Tonight’s moonlit sky was exceptionally beautiful—a crisp and clear night, the kind rarely seen in the modern era, with a radiant full moon hanging high above.
But beneath that moonlight, despair and death loomed—imperceptible to ordinary eyes.
With faint, echoing hollow cries, a number of Hollows larger than buildings gathered beneath the moonlight, appearing before Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, and Shūhei Hisagi.
Seeing this scene, the four of them unconsciously slowed their frantic fleeing steps and stopped in place, dumbfounded as they stared at the towering Hollows. At some point, their Asauchi had slipped from their hands and fallen to the ground.
Their hearts were trembling.
Their instincts were wailing.
The shadow of death manifested in the most direct way before these students who hadn’t even graduated yet, to the point that they couldn’t even feel despair anymore—they could only feel absurdity. Could only feel how ridiculous it all was.
Why were there so many Hollows?
Why were all of them so big?
Why did not a single one of them emit any reiatsu?
If what lay before their eyes was reality—not an illusion, not a nightmare—then why hadn’t the Soul Society noticed such an enormous anomaly, and allowed a group of yet-to-graduate Academy Students to come here for so-called "practical training"?
One question after another surfaced in their minds, yet none could be answered. And none of them could even muster a normal human reaction.
The four of them simply stood there blankly. That was all they could do.
Even Renji Abarai, who was usually fearless, seemed to have lost his fighting spirit. He barely managed to lift his sword-holding hand, and the expression on his face was as forced as could be.
Tears streamed down Momo Hinamori’s cheeks at some unknown point, wetting her delicate face.
"Clack clack clack..."
Izuru Kira couldn’t even speak a word. His teeth just kept chattering.
As for Shūhei Hisagi, he couldn’t help but recall the experience of his childhood.
Decades ago, when he was still young, he had been attacked by a Hollow.
At that time, the Captain of Division 9—an individual with "69" carved on his side—had arrived in time and saved him.
To honor the one who saved his life, Hisagi had also carved "69" on his cheek and resolved to join Division 9 upon graduation.
Even though that man was no longer the Captain of Division 9, Hisagi still decided to carry through with that youthful vow.
But now, it seemed... he no longer had the chance.
There was only one thing left for him to do now.
"...You all, run." Follow current novᴇls on ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
Hisagi gripped his sword tighter, then slowly stepped in front of Renji and the others, shielding them with his body.
Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira both shouted out at once.
Hisagi didn’t respond to them. He only roared, then charged straight into the jaws of death.
The only thing he could do now was offer his life in exchange for time—time for the juniors to escape.
That way, at least his death wouldn’t be in vain.
Seeing Hisagi charging forward without hesitation, Momo Hinamori let out a scream and rushed after him.
Renji and Izuru first cried out in panic, and then their voices became filled with terror.
Because at the moment Momo Hinamori dashed forward, a giant Hollow descended from above—landing right in front of her.
It was the very same giant Hollow that had been chasing them earlier.
"ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR——!"
The giant Hollow unleashed a roar so powerful it shook the air. The sound was so terrifying that Momo froze on the spot, unable to move.
Its massive, grotesque forelimb was already raised, swinging down toward her without mercy.
In that instant, time seemed to slow.
All sound receded from Momo Hinamori.
Shūhei Hisagi appeared to hear something behind him, but it was already too late for him to turn around.
Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira seemed to be shouting something—one face full of rage, the other full of fear—but they couldn’t reach Momo’s side.
Momo Hinamori heard nothing. She only stood there, stunned, watching that grotesque forelimb fall slowly toward her.
And then... a figure appeared before her.
The giant Hollow’s monstrous forelimb slammed down with thunderous force, splitting the ground beneath it.
Dust clouded the air. Stones flew. The atmosphere seemed to explode violently, and time resumed its normal flow.
But the Momo Hinamori who should have become a casualty—hadn’t even lost a single strand of hair.
"...You lot really know how to hide. Not leaking even a hint of reiatsu. If it weren’t for the commotion you caused, I wouldn’t have found you."
