"Quincy? What is that?" Ichigo looked at Rukia beside him.
Just moments ago, Uryū had approached Ichigo, revealed his identity, and challenged him.
"I've only heard some rumors, I don't know much about the Quincy." Rukia shook her head.
"Have the Shinigami already forgotten about the Quincy?" Uryū couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
"The Shinigami actively started a war of extermination against the Quincy, and I am a descendant of the survivors."
"But I don't care about those events from 200 years ago."
"My teacher, as the last Quincy, was always dedicated to cooperation between the Shinigami and the Quincy."
"Yet he never received a positive response and ultimately died in battle, isolated and without aid."
"Talking is useless. Let's start now."
Saying this, Uryū pulled out the "Hollow Bait" he had bought from Urahara Shop.
"This is 'Hollow Bait,' capable of attracting a large number of low-level Hollows, and even Menos."
Uryū immediately crushed the Hollow Bait.
Soon, Ichigo and the other felt the presence of a massive number of Hollows.
Many Gargantas appeared in the sky, and Hollows streamed out of them into Karakura Town.
"If you don't intervene, I can handle this alone. This world doesn't need Shinigami."
Uryū gathered Reishi using the Quincy Cross on his hand, forming a bow. As he continuously drew the bow, Hollows were eliminated one by one.
Ichigo looked at the increasing number of Hollows surrounding him.
"Damn it!"
He had no choice but to draw his sword and join the fight.
—
Meanwhile, Shin also sensed the appearance of the massive number of Hollows.
"They finally showed up?"
He had been waiting for this opportunity for the past two days.
Because of his involvement, the pressure on Uryū and Ichigo was significantly reduced.
On the other side, Ichigo's classmates, Chad and Orihime, were also under attack by Hollows.
Ichigo found Uryū surrounded by Hollows in a forest. He immediately rushed forward and kicked Uryū down.
"What your teacher hoped for was never for the Shinigami to acknowledge the Quincy's abilities. It was to fight alongside the Shinigami."
"Isn't this a perfect opportunity right now?" Ichigo walked over and grabbed Uryū by the collar.
"Why did you become a Shinigami? Why do you exterminate Hollows?" Uryū stood up, positioning himself back-to-back with Ichigo.
Ichigo killed a nearby Hollow as he spoke, "My mother was killed by a Hollow, and I don't want anyone else to go through what I did."
"When my mother died, my father and sisters suffered greatly. I don't want to see that happen again."
Uryū felt a slight stirring in his heart. He remembered his teacher, who was also his grandfather, having said similar things.
"I want to protect more people. Your contest has dragged too many innocent people into this, we have to work together now."
"You talk too much. We can fight again after this." Uryū drew his bow.
As they joined forces, the number of Hollows steadily decreased.
Just when they thought the crisis was about to be resolved smoothly—
A larger Garganta appeared in the sky, a pair of gigantic hands tore open the sky, and a body tens of meters tall gradually materialized.
Menos Grande: Gillian!
Hollows are generally divided into four classes: low-level Hollows, Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lorde.
A Gillian is formed by the fusion of hundreds of defeated Hollows, and its strength is equivalent to that of a Lieutenant-class Shinigami in the Gotei 13.
Rukia, standing nearby, looked pale. "I've only read about creatures like this in books. They are not something an ordinary Shinigami can handle."
Moreover, the appearance of such a massive Menos would inevitably attract the attention of the Soul Society.
"Who cares! To deal with this thing, all we have to do is keep slashing!"
Ichigo charged straight at it, slamming his Zanpakuto into the Menos's foot, but failed to inflict even the slightest damage.
After seeing the Menos appear, Shin immediately rushed over. However, he did not reveal himself. He planned to watch the show first and only intervene when the Menos was about to flee.
Perhaps due to his presence, Kisuke and his group, who supported Ichigo in the original story, were not here. He only spotted Orihime and Chad on a distant overpass. They were likely arranged by Kisuke to observe the battle.
Uryū reached out to help Ichigo, and when he touched the enormous Zanpakuto, he felt a massive amount of Reiryoku surging out. Consequently, the bow in his hand grew several times larger.
While surprised, Uryū thought of a way that might defeat the Menos.
Ichigo would unleash his Reiryoku fully, and then he would gather and fire that power.
Thus, a comical scene unfolded.
Uryū knelt on one knee, drawing his bow, with the Zanpakuto strapped to his head, while Ichigo stood behind him, gripping the hilt.
Shin burst out laughing nearby.
That pose looks exactly like Chainsaw Man!
However, while it wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing, it might actually work.
At that moment, the Menos began to move. Red Reiryoku gathered around its mouth.
"That's... a Cero! Ichigo, dodge quickly!" Rukia shouted.
However, Ichigo grabbed his Zanpakuto and charged forward alone.
The Menos fired a red beam-like flash, hitting Ichigo directly. Ichigo held his sword horizontally, unleashing an unusual Reiatsu, and managed to block the attack.
After neutralizing it, he even managed to slash and wound the Menos.
The Menos let out a deafening roar and began retreating into the Garganta, preparing to escape.
Shin naturally wouldn't let it succeed.
Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!
A massive circular flame slash pierced through the Menos's body.
The Menos was annihilated!
[Killed Menos Grande, + 500 Points]
[Total Points: 1600]
"That was close. It almost got away. Good thing I made it." Shin pretended to have just arrived.
Uryū and the others were stunned by his single strike.
'To annihilate a Menos in one strike, he must have at least Lieutenant-class strength.'
Rukia's understanding of Shin's power was once again updated.
As for Ichigo, he collapsed due to the excessive release of Reiryoku. At the same time, Reiryoku continued to automatically converge onto his Zanpakuto.
Uryū snapped back to reality and quickly used his bow to help release Ichigo's Reiryoku.
However, the Garganta in the sky did not close. Furthermore, a terrifying Reiatsu, infinitely stronger than that of the Menos, erupted from within.
Under the oppression of this Reiatsu, Uryū and Rukia felt an unprecedented strain, even breathing became difficult.
"Could it be an Adjuchas-class Menos? That's a being capable of fighting Captain-class Shinigami." Rukia felt despair.
'No, this Reiatsu is probably beyond Adjuchas-class. It must be a Vasto Lorde-class Menos.' Shin's gaze was solemn.
A Vasto Lorde-class Menos possesses power exceeding that of an average Captain-class Shinigami. But that wasn't what he was worried about. He was concerned about Aizen, who was behind all this.
Because he knew very well that the Gillian was arranged by Aizen, yet now a Vasto Lorde-class Menos had appeared.
What exactly is Aizen planning?