Given that both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo were worlds with extreme spatial fluctuations, opening a passage between them wasn't particularly difficult.
With the support of Senjumaru and the Technological Development Department, preparations that could've taken longer were wrapped up in just three months.
A stable, massive Dangai passage had finally been established between the two worlds.
Large enough to accommodate hundreds of Shinigami at once.
With all this complete, the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force was fully prepped.
On an auspicious day and hour...
Led by Yamamoto, all Gotei 13 Captains and high officers ranked third seat and above gathered.
The first deployment ceremony under the Gotei 13's banner unfolded on a desolate, rustic plateau.
Yamamoto stood at the forefront.
Before him, the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force stood in neat rows, each member bearing a bronze shoulder guard on their right side inscribed with the character "Protection."
Only Vice-Captains and above were exempt from the armor.
They didn't need it.
Gazing at these young souls venturing beyond the world for the first time, even Yamamoto couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion.
Stepping out as a unified force under the banner of their world, was unprecedented, even in Yamamoto's millennia-long life.
He watched in silence for a long moment before barking sharply, "Salute!"
At once, the Gotei 13 members behind him struck their chests with their fists, a dull thud resonating through the air.
This ritual was another of Makoto's designs.
Standing among the expeditionary ranks, Makoto caught sight of the sudden display and let out a stifled snort, barely holding it together.
Still...
For every Shinigami present, this farewell carried a unique weight.
The first breach beyond their borders, a bloody clash in the Hollows' domain, facing unknown perils, no one knew what awaited in that other world.
Naturally, many squad members cast gazes of genuine admiration toward the expedition's warriors.
The most relaxed, ironically, were the Captains and Vice-Captains at the front.
Senjumaru stepped forward from the Gotei 13's lineup.
The elegant woman wore her usual cool smile, her narrow eyes glinting with a mix of mockery and scorn like sharp needles regardless of whom she looked at.
"Quite the grand spectacle, isn't it?"
Senjumaru spoke leisurely, strolling up to Kinroku and the others with a soft, teasing chuckle. "But don't forget the special materials I jotted down in my memo."
"If you find them, you'd better collect them at all costs dead or alive."
"Pretty harsh, Senjumaru-san."
Kinroku maintained his middle-aged-esque stoicism.
As the nominal commander of this Hueco Mundo expedition, leading Saitō and Katori, he bore the heaviest burden of all surrounded by difficult personalities.
But before he could finish, Senjumaru produced several compass-like mirrored devices in her hands.
Not just for Kinroku.
Saitō, Katori, and the Vice-Captains behind them each received one.
"Here."
"What's this?" Kinroku blinked.
"This device is called an Automated Task Processor."
"It's a key tool for tracking your mission targets."
Senjumaru turned with a coy smile toward Makoto, who was yawning idly and sighed theatrically. "You see, Makoto barged into my department a few days ago, insisting I make something to help the expedition navigate and monitor their comrades' vitals."
"It kept me up for nights barely slept a wink."
"My skin's practically wrinkling like water-soaked laundry."
"Oh?"
Kinroku turned, surprised, to glance at Makoto.
The guy, who'd just zoned out, missed it entirely, still looking around cluelessly.
Only when he met Senjumaru's amused stare did it click. He jogged over, all eager politeness.
"Thanks so much, Senjumaru-san!"
"Next time, please grace my humble abode, I'll treat you to a lavish feast!"
Spouting pleasantries, he reached for the last compass from her skeletal hand.
He tugged lightly.
It didn't budge.
Puzzled, Makoto glanced at Senjumaru, brow furrowed.
Seizing the moment, Senjumaru leaned in close, whispering, "But only your Automated Task Processor has a little extra kick."
"So you'd better watch out."
Hearing that even Senjumaru felt the need to warn him, Makoto snapped to attention, lowering his voice. "Please elaborate."
Senjumaru flicked her eyes toward Unohana, smiling gently nearby, then looked back at Makoto with a hint of pity. "Just so you know, this isn't my craftsmanship's fault, it's your dear sensei. After hearing about the device, she specifically (forcibly) requested (coerced) me to tweak it."
"To ensure you'd face bizarre, limit-pushing enemies anytime, anywhere, to force a breakthrough."
"Your processor might 'occasionally~' have some tiny glitches."
Makoto followed her gaze to Unohana, his expression twisting with dread. "Like what?"
Senjumaru grinned wide. "Like… say, tracking an Adjuchas' trail only to suddenly get ambushed by a Vasto Lorde. Not impossible, right?"
"Huh?!"
Makoto's eyes bulged.
'Are you trying to get me killed?!'
Senjumaru extended a skeletal hand, patting the young man's shoulder meaningfully. "Do your best to survive, alright?"
"Makoto-kun."
"We're all counting on you."
Makoto stared into her loaded gaze, swallowing hard.
'You don't have to trust my talent that much, you know?!'
Too bad before he could conjure up a last-second plea, Senjumaru had already Shunpo'd back to the Gotei 13's formation.
She turned, locking eyes with Unohana.
Both shared a knowing smile.
These two…
Makoto's brows knitted tight, his face twisting into a grimace.
This sensei of his was way too ruthless!
Buzz!
Just as the young man stewed in his woes...
A massive, space-warping tear roared to life behind him.
Kinroku thrust his Zanpakuto into the air, twisting it like a key.
Cracks split the sky and earth in unison.
