Last time the 6th Unit of the Anti-Demon Corps crossed paths with a strange monster by the name of Fishbone D. This creature was later revealed to be a Hollow. The members of the 6th Unit struggled to combat the strange monster given that it kept healing its injuries. However a strange man in white ended up saving them, but gave very little information on who or what he was.

Izuho found himself in a vortex of bone white sand, his hunt for the new Hollow had not gone to plan at all.

Izuho: To think I would be caught by members of the Anti-Demon Corps. I imagine they will launch a large scale operation to track me down.

Izuho grit his teeth in frustration, he patrolled Mato to thin the Shuuki population and dispatch any Hollows who intentionally targeted humans. Izuho let out a frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Izuho: The girls are not going to be happy about this one.....

Izuho let out a defeated sigh as he continued to fall through the vortex of bone white sand, a bright light shining beneath him. Izuho fell into the bright light, disappearing into it as he was transported to yet another dimension.

?????
Izuho burst out of a dune of bone white sand as he landed on the ground. The Arrancar found himself in yet another strange wasteland. It was a desert covered in bone white sand, what few trees existed were barren of any leaves or vegetation. Shining in the sky above was a backwards crescent moon.

This place was Hueco Mundo, another alternate dimension that was the homeland of the Hollows.

Izuho: Back home, now if I remember correctly we currently have camp setup in a cave Northeast of here.

Izuho sighed and began walking across the sands, he occasionally gazed up at the never ending night sky.

Izuho: Crazy to think I haven't seen the sun or earth for that matter in four years. I wonder how much things have changed there since I was turned into a Hollow?

Izuho let his mind wander back to his days as a human and the rather mundane life of a high school student he led before that fateful day. The orange haired Arrancar quickly shook those thoughts from his head however, he tried to avoid thinking about earth as much as possible nowadays.

Izuho: Can't dwell on the past, I know there's no way I can ever go back to earth.....

Izuho once again looked up at the backwards crescent moon as he let out a defeated sigh.

Izuho: None of us can....

Izuho then continued marching across the dunes of Hueco Mundo, he still had quite the trip ahead of him to get back to the cave he was currently staying in.

One Hour Later
After an hour of walking Izuho finds himself standing at the opening of a rather large cave within the side of a large cliffside. Izuho simply walked towards the cave opening, wanting to take a nap after the day he has had.

Izuho: Home sweet home. Wonder where the girls are?

Izuho looked around for his companions, not seeing any sight of them. That was until he heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching his location.

Izuho: Oh no.......

????: IZUHO!!!!!

Izuho only had a moment to turn towards the excited female voice as he saw a beautiful woman flying towards him. She had long green hair, a red mark across her nose and hazel eyes. In top of her head was a skull with two curled horns, she wore a white leotard. Red pauldrons adorned her shoulders, white leggings with hoof shaped heeled shoes adorned her legs. White gloves with hoof shaped gauntlets adorned her arms. Sheathed on her hid was a katana, the woman was currently flying towards him through the air with her arms outstretched.

This young woman was Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, a fellow Arrancar that swore loyalty to Izuho. The orange haired Arrancar had no time to react as Nelliel tackled him to the ground, her bosom pressing against his face.

Nelliel: You're finally back! You were gone for a whole three days, are you hurt? Hungry? Did you get enough sleep?

Nelliel belted out more questions to Izuho who was unable to respond due to his face being suffocated by Nelliel's assets.

????: N-Nelliel! You're suffocating him!

A meek female voice caught the attention of the green haired Arrancar as she turned towards the direction the voice came from. A young woman with short black hair and grey eyes stood watching. She wore a simple green dress and brown boots, covering half her face was a skull shaped mask.

This young woman was Roka Paramia, another Arrancar that swore loyalty Izuho. Nelliel looked down and saw that she was in fact obscuring any manner of breathing for Izuho. Nelliel quickly got off Izuho and clumsily scrambled back onto her feet as the orange haired Arrancar sat up and scratched the back of his neck.

Nelliel: I am so sorry Izuho!

Izuho: It's fine, you just gotta stop with the missile hugs. Thanks for speaking up Roka.

