"The Hueco Mundo expeditionary force dates back to the era when the Sixth Kenpachi, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, was still captain. That was at least two hundred years ago. I never expected anyone from that expeditionary force to still be alive," Urahara sighed.
"What do you mean, the Sixth Kenpachi?"
Ashido immediately sensed the problem. Normally, the current captain of Squad Eleven would simply be referred to as Kenpachi. There was only one reason to add a generation number.
The division had already changed hands.
And Squad Eleven was a rather special division. Its captaincy could only be inherited by defeating the previous captain.
"What happened to Captain Kuruyashiki?" Ashido's voice suddenly rose.
He and Kenpachi Kuruyashiki had been close friends. Kuruyashiki was one of the few attachments Ashido still had to Hueco Mundo.
"The current Kenpachi is the Eleventh Kenpachi, Kenpachi Zaraki. As for Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, he died two hundred years ago," Kisuke Urahara answered.
The last attachment he had to Soul Society suddenly vanished.
A feeling of powerlessness spread through Ashido's entire body.
During all those countless lonely and unbearable moments, he had lied to himself. He had convinced himself that Captain Kuruyashiki had simply forgotten him, forgotten these brothers who had fought with their lives in Hueco Mundo.
That had been the pillar supporting Ashido's heart.
Guarding the remains of his comrades.
Fighting the Hollows until the very last moment.
And at the end of it all, there had still been one small hope: that one day, Soul Society's expeditionary force would come again, and he could bring his comrades home in glory.
It seemed he had been thinking too much.
So it was not that Captain Kuruyashiki had forgotten those brothers who had fought alongside him.
His life had simply ended long ago.
Tears silently slid down Ashido's face.
The string that had not snapped even after more than two hundred years of holding firm in Hueco Mundo finally broke at this moment.
He leaned lightly against the tree trunk and curled up, as if doing so could bring him even the slightest warmth.
Yet that laughable warmth came from the Hollow fur draped over his body.
Urahara, sharp as ever, immediately noticed that Ashido's mental state had become unstable.
"Um, Ashido. Since we happen to have come to the Forest of Menos, would you be willing to return to Soul Society with us?"
Soul Society.
The word was so familiar, yet so distant.
Had it not been for Captain Kuruyashiki, perhaps Ashido would have cast that word out of his mind long ago.
The days in the Forest of Menos were difficult to endure. Living alone was even harder. Now that someone suddenly mentioned returning to Soul Society, Ashido truly had no desire to go there.
"Forget it. I'm more suited to staying here…"
Ashido looked at the antelope mask in his hand and softly refused.
Was he disappointed that Soul Society had never sent anyone to search for him?
Perhaps.
But not too much.
Ashido knew very well that after disappearing for so long, the status of his file would only have been changed to deceased. No one would waste energy searching among hordes of Hollows for someone already marked dead. He himself would not have done such a thing either.
What influenced Ashido's refusal to return to Soul Society, apart from the fact that his old friend was no longer there, was the greatest reason of all.
His body was no longer that of a pure Shinigami.
Without any logistical support, how had Ashido survived in the Forest of Menos for more than two hundred years?
He fought Hollows every day, and his body also needed sustenance.
In Hueco Mundo, the only thing that could be called food was Hollows.
Years of eating Hollows had made the Reiatsu within Ashido's body impure. It was only his obsession with killing Hollows that allowed him to maintain his sanity under the influence of Hollow Reiatsu.
Gradually, Ashido had also become a half-Shinigami, half-Hollow monster.
He knew very well that the Seireitei, which hated Hollows as mortal enemies, would never allow Hollow power to exist.
Rather than return, be questioned by Central 46, and end up as a prisoner, it would be better to enjoy the final freedom of his life in this empty Forest of Menos.
That was what Ashido thought after hearing Urahara's invitation.
Ashido's refusal had no effect on Urahara. He had always respected other people's choices.
"In that case, we'll continue with our own operation. Farewell, Ashido-san."
Only then did Ashido suddenly realize that these people had not come to the Forest of Menos by accident. The person wearing a captain's haori was not even the one leading them. More than that, among these people were Quincy, as well as a Hollow.
"What are you here to do?" Ashido asked with a frown.
"Is the Forest of Menos your territory? Do you have to meddle in everything?" Grimmjow snapped impatiently.
The thing Grimmjow could not stand most was emotional scenes. The moment he saw Ashido crying, he had even wanted to flee the place.
"The Forest of Menos is not my territory, but you are the biggest problem!"
Ashido drew his blade and pointed it at Grimmjow.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're an Adjuchas, aren't you?"
There were three classes of Menos.
The most basic was the Gillian. They all wore white masks and black robes. This type of Hollow was the most common in the Forest of Menos.
One level above that was the Adjuchas. Menos of this class possessed self-awareness, and their bodies took on different forms. Grimmjow was currently of this class.
The highest class was the Vasto Lorde. There were only a handful in all of Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow still had a long way to go before reaching that level.
"So what if I am? What's it got to do with you?" Grimmjow said disdainfully.
"This is the first time I've seen an Adjuchas so close to human form. Hey, don't let him deceive you—"
Seeing that Ashido's next words might provoke Grimmjow, Tsunayoshi stepped forward and said, "Don't worry. Grimmjow is our guide for the Forest of Menos. For now, you could say he's our companion."
