives.
However, it was true that only vice-captains had a chance of defeating a Gillian.
If you considered vice-captains as equal to captains, then the statement wasn't so far-fetched.
"Experience firsthand?" Ise Nanao couldn't understand Uehara Shirayuki's meaning for a moment.
At this moment, Kyoraku Shunsui appeared silently beside them, his voice low, "The Intelligence Division just sent a message – they're under attack by Hollows and need reinforcements.
Seems someone isn't welcoming us."
"In that case, I'll go and give them a warm greeting," Uehara Shirayuki shrugged, with a nonchalant air, "Nanao, let's go."
Even before Kyoraku Shunsui arrived, he had sensed an abnormal Reiatsu appearing in the distance.
Its intensity could only be a Gillian.
And not just one – there were many Gillians.
Gillians without independent consciousness would never gather and attack Shinigami without a controlling force behind them.
This meant someone was pulling the strings.
However, for Uehara Shirayuki, whoever was behind it didn't matter.
If anyone else were to take Ise Nanao on an adventure, Kyoraku Shunsui wouldn't be comfortable with it.
Even if the other party were strong, it wouldn't be allowed – but Uehara Shirayuki was an exception.
Uehara Shirayuki used Shunpo and headed towards the source of the abnormal Reiatsu.
Ise Nanao followed without hesitation.
However, the further they went, the paler her face became, and her expression grew increasingly anxious.
The chaotic, heavy, and massive Reiatsu in the air was truly terrifying. It contained a greed that wasn't hidden at all, like the insatiable hunger of a starving man.
Even just a slight contact with this cold and evil Reiatsu caused Ise Nanao's hair to stand on end, and her body felt incredibly heavy.
She remembered the horrifying rumors about Hollows: the pain of being eaten alive and becoming part of the monster after death.
Every one of them made her skin crawl.
"If you're scared, you can go back!" Uehara Shirayuki said without turning around, sensing Ise Nanao's heavy breathing and scattered Reiatsu.
At this moment, there was no point in saying nice words. Ultimately, Ise Nanao had to overcome this hurdle herself.
As for being a "nice guy," not even a dog would take that role!
"Mr. Uehara, I…" Ise Nanao took a deep breath, her eyes hardening, "I will always follow in your footsteps, never falling behind."
Uehara Shirayuki said casually, "I'm glad you've overcome your fear, but now, I want you to face it head-on."
Having courage was a good thing, but being too courageous was no good either.
In this world where the waters ran deep, a low AC meant a quick death.
…
Before Ise Nanao could say anything, Uehara Shirayuki stopped and looked ahead.
Ise Nanao, panting, caught up and looked up, her eyes widening in surprise:
"That's a Hollow?!"
In the valley beneath the rolling sand dunes, a group of Eleventh Division Shinigami were engaged in combat.
Bankai Zaraki Kenpachi and Ayasegawa Yumichika, both with their Zanpakuto released, were the most active.
Their opponents were none other than three giant monsters, each towering a hundred meters tall, with black cloaks covering their entire bodies.
The massive black cavity on their chests and the long white clown-like noses on their masks confirmed that these mountain-sized creatures were indeed Hollows.
At this moment, the three Hollows, along with hundreds of Lesser Hollows and Giant Hollows, were splitting the Eleventh Division's members into several battlefields.
Occasionally, a Shinigami would fall, but the others didn't have time to spare and continued to fight desperately.
Bankai Zaraki Kenpachi's combat prowess was absolutely undeniable.
Although his Zanpakuto, Nozarashi, was a bit underwhelming, Zaraki Kenpachi's combat skills were top-notch.
However, despite his ability to slice and dice through Giant Hollows, which were slightly stronger than Lesser Hollows, he couldn't quickly finish off the Gillian.
He looked anxiously at his current enemy, then towards the distance, shouting, "Don't lose your spirit! Captain Komamura has gone to eliminate their leader. I don't want to waste time with these trash, so fight your asses off.
Whoever dares to drag their feet at this moment, I'll kill them first!"
"I understand the reasoning, but why is this Hollow so huge? This mask isn't beautiful at all, it looks like a clown!"
Although Ayasegawa Yumichika also eagerly wanted to join Captain Komamura, he remained calm, "These monsters are truly ugly, their skin is so hard and they recover so quickly.
It's hard for us to finish them off quickly."
He had keenly noticed that the Gillian's steel skin and super-regenerative abilities were stronger than those of ordinary Hollows.
This made the battle even more intense.
As for the "noble Intelligence Division" who were first attacked, they had already been wiped out.
However, their sacrifice was worth it. They had at least bought time for the expeditionary force.