Every Gotei member present watched in silence.
Normally, they'd only seen such curtain-ripping force when a Gillian appeared.
But now, Shinigami could do it too.
Kinroku glanced back at Yamamoto, then bellowed, "Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force!"
"Move out!"
"Yes!"
The expedition troops roared back in kind.
One by one, they plunged into the darkness, striding boldly into the stabilized Dangai.
"Makoto! Let's go!"
Saitō grabbed Makoto's collar with her usual brashness, hauling him into the void.
Katori turned too, her timid, meek demeanor unchanged as she gave a slight bow toward the Gotei 13.
The next moment, the pitch-black Garganta slowly sealed shut.
Everyone vanished into the shadows.
Yamamoto watched them go, a faint sigh seeming to linger in his gaze.
He and those he led had been born into war, marching from one conflict to the next since the beginning.
It never stopped.
He could only hope more would return alive.
But on the other side, things weren't quite as somber as the old man imagined.
…
A massive Garganta opened in the heart of an endless desert.
A pitch-black night sky blanketed everything, the pale world dotted only with sprawling, stone-like branches like towering tombstones.
In this era, the dome hadn't yet been altered by Aizen's barrier to mimic eternal day.
All that met the eye was darkness.
Squads of lean Shinigami emerged from the passage, warily scanning the alien surroundings.
Even Kinroku stayed on high alert in this environment.
In Hueco Mundo, a place with no absolute center, you never knew when you might stumble into a Vasto Lorde that'd lived for millennia.
Pure luck.
But once every Shinigami had crossed the long Dangai, a brief, collective silence fell.
For a fleeting moment, Makoto felt an unspoken bond with them, he really wanted to go back.
The next second, that whimsical thought shattered under thunderous shouts.
"Kill Hollows!"
"Behead them!
"Claim merits!"
The unified roars fused into a single, forceful chant.
Fire blazed in every Shinigami's eyes.
Makoto gawked at them.
Are you murder freaks brain-damaged or something?!
After all those years of love-hate brawls in the Seireitei, you still haven't had enough?
Just as his impression of the First Captains of the Gotei 13 were all bloodthirsty psychos was about to solidify...
[I wanna snag a hot female Vasto Lorde, yo!!!]
[An Adjuchas'll do too!]
The zanpakuto's near-cracking squeal mixed into the bizarre cacophony, instantly standing out like a freak.
"Vice-Captain Makoto, maybe hold off on that."
"Yeah, man, I hear some Vasto Lorde masks grow down there could get messy!"
"Vice-Captain Makoto, we get it, you might be pent up in Hueco Mundo for a while, but chill…"
The Shinigami, moments ago brimming with bloodlust, froze as one, then turned to console him.
Even Kinroku adjusted his glasses and advised, "Makoto-kun, if it's really that bad, just find a quiet spot and handle it yourself."
"You've got Saitō's tabi on your blade, right?"
"Worst case, beg her privately."
Makoto's face couldn't hold it anymore. "Captain Kinroku! Don't slander me!"
"That's defamation!"
"My tabi aren't for that!"
He shook his scabbard hard, trying to prove his innocence.
Saitō didn't catch a word, but unwilling to seem out of the loop, she guffawed and slapped Makoto's shoulder heartily. "Right, right!"
"If it's you, maybe a little begging'd do the trick with me!"
The moment she said it, several onlookers froze, their gazes shifting oddly toward Captain Saitō.
Only Kinroku slipped away from the chaos unnoticed.
Idiots!
Saitō doesn't get jack!
Makoto grabbed her shoulder, hissing under his breath, "Don't just agree to stuff like that!"
"Huh?!"
Saitō, about to whisper a question, got cut off. She raised her voice indignantly, "What, you looking down on me, kid?!"
"I totally got it!!"
"It's not that hard to-"
Halfway through her retort...
Makoto and Saitō's eyes shifted in unison.
In a flash, both vanished from the dune they'd stood on, leaving only afterimages.
When they reappeared, they flanked the dune's sides.
Boom!
The instant they landed, a colossal root system erupted from beneath where they'd been, surging wildly out of the sand.
An Adjuchas, leading a handful of underlings, appeared atop the dune, cackling wildly.
"Gahahahahaha!"
"Shinigami! It's Shinigami!"
"It's been ages since I last tasted this flavor after leaving the living world!"
"How long's it been, huh?"
"A few centuries? A millennium?"
"But no matter what, today you're not escaping—"
Just as its cannon-fodder spiel reached its climax, the Adjuchas finally lowered its gaze.
One, two, three…
A dense sea of black-clad figures in Shihakushō filled its vision, each armed with a Zanpakutō.
The faint Reiatsu wafting off them, the glint of killing intent in their eyes and expressions, all screamed their true identity.
The Adjuchas' throat bobbed hard, forming an exaggerated gulp.
Its eyes, hidden beneath the mask, locked onto this sudden, honorless horde.
This was unmistakably a battle-hardened legion of Shinigami, numbering in the hundreds.
Wait?!
If that's the case, then the ones leading them…
It stiffly turned its head toward the two from before.
Saitō stood rooted, her single deep-purple eye fixed on the Adjuchas. A signature wicked grin curled her lips, her small tongue flicking out as her Reiatsu flared with barely-contained excitement.
Eager to pounce.
The purple twin-tailed girl chuckled low.
"You..."
"Pretty cocky, huh?"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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