Facing the overwhelming charge of the Shinigami, the lone Gillian appeared pitiful, even helpless.
But in the blink of an eye, Zaraki Kenpachi, leading the vanguard, had already appeared in front of it.
Shing!
Kenpachi grinned wildly and swung his Zanpakutō down with full force.
"Eh?"
His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
His slash had only left a shallow mark across Gillian's thick skin.
"Thick hide, huh, Captain Kenpachi."
The voice came from none other than Shiba Isshin, the current captain of Squad Ten.
He strolled up with a cheerful grin.
"Even for a captain, if your spiritual pressure isn't high enough, you can't expect to break through a Gillian's defense with an unreleased Zanpakutō."
Kenpachi's grin widened into something far more feral.
"You bastard, who are you looking down on?!"
With a second roar, he raised his sword again and brought it crashing down.
Slash!
This time, a huge chunk of the Gillian's flesh flew off.
"GYEEEHH!!"
The monster howled in agony.
"As expected of you, Captain Kenpachi—your strength really is insane," Isshin said, clapping and smiling sincerely.
"O king's lander! Mask of flesh and blood, all creation, flutter of wings, and the name of man! Truth and temperance, the wall of innocent dreams—stand firm upon it!"
"Hadō No. 33: Sōkatsui!"
Without emotion, Byakuya Kuchiki incanted and unleashed a roaring blaze that engulfed the Gillian's side.
The towering Hollow writhed in pain again.
"Stay still, bastard!!"
Sui-Feng darted forward like lightning.
"White Hits Art—Flying Sickle Kick!"
Boom!
A devastating kick crashed into Gillian's side, blasting out a chunk of its lower torso.
Above the battlefield, the captains displayed divine power.
On the ground, the lower-ranked Shinigami swarmed like ants.
Their various attacks battered Gillian's legs and lower body like stinging insects.
The damage was minimal—nearly all superficial.
Many of the Shinigami hadn't even reached seated officer level.
Even if they had achieved Shikai, their slashes were ineffective against a Menos of this size and density.
Still, there was strength in numbers.
Even scraping wounds add up eventually—and if it doesn't hurt, at least it itches.
The Gillian had no chance to retaliate. It could only stagger and scream.
"Hadō No. 31: Shakkahō!"
A boy with white hair shouted.
A crimson blast exploded from his palm and struck the monster.
Boom!
A red glow flared—and nothing happened.
Just a few black scorch marks remained on the already pitch-black skin.
"Damn it!"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō scowled, frustrated.
"Pfft—Tōshirō, your Shakkahō needs a lot more practice," Matsumoto Rangiku teased, laughing as her bosom bounced with every giggle.
Hitsugaya flushed and turned away angrily.
Across the battlefield, no matter their strength, every Shinigami was pouring their power into attacking the Gillian.
The creature became a sacrificial lamb, slowly overwhelmed by relentless waves of attacks.
Up above, the other Gillian in the rift began to stir. They twitched and rumbled, reacting to the suffering of their own.
But oddly… they did not move.
Then—Kenpachi, his red eyes gleaming, leapt into the air and swung down one final time.
Slash!
His sword struck the Gillian's forehead, cleaving through its mask.
Its massive body teetered, then collapsed.
"GYEEEEEHHHH!!"
A final wail pierced the air before it disintegrated into black ash.
The battlefield quieted.
The Shinigami let out long sighs of relief.
The fearsome Menos Grande had been slain.
Many new Shinigami, fresh out of the Academy, immediately began boasting.
They exaggerated their role in the fight as if they had felled the monster single-handedly.
The captains, too, relaxed.
Only two faces remained grim.
Kenpachi Zaraki, eyes wild, looked to the sky, ready for more.
Kyoraku Shunsui, frowning, gazed at the rift with quiet unease.
He sensed something wrong.
When the Gillian was being assaulted, the others had grown restless.
But now, with their kin slain, they stood motionless?
Unmoving. Unroaring. Watching in complete silence.
Something was very wrong.
Then—Shunsui's eyes widened.
"Scatter! Move!"
But he wasn't the only one who noticed.
The next moment, the sky exploded with crimson light.
Hundreds of Gillians opened their mouths at once.
A unified glow illuminated the sky like a dying sun.
BOOOOOM!!!
Hundreds of Cero rained down.
An apocalyptic barrage descended from above.
The ground split and roared.
The heavens trembled.
Mushroom clouds erupted one after another, the shockwaves flattening the battlefield.
The world turned into chaos—black smoke, dust, rubble, destruction.
It was like Hell had cracked open.
Eventually, the smoke began to fade.
Where there had once been solid ground, now stood only craters—deep, wide, broken.
Komamura Sajin stood in the air, armored Bankai shielding the earth.
Even so, blood trickled from his body, and massive dents marred the armor.
"Quick! Count the wounded!!" he roared.
Kyoraku dusted himself off, eyes cold and sharp.
"Thank the Spirit King Captain Komamura was here to take most of it…"
If not for Komamura's full Bankai, nearly everyone would have been vaporized.
Even so—27 Shinigami were dead. 73 wounded.
The majority of the fallen were fresh graduates.
Many of them had never seen a Hollow before.
They didn't even get to draw their Zanpakutō before they were erased.
On the ground, faces stared blankly into the sky, their final emotions frozen in terror.
Their bodies broken.
The rookies who survived wept openly.
Friends. Classmates. Loves.
Gone.
"Unforgivable."
Sui-Feng's fists clenched. Her eyes were red.
She had seen many of these faces just days ago during the graduation assessments.
"Kill them."
Kenpachi's voice was low and cold.
The other Shinigami all stared upward.
Same thought.
Kill them all.
As if hearing their collective will, the sky trembled again.
The spatial rift split wide—
And this time, all of the Gillians stepped out.
No more hesitation. No more teasing.
The true battle had just begun.