Chapter 108: Las Noches Briefing
The Fifth Division was a rescue squad.
They excelled at information processing and wartime coordination. It was no surprise they worked with the Eighth Division for intelligence gathering.
And given Aizen's personal ability, it was only natural for him to serve as the supreme commander of the pre war preparations.
Takeru and the others watched as Aizen stood, then aimed a remote control toward the center of the round table.
It was clearly a device manufactured by Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
With a single press, a curtain of reishi light projected upward from the table's center. The image remained stable no matter where you looked from, as if the round table itself had become a screen.
"That is…"
Toshiro's expression shifted as he stared at the display.
Not just him. Everyone's gaze was drawn to the scene on the light curtain.
A palace complex, pure white.
It stood out in the endless desert beneath moon and night, impossibly magnificent, like a fortress carved from bleached bone and polished stone.
"I believe you have all guessed it without me needing to say so," Aizen said, voice unusually solemn. "Yes. This is the enemy's main base. The Hollows call it Las Noches, an ancient creation similar to Seireitei."
He adjusted his glasses, calm and precise.
"Although it does not feel far, that is due to a distortion in spatial scale. In reality, its area may not be smaller than Seireitei, and it would take considerable effort to reach it from the filming location."
"…Then the enemy's numbers will be considerable," Komamura said in a deep voice.
"Not necessarily." Aizen shook his head.
"According to information extracted from stray Menos Grande we captured, this is the territory of Hueco Mundo's king. Since ancient times, only a small number of powerful Hollows have been permitted to reside there."
He continued without pause.
"This situation has not changed since Ichimaru and his group defected. In fact, it has become even more extreme. You will hardly find ordinary Hollows in Las Noches anymore."
Aizen's fingertip hovered near the projected image, not touching it, but guiding everyone's eyes.
"That palace is occupied by Ichimaru's faction and the Arrancar they created using the Hogyoku."
"While the exact number is unclear, creating Arrancar should not be easy. Even the Menos Grande we captured believe their numbers will not be large."
"That's great!" Renji blurted out behind Byakuya, unable to hold it in.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Realizing what he had done, Renji stiffened and bowed quickly. "Sorry. I spoke without thinking."
"It's fine," Takeru said, lifting a hand. "This is the last meeting. Speak freely."
"Agreed." Toshiro nodded, then his tone sharpened as he looked at Renji. "But Abarai, I need to correct you."
"Hollows evolve by devouring each other. The further they go, the closer they become to human form." Toshiro's eyes stayed fixed on the white palace. "Which means their scarcity likely indicates they are all extremely powerful individuals."
He spoke like a blade sliding from its sheath.
"Far from being good news, it is not an exaggeration to call it the worst news."
"In contrast, I would rather see them gather a large army and rely on numbers. That would actually be more advantageous for us."
Renji's face changed immediately as the weight of it sank in.
The room's mood grew heavy. More than a few captains narrowed their eyes, as if the air itself had thickened.
In that silence, Aizen calmly adjusted his glasses again, confirming Toshiro's judgment.
"Based on the intelligence gathered so far, those Arrancar have been assigned numbers. The group with the strongest combat capability are collectively known as the Espada."
His voice remained even, but the words carried pressure.
"A significant portion of them were transformed from high ranking Menos Grande. Many are ancient figures long famous in Hueco Mundo, including the current master of Las Noches."
"And the rest," Toshiro said, following smoothly, "even if they are considered mid level Menos Grande, they are likely the best of their class, aren't they?"
Aizen gave a small nod. "Correct."
"This is going to be tough," Ichigo said, unable to stop himself now that they were being encouraged to speak. "I don't know about everyone else, but Takeru and I fought a mid level Menos Grande before. That guy had captain level spiritual pressure."
He glanced around, serious.
"If he is considered one of the best, and the weaker Espada are made from opponents like that, then fine. I can accept it."
Ichigo's jaw tightened.
"But I'm worried some Espada might be stronger than him. If that happens, we need to be careful. People who can't use Bankai will be in real danger if they run into them. They probably won't even be able to escape."
"Exactly! That's what we should do!" Omaeda nodded so hard it looked like his neck might snap.
"Omaeda."
"?!"
He froze instantly at Soi Fon's voice.
Aizen ignored him and continued, expression serious.
"Adjuchas level Espada are one hundred percent captain level in strength. That is a threat we must monitor, but there is no need to worry too much about their numbers. We have at least as many captain level Shinigami, if not more."
He paused, then his tone sharpened.
"What truly requires vigilance are Vasto Lorde level Arrancar."
"If I am not mistaken…" Byakuya's eyes shifted, glancing toward Takeru. "The prisoner who escaped from Muken a few months ago belonged to this category."
"Arturo Plateado." Takeru answered without hesitation. "Yes. He was a Vasto Lorde level Arrancar."
It was as if he had expected the name to surface sooner or later. His face showed no surprise.
The others were not nearly as calm.
Iba, Shūhei, and Hinamori, who had faced Arturo directly back then, broke into cold sweat without realizing it.
Komamura's expression also darkened, memories of being overwhelmed returning like a bruise.
Mayuri's mouth twisted with clear displeasure.
"That man…" Toshiro frowned deeply.
"Captain Unohana and I also suffered under him. We were sealed for several hours before we broke free. And at that time, he did not seem to be at his peak."
Toshiro's gaze moved across the table, warning everyone.
"From that perspective, aside from spiritual pressure and Zanpakuto, we also need to be wary of other methods."
