Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

Just then, many newlyweds stopped in front of Liu Chuan and said:

"Yanagi-Yanagi-senpai! Hello! We are the new members of this year's team! Please, please take good care of us!"

"Captain Yanagawa! I'm so glad to finally meet you! I still remember what you said at the graduation ceremony!"

"Senior! I will strive to cultivate the Ghost Path and never betray the name of the Ghost Path!"

Liu Chuan responded to the newcomers with a smile.

Asito watched this scene quietly from the side, but his eyes revealed a complex emotion.

Having struggled in Hueco Mundo for centuries, witnessing life, death, and cruelty, they now return to the "normal" Shinigami society and see this scene brimming with youth.

Feeling the high prestige and cohesion of this young member of the Zero Division among the new generation, Yanagawa filled him with mixed emotions.

There is a faint reminiscence of lost youth, a sense of感慨 for the enduring legacy of Seireitei, and a slight uncertainty about whether one can truly reintegrate into this "collective" life.

Standing slightly behind, seemingly out of place with the bustling surroundings, Stark calmly swept his right eye over the young Grim Reapers who were gathered around Liuchuan, their eyes filled with undisguised reverence.

Deep within his pupils, a subtle emotion, perhaps even one he himself was not fully aware of, flashed by.

It was a kind of...envy.

It wasn't that I envied Yanagawa's reputation or status, but rather the atmosphere he exuded.

This contrasts sharply with his solitary experience of eternal loneliness amidst the boundless paleness and desolation of Hueco Mundo.

He subconsciously touched the hollow in his chest, where he still felt a cold, empty sensation.

Shigenobu Toyama seemed to sense a subtle melancholy in Stark, but wisely refrained from asking further. He simply said to Yanagawa:

“Liu Chuan, who are these two…?” He looked at Asido and Stark.

"This is Ashido, a former member of the expeditionary force. He is very experienced and will be working for the Kido Clan to assist in guiding newcomers in combat and Hueco Mundo-related knowledge."

Liu Chuan introduced, then looked at Stark, "This is Stark, my...guard. He will stay here temporarily and will not interfere with the normal affairs of the Ghost Path Sect."

Liu Chuan spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something ordinary, while taking out a document stamped with the First Division insignia from his pocket and handing it to Toyama Shigeyoshi. "This is the Captain-Commander's official permission and identity registration."

Toyama Shigeyoshi took the document and began to read it with a serious expression.

He quickly glanced at the section about Asido and nodded in approval.

However, when his gaze fell on the description of Stark, the expression on his face froze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply!

His gaze was fixed on the few lines of clear small print on the document—"Identity: Vasto Lord Hollow (Autonomous Arrancar)", "Duty: Special bodyguard of Lord Yanagawa of the Zero Division".

“Va, Vastrock… Hollow?! Guard, Guard?!” Shigeaki Toyama suddenly raised his head, his voice rising and changing tone due to extreme shock, and his hand holding the document trembled slightly uncontrollably.

He looked at Liu Chuan in disbelief, then suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping like a searchlight over the gray-robed man next to him who looked at most aloof and wore an eye patch.

The words on the document and the image of the person in front of me created a huge cognitive gap.

"Liu Chuan! This...this document...is it true? He...he really is...Wastod?! And...he's your bodyguard?!"

Chapter 99 The Trembling Seireitei

Toyama Shigeyoshi's voice completely lost its usual composure; the impact of this news was too terrifying!

Vastod is the pinnacle of Hueco Mundo, the natural enemy of the Shinigami, a terrifying existence that makes any Shinigami take it seriously!

Now, the documents say this "uncle" is Vastode, and he's going to be a bodyguard for Yanagawa and live with the Kido Clan?!

He scrutinized Stark again, trying to find the characteristics of "Vastow" in the man's somewhat disheveled appearance and calm to almost indifferent demeanor, even a trace of ferocity or rage.

However, he simply couldn't connect this figure with the legendary pinnacle of Hueco Mundo.

"Yanagawa...you, you..." Toyama Shigeyoshi's facial muscles twitched as he looked at Yanagawa's calm and expressionless face, a mixture of admiration and deep helplessness in his expression.

"As expected of you... you always manage to do things that people... would never even imagine. But, but... to have a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow... as your bodyguard? This, this is simply..."

He couldn't find the words to describe how outrageous this was; even the captain's bright red seal couldn't quell the turmoil in his heart.

They didn't lower their voices during their conversation, and the new and old team members who were already gathered around, full of curiosity, had already pricked up their ears.

When the explosive words "Vasttodactyl," "Hollow Hollow," and "Guardian" clearly entered their ears, the crowd instantly erupted in uproar!

"Wastod?! That old man?!"

"Are you kidding me? He looks... pretty ordinary."

"The commander-in-chief has already issued the document, how could it be fake?"

"Senior Yanagawa has a Vasto Lorde as his bodyguard?! My God!"

"Is he really weak? How come he doesn't look weak at all?"

“Aren’t Vastodes all monsters? This one…”

"Is there a mistake? Or is it one of the particularly weak ones?"

The discussion erupted like boiling water, and all eyes turned to Stark.

Stark seemed to finally react to the gazes around him.

