Chapter 67: Yamamoto: “Who Told You to Go to the Enemy’s Stronghold?!!!”

“Las Noches!” Yamabuki Haruto gasped, staring at the massive white fortress. “How’d we end up here?” No wonder the Hollows stopped chasing—not fear of him, but of Baraggan Louisenbairn, the Skeleton Emperor, Hueco Mundo’s king.

“Chief, you look shaken,” Kazenami Haru said. “Is this place bad? Should we leave?”

The Hollows glared from a distance, their eyes burning with resentment, but none dared cross into Las Noches’ territory. Haruto steadied himself. “No panic. I’m here. Las Noches is huge—Baraggan won’t notice us for a while. Those Hollows won’t follow, so we’ve got breathing room. Tell Soul Society to open the Senkaimon near Las Noches. We’ll leave in two hours.”

Las Noches wasn’t just a palace but a sprawling complex. Kurosaki Ichigo’s crew had wreaked havoc here without immediate detection. In this era, pre-Arrancar and Espada, Baraggan’s primitive rule was no match for Haruto’s cunning. You’re nothing, Baraggan, he thought, flashing a mocking middle finger at the Hollows. They snarled but stayed back.

“Brother Yamabuki, is this really safe?” Sasakibe Chōjirō whispered, gripping his Zanpakutō.

“Relax,” Haruto murmured. “With me here, even Baraggan can’t touch you.” His plan: rest on Las Noches’ outskirts for two hours, then slip through the Senkaimon. Mission complete. Unbeknownst to him, their presence had been noticed the moment they entered.

In Seireitei, Yamamoto sipped tea, awaiting Haruto’s report. A technical officer approached. “Captain Commander, we’ve pinpointed the Chief of Staff’s location. He requests a Senkaimon… near Las Noches.”

“Pfft!” Yamamoto spat his tea. “Las Noches? He’s leading a punitive squad, not delivering food!” Soul Society knew little of Baraggan. Even a thousand years later, Kyōraku Shunsui didn’t recognize the Skeleton Emperor. But Yamamoto recalled a youthful battle against an ancient Menos Grande, before Zanpakutō existed. That Hollow had overpowered him, stormed the Soul King Palace, and devoured the Soul King, only falling to Ichibei Hyosube, who named it Ikomikidomoe. Terrible name, Monk. Baraggan, from that same era, was no weakling. Las Noches was a death trap.

“Captain Commander, the Chief’s in danger. Send a rescue team?” the officer asked.

Yamamoto shook his head. “Follow his orders. He has his reasons.” The officer relayed the message: “Chief, the Captain Commander approves the Senkaimon near Las Noches in two hours. Hold on.”

Haruto, exhausted from relentless combat, leaned against Las Noches’ wall. His reishi recovered fast, but mental fatigue lingered. “If anything happens, wake me,” he told Chōjirō and Haru. “I’m napping.”

“Brother Yamabuki, sleep here?” Chōjirō protested. “Let’s go back to rest!”

The Hollows outside bared their teeth, itching to attack but held back by Las Noches’ boundary. Haruto ignored Chōjirō, closing his eyes. Chōjirō clutched his sword, wary of the king’s domain.

Barely two minutes passed when Las Noches’ gate creaked open without warning. The watching Hollows scattered. Haruto cracked one eye, peering inside. Two humanoid Hollows—not Vasto Lorde, just human-like—emerged, strutting toward him. Chōjirō and Haru tensed, hands on their Zanpakutō.

“Shinigami,” one Hollow barked arrogantly, “His Majesty Baraggan, King of Hueco Mundo, summons you. Come now.”

Haruto frowned. How does Baraggan know we’re here? “No way,” he scoffed. “I’m sleeping.” Two hours, and he’d be gone. Why meet a skeletal king? If it were Nelliel or Halibel, maybe I’d consider it. Baraggan? Get lost, ugly.

The Hollows raised their voices. “His Majesty Baraggan demands you come!”

“Chōjirō, handle them,” Haruto said, rolling over to nap. These two were like Aizen’s lackeys—hangers-on with no real power. Baraggan’s taste is awful. Male secretaries?

Chōjirō dispatched them in under a minute, their weak reiatsu no match for Enyōmaru. “Pathetic,” he muttered. “These are Las Noches’ Hollows?”

“Wait till His Majesty deals with you!” the beaten Hollows shouted, fleeing.