BLEACH: UNOHANA RETSU IS MY WIFE

"I am the third general under the command of the Hollow King, Baraggan!"

"Woman, you are unlucky to have met me here. I will crush you to pieces..."

An Adjuchas, twice the size of a normal Gillian and covered in white stone like a living mountain, spoke coldly to Unohana Retsu beneath him.

"Swish!"

Before the Hollow could finish his words, a sharp, cold light slashed out in the moonlight.

"How is this possible?! Woman, how can you be so powerful?!"

"My king, Baraggan-sama..."

With the sound of crackling and splintering, the massive body of the Adjuchas split apart, and countless white sands spilled from the cracks. With a thunderous crash, he fell to the ground...

This giant beast, once known as the third general under Baraggan, kept screaming his master's name in his heart until his final breath—never realizing it was Baraggan himself who had sent him to his death.

"Shua!" Unohana looked at the fallen beast, gently flicking her blade to shake off the sand and blood. She cast a cold glance at the corpse and muttered,

"How unfortunate. To have encountered such a weak opponent..."

"No..."

"We can't let Baraggan keep sending Adjuchas against Retsu. Even if he sends them in droves, they're nothing more than small fry in front of her blade!"

High in the sky, Araki watched as Baraggan's generals were slain by Unohana's sword. His brow twitched slightly.

It wasn't that the generals were too weak—Unohana Retsu was simply too strong. So powerful that there were no worthy enemies beneath the level of Vasto Lorde. Whether it was Gillians or Adjuchas, they were nothing but kindling to her blade.

Araki shifted his gaze across the battlefield. Waiting for Chigiri Shijima were two Adjuchas. In their eyes, she seemed weak...

"The enemy's too strong! I might not make it."

Chigiri Shijima looked listlessly at the two Adjuchas before him. He suspected a traitor in their ranks—otherwise, how could such enemies have been sent to him so precisely?

"Hehehe..."

The two Adjuchas sneered at Chigiri Shijima.

"Looks like you're self-aware. You understand the difference between us!"

"Before I die, can you at least tell me who sent you?"

Chigiri's voice remained calm. No trace of fear.

"Sure! His Majesty Baraggan sent us to kill you!"

The two Adjuchas were unusually cooperative, revealing everything she wanted to know.

"I see..."

"Your level is too low. You wouldn't know who the traitor is anyway."

Chigiri muttered to himself.

"What did you say?!"

The two Adjuchas exchanged a glance, confused.

"Nothing..."

"Since you know nothing, you might as well vanish."

Chigiri raised his Zanpakutō.

"What are you going to do?!"

The two Adjuchas panicked. They hadn't expected him to retaliate.

"Bankai..."

Without waiting for them to react, Chigiri Shijima released his Zanpakutō completely.

"This..."

Araki covered his eyes. What came next was simply too brutal to watch.

"Shijima's the same. Why does he use Bankai the moment he meets someone?"

Araki shook his head. Using him to train Hollows wouldn't work either.

As for Saitō Furobushi..

Saitō had already severed all eight limbs of the spider-like Adjuchas. Standing atop its skull, he arrogantly declared:

"You scared me! If you really want to kill me, send your boss instead!"

"RAHH!!"

With one final screech, the Hollow was cleaved in two.

Elsewhere, the battle between Kadori Taketsuna and Nishikotsu Saizō had ended. Though previously overwhelmed by Gillians, they showed no hesitation when facing Adjuchas. Their Zanpakutōs were released immediately. When these "Killer Captain" got serious, the difference between them and mid-level Hollows was over in an instant.

"Nothing worth noting."

Executor Taketsuna flicked blood off her sword and coldly eyed the fallen corpse.

"An Adjuchas corpse? It looks useful for dissection..."

Nishikotsu Saizō examined the dead Hollow with interest.

"This isn't going to work."

Araki sighed. Using the Captains to train on Adjuchas was a miscalculation. To restrain them, at least a Vasto Lorde was needed.

But Vasto Lordes were so rare that even searching all of Hueco Mundo might yield only a handful.

"Baraggan, keep sending the Adjuchas! Send them all!"

With that decision, Araki contacted Baraggan through Tenpei Kuro.

If quality wasn't enough, quantity would have to suffice. One Adjuchas wasn't enough? Then two. If two failed, then three...