His long period of solitude had long made him accustomed to being feared and rejected, but being treated like this, being stared at and judged as a "suspicious object" or an "exhibition spectacle," was something else entirely.

It gave him a sense of novelty.

He didn't offer any explanation; he knew that words would be futile against these death gods whose minds were already bound by preconceived notions.

Under the still shocked gaze of Toyama Shigeyoshi, and amidst the growing doubts and discussions around him, Stark made a simple and direct move.

He slowly raised his hand and gently placed it on the collar of his gray robe. With a slight movement of his hands, he slowly pulled the front of his robe open to the sides.

His movements were calm, even somewhat nonchalant.

The hem parted, revealing beneath... a hollow mask and a void.

Even though his spiritual pressure was suppressed, and even though his appearance was so close to human, this innate "void" that represented the essence of emptiness became an undeniable declaration of his identity.

"hiss--!"

The deathly silence was broken by a collective gasp of shock.

Toyama Shigeaki stared intently at the black hole in Stark's chest. It really was a Hollow Hollow! A genuine Hollow Hollow!

A being that possesses such a complete void and can still maintain a near-human rationality... Vasto Lorde can only be Vasto Lorde!

Stark slowly pulled his clothes back together, concealing the void.

His movements remained calm, and he didn't even glance at anyone. His right eye, the only part of his face visible, regained its placid indifference, as if he had just casually displayed an insignificant accessory.

Yuanshan Shigeyoshi forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his hands still trembling slightly.

He smiled wryly, shook his head, and his voice was still a little dry:

"Liu Chuan... I... I give up. Fine, since the Captain-Commander has personally approved it, I'll arrange Mr. Stark's accommodations immediately."

Arsido's position and responsibilities will be discussed as soon as possible.

His gaze swept over the team members around him, still reeling from the shock and disoriented, and he raised his voice, his tone carrying the authority of a senior:

"Disperse! Those who need to cultivate, cultivate; those who need to complete missions, complete your missions!"

The team members seemed to wake from a dream. Although the shock in their eyes had not subsided, their disbelief and curiosity were about to explode.

But under Toyama Shigeyoshi's stern gaze, they could only suppress their excitement and quickly disperse.

But their whispered farewells as they left, turning back every few steps, betrayed the turmoil in their hearts.

The news that Yanagawa returned to the Seireitei with the Vasto Lorde-class Hollow "Stark" and that he had been assigned to the Kido Sect as a "guard".

Like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, the ripples spread throughout the entire Seireitei at an astonishing speed.

From the captains of each squad and senior officers to ordinary members, everyone had heard of such astonishing and unconventional events.

Various emotions intertwined and spread in the streets and alleys, in the barracks and taverns. Liuchuan's experience and the legend of "taming Vastod" were embellished and made more and more fantastical.

However, not all forces that heard the news were simply watching the spectacle.

At the highest level of the Soul Society's power structure, in that shadowy place symbolizing absolute order, ancient laws, and the will of the nobility—

The news ignited long-suppressed anger and deepest hostility within the Central 46th Room.

Underground, in an underground council hall shrouded by layers upon layers of barriers.

At this moment, forty figures are sitting upright in these forty-six seats.

They were all dressed in magnificent dark robes, with golden emblems representing the ancient laws and judgment of the Soul Society embroidered on the sleeves and hems.

His head was completely shrouded in the shadow of the wide hood, making it impossible to see his face clearly. Only a cold gaze could be vaguely seen beneath the hood.

They are the sages and judges of the Central 46 Chambers, the creators of the laws of Soul Society, and the true center of power that transcends and surpasses the Gotei 13.

At this moment, these forty wise judges, who usually either live in seclusion or strategize behind the scenes, have gathered here in an unusual manner.

"Silence." An aged voice rang out from one of the chairs, instantly drowning out the low murmur of discussion.

The speaker did not stand up, but merely slightly raised the finger adorned with a large gemstone ring.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you're all aware of this," another, younger voice interjected, coming from the other side.

"After his trip to Hueco Mundo, Squad Zero member Yanagawa not only failed to uphold the Shinigami's duty to purify Hollows, but also openly brought a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow back to Seireitei."

And with him appointed as a 'guard,' stationed at the Kido Clan's residence, a matter that, with the Captain-Commander's tacit approval, had already become the talk of the town within the Seireitei.

"Wow—"

Despite being mentally prepared, the fact that the matter was raised so formally and directly in the Supreme Council still caused a suppressed commotion.

Chapter 100 The Plan of Room 46

Their eyes, hidden beneath the hoods, flickered, exchanging unspoken shock and anger.

"Absurd! Trampling on the law!" A fierce voice suddenly rang out, belonging to a slightly hunched sage.

"Death Gods and Hollows are mortal enemies! This is an ancient and ironclad law of the Soul Society!"

As a member of the Zero Division, Liu Chuan has received the blessings of the Spirit King Palace and should set an example for all beings by strictly adhering to the boundaries!

Their actions are no different from those of a traitor! To associate with the Void is the most utter desecration and betrayal of the order we uphold, and of the honor of the Death God race!

“Exactly!” another deep, arrogant voice rang out.