Orihime has been abducted by the Arrancars.
In order to save her, Ichigo, Ishida, and Sado
have marched into Hueco Mundo, the world of the Hollows.
The first place that Ichigo and his friends came to upon exiting the Garganta
was an underground passageway.
Afterwards, Ichigo and his friends encounter many traps placed there,
and new Arrancars appear before them.
Where are you intruders going?
This is my new spirit bow…
Ginreikojaku.
Is that all you've got?
That's impossible!
Sorry…
I really don't like finishing off enemies who don't have any will to fight.
But it seems that this time...
I can't be so soft.
El...Directo.
It's over.
Chad…
Crap…
Damn human…
I told you that I was a Quincy, Arrancar.
The reason I haven't exterminated you is so you can tell Aizen that
Soul Reapers aren't the ones he should truly be afraid of…
It's Quincies!
What?!
What's this?! What's going on?!
It's collapsing!
That's because you guys overdid it!
Who's the one who was going on about how we were underground?!
You're wrong.
Huh?
This room is made this way.
We guard this place…
If there are people who are trying to sneak into Las Noches,
we are to eliminate them.
If we lose, we are to disappear along with this room.
Remember that, humans.
These are the sort of people you're fighting against.
There is no end to this battle.
There is no victory for you.
Anyway, let's get out of here! Quickly!
“Be afraid,” huh?
That's a pretty extreme claim, Quincy. But you've got one thing wrong…
Lord Aizen fears nothing.
That is why we gather before him. We were born out of fear.
To us, his fearless pace is as bright as the moonlight.
We managed to get out…
Aw man, I feel gross!
So this...is Hueco Mundo?
It's a pretty lonely place, isn't it?
There's nothing here... It's completely white.
There are plants here… They're withered, though.
No, this is…
It's made out of something like quartz.
H-Hey!
What's wrong?
Th-This is…
A castle… A palace?
So that's the place that guy was talking about, Las Noches.
It's huge…
It's hard to tell how far away we are from it.
I'm glad we're at a distance where we can see it in its entirety.
Does being able to see it make a difference?
It's comforting.
A lot more than not being able to see it.
That's right.
I don't care either way.
Anyway, it's safe to assume that Inoue's somewhere in there, right?
Probably…
There doesn't seem to be anywhere else they could hide her.
Right…
Let's run…
If we wait around, we might get into another fight.
It seems we have intruders.
Intruders?
Underground Path 22 collapsed.
Twenty two?!
They've broken into a pretty far off place!
Indeed…
It would have been interesting
if they had broken into the room with the Hogyoku.
That would be great!
Shut up!
I'm tired… Don't talk so loudly.
Good morning, Espada.
We have an enemy attack.
Shall we have some tea first?
It's nice that we can clearly see what we're headed towards,
but it's pretty far away.
Yeah…
We can see it… We'll get there sooner or later.
Yeah…
It doesn't seem like we're getting any closer.
That just means that it's pretty far away.
You said that yourself earlier!
Well, that's true…
Say…
What is it this time?!
Nothing… I was just going to say that it really is far away.
You don't have to talk so loudly.
Put up with it and just run!
We don't know when the enemy will attack!
It's problematic if you don't concentrate more!
You've been acting unusually condescendingly
since we've arrived here.
That's not true!
I'm just telling you to be a little more cautious!
Yeah, yeah…
What's wrong? Are you tired, Chad?
What about it? It's just some wind, right?
No…
Wh-What's this?
It's a sand storm!
Or rather, a tornado!
I doesn't matter what it is! Run away!
– It's no good! – Grab on to something!
Crap! Is this one of their traps?!
I don't know!
There's the possibility that it's just a natural phenomenon!
Anyway, don't let go!
What's going to happen to us?!
H-Huh?
What's this? Are things this quiet in a tornado?
It can't be…
Then what's the meaning of this?
I thought so! This is a Spiritual Partition!
A Spiritual Partition?!
That thing we used when we went to save Rukia?!
Why is it here now?
Ever since then, I carried around a miniature spirit core with me
in the event that something like this happened!
“In the event”? Who are you?!
Shut up, Kurosaki!
Thanks to me, you're safe.
You haven't even thanked me. You've got no right to complain.
Why are you acting so triumphantly?!
Anyway, where did you get that from?!
Oh!
Don't tell me that you swiped it from Kukaku's place…
How rude!
I received it from Kukaku!
Yeah, yeah, I know…
Just kidding. Just kidding…
What's with that attitude?!
If you don't like this, do you want to go outside?!
Do you have to go as far as to say that?!
Yeah, I do!
Ichigo!
What is it, Chad?
You shouldn't disturb Ishida's concentration.
