Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 174, Section 172: Escaping is also a form of trust.

Above them was a dark, all-encompassing canopy, preventing sunlight from penetrating the mountain range. In the darkness, the members of the Day Moon Class, who were participating in this assessment, huddled together tightly.

"Hey, Ise Nanao, is this also part of the assessment?"

Madarame Ikkaku rested his Zanpakuto on his shoulder and looked at Ise Nanao.

"I'm not sure, but it probably isn't. Captain Shuichi didn't mention this to me before."

Ise Nanao adjusted her glasses and tried to answer calmly.

"So this was an attack on Soul Society by a Hollow? We were just unlucky enough to run into it."

As various Hollows of different shapes fell from the black cavity, Ayasegawa Yumichika used the Binding Spell to conceal their presence while speaking.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that the Black Hollow had appeared relatively early. If it had been later and they had separated, it would have been extremely difficult for them, who were Shinigami without even the strength of a captain, to survive an attack of this scale.

"Nanatsu, are you sure this isn't part of Shuichi's assessment?"

Shiba Kaien confirmed this with Ise Nanao.

As a vice-captain and a Shinigami who frequently deals with worldly affairs and has experienced many events, Shiba Kaien demonstrated a very mature approach to handling these situations.

After receiving a positive answer from Nanao Ise, Kaien Shiba immediately summoned the Hell Butterfly and sent out requests for help to the Captain-Commander and Shuichi Higashino respectively.

Normally, Hell Butterflies are rare creatures that are usually only equipped by captains. However, because Shiba Kaien is the head of the Shiba family, he is able to possess a Hell Butterfly as a vice-captain.

As a special creature that transcends the three realms and is not bound by most of the rules of Soul Society, the Hell Butterfly easily flew out of this isolated space carrying Shiba Kaien's information.

"I have already sent a distress signal to the Soul Society. If we can hold out here for a while, the Soul Society will surely come to our rescue as soon as possible!"

After doing all this, Shiba Kaien didn't forget to comfort the other Shinigami present.

Because he knew that in times of crisis, it was crucial not to lose one's composure.

However, Ichiba Tetsuzaemon, standing on the outermost edge, poured cold water on everyone's enthusiasm.
"That's true, but I think it might be a bit difficult."

This was certainly not something that Iba Tessaemon did intentionally. In just a short time, these Shinigami were surrounded by a group of Hollows that were dozens of stories high. In the middle of these Hollows, from the shadows, a special Hollow, about the same size as the Shinigami, with a specially made mask half-covered on its face, slowly emerged.

The group, no longer the naive youths they once were, immediately recognized the Hollow's identity: an Arrancar.
Even though the Soul Society has lowered its assessment of these Arrancars after the battle seven years ago, reducing their strength level from the lowest upper-class captain level to at least vice-captain level, it doesn't mean these Arrancars are easy to deal with.

In particular, the Arrancar in front of us, who was completely shrouded in a white robe, already exuded a spiritual pressure at the Captain level.

This was a level that none of the Grim Reapers present had ever reached.

Even for Shinigami, a common understanding is that because Hollows and Shinigami are different, their levels of spiritual pressure development are different. Compared to Hollows, Shinigami are better at using lower spiritual pressure to unleash greater power. Therefore, when Shinigami face Hollows, they can actually easily fight across spiritual pressure levels.

However, for the current group of Shinigami from Higashino Shuichi's One-Day Moon Class, most of them have no experience dealing with an Arrancar with captain-level spiritual pressure, so it's impossible to say they don't feel pressured.

In particular, besides this Arrancar, there was also a circle of beast-type Hollows surrounding them, all eyeing them menacingly.

"Hehe, delicious Grim Reapers, you have about ten minutes left to say your last words. If there's anything you want to leave behind, I'll allow you to say it now!"

The moment this Arrancar appeared before Shiba Kaien and the others, he directly announced the fate of these Shinigami; for him, this outcome was beyond doubt.

