"————!"
At this moment, already inside the Garganta, Ulquiorra suddenly sensed something, and abruptly drew the Zanpakutō at his waist, slashing toward the space beyond the Garganta.
"Whoosh!"
There, a figure appeared as if via teleportation—so fast it was terrifying.
"Clang!"
Ulquiorra's slashing Zanpakutō was heavily deflected by another resplendent and noble Zanpakutō, causing sparks to light up the inside of the Garganta slightly.
After deflecting Ulquiorra's strike, Kaiser darted directly into the Garganta and landed in front of the three Arrancar.
The distance between both sides was less than two meters.
"Captain!"
"Hey!"
Momo Hinamori and Ichigo Kurosaki's cries followed, reaching into the Garganta.
But by then, the Garganta had already begun closing, and the entrance was rapidly shrinking.
At that moment, the Arrancar moved.
"Die!"
Grimmjow acted first, like an enraged panther. He clenched his hand, forming a red Cero, and at such a close range, pressed it toward Kaiser.
"Get… the hell out!"
Covered in injuries, barely clinging to life, Yammy wore a face full of rage, as if venting all the fury over his condition on Kaiser. His massive fist clenched, crackling with red electricity. His Reiatsu formed a sphere that enveloped his fist and then fired out as a red energy shot.
This was a Bala. Like the Cero, it was a Hollow-exclusive attack technique, essentially Reiatsu condensed and fired at the enemy. It lacked the Cero's power but was twenty times faster.
Grimmjow and Yammy launched their respective Bala and Cero in tandem, attacking the very-close Kaiser.
However...
"Whoosh!"
Kaiser's figure suddenly flickered—his body becoming an afterimage, as if vanishing from the spot. Both the Cero and Bala passed through him, piercing through the shrinking gap of the Garganta and shooting outward.
Then, Kaiser silently reappeared in front of Grimmjow and Yammy via Shunpo.
His Zanpakutō was already sheathed. Both hands struck out, grabbing each of their faces before they could react.
Next, Kaiser surged forward, using Grimmjow and Yammy as shields, charging straight at Ulquiorra.
Of course, Ulquiorra didn't just stand idle. He immediately sheathed his Zanpakutō and stretched out both hands, pressing against the backs of the charging Grimmjow and Yammy.
But in terms of raw strength, how could Ulquiorra possibly compete with Kaiser, who could match ordinary Captains with just his physical might?
And so, under Kaiser's forceful push, the four of them shot toward the opposite end of the Garganta.
Before long, the four burst out of the Garganta and arrived in another world...
......
Hueco Mundo.
Just as described before, it was a barren wasteland.
At a glance, one saw nothing but white desert-like ground and quartz-like withered trees scattered about—an extremely desolate, eerily silent land.
Here, it was night all day. There was no daytime, nor stars—only a moon hung overhead, positioned opposite the direction of the World of the Living. Strange and grotesque Hollows occasionally wandered the land, letting out hollow howls. With the bleak scenery, it was terrifying.
If Hollows were spirits that devoured souls and tormented the living, then this place was undoubtedly Hell.
Compared to the World of the Living and Soul Society, the only advantage of Hueco Mundo was the high concentration of Reishi in the air. Even lesser Hollows could gain sufficient energy just by breathing. They didn't need to feed on souls constantly, unlike in the World of the Living, where they starved perpetually.
In such an environment, whether Hollow, Shinigami, or other spiritual beings, their abilities would significantly increase.
High above this land, the sky was suddenly torn open, and several figures shot out from within.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Three figures crashed uncontrollably into the ground, kicking up clouds of white sand.
"Whoosh!"
Another figure, with ease and control, landed softly. His white Haori fluttered as he stood looking unshaken and rather stylish.
"So this is Hueco Mundo?"
Having arrived in the third of the Three Worlds alongside the World of the Living and Soul Society, Kaiser first looked around curiously. Then he noticed something unusual in the air.
"The concentration of Reishi is this high? No wonder Aizen chose to make this desolate place his base!"
Kaiser clicked his tongue in wonder, as if no one else was present.
Until, from the three craters ahead, three figures stood up one after another.
"You bastard, you actually followed us into Hueco Mundo?!"
Grimmjow's expression was both ugly and incredulous.
"Are you an idiot?" Yammy's forehead bulged with veins as he cursed and mocked. "This is Hueco Mundo—the Hollow's main base! And you, a Shinigami, dared to charge in here alone?!"
In Yammy's eyes, Kaiser was as good as dead.
"…Truly unexpected."
