A couple of days had passed since the shinigamis arrived in that world and they decided to stay in Fairy Tail waiting for information about the whereabouts of the hollows.
During that time, at Toshiro's suggestion, they were conducting test fights between the guild members against the shinigamis.
Some fights ended in draws, but most of the fights, especially those involving Ichigo or Toshiro ended in victory for both of them.
However, despite that, all those mages they fought with were delighted with those fights, as it only drove them to become stronger, especially Natsu, who kept challenging Toshiro or Ichigo, only for the outcome to be the same, with him losing.
They weren't the only ones training to become stronger.
Often, Wendy would learn things about medicine and healing from Retsu, the captain of the 4th division, who enjoyed teaching the young dragon slayer basic and somewhat advanced concepts.
They were all supposed to be prepared for when the time came that they knew the location of the hollows.
However, Rangiku spent most of his time drinking with Cana or shopping with the guild girls, much to Toshiro's frustration.
Speaking of the captain, of everyone on the team, he was the most serious about the matter, as he was all the time checking reports as well as requested missions to see if any of them mentioned anything related to the hollows.
He also used Makarov's contacts to communicate to the other mage guilds to inform him in case they found something similar, but so far, he didn't receive anything, which could be frustrating for anyone, but he kept calm.
At that moment, we see the Team Natsu walking through the forest to return to the guild after another successful mission.
"Jo. That mission was too easy." said Natsu.
"That's what happens when you get stronger." said Lucy.
"At last, your streak of defeats from Toshiro and Ichigo is paying off." said Happy.
"That's only temporary! Next time I fight them, I'll defeat them!" said Natsu.
"You're still saying that? Even Erza hasn't been able to defeat Ichigo. Don't be offended." said Gray.
"I'm not offended or ashamed of my defeats. They just make me want to try harder." said Erza with a smile.
"Same here. I feel like I'm getting stronger." said Natsu flexing his arms.
"I've even seen Lily help Gajeel get stronger to defeat the baldy." said Happy causing a certain third in command to let out a sneeze as he had the feeling he had to kill someone.
"By the way, Wendy, how are your classes with Captain Unohana going?" asked Lucy.
"They're going great. Thanks to her I'm learning a lot of medicine." said Wendy.
"That's the way I like it, kiddo. That you keep learning and improving as a person unlike some." said Charle looking at a certain duo.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Natsu and Happy at the same time and confused.
"You see?" asked Charle.
That's when Natsu suddenly stopped, followed by Wendy and the others.
"What is it now?" asked Lucy.
"I notice a strange smell in the air. It smells like… dirt." said Natsu.
"Yes, I smell it too. It looks like there's someone coming near where we are now." said Wendy.
"Are you sure? I don't sense anyone's magic power." said Gray.
"I-If it's one of those hollows?" asked Happy nervously.
"Captain Hitsugaya said that we could at least feel their spiritual pressure and at the moment, I don't feel anything like that." said Erza.
"Where did you say that smell is coming from?" asked Charle.
"Over there." said Natsu pointing to the side.
They all looked to the side to see nothing but the natural scenery, which confused them a little until suddenly something appeared that made them gasp a little in shock.
It was a teenager girl with long white hair, rags, dirt all over her body and a metal collar around her neck.
What was worse was that she looked terribly tired to the point where she was leaning against a tree while breathing heavily.
"Oh my god." said Lucy before running to her.
"He… Help me… Please… Please." said the teenager girl before closing her eyes and falling to the ground, but Lucy managed to catch her before she touched it.
Soon after, the others stood around her.
"Is she okay?" asked Gray.
Wendy knelt down beside her and checked her condition.
"She's fine. She just fainted." said Wendy.
"Who is this girl?" asked Natsu.
"And where could she have come from?" asked Happy.
"That doesn't matter. We have to get her to the guild as soon as possible." said Erza.
"Right." said Charle.
With nothing more to say, Team Natsu, with the teenager girl being carried by Lucy bridal style, went running back to the guild to treat the teenager girl, hoping that, as soon as she recovered, she would be able to answer their questions.
Soon after, the Team Natsu arrived at the guild and reported the unconscious teenager girl.
She was immediately taken to the infirmary, where Retsu was analyzing her to check her condition.
"How is she doing?" asked Ichigo.
"Her condition is fine. It seems that she simply fainted from fatigue. She probably went for a while without eating or sleeping." said Retsu.
"What must have happened to that girl to make her be in that state?" asked Rangiku.
"Is it that sickness you have when you run out of magic power that you told us about?" asked Renji to the mages.
"I don't think so. It doesn't have the symptoms." said Lily.
"Not to mention we don't feel any magical power in her in the first place." said Erza.
"I think I've found the cause." said Retsu.
"Which one?" asked Natsu.
"That neck brace she's wearing seems to nullify her power somehow." said Retsu pointing to the neck brace the teenager girl was wearing.
"In that case, we just have to take it off." said Ichigo approaching the teenager girl and grabbing the neck brace.
With a little effort, Ichigo managed to break the girl's neck brace, but the instant after that, the teenager girl's eyes widened and she let out a scream as she pushed Ichigo away from her hard.
The teenager girl sat on the bed while breathing rapidly and heavily.
"Hey, take it easy. Don't be scared." said Ichigo trying to reassure her.
"Where… Where am I?" asked the teenager girl.
"You're in the Fairy Tail guild infirmary." said Lucy.
"Fairy Tail?! The most powerful guild on the continent?!" asked the teenager girl in shock.
"Well yeah. What's up with that?" asked Gray.
