"AAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Caught completely off guard, the Jibakurei let out a shrill, agonized scream under Kanonji's attack.
"Hey! Relax. It only hurts a little at first," Kanonji said as he continued pressing forward. "I'll send you on to your next life in just a moment, baby!"
"Whoa!" the host shouted excitedly. "He's suddenly unleashed his ultimate finishing move, Super SPIRITS STICK! Using this technique at a moment like this has never happened before! Could it be that this mission has encountered an unprecedented level of danger?!"
The crowd's cheers surged higher and higher, overlapping with the Jibakurei's screams.
"Um…" Orihime Inoue pointed at the Jibakurei. "Does this count as stimulating the Hollow Hole?"
"That's way too much stimulation," Muten Natsu said, instinctively slapping a hand against his chest as he tried to break free from the Gigai. "Ugh…"
He'd forgotten that the wound on his chest had already healed. He couldn't use the old trick of stimulating the injury to escape the Gigai anymore.
Ririn had stayed home reading and hadn't come along, so Rukia Kuchiki couldn't rely on Ririn to transform into a Shinigami either.
Luckily, Muten Natsu had previously bought a pair of Gokon Tekkō from Urahara's shop. Rukia Kuchiki quickly took them out, put them on, grabbed Muten Natsu by the head, and yanked him straight out of the Gigai.
Even so, that brief delay was enough for others to move first.
A bespectacled boy was the first to charge out of the crowd, but Ichigo Kurosaki was faster. He vaulted over the security line and rushed straight in.
"Stop!" Ichigo Kurosaki shouted. "Didn't you hear—ugh!"
Before he could finish, a group of guards tackled him to the ground.
Seeing Ichigo Kurosaki get overwhelmed, Yasutora Sado charged forward without hesitation.
His towering build made the guards hesitate, but they still struggled to restrain him.
Mizuiro Kojima, who had been chatting with a pretty older woman, noticed the commotion and ran over as well.
Keigo Asano let out a miserable wail and followed, his face full of despair.
The scene instantly devolved into chaos, while the host continued his enthusiastic commentary.
"What's happening here…? No, wait! Breaking news! A sudden disturbance has erupted on-site! It appears a passionate male audience member attempted to rush into the venue but was stopped by security! Oh! Another overzealous fan has broken through! Security charges in! Security goes down! Security gets back up! Another boy joins in, and another! Wow! At the critical moment when Kanonji is channeling his spiritual power to eliminate the evil spirit, these fervent fans can no longer suppress their emotions and charge in without hesitation!"
Thanks to the chaos they caused, Muten Natsu slipped into the venue without obstruction and grabbed Kanonji's hand.
"Stop."
"You…" Kanonji froze. "What are you doing, young man? Why are you stopping me? Wait!"
He leaned in closer, as if noticing something unusual.
"You're a spirit?! Could it be that you're someone who still supports me even after death? How moving! But now isn't the time for idol worship—"
"Be quiet," Muten Natsu cut him off, focusing on the Jibakurei's condition. "Good. It's not completely damaged."
The Jibakurei was still wailing, but the hole in its chest remained mostly intact. It was still some distance away from full Hollowfication.
There was still time.
"That's right. Luckily, I didn't use my full power, or you would've missed this chance to observe my exorcism up close," Kanonji said, raising the rod in his hand. "Watch carefully. Once this hole is destroyed, he'll be completely liberated."
Muten Natsu stopped the eager Kanonji.
"What are you even talking about?"
"I haven't even used my strongest pow—"
"No." Muten Natsu pointed at the Jibakurei, which had calmed slightly. "You call this an exorcism?"
"It's also called deliverance. Freeing the soul, letting it attain Buddhahood, ascend to heaven, reach paradise as soon as possible—"
"All you're doing is enlarging the hole in his chest," Muten Natsu said. "Once that hole reaches a certain size, he'll become a Hollow."
He extended his left hand, and the hilt of Myōki emerged slightly from his palm.
"If you actually want to grant him peace, you need to perform Konsō. Like this."
"What are you trying to do?!" The Jibakurei, which had just barely steadied itself, immediately tensed up again when Muten Natsu approached. "Are you here to steal the hospital from me too?!"
"Relax," Muten Natsu said calmly, noticing the hole in its chest beginning to expand again.
"Turn around and take a look. Who would want this wreck of a hospital anyway?"
The Jibakurei turned its head to look.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
A faint blue flame ignited along the Chain of Fate, links snapping one after another.
Like porcelain, cracks spread densely across the Jibakurei's body, and then…
Boom!
In a single explosion, it vanished without a trace.
Muten Natsu slowly turned to look at Kanonji.
"This is all your fault."
"YEAHHHHHHH!" Kanonji's reaction was completely different from what Muten Natsu had expected. He raised his voice triumphantly. "Mission complete!"
"Ohhh!" The host eagerly fueled the excitement. "In the midst of the chaos, a mysterious explosion suddenly occurred on-site, yet Mr. Kanonji emerged completely unharmed! He stands tall and declares the mission complete. This means the spirit purification has been successfully carried out!"
"Kanonji!"
"Kanonji!"
"Kanonji!"
The crowd chanted his name over and over.
"Alright, alright, thank you, everyone," Kanonji said with an airy wave of his hand. "I've received your encouragement. Thank you all. This is simply what I should do."
"Hold it right there," Muten Natsu said, grabbing Kanonji. "This isn't over at all."
"What are you talking about? The evil spirit already disappeared."
Only now did Muten Natsu fully understand why Kanonji exorcised spirits the way he did.
"When a soul is in the process of becoming a Hollow, it first explodes and vanishes, then reassembles somewhere else. For wandering spirits, the location is unpredictable. But for a Jibakurei…"
He pointed toward the rooftop of the abandoned hospital.
"It'll reassemble at the place it's attached to."
Under the moonlight, scattered Reishi particles slowly gathered, forming a monster with a human head atop the hospital roof.
Its limbs were emerald green, covered in insect-like exoskeletons. Its torso was a dull purplish-brown, with a Hollow Hole piercing straight through its chest from front to back.
The creature threw back its head and roared. Pale matter poured from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, spreading across its face and solidifying into a skull-like mask.
"Th-that…" Kanonji followed Muten Natsu's pointing finger and saw the horrifying monster. "What is that?"
Muten Natsu answered flatly.
"That's the result of your reckless actions."
"Ohhh! I can feel it!" Kanonji's expression turned alert. "This thing is giving off an extremely dangerous aura! Then it must be… the evil spirit leader that appeared to avenge the spirit from earlier!"
Muten Natsu: "..."
Fine.