Chapter 62: Hueco Mundo

Yanagi Junrei watched the Senkaimon close, his brow furrowed with concern. “Captain Commander, won’t Yamabuki and those two run into trouble in Hueco Mundo?”

Yamamoto’s expression remained calm. “No need to worry. Yamabuki’s potential is vast. His spiritual pressure surged after returning from the Human World—likely honed fighting Zenjōji Arihime. I’m sending him to Hueco Mundo to sharpen that strength. Soul Society may soon face a catastrophe.”

The captains stood silent. Yamamoto had briefed them on the Quincy threat—an unexpected enemy for the Shinigami. Shihōin Chihiro tilted her head. “Where are you going, Captain Commander?”

“To drink tea,” Yamamoto replied, striding off. “Inform me when Yamabuki returns.”

In Hueco Mundo, Yamabuki Haruto, flanked by his two less-than-ideal teammates—Sasakibe Chōjirō and Kazenami Haru—surveyed the desolate wasteland. Haruto had heard of Hueco Mundo’s bleakness, but its reality was stark: endless white sand, petrified trees, and a massive moon casting an unsettling glow that prickled his skin.

“Got any food?” Haruto asked, turning to his companions. He’d expected a larger squad and brought nothing.

Kazenami Haru opened her satchel, revealing dry rations, water, a sand-proof hat, hidden weapons, and poisons. Her assassin’s foresight impressed Haruto. She’s prepared.

With supplies secured, Haruto scanned the horizon. “Which way?” Haru asked quietly.

Haruto pointed randomly. “That way.” Hueco Mundo’s lack of landmarks left him directionless. Chōjirō gripped his Zanpakutō nervously, braced for a Hollow ambush, but the trio trudged through empty sands, not a creature in sight.

“Where’d the Old Man send us?” Haruto muttered. “Hueco Mundo without Hollows? Absurd.”

Chōjirō pointed excitedly. “Brother Yamabuki, look!” A thumb-sized lizard Hollow, its white mask snarling, bared its teeth at them.

“How cute!” Chōjirō said. “I didn’t know Hollows could be like this. Can I catch one for Chimaru?”

Haruto frowned. “It’s still a Hollow. It’ll evolve and could hurt her. Let it go or kill it.”

Chōjirō, reluctant to harm the tiny creature, let it burrow into the sand. Haruto shook his head. “Something’s wrong. Hueco Mundo shouldn’t be this empty.”

Haru raised a hand. “Chief, a theory. Large beasts claim territories and exclude others. Could a powerful Hollow be nearby?”

Haruto nodded. It made sense, but the sands showed no life. With his strength, only a Vasto Lorde could threaten him. “Keep moving.”

Chōjirō yelped, his voice turning to a scream. “Help! Something’s under the sand!”

Haruto spun around. The sand surged into a massive dune, ten meters wide. Haru was right. A potent reiatsu pulsed—not overwhelming, akin to a Giant Hollow, but a challenge for Chōjirō and Haru.

A giant lizard Hollow erupted from the sand, over ten meters long and three meters tall, its blood-red eyes glaring through a white mask. Its maw snapped at them, but the trio dodged with Shunpo.

“Just this thing?” Haruto scoffed, sheathing his Zanpakutō. “You two handle it.” Chōjirō and Haru, solid mid-tier Gotei 13 members, could manage a Giant Hollow.

“Pierce, Enyōmaru!” Chōjirō called, his Zanpakutō sparking with electricity.

“Poison, Hyakuzan Kyōraku!” Haru’s blade morphed into a crimson cylindrical injector, affixed to her arm.

Dust swirled as the two attacked, weaving around the Hollow’s lunges. Size meant little in Hueco Mundo; spiritual pressure was everything. Chōjirō’s Enyōmaru crackled, piercing the Hollow’s leg with an electric jolt. Haru darted in, injecting crimson venom into the wound. Her Zanpakutō turned white, its venom depleted, drawing on her spiritual pressure to recharge.

Haruto watched, impressed. Perfect for an assassin. Haru’s Hyakuzan Kyōraku delivered swift, lethal poison, paired with her expert Shunpo. Unlike Suì-Fēng’s two-strike Shikai or explosive Bankai, Haru’s was precise and deadly.

The Hollow swayed, venom coursing through it. Within minutes, it collapsed, dissolving into reishi.