Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 192 - Setting Out Once More

A few days after emerging from Muken, Wayne sought out Aizen to discuss when they should depart for Hueco Mundo. Aizen said anytime worked, and he had already helped Wayne draft the roster for the expedition.

Wayne scanned the list. No one he recognized. He agreed on the spot, and they settled on leaving in three days.

"Big Brother, you're going to Hueco Mundo again?" In Wayne's private courtyard, Momo's brows pinched together. It hadn't even been a month since he'd last come home, and now he was leaving again. She'd entered Shin'ō Academy alongside her big brother to help build a better Soul Society, to give the people of Rukongai a more comfortable life. Yet here she was, still a student, while her big brother and her so-called little brother had both already joined the Gotei 13 and risen to Third Seat. It left her, the girl caught in the middle, deeply torn.

She had Tobiume now. Her strength had clearly reached the level required for the Gotei 13. So why wouldn't her big brother let her join? After turning it over and over, Momo could only conclude one thing: her big brother had been risking his life ever since becoming a Soul Reaper, and that was exactly why he didn't want her entering the Seireitei too soon. He wanted her to keep tempering herself at the Academy first.

But... Shiro-chan had joined. Her big brother had arranged his spot in Squad 10 ages ago. And yet she...

"Ah. I need to go conduct some investigations over there. For a while, I probably won't be around. Momo, take good care of yourself and Granny, alright?" Wayne ruffled her hair.

"Tsukishiro-nii, let me come with you." Shiro-chan, sitting off to the side, didn't look much happier. "I've already joined Squad 10, and now I have Hyōrinmaru. In terms of combat strength, "

"In terms of combat strength, you wouldn't last one exchange." Wayne crushed the fantasy without mercy. "Yes, your Zanpakutō is the strongest ice-type. But you still haven't properly mastered it." His voice stayed gentle.

"The more powerful the Zanpakutō — especially one like yours — the more time the wielder needs to grow into it. Until you fully master it." Wayne reached out and drew Hyōrinmaru from the sheath on Shiro-chan's back. Shiro-chan didn't flinch. He just let his big brother pull the blade free.

"Hyōrinmaru. Strongest ice-type Zanpakutō. At its peak, it can rival Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka. And you, right now, can't even draw out thirty percent of its power. If I brought you to Hueco Mundo as you are, the Hollows there — the ones with Reiatsu on par with captain-class — would tear you apart. Not a scrap left."

"But I—"

"Hone yourself in Squad 10 first." Wayne patted his head. "Later, once you've learned Bankai, I'll take you out to gain real experience."

"Tch..." Shiro-chan deflated. But he knew his big brother was right. He could unleash staggering power through Hyōrinmaru's immense Reiatsu, but he couldn't control it yet. If it rampaged, he wouldn't just hurt the people around him. He'd likely freeze himself solid in the process.

"Don't worry about me. This time, I'm going with a captain-class officer. Worst case, if we run into something too strong, running away won't be a problem." Wayne gave them both a reassuring look. He slid Hyōrinmaru back into its sheath.

"I don't know how long I'll be in Hueco Mundo. But I will come back. That, I promise."

"Big Brother." Momo hesitated, then spoke. "I... I want to join the Gotei 13. Become a Soul Reaper."

"Oh?" Wayne glanced at her, reaching over to rub her head. "Aren't you about to graduate?"

"But..." Urgency crept into her voice. "Big Brother and Shiro-chan have both already become excellent Soul Reapers, and I've just been holding you back this whole time. I want to become one too, as soon as possible. To help you both."

After her first year, Momo had obtained her Zanpakutō alongside Kira, Abarai, and the others. They'd long since met the qualifications. All they needed was to pass the final exam, and they could apply directly to a division. But Wayne had told them to build their foundations at the Academy first. Wait until graduation.

"Call me Hitsugaya..." Shiro-chan's grumbling never stopped.

"If I remember right, you'll be starting your field training soon, won't you?" Wayne ran the timeline in his head. About half a year until Momo's internship officially began.