Izuho nodded at the timid girl in appreciation, a small blush of embarrassment on his face from the rather compromising position he had just been in.

Roka: I am just relieved you returned to us safely Boss.

Izuho grimaced at Roka referring to him as "Boss" it was way too damn formal for his liking.

Izuho: Roka, just call me Izuho, we've been over this....

Roka: As a member of your Fracción, I must show you the proper respect as our master.

Nelliel: We swore ourselves to you Izuho, I don't think you need changing Roka's attitude on this anytime soon.

Izuho pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated groan, he had this conversation with the timid Arrancar dozens of times and yet despite that fact he still expected to get through to her. Roka walked up to Izuho before gently crouching down next to him and began looking his body over.

Roka: You don't appear to have sustained any injuries during your time away. How exactly did your hunt in Mato go?

Izuho: I was bored to tears for the first two days, couldn't track down that damned Hollow. Seriously the demonic energy of Mato really screws with your ability to sense spiritual energy.

Izuho then stood back up, dusting the sand off his white robes before stretching his arms above his head.

Nelliel: Did the Hollow put up much of a fight?

Izuho: It talked a big game, but I sent it flying with my bare hands for a majority of the fight. It fired a Cero at me, but I deflected it with Zangetsu. After that one swing of my sword and the bastard was cut clean in half, honestly a pretty disappointing fight.

An annoyed grimace spread across Izuho's face as it had been awhile since he had fought an opponent that really made him put forth any serious effort.

Roka: The important thing is any humans that fall into Mato are safe from it. Did you encounter and trapped humans?

Izuho: Not really, the Hollow was fighting three members of the Anti-Demon Corps when I finally found it.

Nelliel and Roka's eyes widened in shock as their bodies tensed up at the mention of the Anti-Demon Corps. Every time they traveled to Mato, keeping their existence secret from the organization was one of their top priorities.

Nelliel: Did they try and attack you? Were you chased before you managed to return to Hueco Mundo?

Roka: If the Anti-Demon Corps are aware of you, it will potentially make our trips into Mato more difficult.

Izuho groaned in frustration, he knew Roka's statement was in fact correct, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

Izuho: The important thing is I returned before they got the chance to capture and interrogate me. Moving forward we will just have to be incredibly careful during our missions into Mato.

Nelliel: That's gonna make things harder, if the Anti-Demon Corps are searching for us, slaying Shuuki and monitoring new Hollow creations will be difficult.

Izuho rubbed his face in frustration, his fingers brushing against the surface of the small mask piece that permanently adorned his face. A constant reminder that he was in fact no longer the human he once was.

Izuho: Yeah, I get it, I screwed up big time. Let's just do our best to plan around my misstep alright?

Nelliel and Roka both looked at Izuho in worry, they knew how tough he could be on himself at times.

Nelliel: Izuho, this was bound to happen eventually, we couldn't exactly stay hidden from the Anti-Demon Corps forever.

Roka: It makes our job harder, but when has it ever been easy? We just need to tackle it like we do everything, together.

Izuho smirked, there was a reason he let these two become his Fracción. Unlike a lot of Arrancar, there wasn't that arrogance or sense of superiority a little of them had.

Izuho: So what did I miss here in Hueco Mundo over the last three days?

Nelliel and Roka both grimaced at the question as they both exchanged quick glances between each other. Izuho felt the hairs on his neck stand on end, it was never a good sign when the members of his Fracción exchanged looks like that.

Roka: Well we had some visitors.....

Nelliel: And they left a message for you......

Izuho grit his teeth as he had an idea as to the visitors in question were.

Izuho: Alright, what's the damage this time?

Nelliel walked over to a piece of stone that had been carved into the vague shape of a table, grabbing a letter that was laid out on top of it. The green haired Arrancar then tossed the letter at Izuho, who caught it before noticing the ornate crest emblazoned across the envelope. It depicted a skull with a katana pierced through it, surrounding the skull was a pair of jagged wings.

Izuho: Great, what do they wanna bitch about this time?

Izuho then opened the envelope before removing the letter and opening it up.

