176: Chapter 176 The "Street Scoundrel" Went Bad

The battlefield situation that the three main combatants of the 11th Division had just stabilized suddenly turned passive again due to Aikawa Robu's injury.

Gillian-class Menos continued to gather and arrive, and the vast, hazy horizon in the distance of Hueco Mundo seemed to show a hint of restlessness.

Kenpachi Zaraki charged left and right, cutting things in two with every casual swing, either splitting them down the middle or slicing them straight across the waist.

Ikkaku's Hozukimaru was also a long weapon; a flash of cold light would strike first, followed by the three-section staff disassembling, and the end of the staff would smash against the mask of the opposing hollow, shattering it into pieces.

Yumichika was doing the blue-collar work of filling in the gaps, dutifully helping the two "grandpas" who let themselves go wild whenever they fought clean up the aftermath.

But!! Setting aside Yachiru, who was on Kenpachi's shoulder, these three had been surrounding the 7th Division, fighting around the "Big Doggie" and "Second Doggie" that Yachiru spoke of, primarily focusing on distinguishing between "family" and "outsiders."

Ryan Nephalem is family to Mia and Tuaner, so he cannot die!

Mia said that Sajin Komamura had stuffed money into the packages Ryan Nephalem sent home, and they had shared meals and drinks, so if he could be saved, he should be saved—it was all about doing one's best.

If that delicate-looking captain of the 5th Division could die, it would just mean the 5th Division needed a new captain.

As for the others, it would depend on their own strength and fate. Didn't they have any self-awareness before coming to Hueco Mundo?

Ikkaku realized that some strange slang had mixed into his thoughts, so he quickly tapped his shiny, bald head and continued to seriously hack away at the Menos Grande in front of him.

Aizen adjusted his glasses and cut down another enemy in front of him.

As the second most brilliant strategist in the Soul Society, he was somewhat troubled.

These three hooligan-like guys had surprisingly good combat power, and they happened to be new additions to the Gotei 13, so they hadn't seen the release of his zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu.

He had originally planned to wipe out this group of Shinigami, including the two captains, who had come to the edge of Hueco Mundo to clear out hollows. What a pity...

He had his hesitations, but the hollows had none; more and more Menos Grande were gathering toward them.

The restless horizon in the distance finally yielded a result: a pure energy, thicker than that hand of Tenken, wrapped in blue-black lightning, crossed space and headed straight for the Shinigami...

It was a Cero from a Vasto Lorde. As the Cero approached, the Shinigami with low reiatsu were instantly vaporized. Kenpachi's small pupils contracted slightly as he activated a habitual skill he had recently developed after being beaten by Mia...

Materialized Reiatsu Defense: The super-strong reiatsu released from the surface of the body transforms into the shape of a giant skull, covering itself like a solid object and isolating it from all external attacks. This defense is extremely hot; once an external attack makes contact, its reishi is burned away.

Oh right, the limit of this defense once burned through Mia's socks... (The socks said, "Thank you for letting me experience a self-repair function I hadn't used in a long time.")

Because the area needing protection was too large, he also had to cover these two werewolves and his two subordinates.

So, Kenpachi overplayed his hand this time, and his defensive reiatsu was blown away by the Vasto Lorde's Cero...

Kenpachi was Kenpachi after all; he had a moment of shock, but immediately gripped his sword with both hands and slashed at the center of the Cero, preparing to split it open...

"What a reckless brute!" Ryan Nephalem was also very impressed by these three battle maniacs who loved fighting more than they loved themselves.

He pulled out the Silver Moon Wall Bastion, which he had spent a fortune to upgrade to A-rank, from behind his clothes and held it at the very front of the group...

The scorching energy washed over Ryan Nephalem's entire body, and the full-body armor that had previously been hidden beneath his oversized shihakusho was refined by the torrent of energy.

The full-body standard armor made Ikkaku's eyes almost pop out of their sockets—how afraid of death was this guy? Also, the quality of this armor actually looked quite good.

Even Aizen, who was nearby, was stunned by this "coward king" Ryan Nephalem's flashy move, causing him to stumble.

"Interesting..." A dangerous, curious glint flashed behind Aizen's lenses.

The wave of Cero passed safely, and everyone looked at Ryan Nephalem with a mix of gratitude and weirdness, leaving him feeling awkward. Fortunately, wearing a helmet and faceplate, this was an embarrassment exclusive to Ryan Nephalem.

"Uh, my dear friend, I must still thank you for saving me. It's just that this method is really..." Sajin Komamura was still deliberating on how to put it.

"You can lecture me later, my dear friend. Do you have any way to help me dissipate this heat first? I'm about to be cooked..." Ryan Nephalem's armor had been polished red-hot by the Cero's energy.

When Ryan Nephalem placed his hand on Sajin Komamura, a "Sizzle!" sound occurred, and a small patch of his fur was singed off.

Kenpachi, quick-witted and fast-handed, immediately pulled out a wine flask and poured it over Ryan Nephalem's head. And then, it just caught fire...

The Vasto Lorde's Cero not only killed many Shinigami, but also cleared out a large area of hollows.

Ikkaku and Yumichika, who temporarily had no opponents around them, could no longer hold it in; Ikkaku started rolling on the ground, laughing.

Yachiru also said in her milky voice from the side, "Oh my, Mia's Second Doggie is on fire..."

"Big Doggie, hurry and save Second Doggie, or else Little Ken will be beaten to death by Mia when we get back..."

Sajin Komamura just took Yachiru's childish voice as a joke, but Aizen took it seriously.

"An existence that could beat Kenpachi Zaraki to death? It should be a joke, but jokes also need a basis. Mia, is it? This matter has become even more interesting."

Aizen was, after all, a genius who transcended this era. He felt a hint of danger; more than three Adjuchas were rushing toward them from the distance.

"Captain, are we preparing to retreat?" His gentle, respectful, and frugal smile was just right, and Shinji Hirako couldn't do anything about him.

Glancing at Aikawa Robu, who was heavily injured and had lost combat capability, and then at the 11th Division support troops who were still fighting around Sajin Komamura and Ryan Nephalem, he said unwillingly, "Let's go!"

"Then your subordinate will begin setting up the Senkaimon." The danger lurking behind Aizen's submissive appearance was almost bursting forth.

He didn't need to deliberately stall; as long as he set up the Senkaimon normally, half of the few remaining Shinigami present would be gone.

Three Ceros from the Vasto Lorde locked onto Ryan Nephalem's group from several angles. The scorching energy came down overwhelmingly.

It wasn't the first time Ryan Nephalem felt like he was "done for."

But the success rate of being "done for" this time was probably the highest it had ever been.

Behind them was Aikawa Robu; given Sajin Komamura's nature, he would absolutely not abandon him and run.

Ryan Nephalem looked at the wolf head revealed after Sajin Komamura's bamboo basket was shattered, then took off his own helmet and activated his werewolf transformation.

The silver-gray werewolf, wearing a suit of tin-can armor, faced one of the Ceros together with the brown werewolf, Sajin Komamura.

Ikkaku and Yumichika also lunged toward another Cero.

Kenpachi Zaraki glanced at Ryan Nephalem, then laughed heartily and slashed with his sword at the thickest one coming toward him.

The scene Aizen had envisioned—severed limbs flying in the wind, or the overconfident officers being instantly vaporized—did not happen.

When he curiously looked back from the gaps in setting up the Senkaimon to watch the show, his pupils visibly changed, flashing with a dangerous light...