Despite not knowing how, the moment Shinji saw Sōsuke, he knew he'd been played.
It wasn't a reasoned conclusion but an instinct, like Pavlov's dog, triggered by Sōsuke's presence.
Yet, strangely, that realization brought an overwhelming urge to collapse in relief.
He wasn't dead.
Thank goodness.
As his stunned mind slowly regained clarity, Shinji's eyes widened, glaring at Sōsuke. "You jerk, putting me through that! You did it on purpose, didn't you?!"
"Asshole."
Sōsuke, as if deaf to his outburst, walked toward the Redhoste, holding his now-released Kyōka Suigetsu. His other hand rubbed his shoulder.
Though loath to admit it, that initial crushing blow from the giant fool had landed.
Sōsuke had long mastered his Zanpakutō's Shikai, keeping it hidden. But Kyōka Suigetsu had a condition: only those who saw its release could fall under its complete hypnosis.
This monster, emerging abruptly from a spatial rift like an ambush, had caught him off guard.
Luckily, it wasn't that strong.
Sōsuke, encountering an Adjuchas for the first time, judged it thusly.
He stopped before the Redhoste, his voice as mild as ever. "Please, hold still. My clothes are getting dusty."
As his words fell, the Red and Bluedhostes froze, as if noticing something.
When had it happened?
Sōsuke's tone remained even, betraying no emotion. "Even with impressive Reiatsu, you can't spot the flaws in an illusion? Then again, expecting a boar to abandon its reckless charge is unreasonable. I overestimated you."
The Redhoste's breathing grew heavier, its mask amplifying a bellows-like rumble, provoked by this small boy spouting arrogant words.
Surprisingly, it didn't attack immediately. No Adjuchas, despite appearances, was truly as barbaric as it seemed. Judging unknown enemies was a survival skill.
Evolve or regress. A bitten mask meant regression, as did insufficient feeding. An Adjuchas' existence was brutally demanding.
Surviving this long, with potential to become a Vasto Lorde if not for Szayelaporro's capture, the Red and Bluedhostes weren't as dim as they appeared. Their instinct for danger was sharp enough to rival intelligence.
Staring at this finger-sized boy, they felt an abyss-like dread.
What was with this kid?
"Not attacking?" Sōsuke tilted his head, expression serene.
He flicked his silver Zanpakutō, carving a gleaming arc. "Then I'll come to you."
As he spoke, the Redhoste's massive hand clenched, the mere motion sparking a sonic boom. The Bluedhoste, despite its earlier spat, extended two azure arms from behind, all four arms tensing, then raining down on Sōsuke.
Boom, boom, boom!
Impossible to follow.
The fists were a blur.
Shinji, watching from afar, felt the same shock as in the illusion. The Reiatsu, towering over his own, fueled a physique exponentially stronger. The arms, from what seemed two bodies, covered an immense range.
Speed, scope, power.
The deafening punches stirred a torrent of earth, dust clouds swallowing Shinji's vision. The gusts whipped his hair and uniform, nearly forcing his eyes shut.
Sōsuke was strong.
Shinji, having sparred with him countless times, knew this. But Sōsuke's strength often felt subtle, not overt.
"He'll be fine, right?" Shinji couldn't help but wonder.
As if sensing his thoughts, a clear blade's hum cut through the storm of fists, pausing them for a moment.
Sōsuke's tiny form, dwarfed by the mountain-like Adjuchas, appeared silently behind the Redhoste.
Crash.
A crimson arm, like a pillar in Shinji's eyes, fell, blood streaming like a river.
Sōsuke glanced at Kyōka Suigetsu, twirling it lightly. "Such a resilient body. You've honed that Hierro well, haven't you?"
Only then did the Redhoste register the pain, its torn mask unleashing a deafening roar. "Damn insect!"
Its other arm swept through, the stump rapidly regrowing bone, muscle, and skin.
Sōsuke leaped, landing on the sweeping arm, dodging effortlessly, his gaze fixed on the regenerating wound. "High-speed regeneration. A fascinating biology, so unlike a Shinigami's Reishi structure. Intriguing. But your regeneration has limits, doesn't it?"
His words sounded curious, but his body sprang into action, slicing through another wrist mid-air. Landing on a tree trunk, he propelled himself forward, targeting the Ghosts' limbs.
Ankles, arms, knees, flesh.
His Shunpo was blinding, his strikes invisible, leaving only a web of white afterimages. Blood sprayed, severed limbs flew.
The Redhoste's initial roars turned to anguished wails. Its massive frame became a helpless target, shredded by the relentless blade.