Letter: Izuho, While I understand the nature of your work and what you wish to accomplish, as an Espada you are required to live within the walls of Las Noches. I did my best to avoid pestering you, but the old man is in one of his moods once again. I understand this will make patrolling Mato and sending Shuuki to Hueco Mundo more difficult, I unfortunately cannot cover for you any longer. I hope to see you return to using good health. Sincerely, Tier Harribel.

Izuho read over the letter twice more before letting out a frustrated groan.

Roka: Is everything alright Boss?

Izuho: The old man is demanding we return to Hueco Mundo. Seriously, you put me in charge of patrolling Mato to send Shuuki here, yet you want me to live in the palace? Makes the commute a helluva lot more annoying!

Nelliel: You are one of the Espada, the governing force of Hueco Mundo. I imagine you being absent for so long has caused some issues.

Nelliel and Roka exchanged looks between each other, they knew the real reason Izuho wasn't keen on returning to Las Noches. Despite being made a member of the Espada, Izuho wasn't exactly fond of many of his colleagues.

Nelliel: It shouldn't be all bad, after all you do get along with Harribel, Starrk, and Grimmjow. You haven't spoken to any of them directly in three months.

Izuho snorted at Nelliel's words before shaking his head in disagreement.

Izuho: I get along with Harribel and Starrk. You know that blue haired nutcase is a pain in my ass. Seriously not even five minutes into arriving at Las Noches and he's already challenging me to a damn fight.

Roka: Grimmjow does want to test his limits, you are ranked higher than him amongst the Espada after all.

Izuho groaned in frustration as he rubbed his temples. Nelliel and Roka exchanged small smirks between each other. Despite his complaining, deep down they knew Izuho enjoyed the sparring matches with Grimmjow.

Izuho: Fine, guess we got no real choice in the matter. We return to Las Noches at the end of the week.

Nelliel and Roka looked at Izuho in surprise, not expecting him to wait that long.

Roka: Shouldn't we depart immediately for Las Noches? You made it sound like a rather urgent summons.

Izuho shot the two women a rather smug smirk.

Izuho: I'll follow that old goat's orders, but it doesn't mean I'll go running back this instance like a good little lamb. They've been fine without me for the last two months, they'll survive without me for another week.

Roka let out a defeated whine while Nelliel let out an amused giggle.

Roka: Why do you have to antagonize him?

Nelliel: Would he be Izuho if he didn't?

Roka let out another defeated whine as Nelliel only seemed to encourage this behavior. Izuho let out a chuckle before he leaned against the wall of the cave. While he would probably get an earful from Harribel for waiting another week, he wanted to dedicate another week to patrolling Mato. The old man put him in charge of patrolling Mato for a reason and he wanted to gain at least a clue to the thing the old man was searching for.

6th Unit Base
Back in Mato within the Chief's office of the 6th Unit's Base of operations was Tenka, sifting through the newest stack of paperwork required from her Unit. Primarily mission reports for the last month. The young woman however found herself debating over one particular form she hesitated to fill out. The Abnormal Encounters Report. This was a report that had been apart of the Anti-Demon Corps since its inception. Back when little was known about Mato, it was paramount to report any and all encounters that were abnormal in comparison to what the Anti-Demon Corps was aware of. A report that nowadays boiled down to a single sentence.

Tenka: The 6th Unit encountered no anomalies over this month's operations.

Tenka wrote the sentence, a sentence she had written countless times since becoming a Chief. However, this was the first time she was lying in a report. It was risky, vertically suicidal career wise, if it was discovered she lied on this report, it could cost her position as Chief. It could even get her dishonorably discharged from the Anti-Demon Corps as a whole.

Tenka: I am certainly playing with fire going through with this. When did I become so reckless?

A small smirk spread across Tenka's face as she set the report aside and let her mind wander to what had dominated her thoughts for the last two days.

Tenka's Thoughts: Where did that man obtain such power? A single swing of that sword of his completely deflected that monster's attack. Furthermore a single swipe of it sliced that thing in two, three members of the Anti-Demon Corps struggled to keep up due to its healing. Yet he made it look rather easy.

The blonde haired woman let out a frustrated sigh, she had been replaying the fight over and over again within her head since they returned from that patrol. Every time she contemplated the young man's power, the less and less it made sense. What troubled her more was that from his body language, it was obvious he was barely trying in that fight.

