Karakura Town.
A small town located in the middle of Tokyo.
It has existed for hundreds of years.
At this moment, a two-hundred-meter-long crack was slowly appearing above a school.
As if space had been torn apart, a hideous Menos Grande gripped the edges of the crack with both hands.
As it exerted force.
Whoosh…
The crack rapidly expanded as if an eye had opened.
A leg as tall as a mountain stepped out from within.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently, and the strong winds bent the trees along the street.
For a moment, all the humans within a one-kilometre radius could feel their centre of gravity shifting.
—An earthquake is coming.
…
"Damn it!"
"Why is it a Menos Grande?!"
"You don't see something like this once in a hundred years!"
Outside the school, several Shinigami were standing in the air, their feet condensed with reishi.
They looked at the hundred-meter-tall, imposing Menos Grande before them, their expressions all somewhat grim.
As a fusion of hundreds of thousands of Hollows, a Menos Grande possessed astonishing power.
To defeat it, at least a Seat Officer-level individual was required.
And a Seat Officer…
A young girl looked at her colleagues around her, seeing that no one dared to step forward, and felt both annoyed and ashamed—their luck was too bad!
Why did she encounter this thing on her first Human World mission, to the point where she didn't even dare to make a move?
"Can we only watch it like this?"
While self-preservation was prudent, they were Shinigami!
The duty of a Shinigami was to repel Hollows or kill Hollows.
But now…
"Look!"
Just as she was feeling frustrated, someone's exclamation jolted her awake.
She quickly gripped the Zanpakuto at her waist, then saw the Menos Grande turn around and walk towards them.
Each of its steps covered dozens of meters, and while its movement speed was slow, a vague sense of crisis constantly filled their hearts.
Their minds tensed.
Their breathing slowed.
Her colleagues, along with her, slowly retreated.
Until.
Buzz!
The reishi in the air suddenly contracted into a ball, rapidly condensing at the Menos Grande's mouth.
Everyone only had time to see a red glow.
The Shinigami fell from mid-air due to the sudden increase in spiritual pressure, kneeling on the ground.
Their faces were as pale as gold leaf, as if they had witnessed an apocalyptic scene.
"That is…"
"Damn it!"
Some recognised Menos Grande's technique, and almost instantly, they showed expressions of despair.
"Cero!"
Hailed as the ultimate technique of Hollows, its upper limit could destroy a city.
Among Shinigami, only individuals of Vice-Captain level or higher could contend with it.
…If nothing unexpected happened.
They were going to die…
…
Boundless pressure surged over, like being at the bottom of the ocean tens of thousands of meters deep, and Kiyone Kotetsu felt it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Her head hung low, and a screen like a black hole covered her vision.
Under Menos Grande's stimulation, she felt a bit dizzy.
Phew…
She managed to take a breath.
Raising her eyes, she stared at the Cero.
She subconsciously tightened her grip on the Zanpakuto at her waist, and her previous thoughts surged into her mind one by one.
Perhaps it was retribution.
Because of one act of self-preservation.
She would end up dying without a burial…
She wondered what her sister in the Fourth Division would think when she learned of her death.
She felt a bit sorry for Captain Ukitake; it wasn't easy to join the Thirteenth Division, and as a result, she didn't even become a Seat Officer…
With Captain Ukitake's gentle personality, he would surely be saddened.
Well, at least he would remember her, so she wouldn't die in obscurity.
Her thoughts fluttered like butterflies breaking free from their cocoons in her mind.
In a few thoughts.
The Cero was fully condensed.
Boom!
With a gentle exhalation from the Menos Grande, an energy bomb compressed with tens of millions of reishi units shot towards the group, crushing everything in its path!
Everything in its path was utterly destroyed; small birds turned to dust, and the air became nothingness!
Just the feeling alone was like being pricked by tens of thousands of silver needles in the heart, unable to even conjure a thought of resistance.
Everyone waited for death to arrive.
Suddenly!
"Burn, Engetsu!"
A clear shout echoed through the clear sky.
Shiba Isshin appeared at the very front of the Cero, holding a Zanpakuto about half a person's height, and lightly swung it towards the Cero.
Boom!
In an instant, a crescent-shaped crimson sword energy sliced across the sky, cutting the Cero in half instantly, like a hot knife through butter!
Accompanied by a burst of brilliant fireworks, the surging winds blew away the scattered hair of the Shinigami below.
Everyone looked up, stunned, their eyes reflecting the grand mushroom cloud, leaving them all somewhat dazed.
Before they could even clearly see the newcomer.
Another figure appeared in front of the Menos Grande.
His striking red hair intertwined with the fireworks in the sky.
He slowly raised the Zanpakuto in his hand.
Aiming at the Menos Grande.
"Judge him, Gyouka!"
With a low shout, a beam of crimson laser shot out from the tip of his blade.
Its speed was so fast that before anyone could react, the Menos Grande's head was effortlessly pierced.
Like a cavitation effect, a huge hole appeared in the middle of Menos Grande's forehead.
Burning reishi chains were flying out from inside the hole.
The chains rapidly wrapped around the Menos Grande, binding it so tightly that it couldn't move in just an instant.
Illusory flames spread over its body, causing it to let out painful wails!
Just then, a thunderous roar sounded, and a black gate, the same height as the Menos Grande, abruptly appeared in mid-air.
The gate was carved with blood-colored, evil skull patterns, and a chain on one side was tightly connected to the chains on the Menos Grande's body.
Even thousands of meters away, everyone could smell its decaying, bloody, and sinful aura, sending shivers down their spines!
—Hell Gate!
Seeing this.
Shiba Isshin clicked his tongue in wonder.
It could summon Hell.
One must know that the conditions for the appearance of the Hell Gate were extremely strict; it only seized beings who had committed heinous sins during their lives.
There was no standard for judging sin.
In his decades as a Captain, he had only seen it a dozen times.
Though the number was small, he knew that once the Hell Gate appeared, the people and Hollows it targeted would not escape.
Even the Captain-Commander was no exception.
And now, the Zanpakuto that Tsugikuni Yoriichi wielded seemed to be able to control the Hell Gate…
An unsolvable ability!
If Shikai was already like this.
What about Bankai?
Amidst his emotions, the Hell Gate slammed shut.
Thousands of meters away, the rampaging Menos Grande had already vanished before everyone's astonished eyes.
It only left behind a faint reishi fluctuation, gradually dissipating in the air.
Seeing this, Yoriichi gently exhaled, slowly sheathing the Zanpakuto in his hand.
Then, he moved, flying downwards.
Shiba Isshin followed closely behind.
"Are you all alright?"
The Shinigami who were lying on the ground now stood up.
Although their faces still showed lingering fear, they were much better compared to when the Cero arrived.
Hearing Tsugikuni Yoriichi's question, Kiyone Kotetsu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said:
"Report! Senior, all members of the Thirteenth Division and Tenth Division's Human World stationed squad are accounted for. Please give your next instructions!"
"Speaking of which…"
Her voice lowered a few degrees, "What is Senior's name, and which Division are you from?"