Hueco Mundo.
Via the world-crossing gate that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had secretly opened, Higashino Shuuichi arrived here together with Yushima Ōko.
Although Tokinada Tsunayashiro had said he would help spread news about the Arrancar, that news obviously couldn't just come out of thin air. It needed a trigger—an actual Arrancar assault.
Tokinada's original idea was to wait until a real Arrancar attack happened and then coordinate the rumor-mongering to match. Higashino Shuuichi, however, felt that was unnecessary, because he just so happened to have a modified-soul experiment on hand that needed a good opportunity.
In the name of "investigating Hueco Mundo," he could draw away most of Soul Society's high-end Shinigami fighting power, creating the perfect conditions for his experimental plan.
So Higashino simply decided to go all in and take the field himself.
Of course, before getting to work, Higashino Shuuichi didn't forget to politely ask his old boss, Aizen Sōsuke, for his opinion.
All he received in return was Aizen's disdain for Tokinada Tsunayashiro and a casually given approval.
To Aizen, the Hollows of Hueco Mundo were nothing more than dispensable experimental products. Those failed Arrancar were destined to be naturally weeded out anyway; with Higashino and company dealing with them, it simply saved him the trouble of disposal.
In short, they were all trash—but if Higashino Shuuichi could squeeze a bit more use out of that trash, Aizen saw no problem with it.
In principle, as long as Higashino didn't kill the valuable research assistant Szayelaporro, then among all the Hollows of Hueco Mundo—including top-tier Arrancar like Starrk and Baraggan—so long as Higashino could stomach it, he could do whatever he liked with them and Aizen absolutely wouldn't step in.
Which fit perfectly with Higashino Shuuichi's image of his "big boss" Aizen.
Thinking back, if it hadn't been for his own efforts and for demonstrating his value, during that incident when he'd used the Kasumiooji family's rebellion to try to drag Squad Zero into the mud, he himself would have been treated as expendable material and quietly erased from this world.
"Shuuichi-sama, is this Hueco Mundo?"
With both feet stepping for the first time onto Hueco Mundo's endless white sands, Yushima Ōko spoke in barely contained excitement.
He had never imagined Shuuichi-sama would bring him to Hueco Mundo to temper himself.
That day, he had been wholly absorbed in the final checks of that first-generation modified soul. When he heard Shuuichi-sama request Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi to bring him along to Hueco Mundo as well, Yushima Ōko had honestly thought he was dreaming.
He had believed that only after the Modified Soul Project succeeded would he be able to show his worth to Shuuichi-sama and thus earn further guidance.
Who would have thought…
Sure enough, Shuuichi-sama really did care about him!
"Mn. This is your first time here?"
"Yes! Thank you for giving me this chance, Shuuichi-sama! I'll do my very best!"
Watching his expression, Higashino Shuuichi felt Yushima Ōko was getting a bit too hyped. All he'd wanted was—since he had to nab some random Hollow to bring back anyway—doing it himself would be too simple and boring, so he might as well use the opportunity to properly coach Yushima Ōko, so the latter wouldn't drop the ball in the coming plan.
After all, once he'd learned from Yushima that he still hadn't managed to achieve Bankai (Final Release), Higashino's expectations of him serving as the "final boss" for the Modified Soul Project had dropped quite a bit.
The Gotei 13's current overall strength might have fallen a little compared to over ten years ago, but not by that much. Higashino Shuuichi definitely didn't want Yushima Ōko collapsing and surrendering after just a few seconds—that would make it really embarrassing when he had to swoop in and snatch people away.
At the very least, Higashino didn't want to someday hear Tsunayashiro Kamihara saying something like, "You picked a fight with Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni over such a useless Shinigami?!"
Hueco Mundo wasn't exactly big, but it wasn't small either. After bringing Yushima there, Higashino Shuuichi walked steadily toward Las Noches with him, all the while instructing him on how to bring his Zanpakutō to Bankai (Final Release) and helping clear up various Kidō questions Yushima had accumulated over the years.
Soon, Higashino sensed several very powerful spiritual pressures rapidly approaching from ahead.
"What is it, Shuuichi-sama?"
Seeing Higashino suddenly halt beside him, Yushima asked curiously.
"Hollows are coming."
Higashino spoke softly, extending his right hand and snapping his fingers with a crisp motion.
Bakudō no. 26: Kyokkō (Curved Light)!
In an instant, a layer of invisible Reishi covered Higashino and Yushima, blending the two of them perfectly into their surroundings.