Tenka's Thoughts: Whoever or whatever he is, his power is nothing to scoff at. Hopefully by keeping his existence secret at the moment, I may be able to convince him to at least speak with me. If I manage that, perhaps the Anti-Demon Corps could receive a valuable ally.

Tenka knew she was taking a major risk in regard to this Swordsman in White, but she had a gut feeling about him. He protected them from that Hollow, defeated it, and despite apparently sharing some similarities with the monster, made no attempt at harming them.

Tenka: A monster doesn't warn people to stay away from them for their own safety. Whoever you are, you certainly seem to have the interests of others in mind.

The small smile returned to Tenka's face, she couldn't remember the last time something caught her interest like this.

Tenka: You certainly have my attention Swordsman in White, I am excited to see what else you are capable of.

Tenka giggled to herself, finding that she was becoming rather interested in the strange man that saved both her and her unit from that Hollow. Tenka's contemplation was interrupted by the ringing of the cellphone on her desk. Tenka grabbed the phone before holding it up to her ear.

Tenka: Chief Izumo of the 6th Unit speaking, who is this?

????: Chief Uzen of 7th Unit speaking.

Tenka smirked as she had expected a phone call from her fellow Chief.

Tenka: Already calling to confirm our meeting over those humanoid Shuuki your Unit encountered, Kyouka?

Kyouka: As perceptive as ever is see, Tenka. Yes it is in regard to our meeting. I would like to request pushing it back to three days from now.

Tenka's eyes widened in surprise ever so slightly, it was rather unlike Kyouka to request such a thing, especially with uncharted territory as the alleged humanoid Shuuki.

Tenka: My, did something urgent come up? You were rather adamant about this meeting happening as soon as possible.

Kyouka: I am well aware, however an oddity has been occurring as of late in my territory. Shuuki are being slaughtered during our patrols, we still have no idea what exactly is causing such a thing.

Tenka's eyes widened in shock at Kyouka's statement, this sounded all too familiar to the strange events occurring in her Unit's region of Mato. The blonde Chief's mind wandered to the Swordsman in White and wondered if he patrolled all of Mato instead of just her region.

Tenka: Is that so? My that is a rather strange occurrence, do you have any clues to what exactly is causing such a thing.

Kyouka let out a frustrated sigh as Tenka could tell she unintentionally struck a nerve with the 7th Unit's Chief.

Kyouka: Nothing concrete, Himari noticed that parts of the landscape appeared to be sliced in half as if by a sword. Shushu found craters littering other areas, implying some kind of heavy impact or firepower. Finally, potentially the most odd Nei found what appeared to be bone white sand in small piles at each of the battle sites we discovered.

Tenka felt a lump form in her throat as this was once again sound eerily similar to what her and her Unit had encountered a few short days ago.

Tenka: Quite the mystery, would you like the 6th Unit's assistance in investigating this matter?

Kyouka: Are you certain it would be wise for you to leave your base for such a long period of time?

Tenka let a small smirk spread across her face. For as tough as Kyouka was, she was undoubtedly a person who cared deeply for others.

Tenka: I will only bring two other members of the 6th Unit. The rest of our personnel should be able to keep things in working order during my absence.

Kyouka: Thank you Tenka, I will be sure to repay you someday for this.

Tenka Think nothing of it Kyouka, see you soon.

Tenka then hung up the phone before leaning back in her chair a concerned look plastered across her face.

Tenka: What exactly is your game Swordsman in White?

Tenka once again let her mind wander to the strange man who saved her Unit from that Hollow. Despite not wanting to jump to conclusions, Tenka got the creeping suspicion that there was something far bigger at play here.

So Izuho returned to the Third Dimension known as Hueco Mundo, the home of the Hollows. There he reunited with his Fracción and updated them on his encounter with the 6th Unit. However it appears Tenka is dead set on discovering the mysteries surrounding the Swordsman in White. As always please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments! What awaits Izuho and his Fracción the next time they patrol Mato? What will happen when he once again crosses paths with members of the Anti-Demon Corps? What other unknown dangers are lurking in Mato? Find out in the next Chapter of Chained  Soldier: Resurrección of the Forsaken!