'So Ryoud Lyoud was it?' Ichigo spoke to the third-eyed sternrriter, who turned to face him.

'Yeah?' He addressed the soul reaper.

'How long have you been under covered here' Ichigo's question made Ryoud pause before answering.

'Probably for about three years now,' he said reluctantly. 'Most of the time, I tried to gain information about upcoming hollows raids on the world of the living and the soul society. Though since only the higher-ups could get access to that information. I was often left out. The only reliable information I could get would be from mandatory public events like the promotion of the Espada.

Ichigo then hummed. 'And was it hard to blend in yourself with all the hollows and Arrancar?'

Ryoud remains quiet once more and then shrugs. 'Not too bad so long as I kept my head down. Most of the Arrancar here are pretty big blow hearts that would look for any excuse to fight one another. Assuming they even need one. But for others, they're not too bad.'

The shingmai then nervously swallowed as he began to ask his next question.

'And Neil...' Ichigo said uneasily. 'Is she alright?'

Ryoud then looked at Ichigo in confusion at the question. 'You mean the former 3rd Espada?' He then shook her head. 'No one has seen her this entire past year, not since...' he hesitated as he looked at the shinigami's guilt-ridden face. 'Well...you know.

Ichigo then let a sad sigh. 'I see...well, aside from bragging blow hearts, is there anyone else we should be worried about?'

Ryoud then stared at Ichigo grimly. 'Yes...and those would be the commanders'

Kurosaki then narrowed his eyes on hearing that name while Ryoud continued.

'They are Barragan's right and left-handed man respectfully and rank higher than any of the other Espada and not only that...' The third eye man then took in a deep breath. ' Individually, they are stronger than Espada's combined might.

Ichigo then gasped in shock on hearing that revelation.

'Did you say...individually?' The shingmai repeated hesitantly, and Ryoud nodded his head.

'It is pretty much the main reason I request his majesty to send at least two of the royal guard in the first place,' the sternrriter said grimly. 'And thankfully, his majesty honored my request.'

Lille barrow then hummed in agreement. 'Originally, we of the royal guard were meant to fight the top four Espada given the potential power their Segunda Etapa would possess,' his eyes narrowed. 'But upon learning that there are people in Barragan's army that make even them look like small fry, well...'

Gremmy then smirked. 'Let's just say that our king would rather have us face Barragan's best and not those second-rate.'

Ichigo then thought long and hard over what Quincy said as he realized just what kind of enemies the two royal guards were up against.

'If those two commanders are more powerful than all Espada combine. Then they are at a bare minimum, at least as strong as Aizen when he was just a shingmai, if not more so' he then calmed himself down.'

Still, Lille barrow and Gremmy are this world's equivalent of the royal guard in mine. So I got to have faith that they will be able to back me up and give me a chance to take down that old bag of bones, ' Ichigo resolved himself as he continued to follow His group until they came to a stop.

'What's wrong?' The teen questioned, and Guenael Lee grumbled.

'Oh, it's a group of soldiers coming down this hall. We will have to turn around,' the old man responded, and Ichigo, to his agitation, recognized the soldiers.

The Exequias.

For a while, they may wear blacken military versions of their uniforms. Kurosaki fully recognized the skull mask men who once blocked his way to rescue the Orhime from his world.

Lee then turns to face Royd. 'Do you know another way to the courtroom?

The sternrriter then looked confused before regaining his composer. 'Uh yes, follow me' he directed his comrades to go down another hallway. Only to find another group of soldiers blocking the way.

'Again, are you sure you know your way around this place!' Lee criticized, but Ryoud shook his head.

'I went down these halls over hundreds of times with no issue. Maybe Barragan decided to up the security during the invasion' Ryoud tried to argue only to receive a tap on his shoulder.

'Uh, Ryoud, we have more of them coming from us at the back end,' Lille pointed with his finger, and indeed, as the copy stenrriter looked behind the royal guard, he saw more soldiers coming their way.

'Alright, we will go this way-!?' Ryoud begins to say while turning to another hallway. It was only for it to be blocked by the same soldiers, and soon enough, the group realized that they were all surrounded.

'Lee...' Barrow mumbled. 'Are you sure this vanishing point of yours is working?'

The older man then took offense at that remark. 'Well, it is working; it's called the vanishing point. Those damn Arrancar shouldn't be able to see or even perceive u-'

'So those are where the intruders are...' a voice called out from the back of the hallway as the soldiers departed to allow them through, and Ichigo growled his teeth upon recognizing the Arrancar by his fully covered bull-skull mask.

