When the members of the 11th Gotei Division and the Adjuchas of the Kyakuya Palace discovered the magical benefits of the hot spring water, they couldn't wait any longer…

"Your Majesty, the spring water has run out. What do you think…"

An Adjuchas bravely asked Baraggan softly.

"The spring water is gone? If it's gone, why are you still here? Why don't you go get some?!"

Baraggan remained seated on his throne, too lazy to move, and casually spoke to the Hollows before him.

"As you command!"

The eyes of the Hollows lit up. With Baraggan's permission, they didn't delay another moment and rushed toward the Forest of Menos—the Gillians belonged to these Adjuchas.

Elsewhere…

"Captain, we're planning to continue our sweep of the Great Hollow Forest!"

Without even being ordered, the "leeks" of the 11th Division surged ahead. Truly, only leeks with such strong self-driven growth deserve to be called leeks.

"Go."

Araki gave his approval with a lazy nod.

"Ohhh!!"

The 11th Division instantly grabbed their Zanpakutō and launched into a new round of hunting in the Great Hollow Forest.

Anyone with a good ear could hear them muttering under their breath:

"The Gillians are ours!"

But just as they stormed into Hueco Mundo, the 11th Division were met with an awkward sight—a horde of Adjuchas already slaughtering the Gillians.

The scene froze. Shinigami and Hollow locked eyes over fallen corpses.

The atmosphere grew tense…

"What the hell are you Hollows doing?! Stop it!"

"How cruel can you be?! You evolved from Gillians too! Besides, cleansing Gillians is our job! So back off and let us handle it!"

The shinigami of the 11th Division suddenly transformed into tragic heroes, blades drawn as if they were the Gillians' guardians.

"...Huh?!"

The Adjuchas were dumbfounded.

"You Shinigami are insane!"

"This is the Forest of Menos! It's Hollow territory, not Soul Society!"

"Don't get in our way!"

Though they shouted, the Adjuchas had no desire to provoke the captains. Their true goal was to collect Gillian corpses.

"What now, brothers?!"

The 11th Division looked to one another for answers.

"What are you waiting for?! Just go for it!"

Saito Furobushi had already drawn her Zanpakutō. "CHARGE!"

With that, hundreds of Shinigami charged headfirst into the Hollow swarm.

"Aren't they afraid of death?!"

The Adjuchas grimaced. They didn't want this fight.

"No need to clash with them. Kill the nearby Gillians and escape with Garganta!"

Dihjera, Baraggan's top general, made the call.

"Brilliant…"

The Adjuchas immediately turned their Cero against the Gillians.

"ROOOARR!!"

The Gillians let out confused wails and collapsed.

"Protect the Gillians!"

Some Shinigami stepped in front of the fallen Menos, as if shielding helpless children.

"Don't be afraid! We'll protect you!"

"...Roar?"

The Gillians were utterly lost.

Who was going to protect them?

Who was going to kill them?

"I CAN'T TELL!!"

"Since you're here… don't leave."

"Bankai—Minazuki."

A cold voice cut through the chaos. A figure, like a blood-soaked Rakshasa, stepped into the heart of the battlefield.

In a flash, all spirit particles in the area turned to blood, engulfing sand, trees, even stone in crimson torrents.

"RUN!!"

Dihjera spotted the figure and didn't hesitate. He grabbed a Gillian corpse and fled through a Garganta.

"Do you think I'll let you escape?"

Unohana Retsu raised her blade, slashing down a hundred-meter-wide crimson wave of liquified spirit energy.

"BOOOM!!"

Dihjera hurled the Gillian's body forward as a shield, taking the brunt of the slash.

When the bloody rain fell... Dihjera was already gone.

Unohana's eyes narrowed.

She turned, wrathful.

The Adjuchas scattered in panic.

"Shit…!"

Sensing her overwhelming bloodlust, even the Gillians instinctively attacked her.

But Unohana didn't stop.

One after another, she cut them down with ease.

Seeing this slaughter, the remaining Adjuchas activated Sonído and vanished from the battlefield.

The battle had ended.

The Gillians, mere beasts with no evolutionary potential, had been caught in the crossfire—hunted by both Soul Reapers and Hollows alike.

Now, all that remained was to collect the spoils.

The 11th Division hoisted the Gillian bodies and began their journey back to the hot springs outside the Forest of Menos.

At present, the Shinigami's "economic advantage" was increasingly evident, and they had begun to gradually gain the upper hand.

Time passed swiftly—ten years had flown by in a blur.