Even Ulquiorra gazed at Kaiser. The usually emotionless eyes now showed a faint glimmer of feeling.
No one had expected Kaiser to charge into the Garganta alone, just to not let three Arrancar escape, and end up in Hueco Mundo.
Wasn't that the same as walking into a trap?
Of course, in Kaiser's mind, entering Hueco Mundo was actually a good thing.
"At the very least, in a place like this, I don't have to hold back anymore."
Kaiser gently wiped across the golden flower-shaped seal on his collarbone.
"Hss…"
With a sudden wave of intense heat, a purple-black slash flashed out, striking something and making the Reiatsu-limiting seal emit a sizzling sound as if it were melting.
Amidst the heat, the limiter glowed red, then gradually burned away.
When the entire limiter had disintegrated, Kaiser felt it—his previously suppressed Reiatsu had completely vanished.
"Boom!"
Terrifying Reiatsu exploded from Kaiser.
Golden Reiatsu surged like a storm across the white desert.
"!!!"
Grimmjow and Yammy were visibly shocked. Even Ulquiorra's pupils contracted.
"Oi oi oi! Are you kidding me?!"
Cold sweat formed on Yammy's bulging forehead.
"This Reiatsu…"
Grimmjow's face twisted.
"What terrifying Reiatsu," Ulquiorra said solemnly. "This Reiatsu… already surpasses mine."
"No—even the top three can't compare."
This was an alarming realization.
From Ulquiorra upward, the top four Espada were all originally Vasto Lordes—the highest-ranking class of Menos Grande.
In other words, even before becoming Arrancar, they possessed power above Captain level. After becoming Arrancar, their strength rose even higher.
One among the four had even been the former King of Hueco Mundo, ruler of nearly all Hollows.
His status in Hueco Mundo, though perhaps not equal to the Soul King, could rival Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto as Captain Commander of the Gotei 13.
Even if his strength didn't match Yamamoto's, he certainly wasn't someone ordinary Captains could compete with.
But now, the Reiatsu Kaiser had released was even stronger than his.
"In a place like this, I can finally fight without restraints, right?"
Surging with golden Reiatsu, Kaiser exuded the aura of a military juggernaut. He smiled at the three Arrancar.
"Aizen is in this world too, right?"
"Perfect. While I'm here, let's stir things up."
"And I'll start… with the three of you."
Saying that, Kaiser raised his Zanpakutō high.
"Heaven's Throne, Supreme Virtue."
"Thirty-Three Realms, Crowned Sovereign."
Kaiser's voice echoed across the white desert sky.
"Crown of Heavens."
From the Zanpakutō raised high, golden Reiatsu identical to Kaiser's radiated outward. As if calling out, countless swords descended from the distant heavens.
The swords came in all shapes and sizes, like loyal retainers, surrounding the Crown of Heavens, appearing and disappearing with a dreamlike shimmer.
"Be careful."
Upon seeing this, Ulquiorra immediately warned:
"That is the Zanpakutō even Aizen-sama values. It possesses the strongest power in Soul Society—king among all Zanpakutō."
"According to intelligence, that Zanpakutō's power equals the combined strength of all other Zanpakutō in existence."
"The one who releases that sword… becomes the strongest Shinigami today."
The strongest Shinigami!
Upon hearing this, Yammy had no particular reaction—but Grimmjow laughed.
"In that case, once I kill him, no other Shinigami in this world will be a match for me, right?"
Grimmjow's eyes gleamed fiercely, as if overtaken by madness.
"Perfect! If I'm going to kill… might as well kill the strongest!"
Grimmjow drew his Zanpakutō.
"Zhhng…"
His blade began to glow.
"Wait! Grimmjow…!"
Ulquiorra seemed about to say something more, but Grimmjow cut him off.
"Grind, Pantera!"
Grimmjow's Zanpakutō turned into pure Reiatsu and instantly released.
"Boom!"
A storm immediately surged around Grimmjow, lifting layers of sand into a massive dust whirlwind.
When the dust settled, Grimmjow's form had changed completely.
He had transformed into a sleek panther-like beastman. His body resembled a white panther; his eye markings extended to his temples; his ears had become panther ears; his hair now long and flowing to his waist; even his mask had moved to his forehead. His body was clad in tight white armor, and a segmented black-tipped tail extended behind him.
His limbs had darkened, and thick fur and claws had grown from them. His fangs were sharp—he truly looked like a feral beast.
"Roar!"
With Grimmjow's bellow, a shockwave exploded—loud and powerful.
This was Grimmjow's true form.