"Shuuichi-sama, didn't you say this Kidō was pretty useless? As long as a Shinigami's perception is even slightly keen, a spell that only hides you visually is basically meaningless…"
As he spoke, Yushima Ōko carefully recalled Higashino's past lectures and noticed the inconsistency.
"Mn, under normal circumstances that's true—but that's in Soul Society, not in Hueco Mundo.
The Reishi density in Hueco Mundo is far higher than in Soul Society, and most Hollows have never trained their perception. So using Kyokkō (Curved Light) against the majority of them is more than enough."
Higashino Shuuichi explained with a rather satisfied tone.
As they spoke, those several powerful spiritual pressures had already come into their field of vision.
Judging from their explosive physiques alone, it was obvious that the ones currently fleeing were four female Arrancar, while the one pursuing them was a single uninjured male Arrancar.
And as luck would have it, Higashino recognized all five of them.
The one most severely injured had her entire left arm reduced to bare bone, with brown skin, emerald eyes and a full bust, her upper white garment covering only the upper half of her chest. That should be Tier Harribel, the future No. 3 Espada. Yet when Higashino's gaze swept past the lower right side of her chest, he saw no number there, meaning that at this point Harribel had yet to become one of the Espada.
Flanking Harribel, on her left was Emilou Apacci, sporting dark blue-black Egyptian bobbed hair, a deep red left eye and a mask fragment shaped like a rhino's horn.
On her right was Sung-Sun, with long dark-green hair cut in straight bangs, and three round, tear-like beauty marks descending one by one along the right side of her face.
Trailing behind the three was the tall, powerfully built female Arrancar with an equally explosive figure and long black curly hair—Franceska Mila Rose. Her injuries were no less serious, yet upon realizing the male Arrancar behind was about to catch up, she deliberately slowed her steps, determined to use her own body to buy time for the other three to escape.
As for the male Arrancar giving chase, Higashino remembered him vividly—or rather, it would've been difficult not to remember him.
Ever heard of a "Death Barbie"?
This male Arrancar named Charlotte Chuhlhourne, Baraggan's chief subordinate, clearly had a body packed with explosive muscle lines from head to toe, yet loved to dress himself up like a pink, frilly Barbie princess.
If that were all, he would've been nothing more than the Arrancar version of Ayasegawa Yumichika, which Higashino could still tolerate. Unfortunately, this Arrancar's facial features were especially wild to begin with, to the point Higashino had once found it hard to look him straight in the eye.
With this particular lineup of five Arrancar, plus the obvious aging-inflicted wounds on Harribel and the others, Higashino didn't even need to think to know what had happened.
It was definitely because Harribel had once again refused Baraggan's attempt to recruit her, provoking such extreme dissatisfaction that Baraggan had personally attacked Harribel and her fracción.
This was exactly how it was supposed to play out in theory. Higashino remembered that in the original storyline it was mentioned that long before Harribel accepted Aizen's Arrancarification and while she was still a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow, she had turned down Baraggan's invitation because of her conviction that she did not wish to grow stronger by killing other Hollows.
Even later in the original storyline, when Harribel chose to join the Espada because Aizen had saved her life, she still genuinely loathed the other Espada and the fracción led by Szayelaporro, whose inhuman experiments on other Hollows were something she could never accept.
Simply put, Harribel was an absolute outlier among Hollows—in a certain sense, you could almost call her a "good Hollow."
Of course, good and evil couldn't be defined that simplistically. But a very real question now lay before Higashino Shuuichi.
Who should he help?
Harribel's group of four, or Charlotte Chuhlhourne, Baraggan's chief subordinate—or simply both?
Higashino recalled how every time he'd come to Hueco Mundo in the past, Baraggan always found some pretext or another to pick a fight with him.
On second thought, that didn't really feel like much of a dilemma at all.
"Ōko."
"Yes, Shuuichi-sama!"
"That seriously twisted-looking male Arrancar is yours."
Higashino Shuuichi swore there wasn't the slightest shred of personal grudge mixed into that assignment!
At the same time, on the other side, Harribel saw Mila Rose deliberately drop half a step back to block Charlotte Chuhlhourne and immediately skidded to a halt, spinning around to roar at her, "Mila! Who told you to stay behind? Get back behind me!"
Yet this time, Franceska Mila Rose, who had always obeyed Harribel, stubbornly refused to look back. "Harribel, please don't worry about me!"
