Chapter 398: BSUS Chapter 401: Three-Digit Arrancar

From a ruling perspective, Hiroe admitted that the number of people who shared his ideals could be counted on one hand, and most of them were currently standing on the enemy’s side.

The pawns in his hands all had minds of their own. Using them wasn’t as simple as just lifting a finger, and managing them took far more mental effort than Aizen spent managing Las Noches.

However, Hiroe did not view them as pawns. Because of this, he never felt that he was relying on a mask of deception to bind Ichigo and the others together. Although there were some things he couldn’t yet explain to them, their goals were aligned.

Therefore, the issue of insufficient control simply didn’t exist, because Hiroe had never intended to use sheer control to unite the many forces around him. True unity came from the heart.

Undeniably, when dealing with Ginjō and his group, Hiroe’s methods were neither honorable nor straightforward. Consequently, if the current team were to fall apart, the only possible cause would stem from Ginjō’s group.

Of course, Ginjō was not fundamentally a thoroughly despicable villain. In the past, he had been quite similar to Ichigo—trusting Ukitake implicitly and willing to do his part to protect human souls.

Even if it wasn’t as strong now, he still possessed the ability to see the good in things. Thus, by letting him lead a squad, Hiroe was offering him a measure of trust and expectation, in addition to a test.

To be precise, the hidden danger lay with Tsukishima. His world was a lonely one; he possessed exceptional intellect but lacked personal moral standards. Ginjō’s safety forced him to refrain from acting rashly, but if he judged a danger to be beyond what Ginjō could handle, he was fully capable of acting against Ginjō’s wishes to save his life.

It was precisely Tsukishima’s ability that could cause Hiroe a great deal of trouble in a chaotic situation, potentially leading to disastrous consequences. He was the true double-edged sword—whether for the current team of a dozen people, or for the future interactions between Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo.

And if this power were to fall into Aizen’s hands, it would be even more terrifying. Moreover, as long as Aizen wished it, acquiring it didn’t seem difficult.

In truth, Aizen had already sensed the presence of Ginjō and his group in Karakura Town. They were humans possessing abilities similar to Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora, but most of them were entirely new faces—except for Ginjō Kūgo.

To Aizen, the Substitute Shinigami plan initiated by the Thirteenth Division to turn humans into Shinigami was not an important matter. The subsequent sudden defection and disappearance of the first Substitute Shinigami was equally insignificant, merely tucked away casually in a corner of his memory.

Because of Hiroe’s interference, this memory was retrieved once more. After confirming Ginjō Kūgo’s identity, the identities of those other unfamiliar faces naturally fell into place.

He didn’t need too many details; knowing that they were a faction formed by Ginjō Kūgo, who harbored dissatisfaction toward Shinigami, was enough. Understanding this meant understanding the weakest link in Hiroe’s team.

Naturally, Aizen’s attention toward them wasn’t an attempt to recruit them for his own use to strike at Hiroe. While that would certainly be an effective method, it was far too petty.

Value. If they couldn’t demonstrate a value comparable to Inoue Orihime’s ability, then the impact of adding one more such person would be so small it could be completely ignored.

And Tsukishima’s ability to alter the past was likely the most worthless to Aizen. He intended to obliterate the history of this world anyway, so such a superficial ability to interfere with the past was truly uninteresting.

However, this intelligence did not seem to have been shared with Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname. To the two of them, these humans who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere were an unknown variable. What kind of plan Hiroe had entrusted to them was even more concerning.

Among them, Ginjō and Tsukishima, who had clearly been entrusted with heavy responsibilities, naturally warranted more attention. However, this was only Ichimaru Gin’s thought process. Tōsen seemed constantly worried that this was merely a smokescreen released by Hiroe, and therefore, he paid close attention to the members of every squad.

“You’re being far too paranoid, Kaname,” Ichimaru Gin said, pointing at Tsukishima on the screen. “He hasn’t lifted a finger from start to finish. This human is obviously the most suspicious. As for the other one, his strength is passable, but there doesn’t seem to be anything special about him.”

