BLEACH: UNOHANA RETSU IS MY WIFE

"Don't confront them head-on! Retrieving the bodies of our fallen is the priority..."

"And one more thing—you must not underestimate these Shinigami. His Majesty Baraggan said they're far stronger than they appear."

The leader of this group of Adjuchas was a Hollow slightly smaller than the others, with distinct panda-like features. The dark rings under his eyes were especially noticeable.

At this moment, the petite Hollow issued commands to the surrounding Sub-Hierro-class Hollows.

"Hahaha, Dih'yela, you're far too timid! How did someone like you become Lord Baraggan's chief general?!"

Several Adjuchas jeered as one spoke up. Among them, a mantis-shaped Hollow mocked Dih'yela most of all. Perhaps all mantis-like Hollows shared a self-destructive bravado.

"…"

Dih'yela didn't respond. He was clearly used to such mockery.

"Tch!" The mantis scoffed in frustration, yelling louder, "Watch as I destroy those Shinigami! After this, you'll hand over your title to me!"

With that, the arrogant Adjuchas charged toward Unohana Retsu.

"Idiot," Dih'yela muttered. "You picked the strongest one…"

"…Which is good. That means you'll die faster."

Dih'yela observed the Hollow's chosen target with quiet disdain.

"Woman! DIE!!"

The mantis-like Hollow had already rushed before Unohana, raising his scythe-like arms high before bringing them down with full force.

Swish!

But the expected impact never came. Only the whistling sound of wind.

"Huh?!"

The Hollow stood frozen, confused. Then came a faint dripping sound, accompanied by the sharp stench of blood.

He looked up—only to see his arms severed and gushing blood.

"AAAH!!"

The Hollow howled in agony, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How… how is this possible?!"

Before he could finish speaking, his body split apart—severed cleanly.

Shlick.

"Next," Unohana murmured coldly, flicking blood from her blade as she set her sights on the remaining Adjuchas.

"Ugh…"

The Adjuchas, who had initially been tasked with suppressing her, involuntarily stepped back. To them, Unohana now radiated the same oppressive presence as their Hollow King, Baraggan.

"Retrieve that idiot's corpse," Dih'yela said coldly, pointing toward the bisected Hollow on the ground. His tone was indifferent—as if the fallen was no more than an insect, not a comrade.

"Are you the strongest among them?" Unohana asked, turning her piercing gaze on Dih'yela.

"…No," he replied, calmly retreating behind his companions.

Since the death of Baraggan's top three generals, Dih'yela had learned something important—

In this world of survival, names meant nothing.

What mattered… was living.

"Looks like it's you, then."

Unohana smiled faintly. Her Zanpakutō pulsed with a crimson glow, as if endless blood flowed toward its edge.

A moment later, a brilliant crimson slash shot toward Dih'yela.

"I'm going to die…"

Dih'yela knew the moment the attack came. But he didn't panic. He stood calmly behind two of his companions.

Swish!

While the two Hollows were still frozen in confusion, the blood-colored arc had already pierced through them.

"Wha—?!"

The two Ash-level Hollows looked down, stunned. Before they could react, their bodies split apart.

"Coward," Unohana spat, her blood-soaked blade flashing again.

"Thanks for the compliment," Dih'yela replied coolly. "But I have no intention of fighting you. I'm not suicidal."

He knew all too well—any flash of red from her blade meant certain death. Dih'yela had always known his limits.

"Hm?!"

Just as Unohana prepared for a second strike, she suddenly stopped and leapt back.

BOOM!

The spot where she'd just stood erupted into scorched earth, obliterated by a crimson Cero.

"…Gillian?"

Unohana turned to look. The Gillians, who had once roamed the Great Hollow Forest aimlessly, now displayed a strange awareness. They ignored the lower Shinigami entirely. Instead, with gaping maws, they charged Hollow Flashes directly at Unohana and the other captains.

"…So, as an Adjuchas, you can command Gillians?"

Unohana narrowed her eyes, staring at Dih'yela.

