"Hey! What do you people know?! Third Seat Hitsugaya's strength surpasses that of many Captains in the Gotei 13!"
Facing the doubts of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, Toshiro himself hadn't said anything, but someone from the reinforcement force he led stepped forward to defend him.
Toshiro looked back and saw that the Shinigami speaking up for him was from the 10th Division.
Toshiro couldn't help but feel a bit gratified, 'It seemed my reputation in the 10th Division was still quite high.'
However, Toshiro spoke up, "No need to say more, Yamauchi!"
Letting this Shinigami continue wouldn't be good for unity between the reinforcements and the expeditionary force.
"But..." The Shinigami named Yamauchi wanted to say more, but Toshiro waved his hand to stop him.
"Even if you say more, they still won't believe it," Toshiro explained.
Yamauchi glanced over and, indeed, it was just as Toshiro said. The members of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force were pointing at him and Toshiro, with some saying he was bragging.
In their view, it was already unbelievable for someone Toshiro's age to be a Third Seat, let alone stronger than a captain.
Honestly, anyone who didn't know Toshiro's accomplishments would never believe that someone his age could match a Captain-level, let alone surpass some Gotei 13's Captains.
"Alright. Regardless of whether you believe in my strength or not, I am now the Commander of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force. You must obey me. As for my strength, you'll witness it in the battles to come," Toshiro said to everyone.
"Now, there's no need to stand here. Everyone, enter the camp. Many in these reinforcements are from the 4th Division. Let them treat the wounded first," Toshiro said.
Then, Toshiro ignored them and walked straight into the camp.
The corps commanders exchanged glances, then followed behind Toshiro.
Although they thought the Soul Society's appointment this time was highly unreliable, they didn't dare openly defy Toshiro.
Moreover, even if they did oppose, it wouldn't pose much of a threat to Toshiro. The Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force had been severely crippled, with only a few dozen left. They couldn't compare to the forces Toshiro brought.
Five hundred elite members from the Gotei 13, plus members of the Kido Corps, and some Shinigami who had committed offenses and wanted to atone… the total was nearly a thousand. Their small force had become insignificant, and these reinforcements Toshiro brought would become the new main force of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.
In the camp of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, inside a central tent.
There were no chairs in the tent. Toshiro and the corps commanders sat on the ground.
Toshiro sat at the head, with the corps commanders on either side.
"Alright, everyone, first introduce yourselves and your situations," Toshiro began.
"Commander Hitsugaya, sir, I am Ando Akimine, deputy commander of the 1st Corps!"
"Ota Masaru, commander of the 2nd Corps!"
"Kawano Yoshio, commander of the 4th Corps!"
"Amagai Shusuke, commander of the 3rd Corps!"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing the name 'Amagai Shusuke', Toshiro couldn't help but look at the 3rd Corps commander in surprise.
'It's him?' Toshiro thought, somewhat astonished.
Amagai had been standing behind the other three corps commanders earlier, and Toshiro hadn't looked closely, so he hadn't recognized him.
Amagai Shusuke… an anime-original character. After Gin followed Aizen in defecting from the Soul Society, he served as Captain of the 3rd Division for a while.
Of course, as an original character, to not affect the main story, he inevitably had to disappear.
The anime said he had been on campaigns outside, so Toshiro didn't expect him to be in the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.
'Sigh, this guy's a tragedy too. I should find a way to keep him from dying, to add one more combatant to the Soul Society. After all, he's Captain-level figure,' Toshiro thought to himself.
Of course, Amagai wasn't Captain-level yet.
According to the information Toshiro received before coming, the corps commanders of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force were roughly around Lieutenant-level.
The former commander, Yamazaki Kazuhito, was also Lieutenant-level, but at the peak, approaching Captain-level.
Although he wanted to save Amagai's life and prevent him from doing something foolish, now wasn't the time to discuss that.
Toshiro asked the group, "Although I knew the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force suffered heavy losses in battle, what exactly happened?"
Ando, deputy commander of the 1st Corps, answered, "It's like this. Although we're called the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, we've always operated in the outer circle of Hueco Mundo, rarely entering the inner circle."
"Because the Hollows active in the outer circle are mostly ordinary, weak Hollows, or slightly stronger large Hollows. Even Gillian, the weakest Menos Grande, are rarely encountered. So, we could handle it. Usually, our four corps operate separately, clearing Hollows in four directions simultaneously."
"But recently, each corps suddenly started encountering some Gillian. For safety, our four corps began joint operations. Unexpectedly, we later encountered a large number of Gillian, and even an Adjuchas that reached Captain-level. Commander Yamazaki stayed behind with some to cover our retreat, letting us escape first. Even so, only a few dozen of us made it back."
Saying this, Ando looked somewhat sad. Although Yamazaki was the commander, he was also the commander of the 1st Corps and usually had the best relationship with him.
"Gillian and a Captain-level Adjuchas?" Toshiro pondered.
"Has this kind of situation occurred before in the outer circle of Hueco Mundo?" Toshiro asked.
"No, never. Usually, even if ordinary Hollows in the outer circle evolve into Gillian, they instinctively leave the outer circle for the Forest of Menos or other places. They rarely linger in the outer areas, let alone an Adjuchas appearing," Ando replied.
"Is that so? It seems this matter isn't simple," Toshiro said.
"Huh!" Toshiro suddenly looked up towards the outside of the tent. Although blocked by the tent, he couldn't see anything directly.
"What is it, Commander Hitsugaya?" The corps commanders asked, seeing Toshiro's expression.
But then, their expressions changed drastically.
They sensed it too!
"A Hollow horde is coming!"