In the outskirts of the Sakahone, beyond the desolate land, a strange creature continued to advance.
Its entire body was white. Its lower half was a massive inverted cone covered in densely packed spikes, giving off a chilling sensation.
The upper half had a humanoid shape, with various faces that seemed to be in pain covering its chest and back. Its head bore six spiral-shaped horns and a grotesque white bone mask.
"Delicious..."
A deep, suppressed voice came from beneath the mask, and crimson eyes gazed towards the desolate land with greed and desire.
Without hesitation, this peculiar entity crossed through Rukongai at an extremely fast speed and headed straight towards...
Mimihagi's shrine.
...
Due to the strain of the battle, Ukitake Jushiro had to lie down place for nearly an hour in the desolate land before he could finally move around again.
He said that he would personally apologize to Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai and accepted whatever punishment he would get from the Central 46 Chambers once he returned to Seireitei.
However, Tokikaze estimated that Yamamoto Genryusai would defend his student, of course, by abiding the rules.
As a close friend of Ukitake Jushiro, Kyoraku Shunsui would also use his connections to minimize the impact of this incident.
Although from any perspective, the schemes of Ukitake Clan over the centuries had nothing to do with Ukitake Jushiro, Ukitake Jushiro decided to take responsibility out of his own volition.
Just as they set off to return and walked out of the desolate land, the strange creature reached Sakahone from another direction and, at a lightning-fast speed, headed towards Mimihagi's shrine.
It opened a blood-filled mouth, exposing rows of sharp teeth to the air, crazily devouring the scattered spiritual particles.
At the sides of its bone mask, organ-like structures resembling gills kept opening and closing, filtering out useless Reishi.
The remnants of Reiatsu from the battles was all devoured and assimilated by it until the bizarre body started showing faint iridescent colors.
Blue, cyan, and black.
The colors on his body kept changing, and swollen flesh continued to grow, forming protrusions on its body.
The greedy roars echoed in the vast desolate land. Eyes devoid of emotions slowly opened on the bone mask.
Aizen had endowed it with the characteristics of both a Soul Reaper and a Hollow, and with a special method, he had transformed the core of its power.
Years of accumulated wisdom were perfectly displayed in this creation.
The strange creature reached Mimihagi's shrine at the fastest speed.
By now, its body had expanded to over ten meters high, and the conical shape alone was taller than the shrine.
Facing the shrine that once enshrined the right arm of the Spirit King, the monster showed no sign of respect.
It greedily opened its huge mouth and bit the shrine.
Crack!
The shrine collapsed in a blink of an eye.
At the same time, Tokikaze and the others, who had just walked out of the desolate land, also noticed something unusual in the distance.
Tokikaze stopped and looked towards the distance.
"This Reiatsu..."
He could feel the Reiatsu that suddenly appeared was a mix of countless different Reiatsu, and all of them were filled with various negative emotions such as cruelty, greed, and despair.
However, his hunch told him that it belonged to a single creature.
"A Menos Grande!"
Ukitake Jushiro abruptly turned around, his face filled with astonishment, "How could a Menos with this level of Reiatsu infiltrate Sakahone!?"
"Could it be because Lord Mimihagi had died?"
Tokikaze noticed the emphasis in his words, "Are you suggesting that there has never been an invasion of Menos in Sakahone before?"
Ukitake Jushiro nodded with a pale expression and explained, "Since the shrine of Lord Mimihagi was built, both Hollows and Menos have vanished from Sakahone, and even conflicts have decreased significantly."
Upon hearing this, Nanao Ise also felt a bit shaken and said, "According to the intelligence records of the Eighth Division, there has never been any incident involving Menos at Sakahone."
Tokikaze pondered.
Although slightly lacking in expression, it turned out that the right arm of the Spirit King was no inferior to the Spirit King's left arm.
However, just as it disappeared, a Menos appeared, which seemed rather suspicious.
Could it be that someone had already started to make their move?
Was it just a test, or was there another intention?
Countless thoughts began to emerge in Tokikaze's mind.
"Captain Tokikaze, please hurry back to the Seireitei and request assistance."
Ukitake Jushiro suddenly interrupted Tokikaze's thoughts and resolutely stated, "I will temporarily hold off that Menos, making sure it doesn't venture any deeper and posing a threat to the Seireitei!"
Tokikaze glanced at Ukitake Jushiro beside him.
His Captain haori was stained with blood, his white hair was disheveled. His pale face showed an abnormal shade of red due to the intense emotions.
Blood continuously oozed from the corners of his mouth, making him look extremely disheveled, far from the elegant demeanor he usually carried.
But Tokikaze had ample reason to believe that Ukitake Jushiro would have no problem at all facing that peculiar Menos alone.
By the time he returned with reinforcements, Ukitake Jushiro might have already dealt with it.
Years of experience told him never to underestimate anyone who seemed gentle on the surface.
Aizen was the perfect example.
"Are you kidding me?"
Tokikaze placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword and smiled gently, "Captain Ukitake, not only are you injured now, but you're also a criminal. Don't get me wrong, I just don't want to be held accountable when the Central 46 questions us."
"Leave that big guy to me..."
As these words were spoken, others were stunned, but only Matsumoto Rangiku disdainfully muttered, "Since when did the Captain take Central 46 seriously?"
Before Ukitake Jushiro could say anything to persuade him, Tokikaze used Shunpo, heading straight for the shrine.
His figure vanished in an instant, reaching the depths of the desolate land.
When Tokikaze arrived at the shrine, he finally saw the owner of the Reiatsu.
The massive creature crouched on the ruins, gnawing on the last remaining bits of bricks and tiles.
Seemingly aware of another Reiatsu, the Menos turned around as countless icy eyes instantly locked onto the figure not far away.
Hollow, composite voices echoed across the wilderness:
"Soul Reaper..."