A series of crashing, splintering sounds rang out as a massive hand burst through the wall, reaching straight for Orihime Inoue.
Rukia Kuchiki scooped Orihime Inoue into her arms and dodged, drawing the long sword at her waist and slashing in one smooth motion.
The blade carved a deep wound into the gray-black arm, thicker than a human torso, blood spilling freely.
A mournful howl echoed from outside as the terrifying hand withdrew, leaving only a jagged hole in the ruined wall.
Cradled in the petite frame of Rukia Kuchiki, Orihime Inoue stared at the wreckage of her home. Her gaze fixed on the hole in the wall as she murmured, "What is this—"
Her voice cut off abruptly.
A huge, bone-white, rigid face suddenly filled the opening. Its dull yellow eyes brimmed with undisguised hunger.
"That's a Hollow. It attacks anyone it sees, living or dead, and devours their souls." Rukia Kuchiki's brow furrowed tightly. "Someone like you, whose Reiryoku has just awakened and whose spiritual density far exceeds that of ordinary people, is exactly the kind of prey Hollows love most."
Having locked onto its target inside the house, the Hollow let out a furious roar. Using its enormous body and exaggerated reach, it slammed a fist into the opposite wall.
If the load-bearing wall collapsed, Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue would be buried beneath the rubble.
Realizing this instantly, Rukia Kuchiki made a split-second decision, clutching Orihime Inoue as she rushed toward the exit.
The moment they left the house, the Hollow's massive hand came crashing down toward them.
This had been its true aim all along, forcing them outside and ambushing them the instant they fled.
Rukia Kuchiki was retreating in haste, while the Hollow had been waiting for precisely this moment.
At the critical juncture, Rukia Kuchiki could only raise her sword to block.
The overwhelming force sent both of them flying, nearly smashing them into the ground.
Fortunately, Rukia Kuchiki shielded Orihime Inoue, adjusting her posture midair. Upon landing, she rolled three times while holding Orihime Inoue, bleeding off the impact and minimizing the damage.
Ignoring the pain tearing through her body, Rukia Kuchiki pushed herself upright and released Orihime Inoue.
"Run!"
Under the moonlight, the Hollow's full form was finally revealed.
The humanoid monster stood over three meters tall, its body covered in grotesque patterns. A translucent hole pierced straight through its chest, front and back.
After just a single exchange, the Hollow's cunning and sheer power had already left Rukia Kuchiki badly injured.
As the Hollow prepared to attack again, Rukia Kuchiki tightened her grip on the hilt and forced herself to steady her stance. She focused with everything she had, not daring to relax for even an instant.
The Hollow swung its massive hand down toward her.
Rukia Kuchiki dodged to the side.
If she were alone, facing an unfamiliar enemy, especially one this powerful and devious, she would normally probe its abilities first and fight with caution.
But to buy time for Orihime Inoue to escape, Rukia Kuchiki pressed forward immediately after dodging, closing the distance during the brief opening in the Hollow's attack.
The Hollow's hand smashed into empty air. Then its gaping mouth opened wide, blasting out a roaring column of water.
Rukia Kuchiki shifted her footwork, adjusting her path to avoid it.
In the instant she glanced aside, her steps halted abruptly.
Orihime Inoue hadn't made it far. If she dodged completely, the water column would strike Orihime Inoue head-on.
The thought flashed through her mind, and Rukia Kuchiki swung her sword without hesitation.
As long as she could deflect the water even slightly, Orihime Inoue would be safe.
The blade struck the torrent, forcibly splitting the rushing flow.
In the next instant, the Hollow's long tongue trembled. A blinding flash of electricity erupted from it, crackling violently as the current traveled through the water and into the sword, instantly paralyzing Rukia Kuchiki's body.
This is bad!
Rukia Kuchiki pitched forward. Before her body could hit the ground, the monster's arm swept in again, smashing her away.
Her slender body slammed heavily into the surrounding wall. Struggling to lift her head, Rukia Kuchiki saw the monster's hideous face reflected in her deep purple eyes as it loomed closer and closer.
The monster's gaping mouth snapped shut, its exposed teeth clacking together with a sharp, chilling sound.
The face beneath the pale mask turned toward Rukia Kuchiki, its dull yellow eyes fixing on Orihime Inoue, who was holding her.
At the very last moment, Orihime Inoue, who had turned back, grabbed Rukia Kuchiki's hand and yanked her away, pulling her out of the monster's attack.
Rukia Kuchiki's voice was faint.
"Let go of me…"
"You just saved me." Thanks to her regular training with Tatsuki, and because Rukia Kuchiki was small enough, Orihime Inoue managed to scoop her up and run. "How could I possibly leave you behind?"
"But…" Rukia Kuchiki looked past Orihime Inoue, toward what lay behind them.
If this continued, both of them would die.
The Hollow lunged straight at them, its massive body blotting out the moonlight. A deep, oppressive shadow fell, swallowing the two of them whole.
In that moment of utter despair, Rukia Kuchiki suddenly remembered a night from many years ago. She and he had once walked home side by side, talking about parting beneath the cold, quiet moon.
After years of being a Shinigami, Rukia Kuchiki had always believed she had grown a great deal.
Yet even now, facing despair, she still couldn't stop herself from thinking of him.
As if his hand were still resting on her shoulder.
As if his voice were still echoing beside her ear.
"Let me borrow it."
Yes. He always said it just like that.
Rukia Kuchiki's scattered thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
She turned her head.
He was right there beside her.
Muten Natsu's left hand rested on Rukia Kuchiki's shoulder. The power of the Shinigami peeled away from her body and surged into his.
As he raised his hand, black garments wrapped around his form. A long sword, still sheathed, gradually took shape and settled into his grasp.
Facing the onrushing Hollow, Muten Natsu's hand slowly came to rest on the hilt. His toes traced an arc across the ground, turning his body slightly sideways.
Fine dust rose into the air, rolling outward like ripples to form a hazy circle.
At the center of that circle, Muten Natsu lowered his body. With each breath, it was as though the moonlight itself were drawn toward him. Diffuse points of light converged around the scabbard clenched in his left hand.
The scabbard swallowed the light like a black hole. The air around Muten Natsu grew heavier and heavier, until even the drifting dust froze in place.
The Hollow charged closer, swinging its fist. A column of water gathered in its mouth, faint arcs of electricity flickering within.
When Orihime Inoue turned at the sound, the Hollow's fist had already touched the boundary traced by the dust.
Like a balloon being punctured, the frozen air shattered in an instant.
A blinding flash burst from the mouth of the scabbard, followed by a shrill, piercing scream, the cry of air that had no time to flee before being cleaved apart by the blade.
Amid the almost agonized shriek, the flash stretched into thin lines of light and sank into the Hollow's massive body.
The Hollow continued to advance toward Muten Natsu, but at the instant it was about to reach him, its body split cleanly in two.
The two halves collapsed to either side of him, powerless. Smooth cross-sections sprayed vivid crimson blood, crossing in midair to form a grotesque rain.
If Rukia Kuchiki had harbored even the slightest doubt before, it was gone now.
The person standing before her was unquestionably the one from her memories.
The one she had relied on to survive.
The one she had studied alongside.
The one she had fought beside.
The one she had personally captured.
The paperwork dragon of the Fourth Division, the sole unseated officer of the Eleventh Division, the Flash God who wielded the strongest sword-drawing technique, a criminal who escaped prison and defied capture for a sentence spanning ten thousand years, an utterly vile outlaw who slaughtered nobles and massacred the Central 46—
Muten Natsu.