With that, Mila Rose raised her greatsword-shaped Zanpakutō one-handed, preparing to charge straight at Charlotte Chuhlhourne.
"Damn it, Mila!"
Harribel wanted to stop her but simply couldn't. When she'd tried to shield Mila Rose, Sung-Sun and Apacci while they fled Las Noches, she had been grievously wounded by Espada No. 2, Baraggan. In her current state, never mind Resurrección (Release)—even using Sonído (Sound Step) was painfully difficult.
The only reason she had even managed to bring Mila Rose and Sung-Sun this far was because Charlotte Chuhlhourne had deliberately been toying with them like this.
Though her heart was full of helplessness and resentment, Harribel knew she could only endure this humiliating game and pray for a miracle she knew would never come.
But would a miracle really descend?
"Aaayaaa, why aren't you running anymore? Was Charlotte Chuhlhourne's pursuit a little too intense for you?
"It's okay~ Charlotte Chuhlhourne can slow down a little~"
"Oh my?"
"Not only are you not running, you even want to counterattack me?
"Then allow the beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne to show you a perfect, dashing, intoxicating, ever-changing, economical, European, superhuman, truly astonishing sparkling attack!"
From on high, Charlotte Chuhlhourne looked down at Mila Rose, who was charging him on a suicidal rush, and with a flamboyant smile slashed down a powerful beam of light at her.
"Mila!"
Harribel had already taken that slash from Charlotte before and knew that even at her peak, Mila Rose might not be able to block it, let alone now, maimed with one arm just like herself.
And it wasn't as if Mila Rose didn't know that.
Yet in that moment, there wasn't a shred of fear in her.
At the very least, she didn't want to be a burden to Harribel-sama.
If she was gone, wouldn't Harribel-sama's chances of escape be just a little higher?
Mila Rose thought to herself.
Yet just then, a cool male voice seemed to emerge from nowhere behind Harribel and the others.
"Bakudō no. 81: Dankū (Splitting Void)!"
Before the words had even faded, a transparent Reishi wall formed between Mila Rose and Charlotte.
At the center of that clear Reishi wall, the jet-black eight-petaled flower was eerily striking.
Charlotte Chuhlhourne's slash hit the solid barrier like cotton fluff, vanishing without a trace.
"Bakudō? A Shinigami?!"
Charlotte looked in shock toward the source of the voice, only to see that standing there wasn't a Shinigami at all but a yet-un-Arrancarized Menos, wearing a pale skull-like mask.
It was the man beside him, with dark green hair, who looked like a classic Shinigami.
"Who are you? Why has Charlotte Chuhlhourne never seen you before?"
As Baraggan's chief subordinate, Charlotte prided himself on at least having heard of every powerful Hollow in Hueco Mundo. Yet he had never once heard of this Menos capable of using Shinigami Kidō. It made no sense.
"Hmph."
But the only answer Charlotte got was a cold snort from Higashino Shuuichi—and the long-prepared Kidō of Yushima Ōko, who had been itching to move at Higashino's side, the result of Higashino's guidance and his own perfected silent incantation.
"Dimly lit crest of turbid design, arrogant talent, unbridled and wild; surge, denial, paralysis, a fleeting instant that hinders eternal slumber. Crawling iron princess, mud dolls that mutilate themselves—combine, repel and spread upon the ground. Know your own powerlessness!
Hadō no. 90: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin)!"
A jet-black coffin thrust abruptly up from beneath Charlotte Chuhlhourne's feet and, under his incredulous gaze, swallowed him whole.
"I did it!"
Seeing his attack land in one go, Yushima Ōko was as excited as a child.
"The fight isn't over yet, Ōko."
Higashino Shuuichi shook his head with a touch of helplessness.
At his reminder, Yushima immediately reined himself in, hurriedly apologized to Higashino, then drew his Zanpakutō and charged toward the massive coffin.
He ignored Harribel's group completely as he passed, leaving Harribel staring at Higashino in stunned confusion.
Were these two their enemies?
They should be, right?
After all, one of them was a Shinigami, and that Hollow who'd cast Dankū (Splitting Void) to save Mila didn't look like any normal Hollow either.
But then, why had they saved them?
A swarm of questions circled in Harribel's heart, but when Yushima truly rushed past them without so much as a glance, she silently shifted her gaze to Higashino Shuuichi. Then, taking Sung-Sun, Apacci and Mila Rose with her, she walked in his direction.
At the very least, for now, this man might really be the miracle they had been praying for.
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