To spare the little face Grimmjow had left, Tsunayoshi did not say the word "captive." Even so, Grimmjow was still somewhat dissatisfied.
"Who's your companion? Tch!"
"Don't worry. He can't deceive us…"
Tsunayoshi's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he shouted, "Careful!"
A pair of scarlet eyes appeared behind Ashido.
However, Ashido's expression did not change at all. He spun around swiftly. Red light flashed around him for an instant. Then he calmly sheathed his blade.
The Menos behind him was cut in two.
This was not an ordinary Menos. It had a special physique.
It was an Adjuchas.
Yet even such a powerful Menos was no match for a single slash from Ashido.
"This is what I wanted to warn you about. All Adjuchas that have gained reason will use every means possible in order to devour others. Something like a sneak attack from behind is only child's play."
As he spoke, Ashido's eyes remained fixed firmly on Grimmjow.
If Grimmjow made even the slightest abnormal move, his Iaidō slash would fall upon him.
It was precisely that sudden slash that made Grimmjow put away his disdainful gaze.
This plain-looking man before him truly had the ability to kill him.
His body trembled unconsciously.
Ashido, was it?
He really wanted to fight him.
"That slash…"
Ichigo's eyes lit up.
"Did you merge a Cero into your sword strike? Mr. Ashido, could you spar with me sometime?"
Ichigo was already capable of merging the power of a Cero into his slashes. But he was thinking further ahead: condensing both Cero and Getsuga Tenshō onto Tensa Zangetsu without releasing them, turning them into ordinary sword strikes.
That was something Ichigo was still exploring.
Now that he had seen Ashido fight in a similar way, Ichigo's interest was immediately piqued.
"Why? You're a Shinigami too, aren't you? Why would you pursue the power of Hollows?"
When he did not need to use his rain of arrows, Ichigo normally changed into his Shinigami attire, so Ashido believed he was a Shinigami.
"Is there a conflict in having both Shinigami and Hollow powers?" Ichigo asked, not quite understanding.
Even so, he still put on his horned Hollow Mask.
Ashido's pupils shrank.
The power emanating from Ichigo was unmistakably Hollow power. His gaze fell on Urahara and Tsunayoshi. Clearly, these two seemed easier to communicate with.
"When did Soul Society allow the use of Hollow power?"
"Well, that would be within this past year. Several captains in the Gotei Thirteen now possess the ability to use Hollowfication," Urahara said, referring to the captains from the Visored.
"Impossible. That Captain-Commander's attitude toward Hollows can be summed up in one word."
Ashido immediately denied it.
Kill.
That was the main theme of the Shinigami's attitude toward Hollows. Otherwise, the expeditionary force would never have been formed in the first place.
"Well, the situation has changed. There is only one reason that could make Old Man Yamamoto change his attitude," Tsunayoshi said. "A stronger enemy has appeared."
"A stronger… enemy?"
The outside world had changed too quickly. Ashido had stayed in the Forest of Menos for so long that he could not understand it in such a short time.
What enemy could be more terrifying to the Shinigami than Hollows?
"The matter is complicated, and it can't be explained in a short time. Mr. Ashido, I suggest you come back to Soul Society with us. To Soul Society, your power is also extremely important."
Tsunayoshi was not lying. A Shinigami capable of using Hollow power would undoubtedly shine in the future Thousand-Year Blood War.
A slash like the one Ashido had just used would inflict a powerful negative effect on a Quincy every time it struck.
"This…"
Ashido could not give an answer.
He had been disconnected from the world for too long. Aside from killing Hollows, he had no other thoughts at all.
"How about this? Since you're worried about our safety, please act as our bodyguard in the Forest of Menos. When there's no danger, you can exchange Zanjutsu with Ichigo."
Tsunayoshi pointed at Ichigo.
A bodyguard.
That pretext seemed acceptable.
Ashido was not hoping for any reward. He simply did not want to see any more Shinigami die in the Forest of Menos.
"All right."
Hearing Ashido agree, Ichigo immediately jumped up excitedly and went to Ashido's side, introducing himself and then the members of the group.
"Tsunayoshi, what reward are you planning to give him?" Urahara asked curiously, watching Tsunayoshi search through his clothes.
"Money has no meaning to Ashido anymore."
Tsunayoshi's eyes lit up, and he took out a small package from his pocket. It was not one of his personal belongings. The Tenth had carried it back with him, and Tsunayoshi had not thrown it away. He had casually kept it on his person.
"Ashido, how about this as your reward?"
Tsunayoshi tossed the small package over.
Ashido caught it and opened it. The moment he saw what was inside, tears nearly filled his eyes again.
He took one piece from the package and placed it in his mouth, savoring it carefully. He could not bear to bite it apart.
"Thank you."
The package did not contain anything precious.
It was only konpeitō that the Tenth had used to amuse little Hisana.
An ordinary candy from Soul Society.
But to Ashido, a Shinigami who had stayed in Hueco Mundo for more than two hundred years, it was priceless.
Something he had once dismissed without a thought had, in this moment, become the taste of home.
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