At that point, Aizen would recruit Kira, Momo, Renji Abarai, and the rest into Squad 5 all at once. Then screen them one by one.

Wayne had already altered the course of events here, to some degree. Gin Ichimaru's promotion should have come a few years later, but Wayne's stunning performance had caught Aizen's eye and sparked that desire to recruit. So Aizen had pushed Ichimaru up to captain of Squad 3 ahead of schedule, leaving the lieutenant seat vacant for Wayne. Except one Hueco Mundo expedition had rocketed Wayne straight to captain-class strength. Aizen had temporarily shelved the idea of making Wayne his lieutenant and shifted his thinking. Of course, if the recruitment succeeded, the position would still be waiting.

"Half a year. After your field training ends, then become a Soul Reaper. By then, you'll have glimpsed a corner of what Hueco Mundo's forces look like, and the direction you want to head in the future."

"That... alright." Momo took his advice.

Wayne's reasoning was simple. He wanted to confirm Aizen's intentions himself before arranging anything else. If Aizen had already decided to kill him, sending Momo into the Gotei 13 right now would be sending her to her death.

He ate dinner with his family and spent three days doing absolutely nothing around the house.

On the morning of the fourth day, Wayne headed to the Senkaimon. Time to depart for Hueco Mundo with Aizen.

"You've arrived, Hinamori-kun." Aizen was already there when Wayne showed up. Several of his squad members stood behind him, and members from other divisions were still trickling in. Wayne's own Squad 4 had dispatched four members to accompany him on the expedition.

Wayne was nominally the mission commander, but with Aizen present, he figured the real authority rested with the captain-class officer. So he didn't bother with personnel arrangements. All he had to do was keep his guard up around Aizen.

"Ah, Captain Aizen. You're here early." Wayne greeted him.

"I'm simply accustomed to rising early." Aizen's tone was gentle. Then he asked, "Hinamori-kun, do you have any suggestions for operating in Hueco Mundo?"

"To be honest, the last mission I led didn't go well. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been ambushed and wiped out. So this time, I'd like Captain Aizen to manage the squad's movements." Wayne voluntarily handed over command. In his view, splitting his attention to lead the squad was a waste. Better to keep his focus locked on Aizen the entire time and prevent any surprises. Cooperating with a boss-level figure like this, Wayne had no intention of getting stabbed in the back because he let his mind wander.

"Very well. I've led several expeditions into Hueco Mundo myself, so I'm not unfamiliar with the environment." Aizen smiled and accepted.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Captain Aizen."

About an hour later, everyone had assembled. Aizen drew his Zanpakutō and opened the Senkaimon. The group filed through, heading for Hueco Mundo.

The journey took roughly half a month. When they finally arrived, Wayne took a long, deep breath, letting his body and mind relax. Returning to his old home. As expected, it was the Reishi of Hueco Mundo that felt right. Even his Zanpakutō gave a faint vibration, as if responding to his mood.

"Judging by the terrain, this appears to be the eastern region of Hueco Mundo." Aizen surveyed the area. "The Senkaimon from Soul Society typically sends us to the east. Occasionally, spatial turbulence shifts the portal's destination, and we have to judge our bearings ourselves. By the way, Hinamori-kun, last time, your method for determining your location was..."

"Grab a Hollow and interrogate it," Wayne answered flatly.

"In that case, if you don't mind, why don't we be a bit more thorough? Grab a few Hollows and ask." Aizen suggested.

"At Captain Aizen's disposal." Wayne didn't object.

Aizen produced a small porcelain bottle from his robes and poured out a white substance, explaining to the group.

"Bait. It attracts Hollows. Once crushed, it will draw in every Hollow within dozens of miles."

"Gulp." The squad members behind Aizen swallowed in unison.

Captain Aizen was playing this way too big. Every Hollow for dozens of miles? They'd be swarmed and slaughtered.

