A gentle breeze blew, clearing the smoke and dust stirred by the explosion. The Hollow lay on the ground, bloodied and defeated, letting out a weak moan of agony.
"Momo, go on. Give it the final blow."
Toshiro's voice sounded behind Momo.
Momo trembled all over. "Yes!"
Though her hands gripping the sword shook incessantly, urged by Toshiro, she had no choice but to walk towards the Hollow.
"Roar!"
Perhaps sensing the threat to its life, seeing Momo approach, the Hollow let out a deafening roar. Momo's body subconsciously paused.
Seizing this chance, the Hollow gathered its last strength and suddenly lunged at Momo in a desperate attack.
Seeing this, Momo was startled and hastily dodged to the side.
Boom!
The Hollow's attack struck the ground, creating a large crater.
Unfortunately, the Hollow was too severely injured, and even with a surprise attack, its speed was too slow. Momo, though panicked, still dodged it.
"Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro!"
Toshiro's voice said calmly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Six bands of light instantly appeared, restraining the Hollow's body, rendering it immobile.
"Don't be afraid, Momo. This is something every Shinigami must experience."
Toshiro walked behind Momo. His hands reached around her waist, grasping her delicate, sword-holding hands. Toshiro's hands exerted force, pushing forward.
Squelch!
Instantly, Momo's Zanpakuto was driven, almost against her will, into the Hollow's heart.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Seeing this scene, Momo's pupils contracted. Then she stood frozen.
It took a while before Momo reacted. She threw down her Zanpakuto and turned to hug Toshiro.
Toshiro stroked Momo's head apologetically. "Sorry, Momo, for making you do such a thing."
Though forcing Momo to do this seemed somewhat cruel, it was a necessary thing.
While kindness was good, as a Shinigami, if she couldn't even bring herself to strike a Hollow, what kind of Shinigami was she?
Besides, Toshiro couldn't always be by Momo's side. She would face Hollows sooner or later. Toshiro couldn't protect her forever.
Today, Toshiro personally leading the patrol was mainly to find a Hollow for Momo to practice on.
Fortunately, Momo had seen Hollows before and even fought alongside others. She recovered quickly.
Momo, embarrassed, pulled away from Toshiro and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Toshiro. I'm so useless, not even daring to finish off a Hollow."
"No, you did very well. Many newcomers are so scared by Hollows they freeze, unable to move."
Toshiro comforted her.
Though he said this to comfort Momo, his words weren't false.
Many newcomers fresh from the Shin'o Academy, upon joining the Gotei 13, easily became paralyzed with fear when facing Hollows.
Especially Hollows stained with blood… their killing intent alone could intimidate new Shinigami.
Although Shin'o Academy conducted combat training with dummy Hollows, fakes were fakes. They couldn't possibly have the killing intent of real Hollows.
Toshiro had experienced life at Shin'o Academy. Honestly, it felt like university in his previous life. As long as you passed exams, generally, unless a teacher was strict, they wouldn't bother you too much.
Ultimately, without experiencing real Hollow combat, they produced flowers from a greenhouse.
In truth, Shin'o Academy was a place to teach knowledge and skills. Only upon joining the Gotei 13 would one truly have the chance to fight real Hollows.
But Momo wasn't seeing Hollows for the first time, which is why she performed better than most newcomers.
Seeing Momo recovered, Toshiro said, "Let's go, Momo. The patrol isn't over yet."
On a small path from Rukongai towards the Seireitei, a young man in Shin'o Academy's blue and white uniform hurried towards the Seireitei, luggage on his back.
Though he had time, he couldn't wait to get there.
"Finally, finally, I've become a Shin'o Academy's student. As long as I graduate successfully, I can become a Shinigami and serve Soul Society faithfully."
The young man had long black hair tied in a knot at the back, with long bangs hanging over his forehead, looking quite handsome.
But as if fate opposed him, just as he walked briskly forward, disaster struck from the sky.
"Roar!"
A Hollow suddenly appeared before him.
The Hollow had just appeared, searching for prey, never expecting someone to walk right up to it.
Moreover, the young man seemed to have decent Reiryoku… a delicious meal far superior to ordinary souls.
If it didn't attack now, it wouldn't be a proper Hollow.
The Hollow immediately roared and lunged at the young man.
"Damn it! To encounter a Hollow at a time like this!"
The young man cursed, then turned and ran.
The Hollow chased relentlessly, showing no sign of giving up. After all, encountering a soul with such abundant spiritual energy was rare. How could it give up easily?
…
Elsewhere, after helping Momo deal with the Hollow, Toshiro continued the patrol. Though his main objective was achieved, since they were out patrolling, they had to do their job.
Suddenly, Toshiro stopped again, feeling somewhat speechless. "What's going on today? Another Hollow?"
Although Hollows frequently appeared in Soul Society, Soul Society was vast. Toshiro was only one patrol team, and encountering a Hollow once every few days on average was considered frequent.
Toshiro had prepared to spend days helping Momo find a Hollow to practice on. He never expected to encounter another one after achieving his goal.
'The situation seems off. Based on the Reiatsu, someone is being chased by a Hollow.'
Toshiro frowned.
Toshiro said urgently, "Momo, someone is being chased by a Hollow. It's urgent. I'll go ahead. Try to catch up!"
With that, Toshiro used Shunkuho, his figure instantly vanishing.
Momo and the other members quickly used Shunpo to follow, but unfortunately, they were far slower than Toshiro. They could only watch his figure disappear from sight.
Thud!
The young man, fleeing in panic, suddenly tripped over a stone by the roadside. The Hollow seized the opportunity and closed in.
"Damn it! Am I going to die here today?"