Whoa! A crack! Hey, do something!
There's no point in telling me that…
I haven't learned how to repair it!
Crap… I haven't used it since that time before.
I should have studied it a little more!
You good-for-nothing!
Speak for yourself!
Chad, don't be rash!
Stop!
You saved us…
That was a little crazy, though.
Thank you, Sado.
It's all right.
Huh? What?
Has everyone been served?
Now then… Have a drink and listen to what I have to say.
Kaname, the images.
Yes.
There are three intruders:
Uryu Ishida…
Yasutora Sado…
Ichigo Kurosaki…
Are these
our enemies?
What's this?
You said that the enemy was attacking,
so I wondered what they were like, but they're still just kids.
They're not very exciting at all.
Don't underestimate them…
They're humans who were once called Ryoka.
The four of them charged into Soul Society by themselves,
and battled the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Four? One is missing.
Where's the last one?
It's Orihime Inoue.
Oh?
So they've come to save their friend, huh?
Who cares? They look weak.
Weren't you listening?
Huh?
Lord Aizen just told us not to underestimate them.
I didn't mean it like that…
Are you scared?
What did you say?!
Where are you going, Grimmjow?
I'm going to go and kill them!
Shouldn't we squash pests that come in sooner rather than later?
Lord Aizen still hasn't given any orders.
Return to your seat.
I'm going to go and crush them for Lord Aizen!
Grimmjow…
Yes.
I'm glad that you're taking action for me, but I'm still talking.
Could you return to your seat for now?
What's wrong?
I don't hear a response, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques!
I see. It seems like you understand.
Espada!
As you can see, we have three enemies.
You mustn't underestimate them,
but there's no need to make a fuss about them.
All of you are to return to your own palaces
and do as you always do.
Don't be arrogant or impatient.
Just sit and wait for the enemy.
Don't be afraid.
No matter what happens,
as long as you're with me they're no match for us!
Crap! No matter how much we run, I don't feel like we're getting any closer!
Is that palace really there?!
Looking closely…
That crystal tree looks as small as a needle.
If it looks like that from this distance, then in contrast,
doesn't that mean that the palace and everything else is terrifyingly huge?
I-It's not actually a mirage or something, is it?
It's not a mirage.
We can't see mirages here.
To make things easier, should I explain how mirages work?
You don't need to!
When I came here I thought this was a world of death with nothing in it.
But surprisingly there are small animals. They're Hollows, though.
Huh?
Don't Hollows mainly eat human souls?
I wonder what these little guys survive on here.
Here in Hueco Mundo, the reishi density in the air is pretty thick.
The smaller Hollows probably get the nutrition they need just by breathing.
The reishi density in the air?!
You can tell that?!
The Quincies are a tribe that fights by using the reishi around them.
We function better when the reishi is denser!
I confirmed it in my last battle.
If I can get a knack for it,
I should be able to display my powers better here
than in the World of the Living or in Soul Society.
Oh? That's pretty convenient.
You function better when there's more reishi.
You're like a Hollow!
What?!
Soul Reapers are like that, too!
Huh? I'm different…
Just you!
Kuchiki recovered her spiritual power in Soul Society!
Maybe there's something wrong with Rukia.
Anyway, the fact that there's a high reishi density
means that not only I benefit, but the Arrancars do as well.
I don't know how many Hollows Aizen has turned into Arrancars
or how many he controls.
But even if he doesn't control them,
we're still enemies as well as food for the Arrancars.
The reishi is dense here in Hueco Mundo,
so even if we see an ordinary-looking Hollow,
we should assume that it's much stronger than it looks.
We must observe them carefully...
You've been talking too long!
Let's move on!
There you go again, as soon as I start talking!
Shut up…
You can keep talking!
Let's go, Chad!
Wait!
– Wha--?! – Wha--?!
A human?!
Could it be that there are other humans aside from us?!
That can't be…
Think about that later! Let's go save her!
Ladies and gentlemen,
were you able to match the faces of the Espada to their respective numbers?
I'm ten and Grimmjow is… Huh?
At times like this, use this quick memorization chart.
Ah! This is convenient!
Here, here! Give one to me!
I won't give one to a Soul Reaper.
ARRANCAR ENCYCLOPEDIA
The Arrancar Encyclopedia.
Today, I shall tell you about Hueco Mundo.
HUECO MUNDO
This is the world in which the Hollows live.
It's always night here.
It's a pretty barren place with white sand deserts and withered trees.
There isn't even any water.
Huh?
Then what about that tea earlier?
Shall I tell you the secret, Gin?
It seems like there's a high price to pay for it, so I'll pass.
That's unfortunate.