"Quincies can absorb spirit particles from the environment, manipulate them, and use them in combat. They also hunt Hollows—and the two are mortal enemies," Rukia explained to Ichigo Kurosaki, her tone serious.
Ichigo blinked in confusion. "Then why does Ishida Uryu hate Shinigami so much? I mean, aren't we all fighting the same enemy?"
Rukia's expression darkened. "Because the Shinigami nearly wiped the Quincy out. I thought they had long since faded into history."
Her words hit Ichigo like a punch to the gut. The word "annihilate" sounded cold and clinical, but he could imagine the reality was soaked in blood and screams.
"But... Quincies are human too, right? They hunt Hollows just like Shinigami. Shouldn't you guys be allies?"
"It's not that simple," Rukia said quietly. "The Quincy don't purify Hollows—they obliterate them. Their method throws the balance of the Three Realms into chaos. If too many souls vanish instead of passing on, the entire world becomes unstable. To preserve order, the Shinigami had no choice but to eliminate them."
Ichigo struggled with the weight of that answer. It wasn't easy to accept, but at least it gave him some clarity.
This world… it's nothing like what I knew.
Rukia snapped him out of his thoughts. "Ichigo, focus. The bait is attracting more Hollows. We need to clear them out—fast."
From nearby, Ishida Uryu loosed a flurry of spirit arrows, felling five Hollows in an instant. He gave Ichigo a cool glance—somewhere between smugness and challenge.
"Tch. I didn't want to compete, but I won't let you win this!" Ichigo growled, charging forward to slice through the next wave.
It was Ichigo's first time facing so many Hollows at once, but thanks to his relentless training, the initial onslaught didn't faze him. He cut down the weaker ones with smooth, efficient strikes, like he was chopping firewood.
Rukia watched from the sidelines with a faint smile. Her own spiritual power was still recovering slowly, but Ichigo's rapid progress gave her hope.
But the tide was shifting.
Ichigo soon noticed something was off. No matter how many he cut down, more Hollows appeared, and their numbers weren't decreasing.
Ishida, already growing tense, kept firing arrow after arrow. "We can't stop now. If these Hollows spread across the city, we're finished."
"Ishida!" Ichigo shouted over the chaos. "What the hell is this?! Did you seriously lure out this many just to one-up me?! What if we can't handle them?!"
"I used standard bait," Ishida shot back, eyes narrowing. "There's no way it should've summoned this many. Something's wrong."
His calm cracked the moment the sky split open.
A black void yawned wide in the clouds, and a massive figure began to descend—its head masked in bone-white, its body towering like a skyscraper.
A Gillian.
With a bone-chilling roar, the Gillian emerged fully from the Garganta, its overwhelming spiritual pressure slamming into the battlefield like a hammer. The air grew thick, suffocating.
"No... this isn't just any Hollow. It's a Gillian-class Menos!" Rukia's face went pale. "Ishida, what the hell did you use?! How did this happen?!"
"I don't know!" Ishida shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "I swear, it was just a regular Hollow bait!"
Still, without hesitation, he aimed his bow and loosed a glowing arrow straight at the monster's mask. It shattered harmlessly on impact, the spirit particles dissolving into the atmosphere.
"No effect?" he whispered. "Not even a scratch?!"
"Damn it!" Ishida snarled, rapidly firing more arrows, but they all bounced off the Gillian skin like pebbles thrown at a tank. "How can I not break through?!"
In frustration, he shouted, "How can you repair it?! How can you repair it?! How can you—!?"
The barrage continued, uselessly.
"Run, Ichigo!" Rukia yelled. "You're no match for this thing!"
"If I run, who's going to protect the people in the city?!" Ichigo retorted, panting. He could see Ishida was overwhelmed, barely holding it together.
"I'm going in!" he roared and dashed at the Gillian, slashing at its massive toes—the only part within reach.
But his blade barely nicked the surface before the Gillian kicked him aside like a ragdoll. He crashed into a wall, groaning.
"What the hell?! Is its skin made of steel?!"
"No, you idiot!" Rukia shouted. "It's the spiritual pressure! Gillian-class Hollows have immense spiritual density. You can't pierce them unless your own pressure matches theirs. That's why only Vice-Captain-level Shinigami or stronger can fight them!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?! Let them invade the city?!"
Ichigo was gasping now, every breath a struggle. Ishida was running low on spirit particles. Even with Rukia's limited strength, they couldn't hold back the horde forever.
And the Hollows just kept coming.
—
Elsewhere, just outside the city, Inoue Orihime and Arisawa Tatsuki strolled through the shopping district, trying to lift their spirits after a rough week.
"Finally, some peace and quiet," Tatsuki said with a sigh.
"Mm," Orihime nodded, eyes scanning the distance. But something caught her attention—shadows, flickering unnaturally across the skyline.
She slowed down. "Tatsuki… do you see that?"
The shadows grew clearer. Massive figures, moving with silent menace.
