"Delicious soul…"
The hoarse and cruel voice scraped through the air like sandpaper grinding against gravel, sending a chill down the spine and creating a suffocating sense of dread.
The sheer sound of it rendered Moyu's two "bodyguards" immobile, frozen with terror, their fighting will extinguished on the spot.
"There really is still a gap between Spiritual Arts Academy students and true Shinigami."
Moyu sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.
Liumu Guibu braced his trembling legs, holding his Zanpakutō in front of him like a fragile shield, his body shaking uncontrollably as he stared up at the massive monster that had appeared.
Its form was like a grotesquely enlarged sea urchin, a hideous Hollow mask embedded in the center of its abdomen.
Alec—a Gillian-class Menos Grande, artificially forged by special means.
It possessed intelligence equivalent to a human's.
But that didn't change its overwhelming hunger for fresh souls.
"Ye Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man—"
In a desperate act of courage, Shimosugawa Ichiro pushed his limit and began chanting, his voice quaking under pressure.
"...Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on the south!"
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!'
With a final shout, a crimson orb of spiritual energy erupted from Ichiro's palm and streaked toward the Hollow.
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the air, engulfing Alec's midsection in smoke and light.
But as the smoke dispersed, Ichiro's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible…"
His strongest Hadō hadn't even left a scratch.
Despair surged back into him like a tidal wave.
BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, a searing red beam tore through the night sky.
The air erupted in waves of scorching pressure.
The column of light roared across the battlefield, tearing through the landscape and piercing straight through Alec's torso.
The giant Hollow froze—then a massive hole opened at its core.
"What… that was…"
"Moyu?!"
Both students stood frozen, staring in shock.
Not far away, Moyu stood with his right arm wrapped in a cylindrical device, faint wisps of white smoke curling from its tip.
"Whew…"
"I said it already. Be prepared."
He exhaled slowly, dispersing the smoke with a casual puff.
On his arm was one of the Shihouin Clan's secret artifacts—the Burning Eye Ceremony.
A weaponized spiritual artifact shaped like a cannon, it could, when infused with enough Reiatsu, unleash a blast equivalent to Hadō #60 and above.
Moyu had also infused it with a Hadō of his own.
Although it was only Hadō #4: Byakurai, when paired with his captain-class Reiatsu and the power of the artifact, it was more than enough to obliterate a modified Gillian-class Hollow.
[You have used Hadō #4: Byakurai to kill an enemy for the first time. Your cultivation efficiency has increased. Power has increased by 120%.]
"Gotta say, Shihouin tools are seriously useful."
Moyu glanced down at the device, which had retracted into a glove-like form, and nodded in approval.
Meanwhile, the two elite students beside him were speechless.
Their faces were blank, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
"Hey, how long are you two going to stare into space?"
Moyu called out. "This soul burial area is completely compromised."
"Hurry up and retreat."
"Oh, and if you run into Hisagi or any of the others, tell them to alert the Soul Society immediately."
Before they could even respond, Moyu vanished from sight.
"Wait, that movement just now…"
Liumu Guibu's eyes snapped wide open.
"I couldn't even see how he moved!"
Shimosugawa Ichiro finally processed it, "That Hollow's Reiatsu—it didn't affect him at all…"
And just like that, the truth hit them.
Kuchiki Moyu—the so-called tail of the crane—was far from ordinary.
He was something else entirely.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the city…
Rukia, along with her two teammates, darted through winding alleyways, breath short and steps frantic.
Behind them, a massive silhouette followed—tall, skeletal, with a bone-plated body that crushed the pavement beneath its weight with every step.
"Damn it, how can something like this be in a soul burial zone?!"
"That's an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande… If it attacks, everyone in this practice session will die."
One of Rukia's teammates cursed under his breath, fear lacing every syllable.
Moments earlier, they had witnessed their peer, Qinglu, torn apart in the creature's jaws.
Rukia gripped her Zanpakutō tightly, her knuckles pale, sweat beading down her temples.
Her violet eyes shimmered with fear—but also defiance.
Please… Brother Moyu…
Be safe…