"Nel, we're preparing to go to the Forest of Menos. Are you going to look for your friends, or what?" Tsunayoshi crouched down and asked.
"The Forest of Menos? That sounds fun. Can I go too?"
Nel was not asking Tsunayoshi. Instead, she looked up at Ichigo.
"Wait, why are you asking me?" Ichigo held his forehead with a headache. He was just about to refuse, but when he saw Nel's bright, sparkling eyes, he could only hurriedly say, "Fine, fine. You can come with us, but you're not allowed to run around."
"Yay! Itsygo!"
Nel hugged Ichigo's leg and rubbed against it. Under Ichigo's disgusted gaze, she smeared all her snot on his pant leg.
"Do you want to say something to your friends first?" Tsunayoshi asked.
He had long since sensed three Hollows trembling in the distance. It seemed they were affected by Grimmjow's aura and did not dare approach.
"Oh, right! Pesche! Dondochakka! Hurry and come over!"
Nel shouted toward the location of her Fracción, then explained to everyone, "We were playing a jumpy-jumpy game together just now!"
Now they understood why Nel had appeared here. Most likely, something had gone wrong while Nel and the others were playing, and she had jumped over to their side. As a result, her Fracción did not dare approach them at all.
Nel's Fracción cared deeply about her. Even after she lost her memories, they had always stayed by her side. Now that Nel had called out to them, they could only force themselves to come over to Tsunayoshi's group.
Two humanoid Hollows, one fat and one thin, were sitting on a catfish-like Hollow as they swam over. Before they even got close, the two Fracción immediately jumped down and quickly ran to Nel's side.
"This is Itsygo. I'm going with them to play in the Forest of Menos!"
Nel gave a simple introduction, then prepared to climb onto the sled.
"No, Lady Nel! The Forest of Menos is too dangerous!"
"Yes, exactly! We can't go there!"
As expected, these two Fracción could not possibly agree with Nel's decision. However, Nel completely ignored them. For a moment, the scene turned chaotic, filled with shouting and yelling.
"Tch."
A cold snort swept over the two Fracción along with a terrifying chill. Their bodies trembled, and they immediately fell silent.
The one who made the sound was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He was already unhappy about coming to Hueco Mundo, and now some attention-seeking fools had popped up to waste time. How could he possibly endure it?
Fortunately, those two Fracción had a strong will to survive. Had they said even a few more words, Ashisogi Jizō's poison gas would have spread onto them.
With Mayuri's forceful intervention, Tsunayoshi and the others set off once more. There was now one little girl on the sled, while a large catfish trailed far behind it. Thanks to Grimmjow's intimidation, Nel's Fracción were not threatened by any other Hollows along the way.
After more than half a day of travel, Grimmjow stopped in a forest of withered trees.
"We're here."
Grimmjow stopped and used the claws on his fingertips to cut the Hainawa around his waist. Hainawa had never been a particularly powerful binding spell. What had truly bound Grimmjow all along was Tsunayoshi and the others behind him.
"This is the Forest of Menos? Doesn't look like it," Ichigo remarked as he looked at the dead trees around them. These scattered branches did not seem connected to the word "forest" at all.
"Heh. When did I tell you the thing in front of your eyes was the Forest of Menos?"
Grimmjow took a disdainful step forward.
"The Forest of Menos has never been on the surface. It's beneath this sand."
"The withered trees you see are just branches of the Forest of Menos extending through the sand!"
"The Forest of Menos is underground?" Tsunayoshi asked. "How do we get in?"
"There."
Grimmjow pointed toward a massive pit not far away.
"There's a big hole over there. You can pass through the sand layer from there and reach the Forest of Menos."
"Manager?" Tsunayoshi asked for Urahara's opinion.
"Please wait a moment. I'll set an anchor."
Urahara took out a hammer and drove a nail into the ground.
"In case we get lost below, we can use this location marker to return."
"You two over there, could you please stay here and keep watch?" Tsunayoshi called to Nel's Fracción.
Nel's Fracción obviously did not want to enter the Forest of Menos. After repeatedly telling Nel to be careful, they took the large catfish and slipped over to the edge of the withered forest.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Tsunayoshi released his Quincy power and adjusted its attribute to Swamp Flames. Eight swamp spider spears extended from his back.
"We're preparing to set off. To avoid being separated, everyone, please hold onto one spider leg each."
Naturally, those on Tsunayoshi's side had no objections. After thinking for a moment, Grimmjow also grabbed one of the spider legs. Since he had agreed to guide them, he might as well guide them to the end.
With Tsunayoshi as the core, the group jumped straight into the entrance leading to the Forest of Menos. The swamp spider spears continuously fired Swamp Flames, forming a smooth, soft inorganic path in front of Tsunayoshi. Tsunayoshi stepped onto the swamp path and slid down.
As they descended deeper, everyone could clearly see the withered trunks and branches becoming thicker.
The tunnel into the Forest of Menos was not completely quiet. Occasionally, Hollows would still fly out from within, but they were not particularly strong. Before Tsunayoshi could make a move, crimson flashes eliminated the Hollows blocking their path.