Such a voice sounded right in front of Momo Hinamori, reaching everyone’s ears.
Just like Renji and the others, the boy who wore the Shin’ō Academy uniform and bore a Zanpakutō at his waist had appeared before Momo, raising one hand to stop that mountainous forelimb.
He simply raised one hand—and with just that hand, he stopped a blow that could crush mountains and shatter buildings, all from a Hollow many times his size.
Momo Hinamori still stood there, unmoving, but what lay ahead of her was no longer despair and death.
What she saw now—was the small hope like a break of dawn.
Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira both widened their eyes and called out his name.
Shūhei Hisagi also stopped his charge, staring at the scene behind him in shock.
Kaiser didn’t respond to anyone. He only looked at the giant Hollow before him.
The giant Hollow seemed to only now realize what had happened and bellowed with fury.
That one roar triggered a chorus. All of the giant Hollows present began to roar as well.
Wave after wave of hollow wails overlapped and echoed, stirring the deepest fear within everyone’s hearts.
The terrifying wails that had driven Renji and the others to despair were reduced to mere barking in the face of the boy’s casual words.
It was as if it had grown immeasurably heavy, weighing down upon the entire space.
Renji and the others felt their heads jolt violently, and the space before their eyes seemed to shudder and sway. The world lost its color, becoming monochrome. Black and white. Roaring.
The overwhelming pressure originated from Kaiser, who stood before Momo Hinamori.
That terrifying force seemed as if it could overturn the entire world.
The massive Hollows all stiffened, unable to even cry out.
Shūhei Hisagi dropped to one knee, his entire body trembling.
Renji Abarai collapsed flat on the ground, dumbfounded.
"W-what an overwhelming reiatsu...!"
Izuru Kira also fell to the ground, staring up at Kaiser as if looking at a god.
Momo Hinamori, though the closest, seemed to be the least affected. She simply stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Kaiser’s back, unresponsive for a long time.
Kaiser had released the reiatsu he had always kept hidden.
For the first time since entering the Academy—he revealed his true power.
The last time he had done so was back in the Zaraki District, when he competed with those ruthless killers over food.
Back then, just releasing his reiatsu alone had broken his enemies’ spirits, rendering them helpless lambs to slaughter.
A Second-Class Spiritual Pressure—Reiatsu of the Second Spiritual Pressure—a level even some Captains in the Gotei 13 had not reached.
With that level of Spiritual Pressure, Kaiser’s reiatsu was Captain-class—and even among Captains, it was one of the stronger ones.
The reiatsu of a Captain-level Shinigami, once released, could heavily suppress even Lieutenants.
At this moment, the reiatsu Kaiser released completely paralyzed Renji and the others—people destined to become future Lieutenants—and shattered the will to fight of all the giant Hollows, forcing them to retreat.
Unfortunately for them, Kaiser did not allow them to retreat.
With this calm incantation, Kaiser extended one hand and released the chantless #58 Hadō.
A massive whirlwind erupted from Kaiser’s palm, howling as it swept across the land and charged toward the group of giant Hollows.
Those colossal Hollows—larger than buildings—could not even resist. No struggle was allowed. They were picked up by the raging wind and hurled into the sky.
"Scatter across the stars, beasts of bone—spires, rubies, wheels of steel. Motion begets wind. Stillness begets void. Resounding clash of spears, echo throughout the Hollowed City."
Kaiser raised his hand slowly, aiming toward the sky where the giant Hollows had been carried.
A blast spell of lightning and thunder.
#63—this was truly high-level Kidō, far beyond what was normally taught in Shin’ō Academy.
Kaiser had learned it only through the private instruction of the Kidō instructor—and now, he finally used it in battle.
With full chanting, at 100% power.
The fully-chanting high-level Hadō was unleashed by Kaiser, transforming into a lightning-infused cannon that shot toward the airborne group of Hollows.
In the next moment, a brilliant explosion erupted in the night sky. Lightning-laced destruction unfolded just as expected, instantly reducing all of the massive Hollows to dust.
Not a single one remained.
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