Bleach Spirits Are Forever With You is a two-part novel by Ryōgo Narita, featuring artwork by Tite Kubo. It commemorates the tenth anniversary of Bleach.
The story of Spirits Are Forever With You is set during the seventeen months following the defe...
The boundless desert of Hueco Mundo stretched endlessly in every direction, its glaring white sands illuminated by the cold, indifferent light of a crescent moon. The landscape, stark and devoid of color, seemed to stretch on forever, broken only by the distant, imposing silhouette of Las Noches. The once-magnificent fortress stood as a somber monolith against the empty expanse, a grim reminder of the desolation that had come to dominate this world.
In this desolate wilderness, Nel Tu raced desperately across the sand, her breaths coming in ragged, frantic gasps. The young Arrancar's face was a mask of fear and determination as she fled, her dark hair trailing behind her like a banner of distress. Her pleas echoed across the vast emptiness of the desert. "Help us! Someone, please!"
Nel wasn't alone in her flight. Dondochakka Birstanne, a towering figure whose bulk belied his surprising agility, moved with a grim urgency beside her. His usually jovial expression was now replaced with a hard line of concern. Beside him, Pesche Guatiche, his ever-present grin absent, maintained pace with an equally serious demeanor. Their beloved pet, Bawabawa, scrambled alongside them, his small legs pumping furiously as he sensed the gravity of their predicament.
The cheerful game of eternal tag had transformed into a nightmare. Instead of playful banter and laughter, they were now desperately fleeing from a horde of over a hundred Arrancars, all branded with the same ominous number: 102.
These creatures, known as the Picaro, were a disturbing fusion of youthful innocence and predatory cruelty. Most of them bore the appearance of children, their innocent faces marred by a chilling gleam of malevolence. One particularly striking Pikaro sported what looked like white headphones, adding a surreal touch to their already bizarre appearance. Others resembled small animals, yet all bore the common mark of their number.
They were known collectively as Privaron Espada, a designation that indicated their demotion from a higher rank but did little to mitigate their dangerous nature.
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The Picaro had roamed freely under God-Emperor Baraggan's reign, their presence unchecked. Under Sōsuke Aizen, they had briefly been elevated to Espada status, only to be demoted once more and confined to Tres Cifras's Nest. There, Runuganga had kept them in check with his relentless sandstorms, preventing them from causing chaos in the Human World. But with Runuganga's downfall, the Picaro had been freed from their confinement, and their reemergence had heralded a new wave of terror.
Nel's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to keep track of their pursuers. "Ichigo! Help us, Ichigo!" she cried out, her voice a desperate plea. She recalled her last encounter with Kurosaki Ichigo, the fierce battle against Espada Nnoitra. Her memories were fragmented—she remembered Ichigo's struggle but not the outcome.
The terrifying visage of a Shinigami had driven her to flee, and though she later learned from the Quincy, Uryu Ishida and Ichigo's other human allies that Ichigo had returned to the Human World, her attempts to follow had been thwarted by another formidable Shinigami, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Mayuri's intentions to use her as a specimen had only intensified her panic. With Uryu's aid, she had managed to escape, but upon returning to Hueco Mundo, she found her allies had vanished. The loneliness she had felt since then had been profound.
