Chapter 642 Sustainability Is Key

Hueco Mundo.

Makoto and his group didn't even know how many years they had been here.

The main problem was that this godforsaken place had no concept of time. It was night all day long.

But in this immeasurable span of time, the group had made quite a name for themselves in Hueco Mundo… many Hollows had given them the nickname [The Godly Hollow Hunter Squad].

The name sounded like it could describe Shinigami, but for Makoto's group, it fit perfectly.

The number of Hollows they had slaughtered was truly terrifying, far surpassing that of other Menos Grandes, and even exceeding the expeditionary forces dispatched by the Soul Society specifically to eliminate Hollows in Hueco Mundo.

Whether it was the highest-level Vasto Lorde or the lowest-level Gillian, wherever this group set foot, the Hollows there wouldn't live to see the next moon.

Truly, wherever they passed, not a blade of grass grew.

Who knew if the Soul Society, upon detecting that the number of Menos Grandes had dropped exponentially in recent years, would send an expeditionary force to protect the Hollows in order to maintain the balance of the three worlds.

If that day ever came, things would get interesting.

After all, the relationship between Shinigami and Hollows was quite like that of hunters and prey.

It required sustainable development.

If there were too many or too few Hollows, it would disrupt the balance of the three worlds.

That was also why, after the Karakura Town incident, Yamamoto Genryusai didn't completely annihilate the severely weakened Hueco Mundo.

And why, a thousand years ago, he had nearly exterminated the Quincy clan.

Because Quincy killed Hollows without purifying their souls. Once killed, they were gone.

Over time, the balance of the three worlds would spiral out of control.

Besides, Yhwach's personality was impossible to negotiate with.

So a thousand years ago, Yamamoto decided to just wipe out the Quincy altogether, once and for all.

Today, Makoto's group had arrived in a new area.

"Hmm?"

Shawlong Koufang, who was probably Adjuchas-class based on his appearance, suddenly had his expression changed.

He had been lying on a dune resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly felt an overwhelming, suffocating Reiatsu bearing down from the horizon.

Shawlong quickly rolled over and muttered under his breath, "Such powerful Reiatsu... something's wrong."

Then, Shawlong whipped his head around and shouted to his companions who were also resting with their eyes closed, "Everyone, wake up!"

There were several other Adjuchas resting nearby.

Edrad, Nakeem, Yylfordt… they were all veterans who had survived for countless years on Hueco Mundo's brutal soil.

But upon hearing Shawlong's clearly panicked shout, they all opened their eyes at almost the same time.

Feeling the rapidly approaching tidal wave of Reiatsu, their faces changed in unison.

"Grimm—"

Just as Shawlong was about to call for their leader, he suddenly noticed that Grimmjow, the head of their group, had already appeared atop a nearby dune without anyone noticing.

The Adjuchas, whose form resembled a white leopard, stood with his back to the group. His silhouette was taut like a drawn bow, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

The leader of their group, and one of the top-tier Adjuchas.

In Hueco Mundo, the number of beings that could make Grimmjow show such an expression could be counted on one hand.

Shawlong opened his mouth to say something, but Grimmjow had already spoken first.

"They're here."

The moment the words left his mouth, the ground beneath their feet shook violently.

White sand surged like waves. The surrounding gravel was crushed into powder under the oppressive Reiatsu, filling the air with a suffocating sense of dread.

Suddenly, Grimmjow's expression shifted dramatically.

He whipped his head around, his leopard eyes blazing with murderous intent, glaring straight at his subordinates. Edrad and the others all took a step back in unison.

"Wh-what's wrong, Grimmjow?"

Edrad stammered, while the others looked at each other, their faces full of confusion and unease.

Although Grimmjow was normally short-tempered, he was actually the type of boss who protected his own… he could yell at his men, but outsiders couldn't touch them.

That was why they were all willing to follow him.

This was the first time they had ever seen their leader look at them like that.

However, Shawlong, who was the strongest among the group after Grimmjow, finally realized the problem.

His Reiatsu perception range was broader than the others'.

Shawlong abruptly looked up, his pupils contracting, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Edrad, above!"

The other Menos Grandes all looked up at the same time.

They saw a huge demon with red markings on its body, resembling a rabbit, descending from the sky. Its sharp claws gleamed coldly under the moonlight, about to land on Edrad's head.

At the critical moment, Grimmjow moved.

His hind legs kicked off the dune with such force that the entire dune collapsed. His body shot up like a white bolt of lightning.

His clawed fists burst with sharp blue light as he leaped, a sign that he had compressed his Reiatsu to the limit.

His claws met the descending claws head-on, and the two forces collided in mid-air with a resounding metallic screech.

The shockwave exploded outward in a ring, sending Grimmjow's subordinates below flying, tumbling across the white sand before they could barely stop.

However, before Grimmjow's men could even get up from the ground, the sand beneath them suddenly burst open.

A ferocious, dolphin-like Menos Grande with fangs lining its mouth burst out from the sand, its jaws wide open, aiming straight for Yylfordt. A cheerful declaration came from its mouth.

"Chow time!"

Yylfordt, the future No. 15 Arrancar whose form resembled a giant bull, turned pale in an instant.

Although he was on the weaker end of the Adjuchas spectrum, he was still a genuine Adjuchas, and his reflexes were far from ordinary.

He quickly adjusted his body in mid-air, angling his huge horns downward to meet the attack, intending to use his strongest weapon to withstand the blow.

But the dolphin-like Menos Grande didn't give him the chance.

A burst of violent sound waves erupted from deep within its throat, slamming into Yylfordt's body like a solid force, freezing the massive bull in mid-air.

Then, with three wide bites, it tore into him.

Half of Yylfordt's face was ripped clean off, just like Whitebeard during the Summit War. Blood gushed from the ragged wound. (T/N: It's only in the manga, while in the anime, Akainu's attack only destroyed Whitebeard's moustache.)

The Dolphin Devil chewed the half-face in his mouth like chewing gum, the crunch of flesh and bone echoing between his teeth. He sneered, "Boring. I didn't even get serious and it's already over."

Yylfordt let out a agonizing scream that nearly tore through the silent night sky of Hueco Mundo.

He rolled on the ground, clutching the remaining half of his face, blood spurting through his fingers, staining the white sand red.

Shawlong, Edrad, and the others' faces changed drastically. They called out Yylfordt's name in unison.

But before their voices could even fade, the Teddy Devil and the Gorilla Devil had already pounced from two different directions, giving them no time to react.

Sonído!

After gaining Hollow powers, they had naturally mastered the signature Hollow movement technique.

Their forms left afterimages in the space, and the next instant, they were already at their prey's side.

Although the intruders and Shawlong's group were both Adjuchas-class, their strength clearly wasn't on the same level.

Even Shawlong, the second-strongest in the group, stood no chance against the Teddy Devil.