Rather than testing regeneration, Sōsuke seemed to be avenging someone brutalized in the illusion, though he'd never admit it.
Shinji watched, awestruck.
This was Sōsuke's true power?
Boom!
A sudden shockwave rippled across the ground. The Redhoste, its body riddled with cuts, reared up, unleashing a staggering Reiatsu. Shinji felt a punch to his chest, gasping.
Its chest heaved, both mouths gaping wide, masks nearly splitting. Reiatsu surged into them, forming a faint black point aimed at Sōsuke.
"You insect…" The Redhoste growled, its scarlet eyes locked on the boy who'd toyed with it. Despite sensing defeat, the searing pain and Sōsuke's small stature made it impossible to accept losing to a Shinigami kid.
Its words seemed to convince itself otherwise.
"Just one strike!"
The moment the Redhoste steeled its resolve, the Cero in its and the Bluedhoste's mouths surged.
The black pinpoint, no larger than a pinky, swelled instantly to the size of their massive fists, half-obscuring their masks.
"Cero: Twin Devastation!"
In that instant, the air before Shinji seemed to freeze.
A deafening roar obliterated his thoughts.
The twin Ceros tore through the forest like parallel lines, black-red beams expanding and contracting, their blinding glare outshining the sun, casting a reddish hue on everyone's faces.
Scorching heat rolled over Shinji, his yellow hair whipped back into a taut line, the air stinging his face.
Nothing could withstand this earth-shattering blow.
Trees, soil, hills, air, all vanished in the vacuum left by the Ceros' path.
Their target was Sōsuke.
It's over.
Lacking Sōsuke's Zanpakutō explanation, Shinji's mind clung to this single thought.
Yet Sōsuke stood serene, his smile unshaken.
He raised his hand, as he had four years ago with Makoto in the wilds.
Golden lightning crackled, coalescing in his palm. Facing a captain-level monster's dual Cero, he didn't flinch or rely on Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions. He met it head-on.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Abandoning the incantation, he unleashed the high-level Kidō at full power.
From the right, a golden radiance, brighter than the sun, collided with the Ceros.
Without hesitation, the Reiatsu-fueled Raikōhō pierced the black-red torrent, shattering it like a waterfall against stone, scattering into chaotic sparks.
Shinji's despair hadn't fully formed before the scene reversed.
Boom!
The golden lightning struck true, hitting the mark.
The Redhoste's massive frame, centered on its Hollow hole, charred and expanded, the wound spreading outward. Its once-robust body was reduced to a scorched outline.
It stood motionless, mouth agape from firing the Cero, its final thoughts as the golden flood broke through unknown.
Sōsuke flicked his sleeve, brushing off nonexistent dust, and sighed. "Don't make bold claims so lightly. It only reveals your weakness, Hollow-san."
Sensing a gaze, he turned to see a laid-back man leaning against a tree trunk, arms crossed.
Not only that.
The forest, empty in Sōsuke's senses moments ago, was now filled with Shinigami reinforcements, swiftly encircling the area.
Their gazes, fixed on Sōsuke and the Hollow's corpse, brimmed with barely contained awe.
"Incredible."
"To take down such a target in one hit."
"Truly worthy of that man's disciple."
"Is that kid… Sōsuke?"
Amid the crowd's murmurs, Sōsuke frowned, looking toward Makoto, as if to ask his purpose.
Makoto's form flickered, appearing beside him.
"As expected-"
Before Sōsuke could finish, Makoto's large hand ruffled his head vigorously. "Worthy of my disciple! I can't wait to show you off!"
"Great job!"
"Tch." Sōsuke pouted childishly. "So, I passed your test, right?"
"Not necessarily." Makoto replied, still smiling, leaning close to Sōsuke's ear.
"I noticed, you know. When you first hypnotized Shinji and the others… you were planning to slip away, weren't you?"
Sōsuke's step faltered.
After a pause, he said boldly, "Yes. My life's worth more than those fools. Problem?"
He met Makoto's gaze unflinchingly.
Makoto didn't answer directly, instead asking, "So, did Shinji and the others pass your test?"
"…"
With a whoosh, Sōsuke vanished via Shunpo, dodging the pointless question.
Far back, Makoto watched him, smiling quietly.
The field training was halted, the forest sealed off, and the simulated Hollows were recalled by the instructors.
The woods fell eerily silent.
Sōsuke walked alone through the towering trees, mentally replaying the ambush and his defeat of the Hollow, pondering Makoto's intentions.
Then, Makoto's final question surfaced.
Did Shinji and the others pass your test?
"…"
A faint smile crept onto Sōsuke's face. He muttered to himself, "Barely passable."
"…Maybe?"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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