"Not all of them," he replied flatly, unwilling to say more.

Unohana tapped her communicator.

"Relay this to all squads—exercise extreme caution. It appears these Adjuchas can control Gillians…"

"…Or perhaps they all possess this strange ability."

Unohana didn't hesitate—she immediately activated Tenteikūra, sending a wide-area transmission to alert all captains.

"...This is bad."

Upon receiving the intel about the newly emerged Adjuchas and their suspected abilities, the expressions of the captains darkened.

"BOOM!!"

But there was no time to react—the relentless Cero bombardment from the Hollow forces kept raining down, disrupting the captains' coordination and pushing them into chaos.

In single combat, shinigami Captain's like Saitō and his peers could have slain these Adjuchas without difficulty. But this wasn't a duel—it was a swarm. Multiple Adjuchas led tides of Gillians, coordinating their attacks to overwhelm the Shinigami leaders.

In such overwhelming odds, even a Vasto Lorde would have fallen. And now, even the mighty First Generation Gotei 13 found themselves hard-pressed.

For a moment—it looked grim.

"Don't fall back! Brothers, stand with me! Buy time for the captains!"

Though fear had begun to take hold with the arrival of the Adjuchas, the ordinary Shinigami—those proud warriors of the 11th Division—steeled themselves. Watching their captains fight for their lives, how could they possibly retreat?

Pride eclipsed fear. Loyalty eclipsed despair.

One after another, low-ranking Shinigami unleashed a powerful surge of spiritual pressure, achieving Shikai in this life-or-death moment. Their Zanpakutō spirits had answered their desperate resolve.

"Die!!"

Their blades transformed, and they charged—slashing through the battlefield with renewed strength, cutting down Gillians with wild abandon.

"ROAR!!"

The wounded Gillians howled, their own Ceros igniting the sky—only to fall moments later, their massive bodies crashing down one after another in clouds of spiritual ash.

"We did it!"

Cheers erupted from the soldiers of the 11th Division. Zanpakutō raised, they roared in triumph. Some were hoarse, others wept, their hearts finally unburdened after the pressure of battle.

"Thank you, comrades. Now it's our turn!"

Without the cover fire of the Gillians, the Adjuchas rapidly lost momentum. On Unohana's front, it was especially brutal—her quiet blade danced with eerie calm, and within moments, every Hollow was reduced to sand... except for Dih'yela, who fled, carrying his fallen comrade's body.

Elsewhere, the Adjuchas who had besieged other captains took the hint. They had not suffered the complete slaughter of those who challenged Unohana Yachiru, but they had seen enough—Bankai releases, captain-level precision, and the sheer terror of fighting the First Gotei 13. A few careless ones had already been annihilated.

"Retreat!!"

At that moment, the only thought in the minds of the Adjuchas was to escape—and retrieve the corpses of their own fallen kin.

"Victory! We've won!!"

The battlefield echoed with jubilant cries. Shinigami across the forest roared in triumph, bloodied but standing. Some laughed madly, others collapsed in exhausted joy. This was their release—the cry of survival in a realm of death.

But high above the battlefield, Captain Araki floated in silence.

"Victory? No… this is only the beginning."

His gaze swept over the cheering crowd of soldiers.

"Too many of them haven't even learned their Zanpakutō's name. Too many haven't awakened Shikai. Was it my lack of pressure? Or have they grown lazy...?"

Responsibility burned in his chest. As the 11th Division's leader, Araki believed in pushing his subordinates to the edge—and beyond. If they sweated now, they might bleed less later.

And if they bled less, they might live.

With that in mind, he resolved: next time, even the lowest-ranked soldier would face an Adjuchas head-on.

From the ground below, Shinigami of the 11th Division looked up at their grim-faced captain and shouted:

"Captain Araki, you truly are our beloved commander!!"

But had the nobles of Seireitei overheard Araki's internal monologue, they would have clinked their wine glasses and chuckled:

"Oh, our dear friend Captain Araki... a true noble spirit! Compared to you, our treatment of the Rukongai peasants is downright merciful."

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