(T/N: Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone! Thanks for the support!! it really helps a lot!)
The Shinigami turned to look at the two cloaked figures behind them. The one on the left lifted her cloak, revealing the face of Katori Nanatsuki.
"Sorry to intrude, everyone."
Katori Nanatsuki smiled gently.
"Captain Katori!"
The members of the Onmitsukidō immediately stood at attention.
"There's no need to be so formal—we're all familiar faces here."
Nanatsuki waved his hand dismissively. He recognized all of them; they were direct subordinates of Shihōin Yoruichi.
"What's the situation over there?"
He extended his spiritual sense and detected several violent Reiatsu waves emanating from the distant dunes—clearly, Hollow were engaged in battle.
"They just started fighting. Are you here to eliminate the Hollows?"
One of the Onmitsukidō members asked.
"Yes. I brought a disciple along for some hands-on training."
Nanatsuki gave a small nod.
The Onmitsukidō Shinigami glanced toward the person beside Nanatsuki.
That individual, like Nanatsuki, wore a custom-made stealth cloak identical to the Onmitsukidō's standard gear.
Her face was hidden beneath the hood, revealing only a smooth chin and pink lips.
The one Nanatsuki brought along was Nel.
As a Hollow, she couldn't train using traditional Shinigami methods. So, when Nanatsuki heard from Yoruichi that some Hollows from Las Noches had gone rogue, he decided to bring Nel to Hueco Mundo for some practical experience.
Her cloak concealed her Reiatsu, so the Onmitsukidō Shinigami had no idea of her true identity.
"Yoruichi asked me to pass along a message. Your surveillance mission has been completed. You can return for debriefing," Nanatsuki paused. "Oh, and she mentioned something about a three-month vacation."
"That's great! We can finally rotate out!"
"Finally, some rest!"
Cheers erupted from the Shinigami upon hearing they were about to go on leave.
"Captain Katori, we'll leave things here to you, then."
"No problem. Leave it to me."
No one asked the foolish question of whether Katori Nanatsuki could handle these Hollows. Anyone that clueless would never have become a trusted aide of Yoruichi.
"The battle over there is almost finished. Let's go, Nel."
"Mm-hmm!" Nel was visibly excited. Since learning Zanjutsu, she hadn't yet fought any Hollows. She lacked a clear grasp of her progress.
The two of them began walking toward the Silent Dunes.
Silent Dunes
A giant serpent Hollow lashed its long tail toward Grimmjow with violent force.
The tail, over ten meters long, was a terrifying weapon. The serpent was confident that a single strike would be enough to crush the damned panther beneath it.
Grimmjow evaded the blow with a single leap.
The serpent Hollow swung around to bite, but Grimmjow's panther paws pressed off the air, flipping his body midair and narrowly avoiding the incoming jaws.
His paws landed on the serpent's head—then, with another leap, he dodged the venomous tail darting in from the side.
"Are you just a rat that only knows how to run?!"
The serpent Hollow roared furiously.
"Heh. Then what does that make you, being toyed with by a 'rat'?"
Grimmjow gave it a cold glance—and vanished.
The next moment, the white panther reappeared on the back of a crocodile Hollow.
With a flash of his fangs, he tore through the creature's tough bony scales.
"!!!"
The crocodile Hollow let out a pained cry and thrashed violently in an attempt to shake off the predator.
Rip! Grimmjow tore open its back, blood raining down like a storm.
Thud! Grimmjow vanished again, using Sonído to escape from the Hollow's back.
In the next instant, several Cero blasts rained down upon the crocodile Hollow.
BOOM!
The creature was blown to bits by the attacks of its own allies.
The white panther stood atop the head of a giant Hollow, slowly chewing its prey.
Seeing the cold glint in his eyes, the other Hollows felt a chill run down their spines—that was the gaze of someone looking at food.
Grimmjow wasn't taking them seriously at all.
"Damned rat!"
The serpent Hollow opened its mouth and quickly condensed a Cero.
Grimmjow disappeared again, and the Cero struck the giant Hollow instead.
"!!!"
The giant Hollow let out a pitiful scream before being obliterated by the blast.
Even against more than ten Hollows, Grimmjow moved with ease.
Earlier, five powerful Hollows had tried negotiating with him—they were the core of the group and far from weak.
But none of them were faster than Grimmjow.
Using his agile frame, he weaved through their attacks, picking off the weaker Hollows one by one.
The number of living Hollows rapidly decreased.
Soon, only the five strongest remained.
"Now it's your turn, bottom feeders."
The panther grinned, baring his fangs.
By the time Nanatsuki and Nel reached the Silent Dunes, all they saw was a panther feasting on the corpses of Hollows.
"That looks familiar… wait, don't tell me…"
Nanatsuki raised an eyebrow as he examined the white panther.
Its Hollow hole was located on its back. The creature had no fur—its entire body was made of white bone-like structures that nonetheless gave off the visual impression of muscular power.
Noticing their arrival, the panther stopped eating.
"Shinigami…"
Grimmjow's eyes narrowed as he spotted the sword hilts at their waists, his expression instantly turning cold.
"Here to hunt me down, huh…? I don't think I've ever tasted Shinigami meat before…"
He bared his teeth in a wide grin, green blood dripping down the corners of his jaws.
Hearing that metallic, echoing voice, Nanatsuki became even more certain of his hunch.
"Do you have a name, Mr. Panther?"
Nanatsuki asked calmly.
"Name? You think I'm one of those brainless beasts?!" Grimmjow frowned, thinking he was being underestimated. "I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!"
"Grimmjow, huh…"
Nanatsuki nodded, now fully convinced—this panther was indeed the Sexta Espada among the Arrancar.
"Daring to interrupt my meal…"
Grimmjow bared his fangs again.
"Then come taste the wrath of the mighty Grimmjow!"
He couldn't sense their Reiatsu, but he wasn't willing to give up his bloody feast and leave.
He had already decided to head to the Forest of Menos to hunt stronger prey and evolve further.
But he also knew the forest's outer region was likely cleared out by Shinigami patrols. To find good targets, he would need to go deeper.
And that was extremely dangerous.
The more he devoured now, the better his odds of surviving in the forest's depths.
"Your fighting spirit is intense."
Nanatsuki placed a hand on his sword hilt.
"But I won't be the one fighting you."
The next instant, his sword dissolved into a pool of shadows that splashed across the ground.
The inky blackness expanded rapidly, forming a three-dimensional shadow space that enclosed one Shinigami and two Hollows within.
Nanatsuki had isolated the battlefield from the outside world using his Shadow Space.
Nel would be demonstrating her strength here—and he didn't want anyone to witness her true form.