'Maintain your positions!' Cang Du ordered out as he used his steel claws to cut through a whole horde of villains in his path by the hundreds. At the same time, the rest were shot down by a barrage of Quincy arrows. From behind a town wall overlooking a forest on the west branch of the silver city.

Yet no matter how many hollows the sternrriter and his men killed, more of them kept pouring out the Garganta in mass, with himself already beginning to feel worn down.

Then he received a call from his headphone. 'Cang, how is your end holding up?' Robert ordered.

'We are being pressured. But still holding the line and the first barrier. Are the others okay?'

'They are holding out as well,' Robert reported. 'But do try to conserve your strength when the Espada themselves come up if you can,' the regional commander advised. 'We cannot allow the sternrriter to be exhausted fighting cannon fodder. Before the real enemies reveal themselves.'

Cang Du nodded. 'Understood, I will fall back and allow some men to fight my stead.

Robert then hummed in agreement. 'Very well. Report back to me the moment the situation changes.'

'Yes, sir,' Cang Du answered and then shut his communicator off and addressed the rest of his comrades.

'Alright, I need some of you to back me up while I recover' he then eyed one of the xcuation agents. 'That includes you too, Karen Kurosaki!'

Then from out of the town wall. A teenage omen fullbringer with hair tied in a knot and dressing in a black top with jeans while wearing a silver emblem necklace jumped down to the ground and greeted Quincy.

'About time I get to see some action,' Karen said in dismal arrogance. While looking over the hollows. 'Are you sure you want to turn it in?'

Cang Du turns to face her. 'Commanders orders. The Sternrriter are not allowed to wear themselves down fighting grunts when the main bosses haven't arrived yet' he then gave Karen a look. 'Unless you think it is too much for you...special agent Karen Kurosaki?'

The women then smirked. 'You doubt my skills in holding the line, huh?' She grabbed a small soccer ball from her pocket. Before it immediately enlarged to a regular size one in her right hand and then narrowed her eyes at the hoard.

'Well, I guess I have no choice in proving you wrong' she then tossed the ball.

'Score Ball!'

Karin shouted out at the top of her voice and then kicked her soccer ball over the battlefield and into the hollows at literal sound-breaking speed. Before smacking and crushing the mask and head of one of the gillain. Before the sphere bounced off the spirit and smashed through the head of another Gillian, then to another, and before long, an entire gathering of the hollows fell dead.

Much to Karin's satisfaction.

Then across the other side of the battlefield. Other fullbringers and rights began fighting off the gillain hoards.

'All right, you heard the man!' Tatsuki shouted to the Quincy and fullbringer agents of the eastern branch of the soul society. 'It's our job to crush these pieces of cannon fodder while the big boys get their rest. So let's move it! She ordered out, and the rest of the Quincy and agents shouted in agreement as they followed her charge.

Tatsuki then activated her fullbringer flaming empresses and fired entire hoards of menos and hollows alike. At the same time, Candance looked over her with bitter acceptance.

'Tch...' she pouted. 'To think I ever need you to rely on anything,' the sternrrier of the thunder complains while standing on top of a wall.

Then across the southern flank, Keigo Asano approached a squadron of Gillians. While cracking his knuckles. At the same time, a massive blade, dark, skin-bearded sternrriter walked behind him.

Driscoll, the sternrriter of the Overkill.

'Hah, you think you are cable of taking all of those hollow birds out, little man!' He taunted. 'Would be ashamed to see you die before the battle starts!'

Keigo then looked at Driscoll and gave a knowing smile.

'Well, I guess better not disappoint,' Keigo said cheerfully. Before using fullbinger light to blitz right in the center of the massive Hollows, he slammed his left fist into the ground with his fullbriger Rules of Nature appearing around his fists.

Then, the entire hoard of Gillians floated helplessly in the air as the rule of gravity was broken. Then Keigo jumped towards the menos, punched seemingly the air itself, and as a shockwave swept over the spirits, Keigo broke another rule of physics.

