(T/N: Second chapter for today!)
Nanatsuki's Reiatsu surged into Yoruichi's body, making her shudder violently before she finally regained her senses.
"I was on guard this time and still got controlled!" Yoruichi patted her chest, visibly shaken. Thank goodness she hadn't tried to explore the glowing thorn grove any further back then.
Back then, she'd relied on an Armament awaken herself, but after snapping her out of the trance, that safeguard had burned out and became useless.
Had she stubbornly pressed deeper, she would've fallen under the influence again.
"These thorns interfere with the mind," Nanatsuki speculated. "Something's buried beneath here, I can sense the Reiatsu of a Hollow."
He turned sharply.
A Gillian lumbered slowly toward them.
Like Yoruichi earlier, the Gillian was drawn to the glowing thorn grove and had fallen under its sway.
It ignored the two Shinigami completely, trudging forward without pause.
Moments later, the creature's body scraped against the spikes. Its skin tore open, but it didn't react — it kept pressing into the grove until its body was pierced through, even its mask shattered.
The Gillian collapsed into the thorn grove, its massive frame shredded apart by the dense, razor-like thorns.
There was no scream, no resistance — it simply died in eerie silence.
Its blood briefly stained part of the thicket crimson… then vanished without a trace.
"The Gillian's gone!" Yoruichi gasped.
"It's been eaten," Nanatsuki deduced grimly. "I'm starting to think this isn't just a grove — it's part of a Hollow. It lures prey in, forces them onto the spikes, and feeds on them."
Nanatsuki hesitated briefly, then made a decision — they needed to draw this thing out.
After unlocking his Shadow Space, he now had the ability to pull others inside with him.
Even if they couldn't win, he was confident he could use this power to escape safely with Yoruichi.
He gestured subtly, and Yoruichi immediately caught on, following him as they retreated a hundred meters back.
Nanatsuki raised his hand and began chanting:
"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
In an instant, a colossal blue beam of energy tore through the Forest of Menos Grande.
The blast struck the glowing thorn grove, detonating with a deafening roar.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave erupted outward, scattering debris and stone in every direction. Yoruichi ducked behind a rocky tree for cover.
"Sensei's Kidō has gotten even stronger!" she whispered in awe. She'd seen him use this spell before — the image of that sky-splitting blue beam in Karakura Town was forever etched in her memory.
The ground quaked violently, forcing Yoruichi to abandon the surface entirely. She crafted footholds of Reishi mid-air, stepping back to gain distance.
From deep within the dust, a guttural, raspy roar rumbled.
"Sensei was right, there's definitely a Hollow down there!" Yoruichi's gaze locked on the blast zone.
Within the swirling haze, a luminous mass slowly rose into the air.
The earth beneath them shook violently, like waves surging across a stormy sea.
The ground was… rolling.
All around them, howls echoed through the Forest of Menos, panicked, almost fearful.
"Whatever's down there… it's bad," Nanatsuki muttered, keeping his focus forward, ready to retreat the instant things went wrong.
The luminous mass finally emerged from the dust.
It wasn't just light — it was the entire thorn grove, rising upward.
And something was lifting it.
A colossal skeletal frame supported the glowing thorns.
Thud — the creature's immense size caused its thorn-covered back to press into the very ceiling of the Forest of Menos, scraping against the upper sand layer.
Loose gravel rained down like hail.
Nanatsuki finally saw it clearly.
The creature resembled a gigantic, long-necked dragon… but entirely composed of bone.
The radiant thorn grove was growing directly from the top of its skull — a cluster of luminous bone spines.
An Ancient Menos.
Nanatsuki's mind raced. According to ancient scrolls preserved in the Katori-ryu Dojo, Hollows of antiquity were different from today's evolutionary line.
Back then, size did not imply weakness — many titanic Menos from ancient eras wielded power rivaling, or even surpassing, today's humanoid Vasto Lorde.
And this one… though ancient, it was wounded.
Nanatsuki's senses sharpened, he could feel its Reiatsu clearly now, greater than any Adjuchas he'd encountered, but the damage was obvious.
Its skeletal body was cracked and broken, the luminous spines sparse. Only the crown of its skull remained mostly intact, the bone thorns there pristine.
It had been badly injured long ago and had retreated underground, surviving by luring prey with its thorns, feeding on the blood and Reishi of devoured Hollows to heal.
Nanatsuki drew his Zanpakutō, flipping the blade:
"Bankai — Shosō Eijin."
The weapon melted into black ink-like shadows, seeping into the ground.
In an instant, darkness spread at blinding speed, wrapping around the Ancient Menos and dragging it into his Shadow Space.
"This is Sensei's Bankai… it's huge!" Yoruichi whispered, awe filling her voice. She'd never witnessed his Bankai firsthand, though she'd heard Kana and the others describe his feats during the graduation exam.
But inside the Shadow Space, the Ancient Menos stirred.
Its Reiatsu surged as a Black sphere of condensed energy formed slowly in its mouth.
Cero Oscuras.
Nanatsuki's eyes narrowed, this thing's strength had already surpassed Adjuchas. Any Hollow capable of using Cero Oscuras stood just below true Vasto Lorde level.
Few Menos Grande could manage this, and its destructive power was said to bend space itself.
Nanatsuki's upper garments shredded apart under the pressure as arcs of thunder and violent Reiatsu burst from his body.
He instantly activated his Shunkō: Raikiri form.
In a flash, he appeared behind Yoruichi, scooping her under one arm.
The Black flash detonated.
BOOOOM!!!
A torrent of cataclysmic Reiatsu consumed the entire Shadow Space, shaking it violently at its foundations.