After all, no matter how you look at it, this battle should be a one-sided affair, with the advantage on his side, and he has no idea how he could possibly lose!
"Don't be too confident too soon. I've heard this kind of talk countless times, but do you know what happens to all that empty talk?"

Among the Shinigami present, Shiba Kaien, with the most practical experience and the most experience in handling such incidents, naturally took on the role of leader of the group of Shinigami. As he was exchanging words with the Arrancar, his Zanpakuto was simultaneously unleashed.

This is one of the most useful techniques that Shiba Kaien learned from Higashino Shuichi: silent chanting.

As the head of the Shiba family and the most talented Shinigami in Soul Society in recent centuries, Shiba Kaien could have possessed captain-level strength at this point in time, or even mastered the release of his Zanpakuto, had it not been for the fact that the 13th Division Captain, Ukitake Jushiro, was physically weak and not well-suited to managing the division's affairs, forcing Shiba Kaien to devote a great deal of energy to the management of the 13th Division's internal affairs.

Therefore, it was actually unnecessary for Shiba Kaien to join Higashino Shuichi's Daytime Moon Class, which was designed to help Shinigami (death gods) further improve.

However, for personal reasons, Shiba Kaien greatly admired Higashino Shuichi's fighting style, especially Higashino Shuichi's ability to grow step by step to the point where he could almost be said to be the best in the entire Soul Society, despite being far less talented than him.

Shiba Kaien believed that there were many things he could learn from Higashino Shuichi.

That's why Shiba Kaien readily accepted Higashino Shuichi's invitation.

As it turns out, while Higashino Shuichi's improvement in strength wasn't as significant as that of other Grim Reapers, in terms of combat skills, he was far inferior to Higashino Shuichi, a Grim Reaper who had fought his way through countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

In battle with the enemy, avoid unnecessary words. Even if you want to respond to a provocation, you must not waste the opportunity.

Words can be both a tool for communication and a means of attracting attention.

Therefore, just as the broken-faced man was wondering what kind of last words Shiba Kaien would say, the ground beneath his feet had somehow turned into a puddle of water.

Shiba Kaien thrust his sea trident forward.

"Water Tornado!"

With Shiba Kaien's loud shout, the water beneath the broken-faced man's feet spiraled upwards like a tornado, connecting the sky and the ground, like a pillar supporting the heavens and earth.

"awesome!"

As a member of the battlefield atmosphere team, Kotetsu Isane, who was self-aware, cheered at this moment.

She knew that her combat ability was far inferior to that of her other companions. As a typical example of someone who was good at one subject but bad at another and was often criticized by Higashino Hideichi, she had been assigned a special track by Higashino Hideichi in this assessment. Therefore, she had chosen to remain silent during the previous discussions.

In a battle, there are those who stand in front to shelter their teammates from the wind and rain, and those who stand behind to provide logistical support to their teammates.

Deeply influenced by Shuichi Higashino's philosophy, Isane Kotetsu found her core identity early on. However, her celebration was clearly premature.

To describe Kotetsu Isane's behavior in another world, it would be a classic case of popping champagne halfway through the game. If things go wrong, he will be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Within the waterspout, the masked creature's arrogant laughter rang out.

Then Kotetsu Isane saw a purple tentacle covered in an unknown liquid emerge from the waterspout. Immediately afterward, a ring of spiritual particles, like prayer beads, appeared and rotated on the tentacle until they disappeared into the waterspout.

In the blink of an eye, the waterspout that stretched from heaven to earth collapsed like a building crumbling.

"It's useless~ Shiba Kaien, your ability is already in my resource library~"

The waterspout receded, revealing the body of the masked creature that had been wrapped in a white robe.

His body could only be described as barely human, but his limbs were not hands and feet in the normal sense, but rather tentacles-like structures that were ugly and repulsive.

What constitutes its head is not a normal component, but a huge cylindrical glass tank filled with an unidentified transparent liquid.

Swimming in this unidentified, transparent liquid were two small, bare heads.

Furthermore, on the left and right sides of these two heads, one is marked with the number 1 and the other with the number 0.

Shiba Kaien is no stranger to such numbers.