Rudbornn Chelute the captain of the Exequias.

'I admit that is quite the unique cover you have there. Creating a barrier to hide your very sight and presence from us. But unfortunately, that alone is not enough to infiltrate the palace of the night undetected.'

It was then that Guenael Lee then disabled the barrier and went berserk.

'You shouldn't be able to have an inkling that I was even here!' He raged. 'How on earth were we able to detect our location when such a thing should be impossible due to my power!'

Rudbornn then stared at the enraged general with one long moment of contempt before answering.

'Security footage'

Lee then froze in shock at what he had just heard; his brain rendered completely nonfictional.

''Security footage...?' He repeatedly meekly.

'Yes, security footage from all the hidden cameras over Las Noches. Surly as intruders, you should know that this Stronghold of the great Hollow King Barragan would have at least that level of surveillance...right?'

Lee then began to stutter as he could barely make the words. 'B-but my powers would work on cameras as well...should they!?'

Gremmy then made a sly and guilty smile. 'Well...when I was creating you, I might have...overlooked that detail...'

Lee and then everyone else in the group stared in utter bafflement at what the blonde man had just admitted.

'WHAT!?' The old man screamed in bafflement. 'How could you overlook something like that WITH MY POWER WHEN MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE IS REVOLVES AROUND INFILTRATION!?'

He then grabbed Gremmy by his collar. 'Do you even realize how much surveillance there is in the first century alone! I wouldn't even be able to infiltrate a broken-down drug store. Let alone the home base of our kingdom's sworn enemy!'

The sternrriter of the visionary then began to twiddle his thumbs in embarrassment. 'Well Yeah, you see...since I first created you when I was bored. None of those things came to mind...'

'A tic marked then formed on lee's head. 'You put me...on a mission...to help you all sneak through this damn fortress to assimilate the hollow king..' his voice then became dangerously low. 'And you never once thought to adjust my ability in a way that would allow us to sneak past through FREAKING SECURITY CAMERAS!?'

'Armed cero rifles and fire,' Rudbornn ordered uncaringly. The Arrancar soldiers immediately pulled firearms from their backs. They began firing at the arguing group from all three sides of the hallway, Forcing Gremmy to conjure up three shields to block the blasts in all directions.

'Uh, guys...' Ichigo tried to speak out from all the sounds of blasts hitting the shield. 'Maybe we should save this conversation when people are not trying to shoot at us!'

'Urrgh, screw all this!' Lee spat while conjuring a reshi knife. 'Call me back when you are willing to modify my vanishing point properly!' And with that, Lee stabs himself in the head, and with a poof, he turns himself back into a keychain. Much to Gremmy's grief.

'Oh Lee...' the visionary sighed as he picked up the item. However, Lille barrow didn't seem to share the sentiment.

'You can moan about your angry pet project later. Right now, we need to-!'

'Ready the Cero Canon!' Rudbornn called, much to the group's confusion.

'Cero canon...?' The group thought out all at once, and then all of them shared a look of dread when they saw an actual massive canon being carried out by the Arrancar soldiers from the middle of the hallway and quickly began to charge itself directly at them.

'Oh...crap,' Kurosaki muttered. Then the cannon fired, unleashing a massive beam of spiritual energy that blew an enormous hole in the wall where the group was before traveling upwards into the night sky above.

Later within the outskirts of the soul society

Tatsuki heaved and huffed after roasting the last of the Adujuhia's before disabling her fullbring and collapsing onto the ground in the middle of a devastated town. With the bodies of Quincy and fullbringer liters across the battlefield. At the same time, the survivors tend to their wounds and fallen brethren.

'Are you going to be okay bitch?' Candice muttered as he walked over to Tatsuki while the latter snapped away from her gaze.

'I would be if you were not here to consult me,' she growled while Candice rolled her eyes.

'Quit the tough woman act and take five. You and the rest of the rights and agents did your part in weeding out the third wave.' Candice said with stern reinsurance before gazing into the Garganta. 'Now it is time for the big boys to handle their part.'

Meanwhile, within the command center.

'Five of the fifty-two shields has fallen, Grandmaster, but the third wave has been annihilated,' one of the Quincy commutators announced.

Haschwalth then closed his eyes and let out a quick breath. 'So the prelude battles have finally ended...' He opened his eyes and stared back at the screen.

'Now, the real war will soon begin.'