A petite girl with a bob haircut stood silently.
Behind her, a group of Soul Reapers in black uniforms followed, led by Soi Fon. Each wore a stern expression as they scanned the area.
"Damn it… They're everywhere."
There was no mistaking it—they were completely surrounded by sinners.
"Captain, what should we do?"
Omaeda shrank behind Soi Fon, her throat bobbing nervously, clearly terrified by the sight before her.
Soi Fon frowned. "What a coward."
How could her vice-captain be such a disgrace?
""Yaaaa!" Just as she was about to reprimand Omaeda, a sinner let out a piercing shriek and lunged at her.
Soi Fon, standing atop a white platform, narrowed her eyes. She swallowed her words and disappeared in a flash using Shunpo to dodge the sinner's attack.
She reappeared a moment later, eyes sweeping the area.
A massive crowd of criminals had appeared before her.
"Tsk." She clicked her tongue in frustration.
Even the agile Second Division couldn't break through this blockade quickly—let alone investigate anything properly.
Of course, if it were just her, Soi Fon could use her exceptional Shunpo to easily escape.
But… her subordinates wouldn't be able to keep up.
She couldn't abandon them and complete the mission alone.
"…Haaa." Taking a deep breath, Soi Fon's gaze hardened.
No choice. They'd have to force their way through!
She drew her Zanpakuto. A powerful burst of captain-level spiritual pressure erupted from her.
"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"
Without hesitation, she released her Zanpakuto.
Buzz—
The blade shifted, forming a small golden gauntlet with a stinger-like tip on her middle finger. The front two segments were gold, the rear portion marked by black stripes like a bee's abdomen. A thin chain connected it to the guard.
This was her Suzumebachi.
Unfortunately, her Zanpakuto didn't deal area damage. It would take time to cut down all these criminals.
But if it wasn't suited for area attacks…
Then she'd use speed to become the area attack.
Soi Fon's gaze turned cold. Her figure vanished, leaving only a blurry afterimage in the air.
In the next moment, she reappeared behind a sinner.
The golden finger thrust into the sinner's body. A black butterfly-shaped mark appeared.
Without pausing, she struck again with lightning speed!
The overlapping stings formed an octagonal pattern.
"Urrghhh—!"
The sinner screamed before collapsing, breath extinguished.
But it wasn't over.
Without stopping, Soi Fon moved on to the next one.
Her afterimages flashed behind each target like a haunting shadow.
Seeing this, the rest of the squad began casting Kidō spells to support their captain.
Elsewhere, deep within Hell—
Yoruichi, in her cat form, suddenly raised her head. A strange glint appeared in her golden eyes.
"This spiritual pressure…"
"…Is that Soi Fon?"
She was puzzled. What was that girl doing in Hell?
Feeling the aura, Yoruichi couldn't sit still anymore.
"Lynn, I'm heading out for a bit."
"…Maybe," she added, hesitating for a moment, "we could recruit a new member for the Peerage?"
If it's Soi Fon. She should qualify, right?
Wait.
Why did she shift into recruiter mode so fast?
Was she already thinking about adding new members to the Peerage?
Yoruichi was a bit surprised at herself.
But…
She'd just joined Lynn's Peerage and still didn't know many people.
Having a familiar face around might not be bad.
She had asked Lynn before.
Yes. The Peerage only accepts females.
So recruiting Urahara Kisuke?
Out of the question.
Then Soi Fon could serve as a stand-in.
Lynn had fully supported Yoruichi's suggestion to bring in a new member.
After Yoruichi left, Lynn narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had sensed the spiritual pressure too.
Moving his fingers, he accessed Hell's authority to locate its source.
Then, a petite woman with short black hair came into view.
"…Soi Fon."
A flash of recognition lit Lynn's eyes.
No wonder…
After confirming her potential and status, Lynn shifted his attention back to Midoriko and the others.
---
Hueco Mundo
Through scouting, they had mapped out the hierarchy of Hollows.
Those without humanoid forms were nothing more than high-level demons.
Enemies like that were easy prey for someone like Miko.
She used Spirit Devouring to condense an Adjuchas into a crystalized pill, then popped it into her mouth.
"Phew…"
Her golden eyes gleamed as she smiled.
"With all these Hollows, I think I'll hit Ultimate-Class soon."
In the main world, it was rare to find such a high density of quality spirits.
Coming to the World of the Soul Reapers was definitely the right move.
"Alright, let's keep moving!"
With a wave of her hand, Midoriko led the group deeper into Hueco Mundo.
Their goal was simple: explore the entire realm.
And—
If possible, find Las Noches.
But…
They'd been wandering for a while and hadn't seen a single person.
Midoriko looked across the endless white sand, scanning carefully.
Then—
"Ow!"
A soft voice suddenly rang out.
"…?"
She froze, turning toward the sound.
There, in the sand, something shifted beneath a cracked skull mask.
Midoriko walked over with a strange expression and lifted it up.
A small girl with lake-green hair, golden-green eyes, and a rose-pink horizontal tattoo across her face came into view.
Her limbs flailed in the air as she tried to claw at the white sand. A faint hum came from her lips.
Kikyo and the others approached.
When they saw the little girl in Midoriko's arms, their eyes lit up.
"So cute!"
Miko couldn't help but poke her cheek. "Wait… this is Hueco Mundo…"
"There are cute things like this here?"
The group fell silent for a moment.
"…She's probably a humanoid Hollow, right?"
But—
She didn't seem dangerous.
In fact…
She was kind of adorable.
Midoriko spoke solemnly, "I sense strong energy from her body."
"She's no ordinary Hollow…"
Surrounded by noise, the little girl's eyes fluttered open.
"Huh?"
She blinked at the faces around her, tilting her head in confusion.
Then suddenly, she panicked and began flailing.
"Don't take me back!"
(To be continued.)
***
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