Over the past decade, countless skirmishes had erupted between the Hueco Mundo Subjugation Squad and the Adjuchas of Kageyaku. Both the Shinigami and the Adjuchas had grown familiar with each other's tactics. Battles had become more tactical and restrained, rarely escalating into full-scale conflicts. After all, the true objective of both sides wasn't war—it was securing the corpses of Killians.

During this period, the fight for corpses saw alternating victories on both sides. Neither the Shinigami nor the Adjuchas had managed to assert total control.

As for whether their rampant hunting of Killians would disrupt the ecological balance of the Great Hollow Forest—neither side gave it much thought.

Hueco Mundo was far too vast, and the Great Hollow Forest even more so. No one knew how many ancient Hollows slumbered in its depths—some perhaps older than even the founding of the Gotei 13.

Moreover, both Shinigami and Adjuchas avoided exterminating Killians with potential for evolution. The Adjuchas felt a fraternal bond with them, while the Shinigami preferred to wait for such Killians to evolve into more powerful Adjuchas before making their move—it was a more "cost-effective" approach.

As for Araki…

Araki had been busy with far more important matters.

Hueco Mundo – Araki's Correspondence

"Respected Captain-Commander Yamamoto~ Your most proud and beloved disciple, Araki, greets you! I hope you've been well lately!"

"Recently, I've run into some minor inconveniences in Hueco Mundo... Nothing major, really. Just a small issue: the five captains you once assigned to assist me—Shijima Chigiri, Takato, Zenjoji Arihime, Kumana Igaratetsu, and Nichikatsu—well… they all accidentally died!"

"Therefore, as your loyal and diligent disciple, I humbly request you send another five captains to aid in the continued pursuit of the monstrous Hollow known as Jijiba. Among them, I strongly recommend Captain Kadori. As for the other four, anyone will do—except Otogawa Amaeki! Please don't send him!"

Seireitei – First Division Barracks

After Sasakibe Chojiro finished reading the report aloud, Yamamoto sat in silence, his face unreadable.

"…Chojiro," the old commander murmured.

"Yes, Captain-Commander!" Chojiro straightened immediately.

"How, in all the realms, did Araki manage to get five high-ranking captains killed simultaneously?"

"…I… do not know," Chojiro hesitated, struggling to find an answer. The circumstances were unfathomable.

"Dead, huh? Heh…" Yamamoto closed his eyes for a moment, recalling past words exchanged with Araki. He suspected Araki was already building his own private army within Hueco Mundo.

"…Very well," Yamamoto finally said. "Send the following captains to reinforce Araki: Iwahara Kinraku of the Third Division, Obana Danjiro of the Fifth, Kanoko Takumi of the Eighth, and Otogawa Amaeki of the Tenth."

"And one more thing, Chojiro—have them relay a message to that ungrateful brat of mine: If another captain dies, don't come crawling back to me for help. I have no one else to send to Hueco Mundo."

He knew Araki too well. Every sword he sent was another pawn in his disciple's mad game.

With this, the Soul Society had officially begun bidding farewell to the age of the First Gotei 13. Yamamoto felt a tinge of sadness—it was he who had forged these twelve swords… and now he was sending them away one by one.

Swords can kill evil. Swords can terrify enemies. But they can't raise a new generation.

In chaotic times, one must strike first and hard. Mercy invites disaster. Overcorrection is sometimes necessary. But what happens when the chaos ends?

"…Alas," Yamamoto sighed.

Then, noticing Chojiro still standing silently at his side, he asked, "Why are you still here?"

"My Lord Genryusai!" Chojiro snapped to attention. "I must inform you—Araki explicitly refuses to accept Otogawa Amaeki as part of the reinforcements."

"GET HIM OUT!!" Yamamoto roared in fury. "Do you follow him, or me?! Who's the Commander of the Gotei 13?!"

"Of course, my Lord! I obey you alone!" Chojiro replied immediately.

"Good," Yamamoto nodded… but then Chojiro added:

"However, with all due respect, Araki is now part of the Royal Guard. Technically, his rank is—"

"YOU TOO?!" Yamamoto nearly exploded. "Just follow my orders!"

"Yes, sir!" Chojiro fled the barracks without another word.

Watching him leave, Yamamoto muttered with a rare smile, "We can't let Chojiro hang around that brat Araki anymore. He's becoming more like him by the day. That attitude… it's enough to drive me insane."

Still smiling faintly, Yamamoto looked out toward the horizon.

"I wonder… what kind of chaos that bastard Araki has stirred up now. Seireitei's far too peaceful without him around…"

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