Chapter 63: The Last Leisurely Time

As the lizard Giant Hollow collapsed, Sasakibe Chōjirō raised his Zanpakutō for the final strike.

“Wait,” Yamabuki Haruto said. “Is it dead?”

Kazenami Haru shook her head. “Not dead. It’s resistant to my venom—just fainted. If we don’t finish it soon, it’ll wake up and cause trouble.”

Haruto grinned, a bold idea sparking. “Don’t kill it yet. Don’t you think our squad’s missing something?”

Chōjirō and Haru exchanged puzzled looks. “Missing what?” Chōjirō asked.

“Transportation!” Haruto laughed. “Crossing Hueco Mundo on foot? Unrealistic. This lizard’s perfect.”

Haru frowned. “A Hollow as transport? Too risky.” The Giant Hollow had taken both of them to subdue.

Haruto strode over and kicked the fainted lizard hard. It stirred, snapping its jaws at him. Haruto slapped it, sending its massive body spinning a dozen times through the air before it crashed into the sand. Chōjirō’s jaw dropped. He swatted it like a fly.

Hollows lacked intelligence, driven by instinct: fight, flee, or feed. Realizing it couldn’t win, the lizard tried to burrow away, but Haruto seized its tail. “Think I can’t handle you? I may not beat captains, but you’re nothing.” After a thorough beating, the Hollow submitted.

Haruto perched atop the lizard’s head, Chōjirō and Haru beside him, taking in Hueco Mundo’s bleak scenery. Haruto punched the lizard’s left side; it veered left. A right punch, it turned right. Two middle punches signaled stop, one meant forward, and rapid punches meant sprint. “You’re Lizard Maru now,” Haruto declared, lounging like a noble. “Whenever I’m in Hueco Mundo, you’re on call, got it?”

Lizard Maru’s eyes glistened with regret. One greedy bite, and my freedom’s gone. Its speed was impressive, kicking up sand as it carried them effortlessly. Chōjirō grinned. “This feels like a vacation, not a conquest!” Following Brother Yamabuki was always the right call.

“We’ve been riding for ages and haven’t seen stronger Hollows,” Haruto complained. “Going back like this is boring.”

Chōjirō beamed. “Hueco Mundo’s not as scary as the legends say!”

“It’s not that it’s safe,” Haruto boasted. “I’m just too strong. My reiatsu’s scaring them off.”

Lizard Maru halted abruptly at a hill’s base, nearly throwing them off. Haruto punched its head. “I didn’t say stop! Want another beating?”

Lizard Maru whimpered, gesturing ahead. Haruto used Shunpo to reach the dune’s crest and froze. Below, two groups of Hollows—over a thousand strong—faced off. Their reiatsu was heavy: Giant Hollows at the weakest, Menos Grande throughout, and several Adjuchas among them. That’s why it’s been so empty. They’re all here.

Chōjirō peeked over cautiously. “Brother Yamabuki, why so many Hollows? What’re they doing?”

“Probably playing cards,” Haruto whispered. “Or a meeting. Let’s back off quietly.”

Even as the strongest Vice-Captain, facing this many Hollows, especially Adjuchas, was suicide. Two Adjuchas alone could overwhelm him.

Before they could retreat, the Hollows clashed. Claws and teeth tore through lower ranks, while Menos Grande and Adjuchas unleashed Ceros in a chaotic light show—red, green, blue—turning the battlefield into a deadly rave. Flesh and masks shattered, trampled by charging comrades.

Chōjirō gaped. “Why are they fighting?”

“How should I know? Run!” Haruto grabbed him, leaping back to Lizard Maru’s head, ready to flee.

A stray Cero hit their dune, blasting it apart in a cloud of dust. An Adjuchas snarled, “Who’s there? Your ambush?”

“Idiot! Those are humans!” another Adjuchas roared. “How could they be ours?”

“Humans in Hueco Mundo?”

“You tell me!”

“Stop fighting!” a third Adjuchas bellowed. “Kill the intruders first, then we continue!”

A thousand Hollow eyes locked onto Haruto’s group. His courage faltered, but he forced a strained smile. “Hey, we’re just passing through. Don’t mind us. See ya!” He punched Lizard Maru twice, urging it to bolt.

A Giant Hollow pointed. “That’s no human! He’s got a Zanpakutō—a Shinigami! Our sworn enemy, here to kill us!”

Haruto groaned. “Buddy, do you have to rat me out?”

“Shinigami!” an Adjuchas growled. “I hear they’re a delicacy. These three are mine!”

“Dream on! Fight for them!” another roared.

Over a thousand Hollows surged forward like a tidal wave, their reiatsu suffocating.