Unlike Tsukishima, Ginjō had taken the lead at the outpost and put in a lot of effort. Because of this, his method of using Fullbring to turn his necklace into a greatsword had already been seen.

With such straightforward offensive methods, his threat level was simply tied to his raw strength, and Ichimaru Gin believed that Ginjō’s strength was not enough to pose a threat to them.

Tōsen disagreed. “He might still be holding back. That guy Chōzuka is very good at hiding things. How can we let our guard down so easily?”

“If you link individual performance to Mr. Chōzuka, the value of all intelligence will be greatly discounted. Why not relax your standards a bit?”

Tōsen frowned. He strongly disliked Hiroe, and he also disliked how Ichimaru Gin addressed him. “They are not Chōzuka Hiroe. They are about to face a three-digit Arrancar; they will eventually show their true colors.”

A three-digit Arrancar. Ichimaru Gin looked thoughtfully at Ginjō pushing the door open on the screen. This time, he did not contradict Tōsen.

Three-digit Arrancars were an extremely unique group within Las Noches. It was especially easy for outsiders to underestimate them, and once they did, they were prone to suffering a massive loss.

Information regarding them should have been relayed to Hiroe by the former 2nd Espada. The problem was, at this moment, Hiroe shouldn’t have any excuse to pass this piece of intelligence on to the others.

Ginjō had indeed never heard any relevant intelligence. Therefore, when he saw the lone guard in the spacious room behind the door, he actually felt a sense of relief.

“I am Arrancar No. 107, Gantenbainne Mosqueda. The humans you are looking for are in the room behind me.”

This was a completely humanoid Arrancar with an orange afro. Beneath his open collar, well-proportioned and powerful muscles were exposed. Judging by his tone, he seemed extremely confident in his own strength. “Unfortunately, this is where your journey ends.”

However, the guards at the outpost earlier, who hadn’t even fully become Arrancars, had possessed that same confidence, similarly clamoring that these humans would meet their end there.

It was a pity that, even though it hadn’t been long, Ginjō couldn’t even remember their names.

“Shameless boasting,” Ginjō sneered. The cross gripped in his palm transformed into a greatsword, pointing from afar at Gantenbainne opposite him. “You might be a bit stronger than those guys outside, but your master sending you here is just sending you to your death.”

“To think you would compare me to that trash outside.”

As soon as the words fell, Gantenbainne bowed his upper body. Accompanied by a booming roar, he lunged forward like a pouncing tiger, arriving right in front of Ginjō in the blink of an eye.

*Such speed!*

Sensing something was wrong, Ginjō grabbed the hilt with his left hand, turning sideways while slashing diagonally with his sword.

Gantenbainne twisted his body and threw a punch, landing squarely on the center of the flat of Ginjō’s blade. The immense force not only knocked away the hastily swung greatsword but also sent its wielder flying diagonally, crashing heavily into the distant wall.

“Ginjō!”

“Mr. Ginjō!”

Kutsuzawa Giriko and Inoue Orihime cried out in alarm, hurriedly rushing to Ginjō’s side to check on his condition. Chad remained silent, his figure flashing as he stepped in front of Gantenbainne to block him. However, looking at the opponent’s demeanor, he didn’t seem to have any intention of pursuing.

“Just teaching you a little lesson, brat!”

Gantenbainne rolled his wrists, looking somewhat displeased. “I heard you’ve all met the Espada before, so you know that the larger the number an Arrancar possesses, the lower their strength ranks. So, hearing that my number is three digits, you thought you could look down on me?”

“What a bunch of arrogant, ignorant brats. Ridiculous!” Gantenbainne crossed his arms over his chest, speaking haughtily. “Let me tell you, three digits are extremely special here. It signifies those who have been stripped of their rank.”

Chad opened his mouth slightly; he seemed to have realized something, and this reaction did not escape Gantenbainne’s eyes.

“It looks like you understand. In other words, all three-digit individuals, myself included, were once Espada!”

“And that means…” Gantenbainne raised his thumb and slowly drew it across his throat. “This is the end of the line for you, brats.”