Three days have passed. One might say the time leading up to war flows far too quickly. As promised, the Espada and the others gathered once again in one place. The time has finally come to execute the plan.
“Allow me to introduce the members of the first invasion force to the World of the Living.”
Every eye in the room focused on me. This declaration would signal the start of the total war between the Soul Reapers and the Arrancars.
“First, the Segunda Espada, Starrk.”
“How bothersome...”
Starrk stood up, lazily scratching the back of his head. Despite his chronic lethargy, his sheer ability is peerless among the Espada, making him an indispensable asset for this opening gambit.
“Next, the Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra.”
“Understood.”
Ulquiorra rose and offered a characteristically curt reply. Although he is keeping his Second Release hidden, his base combat prowess is exceptional, and more importantly, he follows orders without fail. He was an obvious choice for the vanguard.
“Next, the Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.”
“Good. I’ll accept that with pleasure. Hahahaha!”
Unlike Starrk, Grimmjow stood up with a bloodthirsty grin. He’s terrible at following orders, but I decided we needed at least one mad dog in the mix to shake things up. To be honest, I just picked him for the chaos factor.
“And finally, my Fracción, Yeriel.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“These four will be the protagonists of the first invasion. Now, follow me.”
These four were to be the main players in the opening strike. I led them away to give them their specific directives.
“First, Starrk. Go all out from the very beginning. Throw away any thoughts of playing around or finding things ‘troublesome.’ Your target is a Captain-class Soul Reaper with white hair who uses Bankai.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it.”
Having had the importance of this operation explained to him multiple times, Starrk nodded with a rare, serious expression. I turned my gaze to Ulquiorra.
“Ulquiorra, you will handle the other Soul Reapers. There will likely be three: one bald, one with dyed bangs, and a red-haired one with tattoos on his forehead. Dispose of them.”
“As you wish.”
Ulquiorra’s reply was brief as always, but he is far more reliable than the others. Next, I looked at Grimmjow.
“Grimmjow, you’re up against the orange-haired Soul Reaper. To be blunt, I wanted to leave him to Yeriel, but I’m making an exception and handing him to you this time.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’s dead for good.”
Grimmjow spoke while radiating thick bloodlust, though for some reason, he didn’t inspire much confidence. Ichigo shouldn’t be a threat since he hasn’t mastered Hollowification yet, but I still felt a lingering sense of unease. Kehehe, if the protagonist correction kicks in, even Grimmjow might struggle.
“Yeriel, you are to move according to the instructions I gave you earlier. Understand that your mission is the most vital of all.”
“Yes.”
Since I had already given Yeriel her private orders, I didn’t elaborate further. While there was always the risk of Kisuke Urahara or the Visoreds intervening, things were tipped in our favor. With the Soul Reapers currently under a Spirit Restriction that seals 80% of their power, four Espada going all-out in their released states should be able to wrap things up before reinforcements can even blink.
“Everyone, use your Resurrección and fight at full strength from the start. Ten minutes. Complete your assigned tasks within ten minutes at most. If you haven’t finished by then, seek help from those who have, clean up quickly, and return before thirty minutes have elapsed. Furthermore, if you encounter Soul Reapers other than your assigned targets after the mission is over, ignore them and return. Do you understand what I’m saying? Time is the lifeblood of this operation. Go to the World of the Living and annihilate the Soul Reapers within ten minutes.”
“Yes!”
Speed was everything. This was our declaration of war; we needed to demonstrate our overwhelming power beyond any shadow of a doubt. As the four of them opened a Garganta and crossed over to the World of the Living, I prepared to make my own move.
“Well then, shall I go say hello as well?”
I opened a Garganta and stepped inside. My destination wasn’t the World of the Living like the others. I was heading straight into the heart of enemy territory—the Seireitei in Soul Society. While the others were rampaging in the living world, I needed to play around in the enemy’s backyard to ensure they couldn’t send reinforcements or release those pesky Spirit Restrictions. And besides, it was high time for a formal introduction.
Because of the current arc, the plot is moving forward quickly.
It’s the activation of the so-called ‘Skip-Art.’ I’ll be explaining the situation briefly and concisely as the story flows.
Since I’m writing one chapter a day, what was supposed to be the finale this week might get pushed to next week. I’ve been rethinking the ending to differ from my original plan, so the writing has slowed down... and since the story is deviating from the original work... it’s taking longer... I have no intention of dragging it out, but the situation keeps slowing me down. I really hope to wrap it up by next week....
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