Chapter 68: Kisame's Class
Splurt.
Kisame swung his greatsword, clashing with a Hollow that had suddenly burst out of the sand.
No fancy techniques—just pure brute-force swings.
The blade struck the Hollow's body, splattering blood everywhere. Even with limbs severed, the creature writhed madly, trying to devour the human before it.
In the desolate Hollow Realm,
the sudden appearance of Kisame Hoshigaki was like the scent of fresh cake in a starving crowd.
Luckily, this was the edge of the Hollow Realm, where most of the creatures were the lowest-grade Hollows—dull, instinct-driven beings that hadn't consumed enough of their kind to become Gillians.
The weakest of the weak—not even cannon fodder.
"I've never seen anything like this in the ninja world. What strange creatures..."
Kisame was panting heavily.
After slaying five Hollows that tried to ambush him, he had leveled up to Level 3.
He quickly figured out the meaning of free attribute points and, without hesitation, invested all of them into Constitution.
He excelled at using his massive chakra pool to unleash large-scale Water Release techniques, and that wouldn't change even in this new world.
After leveling up, hunting the Hollows became easier.
Boom!
Kisame arrived at the outskirts of the Corroded Forest, where a bizarre Hollow appeared—its entire body covered in branch-like tendrils, with a gelatinous green skin.
Such special-type Hollows were extremely rare.
Though technically still low-grade and not even Gillian-class, it was noticeably more powerful than the others.
"Even the world of Soul Reapers has been invaded by the Corruption?"
Fang Yi, observing the trial from afar, was surprised to recognize the familiar setting.
Soul Society, Soul Reapers, the Hollow Realm, Arrancars, the Spirit King's Palace—
In both energy scale and world integrity, the Bleach universe was firmly Tier 2, far stronger than Naruto or One Piece.
And yet even such a world couldn't resist the Corruption.
Afu grumbled angrily, "That's how the Corruption works—slipping in through every crack. Not only does it launch full-on invasions, but it also seeps in slowly, spreading corruption like a creeping plague into worlds it's not ready to conquer head-on."
"That special-type Hollow—it's already been infected by Corruption. Given enough time, it'll become a Corruption Source."
"Should we purge it?"
Fang Yi shook his head. "Not for now. If Kisame can't handle it, we'll intervene."
It was only a Hollow touched by Corruption—its strength was comparable to a ghost soldier. Not much reward to be gained from killing it.
Still,
Corruption was like a zombie virus. If left unchecked in the early stages, it would grow silently, slowly... until it mutated into a full-fledged Corruption Source.
The entire Corroded Forest could then become this Hollow's nest—a pollution zone.
That was the true terror of corrupted worlds.
"Damn it... it's strong!"
On first contact,
Kisame was sent flying.
The Fallen Hollow's body was huge—at least four meters tall. Its bristling tendrils, lined with barbed thorns, were like razor-sharp blades.
[Recommended: Health Potion (White)]
Black text floated past Kisame's field of vision.
Clutching his thigh—torn open by the Hollow's thorns and bleeding profusely—Kisame knew the cost of reviving versus the cost of healing.
He gritted his teeth, bought a potion, and got to work.
Half the potion he poured directly onto the wound, and the other half he drank. His health bar visibly began to recover.
"Even if you're a ghost or demon, I'm still going to kill you!"
Kisame's bloodlust ignited.
He had a naturally aggressive temperament. Once he saw blood, he became like a shark catching the scent of prey—grinning with sharp teeth and crazed eyes.
Crack! Crack!
The Fallen Hollow writhed, its countless tendrils spreading out like a meat grinder, surging toward Kisame.
Using his physical strength, Kisame circled around, dodging and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Finally,
when all the tendrils converged and smashed into the sand—
"Now!"
Kisame roared, leaping high into the air. His beginner greatsword came crashing down onto the Hollow's mask.
From the weaker ones he had fought earlier, he'd learned their weak point was their masks.
As any competent ninja would, he had made mental notes during battle.
Crack.
The bone-white mask fractured, shards flying off.
But it didn't break completely.
The Fallen Hollow emitted a piercing, guttural moan and thrashed its tendrils, one sweeping directly at Kisame's head.
A flash of white light—
Kisame's body reappeared, fully intact.
He gasped for air, staring at his unharmed hands, shaken. "So this is... what death feels like?"
He had killed so many comrades before.
Now, he had finally tasted the feeling for himself.
Kisame raised his head, eyes narrowing as he looked at the Fallen Hollow not far off.
That brief brush with death dredged up memories he didn't want to face.
Now, his gaze burned with murderous fury.
If before he was just clearing a trial—
Now, he genuinely wanted to slaughter this monster himself.
Kill!
He retrieved his greatsword from his inventory—and then black text floated across his vision again.
[Recommended: Beginner Phantom Set]
"Gear that enhances physical stats?"
Reading the description, Kisame thought for a moment. Then, he gritted his teeth and traded in one of his most prized high-level Water Release techniques to the game store.
Once he had enough reward points, he purchased and equipped the set.
The moment the Beginner Phantom Set was equipped—
Kisame felt reinvigorated. The greatsword, previously heavy, now swung in his hands as lightly as a stick.
"So that's it... Itachi's brother was able to block Samehada because he had good gear."
The Beginner Phantom Set was one of four that Fang Yi had created—each enhancing a different stat: Strength, Agility, Spirit, and Constitution.
Kisame had chosen the one that enhanced Constitution, granting him +8 to the stat.
"Evil spirits belong in the grave... just like sharks belong in the sea!"
Kisame spread his arms, eyes filled with bloodthirst, charging the Hollow head-on—trading blow for blow with the tendrils.
Boom!
His greatsword slammed into the mask, deepening the fractures.
One of the Hollow's tendrils pierced Kisame's left foot, blood spilling out.
But Kisame didn't even flinch.
With a savage expression, he lifted the greatsword again and brought it crashing down.
Crack!
The cracked mask shattered completely.
A wave of black corruption leaked out with it, and the Fallen Hollow's massive body crumbled to the ground.
"So... hungry..."
The Hollow let out a final, agonized whisper.
From the gaping void in its chest—symbol of its insatiable hunger—it began to dissolve rapidly.
Clang.
A rusted, broken blade clattered out from the creature's remains.
It was a Zanpakutō—once belonging to an apprentice Soul Reaper that the Hollow had killed.
Unreleased, it was called an Asauchi.
It contained a faint trace of Soul Reaper energy.
[Rusty Soul Reaper Asauchi]
Type: Class Item
Effect: Stab the broken blade into your chest to potentially awaken the power of a Soul Reaper.
Note: Those who stop running, face their hearts, and learn the name of their soul... are called Soul Reapers.
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