Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 516 Grab it in one go, refine it in an instant!

Seireitei.

In the Ninth Division, Bane, holding a hand warmer, stood under an apple tree whose leaves were already turning yellow, looking rather sentimental.

"Autumn has come so quickly; it's colder than usual at this time of year."

Ain, who was standing to the side, smiled and said, "Young Master, if you release a little spiritual pressure, you won't feel cold."

"If you can't even feel hot or cold anymore, wouldn't living be like being a machine? That's so boring," Bane clicked his tongue.

As he spoke, he yawned, as if feeling a bit sleepy, and casually said, "I'm sleepy, I'm sleepy. Everyone gets sleepy in autumn, I'll go back and catch up on some sleep."

Seeing her young master so lazy, Ain was somewhat helpless, but life in Soul Society was just that simple and unpretentious.

However, before Bane could even reach the covered bridge, Kensei Muguruma rushed in from outside the courtyard. Upon seeing Bane, he called out, "Lord Spirit Master, the Captain-Commander has convened an emergency council meeting and requests your presence."

Bane paused, then looked at Kensei Muguruma and asked, "What's going on? Wasn't there a council meeting just the day before yesterday?"

"The Second Division, the Eighth Division, and the others who went to Hueco Mundo to investigate Las Noches have returned," Kensei Muguruma immediately said.

"Huh?" Bane was even more confused and couldn't help but ask, "No, if I remember correctly, they just left yesterday, right? And they're back today?"

Ain, who was standing nearby, pondered for a moment and said softly, "They probably encountered an unexpected situation."

After pondering for a moment, Bane smiled and shook his head, saying, "Whether it's Orochimaru or Aizen, what they did might have been a bit exaggerated, shocking people."

"Strong medicine is only needed for severe cases," Ain said with a smile.

Bane rolled his eyes at her but didn't say anything more. He handed her the hand warmer and said, "Go take a nap for me. I'm such a busybody, gotta go to a meeting now~"

When Bane arrived at the headquarters, all the captains of the various divisions had already arrived.

He was actually the last one to arrive.

Not only that, contrary to usual practice, Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai, who is always the last to appear, was now seated in the head seat with a very serious expression.

"What's going on?" Bane asked Ukitake Jushiro, who was sitting in the last spot in front of the door, as he entered and saw the scene.

"We've been waiting for you, please sit down." Jushiro Ukitake greeted him first, then said, "The situation in Hueco Mundo is far more terrifying than we imagined. Shunsui and the others have slunk back."

Bane responded, then sat down in his seat and looked towards Orochimaru.

Orochimaru remained calm, sitting in his seat, holding a teacup, and taking a small sip.

As if noticing Bane's gaze, he paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Although he didn't say anything, his nod was enough to be considered a 'confession'.

Bane breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, it was Aizen and Orochimaru who caused this mess!

It's probably related to the previous Arrancar, right? Didn't I hear Ain say that Aizen and Orochimaru released a lot of Arrancars into Hueco Mundo?

"Why are they making such a fuss? How many did Chunshui and the others encounter? Thirty or forty?" Bane wondered to himself.

He had only heard Ian mention this matter, but he hadn't really paid attention to the specifics.

Thinking about all this, he picked up the teacup next to him and started drinking.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yamamoto Genryusai skipped the formalities and spoke directly: "I have suddenly summoned you all today because there is an important matter that I need to inform you of. At the previous council meeting, the Second and Eighth Divisions were to be responsible for the matter of Hueco Mundo's Las Noches. Today, we have reached a conclusion, and the situation is not optimistic. Captain Kyoraku Shunsui will inform you all of this."

With a dark face and a rather gloomy expression, Kyoraku Shunsui, who no longer had his usual carefree demeanor, stood up upon hearing this and looked at everyone, saying, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't have believed it myself. So although this situation is somewhat unbelievable, please don't think I'm just making things up. Captain Yoruichi of the Second Division also witnessed this fact with me."

Yoruichi Shihouin nodded to the person opposite her, indicating that she was right.

Then, Shunsui Kyoraku spoke up: "The Las Noches in Hueco Mundo does indeed exist. They are all dressed in white formal attire, clearly demonstrating a certain level of order and organization. Previously, during our exploration of Hueco Mundo, we discovered at least eighty Adjuchas-class Hollows and five Vasto Lorde-class Hollows. Judging from the situation, this is very likely not their entire force. At least Barragan, who calls himself the 'King of Hueco Mundo,' has not appeared, and he must have a guard force around him. We estimate that this so-called Las Noches probably has eight to ten Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar Hollows, eighty to one hundred Adjuchas-class Arrancar Hollows, and an incalculable number of miscellaneous Hollows and Gillian!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone except for Orochimaru and a few others who knew the truth looked shocked.

Even Bane was dumbfounded!

Are you guys playing this high?

Although Aizen created hundreds of Arrancars during his reign in Hueco Mundo in the original story, the vast majority of them were mixed Hollows, with some being Gillian, while Adjuchas and Vastodes were always in the minority.

Many Arrancars could be fought by the Seireitei's officers and soldiers, so their strength is just so-so. Nine times out of ten, they are just products that Aizen used as stepping stones for the Espada to experiment on.

It's like upgrading equipment in an online game. You might not be able to get god-tier equipment, but you can always manage to get a bunch of low-quality high-star equipment.

But now, according to Kyoraku Shunsui, there are over eighty Adjuchas-class Hollowfied Arrancars alone?

This means there are at least eighty captains!

Where did all these Adjuchas come from? Did they sacrifice all the Gillian from Hueco Mundo?

This is like draining a pond to catch all the fish!