Having experienced the battle seven years ago, thanks to the efforts of the captains of Soul Society, the current ecological structure of Hueco Mundo has long been understood.

As early as the reign of Barragan, a joint governance model was formed with Barragan at the head.

Even after Barragan was killed by Shuichi Higashino in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo entered the post-Barragan era, this governance model of the Hueco Mundo Espada was still preserved because Koyat Stark, who had attacked Soul Society with Barragan and later led a group of Arrancars to draw Barragan's fire in the human world, was still alive.

Based on current speculation within Soul Society, after Barragan's death, the position of Lord of Hueco Mundo was likely inherited by that Stark.

Along with it, the Espada system was also inherited.

In other words, the Arrancar that appeared before them was not an ordinary Arrancar at all, but the current Tenth Espada of Hueco Mundo!

This also means that in Hueco Mundo, which follows the primitive law of survival of the fittest, this Arrancar's strength would rank tenth!

This was simply not something that this group of Grim Reapers, whose strongest members were only at the vice-captain level, could handle!
"Nanao, quickly take Yuzane, Yumichika, and the others, and escape from here, as far as possible."

Realizing this, Shiba Kaien did not hesitate and, adopting the tone of the head of the Shiba family, issued an order to Ise Nanao.

"What are you talking about? It's just a stinking wretch and a bunch of Hollows, right? I'm not afraid of him at all!"

However, upon hearing Shiba Kaien's order to desert, Madarame Ikkaku immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

Are you kidding me? When has Madarame Ikkaku ever been afraid of anyone?
Even in front of Higashino Shuichi, he never backed down, okay?

If a fight breaks out later, and Madarame Ikkaku utters a single cry of pain, then he'll be considered a coward!

Fortunately, Madarame Ikkaku has a close, sharp-minded friend who is always by his side: Ayasegawa Yumichika.

As an ordinary Shinigami officer who had never been to Hueco Mundo before, he didn't know what the number ten meant or what the Hueco Mundo Espada represented, but he could read expressions.

The unusually heavy expression on Shiba Kaien's face could only mean one thing.

"Vice Captain Haiyan, we will definitely meet again outside."

Even though he knew that his words were a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, Ayasegawa Yumichika still said that while looking at Shiba Kaien's back.

Never waste the opportunities your teammates create for you; mercy on the battlefield is cruelty to yourself.

This is also the knowledge that Higashino Shuichi imparted to these Shinigami of the Day and Moon Class outside of class.

As an outstanding student in the Daytime Moon Class, Ayasegawa Yumichika deeply agreed.

Therefore, he grabbed Madarame Ikkaku, who was trying to rush up to help Shiba Kaien, and broke through in another direction.

There are only some intimidating-looking Hollows there. If these Shinigami work together, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to break through.

After seeing Ayasegawa Yumichika respond immediately with Madarame Ikkaku, Isamu Tessamon, who stood on the other side and blocked a Cero shot from the surrounding Hollows for everyone, also stared deeply at Shiba Kaien, as if he wanted to engrave Shiba Kaien's image into his heart.

At that moment, he seemed to know the real reason for his mother's death.

It's a pity that Shiba Kaien stole the spotlight this time.
If there is a next time, Iba Tetsuzaemon hopes that the person who says these words will be himself, so that the morality he upholds will undoubtedly be sublimated in the end!

Next was Ise Nanao, who was holding hands with Kotetsu Isane.

Everyone knew what Shiba Kaien would face if he stayed, but having received education from Higashino Shuichi, they all made the right choice.

Because reality is not a novel, and running away is not a symbol of a lack of courage.

It is shameful to make pointless sacrifices.

Since Shiba Kaien's assessment is that even if they join forces, they cannot deal with that strangely-looking Arrancar, then their continued presence here, wasting Shiba Kaien's efforts, is the greatest disrespect to Shiba Kaien's hard work.

For the Grim Reapers present, isn't this another form of mutual trust?

They probably didn't even realize that a chain called bond had quietly connected them together at that moment.

(End of this chapter)