"Overall, his strength is above captain level." He exhaled, voice cold. "If the high ranking Menos Grande among the Espada are all comparable to Arturo, then Captain Aizen is right. We must treat this seriously."
He did not soften it.
"To be extreme, I do not recommend one on one combat."
"Hah?" Kenpachi scoffed, grin sharp. "You want us to gang up? I'm not interested."
His spiritual pressure flared just from the thought, like he was already itching to cut something.
"For me, the stronger the opponent, the better. Don't blame me for not warning you. If anyone dares to disturb me, I'll cut them down too."
"Kenpachi…" Komamura began, then stopped, as if weighing whether arguing would accomplish anything.
"…Very well," Komamura said at last. "After all, you are Kenpachi. One on one should be no problem."
He looked around the room, voice steadying the atmosphere.
"And not just you. Captain Shimiya Takeru and Vice Captain Kurosaki have already defeated enemies of that caliber. Captain Aizen, Captain Kyōraku, Captain Ukitake, and Captain Unohana should also be capable of handling them."
Komamura's tone carried reassurance, but it was grounded, not naïve.
"We have no disadvantage in overall combat power. There is no need to panic."
"Indeed," Toshiro agreed at once. "Even if high ranking Menos Grande are strong, we are clearly stronger now. Even if all the Espada are high ranking Menos Grande, it is impossible for them to conquer Soul Society."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"When the time comes, the Espada can be left to the captains. The vice captains can focus on rescuing the Captain Commander."
He added immediately, "However, that is only my personal opinion. The specific decisions will still be made by the front line commander."
The words front line commander made everyone instinctively look toward Takeru.
Kyōraku smiled when he saw it. "Is this the will of the people? Looks like we'll be troubling Captain Shimiya again this time."
Takeru sighed, like someone accepting an extra shift.
"I understand."
"Then it's the usual," Kyōraku said, rising. "Once we reach Hueco Mundo, if Captain Shimiya gives orders, we follow them. If there are no orders, we act as the situation demands."
Kyōraku's gaze swept across the table.
"Captain Unohana will also be deployed this time. Since she does not need to remain in the rear, strictly speaking, only Captain Shimiya has command authority. Does anyone object?"
No one spoke.
One after another, hands rose in agreement.
Even the vice captains raised their hands this time.
It was a simple gesture, yet with so few people, it looked strangely magnificent.
"Good." Kyōraku nodded once.
"The combat personnel will also be the same as last time, right?" he continued. "Even for a distant expedition, we cannot leave Soul Society and the World of the Living unattended. It's better for those of us who can fight Menos Grande to go into battle."
He looked to Takeru. "What do you think, Captain Shimiya?"
"I have no objections." Takeru's tone stayed flat, practical. "I also have no experience commanding an army in battle, and personally, I prefer to have as few people around as possible during a fight."
The latter half earned quiet agreement from more than a few captains.
"Excuse me, I have a question." Ichigo raised his hand.
"Go ahead," Kyōraku said.
"If we all leave, what happens if something goes wrong in Seireitei?"
"That is a crucial question indeed."
Seeing that the concern was spreading across the room, Kyōraku did not rush to answer. Instead, he turned slightly and praised Takeru, half joking and half sincere.
"Speaking of which, just a few days ago, Captain Shimiya and Captain Soi Fon resolved a huge hidden danger for Soul Society. I almost jumped when I received the news. If Kageomaru's conspiracy hadn't been discovered, it would have been a big problem."
He spread his hands, smiling.
"The entire Soul Society should properly thank the two of you."
"Wait," Mayuri said flatly. "I also contributed."
"Oh, my memory." Kyōraku tapped his temple exaggeratedly. "Right, right. And Captain Kurotsuchi, as the direct superior of the culprit, assisted to the best of his ability and did not cover up the criminal. That magnanimity and breadth of mind are truly admirable."
Mayuri's eye twitched, but he did not interrupt.
Kyōraku finally turned back to Ichigo.
"Because of the lessons learned from this incident, I dared not be careless. After consulting with Captain Ukitake, Captain Unohana, Captain Aizen, and even Captain Shimiya, I made proper arrangements."
"This time, Vice Captain Tsuchibone will remain in Seireitei."
"Just Vice Captain Tsuchibone alone?" Ichigo asked quickly, then realized how it sounded and hurried to clarify. "Ah, no, I'm not doubting Vice Captain Tsuchibone's strength or ability. But if he has to manage all the divisions and personally go into battle if something happens, it feels like he'll be stretched too thin."
Kyōraku's smile deepened. "Ichigo is becoming more and more thoughtful. More and more like a captain. Now Ukitake can retire with peace of mind."
Ukitake coughed lightly, as if pretending he hadn't heard that.
"Don't worry," Kyōraku continued. "Having Vice Captain Tsuchibone stay behind is part of the plan."
He paused, eyes glinting with meaning.
"In fact, he won't be alone. I specifically invited outside help."
Then he called toward the door. "Since you're here, come in."
The meeting room door opened.
A dark skinned beauty stepped inside, head held high, posture proud and effortless.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Yoruichi?" Soi Fon suddenly stood, glaring at her. "Why are you here?"
"What do you mean, why me?" Yoruichi gave a sly smile, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Byakuya lifted his eyelids slightly, glanced at her, and spoke in a cold tone.
"Having Shihōin Yoruichi assist Vice Captain Tsuchibone in guarding Seireitei is acceptable."
...
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