If this batch of Hollowfied Arrancar is wiped out, Hueco Mundo might not be able to thrive for the next few hundred years.

When Izumi Katsu finally came to his senses, he was about to shout that it was impossible, but seeing Kyoraku Shunsui's heavy expression and the precautions he had just taken, he swallowed his words.

How could something this important be a joke?

"An organized, large-scale, and rapidly growing force usually indicates that such a force has a clear objective and is moving toward that objective at high speed," Ukitake Jushiro said softly.

"What could Hueco Mundo's goal be?" Shiba Isshin asked, his brow furrowed.

"Unify Hueco Mundo? I'm afraid they've already achieved that goal. After all, that Barragan, didn't he call himself the King of Hueco Mundo?" Kenpachi Kuruyashiki chimed in.

Yoruichi Shihouin sighed softly, looked at everyone, and said, "I think we shouldn't harbor any illusions. Just as Kenpachi Kurosaki said, Las Noches has likely already achieved the unification or even domination of Hueco Mundo. After that, they will only do two things: either flood into the Human World and wreak havoc, or they will set their sights on our Soul Society. No matter which target they choose, we cannot remain uninvolved. This may be the most terrifying crisis in the thousands of years since the Gotei 13 was established!"

Before Yoruichi Shihouin said those words, everyone was somewhat unwilling to face reality, but after she finished speaking, everyone had to admit that this was reality.

If Hueco Mundo has become this terrifying and developed this kind of power, then the next step will be either to fight the human world or the Soul Society.

Whether they target the human world or the Soul Society, they cannot bypass the Gotei 13.

"Prepare to face a formidable foe," Yamamoto Genryusai declared in a deep voice.

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After he finished speaking, he looked at Yoruichi Shihouin and Sojun Kuchiki and said, "You two, when you get back, count the number of people in the noble district who have mastered Bankai and register them."

"Understood," Kuchiki Sojun replied immediately.

Clearly, the Captain-Commander felt that the Gotei 13 alone was not enough to handle the situation and that they needed to find outside help.

"Captain Shutara," Yamamoto Genryusai said, turning to Shutara Senjumaru, "Your 10th Division, compile a complete list of all members who have been on leave, find those with captain-level strength, and recruit them back into the division to form a special operations team under my 1st Division. At the same time, according to the list within Seireitei, recruit the strongest individuals from across the entire Seireitei!"

"Yes," Shutara Senjumaru replied with elegance and composure.

Then Yamamoto Genryusai looked at Bane and said, "Spirit Lord, in your Ninth Division's Great Prison, make sure to prepare as many prisoners as possible with the corresponding strength as possible. Grant them amnesty to participate in this crisis. If they perform well, they can be completely pardoned!"

Those who commit serious crimes are usually quite capable. For example, they might kill their teammates out of a moment of resentment or anger. If you don't have the ability, how can you kill your teammates?

The problem is that the vast majority of serious criminals have already been transferred by Kensei Muguruma to Hiyori Sarugaki to be used as expendable resources for the 12th Division.

This is a bit awkward.

However, seeing Yamamoto Genryusai's very serious expression, Bane ultimately didn't have the heart to explain the situation, and nodded somewhat awkwardly, which was taken as an agreement.

After giving these instructions, Yamamoto Genryusai asked, "Is there anything else you would like to add?"

Orochimaru and Shutara Senjumaru exchanged a glance, and then Shutara Senjumaru spoke up: "Captain-Commander, while it's somewhat disheartening to say this beforehand, considering the terrifying development of Hueco Mundo's power, we must prepare for the worst. If the situation spirals out of control, will we perish with the Seireitei, or will we preserve our lives and territory, but wait for the right moment?"

A glint of fire flashed in Yamamoto Genryusai's eyes as he coldly declared, "I will live and die with the Seireitei!"

However, after a moment, Yamamoto Genryusai softened his tone and said, "But you all..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already very clear: as the commander-in-chief, he naturally couldn't possibly carry out any kind of "strategic retreat" or "victorious major offensive."

However, for the sake of the future of the Three Realms, the rest of us will still need to "set aside our honor" at that time.

Orochimaru spoke up at this opportune moment, saying, "I think you all don't need to worry so much. Captain Shutara's consideration is indeed correct, but don't forget, we still have the Pure Land. This is a realm completely different from Soul Society. Hueco Mundo cannot open the Black Hole leading to the Pure Land, so as long as we prepare for refuge, we might not be unable to fight a protracted war with these guys, right?"

Kuchiki Sōjun seemed to sense something, glancing thoughtfully at Orochimaru before speaking after a moment: "Captain Orochimaru is right. We still have the Pure Land. As long as we have a well-thought-out plan, even if Seireitei is truly breached, its central base can be relocated, so the damage won't be too severe. We can then use the Pure Land as a base to wage a protracted war and eventually reclaim Seireitei!"

"That's true, but don't be too pessimistic. If we fight bravely, we might not let the situation deteriorate to this extent!" Kenpachi Kuruyashiki said with great enthusiasm.

Upon reflection, everyone realized that it wasn't without reason that Kenpachi's Bankai was so terrifying.

Hirako Shinji also laughed and said, "My Zanpakuto has proven effective as well!"

As soon as these two spoke, everyone looked at the still very calm Spirit Lord and the Captain who had gradually regained his composure.

Yes, although the number of Hollows that Hueco Mundo has unleashed is somewhat beyond imagination, we have some big shots on our side who are beyond the usual level.

When the Spirit Lord fights Adjuchas or something, whether you have a broken face or not, isn't it all the same?

To sum it up in one sentence, it's like grabbing it in one swift motion and refining it instantly!

We have nuclear weapons, what are we afraid of?

(End of this chapter)