At the very least...
Kurosaki Masaki felt like she was about to be stabbed through the chest.
"I... I just used it conveniently," she said, eyes dodging away, muttering with shaky confidence.
Used?
Good grief!
That's not the right way to describe it!
Kanbaru's expression grew serious. "Used it where exactly?"
"Hey."
"I said, are you two pretending I don't exist?"
Not far away...
The Menos Grande's tyrannical yellow pupils glared at the strange pair of siblings standing before him.
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Masaki deflected quickly.
"That's my spiritual razor. If you're using it in weird places, I have a right to know."
Menos Grande: "You two…"
"I'm not telling you!" Masaki huffed defiantly.
"Then stay stuck here, see if I care."
"You... You bastard! Bite me~~~!"
Menos Grande: "…"
Enough already!
Are you seriously ignoring me like I'm air?!
"GO TO HELL!"
A murderous intent burst from the Menos Grande's hollow eyes.
Cold. Bloodthirsty.
This unbearable sense of being ignored reminded him of the trauma of his lonely, ridiculed Gillian days.
As a courtesy...
He decided to torture and devour the two pests in front of him.
He didn't just like to kill—he thrived on the domination that came from extinguishing a soul.
"Cero!"
Crimson energy surged as spiritual pressure condensed into a beam so destructive it could cleave buildings in half.
"Rot in hell, you trash!" the Hollow roared.
Kanbaru's expression remained calm as he raised his hand.
He was weakened, yes—
—but that didn't mean he was helpless.
"Heilige Pfeil – Sacred Killing Arrow."
RUMBLE!!!
The Cero surged forward—only to be torn apart instantly by the holy light of the Quincy arrow.
Not even a second.
The contrast in power was shocking.
Menos Grande's pupils contracted.
He was going to die.
That single, horrifying realization hit him—
—and then came the pain.
"This power…"
"You... What are you?!"
The Hollow stared in despair at his ruined chest. His heart—completely destroyed.
As an Adjuchas-class Menos, his hierro—the steel-like defense—should have been far beyond standard.
But in front of that arrow of pure reishi destruction, it was no sturdier than tissue paper.
His spiritual pressure collapsed—
—and with it, his existence.
In the worlds of Shinigami, Hollows, and Quincies alike—
—when Reiatsu disappears, it only means one thing:
Death.
---
"It doesn't matter how many times I see it."
"Your strength is just... completely exaggerated."
Masaki Kurosaki muttered, wide-eyed.
Kanbaru had never participated in the Quincy clan's organized Hollow Hunts, and because of that, most Quincies assumed he was weak.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
As Kanbaru's bedmate—no wait, pillow companion—Masaki understood better than anyone how terrifying her cousin's power truly was.
She was already hailed as a once-in-a-century Quincy genius.
But in comparison...
Kanbaru was a monster.
If not for the limitations of his mixed blood, his power would have probably shaken the Wandenreich itself.
---
"People really shouldn't... At least not... Actually, I think it's fine."
Kanbaru squatted behind Masaki again, mumbling to himself.
"What are you trying to do?"
Masaki's face turned bright red, steam practically rising off her head.
"I'm warning you, don't try anything weird!"
"What are you thinking?"
"Wait a minute—are you serious about that nonsense?"
Kanbaru leaned in, pulling Masaki close with a suspicious squint.
Masaki: "…"
So shameful! Let me die on the spot!
---
"Speaking of which, that guy Ishida Ryūzuru came by the house today."
Kanbaru suddenly remembered, blinking.
"Eh? What's he doing here again?" Masaki tilted her head cutely, confused.
"He was like this."
Kanbaru pinched his fingers together and made an exaggerated slurping motion.
(Ishida Ryūzuru: You lying bastard! Show some dignity!)
"I didn't think he'd stoop so low."
Masaki made a disgusted face.
(Ryūzuru Ishida: That's slander! I object! Don't believe his crap!)
---
"We should go," Kanbaru said, glancing around. A crowd had already begun to gather.
As Quincies, they weren't the same as Shinigami.
Shinigami were invisible to normal humans and had Kido-based memory-erasing tech to clean up after fights.
Quincies?
They could be seen clearly by humans.
And they had no tech to cover up a battlefield.
---
"But..."
"You're here."
Kanbaru's eyes sharpened as he turned toward a building not far away.
Standing there…
Was a pale figure, silent and still.