You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

There might be an element of luck involved, for example, Cang Chun and Lou Shilang were only a hair's breadth apart, but it also proves that Iori possesses a certain quality that makes these extraordinary people automatically gather around him.

"He had his Hollows build a massive fortress base, protected by unknown spiritual technology, which was the beam that rescued him from Seireitei. Because of the expanded area of ​​protection, the strength of the fortress naturally decreased, but it could still neutralize most Kido. Trying to besiege it from the west with sheer numbers would be much less effective."

"It's alright, we never intended to win this war by sheer numbers."

Saito, who was immortal, asked, "What is the enemy's strength?"

“There are countless Voidlings and Kyrians, more than thirty Adjuchas, and multiple Vastods have been confirmed to exist!”

Esdeath said seriously, "Even if we set up battle formations in the field, we won't have the advantage."

Although the captains were not frightened, their faces darkened. They hadn't expected there to be so many mid-to-high-level Hollows.

"It turns out... It seems he has been harboring evil intentions for a long time and has been operating in Hueco Mundo for a long time, otherwise he would never have been able to gather such a large military force in such a short period of time."

"It's Zhu Siba Zhengyuan, with his red hair, who said in a deep voice."

This time, he led the elite of the Fifth Division to assist in the battle, and even the usually forthright Zheng Yuan couldn't help but become serious in the face of the grim situation.

"Can you tell me the specific combat force deployment?"

"The detailed intelligence is still being verified, and we can't completely trust that undercover agent, after all, he's a Hollow... but some things have been confirmed."

Esdeath picked up a piece of paper from the table: "There are at least three Vastodes, and all of them have become Arrancars. Together with the other nine Arrancars, they form an elite group called the 'Zodiac', and each of them is equipped with a personal guard."

"It's obviously aimed at the 'Gotei 13'."

Cang Chun sighed and then said, "Commander Bing Li, there are some people here who don't understand what 'Broken Faces' are. Why don't you explain it to them?"

Esdeath's gaze swept across the entire room, pausing briefly on Iori, who was looking at her intently. Then, facing the inquisitive gazes of the crowd, she spoke calmly and deliberately:

"The so-called 'Arrancar' are exactly what they are called. Their characteristics are that their Hollow masks are broken, revealing human faces. Unlike ordinary Hollows who rely on their bodies like beasts, they carry swords—like Zanpakuto."

According to our technicians' measurements, that weapon should be formed by sealing the Hollow's 'spiritual core,' which is the essence of its power. Therefore, it can also unleash swords and enhance its own power like Shikai and Bankai.

In addition, there are other special abilities, such as an indestructible outer skin and enhanced Cero... all of which greatly amplify the original power of the Hollow.

"That kid from the Tsunayo family is really something else, managing to come up with something like this!"

The Grim Reaper captains all realized the threat posed by the Arrancar, and their fear and disgust towards Toki Nada deepened.

Even Tsunayoshi, one of the five noble families, was not very respectful in his words. After all, since the founding of Seireitei, such a heinous yet impactful defection was unprecedented. It was hard not to make connections with a family that could produce a "talent" like Tokina.

"I haven't finished yet... The reason why the Hollows have changed like this is not because they have an evolutionary path beyond Vasto Lorde, but because of a breakthrough in their power attribute."

Seeing the captains' puzzled expressions, Esdeath said seriously, "The Hollow masks break automatically because they have comprehended the power of the Shinigami and infused the Shinigami's spiritual power into their Hollow Spirits, which is called 'Hollow Shinigami Transformation'!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly, with the source of the sudden change in expression becoming most obvious; it could almost be described as a complete change in demeanor.

"Deserves to be killed!"

"How blasphemous!"

"Death transformation..."

Unlike the situation in the original work where Aizen led a "fashion trend," the existence of the Visoreds is basically as conspicuous to the Seireitei as a hybrid of elves and goblins, and is absolutely unacceptable.

The corresponding "Broken Face" will naturally become a thorn in their side.

After all, once the technology of the Arrancar becomes widespread, given the size of Hueco Mundo (the number of Hollows far exceeds that of the Shinigami), there will inevitably be large numbers of Captain-level powerhouses, and eventually they will be able to confront Seireitei head-on!

By then, it won't be so easy to manipulate Hueco Mundo to maintain the balance of the three realms at will.

"Can a Shinigami become a Hollow? Conversely, can a Shinigami also become a Hollow?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was granted special permission by Iori to attend the meeting, asked with great interest, "Has Tsunayoshiro Tokinada not conducted any research in this area?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him, their eyes filled with hostility, but Nie Jianli didn't care.