"Mm." Wayne didn't seem concerned. He just nodded. He wasn't afraid of dying to Hollows. The man standing in front of him was more terrifying than a thousand of them.

Seeing no one speak, Aizen smiled faintly and crushed the bait in his hand. White powder scattered on the wind. In less than three minutes, the ground began to tremble. Hundreds of Hollows surged toward them, flying Hollows, ground-bound Hollows, massive Hollows. They didn't fight each other. They formed a single, massive tide, bearing down with overwhelming ferocity.

Among the horde, the lowest were lower-grade Hollows. The highest included plenty of Adjuchas-class, and not a small number.

"Mm. It really does attract this many." Aizen watched the oncoming wave. "Shall we fight?"

"If Captain Aizen doesn't have a good solution, my suggestion is: run." Wayne's voice was flat. As if Aizen didn't have a solution. Otherwise, this stunt would just get all his squad members killed.

But on second thought, that actually tracked. If everyone who came died, Aizen wouldn't have to keep up the act. Wayne just hoped his own name wasn't on the kill list.

"No need to worry. My Kyōka Suigetsu is well-suited for cleaning up small fry. It's not dangerous." Aizen stepped forward and drew his Zanpakutō.

Facing the surging tide, he raised his blade and spoke the release incantation.

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."

CRACK!

A sound like splintering glass. Kyōka Suigetsu vanished from sight. In the next instant, the Hollows that had been charging toward them all stopped dead, and began tearing into each other.

Chaos erupted. The Soul Reapers watching the Hollows slaughter one another wore expressions of pure horror.

"Captain Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu truly lives up to its reputation," one of them breathed.

"A water-type Zanpakutō. Kyōka Suigetsu. It bends light to make enemies mistake allies for foes and kill each other. With a divine weapon like this, we could run subjugation missions here endlessly." Another squad member's face was full of envy.

"Once Captain Aizen's ability wears off, there will still be top-tier Hollows left. We'll be facing powerful enemies directly. Don't let your guard down." A relatively level-headed member spoke up.

Sure enough, after several dozen minutes, about twelve Adjuchas-class Hollows remained. Three high-grade Adjuchas, eight mid-grade, and one low-grade that had survived by sheer luck.

"Twelve Adjuchas-class Hollows. Hinamori-kun, let's interrogate them." Aizen sheathed Kyōka Suigetsu. The Adjuchas snapped back to their senses. Seeing the countless dead and dying around them, their Reiatsu spiked violently. But the bait's scent had faded. Slowly, reason returned.

"Good. Most Adjuchas-class Hollows possess rationality. We can extract quite a bit from them." Wayne drew his Zanpakutō and spoke the incantation.

"Return, Levi."

SHING!

The blade left its sheath, transforming into a one-handed greatsword. Wayne stepped into Shunpo and shot toward a high-grade Adjuchas. The other squad members released their Zanpakutō and charged at the rest.

Wayne closed in fast. His greatsword flipped, and a blade-flash materialized out of nowhere, screaming toward the Adjuchas. The Hollow raised an arm to block, but the slash curved mid-flight and slammed into its abdomen. Crimson blood sprayed. The Adjuchas staggered backward.

Curved Blade Flash. A derivative technique Wayne had developed from Retsu Unohana's curved slashing style. It launched a blade-flash that followed a curved trajectory. If not for basic dignity, Wayne had almost named it the No-Scope Slash.

One hit landed. Wayne advanced with Shunpo and, in an iai stance, slashed through both of the Hollow's legs. The creature, not particularly large to begin with, collapsed to the ground. Wayne pivoted. Two more blade-flashes cut through both arms before they hit the sand.

No pause. Wayne surged forward again, blade whirling, and carved a wound across the Adjuchas's back that nearly bisected it at the waist.

Less than half a minute. One high-grade Adjuchas, down.

Wayne flicked the blood from his greatsword, caught his breath, and turned toward the next high-grade Hollow.

The hunt was on. Commencing now.

➤ Next: Baring Fangs — Words Unspoken