-----------------
The streets erupted in chaos. Though most civilians couldn't see what was happening, the surge of fear and confusion was contagious. An invisible shockwave rippled down the avenue, shattering every window along the block.
"R-Ryuki... are we under attack again?" Orihime clutched her friend's sleeve, her voice trembling. The memory of their previous encounter was still fresh in her mind.
"Don't worry, Orihime. There's no way we'd be that unlucky twice," Ryuki replied with a weak smile, though a chill was crawling down her spine. Her instincts screamed otherwise.
Suddenly, both girls felt an overwhelming pressure clamp down on them—something invisible seized them in the air, as if giant hands had wrapped around their bodies. Breathing became difficult.
"Help… someone…" Ryuki gasped, her voice cracking with fear.
Then, a clear and commanding voice rang out.
"Hadō #1: Shō!"
A blast of spiritual energy pierced through the Hollow's mask. The invisible grip vanished instantly as the monster dissolved into nothingness. When the girls opened their eyes, they saw the familiar figure standing before them.
Su Xiuyu.
He sighed, mildly exasperated. "You two again? You've got some terrible luck."
Had he been ten seconds later, they would've died.
"We're saved!" Ryuki sobbed, her legs giving out beneath her. Orihime clutched her chest, gasping for breath. Relief flooded both of them—though the atmosphere turned awkward when they realized who had rescued them. Again.
"Thank you—really, thank you!" both girls blurted out at once, their voices overlapping.
"Stay close. Don't wander off. I'll get you out of here when it's safe," Su Xiuyu instructed calmly. He scanned the area. More Hollows were emerging—far too many. It was no longer just a coincidence.
"Mr. Su, what exactly was that thing?" Orihime asked, her voice still shaking but determined to understand.
"It's called a Hollow," Su Xiuyu replied. "Invisible to regular humans, but very real. That's why you didn't see your attacker either time."
"But... now we can kind of see shadows, right?" Ryuki added.
"You're starting to perceive them. Given time, you'll see clearly."
As they walked, Su Xiuyu eliminated nearby Hollows with swift, precise attacks, all while continuing his explanation.
"There's a world you've never seen—one of spirits, Shinigami, and Hollows. Most people go their whole lives never realizing it exists."
"So... are you one of those Shinigami?" Ryuki asked, her fear gradually replaced with curiosity.
Orihime leaned forward eagerly. "You are, aren't you?"
The battle might've paused, but the gossip gene in teenage girls never slept.
Su Xiuyu gave a faint smile. "I suppose so. Though I'm not from Soul Society—I became a Shinigami later, in my own way."
"Wait, so... Death Gods aren't actual gods?"
"No," he chuckled. "It's more like a job. You're students, right? Same idea. But the qualifications are strict. Without spiritual power, you can't become one."
The two girls exchanged a look of astonishment.
"Don't be too shocked. Your classmate Kurosaki Ichigo is also a Shinigami. Ever notice how he's been acting strange lately? Skipping class, spacing out?"
The realization hit them like a brick. "So that's why he's been so weird!"
"Can we become Shinigami too?" Orihime asked eagerly.
"Possibly. You, Orihime, have potential. Ryuki... your spiritual power's a little weak for now. But that could change."
Suddenly, Su Xiuyu's gaze sharpened. "I sense Kurosaki's spiritual pressure. It's flaring—he's fighting. Want to go take a look?"
Orihime hesitated. "We won't be a burden?"
"Not at all. They're just small fry. I'll handle it."
As they moved closer to the city center, the air grew heavier. An ominous pressure weighed on them—thick and cold. Even if they couldn't fully see the enemy, Gillian spiritual energy was unmistakable.
"Someone's coming!" Rukia shouted from the rooftop. She, Ichigo, and Uryu looked toward the approaching figure.
"Mr. Su? Orihime? Ryuki?! What are you doing here?! Get out—it's dangerous!" Ichigo's voice cracked with alarm.
"Hey, Ichigo, remember—you're in spirit form. They can't hear you," Rukia reminded dryly.
Su Xiuyu stepped forward. "Ichigo Kurosaki, stand aside. This one's too much for you."
"You're going to fight it, Mr. Su?" Orihime asked, eyes wide.
"Just watch."
Ichigo stepped aside. "Good luck!"
Su Xiuyu raised his hand and took a breath.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
A roaring wave of blue flame surged from his palm, engulfing the entire battlefield. His spiritual pressure intensified, channeling immense power into the Kidō.
The wave swept across the street like a tide, consuming every Hollow in its path. Even Gillian let out a distorted howl before being swallowed whole. When the flames subsided, the area was silent.
Even the black cavity in the sky—the Garganta—closed abruptly, as if whoever was on the other side had changed their mind.
The threat was gone. Just like that.
Rukia stared in awe. "That was... No. 33 Kidō. But it was stronger than most chanted spells. How?"
She, a recent graduate of the Academy, could barely cast mid-level spells without incantations. And yet, this man's non-chanted Kidō rivaled the power of the forbidden nineties.
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