It seemed Grimmjow had already adapted very well to his role as guide. He was fully exercising his initiative, providing the guests from the World of the Living and Soul Society with a comfortable sightseeing route.
After passing through the sand layer, everyone landed on an enormous branch. Around them, countless huge branches crisscrossed in disorder. Each one was broad enough for hundreds of people to stand on.
This was the true Forest of Menos.
Just standing on one of the branches made them feel as if they were inside a forest that had existed for countless ages. Every "tree" here was unimaginably massive.
The reason they were called "trees" was that, strictly speaking, the trees in the Forest of Menos were not made of wood. They were closer to tree-shaped crystals made of quartz-like material. When struck, these "trees" would not snap like wood. Instead, they would shatter like stone.
The moment everyone steadied themselves, countless sharp eyes lit up in the surrounding shadows. It was like being encircled by a pack of wolves.
Only, what surrounded them were not wolves.
They were Hollows.
Kisuke Urahara casually scattered a sheet of fluorescent light, illuminating the space around them. From the moment they entered the Forest of Menos, they had already fallen into a Hollow encirclement.
The bad news was that they were surrounded by Hollows.
The good news was that they were all small fry. None of them looked particularly combat-capable.
Ichigo and Uryū instantly prepared their rain of arrows. They only needed one order to cover the area in a red-and-blue ocean of light.
"Wait, wait a moment."
Kisuke Urahara quickly stopped them.
"Because of Grimmjow-san's presence, these Hollows do not dare act rashly. If we attack carelessly, we may instead provoke the real residents of the Forest of Menos."
In a place called the Forest of Menos, the main residents were naturally Menos Grande. Deep within the Forest of Menos, countless Menos slumbered.
"You reacted pretty fast."
Grimmjow sounded a little disappointed. He had been ready to enjoy the show. After all, he was only responsible for guiding them. He had never promised to protect their safety. He would have been quite happy to see this group provoke the Menos and end up in a sorry state.
Only a sorry state, though.
That was because Grimmjow did not think Menos could truly kill these people. After all, even he was confident he could survive in the Forest of Menos.
What could cause trouble for Tsunayoshi and the others was the endless number of Menos.
"Then we'll have to trouble Grimmjow-san to lead the way. Let's capture one Menos first and try it out."
Urahara showed no anger at Grimmjow's words. Instead, he respectfully asked Grimmjow for help.
"Ah, what a pain. If you wanted to capture Menos, why bother coming to the Forest of Menos?"
Though he said that, Grimmjow still did his job as their guide. He took the lead and walked deeper along the branches.
Grimmjow's complaint was not without reason. He himself could guide several Menos into the outside world through his aura and have them cooperate in battle. There had been no need to come all the way to this so-called Forest of Menos.
"Since it's an experiment, of course it's more suitable to come to the target site. This reduces the influence of external factors as much as possible," Urahara casually explained in words Grimmjow did not understand.
However, before they had gone far, they heard a voice stopping them from advancing.
"Hey, don't go any farther. There are countless Menos inside. You'll die."
It was a very clear human voice.
Before Hollows completed their transformation into Arrancar, even if their monstrous forms could speak, their voices would usually carry a strange hoarseness. Such a clear voice meant its owner was at least a humanoid being.
Another naturally evolved Arrancar?
Tsunayoshi was a little puzzled. It was not impossible for a naturally evolved Arrancar to appear in the Forest of Menos. He simply did not know whether his own appearance had caused another exceptionally talented Hollow to emerge here.
Following the sound, Urahara manipulated the fluorescent light he had scattered. Under the glow, a person could be seen standing on a branch to their front-left.
This person wore a brown fur cloak and had an antelope-like mask over his face. At first glance, he really did look like a Hollow.
"A Shihakushō? Which division are you from?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi suddenly asked.
He had seen the black clothing hidden beneath the fur. That was clearly a Shihakushō, the uniform worn by Shinigami.
After Mayuri's reminder, Tsunayoshi also remembered. There really did seem to be a Shinigami in the Forest of Menos. He had lived there for many years, waging an almost futile battle against countless Hollows.
Ashido Kano.
A man forever trapped in the Forest of Menos by the obsession born from the deaths of his comrades. A man who had spent his life fighting for the faith of the Shinigami.
Ashido stared at Mayuri for quite a while before finally recognizing the captain's haori he was wearing. It had been unknown how many years since he had last seen anyone from Soul Society.
"I am Ashido, formerly of Squad Eleven. I followed Captain Kenpachi Kuruyashiki and joined the expeditionary force to subjugate Hueco Mundo, and I have remained here until now."
Ashido removed his antelope mask, revealing short reddish-brown hair and a handsome face. He spoke with great respect.
Mayuri paid no attention whatsoever to Ashido's respectful attitude. He rolled his eyes and asked Kisuke Urahara, "The Hueco Mundo expeditionary force? Haven't we heard nothing about that for two hundred years?"
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