The Rule of Weight.

Keigo kicked each of the menos and made them crash into their fellow hollows on far-off sides of the battlefield. However, upon booting the Gillains, Keigo unveiled another rule he broke.

The Rule of Stability.

This caused each Menos to explode in a massive blast of spiritual energy and took out countless other hollows. All the while, Keigo is sporting a cheeky grin.

'Damn bastard...' Driscoll said to himself while sporting a tooth-barring grin. 'I said it would be a shame for him to die not to show me off!'

Then in the opening of the northern flank within a mountain countryside, Mizuiro stood over a pile of dissipating Gillains alongside Kyiv.

'I think that is all the Gillains so far,' The short teen said while turning towards the sternrriter. 'Are you feeling okay?'

Kyiv then gave Mizuke an edgy look despite his mask. 'You never gave me a chance to kill any Gillains,' he answered. At the same time, the full bringer looked on, worried.

'Oh, was that not the orders?' He questioned, but Kyiv just shook his head.

'No, it's just...I didn't think special agents like you could be this effective in combat,' he explained, and then Mizurio smiled calmly.

'We have to be,' the young teenager said. 'After all, the fullbringers meant to fight by the side of the quinces, right? And the same goes for you too.'

Kyiv then stared at Mizuke, nodded, and returned the smile even though it was hidden.

'Of course

However, the moment was cut short when they heard multiple other menos roarings from the torn rift in space, and from out of it came more hollows.

Though from the force of their spiritual power, they are much more potent than the Gillain themselves.

Meanwhile, within the command center.

'The third wave has now begun...' Jurgram announced as he looked over the monitor depicting their enemies. 'This, along with the fourth wave, will put the special agents and the Apprentice Knights to the ultimate test of their abilities.

Uryu then nodded, 'And then it will be the privation and eventually the Espada themselves.' He then turns to face Jurgram. 'Is there a planned attack in dealing with them?'

Hashwalth remained quiet, gathering his thoughts, and then answered. 'Once the Espada appeared, the rest of the sternrriter and directors guarding the city will provide the aid to the ones on the front line while the rest of our forces fall back so that the Espada will be facing at least two if not three of our elite fighters at once.

Robert then cast a doubtful glare. 'A formidable strategy. However, given the power of the Segunda Epata, all the Espada have now. Even three of our sternrriters or directors fighting each may not be enough.'

The grandmaster then closed his eyes. 'Which why we also have a final trump card that will allow at least some of the sternrriter to turn the tide of this war battle into our favor.'

The elder Quincy then let out a tired breath. 'Perhaps...' he then glacé at the grandmaster. 'So, is there any report on Ichigo and the rest of the royal guard's progress?'

'Quilge and his men have returned from Hueco Mundo to inform that Kurosaki, Lille, and Gremmy have managed to infiltrate Las Noches and are now on their way to assassinate the hollow king' Hashwalf then narrowed his eyes. 'Hopefully, when Ichigo completes his mission, the Hollows and the Arrancar will lose their morale and retreat from the wince they came.'

'And for those that continue to fight?' Ishida questioned, and Hashwalth lowered his head.

'Then we should also hope that Ichigo and the rest of the royal guard arrive safely back from their mission as soon as possible.'

Uryu then stood silent as he took in the grandmaster's words. Before looking up the massive screen that showed the spiritual signatures of the Hollows, the Quinces, and the fullbrigers that fought them, and while the lights of the hollows were quickly blinking out, several more took in their place just as fast and yet while lights of his comrades blink out slowly, not a single one of those lights were replaced and steady as Uryu grimily noticed. The rate of the lights of his brethren and allies steadily began to increase...

Later within Hueco Mundo

'So this is...Las Noches?' Ichigo stuttered in shock, for instead of a palace of impossible size. He saw a massive arena that looked like one overlapping colosseum that overtook the entire landscape While filled with multiple buildings, castles, and fortresses connected by various bridges and pathways. At the same time, the red moonshine much more brightly than ever.

