Hearing Shigure's words, everyone's expressions froze as they all fell silent.
Was this... arrogance?
When facing the four Arrancar just now, they indeed hadn't been able to help Shigure at all.
Whether it was Moonlight Butterfly Yuka or the other three Arrancar, all had been defeated by Shigure.
Not only had they failed to help, they had actually become the ones needing Shigure's assistance.
Thinking of this, Hitsugaya's gaze also dropped.
Rukia lowered her head, biting her lip with her teeth.
She knew Shigure wasn't belittling them, but simply stating the facts.
The place where Aizen was located... would undoubtedly be far more dangerous than here.
If they merely failed to help Shigure, that would be one thing, but if they actually interfered with his battle, that would be much worse.
In battles of this level, any mistake could have fatal consequences.
After a moment, Rukia said quietly with her head down:
"I... I understand, Captain."
Hearing her say this, Rangiku and the others around naturally wouldn't continue insisting either, all lowering their eyes.
Seeing they understood, Shigure's gaze moved slightly as he nodded: "Good, then I'll go ahead."
After speaking, he turned around without hesitation, preparing to use Shunpo to leave.
But just then, Rukia's voice came again:
"Captain!"
"Please... please stay safe!!"
"I... I still have so many things I want to learn from you... so... please be sure to stay safe!!"
Rukia's voice trembled slightly. Looking at Shigure's back, she seemed to recall past misfortunes again.
Shigure's steps paused, then he stopped, turned around, smiled, and said gently:
"Rukia, don't make that expression. Like before, continue believing in me."
Hearing this, Rukia's body shook as she quickly looked up, her eyes sparkling.
"...Yes!!"
She forced out a smile, answering loudly.
Shigure chuckled softly, said nothing more, turned around, and stepped forward.
The instant his foot touched ground, his figure vanished from the spot, his spiritual pressure appearing in the distance.
"Phew..."
Someone suddenly exhaled, like relaxing, but also like helpless compromise.
However, they knew that rather than calling this compromise, it was their trust in Shigure.
Because they believed, they agreed to let him go alone.
"Let's head to the Garganta first and wait for Soul Society's reinforcements."
Hitsugaya said quietly, then started walking toward the distant spatial crack.
With Soi Fon unconscious and Shigure gone, the squad naturally followed his orders.
"Yes."
Carrying the unconscious Soi Fon, everyone came to the Garganta.
Before long, the spiritual pressure within the Garganta suddenly increased, then the crack was instantly torn open, revealing the darkness within.
Hitsugaya and the others immediately focused their attention.
In moments, figures emerged from the Garganta, appearing on Hueco Mundo's desert.
Not only captains, but quite a few squad members had come as well.
Rukia and the others were surprised to see who had arrived - they hadn't expected these two captains.
After being stunned briefly, Rukia and the others quickly began bowing.
"Captain Unohana! Captain Kurotsuchi!"
The leaders of Soul Society's reinforcements were Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana and Twelfth Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
The moment she emerged, Unohana's gaze immediately shifted, her expression becoming serious as she quickly asked:
"Rukia, where is Captain Segawa?!"
Her eyes were very serious, startling Rukia for a moment as she answered somewhat carefully:
"C-Captain departed ahead of schedule... instructing us... to meet with you here. He left several minutes ago..."
Hearing this, Unohana's expression changed, then slowly softened as she showed her gentle smile again, saying softly:
"I see... as long as nothing's wrong."
Rangiku beside them was immediately stunned: "...Eh?"
"Captain Unohana... Captain Segawa went to face Aizen alone... aren't you worried?"
Unohana looked over, smiling gently: "Because it's him, I'm not worried."
Hearing this, both Rukia and Rangiku's hearts jumped simultaneously.
Because it's him... so she's not worried...?
The trust revealed in those words was something they'd never heard before, making their hearts tremble.
Hitsugaya pursed his lips, saying quietly: "Captain Unohana, this isn't the time for small talk. Could you please treat Captain Soi Fon, uh... and my left hand..."
He felt somewhat strange.
Coming out of the Garganta, the first thing she should have seen was the unconscious Soi Fon and his bloodied hand.
But the usually considerate Captain Unohana had completely ignored their condition this time, only asking about Shigure's whereabouts.
The level of concern shown was completely different.
Unohana showed a slightly apologetic smile:
"Ah, sorry, Captain Hitsugaya. Not seeing Segawa made me a bit anxious... I'll treat you both right away."
After speaking, she quickly added: "Hanatarō, prepare the medical supplies."
"Yes!" A short Soul Reaper behind her immediately answered loudly, stepping forward.
Then Kurotsuchi finally spoke.
"Heh heh... that Segawa guy, still has that personality..."
"Well then, Vice-Captain Matsumoto, could you explain to me... those two corpses over there, are they the great enemies you mentioned before?"
Speaking, Kurotsuchi looked toward Rangiku while pointing toward the distant corpses of Szayelaporro and Nnoitra.
From the moment he left the Garganta, he'd been looking around and naturally saw that scene.
Rangiku and the others immediately looked over, their hearts jumping the moment they saw clearly.
Only then did they understand Kurotsuchi's words.
Rangiku looked over, explaining seriously:
"Captain Kurotsuchi, there were indeed four Arrancar attacking here before."
"However... two of the corpses, due to Captain Segawa's power, have already completely dissolved into spiritual particles... and disappeared."
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