"Who knows? But as a Shinigami whose Zanpakuto was confiscated, he was able to subdue Hollows and build such a huge organization. Perhaps he used this to strengthen himself."

Iori stood up and explained Mayuri's question, and Esdeath sat back down in her seat.

Then Iori said to everyone, "Everyone, I don't think I need to explain the necessity of this battle any further. Tsunayoshiro Tokinada's actions are shaking the foundation of the three realms. Once the boundaries between Hollows and Shinigami are completely blurred, it is impossible to predict what will happen. Therefore, we have a responsibility to nip it in the bud!"

"Captain Aizen is right!"

"Yeah, I agree."

The captains nodded in agreement, but Kenpachi remained silent. He was sitting there as the representative of the 11th Division, but frankly, it was a bit much to ask him to participate in the operational meeting, so he simply kept quiet.

In any case, all he can do at that time is kill people, and that's exactly what the Seireitei expects from him.

"The enemy's strength is greater than we thought. Should we draw reinforcements from Seireitei?"

"Not for now. The [Hollow Night Palace] will also launch an attack to draw away some of Shitan's forces."

Iori changed the subject abruptly: "The envoy from Barragán has arrived. Everyone must remain calm and not lose their composure."

"Even though we're Hollows, who do you think we are?"

Zhu Siba Zhengyuan laughed, "I wouldn't be so reckless, after all, these are special times~"

The captains already knew there were "guests" present, since the special spiritual pressure wasn't deliberately concealed. Knowing that Iori had his own plans, they didn't ask any questions.

Saito joked, "That's only because of you, Iori. If it were the Captain-Commander as the Admiral, in order to uphold the pride and principles of the Seireitei, he would at most only accept intelligence and would never fight alongside Hollows."

"Saying they fought side by side is an exaggeration; it just happened that they were attacking the same enemy."

Iori smiled faintly, then raised her voice: "Come in, Lieutenant."

The wooden door, driven by the ghost path, swung open to both sides, and a tall female figure entered, escorted by two Grim Reapers. She wore a half-face mask that covered her face below the bridge of her nose, revealing emerald green eyes and dark golden hair. She wore a white uniform, the opposite of the Grim Reaper's attire, which made her look heroic and mysterious.

The captains sensed it carefully, their eyes subtly revealing their feelings:

Wastodd!

The envoy sent by Las Noches was Vasto Lorde!

Vastod is undoubtedly a top-tier fighter in Hueco Mundo, even rarer than Bankai-level Shinigami, and his strength is no less than that of the captains... Is Skull Emperor Barragan showing off his strength, or is he trying to demonstrate his sincerity in cooperation?

Regardless, this at least proves that Las Noches does indeed possess the capability to attack Toki no Naka de, making them capable of becoming allies with the Shinigami.

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Aizen."

To everyone's surprise, Vastod, who was expected to be unruly, actually greeted Iori respectfully and politely.

“My name is Heliber, and I am His Majesty’s messenger, responsible for bringing back the decision-making opinions of the Grim Reaper for His Majesty’s review.”

“We have already felt His Majesty Barragán’s sincerity. There’s no need for further formalities. Please take a seat.”

"Thank you."

Halibel sat down as instructed, right next to Esdeath. The two exchanged a glance, and the spiritual pressure fluctuations they emitted collided in the air, creating a series of static-like sparks.

Faced with Vastod, Esdeath remained fearless, looking at him defiantly, while Halibel appeared cold and unfriendly, but ultimately did not make a move.

No one took it seriously.

Esdeath was previously stationed in Hueco Mundo, and it seems she must have fought Halibel. Two captain-level powerhouses with queen-like auras are bound to be at odds with each other, so it's normal for them to be unhappy when they meet.

if not?

Should we exchange pleasantries like we would with close colleagues?

Death and Hollows are natural enemies!

Tai Iori glanced at Esdeath with satisfaction, seemingly approving of her restraint, which made everyone marvel at Iori's charm.

The ability to transform a Rukongai hero like Esdeath into a sensible officer is something few can match!

"Although Tsunayoshi Tokinada has been scheming, he still has to face the joint attack from the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. In terms of troop strength, we have an absolute advantage when we join forces, and the same goes for high-end combat power."

The only uncertainty is that Hollow who wreaked havoc in Seireitei... You all should remember him, right?

"..."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and even Kenpachi Zaraki's eyes flickered as he looked at Iori with his single eye.

It's more than just having an impression... Most of the captains have experienced the terror of that Hollow. To be honest, apart from the Captain-Commander, there shouldn't be any Shinigami who could suppress it.