Then the spy Ryoud now walked across the bridge that led to their entrance

'I am glad you all were able to make it, Lille, Gremmy, and Kurosaki; it just makes me feel glad that a group of powerful warriors would be able to back me up.'

'The pleasure is mind, Royod, ' Lille barrow said curtly. 'So, do you know where are target is?'

The brown-haired sternrriter nodded. 'He is in the center of this massive fortress, within the court of the night. I can take you there. But to avoid bringing the entire forces of this place on our heads. We need to go incognito.'

Gremmy then smirked. 'Already on it,' he said before grabbing something from his pocket, a chain with several miniature dolls attached to it, and then holding one of them that looked like a crazy old man with glasses, took him off the chain and tossed him into the air.

Then in a puff of smoke, the doll transformed into a life-sized version of the man.

'Fellas, I would like you to meet the other sternritter of the V. Guenael Lee, the vanishing point, ' Gremmy said pleasantly. While the old man gave him a sneer.'

'Oh, don't you dare try to play nice with me, brat!' I have to stay inside that filthy pocket yours for days, and even now, you only brought me out for your damn convince!'

Gremmy then playful rolled his eyes. 'Because the last time you came at me, you begged for me to stay in my fifthly pocket after you were caught spying in the girl-'

'FOR THREE HOURS, NOT THREE DAYS, YOU DOLT!' Lee screamed at the top of his lungs while his face shin pink with embarrassment.

Ichigo then looked bemused at the entire scene before him. 'Uhh...' he begins to say. 'Who...exactly is this?' He questions until Lilli answers him.

'That is General lee. One of Gremmy's creations specializes in the infiltration of enemy forces but was called back due to his unprofessional attitude and perverted antics. Now he serves as a playmate in the royal palace. Similar to Lyoud'

Ichigo then made a disappointed frown. 'Oh'

Guenael Lee then made a face at Lille Barrow. 'If I were you, I should be a bit more respectful towards me; otherwise, I might just abandon all of you to die in wretched hollow waste!' He spouted out anger, which made the royal guard and even Ichigo tempted to crush him right then.

'Now come on, Lee,' Gremmy said politely. 'If you do this one favor for us, I will...' he then whispered something in the old man's right ear that made his entire face blush complete red and his nose bleed.

'Oh well, uh, when you put it like that, sure,' Lee complied in a much more pleasant and subdued tone. This made Ichigo wonder what Gremmy said would make the creation adhere so quickly to help them.

But After remembering the expression on Lees's face and seeing the blood running down his nose. The soul reaper thought it would be best that he didn't know.

'Alright now. Gather all around me so we can get this over with,' General commanded, and once everyone got near him, he placed his hands together, and suddenly an effect field surrounded them.

Ichigo then looked with interest. 'Okay, so what is this exactly?' He asked, which then made General Lee smirk with pride.

'Well, I am glad you ask. The power that Gremmy gave me is the power to hide and erase my presence from everyone's senses and memory. And by creating this boundary field around me. Anyone near me can be hidden and have their presence erased, too' Lee then giggled. 'With this ability alone, we should be able to infiltrate this fortress with no one the wiser.'

Kurosaki then gave the older man an impressive look. 'That's a...pretty neat ability' he then frowns. 'If not a bit creepy.'

General then giggled some more. 'Your genuine praise fills my heart with joy,' he then mads a cheery grin. 'Especially when you call it creepy.'

Gremmy then smiled. 'Your power is pretty awesome, too, Lee!' The younger man complimented too, but that made Lee growl in annoyance.

'I said I accept genuine praise. Not condescending brown-nosing!' He then shook his head in dismay. 'Urge whatever, let's just keep moving.'

As the group continued to walk down the pathways of Las Noches. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a disturbance all around him, and beyond the shinigami's notice, a gust of sand swept by.