Hearing that she was in one of the most famous guilds in the kingdom, tears ran down the teenager girl's face, not out of sadness, but out of happiness.
"I-I can't believe it. I really made it. I finally… *Hic* After everything I went through, I… *Hic* I made it!" said the teenager girl as she cried.
That left everyone present confused.
Realizing that there were people around, she quickly wiped away her tears.
"I-I'm sorry. I got too emotional." said the teenager girl.
"It's okay. Now tell us, who are you and what exactly happened to you?" asked Erza.
"My name was July. I used to live in a village far away from here. We all lived peacefully… until they came." said July clenching her fists at the memory.
"They?" asked Charle.
"They call themselves Human Eaters. They're a group of barbaric mages who raid villages, destroying whatever they find in their path. What's worse is that they kill anyone who resists while those who don't resist are captured." said July.
"That's horrible." said Wendy in horror.
"Judging by your appearance, I can guess that you are one of those people they captured." said Toshiro.
"That's right. My younger sister and I were captured after they attacked our village. They took us to a place far away from everything, where they kept us as prisoners." said July.
"How come none of you have tried to escape before?" asked Gajeel.
"Because of the dreaded four." said July.
"The dreaded four? Sounds like a comic book group. Who are they?" asked Ichigo.
"They are the strongest members of Human Eaters. One of their members has the ability to create chains to nullify mages' magic, so we were helpless against their enormous power." said July.
"Well, you won't have to worry about this thing anymore." said Ichigo showing the pieces of the neck brace.
July's eyes widened in shock before she brought her hands to her neck to check that she really wasn't wearing her neck brace anymore.
"T-Thank you. Thank you so much." said July with a big smile.
"How did you manage to escape from that place?" asked Ikkaku.
"Some of the prisoners and I set up a plan that consisted of taking advantage of the fact that the dreaded four weren't around to stage an altercation and take advantage of that to neutralize the guards and escape, but at the last moment, the dreaded four showed up and defeated everyone. My companions had to sacrifice themselves so that I could escape." said July with her head down as she thought about that moment.
"There's one thing I don't understand. Why would they kidnap you? Were they forcing you to work on something like slaves or something?" asked Rukia.
"No. They simply kept us locked up and let us out from time to time as if we were animals. Often, though, the captain would pick someone." said July.
"The captain?" asked Lily.
"He is the leader of Human Eaters. From what I heard, his power is greater than the vice-captain's, even greater than the dreaded four combined. Sometimes, he chooses someone and the guards take them away never to be seen again." said July.
Lucy gulped as she heard that.
"Wh-What a scary thing to do." said Lucy.
"So, you don't know what they do to them?" asked Happy.
"No. I've heard a rumor or two about what happens to them, though. Apparently, they're taking them to be food for some monstrous creatures." said July.
"Oh my God." said Wendy in horror as she wore covered her mouth with her hands.
"Those guys… ARGH." exclaimed Natsu hitting the wall so hard he left a small crater in the process. "How can they do that to them?!"
"Those aren't humans. They're scum!" said Ikkaku angrily.
"And here I thought dark guilds were bad, but those guys are on another level!" said Gajeel.
"What kind of creatures do those guys have?" asked Gray.
"From what I could gather from the rumors, they were strange creatures with bone masks and a hole in their chests." said July.
That made the shinigami's eyes widen like saucers at the revelation.
"Are you sure about what you're saying? Are those creatures really like that?" asked Toshiro very seriously.
"Well, I didn't see them personally. That's what I heard, nothing more." said July.
"Captain, are they…?" asked Rangiku.
"Yes, those creatures… are hollows." said Toshiro, making everyone gasp in shock.
"Y-You mean those soul-devouring monsters that came to this world?" asked Lucy.
"It doesn't make sense. No human would be able to control the hollows to follow his orders." said Rukia.
"That captain who commands over that group must certainly have too much power to command those creatures." said Erza.
"What should we do about it, Captain Hitsugaya?" asked Retsu.
Before he could give an answer, July got out of bed and knelt down in front of them, her head pressed to the floor.
"P-Please. I beg you. Save them. I… I left my little sister behind! I don't want to imagine what they're doing to her right now. You have to save her, everyone! Please! I'm willing to pay anything! You can use my body if you want, but save those people!" exclaimed July as she cried.
Needless to say, everyone was shocked to see that this girl was willing to give up her body just to save her sister.
Ichigo stepped in front of her and knelt down in front of her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her raise her head to look at him.
"You don't need to pay us for anything. We'll go help your sister and all those people because that's what we all do." said Ichigo.
"He's right. We won't let those bastards keep treating people like that." said Natsu.
"No, sir." said Happy.
"Our mission may be to wipe out the hollows, but we're also dedicated to helping anyone who needs it. No matter what world they come from." said Renji.
"You see? You don't have to worry. We'll save your sister and you can be together again." said Ichigo with a smile.
July's tears turned to ones of happiness seeing that those people would save her sister and others without asking anything in return.
"Thank you. *Hic* Thank you." said July.
"Now that everything is clear, we will prepare to go to that place." said Toshiro.
"Understood." began July wiping her tears with her arm before standing up with a serious look on her face. "I'll lead them to that place."
"Actually, given your condition, it would be best if you stayed here while they take care of everything." said Retsu.
"But I…" began July, not wanting to stay behind despite her condition.
"It's doctor's orders, so you should listen to me." said Retsu with a smile.
Despite that smile, a strange feeling of pure dread came over July, causing her to panic a bit before sitting back down on the bed.
"O-Okay. I'll stay, but I'll tell you the location of the place." said July.
"Okay. We can't waste any more time. Let's get going!" said Toshiro.
