"Garganta..." Ren muttered as he stared at the tear in the sky. Garganta was a mode of transportation used by Hollows, and its appearance never brought good news.
In the next moment, a five-meter-tall Hollow emerged from the Garganta. It had the form of a black and red serpent.
"Is that... Inoue's brother?" Ren murmured, his narrowed eyes fixated on the slithering figure writhing in the sky like a black mist taking physical form. A massive head covered by a cracked bone mask, and glowing red eyes that held no awareness—only endless hatred.
Although it was impossible to recognize the Hollow's former form, thanks to memories from his past life, Ren could identify the other party with ease.
"Good thing I didn't stay home," Ren muttered, placing his hand on his sword hilt, intending to resolve the matter quickly before Inoue could see her brother in this state.
Rattle!
The air around Ren suddenly trembled, and his body froze momentarily as an overwhelming spiritual pressure burst forth from behind Sora. It appeared there was another presence in the Garganta.
No longer hiding, the second Hollow stepped out the moment his reiatsu was revealed, exposing his full form to Ren.
The Hollow resembled a giant humanoid rat. His mask was long and narrow, shaped like a jackal's or anteater's snout, ending in a rectangular opening. Two narrow eye slits glowed with yellowish light. Behind his head, two antenna-like protrusions extended from the mask, one behind the other. The mask's rear resembled the back of a samurai helmet. His skin was pale brown, with dark hands reinforced by white armor at the wrists. The Hollow hole was located near his sternum. His shins were armored, he had two toes on each foot, and a long segmented, skin-toned tail extended behind him.
"Looks like this won't be easy..." Ren said with a tense smile, though his eyes remained sharp as blades, watching the two creatures before him. The reiatsu pressure from the rat-like Hollow was like heavy smoke, seeping into every corner, making it feel like you were breathing fear itself.
If he had any chance of winning, he needed to deal with Sora—who had become a Hollow—first, and then focus on the rat-Hollow. Otherwise, things could get dangerous, especially since he didn't even know his Shikai's power yet, having never used it before.
"Sakeru!... Yorugami no Mikazuki."
Without hesitation, Ren released his Shikai. He had no time for games. Information about his Shikai's abilities flooded his mind.
The moment he activated his Shikai, Ren's sword transformed. Previously a black wooden-hilted, curved blade, it now retained its Shirasaya form, but red markings formed on the once plain hilt, giving it a majestic and awe-inspiring look. The black blade turned a vibrant, blood-red color, glowing like a crimson moon in the sky.
It could be described as redder than sunset and more vivid than blood.
The blade pulsed, as if alive and responding to its master's call. The air around it gradually cooled despite the summer noon's heat. The nearby trees' shadows faded and began to inch toward Ren, as if bowing before him.
"So... this is your power, Yorugami no Mikazuki." Ren whispered, his voice calm, but his eyes glowing with cold confidence.
Swish!
Ren didn't move, but he swung his sword gently through the air. Suddenly, the blade's tip vanished—as if swallowed by the environment.
"Gyaaaah!!!"
A horrifying scream erupted from Hollow Sora as Ren's blade emerged from nowhere and sliced him in half.
With Sora's Hollow body disintegrating into Reishi, the sword's tip vanished once more, and the Hollow was no more.
"This Shikai is terrifying," Ren smiled with renewed confidence. Yorugami no Mikazuki possessed a simple yet overwhelming ability—it could cut through space.
"And yet…" Ren muttered, eyes fixed on the second Hollow, who hadn't flinched despite his comrade's death. Instead, he smirked coldly, as if unaffected by the loss.
Then, the Hollow vanished!
Whoosh!
He moved at blinding speed, leaving behind a dark trail of thick reiatsu, and appeared directly behind Ren, his black, armored claws slashing toward Ren's neck.
But—
CLANG!
Before the claw could reach Ren's throat, a dark red space fracture—filled with Ren's reiatsu—suddenly appeared.
Boom!
The moment the Hollow's claw touched the spatial rift, it snapped shut, erupting into a storm of wind blades that struck the Hollow.
"The moment I learned about my Zanpakuto's abilities, a specific image came to mind," Ren said quietly, eyes locked on the Hollow, who had been pushed back by the wind blast. "The person was Ayatsuji Ayase. Her abilities are similar, and my Mark of the Wind is just a copied version."
"Quit your nonsense, bastard!!" the Hollow snarled, revealing he could speak. As his mouth opened, a crimson glow gathered—it was clear he was preparing to fire a Cero.
"Charging up in front of a sword like mine… not the smartest move," Ren mocked, and without delay, stabbed the air in front of him. As before, the blade's tip vanished and reappeared in front of the rat-Hollow, aiming to end him.
Seeing this, the Hollow's pupils contracted. Without hesitation, he stopped charging the Cero and leapt back to avoid the incoming strike.
"Tsk!..." Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance as the Hollow's eyes narrowed warily.
"I thought you were another fool... but looks like your animal instincts still work in that deformed body," Ren muttered, spinning his crimson blade casually, sending out sparks of red reiatsu.
The Hollow didn't respond.
Instead, he suddenly dropped to all fours and let out a strange roar—a mix of a hiss and a guttural growl, as if echoing from a tomb.
BOOM!
He launched himself like a missile, his long tail swinging like a spear covered in hard, bony armor. Striking the ground, he propelled himself toward Ren with immense force.
Clash!
Ren blocked the attack, but the impact forced him back several steps. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and the air rippled violently.
"He's heavy...!" Ren growled, pressing his sword against the limb that struck him, before roaring and releasing a small burst of reiatsu that sent the Hollow flying backward.
In the next instant, the Hollow appeared above him!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
His claws rained down like a storm, each one filled with murderous intent. Ren danced between the strikes like a shadow, his blade moving so fast it blended into the void.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the space fractures created by Ren during his evasive movements began to detonate, sending a barrage of wind blades toward the Hollow.
The Hollow's eyes widened as he noticed dozens of blood-red rifts in space left by Ren were opening like ravenous mouths.
VRAAAAAA!!!
The crimson wind blades howled from every direction, tearing through air, silence, and even light itself, racing toward the Hollow's body.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Each blade pierced a part of him. One tore off his right arm. Another severed half his tail. A third exploded in his chest, revealing a deep cavity where calcified ribs surrounded his Hollow hole. His muffled roar echoed skyward, not with rage—but agony.
Staggering backward, gray blood dripping like rain, the Hollow didn't fall.
Instead… he laughed.
"Ke... keh keh keh keh..."
A distorted, broken laugh from a mouth drenched in blood.
"Have you lost your mind?" Ren muttered nonchalantly, sliding his sword back into its sheath in one fluid motion, seemingly easing the Hollow.
But—
In the next moment, the vibrant red blade appeared before the Hollow's eyes and shattered his mask with an unexpected strike.
CRACK!!!
The Hollow's bone mask split instantly, the shattering sound like a boulder crushed by lightning. Its fragments scattered through the air, and with them, the overwhelming pressure in the area vanished. The Hollow's body collapsed with force and dissolved into a stream of Reishi.
_
Sorry for the absence the past two days, but I didn't feel like writing or uploading.
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