Today, Araki would dye Hueco Mundo red with blood.

As long as the two pools he had set aside remained intact, the true elites wouldn't die so easily...

"Very well."

Baraggan paused for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"It seems the renovation of Hueco Mundo will have to wait..."

He rose from his throne.

"My warriors, return to me."

As Baraggan spoke, a dreadful spiritual pressure burst from his body, radiating in all directions.

"His Majesty is calling us..."

Across the western reaches of the Forest of Menos, all the Hollows under Baraggan's command—those who had been hunting Grand Fisher-class creatures—halted and began converging on the Palace of Night.

"Wait!"

Amidst the endless white sands, a Hollow with a glowing bulb atop its head watched quietly.

One day, he swore, he would wipe out every Hollow who had hunted his kind.

"Don't bully the weak little Hollows..."

The newborn Hollow muttered, burrowing deeper into the desert.

Soon, we'll reach the day when no weak Hollow is hunted again...

Palace of Night.

Not long after Baraggan's summons, the Adjuchas returned from all corners. Some carried the lightbulb-headed Hollows they had hunted.

"Excellent."

Baraggan smiled with satisfaction, then said coldly, "Your mission is complete. I have something more important that requires your strength."

"As Lord Baraggan commands!"

The Adjuchas immediately knelt, their postures low and reverent.

"Head to the Great Hollow Forest. Engage only the powerful Shinigami—leave the weak to rot. And retrieve the corpses of my fallen comrades. Toss them into this pond..."

Baraggan issued his orders with regal authority.

"As you will!"

A gleam of cruel anticipation flashed in the eyes of the Adjuchas. For too long they had waited to take revenge on the invaders. Now was their chance.

"Go."

Baraggan waved his hand imperiously.

"Kill!"

Like a receding tide suddenly reversing, the Adjuchas charged out, streaking toward the Great Hollow Forest.

"Evolution into a Vasto Lorde... is that your hope?"

Baraggan muttered to himself, seated atop his throne, eyes fixed on the Fountain of Evolution—a mystical spring left behind by the mysterious Araki.

He, too, was curious. What kind of monster could emerge from this sacred water?

***

Meanwhile, deep in the Great Hollow Forest, a chilling pressure washed over the captains. Unohana Retsu's sharp senses tingled the moment the second wave began.

"That's not normal..."

All five captains paused—something in the air had shifted. The forest itself seemed to groan beneath the spiritual weight.

"They're coming," muttered Nichikatsu, the most perceptive among them. "More than twenty Adjuchas."

"Endless waves?" Shijima Chigiri's brow creased.

"Prepare for retreat," Unohana ordered calmly. "We prioritize survival now."

"It's too late."

Nichikatsu's expression turned grim. From the shadows of the trees, monstrous figures began to emerge.

BOOM!

A thunderous burst of spiritual energy erupted as one after another, Adjuchas-level Hollows leapt from the forest like beasts unleashed.

"One, two, three... I can't count them—I can't count them all!"

A member of the 11th Division trembled as the flood of towering Hollows poured forth. His eyes bloodshot, he could barely stand straight.

"Stay alert!"

Suddenly, a green caterpillar-shaped Adjuchas dropped from a branch and landed in front of the squad. Its grotesque mouth opened, releasing a foul breath, and a dense reiatsu pressed down on them like an avalanche.

Gudong~

The Shinigami's Zanpakutō shivered in their hands. It wasn't cowardice—it was primal fear, crawling through their bones.

It's over... the thought passed through all of them.

But the Hollow didn't strike. It ignored them completely—and instead turned to charge toward the captains.

"What…?"

"They're ignoring us… going straight for the captains…"

The realization spread like fire.

"They don't even see us as worth killing…"

That hurt more than death.

Roar!

Elsewhere, five captains—Zenjoji Arihime, Kadori Taketsuna, Saitō Furobushi, Nichikatsu, and Unohana Retsu—stood surrounded by mid-tier Hollows, each faced by no fewer than four.

"Tsk."

Zenjoji slowly pulled his Zanpakutō from the ground, calm and unshaken.

It wasn't pressure he felt—it was opportunity. A chance to sharpen his swordsmanship.

As if they shared the same thought, all five captains raised their blades in chilling unison.

"Bankai."

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