Arata closed the panel without any regret.
He found a spot by the wall to lean against and rest.
Throughout the entire day, the intensity of the battles hadn't been particularly high in fact, it had been rather easy, aside from that last fight.
But even so, for him, who was participating in a real war for the first time, his body was already a bit tired.
Compared to those monsters from the pirate world who fight for three days and nights without pause...
A Shinigami really is a fragile being.
With the crackling sound of the campfire, Arata slowly drifted off to sleep.
Some distance from the camp, between a crack in the sand dunes, a red-haired man in a mask cautiously peeked his head out.
"Is that... the expedition squad?"
There was a note of doubt in his voice, as if he himself wasn't sure whether what he was seeing was truly real.
Although he couldn't recognize the identities of the patrolling Shinigami, the white haori of the leader was an extremely familiar sight.
Perhaps because he had wandered Hueco Mundo alone for too long, Ashido had come to treat every thought as a matter of survival.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally reached a conclusion.
What he had in front of him really was an expedition squad from the Soul Society.
Ashido instinctively wanted to come out and appear before the patrolling Shinigami.
However, his reason stopped him at that very moment.
"With what reason would I approach them?" he muttered to himself.
Yes, a Shinigami who disappeared into Hueco Mundo a hundred years ago, suddenly reappearing.
It had been an awfully long time since he last had contact with the Soul Society, or even with any previous expedition squads.
It's very likely that the Soul Society had already long declared them dead.
And now he returns, trailing a group of Hollows that ambushed them.
How would they interpret that?
They'd almost certainly think he had become a traitorous Shinigami who joined forces with the powers of Hueco Mundo.
Now was definitely not the right time to appear.
Ashido silently shook his head and forcibly suppressed the urge to come out into the open.
In addition, this expedition into Hueco Mundo was clearly different from the previous ones.
During the earlier battle, he had noticed a young man in the uniform of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy.
Although the young man's strength was unusually great, it couldn't be denied that he was wearing the Academy's attire.
Since when do expedition squads bring along students from the Spiritual Arts Academy?
Did something happen in the Soul Society so serious that even students had to participate in Hollow cleansing missions?
Ashido couldn't figure out the answer for now. After a short moment of thought, he decided to continue observing them in secret.
Silently, he withdrew into the shadows and vanished into the desert like a ghost.
…
The night passed in silence.
The next day, well-rested Arata continued his journey with the expedition squad.
Amagai Shusuke continued to lead the unit according to the established plan, along the route left behind by previous expeditions.
As long as they stuck to that map route, the likelihood of encountering serious danger was significantly reduced.
The facts confirmed his expectations.
On the way, they no longer encountered such large groups of Hollows as the day before.
The few small monsters that occasionally appeared were left to the students to handle.
After yesterday's baptism by fire and those who dropped out, the remaining sixth-year students were now a relatively elite group.
It couldn't be said that they were all extremely powerful, but at least their mentality and resolve were on the right level.
In particular, the trio of Hisagi, Kanisawa, and Aoga continued to improve over the course of several battles yesterday.
Relying on Hadō, Bakudō, and a few sword techniques they had learned from Arata, the three, through coordinated teamwork, managed to kill nine Hollows.
Although they couldn't get close to the perverted Arata, it was still the second-best result among all students.
Even Shiba Kaien praised Hisagi's team's performance.
He was just one step away from openly suggesting that they join the 13th Division after graduation.
"Hey! Is it really going to be this boring today?"
Zaraki Kenpachi, walking ahead of the formation, was restlessly holding his hands behind his head.
His mood was extremely foul. He was convinced that the old goat Yamamoto had sent him on the expedition squad to finally let loose in battle.
He didn't expect to encounter enemies, only for none to be left for him.
Either guarding the camp or patrolling.
Slaying a few worthless Hollows was pure nonsense to him, he needed an opponent worthy of his strength.
"Ken-chan wants to fight~"
Yachiru, on his shoulder, cheerfully repeated the same thought in a sing-song voice.
Amagai Shusuke looked rather uncomfortable.
If this had been a standard expedition, they would've really sought out a place dense with Hollows and performed a cleansing.
However, this time, the expedition was combined with the final exam of the Spiritual Arts Academy, and he had to follow the captain's orders and ensure safety.
All chosen routes were those with the least danger.
"An expedition is not a game, nor a place for you to vent. Captain Zaraki, I ask for your understanding." Unohana Retsu smiled with a professional smile, but her tone allowed no refusal.
"Tch."
Under Unohana's half-scolding, half-threatening words, Kenpachi only cursed quietly to express his dissatisfaction and didn't make any further move.
In life, he was never afraid of anyone. The only ones he acknowledged were old Yamamoto, who once defeated him directly, and Unohana Retsu.
But in her case, it wasn't fear in the classical sense, more like respect toward the one who came before him.
So, even though Kenpachi was quite displeased now, he had no intention of going against her.
"Ding, di––"
"Something's happening!"
The alarm sound among the surveillance unit members immediately drew everyone's attention.
"What's going on?!"
"C-Captain Kurotsuchi is requesting communication!"
"Establish communication! Everyone else, remain on alert!"
"Yes!"
Under the captain's measured orders, the expedition squad established a connection with Kurotsuchi Mayuri at the base.
The screen flickered, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri appeared.
"Ah~ dear expedition squad, it seems you're all very lively."
His poisonous voice sounded like he was speaking words of concern and compliments, but to anyone listening, it caused only discomfort.
Unohana Retsu took over the conversation. "Captain Kurotsuchi, has something urgent occurred, since you've gone to such effort to contact us?"
Upon seeing Unohana, Kurotsuchi Mayuri immediately stopped joking.
"Those useless students have safely returned to the Soul Society. After the captain-commander learned of this, he ordered the expedition squad to protect the remaining students until the end of the evaluation."
"Also, the captain-commander said this: the duration of this expedition will be shortened to five days. That means that after three days, you may begin your return to base via the same route." At the end, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, extremely rarely, wore a serious expression.
Upon hearing the news, it quickly became clear to him what Yamamoto intended.
Already on the first day, one student had died, and there was no point in blindly sticking to the original plan for the expedition to last two, three weeks, or even a month.
Better to shorten it, let them simply get a taste of real battle, and finish it.
That way, the order of Central 46 wouldn't be violated, and at the same time, the lives of the students would be maximally protected.
If the expedition had continued as originally planned, old Yamamoto really feared that by the end of the exam, only a handful of students would still be alive.
"I understand. Captain Kurotsuchi, continue with surveillance. We will adjust the marching plan accordingly," Amagai Shusuke replied on time.
"Then—"
"Ding ding ding—!"
Just as Kurotsuchi Mayuri was about to end the connection, his expression suddenly twisted.
A sharp, piercing alarm once again tore through the air!
"Retreat immediately! Several extremely powerful spiritual pressures are heading toward you at high speed!!"
Amagai Shusuke looked up toward the group of Hollows that suddenly appeared in front of them, their sticky spiritual pressure pressing down on him like a mountain.
He could only smile bitterly.
"Captain Kurotsuchi… it's too late…"
———
Support me on patreon.com/_BlackRose
Read 60+ advanced chapters
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 additional chapter