Of course, we might also add Iori now, since it's been a long time since we've seen him go all out, and he might already have the strength to take on that Hollow one-on-one.

"According to intelligence, that Hollow is not within the [Zodiac], nor does it have a personal guard or lieutenant. It cannot even be considered a subordinate of Tsunayoshi Tokina. It simply resides in Tokina's territory for some reason and maintains a certain tacit understanding with him."

"So... is it possible to bypass this Hollow?"

Cang Chun frowned. "Otherwise, it would take at least three to five captains or Vastodes to hold them off, which would be too costly."

Three or five captains might not be enough—that's what Saito thought to himself after personally fighting against him.

That was indeed a problem that only Yamamoto could handle.

but……

Saito then looked at Iori, feeling an inexplicable surge of confidence in him:

This man always plans carefully before acting. Since he chose to take on the position of general, he must have a way to handle these problems.

Yamamoto knew that Hueco Mundo had such a freakish Hollow, but he still handed it over to Iori, which may be the same view as Saito's.

As expected, Iori smiled and said, "There is a plan for this. During the final battle, I will lead the elite to carry out a decapitation operation."

"And if this Hollow enters the battlefield and interferes with our battle with Shi Tan—I will hold it off. You all only need to concentrate your efforts on killing Shi Tan. Once we eliminate the root of the problem, the rest is just a matter of cleaning up the mess, and everything will fall into place."

The group exchanged glances, none of them speaking rashly.

Finally, Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division spoke, uttering her first words since the start of the meeting: "The task of slaying Tsunayoshi Tokinada can naturally be entrusted to the captains, and I believe everyone is capable of doing it."

But wasn't Captain Aizen's decision to fight a Hollow alone a bit too reckless?

"I am confident."

Iori said, word by word.

"understood."

Unohana smiled and nodded, believing Iori so easily.

Seeing this, everyone had nothing to say and could only support Iori's plan.

They weren't doubting Iori's fighting ability, but rather that it seemed rather unconventional for the Commander-in-Chief to be alone in the most dangerous position on the field.

"Then it's decided. We'll discuss the specific details once we receive more intelligence."

...After the war council ended, everyone dispersed and returned to their respective posts and positions, leaving only Esdeath, Harribel, and... Aizen Sōyūhime in the room.

The vice-captain who led her subordinates from the 13th Division to provide support did not speak at the meeting, which could have reduced her presence, but Esdeath was most concerned about her.

Heribel was not familiar with Yuuki, and seeing that she was not leaving for a long time, he subconsciously looked at Iori, as if seeking instructions.

Seeing this, Iori couldn't help but smile: "Don't mind... this Grim Reaper is one of us."

"One of our own?"

"My name is Aizen Sōyūhime."

The tall, beautiful woman with long, straight black hair stood up and introduced herself to Halibel in an elegant tone.

"Aizen..."

Halibel looked at Iori in surprise, then at Yuuki. Although both were beautiful, they were clearly not alike. Finally, her gaze fell on Esdeath.

"What, isn't Lady Aizen's wife Lady Esdeath?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the expressions of the three people subtly changed...

Chapter 425 Wild Vastod.

Halibel is a Vasto Lorde who grew up in Hueco Mundo. For beings like her, emotional intelligence is meaningless, so she doesn't think there's anything wrong with what she said and is seriously waiting for Iori's reply.

This was quite important to her, because when Iori left Hueco Mundo, the affairs of Las Noches were basically managed by Esdeath, Halibel, and Nereil (Szayelaporro had no decision-making power), and Esdeath was implicitly the leader among them.

This is not just a matter of strength. In fact, after undergoing Arrancar transformation, Halibel and Nereil have greatly improved and are not significantly weaker than Esdeath. The three of them would have to fight to the death to determine who is superior.

(Of course, the two female Hollows also acknowledged that Esdeath had greater potential, because personality determines destiny, and their competitive spirit and fighting desire were far less intense than Esdeath's.)

The most important reason is the unique personal relationship between Esdeath and "His Majesty". In fact, the entire Las Noches Palace tacitly regards Esdeath as a matriarch.

Now that a beautiful woman with the same surname as "Your Majesty" has appeared, Heliber has no choice but to take her seriously.

The awkwardness was only temporary. Iori quickly recovered and smiled casually: "Don't misunderstand, this is my older sister—don't be fooled by her smiling face, she's actually much scarier than me."

"Don't say such unnecessary things."

Yuuki smiled and greeted Halibel calmly: "Nice to meet you. My man must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?"